JSchmit

I went ahead and trimmed the backs of the left shin piece, and the ends of the two pieces split the gap and appear symmetrical. I also went ahead and trimmed the fronts of the right shins and applied the inner cover strip. While I wait for that to settle, I do have a question. When I was trying I'm my left shin, I noticed that I still need to open the backs up pretty far in order to fit the piece around my leg. I'm worried that I'm putting to much pressure on the joints and that I might damage the plastic I was just wondering what was recommended to remedy this? Are the shin pieces meant to open completely with the boot already on, or are you meant to slide your foot through the pieces and close the backs before putting the boot on?

I was wondering about that. I went ahead and resized to make the bottom of the shin more narrow and redrew my lines.

After a few days of setbacks, I'm back to working on my shins. I sized my left shin after I applied the inner cover strips. With this measurement, these are the lines I traced to remove the excess plastic from each side. Also, I went ahead and began the process of trimming down the right shins by drawing the 10 mm lines the front of each piece. As always, any feedback on these trim lines would be greatly appreciated!

Hey, all! I was away for the weekend, so I haven't done any work on my armor since last week. I got the outer cover strips applied to my thigh, so all that should be left for those pieces is the trimming of the top portions and bottom return edges and applying the ammo belt on the right piece. I went ahead and drew some initial lines to start the process of fitting the shins, and I was hoping to get some clarification. The resources I've read indicate that you can distinguish between shin pieces by gauging the curvature on the inner and outer pieces with the inner piece starting its curve closer to the top of the shin. With that in mind, I believe this is the left shin. I just wanted to make sure that I was correct in that assessment. Also, the resources I read recommend removing the entire bottom return edge and the return edge on the back of the top shin piece. I just wanted to make sure that was the recommended method. Lastly, I drew some lines vertically on the front of front of the shin piece. The lines leave 10 mm remaining on each side. I just wanted to make sure these looked good before I made final cuts.

Thanks for the input! I do plan to remove some of the return edge for mobility, but I wanted to do that as I trim the tops of the assembled thighs so I know how much of the return edge, I need to remove.

I went ahead and trimmed the fronts of my left thigh pieces down to 12 mm on each side. After letting the inner cover strip settle, I measured using a similar method as the right thigh. Those images are below: By finding the middle of the tops and bottoms, I traced some trim lines for final fitting: Let me know what you guys think, and I'll move forward with final cuts.

So I have three ammo belts, two bigger ones that I assumed were for the torso, and a smaller one that I thought was for the thigh. Am I correct on that? If so, I only received one thigh belt.

After about a week of applying a gluing the outer cover strips, my right thigh piece has been assembled. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I know I have a few finished touches to do to the thighs before they're complete. I plan to fill in the gaps in the back of the thighs using Sugru, per JustJoseph's thread. I also know I'll need to trim the tops of the thighs down in order to make sure that the bottom rests above my knee, but I plan to do that when both thighs, shins, and torso have been assembled to make sure all are in alignment. I also plan to trim some of the return edge off the bottom of the thigh to help with mobility. However, this brings me to the part of the build that I may be the most apprehensive about: the bending of the thigh ammo belt. My ammo belt arrived without being curved, as shown below: Included in the packaging, Dave included a message saying that the thigh ammo back needs to be bent using heat between the individual boxes and fitted to my thigh. I know there are a few different methods of accomplishing this, such as use of a heat gun or boiling the entire piece, but I was hoping to get some input about which method is recommended. In the meantime, I plan to continue assembling the right thigh by trimming the cover strips and applying the inner cover strip using the same dimensions as I did for the right thigh (12 mm remaining from center). As always, any advice is greatly appreciated!

Awesome, thanks. I think that's how I'll do mine as well. Did the trim lines look about right?

I was just wondering if any one had any input as to whether or not the thigh pieces should be trimmed at the top before or after assembly. Also, did the lines I drew on the backs look good if I am able to move forward with trimming?

I've gotten some mixed opinions on that. I've seen others recommend assembling the shins, thighs, and torso first and trimming all at the same time to make sure each piece is proportional. I'd love to hear the pros and cons of each approach.

Hey everyone! I've been at work applying the inner cover strip for the front after I trimmed the front of the right thigh piece down. With this fitting, the thigh piece feels snug enough based on the thumb rule. It's definitely a good thing that I decided to leave a few additional centimeters on each side on the front, as it looks like I don't have much margin for error on the backs on the top part of the thigh. It's not comfortable to walk in, but that's because the thigh piece is still sitting below the knee. I know that I'll also need to trim the bottom return edges out as the pieces moves up my leg as I trim the top of the thigh, but I'll get it assembled before I make those final trim cuts. Based on this fitting, these are the lines that I've established: As alway, any feedback before I made final cuts is appreciated! Also, It looks like the glue on my inner cover strip didn't take the best as it started to come off during the fitting process. I've got the inner strip re-glued and it is currently drying, so it'll be a few days before I get around to making final cuts on the backs.

So would you recommend getting the thigh, shin, and abdomen pieces assembled before trimming the thighs for size to make sure that each piece is proportional?

You're trimming the tops first, or you're completing them and trimming last?

Awesome, thanks! One last question on this. Is it recommended to trim the tops before assembly, or to complete the assembly and the trim the tops as needed?

Makes sense to me! Where am I aiming for the bottom of the thigh to be? Above the knee?

Update: I went ahead and trimmed down the fronts of my right thigh pieces. After additional research, I went ahead and expanded the lines out to 12 mm on each side as an abundance of caution. I figured I could always trim the extra 2 mm of in the event that it's necessary. I'd like to start getting the inner cover strips fitted so I can move on to fitting, but I have a feeling that I'll have to trim a bit off the top of the thigh. As somewhat of a vertically challenged trooper (5'9"), the thigh as it is sits just around the middle of my knee. I was just wondering what the guidance was on this. Where in relation to the knee should the thigh be?

Sure, that makes sense. Maybe I'll leave them as is for now until I have the inner cover strip applied and get more of a feel for them. If I were to cut the lower return edges down, did the lines I drew look ok? Also, I went ahead and completely removed the upper cover strip, and the back of the thighs were able to close easier, so I think I should be good to go to start trimming. Did the 10 mm lines on each thigh piece look about right?

Perfect, that's exactly what I was looking for! I was watching a video from RS Propmasters about the pieces, and Rob made a good point. He pointed out that the lower thigh area will be covered by the ammo belt, so he recommended doing that one first to get a feel for the process. So I turned my attention to the right thigh and redrew my lines. I'll go ahead and remove the cover strip and sand those edges down. I hope that this will help me get the pieces fitted. I also like the idea of removing the return edges at the front and back and leaving a little return edge on the sides to give the piece the perspective of thicker plastic. It's also similar to the process I followed in trimming the elbow end of the forearm pieces. However, before I go ahead and make any trims on the bottom of the thighs, I was watching a video from Dave from Dave's Dark Side Depot about the AM thigh pieces, and he said that the return edges need to be left on the bottom, but he didn't really elaborate on that. So I'm having trouble finding a consensus on the bottom return edges. Do they need to be left intact on the bottom for approval? I included a link to Dave's video as well. Dave starts talking about the return edges at approximately 4:20.

These are the lines have I have drawn to allow for 10 mm of return edge on the fronts of each piece on the left thigh: Is the correct method to trim these down to exactly 10 mm on each side and see if the backs need to be shimmed, or am I able to increase the width in the front by a few millimeters to try and avoid shimming? Also, the return edges have not been removed from the top or bottom of each piece yet. I know that it is recommended to remove all the return edges from the top, but what is the guidance for the bottom thigh pieces? I'm also hoping that removing at least the top return edges will assist in the sizing process. Top: Bottom:

I went ahead and tried on my biceps and forearms with my bicep pieces positioned in the correct direction. This both looked better and felt more comfortable. My order of Line 24 snaps was sent today, so I'll continue forward with the thighs and shins before I go ahead and assemble the strapping for the biceps and forearms. After reading on the forum and watching a few videos, it seems that the consensus is to leave 10 mm on each part of the inner and outer thighs, as the cover strip is 20 mm in width. I have lines drawn on each of the pieces for the left thigh; however, with the shape of each piece, I'm having difficulty effectively sizing the thigh piece with the 20 mm in the front. I had it taped up, but I don't know how accurate this was because I'm guessing the pieces shifted. When I was trying the piece on, the back didn't quite close. Is there an allowance on the back given the 25 mm cover strip, or is it recommended that they close completely? If they do need to close, what is the recommended width to trim the front pieces if they need to expand beyond the 10 mm? Lastly, is it recommended to trim the return edges prior to fitting? As far as return edges go, I know that it is recommended that the top of the thighs is completely removed, but how much is recommended for the bottom of the thighs? I apologize for all the questions, but I'd appreciate any information!

That's my my mistake, I was second guessing their placement. I'll try them on again when I get home.

Hey, everyone! I know I've been quiet the last few weeks. I was in the process of applying inner and outer cover strips to the forearm pieces. They've finally been assembled after a few days letting glue settle. I've included some pictures of the finished forearm pieces as well as the forearm pieces in relation to the biceps: I placed an order for Line 24 snaps to strap the biceps and forearms together (I thought those would be easier to find locally than the ended up being), so in the meantime I'll start the preliminary research for trimming and sizing the shin and thigh pieces. As always, if anyone has any feedback I always appreciate it!

Hey, everyone! I know I've been quiet the last few weeks. I was in the process of applying inner and outer cover strips to the forearm pieces. They've finally been assembled after a few days letting glue settle. I've included some pictures of the finished forearm pieces as well as the forearm pieces in relation to the biceps: I placed an order for Line 24 snaps to strap the biceps and forearms together (I thought those would be easier to find locally than the ended up being), so in the meantime I'll start the preliminary research for trimming and sizing the shin and thigh pieces. As always, if anyone has any feedback I always appreciate it!

That's how I did the biceps, so I'll do the same for the forearms. Did the fitting and initial lines on the forearms look ok?