Snaketcher Requesting Pre Approval (AM)

[snaketcher[TK]]

Name: Steve McDaniel

Unit: Florida Garrison/Makaze Squad

Armor: AM

Helmet: AM

Belt: Trooper Bay

Neck Seal: Darmans Props

Boots; Jivana

Blaster: JSCosplayArmory

Hgt: 5' 11"

Wgt: 247

TK Type: ANH Stunt

Names: Dave Conklin, Gary Collins, FL GML (Tim Boyle)

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Nice work, something that immediately stands out is your large ab plate, needs rotating. 

 

 

Drop boxes should align with the ends of the plastic belt section.

 

You have different gaps between your chest and shoulder bells.

 

Thigh heights need to be even

 

Also looks like your shoulder straps are in different positions, could try to even those.

 

Good luck with approval

 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Looking good Steve, good luck on your application 

[snaketcher[TK]]

Ukswrath- Thank you . I followed your tutorial! Major help to me. 

 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

39 minutes ago, snaketcher said:

Ukswrath- Thank you . I followed your tutorial! Major help to me. 

 

Glad it helped brother 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Good Luck with your approval  

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Hi Steve!  If I could make a few suggestions, they would be:

 

1.  It looks as if your biceps are a lot wider than they need to be which is causing the shoulder bells to flare out, creating the large gaps between the sides of the bells and the chest/back plates.  The wrist openings look pretty wide as well.  Not sure if your GML will ding you on this, but it would make your armor fit and look a lot better if you could reduce the circumference on those and still have them fit comfortably.

 

         

 

 

           

 

2 issues here that may affect basic approval:

 

1.  I see that you made a shim for the kidney, but unfortunately the 3 rivets in the front need to be attached at the rear of the chest plate, with the rear ones attached to the front of the kidney.

 

2.  The kidney overlaps the rear of the chest plate significantly. They should meet up in the center.

 

      

                                                                                 

             

 

 

 

 

[snaketcher[TK]]

Justjoseph63,

OK thanks for the input. Biceps shouldn't be an issue-I can trim those down. Arms maybe a little.

I was following a tutorial on the kidney shim and I thought the rivets went on each side of the shim. So you're saying to put 3 rivets on the chest piece and the other 3 on the shim part that buts up to the chest? 

 

Thanks again.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

26 minutes ago, snaketcher said:

So you're saying to put 3 rivets on the chest piece and the other 3 on the shim part that buts up to the chest? 

Correct

[snaketcher[TK]]

So can I leave the seam on the kidney plate that I have now (where the rivers are currently) or do i need to fill it with paste?

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

12 hours ago, snaketcher said:

So can I leave the seam on the kidney plate that I have now (where the rivers are currently) or do i need to fill it with paste?

Yes, leave the shim.  Working with ABS paste is really not that big of a deal, but just be sure not to overfill any areas.  The less you put on, the less you have to sand off!

Kalani has an awesome tutorial here that will help:  https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/42866-how-to-make-abs-paste/

 

[snaketcher[TK]]

Ok so just so I’m clear and I don’t mess this up: I’m going to fill the back seam of the shim where it connects to the kidney plate with paste and fill in the 3 rivet holes next to the seam. Then make the 3 rivets on my chest plate and the shim that connects to the chest plate. OR do I make another shim and connect to the chest plate and have the 2 shims meet in the middle? Sorry for the questions, hope I’m explaining it right.

[snaketcher[TK]]

Adjustments completed. Thanks  so much for the input. The trimming has been done and the armor fits better. Shoulders, etc. aligned much closer.  Large ab plate flipped (can't believe I did that in the first place).  Well now what do y'all think? Good enough for basic? 

 

[masterx244[TK]]

53 minutes ago, snaketcher said:

Adjustments completed. Thanks  so much for the input. The trimming has been done and the armor fits better. Shoulders, etc. aligned much closer.  Large ab plate flipped (can't believe I did that in the first place).  Well now what do y'all think? Good enough for basic? 

--Swsssssh--

Maybe some ROTJ memories crosscontaminated your build. (ROTJ has the plate rotated)

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Nice work on the fixes, you may also just want to remove the excess clip showing under the belt. Also the cover strips on the rear of the shins should stop before the top ridge

 

     

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

4 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Nice work on the fixes

You're Q Eagle Eye man !!!    

[snaketcher[TK]]

Thank you all very much. Cover strips cut down and TD clips shortened. Going to submit today for basic approval with my garrison. Wish me luck.

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Good Luck Steve, you got this mate!! 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

2 hours ago, snaketcher said:

Thank you all very much. Cover strips cut down and TD clips shortened. Going to submit today for basic approval with my garrison. Wish me luck.

Good luck trooper

[Per4mer[501st]]

Good luck !!

[snaketcher[TK]]

Thanks for all of the well wishes and support. I’ve submitted my request  to my local GML for basic. While I’m waiting to hear back I have a question  related to comfort and mobility. I’ve seen and read comments about cutting away part of the back of the thighs and or shins to cedar a better fit and ease of walking. What is the correct way to cut away the back of the shins and thighs  So I can walk better? I know to keep the cut at or just above the ridge line  but how do you measure so it even in both sides and not lopsided?  TIA.

[CableGuy[TK]]

Hey trooper,

Great work. I’m sure you’re not far from basic approval. :-)

Just to add a little something to what others have said. Personally, I’d consider refining the shape of the butt plate. As below, the originals had a distinctive shape;




You have a quite a lot of excess return edge on the side of your back plate. You could consider removing some return edge and adjusting the strapping on the the back plate - this could help get the back plate sitting nicely on the top of the kidney plate.

Approximate suggestions below;




Closer photos would help be sure, but, It looks like your thigh ammo pack might be protruding beyond the ridge on the thigh and the fixing (rivet) is currently perhaps an inch from the edge. You could consider trimming this down to nearer the ridge line. This would also put the fixing nearer to the ideal position.



Note that the top corner on the thigh ammo pack is not rounded - only the bottom corner.


I’m sure you’re not far from basic. Great job on your build. :-)

[snaketcher[TK]]

Thanks CableGuy.  I have a big butt so I think I’ll keep the butt plate as is. It keeps it all in and  I Don’t want to scare anyone   the thigh ammo belt will be trimmed today. I left it up to now as one of the reference photos I saw showed it sticking out past the rear edge so I thought I was good. I like to suggestion about the back plate. Will trim the sides of that down as well.