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Hi, I have updated my first post adding the photo requested.

I think I see what may be happening here. The reason you probably are having difficulty bending the shoulder bridges is because of the return edges that are still present. Bending of any sort is next to impossible when you still have the return edges intact. It may be the photo angle, but it looks like you still have quite a bit on the tops, which looks to have an angle for some reason. As seen in the reference image, return edges were pretty much non existent in those areas, and removing them would not only allow you to effectively bend them, but would actually be more screen accurate. Reference image Note the difference in the angle

A heat gun does take some practice, plastic can go to movable to molten mess in the wink of an eye, less is more. When using the hot water bath method, when you move a piece to were you want it go a little further and hold in that position until it has cooled, it will relax a little once cool, it's already been molded to a specific was so will try to return to that until completely cooled. The brackets on RS don't allow for much movement, you may want to try some snap plates and elastic to give you a little more room. A lot of the armors are really suited for those 6' and under so you are just over the limit so may need some gap on the back.

The hot water method is a bit slow pace, you need to repeat the process again and again. Personally I prefer the "Ninja Style" using a Heat Gun but It needs to be done carefully because the piece can be damage. You could make a test with a scrap piece too. AGAIN: BE CAREFULL

My second try at blue ab buttons. Any better?

Sounds good :p thank you for your support, i’ll let you know how it ends up.

Welcome to FISD. We are here to Help. If you can, open a Build Thread Here , post tons of photos , they speak more than words . Good luck

Holy crap, that's awesome! That must have taken a lot of time. Thank you so much! I'll almost definitely wind up doing what you suggested. Luckily, the kidneys were molded as a half torso and the back where the trauma plate gets mounted has it's own almost half torso piece of ABS. I think between the two, I should have enough plastic to make those cuts and join everything back up as needed. Even if it's approvable, why go through all of this effort and miss the mark on that detail by that much... Thanks again! That definitely gives me some direction and some confidence that I'm on the right path.

Hello Kris, your best bet would be to Contact AM armor. They make rather large armor. I have built a kit and I had to size it down quite a bit to fit as my Anovos Does. It will for sure fit you. the 260 I dont know as I dont know how you carry your weight. But all of the limbs are made to be sized to a rather large person. Same with the torso. And the armor is super thick and very nice quality and Dave is a super helpful person.

Thanks Joseph! I left the ridges unfinished because I figured those'll get cut out when I make the mobility cuts. If there's any more rough edges after the material removal, I'll finish those up and polish/touch up. Airbrush Paint Formula Here's the paint formula as promised. I used Createx Wicked colors: Opaque White #0030, Black #0002, Yellow #0003, Red #0005, #5620 Gloss Clear with #4012 reduced, #4011 for undercoat. I made 2:25ml premixed color dilutions for Red Yellow Black (40 drops of the primaries in 25 ml of #0030 White, where 20 drops ~ 1 mL ). These dilutions served for experimentation with quantifiable results. After much trial and comparison, I arrived at (20 drops White [undiluted], 3 drops Black [diluted], 4 drops Yellow [diluted], 1 drop Red [diluted], 3 drops #4011 reducer). Give or leave 1 drop Yellow; I had to balance out having too much yellow haze from the airbrush edges vs it being a bit lighter so 4 or 5 drops still might yield good results. The ABS paste lines were stained and rather dark and had to be primed and sanded otherwise it would leave a residual dark shade. After several coats of white with .3mm and let dry, I then used 10% #4012 with the #5620 Gloss and sprayed extremely wet with .5mm. Hopefully someone looking for a color match will find this useful. No Bothans died for this information. EDIT: I think I found a better code: 60 drops diluted white, 5 drops black , 7 drops yellow, 3 drops red, 6 drops #4012 reducer. This time I sprayed with a .5mm needle. Had to respray because the E6000 caused some paint damage. Best to tape the edges (not cover stripped) to trap the E6000, and peels away clean. Also learned that sanding to 3000 grit will yield a better blend of colors. I'm super impressed with how the repaint turned out compared to the previous... contemplating reshooting the left thigh as well...

Hello, and welcome to FISD, Yamagat !!! This thread maybe can help you: If you have any question, we are here to help!!!

Trimming can be done in numerous ways, depending on your skill and what tools you have handy, some use score and snap, you run a sharp knife along a line a few times then with pressure hold down and snap the excess away. There are also scissors and dremels for those able to use power tools. You will pick up a lot of info looking through build threads, here are just a couple of different ways to trim.

Thanks for all that very prompt and helpful feedback! Very grateful and appreciative to you all. Love the dedication. I'm also relieved, this forum seems rather technical and somewhat intimidating (stormtrooper appearances clearly do work! lol) Ukswarth - your thread has been really great through my build as a "one stop shop" - I find searching for more info on the forum tricky so great to have that point of reference and even more have you respond to my threads! Humbled! In the interim I am keen to tick off basic, can sort the unpainted ammo pack rivets today- I think previous paint had worn off (I have worn my suit a few times unofficially). Will aim for the rest after the Armageddon expo Chch, NZ this w/e where I finally get to meet some fellow Outpost 42 Garrison NZ Legion folk in person that I've only been in internet based comms with. So very excited! Regarding the trimming of abs - I followed the ukswarth thread below which doesn't yet detail abs trimming so I just wondered if there is a pic or thread somewhere that goes over this aspect? I get nervous making changes that cant be reversed so would be grateful for an updated pic clarifying the required trimming if possible anyone pretty please but no rush? Is there also a thread /advice somewhere someone could link me to about how to remove/edit the paint spray on the mask that needs fixed? Really appreciate all your responses, the pics detailing how to change/fix button plates on abs, and secure the butt plate better to kidney - that has been bugging me so nice to see an approved soln and general moral support. Thank you! Thanks again, Gretchen

Great Looking armor Gretchen! Easy for basic and a couple of adjustments for higher levels. Adding to what Tony said: Ab buttons panel could be flat with no return edges. Reference Image