T K's ANOVOS Stunt Build

[kman[TK]]

Yeah, this is the forst time I put on the belt with the armor. I thought (beforehand) that I could use this belt for a while then upgrade, but I am going to order a new one today. Is this the belt you got? (http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/19803-fs-white-canvas-belts/) And I'll try the tab system.

Yup! And yes, white.

 

So just put the ends of the but plate in boiling water and bend it to fit my body?  Okay!

Nearly boiling, not actually boiling. Boil water, turn off heat, wait about a minute for temps to stabilize, then put the end in the water for 1 minute. Dry it off fast, bend it carefully, and immerse in ice water (or at least run under the cold tap) to lock the new shape in. Sometimes takes more than one application for stubborn parts, I'm not sure how stubborn this one is.

[Sentry71[TK]]

Did you do this on both sides? I'm curious! Been thinking about doing something similar.

Just the one side, but I am looking into doing it on the rivet side as well.

 

To bring in the butt plate, I used straps that are located near the outer portions, so it would pull them in.

 

Edited April 2, 2016 by Sentry71

[T K[501st]]

While being frustrated with sizing I took a break off the armor and finished my blaster. Please note that I want to make a more accurate one, but that will have to wait for later.

 

[Sentry71[TK]]

Your blaster is looking real good... the only thing I would add/change is adding in a very small strip of ABS for the clearing strip in the shell ejector port.

 

A little self-promotion: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/33729-sentrys-anh-e11-build/page-2#entry443453

That link will show you what I did for the strip.

[T K[501st]]

Your blaster is looking real good... the only thing I would add/change is adding in a very small strip of ABS for the clearing strip in the shell ejector port.

 

A little self-promotion: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/33729-sentrys-anh-e11-build/page-2#entry443453

That link will show you what I did for the strip.

Thanks for the tip! Yeah, I know I don't have a strip... And a lot of things. But I will be doing another blaster or modifying this one in the future!

[T K[501st]]

All righty!! The belt is finally done!

 

 

Now all I have left to do is gluing the thighs and shins. And also adding foam inside to make the overall look better fit my skinny body.

To glue the thighs though I realized I needed stronger magnets, so that's all I'm waiting for. Be prepared to see a complete trooper soon!

[T K[501st]]

HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU CLOSE THE SHINS??!!

 

I tired the bra hook method. That didn't work, it was impossible to hook them while my leg was in... And let's just say I lost my cool...

 

What works best for you? Velcro? I'm not sure and I am really tired of running into problems like this.

Edited April 26, 2016 by T K

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

I use velcro exactly for the reason you stated. I know it's not screen accurate but velcro works for me. 

[lucnak[TK]]

Yeah I was gonna use clips and someone in my garrison recommended I just go with velcro. easy install! Tip: hook size facing out. I put the hook side facing in and it gets caught on my undersuit sometimes, which is annoying.

[Fraktilfilth[TK]]

The bra hooks are incredibly frustrating but once you get the knack for it they hold up well. Then you just have to get them undone

[T K[501st]]

Put Velcro in. A LOT better!

 

I'll take photos tonight.

Edited April 26, 2016 by T K

[kman[TK]]

Velcro was a no-brainer for me, and works extremely well.  Much nicer (and easier!) than the hooks, IMO.

 

Biggest potential issues with Velcro are: (1) making sure it's well-adhered (surface prep goes a long way!) and (2) recognizing that all Velcro wears out eventually (but so does elastic, so the hooks are hardly immune to wearing out, also they probably have longer life than Velcro... and velcro won't risk breaking off chunks of shin, as I've seen the hook holes do, at times).  Fortunately Velcro is almost as easy to replace as it is to put on in the first place, so that's not a big concern.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Always keep extra in my storage bin.

[T K[501st]]

Ok. Here are the pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All righty! This is where I am now. Notice the sniper knee plate under the thigh, I have not put in any foam to center the pieces to where the should be (remember my skinniness! ). So once the foam is in it should fix that and the forearms. I also need to find better Velcro, I just used some that I had. And I need to replace on of the snaps in the belt, it kept popping up because it was slightly bent in. I'm also going to add little tabs and slots from plastic to connect the butt to the kidney so it doesn't flare out as much.

Oh, and of course I had found spots that need a bit of sanding so I won't be poked as much.

Edited April 26, 2016 by T K

[T K[501st]]

Oh and shoulder bells?

[T K[501st]]

I was just reading through the requirements for Centurion. I believe I had met most of them... I wasn't expecting that. <br><br>

But another question I have is where should the drop boxes be located? I used two Chicago screws on the ends of the belt so I can move the boxes about and make any adjustments needed.

[kman[TK]]

Very close!

Drop boxes should exactly align with the very end of the belt, snug to the bottom.

Edited April 26, 2016 by kman

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Your thighs could be re-sized a bit tighter. You can see the rear of your right thigh has some noticeable gap. You should also take a hobby iron and smooth out that return edge some. 

[T K[501st]]

Your thighs could be re-sized a bit tighter. You can see the rear of your right thigh has some noticeable gap. You should also take a hobby iron and smooth out that return edge some.

 

I agree with you, the thighs are a bit large. And what about the gap at the bottom of my left thigh?

[T K[501st]]

Very close!

Drop boxes should exactly align with the very end of the belt, snug to the bottom.

Perfect! I'll get that fixed soon!

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

A warm water bath to bring them closer will help. Glue in a square of ABS behind it and it'll be flush. 

[lucnak[TK]]

Feels good to get it all on for the first time, right?!

 

Some tips:

• As you're mentioned, your sniper knee looks like it can lock into your thigh and putting some foam in the front of the left shin and in the back of the right thigh will help with that.
• Your butt plate looks like it's flaring out a bit on the sides. I had the same thing. Hot water bath will help you bring that right in.
• In your first forward photo, your left shoulder bell edge looks odd - I am guessing it's cloth from your undersuit. That might mean that you should get a tighter undershirt.
• I think you should bring the chest plate down a bit - in some of your photos, it looks like it about to pop over your ab plate.
• The elastics in your shoulder bells look like they could be tighter. They're sticking out at the bottom a bit more à la RotJ.
• Your helmet looks a bit crooked in your first photo. I'm still struggling to get mine to look just right. Foam can help here too or you might just have been wearing it a little crooked.
• Your dropboxes can be closer to your belt, though you're good for basic approval.

 

This may sound like a lot of criticism, but it's all to help you look your best!

[T K[501st]]

This may sound like a lot of criticism, but it's all to help you look your best!

I really appreciate it!

[T K[501st]]

For the butt plate I have already given it a water bath. So I'll try the tabs and see how that turns out. <br>

The fabric on my shoulder bell was just my neckseal, so that an easy fix. <br>

I'll post an update soon!

[T K[501st]]

Small update.

 

So I took off the back cover strips. Gotta love that E6000.

 

 

Ok, so I fit the thigh to a comfortable spot where it fits me better. Here is the overlap.

 

 

So would I just take half of that from each side?

Edited April 27, 2016 by T K