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

[illusionz_09[TK]]

Great job! really working for it here lol...

[illusionz_09[TK]]

Sorry, i realize the picture wasn't showing.

Here are the marks for the shoulders to cut off the excess.

[Cricket[TK]]

Wow, looking good Christine! I think i have to cut my chest too.. but now i'm not afraid to do so because i know how i can fix it.

 Thanks!  Just be sure to practice well on some ABS first.  You don't want to end up having to rebuild returns like I did.  And post your pics if you do this!   I'd love to see how yours turns out. 

 

Incredible what you are doing to modify that armour to your size. I could never do that. Keep going can't wait to see it finished!

Thanks, Christina!  Knowing how well you've built your TK, TD, and Tusken, I know you would totally do this kind of thing if you needed to- and you would do it to perfection!

 

Sorry, i realize the picture wasn't showing.

Here are the marks for the shoulders to cut off the excess.

Hey, thanks David!  Glad you got that pic up for me.  Having the visual is very helpful.  

[zv288bot[TK]]

Incredible...

 

sent from my phone

[Cricket[TK]]

So sorry for posting more than once today, but I've got a question about sizing down the ab, and I can't figure how to solve this.  

 

As the armor is on my DTD, it's still too large, and I will be making further adjustments.  My issue is with the length of the ab/cod (haha, that sounds really odd...).  
 

 

When I put on the ab so that it fits (meaning the cod piece is where it should be without causing me to go into fits of Silly Walking), it sits like this:

 

 

It's not just an ab plate on me.  It's an entire chest plate.

 

I know I can trim it from the top, so everything would fit fine cod-wise, but then I will run into another problem.  That's with the kidney and chest pieces lining up together at the top.  Here's how it looks now with kidney trimmed (dig that spiffy DIY kidney notch):



I need to take off a lot off the top of the ab.  Which will bring everything up, including the cod.  Then the lower edge of the cod won't be in line with the kidney anymore.  Will that matter?  I'm using the view A below as my reference:

 

I've read Diana's thread, and I don't see any specific outlined details of how they tackled the ab, aside from general comments about trimming.   I don't want to cut the cod across like Pandatrooper, so that's not an option right now.  Any suggestions as to how to reduce the size of the ab length-wise and keep the centurion lines would be appreciated.  Thanks, troopers!

Edited September 27, 2016 by Cricket

[Addertime[TK]]

You've done amazing work on this Christine! 

As the leg opening lines up with the bottom of the kidney, it looks like the best course of action now is to remove a little material from the top of the ab plate at the arm opening and then restore the return edge. 

[Cricket[TK]]

As the leg opening lines up with the bottom of the kidney, it looks like the best course of action now is to remove a little material from the top of the ab plate at the arm opening and then restore the return edge. 

 

Okay, just so I understand correctly:  cut from the top, restore the return.  Got it.

 

So the bottom of the ab/cod won't be in alignment with the kidney anymore once I do that.  I'm assuming then it's not an issue for EIB/Centurion because the belt will hide it all?

[Cricket[TK]]

Oh, and thank you Michael!  

For all you Vertically Challenged following along, I found confirmation over at Diana's Centurion Request post.  Trim the ab from the top.  Then line the ab and kidney at the top.  Bottom of the kidney and ab parts are covered with the belt, so it won't matter if they're not aligned up.  Should be good for Centurion approval, so I'm now back to work...

Edited September 28, 2016 by Cricket

[Cricket[TK]]

I can't see a thing in this helmet!

 

This is my first time trying all the torso parts on myself.  Here's what I've done to get it to this point:

 

Chest cut.  A lot.  Biggest area removed was the scoop at the neck so it would fit me better.  (In this photo, the chest had shifted down, so the neckline that's visible is a fitting adjustment.  The neck fits snug against my neck seal when it is seated properly.)  Shoulder areas trimmed as suggested.  When removing that much material from one part of the armor, all the other sides needed also to be reduced in size.  So cuts were made all around.   I had to re-create the shoulder 'strap' areas on the chest as I made the chest plate smaller around the pectoral area.

Ab cut at the top.  No return yet.  Still may need to trim more.
 

Cod trimmed a bit at the bottom.  I really don't need all that space down there.  Now I'm considering cutting the cod away from where it meets the ab, removing an inch from the top of the cod, and then reattaching it to the ab.  I don't want to move the ab up any further, but the cod still needs to be pulled in closer to my... ah... um...... girly bits.     (link to Pandatrooper's Cod Slice-o-rama)

Trimmed all around the back.  Reducing the sizes of the chest, kidney and ab also now makes it impossible to proceed without trimming the back, too.  I've removed the return from the bottom of the back piece and will create a new return.  This reduces the overall height of the back piece for me by about 20mm.  I've also trimmed the shoulder strap areas of the back as well as around the neck.

Edited September 29, 2016 by Cricket

[illusionz_09[TK]]

 

 

Cod trimmed a bit at the bottom.  I really don't need all that space down there.  Now I'm considering cutting the cod away from where it meets the ab, removing an inch from the top of the cod, and then reattaching it to the ab.  I don't want to move the ab up any further, but the cod still needs to be pulled in closer to my... ah... um...... girly bits.     (link to Pandatrooper's Cod Slice-o-rama)

 

That is exactly what i was going to suggest. You will be able to remove excess, without changing proportions too much. Also, that area is all behind the belt, so will be well hidden.

Personally for you, it looks like it would be the best option.

[Cricket[TK]]

After taking a good look at my armor yesterday, I decided I needed to make the leap and....
 

 

Slice the cod!!!!

 

Well, not that  cod, but you get the idea...


So.  Here's where I began yesterday.  I carefully reviewed Pandatrooper's pics I decided that the width of my ruler was perfect for what I needed to remove.  For all you who love numbers, for my 5'4" stature, it was 1.25".  I clamped the ruler to the cod and made a pencil line for where I needed to cut.

 

Then I took a really deep breath and cut with my lexan scissors.

 

 

Looks terrifying, huh?  I should post all of my armor mods together in their 'before' state as a Horror thread.  Muhahahaaaaa....

Okay, don't go running away yet!  I've got a plan for all this, really.  In Pandatrooper's mod for the cod, he takes a 1.25" slice out of the cod entirely.  After cutting the cod on my armor, I decided that instead of removing that part, I would opt to keep it all one piece.  So I left that 1.25" part of the armor intact as a base where I could securely- and permanently- attach it.

I decided to place my sliced codpiece on top of the area where I detached it from.  Using a pencil, I created a natural line where the cod would merge with the ab plate.

 

Then I trimmed those areas off.  You can see the trimmed parts on the floor in the background.  

 

Next, I matched the ridge line of the cod together from the inside and verified that the cut lines were sufficient.

 

It looked good, so I decided that it was time to reintroduce my cod back to my ab.  My first thought was to secure their relationship with e6000, but then I remembered that I wanted this bond to last.  Forever.  <3  ABS paste stepped in and said, "I can make this last!"    And since ABS paste was commonly used as glue on TKs during filming, this would surely be approved by the Emperor.

 

I sanded down the areas where the paste was going, and frosted the ABS paste on.  My paste had the consistency of very thick honey.

 

 

Then I stuck everything together and lined the ridges up.  Using tape and magnets, I assembled it all together to secure their bond.  Forever.  Awww....

 

In the morning, I discovered that the cod and the ab had happily decided to stick together, and they're never going to break up.  Don't you love a happy ending?  

Okay, here's a before and after so you can see how much better it fits me now.

 

I'm really happy with how this turned out.  I wish I hadn't been so terrified to do this, because it wasn't all that hard to do.  I still need to create the return on the top, which will be tackled today.  Onward!

Edited September 30, 2016 by Cricket

[Addertime[TK]]

So much better! In for a penny, in for a pound, right? 

 

I hope your slicing and dicing inspires others to make the leap to better fitting armor. It's scary at first. I was terrified just reading your surgical proposals but you did an awesome job and now I wonder why I was even worried.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Addertime

[68Brick[TK]]

ABS Expert Level Acquired.

[Tolo[TK]]

You're doing an outstanding job.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sandmann66]

What a great WIP!
Love to read about your RS build.   

[zv288bot[TK]]

After taking a good look at my armor yesterday, I decided I needed to make the leap and....

 

 

Slice the cod!!!!

 

Well, not that cod, but you get the idea...

 

 

So. Here's where I began yesterday. I carefully reviewed Pandatrooper's pics I decided that the width of my ruler was perfect for what I needed to remove. For all you who love numbers, for my 5'4" stature, it was 1.25". I clamped the ruler to the cod and made a pencil line for where I needed to cut.

 

 

Then I took a really deep breath and cut with my lexan scissors.

 

 

Looks terrifying, huh? I should post all of my armor mods together in their 'before' state as a Horror thread. Muhahahaaaaa....

 

Okay, don't go running away yet! I've got a plan for all this, really. In Pandatrooper's mod for the cod, he takes a 1.25" slice out of the cod entirely. After cutting the cod on my armor, I decided that instead of removing that part, I would opt to keep it all one piece. So I left that 1.25" part of the armor intact as a base where I could securely- and permanently- attach it.

 

I decided to place my sliced codpiece on top of the area where I detached it from. Using a pencil, I created a natural line where the cod would merge with the ab plate.

 

 

Then I trimmed those areas off. You can see the trimmed parts on the floor in the background.

 

 

Next, I matched the ridge line of the cod together from the inside and verified that the cut lines were sufficient.

 

 

It looked good, so I decided that it was time to reintroduce my cod back to my ab. My first thought was to secure their relationship with e6000, but then I remembered that I wanted this bond to last. Forever. <3 ABS paste stepped in and said, "I can make this last!" And since ABS paste was commonly used as glue on TKs during filming, this would surely be approved by the Emperor.

 

 

I sanded down the areas where the paste was going, and frosted the ABS paste on. My paste had the consistency of very thick honey.

 

 

Then I stuck everything together and lined the ridges up. Using tape and magnets, I assembled it all together to secure their bond. Forever. Awww....

 

 

In the morning, I discovered that the cod and the ab had happily decided to stick together, and they're never going to break up. Don't you love a happy ending?

 

Okay, here's a before and after so you can see how much better it fits me now.

 

 

I'm really happy with how this turned out. I wish I hadn't been so terrified to do this, because it wasn't all that hard to do. I still need to create the return on the top, which will be tackled today. Onward!

Haha! I was solely focused on the Cod area thinking to myself, I don't really see a difference?! Then I looked up.

Great job as usual!

Get this thing done already so you can troop the Children's Hospital Parade in December!

 

sent from my phone

[bowski477]

Next weekend I'll be slicing cod with your thread handy for support! This is awesome!

[Cricket[TK]]

Haha! I was solely focused on the Cod area thinking to myself, I don't really see a difference?! Then I looked up. 

 

Haha!  Yep, there's a little extra padding in my chest armor there.  

 

 

Great job as usual!

Get this thing done already so you can troop the Children's Hospital Parade in December!

 

 

 

Thanks, Jorge!  I would love to be done with this for the Children's Hospital Parade.  At the rate I'm going now, it's certainly a possibility!  

 

Next weekend I'll be slicing cod with your thread handy for support! This is awesome!

 

Thanks!  I'm following your build, and I can't wait to see how things go.    It seems really scary at first, but it's not all that bad.  The more you work with modding your armor, the easier it gets to just jump in and make changes where necessary.  

 

Aaaand for today's changes to my armor...

 

No changes, actually.  Just additions.  I.  Attached. Brackets!  (insert glorious overtures of symphonic chorus and raucous cheers here...)

 

This is the first one.  Just half of a set, but this one is special.  

 

 

I don't know why, but the whole idea of bracket installation has had me terrified.  So when I accomplished one, it felt like I had just crested a mountain top.

 

And then there were four.

 

 

Center bracket set attached.

 

 

Here's a side view so you can see how the brackets work with the elastics. 

 

 

So you can see how the chest looks with the brackets installed from the outside.  I will paint the screws later.

 

 

The chest brackets installed.  Yay!

 

 

I don't have time to put it on today, but here's what it looks like all snug together.  

 

 

Now if I could just stay focused and get this kit built!  We create a huge Halloween display, and everything started going up in the yard this weekend.  I have to now divide my time between my TK and decorating.  Hopefully by doing a little bit on my TK every day, I'll finish soon.  I hope!

[TKZombie[TK]]

The brackets are certainly the way to go! I have strapping/snaps on my TD, but the brackets on my TM TK its a way better connection system. <br><br>

Good job on the progress!

[illusionz_09[TK]]

Masterful Job Christine!

You are doing an amazing job fitting that armor. Can't wait to see it completed.

[illusionz_09[TK]]

BTW, love the "COD-fish" cutting video clip lmao

[Alay[TK]]

Damn you're coming along amazingly with this build!  

 

As a thought, you might want to split the difference some places with foam padding on the interior.  I just worry you might end up with helmet proportions seeming weird.

[Cricket[TK]]

All of my magnetic things have arrived, so now it's time to create some magnetic shins, shall we?

I think I've lost my fear of doing crazy stuff to my armor because I feel that's all I've been doing lately.  This particular mod involves making Swiss cheese-like holes in the back of the shins, so if you have an aversion to this kind of thing, then don't try it.  But if you want a super nifty way to close the shins up without any issues, this might be your thing.  Word of warning:  this is nowhere near screen accurate (but it does still keep the butt joint construction, so yay!).  

 

I followed the steps outlined here.  I have zv288bot (Jorge) to thank for sharing this idea with me.  Jorge, you are continually my creative muse!

 

I made two 3/4" x 12" ABS strips.  For all the particular measurements on the strips, see the link above.  I measured out where the holes would be placed, and marked the holes in the magnets as close to center of those marks as possible.

 

Instead of swapping out a gazillion drill bits in order to get a clean hole, I used a step bit that goes up to 1/2" inch.  It's a total time saver!!!  I'm fortunate enough to own a drill press (a Christmas gift from Mr. Cricket last year.  He knows me well...), and it made creating the holes a breeze.

 

I drilled out all the holes and verified that the magnets would easily fit inside.  

 

 

Then I lined up the strip to the inside of the shin closure.  Looks good so far!

 

 

I clamped and glued with e6000 (because the permanence of CA glue on this kind thing of scares me!).

 

 

In the morning, I took all the clamps and tape off, and checked how everything looked.

 

Using my Dremel, I carved out the rest of the circle parts on the shin.  There's no going back now!!!  In the pic below, the part you see with the holes is the inside half.   It won't be visible when closed.

 

 

So now is where I begin to deviate from the outlined tutorial.  Proceed at your own risk if you're following along with me.

The tutorial mentions that Dremeling out the areas behind the cover strip was the most tedious, time consuming part of this.  In the tutorial, the cover strip couldn't be removed.  Lucky for me, I had attached my cover strips using e6000, so it was easy to take them off.

 

I cleaned off the old glue and lined everything up as best as I could.  My cut lines on the shins are crappy, so that makes things a bit challenging.  Using a light behind my shins, I traced an approximate area where I needed to drill out as a guide and to make sure everything was lining up okay.

 

 

And more Swiss cheese holes were created...

 

Then I reattached the cover strip.

 

Aaaannnndddd...  here are the magnets getting all snug in their new homes in little beds of e6000.  I'll let them get settled in before moving on to the last step- attaching the stainless steel strip! 

 

In case it's not clear, the magnets are glued to the cover strip.  There will be a stainless steel strip placed in the inside of the calf, which will cover the area where you see the magnets above.  Stay tuned!
 

(Magic) Magnetic Shin Closures Part 2 (magnetic closure improved)

 

(Magic) Magnetic Shin Closures in Action (video!)

Edited February 22, 2017 by Cricket

[Addertime[TK]]

Looks awesome, but then I expect nothing less of you now. I'm curious though about your choice of using stainless steel. While ferritic stainless steels can become magnetized, the strength of attraction is often marginal.

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

Looks awesome, but then I expect nothing less of you now. I'm curious though about your choice of using stainless steel. While ferritic stainless steels can become magnetized, the strength of attraction is often marginal.

I was going to say the same thing but less sciencey! I would think a thin strip of regular steel that has several coats of a rust resistant paint and a coat or two of clear would be more "grabby".

 

 

Jim - TK50899