AP ANH strips and height inquiries.

[PGHtrooper21]

When purchasing my AP armor kit. I did my research amongst other kits. I read almost every thread on this forum and other websites as well about the pro and cons of AP armor. I picked it because of the abs thickness and durability to withstand trooping events. I also know when I decided on AP was the comment of it being a "small kit".

 

In my mind I was confused of a "small kit" being for a thinner body build or a shorter person? I am a semi athletic person. I like to bike ride in the spring and summer. I run 5k and 10k races. I walk allot. But, my problem is my midsection. I am trying to work on that. I would like to get back to a size 34 inch waist. When My armor is finished i will get back on a regular workout schedule.

 

My biggest fear when I was trimming out my armor was, "Is this going to fit? I was not worried too much about my front and kidney section touching. I planned on using "shims" either a "white notebook binder cover", "white plastic garbage can" or the back of a "White yard sign". I got these ideas from reading posts from these forums. My biggest fear was my arms and legs.

 

As a side note should I order my canvas belt now or wait till I lose some inches around my midsection?

 

An idea came to my head the other day when I was doing another round of touch up trimming and sanding. Measure my biceps, forearms, thighs, and calves.

 

When measuring I got these figures.

 

My biceps are between ‘15 3/4' - '16' inches.

My forearms are '11 1/2' inches.

My Thighs are '23 1/2' inches.

My claves are '15 3/4' inches.

 

Also my height is between “5.3 -5.4" feet tall.

 

I am more than "A Little Short For a Stormtrooper?"

 

I used the Velcro that came with the kit for test fitting the parts, so I can get an idea of ANH trim measurements. I put Velcro on the back of the claves and shins and used tape on the insides. This helped to keep the parts stable for measuring.

 

Here are the measurements that I came up with.

 

Biceps 4 1/2 cm

Forearms 4 1/2 cm

Thighs 4 1/2 cm

Shins 4 cm

 

I know from reading different threads that there is no "set in stone" measurement for ANH strips. I want to know if I use these sizes for strips would the strips look too big? Also, by trying on the biceps and forearms, I noticed that I can trim of some more and I would still be able to slide my arms in.

 

I took pictures of a test fit. The thighs and shins are Velcro in the back with tape in the front and wrapped around for keeping in place. I found out with my build and measurements I can fit into AP Bicep, Forearm, Thigh and Shin Armor without shims. I felt good! This inspired me to go and continue on knowing I will be able to fit in AP armor. The bad part, my height is between '5.3 - 5.4' feet tall. When I glue my Thighs and Shins, I will have to trim them to fit my height.

 

I have enclosed photos. I will take pictures of the forearms and biceps and post them later on this weekend. With my height and the shortness of my arms, the armor will cover up and show little black of my Under armor top. Which, is what I want. Also, the bicep is low which helps as well.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2021 by gmrhodes13
photos updated gmrhodes13 2021

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Hey Andy, in terms of your measurements of the ANH strips, the general consensus is that the for thighs and shins, the ANH strip screen accurate dimensions are 20mm wide. For biceps and forearms, the ANH strips are 15mm wide.

 

What most people do is use these dimensions for the front of the armor, and have wider shims at the back. I don’t know if you’ve already trimmed the back, but most people make the front view of their armor “screen accurate” and if necessary make the back strips wider. Usually, people don’t trim the back until the front is glued, so that they can size the back properly. Then you can cut what you need to and make a cover strip or allow for an overlap closure.

 

Unfortunately, if you’ve already trimmed the backsides of your limbs, and you want to have the smaller screen accurate ANH strip dimensions up front you may either need to add shims in the back and– or go with what you have, which is wider strips front and back.

 

At the end of the day, you should do what fits your body type. It’s OK to sacrifice a little screen accuracy for comfort if your body doesn’t match the actors perfectly.

 

*ps: in regards to your belt, if you do order one now, just make sure that the overlap area at the back has a few inches of extra velcro to accommodate the smaller your waist will be. Then that way, you don't need another smaller belt, you can simply "close it smaller" but however many inches. If you're mega stuck for a custom belt, let me know. I have extra canvas / velcro left from mine and can make a custom one for you. I'm sure the other sellers could too.

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

it looks like all you have to do is clamp and glue a strip on the inside, along one edge.

then you can apply the proper torque to line up the thighs and forearms.

 

the inside strip comes from the pieces you cut off all the parts and only needs to be about 4mm wide

 

this allows the glue bead to have somthing to bite when you buttseam the edges together.

after you've glued the inner strip to one side it acts like a TAB to glue the parts together.

 

make sure that you have the proper leg parts on the correct legs...

 

from the photos it looks like you've got them right.

but I'd have to see the backs.

 

after you glue the inner strip, and then have glued the halves together, then you

trim the bottoms flush...

 

always line up the parts from the TOP, or from the wrist.

trim the bottoms AFTER you've applied the torque and glued them together.

 

then you glue the proper FINISHING STRIPS over the top, lining those up at the top.

 

looks good so far.