Beren

Here is a photograph.... I can fit my leg inside the shin even after overlapping the left and right pieces. What do I do about the top and bottom edges not lining up on the back side???

I need some guidance here before I glue the outside cover strip on the front of my shin. (This is the left leg and I've already glued an inside strip to one piece). I intend to use velcro on the back of the leg and the butt joint with cover strips on the front. When I approximate the left and right half on the front of the shin, I am noticing that the back of the shin doesn't line up perfectly. Will I be able to force this to fit once the front is glued together and I've added velcro to the back? Also, am I going to have trouble flexing the clam-shell open enough to get my foot in?

Two quick questions regarding belt fabrication... 1. On the AP kit, how much of a return edge (if any) is left on the belt? 2. What are the recommendations regarding the corners of the belt... leave them at 90 degrees, or cut them at 45 degree angles? Thanks!

Did you just glue the snap to the snap plate? I tried to make one connecting the two parts of the male snap through the plate, but the back of the plate did not lie flush against the armor. Is this normal?

At this point, i am just trying to make a snap plate to glue beneath the shoulder area of my chest armor. The 1/8 rivet slips through the snap and allows it to fall off. When i get to the left side, i was planning to use a strip of ABS plastic from an extra shim piece.

What size rivet is recommended to attach snap males to the armor? I've tried 1/8 short but they slip through and the rivet washers are too big to fit within the snap. I've tried 5/32 medium but they stick out past the snap. I've also tried the matching piece of the snap male when making a snap plate but I end up with a gap between the snap plate and the armor.

Thank you all for the advice! As I am going for accuracy, I will use the butt joint and cover strip method. I am still confused about how snug to make each piece fit. Some of the reference pictures I have seen show armor pieces fitting very loosely. Is this normal or should the pieces fit closer to the arms and legs?

I just got my AP armor and am busy learning how to trim my armor pieces. I've begun with the arms and legs. What is the preferred way to connect the arms and legs? Should I use a butt joint and shim, or should I overlap using the existing mold? Pros and cons for either??? Once the fronts are glued together, how do you determine what the ideal fit should be for the backs?