TK ANH Stunt by CloseTheBlastDoor

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

OK, progress report! So far, I have completed the thermal detonator, the biceps, and the forearms:

 

This was a whole lotta work! But I’ve gained some confidence with doing it, so hopefully things will accelerate as I go forward.

 

Next up is the shins! This is what I know, please correct me if I've got it wrong:

 

1. WTF shin pieces are not symmetrical. Tops need to be aligned, not bottoms. To avoid shingate-like disasters, I will ask here and confirm with the WTF FB page which piece is which.
2. Cover strip is 20mm wide on the front, 25mm wide on the back.
3. Strip is glued on the front to both halves. On the back, it’s glued to the outer half only, and covers, but does not attach to, the inner half.
4. No return edges on the bottoms. Outer halves are slightly lower over the boot than inner halves.
5. Sizing must be performed with boots on.
6. Sniper plate on the left shin. Glue with E6000 rather than super glue.

These are the questions I have:

 

1. I don’t have the undersuit yet (bottom). Will sizing with the boots on be adequate?
2. For strength, should there also be a cover strip on the inside of the front of the shins?
3. There is this extra piece in the kit, does anyone know what it’s for (piece on the top)?
4. Per what I said at the top, which half is which?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

 

1. I don’t have the undersuit yet (bottom). Will sizing with the boots on be adequate? Should be fine
2. For strength, should there also be a cover strip on the inside of the front of the shins? I add one to my builds, just because of the constant opening and closing/ flex.
3. There is this extra piece in the kit, does anyone know what it’s for (piece on the top)? Sniper plate Sandtrooper
4. Per what I said at the top, which half is which? Looks to be ok A&B C&D
5. 
6. 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

8 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

There is this extra piece in the kit, does anyone know what it’s for (piece on the top)? Sniper plate Sandtrooper

Glen, thanks for the quick answers! So in my photo, are A&B the left shin and C&D the right shin?

 

I did see the cricket build, but still wasn't sure about matching the halves.

 

So is the Sandtrooper sniper plate just an accidental inclusion in the kit?

 

Thank you!!!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Glen, thanks for the quick answers! So in my photo, are A&B the left shin and C&D the right shin? I think it's the other way around, A&B right and C&D left, but check with WTK to be sure, I've not assembled a WTF kit as yet. 

 

I did see the cricket build, but still wasn't sure about matching the halves. 

 

So is the Sandtrooper sniper plate just an accidental inclusion in the kit? Some makers add Sandtrooper pieces to their kits so you could build either TK or TD

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

A discussion on the WTF shins here

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Seems to be a common problem on WTF, plenty asking the same on his FB page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/612005498911674/search/?q=shins

 

 

 

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

1 hour ago, gmrhodes13 said:

A discussion on the WTF shins here

 

Thanks, Glen, I will have another look and will confirm with WTF.

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

28 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

plenty asking the same on his FB page

hahaha, that top post on WTF FB is me! 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

20 minutes ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

hahaha, that top post on WTF FB is me! 

I thought that photo looked familiar   

 

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

Looks like there is no true consensus on the FB page, but I'm going with A&B right, and C&D left.

 

I have seen back shin attachment with either bra hooks or Velcro. Velcro looks more appealing to me (and no drilling). Is there any reason why I shouldn't use Velcro?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

19 minutes ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

Looks like there is no true consensus on the FB page, but I'm going with A&B right, and C&D left.

 

I have seen back shin attachment with either bra hooks or Velcro. Velcro looks more appealing to me (and no drilling). Is there any reason why I shouldn't use Velcro?

I use velcro, you just have to make sure you get your closure flat, you may just need to hot water bath them. Also make sure you rough up the surfaces before gluing.

 

Example not closing flat

 

Nice and flat 

 

 

Some have even added extra strips to the closures so they can have wider velcro (I find 12.5mm each side is fine as long as they close flat)

 

Bra hook elastic is screen accurate so some prefer that way

 

Cricket has a nice magnet closure, I may try this mod one day.

 

 

 

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

6 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

I use velcro, you just have to make sure you get your closure flat, you may just need to hot water bath them. Also make sure you rough up the surfaces before gluing.

 

Example not closing flat

 

Nice and flat 

 

 

Some have even added extra strips to the closures so they can have wider velcro (I find 12.5mm each side is fine as long as they close flat)

 

Bra hook elastic is screen accurate so some prefer that way

 

Cricket has a nice magnet closure, I may try this mod one day.

 

 

 

 

Ooh thanks! I had not seen the magnet one.

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

Still working on the shins whenever I get a chance!

 

For the sniper knee, I've searched around looking for what is the proper way to cut the sides. I saw @Tilheyra's post on his build, and he said that there were some reference photos, which I did not find (I think I'm a lousy searcher!). But he has some good photos, and I'm just going to follow what he's got:

 

 

If there are specific details that are must-have, please let me know. Like does it need to have the downward-curved taper? Or does the end of the plate need to line up with the corner where the shin edge changes direction? Like this?

 

 

Also, since the shin has to flex out so much when putting it on, I'm thinking of cutting back the return edge as follows, to reduce stress points:

 

[Tilheyra[IPM]]

Here ya go!

 

 

8 minutes ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

If there are specific details that are must-have, please let me know. Like does it need to have the downward-curved taper? Or does the end of the plate need to line up with the corner where the shin edge changes direction? Like this?

 

 

That specific photo shows an error I had to correct. As you show in your dashed lines, the ridge in the sniper knee needs to line up more closely with the ridge that you've indicated with the red dash line. I had to cut the glue and move that corner of the sniper knee up a little higher. I was not able to close the gap entirely, but I did get it up a few milimeters, and that was enough to get my armor approved at the basic level.

 

I also cut away more material from the sniper knee plate itself. Here is what my sniper knee looks like now:

 

 

In terms of your questions, that downward taper (I'm assuming you are talking about the downward curve I cut) was cut in my best effort to match the look of the sniper knee in the reference photos. The reference photos also show the rearmost edge of the sniper knee aligning with the corner of the ridge on the lower leg armor itself. I do, however, see some variation by a few milimeters in the reference photos.

 

32 minutes ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

Also, since the shin has to flex out so much when putting it on, I'm thinking of cutting back the return edge as follows, to reduce stress points:

 

I cut the return edge away in that location. Getting rid of the return edge helped me fit the sniper knee to the lower leg armor.

 

Also, I'm glad my build thread was helpful!

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

3 hours ago, Tilheyra said:

Here ya go!

 

 

 

That specific photo shows an error I had to correct. As you show in your dashed lines, the ridge in the sniper knee needs to line up more closely with the ridge that you've indicated with the red dash line. I had to cut the glue and move that corner of the sniper knee up a little higher. I was not able to close the gap entirely, but I did get it up a few milimeters, and that was enough to get my armor approved at the basic level.

 

I also cut away more material from the sniper knee plate itself. Here is what my sniper knee looks like now:

 

 

In terms of your questions, that downward taper (I'm assuming you are talking about the downward curve I cut) was cut in my best effort to match the look of the sniper knee in the reference photos. The reference photos also show the rearmost edge of the sniper knee aligning with the corner of the ridge on the lower leg armor itself. I do, however, see some variation by a few milimeters in the reference photos.

 

 

I cut the return edge away in that location. Getting rid of the return edge helped me fit the sniper knee to the lower leg armor.

 

Also, I'm glad my build thread was helpful!

Thanks, I understand, I'll give it a shot! Thanks for also finding those reference photos!

[dblcross[TK]]

Heres a close-up of my shin. Hope this helps.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Depending on how the sniper plate fits (some may need twisting as they don't sit quite straight) you can add a notch in the lower section so the plate sits on the coverstrip more central.

 

It's all about tweaking, oh and using a lot of magnets, clamps, tape  

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

16 hours ago, dblcross said:

Heres a close-up of my shin. Hope this helps

Thank you, yes, that helps!

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

5 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Depending on how the sniper plate fits (some may need twisting as they don't sit quite straight) you can add a notch in the lower section so the plate sits on the coverstrip more central.

 

It's all about tweaking, oh and using a lot of magnets, clamps, tape  

 

Yes, it's been a struggle. I've been trying to get this to fit. I did end up removing all of the return edge. Even having done that, the plate doesn't sit symmetrically or level on the shin, as one side is higher than the other if I align it to the ridges on each side. I have four clamps on it to test-fit right now just to keep the sides and front touching.

 

 

So aligning the sides AND having it level is just not possible. So I'm thinking that I'll just leave it this way, unless I won't get approved. Is it OK?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

5 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

Yes, it's been a struggle. I've been trying to get this to fit. I did end up removing all of the return edge. Even having done that, the plate doesn't sit symmetrically or level on the shin, as one side is higher than the other if I align it to the ridges on each side. I have four clamps on it to test-fit right now just to keep the sides and front touching.

 

 

So aligning the sides AND having it level is just not possible. So I'm thinking that I'll just leave it this way, unless I won't get approved. Is it OK?

Unfortunately in can just be how the armor pieces have been made, many are near on impossible to get symmetrical, I've used heat before to twist the front section so it sits straighter but that's my OCD kicking in.

 

At the end of the day most may not notice it, ultimately it's your GML who has to approve it. 

[Tilheyra[IPM]]

This is the same issue I had with my kit. As Glen indicated, I think this results from the way the kit is made. This is one of those situations where it would be good to check with your GML to see what guidance they can provide.

 

I had to try twice to get my sniper knee into the right position. Also, I still have about 1 or 2 mm of a gap between the front cover strip and the sniper knee itself. This wasn't an issue for me as it is on the underside of the sniper knee where it really isn't seen.

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

8 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

ultimately it's your GML who has to approve it. 

How might I get in touch with my GML?

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

4 hours ago, Tilheyra said:

I think this results from the way the kit is made

Yes, I agree. And there are so many contributing factors to how it will ultimately end up fitting together. I understand keeping lineage with the originals, but I do wish that some adjustments could be made so fitment is within tighter tolerances.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

3 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

How might I get in touch with my GML?

All costume approvals go through a local GML (garrison membership liaison) you will need to reach out to the Garrison that covers your area, I believe that would be Golden Gate Garrison https://www.501stggg.com/

GML: Ricky Resurreccion(TX 74259) GML@501stGGG.com
GWL: Sha Sha Chu(TK 19233) shashachu@gmail.com

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

More “shinanigans,” it appears! I checked with someone from Golden Gate Garrison, and it appears that there is some leniency, but I still want to do the best job I can and not take approval for granted. These are the toils of the severe overthinkers!

 

I got pretty stuck on this. So while I was stuck, I went to work on the right shin, and trimming out thighs and looking at other things on the horizon. I’ll post all that later in the interest of keeping my build thread a bit more linear.

 

Here are the two alignment options, given the out-of-the-box sniper plate:

 

 

 

I did try twisting the sniper plate a bit using the heat bath method, and that seems to help a little. I also removed the return edge on the bottom so at least it’s more in contact with the sides of the shin (= more E6000 surface area to contact).

 

I am probably going to tweak a bit more, maybe using a spacer behind the front (to give me a better angle to work with, and so the plate won't catch under the thigh), and whatever other minor adjustments or heavy clamping I can devise.

 

For future reference, I wanted to put some more detail into the situation I’m faced with.

 

First of all, the shin itself is not symmetrical:

 

So putting on a sniper plate that is symmetrical is not going to fit straight on.

 

Second, the sniper plate, when trimmed so it aligns to the corners of the ridges, will not have the same length on each side:

 

Also, the plate looks a little bit different from ones from other kits. The three bumps almost touch the ridge in other kits, like the one that @dblcrosshas, whereas they are quite a bit apart in mine:

 

On the other side, they’re a bit more separated still. And I’m pondering trimming back some of the length:

 

Trimming would not put the end close to the corner of the ridge, though.

 

Will post more when I have figured this all out!