Cricket's RS Stunt Build (for the Vertically Challenged)

[Cricket[TK]]

       

 

I've trimmed the butt plate.

 

I've shaped the butt plate in a lovely spa bath.

 

I've begged and pleaded with the butt plate.  But it just stares silently at me.  I think it's mocking me now.  No matter what I do with the flippin' butt plate, it still won't cooperate with the kidney when I put it on.

 

When the armor is assembled with nothing in it, it's awesome.  The back/kidney/butt plate look great assembled on a hanger, everything lines up.  The problem is when I get into it.  It's my butt, not the butt plate.  Sigh.  I can't believe this build has devolved into discussion about problems with my butt.

 

If my butt was on a vertical flat plane, the armor would fit.  But it's curved outwards just below the kidney.  This pushes the butt plate out at an angle at the bottom- roughly at a 20 degree angle.  As a result, the top (where the brackets are) also shifts from being horizontally flat (and meeting nicely with the kidney), to being angled about 20 degrees down at the edges (pulling desperately away from the kidney).

 

At first I thought that I had altered the kidney too small.  But I'm swimming in there, and there is still lots of room all around.  My butt is the issue.  I am not willing to try to lose weight to get my butt smaller (at 108 lbs, I don't need to lose any weight).  However, if the kidney were a slightly more rounded shape though, this wouldn't be a problem.  When the kidney is slightly flexed so it bows outward (squeezed inwards from the left and right sides), the butt plate fits because more clearance is allowed for my booty.  When my butt isn't pushing out on the butt plate, the problem with the kidney/butt plate meeting together goes away.  

 

So.   With as much of a hassle as it will be, I think I'll need to reshape the kidney and ab plate by a few centimeters.  It'll be less hassle than weight loss, that's for sure.

Edited February 26, 2017 by Cricket

[Cricket[TK]]

It took me all day, but I FINALLY got the kidney and butt issue solved!!!  So happy that my butt plate isn't popping out now!  Hours of patience, one pair of chemical gloves, four HUGE pots of boiling water, half a roll of blue tape, a few (okay, a lot of) swear words later, and here's the result (all taped together temporarily):

 

Kidney/ab/butt, no belt.

 

 

With the belt:

 

From the back:

 

I ended up trimming off some of the bottom of the butt plate during my initial investigation about why things weren't fitting.  And it's a good thing I did because I would have needed to anyhow because of the thighs.  I don't have the garter on, so I was positioning each thigh on my own so you could see how it all will come together:



What a major PITA this was.  But I'm thrilled that it's all looking better now.  Tomorrow I will be doing repairs to the butt plate returns and the kidney returns- which is a stroll on Tatooine with a flamethrower compared to this challenge.  As you bend and shape the pieces in the hot water, the returns get all warpy and they'll be ironed out with a heat gun.

 

Before on left, after on right:


Time for a beer (or three)...  

Edited February 26, 2017 by Cricket

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Definitely looks much better. Sorry it's been a slot, but the end result looks worth it.

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

OCD!! One word of advice Christine, don't pay too much attention to the butt plates on the original armors because you would freak out! I mean just with those two troopers: they tried to keep one butt plate from flaring too much with duct tape, and seem to have just given up on the other:

 

Also, just for information, the RS suit has a flaring butt plate compared to the kidney plate. It's one of its kinks. So it probably didn't help you out:

 

Anyway, it was fun to read about all your butt issues and it seems like you dealt with them like a champ!

[A.J. Hamler[TK]]

"It was fun to read all about your butt issues."  Now there's something I thought I'd never hear. <g>

 

Can you imagine what someone would think if they didn't know the context? <double-g>

 

A.J.

[Cricket[TK]]

OCD!! One word of advice Christine, don't pay too much attention to the butt plates on the original armors because you would freak out!

 

hahaha!!!

 

For the record, yes, I can get a little OC with certain details on my build.  I didn't reshape the ab/kidney/butt plates just due to some alignment issues, though.  I wasn't hugely fond of the fact that the butt plate kept popping out there, but I was going to live with it actually. (Too bad we can't use gaffer's tape for the higher level award badges- that would have made for an easy fix!)

 

The problem was that there were some serious stress cracks developing in the armor- two in the butt plate return that were not part of the bracket holes, and one in the kidney in one of the center bracket holes.  Repairs needed to be done, and I hadn't even trooped in the armor yet.  If I didn't go about reshaping the plates, I would have the same cracks developing again in the same areas eventually (and sooner rather than later).

 

Something I'm learning about my armor is that it is not forgiving at all.  When I sew a fabric dress or costume, measurements can be approximate sometimes.  Fabric can be pulled out, tucked in, or stretched to fit, and the result can still look great.  But this armor...  it either fits or it doesn't.  It's truly a three-dimensional customized puzzle with attitude.  A very fun challenge, to say the least!

[Cricket[TK]]

"It was fun to read all about your butt issues."  Now there's something I thought I'd never hear. <g>

 

Can you imagine what someone would think if they didn't know the context? <double-g>

 

hahaha!  Oh, I think when I build thread is this long, this kind of thing eventually pops up.  Did you see the discussion of Diana's codpiece over at her build thread?  

 

And who knew that one day I would be discussing butt issues with stormtroopers?  #bucketlist

[Cricket[TK]]

Still plugging away on other things while waiting for the ABS paste to cure on my returns.

 

Got outside cover strips installed on the right thigh today.  Tomorrow I'll have a new completely finished piece!  Woo!

 

I got stalled on some of the fine-tuning I need to do on the inside fit of the left thigh.  You know, that whole butt plate shaping thing was a bit of a detour and my armor is still in pieces right now.  So I decided to finish a little detail on the left thigh that I promised myself I would do.  Behold, the ANH overtrimmed left thigh notch! (Apologies about how dirty it is.  It will get cleaned up soon.)

 

 

 

 

 

It would be difficult to tell at first glance that I had to completely cut away the original notch.  I'm pretty proud of this little alteration.  Heat sealing iron FTW!!!  

 

Edited February 28, 2017 by Cricket

[TheSwede[TK]]

Awsome work with this build!   ...going to use magnets (for the shins) for my builds as well (anovos TX in the making and waiting for the TK to arrive) A lot of great tips on your build, both from you and others and...can`t wait to see before and after shots...keep it up

Edited February 28, 2017 by jedha-trooper

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Well done reshaping the top of the thigh and recreating the notch! It's funny because when I looked at the first picture of your thigh armor I thought something was a bit off (especially around the top section of the inner curve), but when I see how much you've removed from the top you did a great job to preserve the original lines. I actually didn't expect you took off that much!

[Cricket[TK]]

Well done reshaping the top of the thigh and recreating the notch! It's funny because when I looked at the first picture of your thigh armor I thought something was a bit off (especially around the top section of the inner curve), but when I see how much you've removed from the top you did a great job to preserve the original lines. I actually didn't expect you took off that much!

 

With as much as I wanted to keep the original thighs as long as they were, I couldn't do it.  The tops were poking too much into my hips.  

 

The top inner curve had to be trimmed quite a bit to allow for comfort while walking, so it's definitely narrower in that area than before.  The thigh kept clipping the codpiece in a major way when I walked.  With the armor on, I marked the thigh in the area where I could see/feel the plastic consistently hitting.  It took several mark/trim attempts because I was being very conservative with my trimming.  I can't wait to get the armor re-strapped so I can share pics.  

[TheSwede[TK]]

With as much as I wanted to keep the original thighs as long as they were, I couldn't do it.  The tops were poking too much into my hips.  

 

The top inner curve had to be trimmed quite a bit to allow for comfort while walking, so it's definitely narrower in that area than before.  The thigh kept clipping the codpiece in a major way when I walked.  With the armor on, I marked the thigh in the area where I could see/feel the plastic consistently hitting.  It took several mark/trim attempts because I was being very conservative with my trimming.  I can't wait to get the armor re-strapped so I can share pics.  

neither can we  

[Cricket[TK]]

Finished!  

 

Edited March 1, 2017 by Cricket

[zv288bot[TK]]

Whoop Whoop! Pictures! Come on, come on. Let's see um...

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Can't wait!!!!!

[Sly11[Admin]]

Monumental build thread Christine, excited to see an EI application from you.

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

You finished at the edge of the famous 20th page... Are you sure you don't have one or two last things to post before?

[Cricket[TK]]

Sooo... who is up for some pics?  

I submitted these to my GML this morning.  I still have to make some adjustments on things (my helmet has waaaay too much padding now... it sits oddly on my head, and I can only see through the frown mesh).  My blaster seems to want to pull my kit down to the left.  My left forearm needs more trimming.  That's the bib of my neck seal popping out around the shoulder bells.    Wish me luck!

 

 

 

A little action.

 

 

 

     

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Awesome! Can't wait for your EI app next.  I know it was a ton of work - sweat, tears, and probably blood too.  However you're paving the way for other ladies your size, e.g. if you can do it, so can they.

 

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Oh, and two more things: I know you never ask a lady her weight, but if you could on the first post put your height, I think that would be helpful for new people reading this.

 

And, having the index on the first post is *brilliant*

[Cricket[TK]]

Oh, and two more things: I know you never ask a lady her weight, but if you could on the first post put your height, I think that would be helpful for new people reading this.

 

And, having the index on the first post is *brilliant*

I don't mind putting my weight out there.  It'll help others to get an idea of where I sized the kit down to.  I'll take care of that now.

 

And thanks for the compliment about the index.    I have to update it to include the last few posts.  

[TheSwede[TK]]

Beautifully done!    

[fragarock[TK]]

Awesomeness. So glad to see you get to this point. I know there's always something else to tweak but it looks great as is.

 

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[Cricket[TK]]

TK-10401 reporting for duty!

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Sweet!  I've take the liberty of updating your membership level. You'll see the rest of the forums now.