TK Monkus' RS Prop Masters ANH-S Build Thread (first build)

[Short4ATrooper]

Thanks Scott, I will definitely add that extra ABS inside. Can I do that at the same time I do the outer cover strip or would you recommend doing them separate?
 
I also may shave a little bit from that back side and I can maybe cheat that cover strip to straight. That was the only other issue. That back butt joint seems to be at an angle so the cover strip won't really sit straight. Probably my fault as I think that was my first cut and it looks like I cut at a bit of an angle instead of straight.
 
Thanks,
M

Having recently done this with the forearms on my TX, I’d advise doing them separately. It’s incredibly fiddly to try to do both at once. Resist the urge to rush!


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[TK Monkus[TK]]

19 minutes ago, Short4ATrooper said:

Having recently done this with the forearms on my TX, I’d advise doing them separately. It’s incredibly fiddly to try to do both at once. Resist the urge to rush!


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Thanks Charlie! That is an urge I constantly need to resist haha.

[TK Monkus[TK]]

Right Forearm sizing cuts

 

I had some downtime during work so made the sizing cuts on my right forearm, which was the bigger of the two. I kept obsessing over making the straightest cut I could, but remembered what the RS build video said about how there is going to be a cover strip so it doesn't need to be perfect. So I made my cuts than looked at the RS suit pics I am using as my guide and saw I didn't need the "wing" that was left so trimmed that down. I am pretty happy with the fit and laid cover strips over to make sure everything lined up, which it did!. I may need to add some foam in there, but that will be way later if so. I will do the left side a little later today, than hopefully be ready for some under suit test fits and gluing!

 

marked up a cut line on all sides

 

started getting a little crazy with making it as straight as I could, than realized there will be a cover strip so I should be ok.

 

used my shears to make the cuts than hand sanded all the edges down with 220 grit sandpaper

 

trimmed off the extra "wing" bit at the top end after checking my guide suite pics

 

It now fits way better!

 

 

[Hesikaya[TK]]

I concur. Do the outside cover strip and let that set up before you do the inside. I wouldn't do the inside until the next day if that soon.

I had a couple pieces that I thought were done and had to break back apart later to make adjustments. So unless you really need that interior strip in there I'd wait until you were almost complete with the whole build.

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[TK Monkus[TK]]

Did my test fit with my undersuit for my biceps and everything looked good ( to me at least) and felt good. Please let me know if something looks off to you. Since it all looked good I went and cut my cover strips getting ready to glue.

Note: the pics are kind of backwards because I took them in a mirror so left and right are swapped, but I will label them.

 

R bicep:

 

L bicep

 

Getting my 15mm cover strips ready

 

 

[TK Monkus[TK]]

Uh oh, I may have made a mistake. I was looking at the RS suit to see where the cover strips need to be trimmed and realize the bottom, elbow side, sits even with edge, there is no slant. I think I may have cut wrong. Can someone take a look at the pictures below and tell me if I messed this up??

 

R bicep

lower

 

upper

 

L bicep

lower

 

upper

[Hesikaya[TK]]

The important thing about the cover strip is that it lines up properly and covers the seam between the two pieces. The angle at the end doesn't have to be precise. 

 

I'd take some pictures of my own but I'm not home. 

 

Take a look at Tony's build and the assembly of his biceps. You can see there's a slight angle on the cover strip end respective to the return edge but from the top to bottom it runs straight relative to the sides. 

 

 

[TK Monkus[TK]]

29 minutes ago, Hesikaya said:

The important thing about the cover strip is that it lines up properly and covers the seam between the two pieces. The angle at the end doesn't have to be precise. 

 

I'd take some pictures of my own but I'm not home. 

 

Take a look at Tony's build and the assembly of his biceps. You can see there's a slight angle on the cover strip end respective to the return edge but from the top to bottom it runs straight relative to the sides. 

 

 

Scott I really appreciate all your help thus far.

 

That does make me feel a lot better. I thought I had essentially ruined my biceps.

 

If you don't mind below are pics with the cover strip adjusted even though it would be at a slight angle, does that look alright? If so I think I will trim the strips and glue. I know I need to trim the edges of the cover strips as well which I will do before gluing. 

 

Right bicep

 

Left bicep

 

Again thank you!

M

[TK Monkus[TK]]

Left forearm sizing and fitting forearms with undersuit

 

I trimmed down my left forearm and it also seems to fit well. It is the same as my right where the top and bottom of my hand graze the wrist edges as they go in. I am able to get my gloves on also. Since I cut both forearms I tried them on with my undersuit. I think I have the positioning correct, but you can see the right one looks a lot bigger. I know they had mismatched sizes on the originals so I am not super concerned with that. I may need to add some foam as @gmrhodes13 suggested, but will probably do that at the very end when I finish the whole build. I tested the cover strips and they all sit straight with the ones on the ridges leaving only a small amount of the ridge visible to each side. 

 

Tomorrow I will hopefully start gluing some cover strips on my biceps and maybe forearms. 

 

Left forearm after trimming

 

Fitting with undersuit

 

Left side

 

Right side

 

Thanks,

M

[Hesikaya[TK]]

So far so good. I think your biceps look good. Are you going to notch the ends of the cover strips?

[TK Monkus[TK]]

6 hours ago, Hesikaya said:

So far so good. I think your biceps look good. Are you going to notch the ends of the cover strips?

Thank you! Yep, will trim them to size then cut those off. 
 

M

[TK Monkus[TK]]

First Gluing of Biceps

 

I finally put some glue to plastic and did up my right bicep.

 

I started off by getting my magnets ready by putting tape on them with some tabs. I read @justjoseph63 post about them and he mentioned how powerful they are so I was a bit intimidated. I finally pried one off and reached for the tape with the same hand the magnet was in and it shot out of my hand and back to the stack and exploded! Luckily no injuries, but wow! So I am down 2 magnets now and will order more. They came with a little cushion which had a sticky side which I thought would be great so if they shoot back to each other, they won't explode anymore. So I put the cushions on then taped them up only to realize they lose some, a good amount actually, of their power...so I spent another 30 minutes removing the tape and peeling the adhesive off  Finally I had them all taped up and ready to go.

 

I sized my cover strips and cut them then practiced cutting the notch as I wasn't to good at that right off the bat. Once I was happy I notched them all, sanded the back side with a 120grit bar to help with adhesion then sanded the sides with 220 grit and applied my first globs of E6000. I set the strip where I wanted it then clamped and added the magnets. I doubled the magnets as one on each side didn't seem to be enough. I need to order more magnets as I only have enough right now to do one piece at a time since I am doubling so will order a bunch more. Excited to see how it ends up!

 

Questions:

• Do I need to add more E6000 to the backs? I only added it to the cover strip side. I may start spreading it around on the back of the strip before applying.
• I've been reading around and it seems the excess that comes out the sides will be easy to remove. Should I try and wipe that away immediately after gluing or is it really that easy to remove? (guess I will find out tomorrow)
• Does doubling the magnets actually add more pressure?

 

That's it for tonight. Will see how it turns out tomorrow. Since I did this so late I guess I will need to wait the full 24 hours which kind of makes me lose the day to waiting to remove the magnets so I can use them on the next piece. Oh well more research! Pics below.

 

Magnets are scary. 

 

magnet "cushions" that I realized to late actually took away some of the power of the magnet

 

All taped up and ready to go

 

practicing cutting the edges of the cover strip

 

sanding down the back for a better adhesion

 

sanded down the sides to clean them up a little

 

First time using E6000, is that enough on there or should there be more?

 

clamped the ends first then added the magnets between

 

Right bicep done and waiting to dry

 

Thanks,

M

 

 

 

 

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Great to see that you are moving along, Matt!  I have a couple of suggestions if I may, but not ones that you may like, as you have already glued on the cover strip(s).

 

The top sides could be cut down quite a bit.  There are 2 reasons for this.. The first is that the extended/pointed tops may cut into your arms when bending  them.  The second is that being as long as they are they may cause your shoulder bells to sit out too much.

       

 

Second up is the excessive return edge on the tops.  Because we spend so much time with our arms bent carrying an E-11, that return edge can (and will) cut into your arm after a while.  Note the lack of any return edge on the second photo above.  If you decide to remove that edge, remember that the circumference will change and they may need to be re-fitted by trimming down the sides a bit.

 

 

I know it sounds like a bit of a setback, but if you decide to go with either (or both) of these suggestions the cover strip should be pretty easy to remove.  Just caaaarefully (as no to scratch the armor) insert a knife into the seam and gently work your way down.  The residual E-6000 can be removed by rubbing it off with your thumb.

 

 

[TK Monkus[TK]]

7 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Great to see that you are moving along, Matt!  I have a couple of suggestions if I may, but not ones that you may like, as you have already glued on the cover strip(s).

 

The top sides could be cut down quite a bit.  There are 2 reasons for this.. The first is that the extended/pointed tops may cut into your arms when bending  them.  The second is that being as long as they are they may cause your shoulder bells to sit out too much.

       

 

Second up is the excessive return edge on the tops.  Because we spend so much time with our arms bent carrying an E-11, that return edge can (and will) cut into your arm after a while.  Note the lack of any return edge on the second photo above.  If you decide to remove that edge, remember that the circumference will change and they may need to be re-fitted by trimming down the sides a bit.

 

 

I know it sounds like a bit of a setback, but if you decide to go with either (or both) of these suggestions the cover strip should be pretty easy to remove.  Just caaaarefully (as no to scratch the armor) insert a knife into the seam and gently work your way down.  The residual E-6000 can be removed by rubbing it off with your thumb.

 

 

Hey Joseph, thanks for the feedback and pointers. It is a bit of a bummer but I do want to try and do this right the first time. 
 

Question, if I do trim down that side, I am guessing I would need to trim down the other side as well to match as I would want even height in both sides? Is it worth waiting to see if the shoulders do in fact sit to far out? Since I haven’t glued the cover strips on the Left bicep yet obviously that would be easier to alter and I am guessing that one also would need it. I am not home right now so am not looking at the pieces but will take a look and possibly post up some pics with some markings for clarification. 
 

Thanks again,

M

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

"..if I do trim down that side, I am guessing I would need to trim down the other side as well to match as I would want even height in both sides"?   Correct

 

 "Is it worth waiting to see if the shoulders do in fact sit to far out"?  That part is hidden by the shoulder bell, and you can certainly wait to see, but if it were me I would do it.  It should take less than 10 minutes to separate them and trim them down.

 

I would be more concerned with the return edge I mentioned.  If you haven't seen it yet, I have a thread here that will help on that subject.

 

If you have any apprehensions when it comes to cutting or gluing, it's always a good idea to post up a photo (or 2 or 3) of the area before proceeding.  We are here to help!  

 

[TK Monkus[TK]]

6 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

"..if I do trim down that side, I am guessing I would need to trim down the other side as well to match as I would want even height in both sides"?   Correct

 

 "Is it worth waiting to see if the shoulders do in fact sit to far out"?  That part is hidden by the shoulder bell, and you can certainly wait to see, but if it were me I would do it.  It should take less than 10 minutes to separate them and trim them down.

 

I would be more concerned with the return edge I mentioned.  If you haven't seen it yet, I have a thread here that will help on that subject.

 

If you have any apprehensions when it comes to cutting or gluing, it's always a good idea to post up a photo (or 2 or 3) of the area before proceeding.  We are here to help!  

 

Thanks Joseph.

 

I did look at that thread, or the part pertaining to the biceps and forearms so far. I had initially decided to keep that extra edge so it could give me a better fit without having to size the biceps to small... I also wanted to keep a little on the front for a little "fuller" look.

 

To be honest I am pretty apprehensive about cutting that front outer piece as it seems like that will take some length off.

 

Could I cut on the line here and get that same effect you were talking about? It also would line up with the other side.

 

 

Also here is the other side with the clamps off

 

Here is the left side that hasn't been glued yet, do you think those tops also need to come down? They are pretty even right now.

 

 

Thank you,

M

[TK Monkus[TK]]

cover strips removed, back to square one 

 

Can I re use those same strips for the same spots?

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by TK Monkus

[TK Monkus[TK]]

I got rid of the return edge on the top side of both biceps. You can see there is still a small bit on the outside but I have that there on purpose.

 

The sizing still fits, which is nice. See below new pics with no return edges and cover strips clamped on.

 

I have not cut out the side of the right bicep yet, but you can see the mark where I plan to. Please let me know if that is enough and if you think I do in fact need to take more off the sides. As I mentioned in an above post, my only hesitation is if I cut on the "outside" piece I will start to lose length, but I will take the word of the masters!

 

In the Left bicep pictures the cover strips are not the correct length as they are the ones pulled from the right.

 

Left Bicep

 

Right Bicep

 

Thanks

M

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

You can use the same cover strips, but on the one shown below the bottom of the strip needs to come down to the bottom of the bicep.  No one can see the tops as they are under the shoulder bells.  What you need to look out for are those points at the tops.  Those will snag on your under suit and cause holes

 

[TK Monkus[TK]]

You can use the same cover strips, but on the one shown below the bottom of the strip needs to come down to the bottom of the bicep.  No one can see the tops as they are under the shoulder bells.  What you need to look out for are those points at the tops.  Those will snag on your under suit and cause holes
 

Thank you, I will round out those edges.

Yeah those cover strips were the ones I pulled from the right bicep and just used as a place holder for the pic. I will cut ones that are a proper length for the left.

M


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[TK Monkus[TK]]

All cover strips are cut and ready to be glued. I have taken down that edge on the right bicep as well. The outside edges sit a little higher than the inside, but that is how it looks on the RS piece I was referencing which is why I have left that.

 

 

Right Bicep

 

Left Bicep

 

Any input before I glue would be appreciated so I hopefully don't need to take them apart again 

 

Thanks,

M

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Just watch your angle trimmed corners, they are a touch on the large side

 

 

A lot of people actually remove this higher section, mainly so it doesn't catch but it is screen accurate to leave it

[TK Monkus[TK]]

50 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Just watch your angle trimmed corners, they are a touch on the large side

 

 

A lot of people actually remove this higher section, mainly so it doesn't catch but it is screen accurate to leave it

Thank you Glen. Do you think I need new cover strips then? Or is this ok and just make sure they aren't as large in the future?

M

Edited May 6, 2021 by TK Monkus

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 minute ago, TK Monkus said:

Thank you Glen. Do you think I need new cover strips then? Or is this ok and just make sure they aren't as large in the future?

M

If you have spare ABS I would replace, if not they may be ok though for basic approval but could be picked on for higher levels, entirely up to the deployment officers 

[TK Monkus[TK]]

4 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

If you have spare ABS I would replace, if not they may be ok though for basic approval but could be picked on for higher levels, entirely up to the deployment officers 

Sounds like I need to replace as I am aiming for L3 and don't want to have to take these all off again.

Thank you,

M