Strider's TK ANH Build

[TKStrider[TK]]

17 minutes ago, TKSpartan said:

Hi Anthony,  what I could suggest is to trim  first the front of each shins only. Using painter's tape joint  the shins like you were placing an inner cover strip to see how they look. Once you are sure they match you can place the cover strip (front only). 

Using your inner clothes you you can adjust the back.

 

                              Front                                                                                          Back

     

 

 

You may also  want to take a look to this WTF build Thread 

 

 

hope this can help 

How snug should they fit? Like hugging my calf, or just "around" it?

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

You can try by moving around with the shins tapered so you can feel how mobility works and tighten or loosing the tape.  

 

Post photos when do that. 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

4 hours ago, TKSStrider said:

Just to clarify, that same "swoop" that is present for the biceps and the forearms should be removed and flushed with the adjoining armor piece right?

Not sure what you mean.. can you post a pic?  Thanks!

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

The swoop that was initially mentioned by Joseph is in reference to the rounded portion on the inner forearms. The return edges can be removed there so the armor doesn’t bite when you bend your elbow.

The bulges (overextended ridges) on the biceps should be cut to create a continuous smooth-flowing line between the inner and outer pieces.


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[TKStrider[TK]]

3 hours ago, MaskedVengeance said:

The swoop that was initially mentioned by Joseph is in reference to the rounded portion on the inner forearms. The return edges can be removed there so the armor doesn’t bite when you bend your elbow.

The bulges (overextended ridges) on the biceps should be cut to create a continuous smooth-flowing line between the inner and outer pieces.


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Thanks, I definitely got it now. I'll post some pics in a bit

[TKStrider[TK]]

Alright, getting some "thigh time" in before bed. First I fixed up that curvature on the forearm because it was bugging me. Looks OK for now, might make it a little more fluid at some point.

 

 

Now then, pretty sure I'm working with the right thigh portion here.

 

 

Everything has been trimmed up, and I removed the return edges as this seems to be highly recommended at this point. Especially for the thighs...I don't want anything biting me in this area lol. 20mm joint space as required.

 

 

Want to make sure again before I go and "fix" this curvature on the upper thigh. I still make this flush right?

 

[TKStrider[TK]]

Alright, back at it today. I decided to focus on some shin/thigh fitting today as my forearms are gluing at the moment, and I really don't feel like tackling the chest/abs yet.

 

After thrice measuring, I found that for the shins I needed to take away 45mm total from the upper and 40cm total from the lower. To give myself wiggle-room just in case, I took off 5mm from each of these in case my measurements were slightly off. Turns out taking off 5mm was actually a perfect fit. No need to take off any more. Now to finish off the left shin, make everything flush, and get to gluing the cover strips. Then it's on to the thighs.

 

[TKStrider[TK]]

Thigh trimming wasn't too bad. I've noticed that either WTF armor comes with a LOT of extra trimming to work with, or I'm just small. Either way, I had to trim off quite a bit for the thighs to fit just right. Not too snug, but not loose either.

 

 

The back of the right thigh came out...interesting. Due to how much I had to cut off, I had to reshape the entire "swoop" so that it was flush. I may mess with this later I dunno.

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Great work with the thighs and shins fitting !!    

[TKStrider[TK]]

Alright couple of questions of some areas of uncertainty I'm running into...

 

1) How does E6000 hold up in hot water baths when already cured? The forearms are showing significant resistance when gluing the back part, so I think some molding with a hot water bath would be ideal.

2) when dealing with everything but the attachment areas of the chest/abs/kidney/butt plates, do I really need return edge? Or can I just remove it?

3) I need to forego the traditional bracketing system for the connection between the kidney and butt due to no return edge (and I'm not feeling the idea of making my own). What is a good 2nd option for this area?

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Most don't seem to have issues with E6000 and water baths, at the end of the day it is easy to remove and reapply if you have any issues. 

Great thread on return edges 

You can use elastic between a lot of areas, glued directly or snaps and plates, even velcro works for some

 

 

 

 

[TKStrider[TK]]

Alright then, nightly update post. I went ahead and trimmed most of the rest of everything, including the ammo pack, thermal detonator (except for the end caps), and rest of the armor.

 

I have no idea where the 3 button panel goes by the way...I've looked everywhere and I just can't find out where it goes. I've left it untrimmed for now until I figure this out

 

Rest of armor trimming. I've left a good bit of return edge for now until I get the holes for the bracket system in. After that I'll trim much more.

 

The cod piece confuses me. There's no definite line where to cut, So I'm not sure what to do. You can tell there is a very faint divot towards the bottom though, maybe I'm supposed to cut here?

 

Did some more gluing of the joint strips. I went ahead and put an inside joint strip on the forearms as well given how much resistance there is at the moment. I'll likely do a hot water bath once this cures to shape it a little better so that the resistance isn't so high.

 

Oh by the way...15mm magnets...super awesome.

 

At the end of the day I did a test fitting of the abs/kidney/butt plate. Take note the very large return edge is likely hindering the fitting. This is going to be removed later on once the bracket system holes are placed. I don't want to risk trimming too much before then. That being said, how does this look like it's fitting thus far?

 

By the way...again with the cod piece...how is this supposed to be sitting in regards to joining with the butt part? Are they supposed to be close together?

 

Anyway, that's it for me today. I think the next day or so will be just gluing the cover strips for now, and maybe installing the button panels and painting them.

Edited July 13, 2020 by TKSStrider

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

The three-button panel is for Sandtrooper builds, so you need not worry about it. Some kits come with it, along with the different knee plate as well. You may consider keeping it in case you decide to convert worn-out armor to a Sandie.

As for connecting the cod and posterior, there is a black strap which will need to span the gap and connect the two pieces.


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[TKStrider[TK]]

Waiting for glue to dry is a drag...

 

In the meantime, I am looking at placing the button panels on the abs. I know "screen accurate" would mean to leave a bit on the side of the center button panel, however WTF armor comes with these little "bumps" on the sides where the mold was...doesn't make it look very pleasing. I'm pretty sure keeping this edge isn't required for higher levels right? If not, I think I will just remove it for aesthetic purposes.

 

 

With the side button panel, I think I need to trim this up more right? I don't think it's supposed to extend beyond the ridges if I am reading correctly.

 

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

9 minutes ago, TKSStrider said:

With the side button panel, I think I need to trim this up more right? I don't think it's supposed to extend beyond the ridges if I am reading correctly.

You could trim a little more.

 

 

I Highly recommend to read the crl but check  for reference photos. You can see the Gallery Section

 

Cheers

 

 

[TKStrider[TK]]

5 minutes ago, TKSpartan said:

You could trim a little more.

 

 

I Highly recommend to read the crl but check  for reference photos. You can see the Gallery Section

 

Cheers

 

 

Thanks I didn't know of the reference library, I'll be using that a lot from now on.

 

In regards to the CRL's, it doesn't say anything about trimming the center abdomen button panel or it having including the edge as a requirement, hence why I was wondering if it should be fine to trim it off entirely.

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

10 minutes ago, TKSStrider said:

Thanks I didn't know of the reference library, I'll be using that a lot from now on.

 

In regards to the CRL's, it doesn't say anything about trimming the center abdomen button panel or it having including the edge as a requirement, hence why I was wondering if it should be fine to trim it off entirely.

 

It's almost right that way, but You could  trim,(or just sand) , a 1mm more, but be sure to let some edge as the reference .

 

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

for the small one you can trim a bit more and let square corners not round.

 

[TKStrider[TK]]

Alright I trimmed a bit more as suggested. Don't think I can get any more than this without either taking away the edge entirely for the middle panel, or trimming the button itself with the side panel.

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

7 minutes ago, TKSStrider said:

Alright I trimmed a bit more as suggested

Great !! 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Don't forget: " Measure twice or more, always  look for the reference images and glue once"  

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Unfortunately some armor makers make them a little too large but you should be good to go

[TKStrider[TK]]

3 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Unfortunately some armor makers make them a little too large but you should be good to go

Yeah I've noticed that some of these pieces are larger than expected for sure

[TKStrider[TK]]

So the past couple of days has been dedicated to just gluing and waiting, as I have some extra parts coming in the mail soon so that I can start putting the chest/ab/kidney pieces together. Here is what I have finished thus far.

 

I've noticed something interesting about the what is happening after gluing though. Despite the fact that I test fit everything with LOTS of painters tape, the fit after the gluing is done is looser than I originally intended. Anyone able to lend me some advice on what I should do? Is is worth it to remove the strips and measure again? Or should I just pad it? With the glove on, my hand juuuuuust fits through the wrist opening, so I really don't think I can trim much if any more than I already have, but it's definitely loose at the elbow end.

 

Additionally, one of the biceps decided it wanted to change it's shape after gluing, you can see it more clearly with this side by side with the other bicep. I think a quick water bath will help sort this out.

 

 

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

Some Troopers do utilize padding inside limb pieces to keep them from shifting, and if you’ve already gotten the cover strips down to the 15mm width, then there’d not be any more room to trim.

The hot water bath should also help with shape, and some even recommend doing a bath after all gluing anyway, to help release any tension that may exist from pulling two pieces together into a butt-joint.


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