Firedog's Dueling AM 4.5 ANH Stunt TK Builds

[Firedog[TK]]

55 minutes ago, LTM said:

Not sure if you are following this build, but give it a look over.

I had similar issues with the sniper knee (that is my knee cap being pinched)

 

An idea on padding to help position the sniper knee

 

I trimmed the actual plate as well. If you haven't considered it yet, I recommend the magnetic closing option. Makes it super easy to put on by yourself.

Thanks for the input. I have been following your build and have done essentially the same thing. I haven’t posted photos yet, but I picked up a black EVA Foam mat At Harbor Freight and cut some strips and affixed them inside the shin using double sided tape. I originally had too much padding, which definitely cleared the knee, but made me look like Puss in Boots. Yesterday, I removed a layer of padding and removed the rear cover strips and trimmed the shins a little more. I like the look now and the sniper knee barely touches my knee cap. By the time I trim the sniper knee a little, I think I’ll be in good shape.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Firedog

[Firedog[TK]]

I've been running through a dry fit of the torso. I trimmed the ab, kidney, and butt plates on the sides about 3/8" to bring it in closer as this suit is quite large. Here are the photos.

 

In this photo, I realized that I need to bring the chest down over the ab a bit more.

 

I am unsure about the posterior and feel like it may need to come up a little, but tbh I wasn't sure how the butt plate is supposed to sit in correlation to my butt cheeks...lol. I feel like I have too much room at the neck, but if I go much higher, I get a little cheeky in the bottom. This may be the intended fit, I just need someone to weigh in.

 

 

Side view

 

 

Another concern I have, albeit probably unwarranted and just the inherent nature of the AM armor, is the looseness on the sides. I have very little room in the front and back but a generous amount on the sides. I'd like to avoid getting into trying to reshape these pieces, but I am shooting for higher levels, so will do what must be done. This may not even be noticeable with my black top and my arm and shoulder pieces on. Thoughts?

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2020 by Firedog

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

If you have room bring the ab/cod upwards, will give you more room at the top of your thighs. Going well.

[LTM[TK]]

For the posterior, I suggest cutting the notch to give yourself some more flexibility.

Then cut off the "tang". I can also tell you to lose some of that return in this pick, that stuff hurts when trooping 

[LTM[TK]]

Oh, don't rely on the bridges just yet. They can be cut and heat shaped, this will fix the issue where you feel like it needs to move up

Check out this pic to see the black in the neck area

I had to cut and shape the bridges, you can see in this shot the back it way too high and at an angle. 

 

[Firedog[TK]]

41 minutes ago, LTM said:

For the posterior, I suggest cutting the notch to give yourself some more flexibility.

Then cut off the "tang". I can also tell you to lose some of that return in this pick, that stuff hurts when trooping 

I did get rid of almost all of the return from the butt plate. I will need to move some snap plates to get the notch. I read that it was no longer a requirement, so I didn’t anticipate needing it. If it increases mobility, maybe I should pull those plates and get to cutting.

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

6 hours ago, Firedog said:

I am unsure about the posterior and feel like it may need to come up a little, but tbh I wasn't sure how the butt plate is supposed to sit in correlation to my butt cheeks...lol. I feel like I have too much room at the neck, but if I go much higher, I get a little cheeky in the bottom. This may be the intended fit, I just need someone to weigh in.

Hi Shawn, your torso looks much better . I f I can make another suggestion: Your back plate is a bit low (compared to the reference photo) you can 

shorten your shoulders straps to allow the back plate to go up and the kidney/butt and Ab plate  will go up too. Hope my explanation is clear.

 

 

 

                    

 

Reference Image

 

 

Cheers  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Firedog[TK]]

13 minutes ago, TKSpartan said:

Hi Shawn, your torso looks much better . I f I can make another suggestion: Your back plate is a bit low (compared to the reference photo) you can 

shorten your shoulders straps to allow the back plate to go up and the kidney/butt and Ab plate  will go up too. Hope my explanation is clear.

 

 

 

                    

 

Reference Image

 

 

Cheers  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Absolutely clear. After viewing my photos, that was my judgement as well. I’m happy to have confirmation on that.

[Sly11[Admin]]

Keep up the good work Shawn

[Firedog[TK]]

I've been working on my torso section and I believe I have it close to where it needs to be. I took some photos and viewed them and realized I needed to make a few more adjustments. That's a work in progress and I'll post photos of that soon. I did get my split rivets, most of my strapping, and my Han snap in place. I'm feeling really good about that progress.

 

In addition to that, I have been working on sizing my thigh pieces. I had glued the front cover strips on a few days back and it was time to trim the backs. I taped the backs and then eyeballed the center line and placed painter's tape vertically along the intended join line and had my son and my wife visual inspect them to ensure they were properly vertical. I noticed on the AM armor that there was another angle on the bottom of the thigh near the back that, having been left there, would not have been screen accurate. The original armor pieces that I have seen only have four points. I believe this addition was done due to the AM armor being modified slightly for larger wearers. Fortunately, the point where this 5th angle was was also approximately center of the back of my thigh where I needed to cut anyway.

 

The issue I have a question about is the angle now at the top of the thigh. There is typically a curvature on either side that move to a point in the back. After sizing my thighs, I have one side that is noticeably higher. I have seen in screen shots as well as some lvl 3 builds, that some have a drop on the outer half of the thigh. If I can do this and still be lvl 3 approvable, I believe that is the best route to take to get the look I want in the back of the thigh. Here are the photos  of the thighs for reference with my proposed cut line.

 

Left thigh:

 

 

 

Right thigh, same issue:

 

 

I appreciate any feedback on this.

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Hi Shawn, Have you made a Fit test for your torso and  thighs ? Why I'm asking is because it would be good to see how everything fits before any cut.  For level 3, You can have the best cut but show the black clothes in excess . "more white less black."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Firedog[TK]]

This was prior to trimming the back of the thighs to fit. I would prefer not to cut away at the top of the thigh at all, but am unsure how to tackle the area where the two tops meet while avoiding doing so.

 

 

 

Would I be able to do something like this? I was unsure of how exact the tops of the thighs need to be as far as curvature.

 

 

Ok, after my third edit of this post and looking more closely at the references you posted, I think I can do this as it does resemble those. I was looking at reference photos that had the two sides coming to more of a point in the back, but I see that may only be the case in some instances and not all.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Firedog

[Firedog[TK]]

Deleted duplicate post

Edited August 7, 2020 by Firedog

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

According to the references, the back of thighs cut  should be like this 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Firedog[TK]]

19 minutes ago, TKSpartan said:

According to the references, the back of thighs cut  should be like this 

 

  

 

 

Thank you Mario. I try not to overcomplicate things, but want to do my best to make the armor accurate. I know that some features in a few of the screen armor pieces are "one-offs" and not the preferred way to do things, so I feel it best to ask what the best practice is. These photos will allow me to keep as much of the thigh height as possible as it begins the angle downward just before the cover strip instead of in the center of it. 

 

 

 

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

We are Here to Help mate. Ask all questions you need. Remember "Measure twice, cut once" 

 

[LTM[TK]]

In this shot you can see the lines before any e6000 was added

Make sure to remove the bottom return when sizing

Keep up the good work! I found the legs to be the hardest of the build for me. 

[Firedog[TK]]

It's been a few days since my last update, but the work continues. I end up staying up late at night working on my armor after the Mrs. turns in and am too exhausted to post anything when I am done for the night. Here's what I've been up to...

 

Regarding the thighs, I cut very little from the top per Mario's suggestion and used a heat sealing iron to round out the top for a small return edge. Once this was done, I also trimmed a bit more of the return edge so as just to have the slight finish curve at top.

 

Heat sealing iron I purchased through Walmart.com for less than $30. This baby works wonders.

 

Thighs cut with mark for return.

 

Result of using the sealing iron on the edge.

 

 

Then, it was a happy Monday as these items arrived!

 

 

Ok, back to the build...

 

Here's a shot after torso strapping was added. Thigh strapping had not yet been done.

 

 

Here are some shots of the strapping. I used the hinge method on the left side and the slot connection on the right side of the kidney/ab connection to keep things in line. I've seen this on a few builds, but I followed AJ's 2.0 build thread for implementation.

 

 

Added snaps and cod rivet.

 

 

 

 

Finished thigh strips and added ammo belt

 

 

Added sniper knee

 

 

Here I have my thighs strapped and am working on getting the strapping started for the arms and shoulder bells. I had to trim about 1/2" off the bell and created a very slight curve, but I can stand to take a little bit off the top again and make a bit more defined curve. The forearms right a little high on my wrists, but I almost prefer this rather than having a larger gap between the bicep and forearm. Any suggestions on that are appreciated.

 

 

Also, I get pinched a bit between the cod and the thigh if I don't walk carefully. Can the edges of the cod piece be trimmed back slightly to alleviate this?

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking good, you could possibly bring up the ab/cod section if you have room.

[Firedog[TK]]

11 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Looking good, you could possibly bring up the ab/cod section if you have room.

If I try to bring that up any more, I’ll have to trim some things I am quite partial to that aren’t a part of the armor. 

Edited August 15, 2020 by Firedog

[snaketcher[TK]]

You can trim(sand) the edges of the inner thigh. I did that and still had bite Where the cod and thigh meet and pinch. So I took the advice of another trooper and builder: buy a pair of black flip flops at the dollar store. Cut a piece about 3-4 inches long (adjust as needed) from one of them and glue to the inside of the thighs. It will keep the edge away from your skin. Problem gone. Skin saved. 

[Firedog[TK]]

On 8/16/2020 at 11:06 AM, snaketcher said:

You can trim(sand) the edges of the inner thigh. I did that and still had bite Where the cod and thigh meet and pinch. So I took the advice of another trooper and builder: buy a pair of black flip flops at the dollar store. Cut a piece about 3-4 inches long (adjust as needed) from one of them and glue to the inside of the thighs. It will keep the edge away from your skin. Problem gone. Skin saved. 

I have some black EVA foam that is around 2/8" thick that I purchased to pad my shins. I'll try using this to bring the edge of the thighs away from the skin in that area and see if that helps.

 

On another note, I've made progress strapping the arms and shoulders and attaching the shoulder bridges. I'll post photos of these later. I did run into a minor setback over the weekend as I sewed my belt and inserted a 2 3/4" strip of lexan plastic to help it maintain it shape. All was well and good until I used my punch to make the holes to attach the TK belt and it cracked the plastic inside. I should have known that the lexan would be brittle, even though it is very flexible. I ordered some 3" elastic from Amazon and I'm going to double that up inside as seen in @firebladejedi's tutorial. 

 

 

I hope to have the belt completed by Thurs and then on to basic approval. My E-11 is scheduled to arrive on 8/24, so I still have a decent chance of making it into the first 1k EIB.

[Firedog[TK]]

An update on progress. Yesterday my 3" elastic and velcro arrived, so I was able to get the belts for myself and my son sewn together.

 

 

Here's the final on my belt.

 

 

I finished the strapping on my arms prior to that.

 

 

I also used ABS paste and filled in the thigh gaps.

 

 

 

 

And with that....I feel like I'm pretty much done with the first set of armor, with the exception of a couple of minor things.

 

 

 

Here, I had my wife helping me and hadn't realized that the shin pieces were not completely closed in the back. They will close to no gap at the top. Also, the TD brackets I received from Dave will not allow the TD to go any further down, I actually broke a bracket trying to adjust it to work, so I'll either have to find a way to make my own or dish out more $$ for new ones.

 

 

 

 

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Wow!!, looking Great Trooper!!  

 

If I can make a suggestion, just a dressing issue: your TD is a little high, It is supposed to be aligned with your canvas belt. you may want to check this  when put it on.

 

      

 

Congratulations !! 

[Firedog[TK]]

10 minutes ago, TKSpartan said:

Wow!!, looking Great Trooper!!  

 

If I can make a suggestion, just a dressing issue: your TD is a little high, It is supposed to be aligned with your canvas belt. you may want to check this  when put it on.

 

      

 

Congratulations !! 

Yes, this is a known issue. I bought these TD clips from Dave with my kit and they are pinched so much that they won't fit over the belt. I actually stole the ones from my son's kit because I broke one of the first set trying to adjust them to fit. I'm debating on contacting him for replacements or trying to make my own. Time is of the essence here. Can I place the clip in between the belt layers to allow it to sit in the right spot?