ScaryGuy

I'm not an expert :-). Splitting the difference is a good starting point, but also look at the current shape of both sides. In your picture the right half looks a bit longer than the left. So measure both sides and cut a bit more from the longer side, and less of the shorter, to the end up with equal width. Also look at how flat the surface is. It is a lot more difficult to glue a cover strip on a curved surface than a flat one.

Thanks Joseph! The large button plate is wider at the bottom and on the right it tapers to the top being smaller. Just like the corresponding area on the ab plate. It's supposed to be accurate. But I guess not every type of armor has this tapered side?

I think I will use this layout too. This way the inner halves are more curved like to calves. When the cover strips are glued I can do a final check with the sniper plate and see if there's any difference between both legs. It should fit the left leg correctly.

Forearms are done! I had to use multiple steps for gluing the inner and outer cover strips so it took a while. I was in the mood to paint the ab buttons. First I sanded the edges, I already removed the return edges during the pre-trimming phase. I read a tip to draw circles with a pencil first, this will act as a barrier for the paint. It seemed easier then trying to mask everything but the buttons so I gave it a shot. I used a circle drawing thingy (or whatever it is called ) to draw the circles around the buttons. I decided not to paint the entire button down to the base, but leave some white edge. Then I started painting. I must say the pencil tip really works. You still have to be careful with the brush, but the paint does stop at the pencil line. Later that night I was looking at the painted buttons again and I made a weird move resulting in grabbing the painted buttons with my thumb. I tried to touch it up with some more paint but that didn't make it better. So the next day I removed the paint of the small button plate and repainted it again. Next step is working on the leg parts. First I trimmed all front sections to the required 20 mm cover strip width. Then I fitted the shins using painters tape. As I already knew the shins where too large, I could hardly bent my knee or ankle. So I decided to cut some length from the ankle side. I thought I had to remove 20 mm, but to be safe I started with 15 mm. I used a compass to follow the contour of the ankle and draw a line at 15 mm distance. After the cutting the shins feel much better. I think the 15 mm was already enough, so I didn't cut the 20 mm I first thought was necessary. I can always cut more when needed. After fitting them again I determined how much I have to remove in width. For the left shin (24/27) I had to cut 15 mm of. Since the outer side was wider I removed the entire 15 mm on the outer side. Now both sides have almost the same width. For the right shin (25/28) the top fitted correctly, but I had to remove 20 mm from the bottom. I split the difference on both sides, cutting 10 mm on each tapering to 0 mm at the top. Now the shins are ready for sanding. In this picture I have laid out the shins as I intend to use them. The left leg uses 24/27, the right 25/28. The inner halves are longer at the bottom than the outer halves, this is the correct layout according to troopermaster. There's still some discussion about this. When I'm installing the sniper plate I have to make the final decision on for which leg I'm gonna use them.

Hi Michael, I'm about the same height and weight as you. Did you need to make any modifications for your height? Did you trim the length of the shins and/or thighs? I think I have to do so for mine. Also how does the torso fit you? On me it feels a bit wide, lots of space on the sides. My butt plate is also flaring out a bit like yours.

Congratulations! First of hopefully many Anovos builds to follow.

Nice diagram. I think I will be using the same double snap pattern.

Small update for tonight. Yesterday I received my respirator so I continued gluing the arm pieces. For the biceps I just had to glue the second cover strips on both pieces. The forearms only had the 2 inner cover strips glued, so I started with adding the first outer cover strip. Tonight I continued with the forearms. Because there is a lot of tension when I close the two halves, I decided to glue them together using only the inner cover strip. After drying I will add the second outer cover strip. Biceps have their cover strips. I also received my nomex flight gloves Today. Nice and thin gloves, definitely more comfortable than those rubber ones.

Looking good so far, nice work! A lot of extra work adding shims, and the shin and belt issues. You're getting a lot of extra unwanted armor building experience.

Well I put the torso together with the supplied velcro. Very easy and a fast way to connect everything together, but it sure won't last very long. When I was done I got to fit the armor for the first time. Very exciting! Closing the sides was a bit difficult. I had to bring them together in the correct angle to close the velcro. Overall I'm pleased with how it looks. I thought it might be a bit too wide, but when the sides where closed properly it think it's ok. The posterior plate is sticking out on the sides when viewing from the front, but I hope that will be hidden when wearing the thighs. Any thoughts on how it's fits?

Today I spent some time on sanding the torso parts and shoulder bells. I was very carefull at pre-trimming everything, so not much clean up was needed. I used a dremel type sander to remove the remaining edges from the trim line or other rough areas. Then I used 180 grit sandpaper to smooth the edges. It took me a little over 2 hours to sand every thing. Everything nice and smooth: I have decided I'm going to replace the belt, so I started on removing the ammo boxes from the belt. I already saw some pictures from people having problems removing the cover caps so I knew it could be risky. I started by drilling out the rivet from the back of the belt. When pulling on the belt to see if the rivet would break I somehow pulled the washer through the hole and the cover cap fell off. I guess because of the heat the plastic melted and I could pull the washer through. Fortunately the plastic restored itself so the hole appears normal. The rivet on the other side basically went the same. I pulled the washer through the hole. The cap didn't fall off this time, so I used a putty knife to snap it off. This was very easy. The middle rivet was last. This one was a bit more difficult. I couldn't pull the washer through like the others, so I had to keep drilling until the rivet finally broke off. The cover cap was already loose on most side, but was still stuck on one. My putty knife was too big to fit between the ammo boxes, so I used a screwdriver instead. I used painters tape to protect the abs. I could break the cap off without using much force. So ammo belt removed without damage, phew! Next I'm going to fit the torso armor. I already tried painters tape to connect them but it didn't stick very well. So I'm using the Anovos supplied velcro and straps for fitting the armor. This allows for easy adjusting things. When everything is lined up correctly I can measure the distance and create the straps and snap plates and replace the velcro ones.

Today I started on fitting my first armor pieces: forearms and biceps. Last night I already tried them on and measured many times. Since I'm small I have a lot of room in them, so I need to cut quite a bit off. I was kinda worried I'm might cut off too much or distort the shape. This morning I tried them again and I felt more confident on cutting the pieces. First a final size check. I don't have my underwear yet, so I put on some cycling underwear. In the picture the biceps look a bit big, but I'm squeezing them to my body so all the room is on the outside. The circumference of the biceps near the elbow is slightly bigger (around 10 mm) then the forearms so I think they are okay, I had to cut around 35 - 42 mm (approx 1 1/2 inch). I could just split the difference on both sides at the back, but I thought this would made the outer forearm t0o short and I would have problems gluing the cover strip. So I just took 10 mm from the outer part, and the rest of the inner. The forearms look oval now. This might be an issue for the cover strips, so I used some scrap abs for inner strips. They are a bit thinner and slightly smaller than the supplied outer cover strips, but it will give more support on connection both sides. I ended with gluing the inner strips on the outer forearms. Things I learned after gluing my first pieces: - E6000 smells bad. I used a simple dust mask, but I need to get a real respirator. - I used nitril gloves so the E6000 wouldn't get on my skin, but I have a natural talent getting glue on everything I touch . - Beware of magnets. Putting armor pieces right next to each other with magnets isn't smart . The biceps where a bit easier, I had to remove 25 - 36 mm. First I made the shape of the inner front and back the same, then I split the remaining difference on both halves. After cutting I first glued the curved side of the biceps. The other side is flat so it will be easier to close them. That's it for today!

So viel ich weiss haben die punkte auf den bauch platte nichts zu tun mit einer dienstgrad, die sind für alle TK's gleich. Nur die pauldron und die grauen rippe (?) auf dem ohren.<br><br> Hier is mehr info über die ohren, das is aber nicht offiziell oder "canon"!<br> <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/33797-ranks-whats-good-rank-in-the-good-side/'>http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/33797-ranks-whats-good-rank-in-the-good-side/</a><br><br> Ich denke du wirst mehr antworte bekommen wenn du es in Englisch fragt :-).

Last night I trimmed the final pieces. Small stuf: Front plates: Back plates: So .... pre-trimming is done! Yes! I haven't sanded anything yet. Most edges came out pretty clean so I'll just sand everything after fitting all the pieces and trimming them to the correct size. Now onto the next phase!

Hi Brian, Yes, I will replace them with latex ones eventually, but for first approval I want to use the plastic ones. It seems the Anovos return edges are quite big overall, so I guess I will have to trim some others to be smaller too.

Did some more work today. First I did the shoulder bells. The left one was a bit more difficult. On the return edge side the trimming line was barely visible on one end. I had to hold it in bright light and redraw it with a pencil. It was also more difficult to snap the ABS on this side. I had to score it multiple times on both sides of the ABS. Next up where the shins. No issues here. I kept some long pieces of scrap ABS from these parts. Maybe they can be used as inner strips. Holding the shins to my legs I really think I have length issues fitting the armor to my legs. I will post some pictures here when I get to the fitting stage and ask advice on where I should trim it. Last items of this trimming session where the thighs. These also seem too long for my legs. The tips are really poking in my groin area. I can barely lift my upper leg. Now I really need a break .

Then I started trimming the arm pieces. After doing some pieces I feel more confident. Still I’m taking it very slowly. I score the straight edges 3 times with a big cutting knife. Then I used the exacto knife for the curved sides. I use lexan scissors to cut the corners so I can bend and snap the ABS off. For the curved sides I use multiple cuts with the lexan scissors, so I can snap small pieces at a time. I feel this reduces the risk of tearing the ABS. Forearms and biceps have been pre-trimmed. I already removed the return edges from the wrist area and inner elbow side of the forearms. With the return edges the length of the forearms where a bit too long for me, and I could not fully bent my arm. Maybe I need the cut a bit more on the elbow side, but that’s for when I get to the fitting stage.

I started trimming the handguards. Since they will be replaced with latex handguards eventually, there was not much to lose when I screw up on those parts. I used the exacto knife but I noticed it is more difficult to keep it straight. I will use a bigger knife for cutting the straight edges. Question: the back of the handguards (near the wrist) are very straight. I feel they would be more comfortable if they were more curved following the top of your hand. Is this ok?

Thanks! I'm a control freak, so I must have things organized . The cabinet is an IKEA Besta series, the lightsabers are displayed in two wine rack shelves.

Hi There! This is my first stormtrooper build, well also my first costume build ever . I bought my Anovos kit during the Black Friday sales at the end of November. When Anovos started shipping I expected to receive mine in March since I ordered late. Surprisingly my BBB came this week! When spread across the floor the amount of plastic is intimidating, so I just put everything back in the BBB and just get the pieces out I want to work on. I’m 1.70m (5’7”) and 68kg (150 lbs) so I’m on the small side. Anovos indicates an ideal range of 1.73 to 1.83m so I might run into some length issues. Since this is my first build I hope I don’t run into any advanced building issues. Here’s some proof I have my kit : http://www.scaryguy.nl/bucket/IMG_0500_zpszgwbhhu4.jpg http://www.scaryguy.nl/bucket/IMG_0503_zpsa96fgvs6.jpg Resources I’ve been reading a lot on this forum, gathering pieces of information from various threads. For my Anovos thread my main build resources are Ukswrath build thread and TrooperBay’s Youtube video’s. Ukswrath thread is awesome and very detailed many kudos to him! Ukswrath build thread http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/35086-ukswraths-anovos-tk-build/ http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/35142-anovos-tk-discussion-forum/ Seeing a build in videos is also very helpful: TrooperBay build video’s on Youtube https://youtu.be/jmcZ8J_ZECA TK-1636 build video’s https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeDunMes3e0wQn8_ns-ma4g Tools / Materials The supply list thread is a great source to get started with everything you need for the build. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31404-supply-list-for-your-tk-build/ http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/25570-tip-choose-your-magnets-and-clamps/ http://www.scaryguy.nl/bucket/IMG_0507_zpstllpkeq8.jpg There’s a lot of good advice available on which tools or materials to be used for the build. Unfortunately I live in the Netherlands so not everything advised is readily available over here. Since E6000 is highly recommended I want to use it, but it is not common over here. I found some jewelry making web shops that offer the small E6000 tubes, but I have a feeling they are the cheap Chinese ones. So I ended up buying them on Ebay from a seller in the UK. I now have six 2 oz E6000 tubes. Getting the snaps was a similar issue. The Tandy Line 24 snaps are recommended. I couldn’t find them here. I looked into snaps used for boat covers but they were quite expensive over here. So I bought a pack of 100 Tandy Line 24 snaps from the US through Ebay. I bought 60 Neodymium magnets from China (aliexpress.com), size 20 mm x 3 mm. Paint: I found a model shop over here that sells Humbrol paint, so I bought: Humbrol 5 gray for the ab buttons and frown repaint Humbrol 14 french blue for the ab buttons Humbrol 22 gloss white for the rivet caps Elastic http://www.scaryguy.nl/bucket/IMG_0509_zps6j1zr724.jpg The elastic stuff was easy to get. I bought: 50 mm (2”) black elastic for the torso and thigh connections 25 mm (1”) black elastic for connecting the smaller parts 50 mm (2”) white elastic for the shoulder straps 6 mm white elastic to hold down the shoulder straps on the back plate 25 mm (1”) nylon webbing for snap plates and garter belt. Plastic buckle for the nylon webbing Note to self The ABS has a protective layer. Remove it before sanding, gluing or painting . Patience, don’t rush it! Armor I’m starting with the armor. First I’m pre-trimming all the pieces to reduce this huge pile of plastic and get them ready for test fitting. When the pieces have been cut to size I’ll do the sanding to get them ready for gluing. I’m doing the trimming in my living room, but that’s not and ideal location for sanding and gluing. Too cold to do it outside so I’ll have to move to the storage in the basement of my apartment. I don’t have much faith in the velcro / sticky tape strapping solution supplied by Anovos. The original screen used bracket system used looks cool but I have a feeling there's more risk with breaking the ABS edges. I read some threads about using snaps with snap plates, this looks like a strong and flexible solution to me. I think I’m going to double snap route I saw in this thread, using elastic to connect all the armor pieces together: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/33933-strappingconnection-options/?p=440797 I found diagrams for snap positions here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/24487-diagram-of-snap-placement/?p=307883 And I needed some measurements for the elastic etc. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/26477-what-we-know-about-strapping-snaps-rivets-etc/ I’m looking at other build threads to see which return edges can be removed or not, but also found this one: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31930-return-edges/ I’m think I might run into some length issues with some pieces. I found this discussion about cutting the back of the knees: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/35374-completed-anovos-tk-pictures/?p=463960 Belt I know I have to remove the top two chicago screws from the Anovos belt. I still haven’t decided how I’m gonna fix the holes. I like the way how ukswrath patched the holes in his build thread, but the issue that the belt has no reinforcement and looks sloppy still remains. I really don’t like that, so that might be the main reason the replace the belt. Helmet There are some things that need to be fixed or modified: Like many I don’t like the frown, I’m gonna strip the paint and repaint it. Cleanup the raised edge around the eyes Better helmet mounting, I feel like a bobble head with the supplied hard hat liner. I’m thinking about using foam pads and an elastic strap to keep it in place. Lens mounting, also split them in two halves to make more room for my nose. There’s quite a gap near the top of the right ear, I have to look into that. Reinforce the ABS behind the hovi mic tips because it feels really thin. Maybe coat the inside of the helmet with plastidip I found these threads on rebuilding the helmet: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/35356-anovos-helmet-rebuild/ http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/35115-dboz-anovos-tk-build/ The next level After the initial completion the armor should be ready for 501st approval. During the build I’m keeping the Centurion requirements in mind, so I won’t have to redo stuff later on. But there are some things I probably will do at a later moment: Mods for Centurion requirements: Get latex handguards Repaint blue tube stribes so they are closer to the edge (pencil width) Mods for trooping comfort: Install fans Get comfortable gloves for trooping TK Audiosystem

Well healthcare isn't free here either :-), we all have health insurance because it's required by law.

Fedex called me today. I had to pay import taxes in advance because they were higher than €150. My package is still in transit to the Netherlands but they would hold it until received my payment. I had to pay €167 / $187 on taxes. I paid $495 for my kit ($550 black friday sales - 10% discount), shipping was $131. For shipping and taxes I almost coud have bought a tier 1 kit.

Anovos is really catching up with shipments, I ordered November 29 and I got my shipping notice this morning. The last timeframe indicated I would receive mine in March. I'm paying 21% on VAT and some extra for FedEx handling the import.

Maybe you can glue some ABS on the back of the ammo belt so you can drill new holes for the rivets. Then remove the old rivets from the caps and glue them back on. They seem larger then the holes you created so maybe they will cover up the damage. It looks like there are some more scratches. I'm not sure I'm taking this route when my kit arrives.<br><br> Edit: or what Airborne Trooper says

I haven't received my kit yet, but I'm thinking about cutting some fabric from behind the ammo belt. This can be used to cover the two holes from behind. The belt itself can be reinforced by attaching a stiffer fabric on the inside. Removing the screws probably will leave some marks, but I guess this can be ironed out.