MightyAtom

FYI - I also scoffed up the backs of my gloves a little before glueing, with 180grit sandpaper, from memory. Sent from my Imperial Communicator

I got it from a local supplier on eBay here in Aus. Good luck! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Hey mate, I used Zap-RT glue, which is a CA glue made for rubber parts (like tyres on model cars), so it bends and takes tension well. It worked a treat on Joseph's hand guards and those same rubber gloves. https://www.ebay.com/itm/153300826006 Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Ok, great. Thanks for the advice! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Hive mind! Your feedback is sought. I am trying to determine the length of elastic to use between the biceps and forearms. I have discovered I may have longer arms than expected. I have taped the elastic in place in these pics: my left arm has a slightly shorter gap than the right. (Please excuse the chest plate; it popped out on the right without me realising). I know there are no specifics in the CRL regarding the distance between forearm and bicep, but my question is: to reduce the gap between the two, should I move the hand guards on my gloves back a little to claw back some space in order to push the forearm up towards the elbow a little? Or does it look ok (I'm favouring the gap on the left arm at present) and I shouldn't worry?

Brilliant, thanks! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Thank you - great advice. Without the practical experience I'm a little in the dark, so thank the Empower for the hive mind. I have black elastic I can use for the forearm to bicep straps. I'll do a fitting this weekend and post some pics for feedback. Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Because you all know "Redundancy" is my middle name, I've poured over other build threads for direction on designing shoulder elastics and shoulder bell straps that will be functional as well as sturdy. My high school physics education tells me that the greatest force placed upon the shoulder bells, exerted by the weight of the bicep and forearm, will be placed on the inside edge; near the armpit, closer to the centre of gravity. However, being shoulders (ie, a multiaxial ball-and-socket synovial joint), there needs to be a compromise between design and movement. With that in mind, I've opted for the following: elastic inside the shoulder bell to allow flex with snaps to allow swivel; double snaps attaching the shoulder bell with nylon to the shoulder elastic (weight bearing and constant distance to shoulder elastic); double sew-on snaps on the shoulder bell nylon to attach to the shoulder elastic to spread the tension from the weight of the arm across a larger area of elastic than a single snap. I'll then use Han hooks to attach the biceps to each shoulder bell, again, keeping the tension on the inside. The next consideration is where to attach the bicep to the forearm. Nylon will be needed in order to ensure a constant distance between the two pieces, but the placement inside each piece will affect movement. I may be overthinking this, but at the moment I'm gonna go with the inside edge closest to the body, which should allow for natural bending of the elbow without putting strain on the strap. Thoughts?

Great advice, thank you! I'll make those trims on the sides as you suggest. [emoji846] Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Ok, no sweat. Here are some more angles. How do the sides look? I've seen a few other builds that reduce the return on the sides to get it to fit the angle at the top of the shins.

NEXT! I'm waiting for glue to dry on my shins, which means this weekend I look at... *ominous tuba* ... the sniper knee plate. First question: how does this look for trimming?

Ok, thank you. Sounds like I should do a few fittings to get the gaps right before making the arm strapping. Stand by for an update! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Great, thank you. I'll do a fit shortly with bells and gloves to see how it looks.

Oh, yes, that gap is quite minimal. I'll put the elastics on the shoulder bells and do another fitting that should be more accurate. Thanks!

Thanks, this is great to hear. Surely the Death Star had Peloton classes!

I'm working on shoulder bells and biceps next. How does this placement look?

Oh cool, I hadn't considered that. Thx! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Ah great, thanks. I've seen so many clean angle builds, but I'm aiming for a screen accurate look (like these shots) and wasn't sure if the corners would be uncomfortable. Sent from my Imperial Communicator

TKs! I have a query about forearms. I have glued both forearms together with internal strips and am now preparing the cover strips. I've been over a few galleries here and would like opinions about trimming the elbow end of the cover strip. Here's what I intend to do (see image): angle the cover strip (blue) then trim the outside forearm to an angle (green). Thoughts?

Thank you! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

That's music to my ears! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Roger that. I'm 6'! Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Yes, good point. I'd forgotten those two pieces would reduce the gap at the knees. Should I finish the shins first so I can better guage that space before deciding if I need to trim the top of the thighs? Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Leg day! I taped the shins and thighs together for an initial fit. Very happy to say I don't think I'll need any major modifications. The shins are snug around my calves (cycling calves), but still close at the back. It looks like the thighs and shins may be wide enough around the knees, but I appreciate any feedback if you think they need to be adjusted. Holding AB plate/chest and thighs by hand: Closer shot of shins and thighs: Close shot of shins:

Glue drying day = sewing day. I've decided to go with a nylon and elastic combo for the cod / posterior plate strap, because I discovered after fitting the torso pieces and walking around that my cyclist thighs were rubbing on the inside top of my thigh - I'm hoping the elastic will add some flex. There is a little return edge of 1 - 2mm that I can sand away from the cod, but I'm concerned I'll will get constant chafe. Is this a known issue for others with larger thighs? I also crafted the shoulder elastics. Once the snap latest on the inside edge are cured, I'll do another fitting and test shoulder elastic placement so I can work out the final snap position. Sent from my Imperial Communicator