Adianu's WTF shorty build

[Rat[TK]]

Perhaps a little late in the commenting, but trooperbay sells a complete set of the paints.

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[Adianu[TK]]

The boots took me a little longer than anticipated... but I'm still waiting on armor, so that's OK. I received my neck seal and am ALMOST finished with boots (unhappy with some messiness around the soles, but getting close).

 

Some pictures throughout the boot journey...

 

Post-acetone rub:

 

Taped up and ready to go:

 

Layer 1 of approximately 1 billion:

 

A few more layers in:

 

All painted, acrylic layer, and fabric paint on the elastic!

 

So now to fix the couple of smudges, make some magnet satchels, and continue researching...

 

[Adianu[TK]]

Gap in posts for good reason.

Around the time of my last post, our Garrison had a tragic loss. One of our members was murdered. She was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. The armor party I referenced earlier was at her house, and her TK husband. I've struggled with what to say about it other than sometimes life sucks. Her primary costume was TB, so a group in Star built scouts for our local con in her honor. Walt pulled them, so I was not focused on pestering him about my TK.




But I got to a presentable TB and started pestering Walt, who encouraged me to do so until it was in mg hands. And then...... I'm at work and the doorbell rings.....




Just in time for me to ALMOST finish remaking my totally too huge Scout soft goods! And so it begins....





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Edited May 31, 2019 by Adianu

[Adianu[TK]]

I've been working on updates to the TB to get it approvable (totally sucks being 5' 2" sometimes.... had to re-do all of my soft goods and order a new chest and back, working on heat baths and trims on the torso). Been thinking about where to start with the TK and I think I may bite the bullet and do the helmet. That was 1000000% the worst part of TB, so why not get it over with?? And this helmet doesn't even have a seam down the top and require multiple layers of Bondo and paint! 

[StrmTRPR85[TK]]

On 11/30/2018 at 3:03 AM, Adianu said:

• Wait... worry that I won't be able to pull it off... remember that it took me 2 years to sew an officer uniform... worry that I am too short, etc. etc.

 

I actually want to do the same thing, you don't happen to know where one can find the templates?

[Adianu[TK]]

13 hours ago, StrmTRPR85 said:

I actually want to do the same thing, you don't happen to know where one can find the templates?

I'm guessing you are a guy based on your name- a lot of folks have good luck with slight mods to this pattern. (From glancing at the sketches big things would be shorten the skirt, mod the front panel to come across to the right place, and obviously add flares to the pants). 

https://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m4745

 

There's also a hat pattern floating around that I have used to make a couple, if you can't find it let me know and I'll share the pdf

 

In order to tailor it for female fit I had to learn how to draft the pattern for myself (thus the long lead time!) Here is my build thread: https://www.imperialofficer.com/forum/index.php?/topic/7587-staff-officer-build-sewn-from-sloper/&

 

I got a lot of great feedback on IOC forums as I went. It was an excellent learning experience! Cosplaysky sells decent officer costumes (you need to pay the upgrade for custom measurements and will still need to mod the flares on the jodhpurs, and ask for extra fabric to make into a matching hat b/c their hats are not good)... but, I learned a ton starting from scratch and now have a good base to start from when I sew anything for myself!

[Adianu[TK]]

Alright... I decided I would start making a bit of progress by labeling all of the pieces. This will help me make sure that I have everything and can also identify it all. Have to say it's already a bit overwhelming!

 

Here's what I've got:

Most of the stuff...

 

After diving back into the packing peanuts, a few more....

 

Greeblie/decals/rivets

 

List of what I think I've got:

- Chest

- Abdomen

- Kidney/butt plate

- Back

- Shoulder straps

- Shoulders

- Biceps

- Forearms

- Hand guards

- Thighs

- Shins

- Knee

- Some diamond? Associated with knee?

- Helmet (dome, face)

- Ears (2 pairs)

- Ammo pack

- Ab accessories

- Drop box x 4

- Belt

- TD (tube, cover, end caps)

- Lens material

- Split rivets

- Blue decals

- Helmet greeblies

- Extra ABS for cover strips

 

Anything missing? I think it's everything I was expecting...

 

A few questions right out the gate.

 

I was lost trying to pair up... almost anything. Shins, forearms, biceps, thighs... will it become more apparent how they match up once I trim off some excess?

 

I saw that for WTF there's a right and left shin, read through the thread with the debate, and was still lost!

 

I know for biceps there's a left/right based on the dimple. Any other pieces have left/right distinctions?

 

Lots of trimming in my future!

 

 

 

[Adianu[TK]]

Slow progress due to busy life, but I've trimmed most of the armor and started on cover strips. Heading to an armor party this weekend where I hope to get confirmation on helmet positioning and ear trimming, and maybe start on limb sizing. In the interim starting to look at torso fit. Advice would be much appreciated!

Some notes about my test fit:
- Cod is as high as I can get it. I have zero thigh gap, am I doomed to armor bite from the cod forever??
- Ab is pulled up as high as it can go. Overlaps the cod a lot.
- Very snug at hips, giant at ribs
- Butt hangs very low for now

Known to do:
- Trim bottom of chest to minimal return edge
- Trim kidney at bottom edge

Questions:
- Did I screw up when I cut the cod? it had to be done, but did I cut it too high? If so, is it fixable??
- Does the chest armor sit too low over the ab?
- When trimming the kidney, I see that this should be done at the bottom. Do I just trim off enough to pull the butt up to a reasonable latitude?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 22, 2019 by Adianu
add pics

[Cricket[TK]]

Um, I hate to tell you, but your ab is upside down.  

The WTF kit tends to run on the small side.  For my WTF kit, I only moved the cod up barely an inch for it to fit properly, and I'm just 5'4".  Not much taller than you!  Even that small amount, and I thought I might have moved it up too much.  To reduce the cod pinch at the thighs, don't be afraid to make your cod narrower in the nether region.  You can make it really skinny for comfort and no one will notice.  It's fine for all levels of approval.

 

Remember that the top of the ab button box should always be situated somewhere at the bottom of your sternum.  All the other pieces should be adjusted to fit as long as you keep your ab button box positioned in the correct location.  I would bring the cod down a bit.  And the chest could use trimming of the return at the bottom front.  You want to keep enough for brackets (if you're using them), or if you don't care about having a return there, you can remove it entirely.  IMO, I think the chest looks better with a little return on the bottom of the chest, though (unless you're building a Hero).  

I like to keep 2-3 fingers width between the top of the ab button box and the bottom of the chest plate.  If you can position things here, you will easily see on your chest plate how much to trim from the neck.  You'll also want to remove most (or all if you want!) of the returns along the edges of the chest plate so you can have better comfort and improved mobility.

[Adianu[TK]]

Omg, I thought I was so smart and labeled "up" on my ab, but apparently after I had already lost track of which direction

Thank you so much for the valuable and specific advice! I think next I will drastically reduce the lower return edge on the chest and start looking at the landmarks you've laid out.

I am still worried that I have FUBARed my cod by cutting it too close to the ab... If that's the case is this salvageable by ABS pasting it back and adjusting the cut lower?

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[Cricket[TK]]

I think your ab/cod connection is definitely salvageable!  I'll elaborate once I get to my main computer in a few hours.  

[Adianu[TK]]

A little more work at an armor party this weekend. I did remove the large return edge on the bottom of the chest, but I didn't worry too much about torso fitting and instead focused on the helmet.

 

Things I am not sure of:

- Have I removed enough material on the eyes? 

- Are the teeth OK? I started out with more rounded edges and worked a bit on adding sharper corners, but there's probably a ways to go.

- Alignment. I did drill holes, but I haven't fastened anything yet... want to make sure I have my brow height and angle OK before focusing too much on ears!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Adianu[TK]]

A little more progress made. This time the distraction was getting Ep IX Rey ready for the premiere, then trying to completely redo the whole thing for Rebel Legion submission....

 

I’ve played with torso placement with the return edge trimmed to a minimal size, an rightside up, and following Cricket’s advice on ab button placement with respect to sternum. This places the ab higher than I would have thought (in front of rather than under my bust), but it may actually make fit easier in that I’ll have less to take in at the “waist”. (Or, should I be trimming off the top for comfort purposes?) I feel like this actually fits pretty well aside from possibly needing to bring the collar down a bit, but please share feedback. 

 

Cod is cut and taped in place here. 

 

 

Gap here can be fixed by bending sides of kidney in closer to me. 

 

 

Awkward backward selfie.... unsure if kidney is a bit too tall. I think butt will be ok once strapping is in place.

 

 

With chest armor. I feel like it may be too close to my neck. 

 

And up next, limbs! I decided to start with arms as the less scary option. A friend and I worked these at an armor party and got good advice for the trimming and gluing process. I have removed one indent from the wrist end of the forearm on each arm and minimized the return edges at the elbow end (and on both end a of the biceps). I will need to reduce forearm circumference but may be ok with biceps as is. 

 

Glued interior cover strip on front, trimmed length. 

 

About what the circumference needs to be. 

 

Another angle

 

So when I trim the circumference... I have conflicting advice. Evenly from both sides? Pick one side over another? I know either way to make sure to even out the curvature across the trim. Advice?

 

up next I will post my undoing ear woes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Hi Sherry, you're doing a great work on your armor, It's always challenging but exiting process.

 

I think the following Post could be so usefull for your build. 

 

Cheers  

 

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2020 by TKSpartan
add info

[Adianu[TK]]

7 hours ago, TKSpartan said:

Hi Sherry, you're doing a great work on your armor, It's always challenging but exiting process.

 

I think the following Post could be so usefull for your build. 

 

Cheers  

 

 

 

 

These are great, thank you! *goes to check forearm and bicep return edges before measuring circumference*

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Great job, Sherry!  If I could make a few quick observations, They would be:

 

1.  I realize that the first pic was a "dry fit", but eventually the top of the ABS belt should ideally be sitting at the line shown in the second photo (covering the bottom of the large ab-button panel).  Looks like the belt will be wide enough to cover the seam at the bottom so you should be good to go!

 

   

 

2.  If you want to remove some of the return edge on the top of the ab plate it should allow it to sit closer to you, which will help eliminate some of the ab/kidney gap.

 

                                                                                                             Screen used ab-  Note lack of return edge.

      

 

Keep up the fantastic work, and keep the photos coming!

[Adianu[TK]]

Thank you for the input! I will definitely keep in mind the belt placement as well as return edges on the kidney. And I’m realizing my pants logo is quite visible.... so I’ll see if I can attack it with a hot iron or get new pants. 

 

Ears. Please give inputs on fixing these vs starting over. I have an uncut left ear and a differently cut right ear and I’m not afraid to order new ones from Walt! And please note that I have a 90% helmet and I am NOT convinced the ears are similarly scaled. 

 

Up first, right ear. This is the one that I thought gave me more grief. And I kept working when I was really tired and flubbed a drill attempt and left a divot. So now I think it may sit ok but I don’t know if the divot is worth fixing. ABS paste and sand, or start afresh?

 

Front view:

 

Back view:

 

 

And then the left ear, which I went in thinking was OK and I’m now doubting. I have not yet placed the bottom screw bc I lost the nut and had to make a trip to Ace, so it’s  just held in place for these pics. 

 

 

Back view. Do I need to take a little material off where it is hitting at the bend?

 

 

 

Front view.  Perhaps this would also be helped by trimming a bit in the back?

 

 

Inputs are greatly appreciated!

 

And raise a glass to my long suffering husband, we are out celebrating our anniversary and I’m literally on my iPad at the bar posting pics of my ears (Hey, I put up with his JRS merch he can tolerate a little OCD TK). 

[Adianu[TK]]

Set aside my ears for a bit to work on assembling limbs. I've got biceps done, and inner strips on the front for all other limb pieces while I fiddle with sizing.

Shins. These are definitely too long for me, but I've struggled to find guidance on exactly where they should hit. In these pics I tied an elastic band at the top of my knee cap... You can see that the top of the shin mostly covers my knee cap, making walking pretty difficult. My plan was to trim off the bottom end, keeping it's curvature, until these sit with the top just below my knee cap. Does that sound right?

 

(struggling with photos right now, will try to add in another reply)

Edited February 11, 2020 by Adianu
Fixing photo links

[Adianu[TK]]

 

 

[StrmTRPR85[TK]]

your def right in triming from the bottom!  I would start there and once you have your thighs in place you can confirm if you need the shins to come down more.

[Adianu[TK]]

I’ve ordered new ears because I ended up over trimming.... oops.

 

I have been working on limb assembly but decided I should get my torso mostly done so that I can see how it interacts with thigh sizing, which will also impact shins. Snap plates are mostly in place and I’ve done my research on split river and Han snap placement. 

 

But I went to review the belt tutorial I had bookmarked, and I don’t see it there anymore! Does anyone know if this moved, or if there’s another tutorial for making the canvas belt? It should link to a tutorial by firebladejedi.

 

Thanks in advance!

[firebladejedi[TK]]

There seems to be a error with that link of some reason?

[firebladejedi[TK]]

They are however easy to make. Feel free to pm me for any help. Or just ask here...

[Adianu[TK]]

4 hours ago, firebladejedi said:

They are however easy to make. Feel free to pm me for any help. Or just ask here...

Awesome, thanks! I have borrowed a finished belt from a friend and am going to attempt to reverse engineer from it.... I will post pics and questions here as I study it.

[Adianu[TK]]

@firebladejedi I do have a couple of questions.

 

From looking at my friend’s belt, it seems to be pretty simple:

- Finished width 3”, folded lengthwise with raw edges folded under

- 2 rows of top stitch along length, top and bottom

- 2 1.5” wide strips of Velcro, 7” long, sewn on each end

- some sort of plastic reinforcement throughout length except for under velcro

 

So my questions:

- Am I missing anything or is it really just a rectangular tube with plastic sewn inside?

- Do the details like top stitching or folding over ends for seams matter? Am I ok to serge, flip inside out and press/topstitch?

- Biggest question is reinforcement. I have lots of spare ABS, but it’s really sturdy. It heat bends nicely but I can’t see having it go the whole length of the belt without causing issues. Is it workable to reinforce key sections, like anywhere I’ll be placing rivets and snaps, and of course where the holster attaches? My thought is those pieces of ABS would be held in place by the hardware.... but I’m a little concerned about sag at the borders of those reinforcing pieces.