Jonathan's ANH TK Build

[JSchmit[TK]]

These are the lines have I have drawn to allow for 10 mm of return edge on the fronts of each piece on the left thigh:

 

Is the correct method to trim these down to exactly 10 mm on each side and see if the backs need to be shimmed, or am I able to increase the width in the front by a few millimeters to try and avoid shimming?

 

Also, the return edges have not been removed from the top or bottom of each piece yet. I know that it is recommended to remove all the return edges from the top, but what is the guidance for the bottom thigh pieces? I'm also hoping that removing at least the top return edges will assist in the sizing process.

Top:

 

Bottom:

Edited April 1, 2023 by JSchmit

[FN1313[TK]]

I’ll get some details and reply later when I’m able to some answers.


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[FN1313[TK]]

Front lines look good. I personally recommend trimming g the return edge around the top before sizing, makes it easier to work with, plus that’s a nasty armor bite area with them there. The bottom I trimmed a little different.

I took off the return edge in the front and back but curved it to leave a little on the sides being as those have the edge that sticks out a bit so that edge is okay for the thicker look and not biting you.

That’s my recommendation. I’d draw lines first and check before you trim though.



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[JSchmit[TK]]

5 hours ago, FN1313 said:

Front lines look good. I personally recommend trimming g the return edge around the top before sizing, makes it easier to work with, plus that’s a nasty armor bite area with them there. The bottom I trimmed a little different.

I took off the return edge in the front and back but curved it to leave a little on the sides being as those have the edge that sticks out a bit so that edge is okay for the thicker look and not biting you.

That’s my recommendation. I’d draw lines first and check before you trim though.



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Perfect, that's exactly what I was looking for! I was watching a video from RS Propmasters about the pieces, and Rob made a good point. He pointed out that the lower thigh area will be covered by the ammo belt, so he recommended doing that one first to get a feel for the process. So I turned my attention to the right thigh and redrew my lines.

I'll go ahead and remove the cover strip and sand those edges down. I hope that this will help me get the pieces fitted. I also like the idea of removing the return edges at the front and back and leaving a little return edge on the sides to give the piece the perspective of thicker plastic. It's also similar to the process I followed in trimming the elbow end of the forearm pieces.

 

However, before I go ahead and make any trims on the bottom of the thighs, I was watching a video from Dave from Dave's Dark Side Depot about the AM thigh pieces, and he said that the return edges need to be left on the bottom, but he didn't really elaborate on that. So I'm having trouble finding a consensus on the bottom return edges. Do they need to be left intact on the bottom for approval? I included a link to Dave's video as well. Dave starts talking about the return edges at approximately 4:20.

 

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by JSchmit

[FN1313[TK]]

Perfect, that's exactly what I was looking for! I was watching a video from RS Propmasters about the pieces, and Rob made a good point. He pointed out that the lower thigh area will be covered by the ammo belt, so he recommended doing that one first to get a feel for the process. So I turned my attention to the right thigh and redrew my lines.

I'll go ahead and remove the cover strip and sand those edges down. I hope that this will help me get the pieces fitted. I also like the idea of removing the return edges at the front and back and leaving a little return edge on the sides to give the piece the perspective of thicker plastic. It's also similar to the process I followed in trimming the elbow end of the forearm pieces.

 
However, before I go ahead and make any trims on the bottom of the thighs, I was watching a video from Dave from Dave's Dark Side Depot about the AM thigh pieces, and he said that the return edges need to be left on the bottom, but he didn't really elaborate on that. So I'm having trouble finding a consensus on the bottom return edges. Do they need to be left intact on the bottom for approval? I included a link to Dave's video as well. Dave starts talking about the return edges at approximately 4:20.
 
 

I think some of that is preferential tbh. I removed what I did because it was uncomfortable. And even then on the rear of the thigh I plan on mobility cuts as is. If in doubt you can leave them for now and remove later if needed.


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[JSchmit[TK]]

Sure, that makes sense. Maybe I'll leave them as is for now until I have the inner cover strip applied and get more of a feel for them. If I were to cut the lower return edges down, did the lines I drew look ok? Also, I went ahead and completely removed the upper cover strip, and the back of the thighs were able to close easier, so I think I should be good to go to start trimming. Did the 10 mm lines on each thigh piece look about right?

[FN1313[TK]]

Sure, that makes sense. Maybe I'll leave them as is for now until I have the inner cover strip applied and get more of a feel for them. If I were to cut the lower return edges down, did the lines I drew look ok? Also, I went ahead and completely removed the upper cover strip, and the back of the thighs were able to close easier, so I think I should be good to go to start trimming. Did the 10 mm lines on each thigh piece look about right?

Your 10mm lines looked good.

The bottom lines looked good to me if you decided to go that route. That’s how I trimmed mine.


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[JSchmit[TK]]

Update: I went ahead and trimmed down the fronts of my right thigh pieces. After additional research, I went ahead and expanded the lines out to 12 mm on each side as an abundance of caution. I figured I could always trim the extra 2 mm of in the event that it's necessary. I'd like to start getting the inner cover strips fitted so I can move on to fitting, but I have a feeling that I'll have to trim a bit off the top of the thigh. As somewhat of a vertically challenged trooper (5'9"), the thigh as it is sits just around the middle of my knee. I was just wondering what the guidance was on this. Where in relation to the knee should the thigh be?

[FN1313[TK]]

Update: I went ahead and trimmed down the fronts of my right thigh pieces. After additional research, I went ahead and expanded the lines out to 12 mm on each side as an abundance of caution. I figured I could always trim the extra 2 mm of in the event that it's necessary. I'd like to start getting the inner cover strips fitted so I can move on to fitting, but I have a feeling that I'll have to trim a bit off the top of the thigh. As somewhat of a vertically challenged trooper (5'9"), the thigh as it is sits just around the middle of my knee. I was just wondering what the guidance was on this. Where in relation to the knee should the thigh be?

I had to trim mine down from the top as well 5’10”

I basically ended up trimming almost 2.5 inches, but I’d recommend doing half an inch at a time to see where things are until you get close enough then trim less each time until it’s just right.


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[JSchmit[TK]]

6 minutes ago, FN1313 said:

I had to trim mine down from the top as well 5’10”

I basically ended up trimming almost 2.5 inches, but I’d recommend doing half an inch at a time to see where things are until you get close enough then trim less each time until it’s just right.


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Makes sense to me! Where am I aiming for the bottom of the thigh to be? Above the knee?

[dblcross[TK]]

I'm no D.O. but I believe your thighs should be above the knee, with the exception of the ammo belt thigh which I think is an inch higher. I'm having issues with trimming my thighs, but it looks like you're close. Listen to Kyle, he's right to do a little at a time. I'm trying to get my butt plate, Kidney, and abdomen put together so I can see how the trim lines on my thighs need to be.

[JSchmit[TK]]

Awesome, thanks! One last question on this. Is it recommended to trim the tops before assembly, or to complete the assembly and the trim the tops as needed?

[dblcross[TK]]

Awesome, thanks! One last question on this. Is it recommended to trim the tops before assembly, or to complete the assembly and the trim the tops as needed?

I'm not sure but that's the route I'm going.

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[JSchmit[TK]]

19 minutes ago, dblcross said:

I'm not sure but that's the route I'm going.

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You're trimming the tops first, or you're completing them and trimming last?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

It's also a good idea with trimming to wear other armor pieces as well, you don't want too much of a gap between your thighs and shins but also between your cod/ab and tops of thighs  

 

Trimming less is best

[JSchmit[TK]]

So would you recommend getting the thigh,  shin, and abdomen pieces assembled before trimming the thighs for size to make sure that each piece is proportional?

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

12 hours ago, JSchmit said:

So would you recommend getting the thigh,  shin, and abdomen pieces assembled before trimming the thighs for size to make sure that each piece is proportional?

 

Yes.   and I strongly recommend you to take a read to this Thread.

 

 

 

[JSchmit[TK]]

Hey everyone! I've been at work applying the inner cover strip for the front after I trimmed the front of the right thigh piece down. 

 

With this fitting, the thigh piece feels snug enough based on the thumb rule. It's definitely a good thing that I decided to leave a few additional centimeters on each side on the front, as it looks like I don't have much margin for error on the backs on the top part of the thigh. It's not comfortable to walk in, but that's because the thigh piece is still sitting below the knee. I know that I'll also need to trim the bottom return edges out as the pieces moves up my leg as I trim the top of the thigh, but I'll get it assembled before I make those final trim cuts.  Based on this fitting, these are the lines that I've established:

 

 

As alway, any feedback before I made final cuts is appreciated! Also, It looks like the glue on my inner cover strip didn't take the best as it started to come off during the fitting process. I've got the inner strip re-glued and it is currently drying, so it'll be a few days before I get around to making final cuts on the backs. 

[FN1313[TK]]

Hey everyone! I've been at work applying the inner cover strip for the front after I trimmed the front of the right thigh piece down. 


 
With this fitting, the thigh piece feels snug enough based on the thumb rule. It's definitely a good thing that I decided to leave a few additional centimeters on each side on the front, as it looks like I don't have much margin for error on the backs on the top part of the thigh. It's not comfortable to walk in, but that's because the thigh piece is still sitting below the knee. I know that I'll also need to trim the bottom return edges out as the pieces moves up my leg as I trim the top of the thigh, but I'll get it assembled before I make those final trim cuts.  Based on this fitting, these are the lines that I've established:

 


 
As alway, any feedback before I made final cuts is appreciated! Also, It looks like the glue on my inner cover strip didn't take the best as it started to come off during the fitting process. I've got the inner strip re-glued and it is currently drying, so it'll be a few days before I get around to making final cuts on the backs. 

My personal recommendation would be to hold on cover stripping the rear until you’ve got the length right. Because if you cover strip now and then have to trim length from the top down you may find that the sizing you have now isn’t exactly correct. What I did was I got it to the point you have it now and then used blue tape as I started trimming from the top down. This way I could find out how much to trim from the length and after I had the right rear to work with in sizing properly.

The other thing I’d recommend is trim small amounts at a time until things are right. You don’t want to over estimate and then trim too much.

That being said, since I’m still building mine it might be worth seeing what other troopers recommendations are too.


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[JSchmit[TK]]

I've gotten some mixed opinions on that. I've seen others recommend assembling the shins, thighs, and torso first and trimming all at the same time to make sure each piece is proportional. I'd love to hear the pros and cons of each approach.

[FN1313[TK]]

I've gotten some mixed opinions on that. I've seen others recommend assembling the shins, thighs, and torso first and trimming all at the same time to make sure each piece is proportional. I'd love to hear the pros and cons of each approach.

It’s hard to say and partially personal preference. I needed to trim the tops of thighs down before I could accurately size them. What I did first though was blue tape my abdomen and kidney into place to test how they look while I did that.



The pictures were after trimming, but that’s essentially how I was able to work at determining sizing without finishing tons first.


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[JSchmit[TK]]

I was just wondering if any one had any input as to whether or not the thigh pieces should be trimmed at the top before or after assembly. Also, did the lines I drew on the backs look good if I am able to move forward with trimming?

[dblcross[TK]]

6 hours ago, JSchmit said:

I was just wondering if any one had any input as to whether or not the thigh pieces should be trimmed at the top before or after assembly. Also, did the lines I drew on the backs look good if I am able to move forward with trimming?

After assembly is how I did it. Like Kyle said it helps to have the abdomen on so you can look at the final trimming.

 

[JSchmit[TK]]

2 hours ago, dblcross said:

After assembly is how I did it. Like Kyle said it helps to have the abdomen on so you can look at the final trimming.

 

Awesome, thanks. I think that's how I'll do mine as well. Did the trim lines look about right?

[dblcross[TK]]

58 minutes ago, JSchmit said:

Awesome, thanks. I think that's how I'll do mine as well. Did the trim lines look about right?

I'm no expert,  but they look close.