My first build!! ANOVOS ANH stunt TK

[TheSwede[TK]]

7 minutes ago, TKModder421 said:

so you also recommend I take off the return edge on the upper thigh?

In short, no I would leave some. Personally I have minimal return for the inner thighs then gradually more on the front, pretty similar to the reference images I provided (Lucas archives).

20 minutes ago, TKModder421 said:

If I'm going to do that I'll probably start with the finished thigh, so if I decide it fits fine then I wont have to do any resizing

Sounds like a plan

[TKModder421[TK]]

8 minutes ago, TheSwede said:

In short, no I would leave some. Personally I have minimal return for the inner thighs then gradually more on the front, pretty similar to the reference images I provided (Lucas archives).

Sounds like a plan

Ok, awesome! Thanks for your advice Daniel! I'll give it a go and report back

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

The inside of the thigh is the main one I would be concerned about.  The final test will be during (or after) your first troop while wearing/walking in the armor for a bit.  Many of us find that there are little tweaks here and there to make it more comfortable, and you may find that little or no trimming is required!

That was just a heads-up if you hadn't glued the backs yet, so I wouldn't worry about it for now.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I have some inside return edge as I have thin legs, does help to fill the gap, as others have suggested you may find you'll have to trim a little once you have been wearing the armor, but it's easier to take off than put on  

[TKModder421[TK]]

The inside of the thigh is the main one I would be concerned about.  The final test will be during (or after) your first troop while wearing/walking in the armor for a bit.  Many of us find that there are little tweaks here and there to make it more comfortable, and you may find that little or no trimming is required!
That was just a heads-up if you hadn't glued the backs yet, so I wouldn't worry about it for now.

Gotcha, well I appreciate the advice Joseph. You guys have trooped and have the experience, so I’m open for all the advice I can get from the pros. Especially advice that will prevent me from having to go back and change things drastically later


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[TKModder421[TK]]

I have some inside return edge as I have thin legs, does help to fill the gap, as others have suggested you may find you'll have to trim a little once you have been wearing the armor, but it's easier to take off than put on  

Good to know! Definitely applicable towards me, having skinny legs as well.
Fill the gap? Such as adding some foam padding?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

31 minutes ago, TKModder421 said:

Good to know! Definitely applicable towards me, having skinny legs as well.
Fill the gap? Such as adding some foam padding?

I do have a little foam inside my forearms to stop them rotating but find I don't need any on my thighs as the strapping will hold them quite straight, I do have some return edge underneath the thigh lower ridge as well which helps, you may find a little foam will help a lot. 

[TKModder421[TK]]

To fix the cover strip on the right side, I ripped it off and rubbed all the E6000 off the strip and the thigh. I didn't take a pic but I used painters tape in addition to the clamps and magnets to really hold down the cover strip and in place to conform to the curve of the ridge. Here's after I got the tape and most of the E6000 mess off

 

 

 

 

 

[TKModder421[TK]]

Next, the back...

I followed James advice and glued on half the strip first because of the curve of the two pieces where they butt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After letting them set for a day I attached the other half

 

 

 

 

[TKModder421[TK]]

I went ahead and attached the ammo pack to the right thigh, after which I realized I should've painted the rivets first

I won't make that mistake with the  rivets on the abdomen and kidney piece

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

54 minutes ago, TKModder421 said:

I went ahead and attached the ammo pack to the right thigh, after which I realized I should've painted the rivets first

I won't make that mistake with the  rivets on the abdomen and kidney piece

All you will need is a small paintbrush and you should be fine, Greg.  One thing I would recommend before painting the rivets is to sand and then wipe down the heads first, which will allow the paint to adhere better.

[TKModder421[TK]]

All you will need is a small paintbrush and you should be fine, Greg.  One thing I would recommend before painting the rivets is to sand and then wipe down the heads first, which will allow the paint to adhere better.

Ah yeah! Great advice, thank you!

[TKModder421[TK]]

8 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

All you will need is a small paintbrush and you should be fine, Greg.  One thing I would recommend before painting the rivets is to sand and then wipe down the heads first, which will allow the paint to adhere better.

Oh forgot to ask, if there is a particular white paint I should be using?

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

1 hour ago, TKModder421 said:

Oh forgot to ask, if there is a particular white paint I should be using?

All you need is either Humbrol or Testor's gloss white in the 1/4 oz. size, available at most craft stores or online.  Be sure to get the Enamel as opposed to the Acrylic, though.

 

[TKModder421[TK]]

Alright, I'm ready to move on. I was thinking I better wait to build the shins until I've got boots that I can do a test fit with

 

So I'm gonna start working on the abdomen. On my initial fit tests of the abdomen and kidney plate you can see how oval the two are. This makes them fit fine front to back, but it gives me a decent gap on each side. Looking at reference pics I can see the abdomens look much more tubular and form fitting around the abdomen. So I'm wondering what direction I should take with this. Do I trim and hot bath the shape to be more round and form fitting? Or is this just normal?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pushed to my right side with still 2 fingers width, I have a significant gap on the other side

 

 

 

[TKModder421[TK]]

Hope you all had fun at Celebration!! I'm so jealous, wish I could've been there!

 

 

Alright, so I'm thinking I'm going to need to trim down the vertical sides on the kidney and ab piece, and maybe a little bit of hot bath to make it fit properly. I've been looking for examples and what is necessary to fit these pieces for thinner/smaller troopers and I've found a few, but I was looking to get some advice on the best way to go about this. Maybe even a good thin/small trooper build to check out? IDK, maybe I haven't seen it yet.

 

I also have some question...

First off what return edge is necessary to keep on these pieces?

I assume if I have to cut into the notches when I trim down the kidney I'll have to rebuild those?

 

Also right now I have a fair amount of return edge (around 4mm in addition to the original cut line) on the top and the bottom of the kidney plate.

I'm not entirely sure yet if I'm going with a bracket system or the supplied ANOVOS strapping to connect the ab and kidney to the chest, back and butt. Any advice? I'm not super concerned with accuracy, more with ease of installation, use, it's sturdiness and being hopefully Centurion level  approvable.

My concern right now with the return edge is when I flex the kidney to test fit, I'm getting warping and bending on the return, and I don't want to crack it, so I don't think that will be able to be kept, at least not as large as it is currently is.

 

If you all would be so kind as to give me some suggestions on how I should proceed so I can weigh my options. TIA

 

[TKModder421[TK]]

OK, back to it!! So after asking around and impatiently doing a bunch of research, I decided to trim a little off each side of the ab plate

I also shaped the ab plate and kidney plate a bit to wrap around my torso a bit more naturally.

 

This is how much I took off the ab plate:

On the right side (basically just went up to the "return")

 

and the same off the left

 

 

 

And it still lines up nicely with the kidney plate

 

[TKModder421[TK]]

My next step was to start with the strapping since things were finally coming together. Also so I could get a better idea of what needed adjusting

I decided I wanted to go with nylon straps with buttons to put it all together. I wanted it reliable but also easy to disassemble and pack up for transport.

 

So I went to work making the straps. After research I decided to go with double button straps for better reliability.

I am using nylon webbing and E6000 for the armor-side snaps instead of ABS plates.

 

 

 

 

After thinking about needing to test fit the whole upper body and being unsure if further shaping/trimming was going to be necessary I decided to temporarily use the ANOVOS supplied velcro between the back plate, kidney and posterior. Once I'm sure about how things fit and the positioning of the straps I'll swap out the velcro for the nylon straps I've made.

 

 

 

I did go ahead and install the straps between the chest and ab, because I thought I had a pretty good idea of how they should strap together... turns out I was wrong and I gave too much slack between the two. I had to rip off the two armor-side snaps you see below and place them ~1 inch lower

 

 

 

I also decided I wanted to be able to completely disassemble the ab and kidney plates to make it more compact for transport. So I created a strip of buttons to connect the two on the rivet (left) side.

 

 

 

[TKModder421[TK]]

Alright, here's an initial fitting of the top half.

After trying on the thighs with this (not shown) it has become apparent that I'm going to have to trim them down at the top a bit all the way around. I'll probably take them in a bit as well, making them a little more narrow for skinny legs.

 

Anyway, please let me know if you see any adjustments that need to be made with what I've got so far. TIA

 

 

 

 

 

[mjrose927[TK]]

FYI, some of us have used Sugru (a putty that is moldable and dries like a hard rubber) and put screw posts in it so they dry in place. Then, once the Sugru dries, you can mount the lenses in and screw them in with acorn nuts. I did this for my bucket.
 
Others have used different plastic putties, but I cannot speak to those.
 
 
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I used just sugru and tried gluing lenses to sugru directly with E6000. The glue does not want to stick to sugru very well. Has anyone tried removing sugru after it cures from their helmet. I like the idea of inserting mounting posts before it dries to attach lenses.


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[TKModder421[TK]]

I decided to rig up the thighs so I could get a better idea of how they fit and what additional trimming needed to be done. They're just barely too large. Trying to walk in them I totally understand how anyone costuming as C3PO feels! 

I think I may take about an inch off the top all the way around. My only concern is I'm going to be getting rid of my return edge that I've left on the outside top of the thighs (I took off most of the return edge from the front to the back of the inner top thighs), I'm hoping I won't have to take in the tops of the thighs because of it.

Suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

 

 

 

[TK 71627[TK]]

I think your front thighs look AWESOME !!!
I would only trim the back to give you more leeway...


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[TKModder421[TK]]

1 minute ago, TK 71627 said:

I think your front thighs look AWESOME !!!
I would only trim the back to give you more leeway...


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Thanks!! I think they look good in the pics also, I just have no range of motion at all, and where the knee sits the return edge catches my knee cap when I move. So I was thinking if I take a little off the top I can pull them up a bit and they wont catch my knee any more. But maybe I'll consider taking a little off just the back first and see how that works

[TK 71627[TK]]

Thanks!! I think they look good in the pics also, I just have no range of motion at all, and where the knee sits the return edge catches my knee cap when I move. So I was thinking if I take a little off the top I can pull them up a bit and they wont catch my knee any more. But maybe I'll consider taking a little off just the back first and see how that works

Yes, start with the back 1st...


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[TKModder421[TK]]

I trimmed and shaped the shins then glued the front cover strip on

 

 

 

 

So once those cured, I was finally able to do a full suit up

 

 

 

 

Still have to finish up the shins (I'm going to follow Cricket's magnetic shin tutorial), attach the sniper knee plate and trim down the tops of the thighs and I think I'm almost ready for approval!!!