Alikh

Awesome, thanks for the quick replies everyone! Luckily I haven't attached the abs to the canvas yet, was just lining it up visually and realized it looked off. Ill re trim the corners so they meet higher level approval. No reason to do it as is now and come back to redo it later. Thanks!

Worked on sizing/strapping today while I think about what how to proceed with finishing the legs. Also started planning for the belt. Quick question (see second pic below) The ABS for the belt came pre trimmed. Am I right that the corners cut on it are incorrect as they dont line up with the belt? Or is there some wiggle room in that measurement?

Thank you! It definitely was a struggle to figure out at first. I still havent decided on a way to lock the back of the calves yet. I think I will need to cut it to slim near the ankle to fit over the boot more cleanly.

Working a bit more on sizing of the thigh. A few thoughts: You can see it sits a bit askew when pulled all the way up- do I trim some out of the groin/inner thigh area to fix that? Related, Is the thigh plate too long? It feels a bit too long when on my body, but visually I can't really decide. The thigh and shin almost touch at the knee. Last though- now put together with the thigh, is the shin still too long?

Been super busy the last few months, but finally working on the kit again. Looking at trimming the thigh piece now. I had to take 1in off the shins, I'm thinking I need to do about the same with the thigh piece as well. Pics below- pulled up as high as I can on my thigh the bottom still sits very close my knee-- too close I think. In the second pic where I have my leg bent, that is the extent of how far I can bend, and that is without having a shin plate on. Obv the fit isnt 100% since Im wearing shorts and not the undersuit, just trying to get an idea of if I need to trim it. I do, right?

Definitely will! The one spot you can clearly see that will rub on the boot originally lined up better, but it was on the calve that split originally. When I reglued it, it shifted a bit that I didn't notice before it was dry.

Finished with the resizing and front cover strips on the calves. This was a hard step. As I mentioned earlier I had to cut an inch off the bottom, then trim a bit on the rear seam to have it sit more flush. Originally when I did the shin cover strips, I just did a single, external strip just like my arms. When I went to try it on, the shin seam immediately split. I have relatively muscular/wide calves, so I need to pull the back open a large amount to fit it. I added an internal cover strip, and all seems well now. Ive taken then both on and off a number of times. I still need to get more snaps to work on connecting the torso pieces, so I guess next up I will work on the thighs. I am positive they will need resized as well.

Perfect, thank you!!!!

Thank you! Next question while I wait for glue to dry- What is a good build guide to check out for steps to make the belt? I've been looking around for a bit, but I haven't found one yet that really has all the steps of measuring, mounting the abs to the cloth, the snaps for the cloth to the ab plate, etc. I've seen a few pieces on a few different guides, but am hoping to find a more step by step process all in one place. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what I need to do for the rest of the armor, but the belt still eludes me.

Finally got hold of some glue that seems to have bonded to both the glove and the silicone hand guard. (Thanks to Mayo's build thread!) Question- do the guards need painted or do they remain as is?

Began working on the calves. From an earlier pic, you may remember the calves were way too long for my height. I was able to estimate that about 1.5in may need taken off visually. I started with just 1in to check from there. I think a little more still needs taken off since it pushes up into my knee a bit, what do you all think? Only concern I have is that the boot opening is going to keep getting wider the more I cut it back for length. Short legs and wide calves are making this fit a tricky one.

Thanks! Not sure how I got the bend off the detonator clip backwards, but I've fixed it now!

Starting to put some things together. From the pics below, I dont have the bicep and forearm attached with elastic yet, so the bicep (especially my left) is lower on my wrist than it should be. Should the shoulder bells be closer to the shoulder straps or are they ok as is? I could bring them in a bit, but not a whole lot more. On the back side, I do have the elastic loops, just forgot them for the pic. Had taken them off to boil and shape the strap covers more- I think they've turned out well.

Currently waiting on glue to dry for shoulder/bell strapping, and bicep/forearm strapping. In the mean time, I went back and cleaned up the clips on the thermal detonator. Curved the metal a bit so it sits flush on the tube, and bent out the belt tips the way I've seen in other builds. I dont have anything to round the tips, so I added some thinner velcro the protect things.

Torso to back strapping done. Both strap covers stick up a bit (left much more so than right). I'm going to heat and bend them both to contour to the curve of the back more. Should they stick back as far as they go? Or should I trim a bit off the ends?

A solid day of drying ahead of me now. Gives me time to get more snaps and some washers tomorrow. I somehow way underestimated the number of snaps I'd need.

Thanks for the diagrams! I heated and bent the right backplate shoulder joint a bit because it did stick up versus the left. Also put a light curve to the arches.

Thanks for the help on my last set of questions! Playing with the fit of the chest and back plates while I let some glue and paint dry. How does this look for an initial fit? (ignore how excited I look in the first pic, im tired lol)

Lastly for today, taking a look at the calf and thigh armor. Going to need to take a lot off to fit my height. In the pics below I've marked where I think I cut to remove length. At the hip and ankle, correct? Not going to cut off as much as I've marked in paint, just a quick drawing to see if I have the right idea.

Finished with the assembly of the forearms, biceps, and shoulder bells. Still need to go back over them all and remove glue residue, but I want to take pics since it feels like I've actually accomplished something! Any thoughts on the initial fit or any trimming that needs done? Obviously the pieces are mostly free floating right now so the gaps and whatnot may not be accurate enough to judge. I know for a fact that I need to take a few inches off the calf and thigh armor, but I'm not sure much if anything needs trimmed from the arms.

Pics of gloves/guards. The guard is a very rubbery, almost gel-like material. Hard to capture via photos, but I've tried. Maybe I need to rough it up a bit on the back? When I put the e6000 on the guard and tried to spread it around, it just stripped right off. I suppose I could try putting the glue on the glove itself vs the guard and then see if it cures and adheres to the guard?

Two part question- What glue do you use to adhere the handplate to the glove? the e6000 wouldnt stick to the flexible plate, and the other craft glue I had at home not only failed to adhere as well, it discolored and ruined the glove. Which leads me to my second question. What is a good model/vendor for gloves? The pair I had came with the AP kit, so I didn't have to hunt them down.

Thanks! I'll look into what I have to round the corners and add some velcro. Better angle of the clips here. They aren't on top of the control panel, but they do stick out a bit. Do these need pressed down more flush to the pvc?

Working on some other parts while I wait for glue to dry. Thermal Detonator I think is done, minus some excess glue removal. Anything missing here? Also working on painting the large button plate. Am I right in thinking the paint should not come completely down the sides of the bumps? I feel like I saw that somewhere where but have since forgotten.

Began assembling the right forearm. Had to cut each piece a bit to make them line up cleanly. Also first time ever using e6000, maybe went a little heavy handed. Any advice on removing the excess?