Highlander’s AP ANH Stunt Build

[rwmead10]

I attached the ammo pack to the right thigh. I centered the ammo pack and each side is 17mm from the back edge. Just need to add the white paint to the rivet heads.

[rwmead10]

Shins are done! The left had a little gap but both have strong connections and don’t come apart. Next up the dreaded sniper knee plate. 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Very nice, looked like they have worked out well, good luck with the sniper plate, almost as bad as ears  

[rwmead10]

The paint on the TD has finished drying so I began reshaping the clips included in the AP kit. I used paint sticks to keep from pinching them closed and my vise with plastic inserts to bend the clips. Then I used the vise to make a small bend 6mm from the end and then rounded the ends. I attached the clips to position the control panel And glued it on. I added a before and after comparison and the final products.
 

I am thinking of using loctite on the screws so they don’t back out after I glue on the end caps. I don’t want the clips to come off and have to cut the end cap off in the future. 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Nice work

[rwmead10]

The TD caps are on so tight I decided not to glue them. Hopefully that works out ok and I don’t lose one. The color is dark admiralty grey and is lighter in person.

 

[rwmead10]

I was able to bend the sniper knee plate using a hot water bath. I bent the left side up and the right side down in a sort of twisting motion described in other builds. I then clamped the middle and let dry for a few days and glued the sides down. The middle separated a little bit so I had to re-clamp to get it more straight. It isn’t perfect but it turned out better than expected.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

2 hours ago, rwmead10 said:

The TD caps are on so tight I decided not to glue them. Hopefully that works out ok and I don’t lose one. The color is dark admiralty grey and is lighter in person.

 

 

Definitely looks quite dark, but if it's the same grey as the teeth and traps you should be ok. Nice work

 

[rwmead10]

30 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Definitely looks quite dark, but if it's the same grey as the teeth and traps you should be ok. Nice work

 

[rwmead10]

On to the torso! I am leaning towards removing all of the return edge on the top area if the abdomen. Is this recommended? Want to check before I make the cut.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I left some for strength 

[rwmead10]

24 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

I left some for strength 

How much? 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

3 hours ago, rwmead10 said:

How much? 

5mm

[Sly11[Admin]]

I would certainly leave some return edge, I have just on 4mm on chest/ab and back/kidney areas.
The TD colour looks much better in outdoor light, I was concerned it looked almost black in earlier shots.
Solid work trooper.


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[rwmead10]

23 hours ago, Sly11 said:

I would certainly leave some return edge, I have just on 4mm on chest/ab and back/kidney areas.
 

Do you have any issues with overlap on the back/kidney/rear pieces with 5mm return edge? I wasn’t planning on trimming them but it would help get me closer to movie size.

[Sly11[Admin]]

49 minutes ago, rwmead10 said:

Do you have any issues with overlap on the back/kidney/rear pieces with 5mm return edge? I wasn’t planning on trimming them but it would help get me closer to movie size.

Not at all, but it also really depends how well the armour fits you. Foam padding can help alleviate overlap, which i do have in both the back and kidney pieces but only needed a small amount and its more for comfort.

[rwmead10]

Quick update: all return edges on the torso pieces are trimmed and ready for sanding. 
As I begin planning for snap plates, I wondered what most people use for the connector pieces. I have 2” white nylon webbing for the female snap plates and I got 2” elastic for the torso/forearms and 1” for the shoulder bell/biceps. I noticed that the builds I follow have nylon webbing for the torso straps. Which is preferred? 

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

It really comes down to personal preference and comfort. Elastic will provide the most flexibility, but the cost of that can also be misaligned pieces. (Although this can also be combatted by using really thick/firm elastic). For example, the back plate, kidney, and posterior pieces may separate too much. Some people use a hybrid on the torso, sometimes with nylon on one side of the ab/kidney seam, and elastic on the other. I believe elastic between the chest and ab is another good application. Elastic in the arm pieces is quite normal.


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I find the elastic allows a bit more give and bending and movement is a little easier, with nylon you are very rigid and can put stress on some areas.

[husky68[TK]]

I used a mix of elastic and nylon for both flex and preventing pieces from being out of position.


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[rwmead10]

I am planning on using the wingnut65 strapping diagram below I pulled from white armor.net. Do most people only use 2 straps for the ab/chest and back/kidney attachments? I’ve also seen 3 used.

[wook1138[TK]]

1 hour ago, rwmead10 said:

I am planning on using the wingnut65 strapping diagram below I pulled from white armor.net. Do most people only use 2 straps for the ab/chest and back/kidney attachments? I’ve also seen 3 used.
 

I used two for the ab to chest.  For the back to kindey and kindey to butt, I used three to keep the pieces nicely lined up.  I used elastic on the front and a mix of nylon and elastic on the back pieces.  I used nylon where I wanted a tighter fit - for example, the butt piece needed nylon near the outside edges to help with the "butt flare" I was getting.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

2 straps is pretty common, I added adjusters to mine so I could get the height just right

 

 

Double snaps in areas that will have strain is a good idea, it's saved me a few times at troops, having the second spare snap kept me trooping.

 

[rwmead10]

Thanks for all the advice. Following Scimitar and Mayo’s builds, I made a snap plate template that is 1” X 2”. I marked the holes at the 1/2” mark and the 1.5” mark. Then I cut out the nylon from 2” webbing and used a soldering iron to make the post holes. Then using the Tandy leather line 24 setting tool and my vice anvil, I made 30 base plates.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looks great, I cut a lot of thin pieces of ABS offcuts to lay on both sides of the nylon when gluing, saves a lot of clamps and magnets.