Building a new Torso

[Zachg56]

So I just received a package containing most of the parts required to build the torso section of the TK armor. I have to say I'm pretty amazed at the scale difference between AP and FX armor...

 

All things considered, seeing as to how I have a fair idea on what to do, I would like to have some suggestions or advice on whether my current idea on how to set everything up is good or if there is a better way to do it.

 

For the AB plate to back plate, I'm thinking of having two elastic straps running across from each side using velcro as the connection source. Considering how skinny I am, I don't know whether this is a good idea or if I should go with snaps with nylon strapping instead. What do you guys think?

 

Second, for the AB plate to belt boxes and upper leg pieces, where exactly do I put the strap placement-wise from the AB plate itself? I know full well they go on the inside, but I don't exactly know if they are placed closer to the middle or the sides, so I'm a little stumped on that.

 

Also, what size should I look for in terms of strapping length and width?

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

take a close look at the first centurion build.

 

also rick 330 has good photos of the inside of how armor should look.

[Zachg56]

take a close look at the first centurion build.

 

also rick 330 has good photos of the inside of how armor should look.

 

Where would I find that centurion build? I cant seem to find it in the forums....Or maybe I'm just looking in the wrong spots

[pandatrooper[TK]]

The Imperial Reception Center has lots of general armor info and also has good examples of torsos by Stukatrooper and Firebladejedi. Click on the links in the article.

 

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Edited December 4, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[Zachg56]

On 5/12/2011 at 1:33 PM, pandatrooper said:

The Imperial Reception Center has lots of general armor info and also has good examples of torsos by Stukatrooper and Firebladejedi. Click on the links in the article.

 

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That helps me quite a bit, thank you for that Panda...

 

Hmm....looks like I should wait for the shims and ab button plate to be shipped before I start anything... not to mention the fact that I'll need an extra set of hands to make sure that the ab and kidney plates are correctly sized/placed for attachment

Edited December 4, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[firebladejedi[TK]]

Always use elastic for strapping - nylon webbing has no give and is less than ideal for trooping.

 

Wait for everything to arrive and if you need any help be sure to ask first, act later.

 

PS I would use snaps - again Velcro is prone to coming undone.

[Zachg56]

Always use elastic for strapping - nylon webbing has no give and is less than ideal for trooping.

 

Wait for everything to arrive and if you need any help be sure to ask first, act later.

 

PS I would use snaps - again Velcro is prone to coming undone.

 

I see...and for the suspenders? Should I use elastic as well or go with nylon for that? I'm also thinking of having them cross each other in the middle so they wrap around like an X....good idea or no?

[firebladejedi[TK]]

AP can be strapped together in such a way you won't need to use suspenders for the torso, just strap them to the next part.

 

Use elastic everywhere even on the legs, nylon has no play which means when you move armour parts ping off!!

[Zachg56]

On 5/16/2011 at 2:52 AM, firebladejedi said:

AP can be strapped together in such a way you won't need to use suspenders for the torso, just strap them to the next part.

 

Use elastic everywhere even on the legs, nylon has no play which means when you move armour parts ping off!!

 

 

Understood Fire...

 

Next question: I currently can't tell if I actually need shims or not, because w/o any straps what so ever, this is what the ab plate/kidney section sides look like. Keep note that they may have shifted a little bit (causing one side to be bigger and shrinking the other) but this is the best picutres I could get while minimizing the amount of shift. If I do not need the shims, should I connect with black/white elastic or some other method?

 

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Get your torso lined up such that the gap is equal on both sides, then measure the gap. If it's less than 1/2 inch, you're fine.

 

Although by the looks of it I'm thinking you'll be fine without shims. Especially considering that you're wearing a t-shirt as opposed to your undersuit - and a tight undersuit will help to reduce your circumference.

[Zachg56]

Get your torso lined up such that the gap is equal on both sides, then measure the gap. If it's less than 1/2 inch, you're fine.

 

Although by the looks of it I'm thinking you'll be fine without shims. Especially considering that you're wearing a t-shirt as opposed to your undersuit - and a tight undersuit will help to reduce your circumference.

 

 

I see....As a rough strap system in order to line up the gap lined up, I'm thinking of using a quick velcro system using four equal elastic straps, would that help? Then would it be better to use snaps again, or considering how skinny I am, use a better velcro system?

 

Also will I need the 6 rivets by any chance or is that not neccessary? This is both for EIB as well as regular acceptance

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Just use some blue painters tape to hold everything together while you get it aligned, then once you get it sorted install a permanent strapping system.

 

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As far as the six side rivets go, "brads", i.e. paper clips - you can get them from any office supply store - are considered more accurate than pop rivets. Regardless, they are not required for either basic 501st acceptance or Expert Infantry. They are, however, required for Centurion.

 

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Edited December 4, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[Zachg56]

On 5/22/2011 at 5:16 AM, tkrestonva said:

Just use some blue painters tape to hold everything together while you get it aligned, then once you get it sorted install a permanent strapping system.

 

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As far as the six side rivets go, "brads", i.e. paper clips - you can get them from any office supply store - are considered more accurate than pop rivets. Regardless, they are not required for either basic 501st acceptance or Expert Infantry. They are, however, required for Centurion.

 

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Thought so...I was starting to wonder why the tutorials and the reqs seemed different at first.

Now do you recommand that I attach the butt plate to the kidney plate before I do the alignment stuff or wait till the alignment is done. Also, how far of a gap goes between the rear plate and the kidney plate usually?

 

By the way the first to links don't seem to work

Edited December 4, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Not sure why the links don't work, they work fine for me. Try these - they link to the same forum section. If all else fails, go to First Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment> Advanced Tactics and Training> Advanced ANH Costuming

 

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It would be better if an AP owner chimed in, but it doesn't seem necessary to attach the butt plate prior to aligning the ab and kidney. Just make sure the top of the ab plate is lined up with the top of the kidney plate. So in your photos, it looks like you need to either pull the ab plate up or push the kidney plate down a little bit.

Edited December 4, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[Zachg56]

It would be better if an AP owner chimed in, but it doesn't seem necessary to attach the butt plate prior to aligning the ab and kidney. Just make sure the top of the ab plate is lined up with the top of the kidney plate. So in your photos, it looks like you need to either pull the ab plate up or push the kidney plate down a little bit.

 

 

Funny how the links don't work, and yet the directions do, but the forumn topics don't seem to exist. Should I use a ruler to make sure that the ab and kidney plates are level?

 

if there turns out not to be a gap while wearing an undersuit or to shorten the gap, would bending the kidney plate be a good idea or bad idea? Or would it just bend naturally from the straps?

Do you recommend sanding the area where glued fabric would be placed on, or does it not really matter?

 

EDIT: Is the an AP owner in the theater? (Sorry couldn't resist quoting bugs bunny)

Edited May 22, 2011 by Zachg56

[Zachg56]

Do you recommend that I sand the area that I will glue the fabric used for snaps?

I currently do not have any white plastics laying around at the moment, not to mention the fact I feel safer working around fabric materials, but the links provided say nothing about whether this is necessary or not.

Edited May 23, 2011 by Zachg56

[sith_241]

Do you recommend that I sand the area that I will glue the fabric used for snaps?

I currently do not have any white plastics laying around at the moment, not to mention the fact I feel safer working around fabric materials, but the links provided say nothing about whether this is necessary or not.

 

 

You could trim down the return edge on the back plate and a bit on the front section as well. The AP trim lines leave a thick return edge. That is what i did on my AP (also a skinny guy) and i have no gap at all now.

 

You can make snap attachments with webbing. Just put the snap through a piece of webbing and then glue that down. Not as strong, but works in a pinch.

Edited May 23, 2011 by sith_241

[Zachg56]

You could trim down the return edge on the back plate and a bit on the front section as well. The AP trim lines leave a thick return edge. That is what i did on my AP (also a skinny guy) and i have no gap at all now.

 

You can make snap attachments with webbing. Just put the snap through a piece of webbing and then glue that down. Not as strong, but works in a pinch.

 

 

I might keep what little return edge that there is...I don't have the tools on hand to make a smooth cut in order to get rid of the edge, as well as the fact that I find it helps me line things up.

 

So no need to sand where I glue then? Just glue and clamp down huh?

[Zachg56]

I just noticed that the drop boxes have to be attached to the out ends of the belt front, this may be a bit of a problem for me to do since the belt is riveted onto the ab plate already, would it be okay to attach it to the ab plate area behind the belt? Essentially they would be floating in the same place, only be attached to the ab instead of the belt itself.

 

Also, I noticed that for EIB standards, there are 3 white boxes that are supposed to be on the belt itself. Are those essentially white plastic squares glued/cemented on or something else entirely?

 

Edit: I had some help in order to see how big the gap is while wearing the black undersuit and TKrestonva, you were right, I don't need the shims. There literally is no gap between the two plates (ok maybe like 1-2 mm), so I bought shims which will be used for other purposes now...I'm currently thinking of using two elastic straps on each side (a top and bottom per se) to attach the plates together. Or would you recommend I do something different?

Edited May 23, 2011 by Zachg56

[sith_241]

Sanding never hurts before you glue. Better adhesion

[Zachg56]

K k....now here's a good question, since there is no gap, should I use a minimalistic approach for elastic strapping to just attach the two plates together similar to the rear/kidney straps or, use a more sensible approach and create actual straps for each side?

[Zachg56]

Better question, where should the upper leg overlap edge (where the two parts are joined together), line up with the belt section? Should it line up to be in between the two outer boxes or closer to the middle?

 

Also, does anyone know where I can get a Y-strap of sorts? I'm thinking of using that as a suspension system.

[TrooperTim]

Zach,

 

I own an AP suit. I personally used snaps for almost everything, with a few areas of velcro. I used Tony Barnett's snap strapping. http://www.tonybarnett.plus.com/snaps.html Glue and/or score the plastic where you will be gluing fabric. A rough surface provides better glue adhesion.

 

For the ab/kidney connection I used velcro on the right side to close that gap. I combined 2 strips of velcro to make one giant velcro plate. Be sure the soft velcro faces your under suit. I used snaps/elastic strips for the left ab/kidney connection.

 

It shouldn't be difficult to attach the drop boxes even though the belt is already riveted. Just superglue the boxes using a white elastic strap. If you glue them to the ab they may hang oddly, but it probably won't be too noticeable.

 

The 3 white boxes on the belt are white plastic squares with a round extrusion. Think, a square almond joy candy bar.

 

Y-Strap? Buy suspenders or sew one from 2 elastic strips. Sewing isn't difficult. Give it a go. I'm not sure what "upper leg overlap edge" refers to.

[Zachg56]

On 6/1/2011 at 2:47 PM, TrooperTim said:

Zach,

 

I own an AP suit. I personally used snaps for almost everything, with a few areas of velcro. I used Tony Barnett's snap strapping. http://www.tonybarnett.plus.com/snaps.html Glue and/or score the plastic where you will be gluing fabric. A rough surface provides better glue adhesion.

 

For the ab/kidney connection I used velcro on the right side to close that gap. I combined 2 strips of velcro to make one giant velcro plate. Be sure the soft velcro faces your under suit. I used snaps/elastic strips for the left ab/kidney connection.

 

It shouldn't be difficult to attach the drop boxes even though the belt is already riveted. Just superglue the boxes using a white elastic strap. If you glue them to the ab they may hang oddly, but it probably won't be too noticeable.

 

The 3 white boxes on the belt are white plastic squares with a round extrusion. Think, a square almond joy candy bar.

 

Y-Strap? Buy suspenders or sew one from 2 elastic strips. Sewing isn't difficult. Give it a go. I'm not sure what "upper leg overlap edge" refers to.

 

I found a pair of elastic suspenders from Meijers that will work so I am good in that area of things.

The 'upper leg overlap' I'm refereing to is where the two parts are connected together that you see in the front. Here I'll show a current image that has my old torso in it. And yeah, I'm skinny as hell in that FX torso.

 

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Edited December 18, 2021 by gmrhodes13
link not working removed

[TrooperTim]

So the overlap is the front thigh seam? It doesn't matter where that lines up with the drop boxes. As long as it's located around the middle of your thigh it'll be fine. The left thigh's top and bottom could be lined up a little better; if they're glued just dremel them a bit. The right thigh boxes should be shifted down a little, if you're able to reposition them. I'm as skinny as a mannequin too so don't worry about the armor hanging oddly. FX is large by design.

Edited June 1, 2011 by TrooperTim