aghoneim

Hahaha I agree! I've been obsessing over them - I feel like I can barely tell! But when I focused just on the one leg, the shin curves more on the inside which seems to be correct ... Which I think looks like that a few pics above. But then again, the lip doesn't match. I can't tell!

As suggested, just did a fit check with undersuit and boots on. I pulled in the overlap on shins and thighs to get a sense of the fit. That should be no problem to trim off. I'm also happy with the length of the shins (though should I have tried with the sniper knee?). However, I hobbled around like a penguin because the rear bottom of both thighs cut off my mobility. Here are two pictures: For this one, with one leg partially bent, that's the max mobility I could get out of it (which would make for some interesting stories going up/down stairs I'd say!)

Just to go back to the topic of shins ... (it's been a busy day!) 1. How do you size them? Are they supposed to go up to the knees or slightly below it? 2. I'm still not 100% confident I have the shin pieces identified as L/R because of the whole labeling confusion. Any tips for checking? (Only thing I could follow was Tony's image that they be longer on the inner ankle and higher on the outer ankle for both sides... Also Rat mentioned to have the sharper dip on the inside of the ankle.)

... so as I asked that question about it feeling loose I realized I had answered my own question, trim it! "One of the things I'm learning is how much space do I *think* I need vs. how much is enough for mobility" ... and I did and it's better already.

Sweet! That's where I'm at. To be honest, my only concern is that the wrist edge of the forearm is a little large (especially the right one), but having said that the hand fits through comfortably and I can touch my head. Perhaps once they're all strapped/attached together it'll feel less loose?

Alright, I've trimmed down the biceps further as well as the return edges (kept to 5-7mm guideline). Though for the inner bicep, where it dips down, on the left one it was ~8mm to start, while the right one is closer to 10mm in the dip. Above the dip it's 5-7 and didn't require any trimming. I only trimmed return edge on the outer bicep where it was a little larger. How does it look now? Note that I made sure to flex and that really about as much space as I have before it starts to get tight. Left (straight arm): Right (flexed as an example):

The help is very much appreciated! ... Yeah, one of the things I'm learning is how much space do I *think* I need vs. how much is enough for mobility lol

Thanks Rat - you're right, I'll trim the biceps down a bit more. I've been generous with the spacing Alright, sounds good! Also, I did try the alternative pairings a suggested by Tony, but the upper edges did not line up well at all. Maybe Anovos got the labeling right by now?!

Also, getting ready to move on to shins. Tony wrote in his Anovos build thread that the pairs may be mislabeled. So, I've decided to check, but they seemed lined up fine to me. Thoughts? Pairs: 24/25, 27/28

Ok, biceps and forearms all trimmed down. Cover strip space at 15mm for front of both forearms. There's still some extra wiggle room in the each of the pieces, but it's also comfortable enough to slide my hand through. So, next step fitment check. Thoughts? (I've tried to align all the pieces on the arms as best as I could, but it's finicky at best.) Right Arm Left Arm: Altogether:

Man you're fast! I figured it would need to, but felt worried that it's too close to the ... what's it called... ribbed part of the forearm that faces everyone ?

Alright, so I've been trimming the biceps and forearms down to my measurements. Before I do another fitting - I had a question about the wrist end of the right forearm. I aligned from the elbow, and made sure to keep the 15mm front butt connection for the cover strip as well. I'm happy with the fit, but I'm worried that I will have to trim a lot off the wrist end to keep aligned.

Thanks! Again this really helps! I feel like I understand the approach better now. I had also referred back to ukswrath’s guide and see how I need to measure the excess, trim it, and leave space for the cover strips. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What do you mean by "taper on the parts"? Sounds good. I guess I'll start with all return edge on forearm and bicep, leave the return edge on shoulder bell and then see how the whole arm looks together.

Got it! Yeah that would make sense, and help to fit multiple parts before getting to trimming things down further.

Thanks for this Daniel! That really helped! Naturally two more questions: Is overlapping back parts of armor (or parts that are hidden) a general approach? Quick clarification: "mark the center of the overlap on both ends and you will have your trim lines" ... Is that because the cover strip will join those ends together? And another pic just to be sure I understand: Before cutting anything, I'll be sure to get the shoulder + bicep on and see how it all feels and looks. But just by overlapping as you suggested, that really helped make it more snug while still allowing me to reach my head. Thanks again!

Alright, wrist trimmed. I'll smooth it out later. Here's a few pics: For sizing it up, what's the best way for figuring out how much to cut? Here's me illustrating what I think I need to do: And to do so, I'd need to trim the butt connection (I think that's the name?) location on both pieces by X amount in order to get the circumference down to the 5-7mm goal? Sorry for all the newbie questions! Thanks!

Another question on this - just to make sure I understand what's needed before doing any cutting. If I try to center my forearm within the armor, I get about a finger's width gap around the circumference of my arm. Which is like ~1.5cmm. Is that enough? Here's a few pics of my Q's: *edge (Granted I'm doing this without the undersuit, but I think I have a lot of space here. Also, the perspective is a little off in the image for the measurements. It's hard to make my arm look even in the armor without attaching anything first...) (I haven't trimmed off the wrist return edge, so I think I'll have even more space once I do so.) Any advice is very much appreciated!

That makes sense - I’ll start trimming from those two lines and see how the fit feels from there. Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Next update, trimming all done. I have to say trimming chest, thighs, and back plate, went far smoother after using a combination of score & snap and lexan scissors. No complaints from me on those pieces! Moving on to pre-assembly for the forearms, and starting with the left one. I have to say, I'm a little confused and not really sure where to begin or how to tackle them. They feel big on me and I have a lot of space between my arm and the plastic: I understand that we want to work with 5-7mm between me and the armor, but this feels like a lot to trim off. Any recommendations? Also, the forearm piece looks really long when bending my arm: Based on my limited knowledge, measure and then trim these areas? (see lines in red below)

Quick update. Trimming still going slowly - completed shoulder bells and thighs. Still have a bunch more to go! I've decided to leave the chest for last as that's one piece I'd like to be most practiced for. Also, the videos from TK1636 helped a lot! (I particularly liked how he went over trimming the chest piece and not following the cut lines as they were too thin.) Also, TK Boots arrived! They look awesome

Oh - I did not realize I should have signed up within their own forum. I'll do that now. Thanks Dan!

While I continue working on trimming (it’s slow going for me) ... anyone know how to connect with 501st members in Toronto area? I’ve been reading about build parties and am wondering if there any any ... *fingers crossed!* Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m learning myself right now (and could be wrong) Advice I was given was to trim return edge by wrist. This also depends on what level you’re going for ... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is great! I'll take a closer look when I get some time. Thanks!