Arson Dex

TD-82182 requesting 501st access. https://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=33434

Worked on the thighs this this week. After trying the right thigh on it was clear that I would need a larger thigh than normal. After looking up some forum posts on adding shims to the thigh I decided to build the front of the thigh as usual and keep any modifications to the rear butt connection. The bottom end of the thigh by the knee was fine, it was the upper part that requires additional space. I started by removing the entire return edge at the top of both inner and outer thigh pieces. I marked the crease on the inner part of the armor and then scored it with an Exacto blade. I was then able to snap the return edge off easily. At this point the only sanding I did was to remove some sharp areas where I had cut to avoid snags on my under suit while sizing. Even with the return edge removed I saw that I still needed several inches more. As mentioned I decided to build the front of the thighs as normal to preserve accuracy at least in the front. So I went ahead and trimmed the front butt connection to 10 mm on each side to maintain the 20 mm ridge under the cover strip. Even though this caused the thigh to be smaller when I needed larger I was more concerned with accuracy in the front and comfortable with making modifications to the rear of the thigh. I measured the front butt of both inner and outer thigh and marked it. Then I clamped a cover strip along my measure marks and drew a line along it. After marking the line I clamped a metal ruler along the line and scored & snapped using an Exacto blade. My next order of business is to work on shims for the rear butt connections. At first measure it looks like I'll need to fill about a 1 3/4 " gap at the top of the rear thigh narrowing down to about 1/2" near the knee. I'll take several more measurements when I get an extra pair of hands to help out. Any advise on adding these shims to the rear thigh would be greatly appreciated. Did anybody else have similar issues?

Thank you. Is it very difficult to trim edges once everything is glued or is it just a matter of a little sanding down here and there?

I finally got the left bicep sized. I initially thought I may have cut too much off because it was little tight on moving. I trimmed the return edge on the top a bit and I was able to move better. I moved onto the left forearm. I removed the entire return edge on the wrist end. I also trimmed the front butt connection where the cover strip goes. I trimmed each side down to 7.5 mm using a score and snap technique with metal ruler. (didn't get photos, too focused). I sanded the edges flat, taped together and re-measured. 15 mm total in width. I placed both bicep and forearm on to double check size and movement. It seems to feel fine. I did have to remove some more return edge from the top of the forearm inner to facilitate better movement. I have good range of motion with no bite and size looks and feels right. Any suggestions or corrections before I glue?

Looks pretty good in my novice opinion. My kit came with cut lines so it made the initial trimming a bit easier. My deer in the head lights moment was when I had to make cuts for sizing. I just today started sizing my biceps. My right only needed some sanding of the return edges, whew! Looks like my left will need about 7mm trimmed from each side though. Baby steps I guess. Good luck.

So today I worked on the right bicep. I tried it on with my under suit top on. The Anovos cut lines seemed to be pretty darn close to my size. The upper end was a little snug and the bottom end seemed fine and included an approximately 1/2 inch space between body and armor as suggested by Uswrath. I decided to keep some return edge and trim it or remove it from key areas for sizing and areas where "bite" is a problem. As mentioned earlier I don't have room for a belt sander so I fashioned some sanding sticks from sandpaper sheets and paint stirrers. A trick I learned from a foam armor tutorial a few years back. I trimmed the return edges using a dremel tool and by hand. Starting with 150 grit then finishing with 400 to smooth the edges. I sanded a little and tried on several times until I had a fit that was comfortable and provided me with full range of motion without any "armor bite". I removed the entire return edge from the upper end of the right inner and rounded the return edge on the descending angle. This removed any "bite' and made it easier to remove the upper end of the right inner that extends past the upper end of the right outer. Next i'll work the left bicep in a similar manner.

Wow, a lot of awesome feedback on my 1st post. This is great. Thanks everyone. Thanks Joseph for the great advise and examples. I will definitely trim the return edge in those areas and probably some others. Thanks also Matt. Jordan, I believe I know what your saying. After I read your comment I keep thinking "respect the armor". To me this means treating it with the care and caution that was used when taking out on BBB day when measuring and making cuts. Thanks again guys, I'll be posting some sizing pics soon.

Hi all, My name is Lawrence and I'm a first time builder and 501st member hopeful. My build is an ANH stunt kit from Anovos. I am following Uswrath's ANOVOS TK build (stunt). A lot of good information there. I've also been getting some guidance from some You Tube videos from TK 1636 of the Dune garrison https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeDunMes3e0wQn8_ns-ma4g/featured. and Panda Props https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmlecIQFeXtVHAvcEPa3GTg. Uswrath's build is geared towards Centurion level so I will be aiming for that. It's taken almost two years for my kit to arrive so I've had a bit of time to research a number of builds. Even with all this great information out there i'm sure i'll be stumped on something at some point and reach out to the veteran members for help. I live in a small apartment so i'll have to adjust as such. I have a rather large desk that I've covered with a protective mat to work on individual pieces. No room for a belt sander so all my sanding will be done by hand or a Dremel tool. I figure this will allow me to give it just that little extra attention to detail. O.K. so on BBB day I didn't have a lot of space to lay everything out so I inventoried everything in sections. Although the pieces come numbered with a guide you can print out I went ahead and labeled everything with blue tape and Sharpe as suggested by another member on a Facebook post https://www.facebook.com/groups/838545079553903/. I found that this allowed me to quickly identify parts. I was able to trim the pieces pretty easily using a pair of tin snips for the large areas and an exacto blade for the cuts along the cut lines. I followed the indented cut lines provided by Anovos. This worked nicely for me. Next up, sizing.......