Stephen's RS ANH stunt build WIP (for small people)

[Gwithian]

Today I've started to trim the greaves, but before that, this is what the biceps look like now the cover strips are in place, the excess glue needs to be removed

 

 

 

Made the 20mm and 25mm cover strips I needed plus a 10mm one... I will come to why later

 

 

So the greaves, the left and right are exactly the same so I did the following fir both legs

 

 

First of all I marked a line to cut the excess abs away from the return edge, both top and bottom

 

 

 

Roughly trimmed the tops and bottoms

 

 

 

Now remember that 10mm cover strip? Well I used it as a marker fir the outer front cover strips, so I could trim each side 10mm so it can take a 20mm cover strip

 

First I marked a pencil line

 

 

 

And then clamped the 10mm cover strip in place and used it as a guide to cut the greave

 

 

Scored it six times with the stanly knife

 

 

Cut the return edge with the scissors

 

 

Then broke the excess off

 

 

This is what it now looks like

 

 

I repeated this on all four pieces, this is what it looks like taped together

 

 

Unfortunately the back doesn't line up, but reading Christine's post and franks post, that is to be expected, they will be treated to a hot water bath to get them into shape

 

 

I'm well chuffed with today's progress

 

 

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[Gwithian]

Christine.... I lowered the temperature on the iron, as you suggested, and it softened the ABS without melting it

 

 

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Edited May 27, 2017 by Gwithian

[Gwithian]

What size return edge do indeed to leave on the top of the greaves? Also what size top and bottom of the thighs?

 

 

 

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[Sly11[Admin]]

Looks good where you have it. Clean up the area and post up a new photo so we can re appraise from there.

 

 

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[Mworm1974[TK]]

Hi Stephen,How did you find the inner join of the right forearm, was it difficult to join? my right forearm inner join is like the apex of a roof. I'm going to try and heat it up to bend it a little to try and get a straight edge. With regards to the shins I am almost there too, from what I have read so far it says to make the outer bottom edge longer than the inside. The top return edge I thought that 5 to 10mm was the recommended size but mobility and comfort came first. If you find out before me can you post what you find out. Matt

Edited May 29, 2017 by Mworm1974

[Gwithian]

Hi Matt, I've been told that the return edge should be 5 to 10 mm ( got that from the UKG) one part of mine is at 8mm so I will do it 8 mm all around,

 

Regarding the right forearm , yes my inner join was very pointy , as you say like a roof , I taped it with duct tape and applied a gentle heat, looking back I think it would have been easier if I had given it a hot water bath, it's very easy for it to go horribly wrong with the heat gun, in fact mine did go wrong at one point but thankfully it was hidden by the outer cover strip.

 

Thanks for the tip on the bottom of the greaves one side does have a longer curve on it than the other , but because the right and left greave on the RS suit are the same, the longer curve is on the outside right leg and inside left leg .... I know I should have worn my body suit rather than jeans but I was just wanting to see what they looked like rather than size them

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Double check with Ross/Clive first but those areas LOVE to crack when getting them on and off, I've got maybe 3mm return there. The less there is the less likely it is to crack and the easier it is to get on and off.

[Gwithian]

Thanks, I will check with Ross and Clive

 

 

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[fragarock[TK]]

Hi Matt, I've been told that the return edge should be 5 to 10 mm ( got that from the UKG) one part of mine is at 8mm so I will do it 8 mm all around,

 

 

Hi Matt and Stephen,

 

I had this same question and was told about 6mm is the magic number. I'll defer to you garrison mates but on mine I went with 6mm at the top of the grieves. The bottom was really minimal, about 2mm so that the bottom fits nice and tight around the boot. I originally cut the bottoms so there was no return edge but I didn't like that it was kind of a sharp edge which cut into the boot so I used the heat iron to round out the bottom making a slight return edge.

 

The top of my thigh pieces have a 5mm return which I had to make...several times...as I cut it down to my short size. The bottom of my thighs are about 3mm. Nobody will see this but I wanted to leave a bit of meat around the bottoms to give the some strength.

 

Stephen, you may need to trim the top of your right forearms cover strip. Looks like it's sticking up above the top of the piece and this will definitely poke you in the inner elbow, which I bet will feel awesome, when you bend your arm.

 

I've gotta tell you, seeing that rear picture of your grieves gives me chills. It took me about an hour of boiling water baths to get those rear joints to align. Luckily cover strips cover up imperfections so even if you can't get it perfect you'll still be okay.

 

The build looks great so far. Keep up the good work.  

 

[Gwithian]

Hi Frank, thanks for the advice and encouragement , will look at the cover strip on the right forearm, I haven't noticed it digging in, but then I've only tried them in for a short while.

 

I'm not looking forward to sorting the misalignment of the greaves out, I'm not too sure where to start, get the length right first or the width or get them realigned first? Also I guess installing the front cover strip inside and out is the last thing to do before I tackle how to fasten them at the rear ... bra hooks, Velcro or magnets like you and Christine

 

 

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[fragarock[TK]]

Hi Frank, thanks for the advice and encouragement , will look at the cover strip on the right forearm, I haven't noticed it digging in, but then I've only tried them in for a short while.

 

I'm not looking forward to sorting the misalignment of the greaves out, I'm not too sure where to start, get the length right first or the width or get them realigned first? Also I guess installing the front cover strip inside and out is the last thing to do before I tackle how to fasten them at the rear ... bra hooks, Velcro or magnets like you and Christine

 

 

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I would get the circumference worked out first and you have probably already done this. I mean wrap the piece around your leg and make where they shoild align with pencil. I wouldnt trim off any excess yet, rather mark the trim lines on each side of the rears with tape. When yoi do the bath, youll be twisting these pieces into alignment and what you initially thought would be nice vertical joints at the rear coukd get misalignes.

 

Then do the front inner cover strip which will help hold things together when you do the hit water bath. If you've got those steps done then soak away. To do the bath, tape the pieces together in the shape you want, more tape the better as some will come off when wet. Next boil water in the largest and tallest pot you have. The temp of the water will determine how long to submerge the pieces so it's trial and error. Just start of with short dips like 10 seconds. I guess my water wasn't quite hit enough so I was doing 30 second dips. I would use tongs to hold the piece in the water but the top was sticking out so if have to flip it a few times. Wear good rubber gloves, the kind for washing dishes are perfect. Take the piece out and use your hands to squeeze it into the shape you need then run it under cold water. You have to be quick on the last step. About 5 seconds out of the bath and into the cold water. Repeat this as needed until they hold their shape on their own.

 

Prepare to spill water all over the place too.

 

Once the pieces are aligned then recheck your rear trim lines and cut.

After that you can adjust the length.

 

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[Gwithian]

That's perfect Frank, thanks

 

 

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[Gwithian]

Ok I've been doing some bits n bobs over the past few days.....

 

I've trimmed the shoulder bells, cut the return edge at the bottom to 4mm I will reduce it to 3mm as I adjust the fit. I also did a rough trim of the width of the bells, I've left about 2 inches spare to allow for adjustment

 

 

 

The tape mark is where I think I need to cut on the inside of that, I cut on the outside just in case

 

I tried on the greaves and tried to shape them with a heat gun.... it's still not right, but getting there

 

 

 

 

They don't line up at the back, hopefully I will get them to look like ...

 

 

 

From the front

 

 

I did ask about the width of the return edge on the greaves, Clive one of the armourers from the UKG advised me of this in a reply to a previous post

 

 

Today I started to work on the thighs , return edges initially roughly cut , will end up at 5mm at the bottom i.e. At the knee, but is 5mm correct at the groin?

 

 

Trimmed the front of the thighs in the same way as I did the greaves

 

 

 

 

 

I think I need to get a closer fit, at the moment I can get my hand inside the thigh armour, is that too much of a gap?

 

Also today we visited the local deer park... just thought you may like these pics

 

 

 

Anyway.... back to the armour, I will do the right thigh tomorrow am hoping to get a rough fit next week when hopefully you can tell me what is ok (fingers crossed something will be right) and where I need to trim / shorten .... thanks in anticipation

 

 

 

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[Cricket[TK]]

I wouldn't worry too much about the returns at the top of the thighs just yet.  The only place where you can see the return is on the outside of the thigh and at the back.  For comfort, you'll most likely want to completely remove the return from the front of the thigh (from about the middle of your thigh), all the way around to the inside of the thigh.  Remember, none of those areas are visible. 

 

Take your time getting the thighs tailored.  I advise working on them last.  I mucked up my first pair of thighs by trimming the tops to where I thought would be the correct length before everything was done.  Once I put them on with my torso, I discovered that they were way too short.   

 

On the second pair, I tried them on untrimmed first while wearing my completed torso.  Using a pencil, I conservatively marked where the cod was overlapping the thigh and hitting the butt plate.  I removed a little at a time (mark, remove thighs, trim, put thighs back on, mark, remove thighs, trim, etc) until the cod wasn't overlapping the thighs anymore.  

 

 

So you can see the difference in how thighs look when not trimmed exactly to the cod.  The other troopers here have GREAT armor, I'm just using this so you can see differences side by side and make your own decision about how you want your thighs to look.  

[Gwithian]

Well over the past few days I've been trimming the thighs, tried all the armour on and treated the greaves to a hot water bath,

 

I got the heat gun out and yes messed up again, I think I may need to buy a new left greave .... oh humm... anyway some pics

 

First trimming the thigh... tried it on trimmed at the front, not at the back

 

 

 

 

Did a rough pencil line

 

 

Cut and trimmed

 

 

From the front

 

 

Trimmed and un trimmed side by side, I think you can see which is which

 

 

Tried the armour on

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I seem to stand a bit lob sided

 

 

Now the greave ... the bit i messed up

 

 

 

These are them trimmed, they fit perfectly though I'm not sure the rear cover strip is vertical

 

 

 

I still think it's two steps forward and one back, which means I'm making some progress

 

 

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[fragarock[TK]]

You may be able to reshape the part you warped by hitting it again with the heat gun. Use low setting and slowly increase the temp if the lower temps aren't making the plastic soft enough. Do a small area at a time using a wood paint stir stick or another small and flat wood piece that you can get into the crevices. I also had to fix a few heat gun spots and did it using this technique and even using my hands but wearing gardening gloves. It's worth a shot before getting a new part.

 

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[Gwithian]

You may be able to reshape the part you warped by hitting it again with the heat gun. Use low setting and slowly increase the temp if the lower temps aren't making the plastic soft enough. Do a small area at a time using a wood paint stir stick or another small and flat wood piece that you can get into the crevices. I also had to fix a few heat gun spots and did it using this technique and even using my hands but wearing gardening gloves. It's worth a shot before getting a new part.

 

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That's a great idea Frank, thanks

 

It's certainly worth a try and if I mess it up more, well what have I got to loose. I did try to reshape them in boiling water, I only had the sink and a kettle, we don't have any pans big enough to put the whole greave into

 

Once again, thanks

 

 

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[Gwithian]

I realise it's been a while since I posted on here, I've been busy with, well, all those things that go on in life. We have been away for a few days in Wiltshire , seen stone he he and Salisbury cathedral as well as Winchester cathedral, corfe castle plus loads more, I've wanted to see these things since I was a small boys so it's an ambition come true ..... just like building my armour, but I'm not to sure it's going to plan .....

 

You will recall I sort of messed things up with the heat gun..,,

 

 

Well I've tried to put it right

 

 

I did as Frank said and use a piece of wood as a template

 

 

 

Today I did a bit more with the heat gun

 

 

Admit ended up like this

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the bit that was most damaged....

 

I'm thinking it's not too bad....

 

What do you think?

 

Oh. And for our friends across the pond....

 

Winchester cathedral

 

 

Corfe castle

 

 

Salisbury cathedral

 

 

Stone henge

 

 

My grandson Nathan

 

 

 

And getting the award for the most improved player in the under 7 team 2017

 

 

It's been a good day

 

 

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[Gwithian]

Today I've not done much, I've cut some abs strips with the aim of fitting them inside the greaves to help them line up, these are the male side, I will make the female part fir the other side so they slot together. They need bending slightly to follow the curve of the greave. Once installed I plan to fit some magnets to close the greaves as Christine and Frank have done . I just wanted to check if it's ok to install these tabs on the rear of the greaves, or will that prevent centurion application? Thanks

 

 

 

 

Also you will see from the last picture that the cover strip won't be fully lined up with the outside part of the greave, I mean it won't be stuck parallel to the trimmed outside greave, I've done that so that it's vertical when closed, again would that be ok?

 

 

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Edited June 18, 2017 by Gwithian

[Gwithian]

Well today I thought I would trim the return edge on the left thigh and check how much I need to remove from it to allow it to fit my small legs.

 

Trimming the return edge

 

 

 

I put the torso on and checked the thigh against the cod/ ab and butt pieces

 

 

 

 

 

This is how far I can bend my leg, all those pesky rebels need to do is put some steps in front of me and they will be able to escape lol

 

 

I tried to draw a rough line where I think it needs trimming, that's the thigh

 

 

Or does the butt need trimming or both?

 

 

Now I'm not sure they fit correctly, they are perfect around the knee but I can get my arm inside the top of the thigh, is that too much of a gap?

 

 

Oh and the amount of trimming needed

 

 

 

I want to get the left leg completed before I start on the right leg

 

Oh ... I'm presuming the return edge needs to be replaced along the whole circumference of the top of the thigh?

 

Now the saga of the greaves.... I am really stumped and flummoxed, on the left greave I have trimmed the front on both sides to allow the cover strip , however the outside of the greave at the rear was already trimmed by RS, it's the same in the right greave, only it's the inside on that one, as left and right are the same on the RS armour. Anyway my dilemma, when I line the rear up it sort of twists the outside piece and the resultant joint is anything but vertical ....

 

 

 

The above picture is about as vertical as I can get it and let's face it it's closer to being horizontal than vertical lol

 

These are left and right greaves with the same problem

 

 

I did think of ordering new ones but I could end up with the same results.

 

I know the seam has to be vertical or as close to for centurion .... but mine will be nothing like that..... any ideas? Could I add a shim ? Would that stand out too much? I'm really at a loss now and the more I try to sort this out the more stumped I get , it's really frustrating . Hay hoe

 

 

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[fragarock[TK]]

You are making great progress and in a short amount of time. Regarding the thighs, before trimming the tops I suggest you get the torso dialed in. Specifically get the cod as close to the final position as possible. You don't want to cut down the thigh tops and then realize you need to raise the cod up a bit and then you'll be left with too much of a gap between the thighs and cod. This process takes patience as you'll be in a cycle of trimming the cod and the but pieces then test fitting. Then trimming the thighs and test fitting again. I think I did this process 4 or 5 times before coming to the conclusion that I needed to trim the cod/raise it up for better proportions and fit.

 

Don't worry about a larger gap at the top of the thighs. Like yours, mine are relatively tight at the knees and I have a lot of room at the tops. You can reduce this down a bit, especially if you're thigh pieces rub together on the inseams but you want to keep them in proportion to the rest of your armor and overall size. Not too big and not too small.

 

The back of your right grieve doesn't look too bad. I bet you can still get a nice vertical cover strip. The left one does look a bit angled. You could try another water bath and try to twist the seam but I don't really know if that would do enough. Is your outer cover strip perfectly centered on the joint? What if you leave your inner cover strip following the angle of the seam but place your outer cover strip more vertical? You'd just need enough material on one side to glue to. Also keep in mind that the cover strip can be wider on the back if needed to help hide the angle.

 

Nice job fixing the heat gun damage. Looks good.

[Gwithian]

Hi Frank, thanks for the encouragement, it's very much appreciated. I have the left greave rear cover strip as vertical as I can get it, the thing is other than trimming the front to allow the 20mm cover strip I haven't trimmed the rear of the outer side, it just seems to be wonky ..... 

 

ive made a start on the magnetic closures like you and Christine did, I will try and post a picture .....  

 

other than that ive been shaping the butt and kidney to get them to follow the contour of my torso rather than sticking out. 

 

I think I may have to cut the cod and resize the butt, but I thought I may try strapping the torso together first? What do you think? 

 

Also where should the top of the greave be in relation to your knee, mine is currently half way up the knee and I'm wondering if it should be a tad lower? 

 

Hopefully some pics pics to follow 

 

humm.... it doesn't line the size of my photos......

 

 

 

any ideas how how to upload them? 

[Cricket[TK]]

1 hour ago, Gwithian said:

Hi Frank, thanks for the encouragement, it's very much appreciated. I have the left greave rear cover strip as vertical as I can get it, the thing is other than trimming the front to allow the 20mm cover strip I haven't trimmed the rear of the outer side, it just seems to be wonky ..... 

 

Have you considered contacting Rob over at RS for a replacement shin?  I had several pieces replaced due to major cutting mistakes I made... and they didn't charge me for them- not even to ship.  Just something to consider because he's so close to you.  They've always come through to help me out when I needed it.

 

1 hour ago, Gwithian said:

ive made a start on the magnetic closures like you and Christine did, I will try and post a picture .....  

 

 

Looking forward to seeing your work!

 

1 hour ago, Gwithian said:

other than that ive been shaping the butt and kidney to get them to follow the contour of my torso rather than sticking out. 

 

Remember that hot water baths are friendly to your plastic.  I boiled up two HUGE pots of water and dumped them in my kitchen sink in order to reshape my kidney and butt plates (same for bringing in the sides of the chest, and reshaping all the limb pieces, too).  The boiling water will stay hot enough to soften your plastic for about 5 minutes or so, and a kitchen sink usually is big enough for the job.  
 

1 hour ago, Gwithian said:

I think I may have to cut the cod and resize the butt, but I thought I may try strapping the torso together first? What do you think? 

 

I know this question was directed at Frank, but I'll chime in anyhow.  So, yes, strapping the torso together first is a very good idea before doing any more cuts/trims.  You'll get a good sense about what's not fitting right when it's strapped together.  I think I strapped and unstrapped my torso almost a dozen times during my fitting phase.  It's a hassle, but well worth it.

 

1 hour ago, Gwithian said:

Also where should the top of the greave be in relation to your knee, mine is currently half way up the knee and I'm wondering if it should be a tad lower? 

 

I had the same kind of question about the greaves.  Addertime advised me that, "On my shins, the return edge on the top of the shin sits right at the base of the patella when my knee is locked."  And I confirmed with him that the tops of the shins should rest just at the bottom of the knee caps (because I don't do fancy anatomy-speak).  Does that help?

 

And about uploading your pics... where do you have them hosted?  The new forums allow 'smart' photo link pasting.  You paste the link of your hosted image in the post, and it automatically converts it into an image on the page.  Sweet!

[Gwithian]

Hi Christine, thanks for the advice, I will certainly be taking it on board, I would love my armour to look like yours, how you sculptured the thighs is perfect. 

 

Ive contacted RS but I thought I would continue with the greaves to see what they are like when finished. The thing is , as you know, left and right greave are the same, so the outside left is the same as the inside right.... if you get my drift... and I haven't trimmed the outside left or inside right section at the rear, and both are a bit sque wiff , so I think I iwould need both to be replaced? 

 

I will try another hot water bath for the butt and will then strap them together, I know I'm going to have to cut the cod but I'm not looking forward to trimming the butt... but I may just have to trim it... 

 

finally .... regarding the greave and where it should sit relating to the knee.... you stopped in mid sentence...... it's like one of those cliff hangers you get in tv programmes .... 

 

oh oh I was planning to use 12 15mm magnets to hold the greaves, six on each side, do you think that will be sufficient? 

 

 

i really wish I could post some pictures , today my wife and me went to see the Childe of Hale, he was a 9ft 3in giant who was born in 1578 and died in 1623, he was invited to James the 1st court , in Hale village there is a life size statue of him, I look minute stood next to it lol 

[Gwithian]

A little bit of progress has been made I think, ... or as yoda would say

 

Made progress think I .... 

 

Ok maybe not lol 

 

Well I've been trying to mould the kidney and butt to fit my torso, I've also tweaked the greave, made it shorter like you suggested and this is the result, oh I've also decided to Tetris the thigh to make it narrower at the top, I've not cut it yet but you will get the general idea. I'm still not happy within the non vertical rear cover strip to the greave

 

 

I have started making the magnetic closures for the greaves, I have cut 20mm cover strips which will hold the magnets on the inside , this will comprise of two cover strips, one at the back, the other with holes cut out of it to fit the 15mm diameter 2mm thick magnets

 

 

Cover strips cut, six magnets in place

 

 

Doing a test hole on a scrap piece of ABS, couldn't get a 15mm drill bit so had to make do with a 14mm bit and make it wider 

 

 

Using the dremel , how on earth did I manage to do stuff before I got one of these? 

 

What it will look like when finished

 

 

Went to see the Childe of Hale today, I'm stood nest to a life size statue of him, yes I'm small but please bear in mind he was 9ft 3ins