Jeff's ANH Stunt Armor Build Thread (High Anxiety Edition)

[Wozza]

Hello all! I come to you in the midst of summer with a new build thread. My name's Jeff, and I hope to catalog my journey here so that it may help others who come after me. Armor maker = TK Armor (same guys who do TK Boots)

 

A few peculiarities to note:

1. I have high anxiety doing almost any craft. I am a perfectionist who can't do anything perfectly. The knowledge of this is both my greatest weapon and drawback. Hopefully with your expert guidance and support I will power through this.
2. I'm an educator and have the summer off. I hope to finish this build before school starts back up again in mid-August. 
3. My BBB is actually a year old. I just didn't have the time to work on it during the school year (okay this is a lie). 
4. Some pieces had a few tiny manufacturing blemishes but my armor supplier has graciously offered to replace the defective parts without me even asking (a whole YEAR after I ordered!). Therefore I do not have all the pieces available until he sends the replacements.

 

And some questions!

I'm 5'8" about 175lbs - 180lbs. Some of the pieces are definitely too big for me and I need to make some cuts. How are the pieces supposed to feel in terms of "snugness" or looseness? 

My pieces are very durable, I almost thrust my Xacto blade into the table trying to punch a hole to shave out the gaps between the teeth of the helmet. Is that normal? Can I hope to do the scoring method for making some cuts or am I forced to be using scissors?

And some pics:

Edited July 10, 2017 by Wozza

[Zel]

Welcome to the FISD forums!

 

Hope you enjoy your build! Don't stress too much about it, building is suuper fun and something to look forward to!

 

As far as snuggness is concerned.. I have 0,5 inch of room around all my limbs, and very much varying in my torso, up to 2+ inches in my abs. Most of this is due to my being a curvy girl though. 

 

Good luck!

Zel

[magni[TK]]

Hi Jeff,  If you take your time and know where to cut and why. You'll be fine, trust me. We all started where you are and know the feeling. Don't look at all the pcs. Focus on small projects that all come together in the end. It's less overwhelming that way. Looking foward to your build. And yes some cuts will need to use scissors or tin snips. Whatever you go with. 

Good Luck Future Trooper!

[Wozza]

Thanks Zel! Would you say the 0.5 inches is on all sides (for instance, added to the radius around my forearm) or as a diameter (so a 0.25 inch clearance on the left and the right for a total of 0.5)?

And thank you Randy! That's good advice. I'll try to work with what I have (since some pieces need to be replaced.) Slow and steady wins the race it seems.

 

Today I'll be sanding out the teeth of the face plate of the helmet with a dremel tool and sanding head. Pictures to come.

Edited July 4, 2017 by Wozza

[Wozza]

I've officially taken the first step toward being a new trooper!

 

BEHOLD! (I am very proud of myself for this tiny step.)

 

Sanding the teeth took a little getting used to, but once I got in the groove of it, it was quite fun! I used a sand head attachment on a dremel tool and took it to the backside of the teeth. I found that I had to sand down one side because it'd be uneven after using the dremel. If I was a bit better with the dremel, this might have taken me much less time. Still, I'm very happy with the results.

 

Edited July 9, 2017 by Wozza

[Wozza]

Another question. I've seen varying and conflicting information on this: Do the ANH stunt forearms have a lip at the front and back where the arm goes through? Trooperbay says no but I saw ukswrath's thread and he left the lips intact. Please advise!

[magni[TK]]

No Return Edge at wrist end. And for fitment of armor. On thighs I can fit 3 fingers down the outside edge. That works for me. Not to tight, Not to loose.

[Cricket[TK]]

Hey Jeff!  Congrats on beginning your build!  I might have missed it, but who made your armor?

Also, I can't see any of your pics.  Is it just me?   Would love to see them!

There are many vertically challenged troopers out there (myself included at 5'4" and 110lbs!), and we can all tell you that sizing down a kit to fit well is possible!  Nice thing is that we end up with lots of extra material for ABS paste (always good to have on hand, ask me how I know...).  

Others are correct about how the armor should feel when it's on.  Not too loose, not too tight.  If you're smaller in the middle, you can add foam to bulk things up (along the back and kidney are common).  You'll see as you fit your armor what looks proportional to your body.  Study the screen grabs of troopers to get an idea of how it's all supposed to look.    This one is one of my favorites:

 

My thighs were the most challenging to fit because they were so large to begin with.  I have about 1/2" of room all around on them, and they don't wobble or rattle too much.

 

As always, be sure to wear your undersuit when sizing your armor!  Everything fits much differently with the undersuit on.  Looking forward to seeing your build!

[Cricket[TK]]

Oh, and if you have the means, a Dremel can do wonders with cutting/trimming/sanding your armor.  I removed all the teeth from my face plate with a Dremel sanding drum- quick and easy.

[Wozza]

Cricket: Pictures were showing at first, but not sure about why they're not showing now... I was using imgur but I'll switch to something else. I did use a Dremel on the teeth and loved it. Finished smoothing them off with some needle files.

 

Thanks for the tips, magni!

Edited July 9, 2017 by Wozza
Fixed the photos!

[Mworm1974[TK]]

Hi Jeff, 

 

just remember the original TK suits weren't perfect so some imperfections are acceptable but if you are anything like me those little imperfections drive me insane. However it's made me realise that I need to relax more and enjoy the ride to the dark side. Plus as everyone will tell you measure twice and trim once. You can take more off but it's really difficult to add it back. You will find tonnes of help on the FISD so if you're not sure post a question with photos first.

 

best of luck

matt

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Just remember that you can always get replacement parts.  You can also cut material away, adding it back in is hard.

 

You will have to get up being a perfectionist.  After a bunch of troops, things will shift and move and you'll want to make adjustments anyway.

 

Good luck though - I suck and building and somehow made it work too.

[Wozza]

18 hours ago, Mworm1974 said:

Hi Jeff, 

 

just remember the original TK suits weren't perfect so some imperfections are acceptable but if you are anything like me those little imperfections drive me insane. However it's made me realise that I need to relax more and enjoy the ride to the dark side. Plus as everyone will tell you measure twice and trim once. You can take more off but it's really difficult to add it back. You will find tonnes of help on the FISD so if you're not sure post a question with photos first.

 

best of luck

matt

 

Hi Matt, thanks for the advice. I really do need to relax about the imperfections. I know perfection isn't attainable and so I can give myself a break.

 

10 hours ago, Daetrin said:

Just remember that you can always get replacement parts.  You can also cut material away, adding it back in is hard.

 

You will have to get up being a perfectionist.  After a bunch of troops, things will shift and move and you'll want to make adjustments anyway.

 

Good luck though - I suck and building and somehow made it work too.

 

Hi Daetrin, thanks for your input. I do need to remember that trooping is my ultimate goal and that my armor will get scuffed and scraped. Thanks for the encouragement!

 

 

Today I'm going to (try to) finish off my right forearm piece. Need to cut the return edge at the wrists (unfortunately with scissors) and then cut a finishing strip to glue on top!

[Wozza]

Alright, my undersuit came in. I just got a compression shirt and pants. The seams are gray which is unfortunate because the picture made them look much darker. Will the seams be a problem?

 

[Wozza]

In final stages of sizing the forearms. I'm focusing way too much on the space I have left at the wrist, but in the picture it looks quite nice. I looked at it with the hand guard on as well and it looks great. The elbow section is nice but perhaps a bit snug.

 

Now all I need to do is cut a cover strip and glue that on.

Question about that: Is there a plastic strip on BOTH inside and outside of the armor (for a total of four strips)?

 

 

[Triple D[TK]]

I put a strip on the inside also. I got .30 plastic sheets and cut them to size (larger then the cover strips) and glued them on the inside of the seams. Then I used the cover strips that come with your armor for the exact size strips for the outside. This will give the seems a lot more strength. The return edge on the top side of the forearms can come off also. 

[magni[TK]]

Arms looking good! I would recommend inside coverstrips. They make the joint stronger. Wrist return edge looks good. Just need to remove the bit on the raised section. Elbow end could lose some. It looks thick and confining. For the seams on undersuit use a black permanent marker and color where it shows. It will need touch ups after repeated washes. 

Keep up the good work

[Wozza]

About ready to glue on my coverstrips. My left forearm pieces are pretty snug and my right forearm is a bit loose. The right one can move up and down my arm pretty easily. Should I trim just a bit more off or is that movement okay?

 

EDIT: Well I messed up big time. I took an extra 1/4 inch off the right forearm and now the wrist is a REALLY tight fit. I can get my hand in and out (with some scratched skin) but adding inside coverstrips is probably a no now.

Edited July 17, 2017 by Wozza

[Wozza]

Here's some pics of my right forearm being a bit too tiny at the wrist opening:

 

[magni[TK]]

The inside coverstrips can save you now. With strips on both sides you can open the gap between them a little and still cover. Only the wrist end will show gap. And that will mostly be hidden with glove and handplate. And movement. 

 

Now that should be a good lesson in measure twice and cit once.

[Wozza]

4 hours ago, magni said:

The inside coverstrips can save you now. With strips on both sides you can open the gap between them a little and still cover. Only the wrist end will show gap. And that will mostly be hidden with glove and handplate. And movement. 

 

Now that should be a good lesson in measure twice and cit once.

Yup, shoulda just kept it like it was, but I had to go fiddle with it. Worst case I'll just get replacement parts. Thanks for the tips as always, magni.

[Wozza]

Sizing biceps with forearm. I think my left forearm piece is too long and I need to shave some off the back end because it's hard to get a decent range of motion. It keeps bumping up against the bicep and I can barely get to a 90 degree angle. Of course I'll be holding off on shaving it down until I hear from you guys this time.

 

[Wozza]

Does anyone have any advice for decreasing the gap size at the top of the bicep (closer to shoulder) but keeping the gap near the elbow the same or decreasing it not as much?

[Daetrin[Admin]]

I think you should get the full armor upper parts done with the chest/back and then see how it looks before making any adjustments myself.

[Wozza]

Good idea, Daetrin. Asking a local trooper to help me out after Comic Con since I seem to be flailing about with the armor these days. Will keep you guys posted!