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Another Anovos ANH Stunt build


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Hey everyone, finally getting around to posting my build log for this.  There isn't really much to share at this point, but I'd rather start one now while there's not much to show than later when I have to sort through a few dozen pictures.  

 

I'm 4 days into the build right now, working about 2.5 hours a day on it.  

 

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Everything is trimmed, that was much easier than I thought it would be.  

 

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Current biggest problem, I have to close those gaps between the ab and kidney plates (I have already been informed the kidney plate was upside down).  Yes, I am aware that spacers can be made.  No, I won't be using those as a bandaid solution.  I'd rather actually take this as motivation to take my workout regimen a little more seriously than I have been lately, and close the gap the proper way, by losing some weight.  I wish I had discovered this issue sooner, but I didn't start working on the armor until T-17 days from Rogue One.  So far my workout regimen is working, and this is the fastest rate of weight loss I've ever undergone (1.5 lbs/day roughly).  

 

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I've been assembling the pieces in a way that I've not seen so far, but I've only looked through a handful of build logs.  I'm gluing the trim pieces to one piece of armor at a time, rather than both pieces.  It helps control glue overspill, and position.  It's much easier to position it exactly right the first time when you can use the entire length of it as active alignment, rather than passive (with magnets).  Once it's correct on the first piece, the second piece attaches very easily.  

 

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It takes twice as many glue joints per part to do it this way, but that's not really a concern since I do have the time between now and the release of Rogue One to account for those extra cure periods.  I'm not a fan of using large amounts of glue, and then wasting time wiping it off when it comes out the sides of the part being attached.  

 

 

I had some initial fitment issues with the thighs, and despite not having pictures of it yet, I went ahead and trimmed the lower back section of the thighs to "match" the screen used suits, and did still end up having to trim about 1" off of the tops of the thighs (which included the extra length added by the return).   I now am limited by the top of the thigh armor jamming into my upper thigh/waist rather than by the back of my knee being hit with the armor.  I'm not 100% certain that I rotated the thighs outward far enough in my test fits, but I don't see how they could go out any further and still look right.  

 

 

I'm a little confused about the calf armor.  I see there is an ongoing debate about which calf matches which, but either way, there seems to be a large amount of overhang that I don't see on most of the builds I've looked through.  Does everyone just true up the calf armor once it's assembled so there isn't such a large overhang?  

 

 

 

 

I'm also planning some fans for my helmet, I got the ones that it seems most people use when keeping defrosting the visor in mind.  How does everyone mount them?  I don't want to mount it with something so strong that I ruin the helmet if I have to remove them later.  I can 3d print an angled bracket if I need to so I don't have to fill any extra space between the inside of the helmet and back of the fan with glue, but I don't want to use VBH tape only to find it is so strong that I can't remove the fans later.  

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Looks like you are doing great and I feel your pain. I am at about the same point as you with the countdown to Rogue One and my wife's shadow trooper kit.

To make the movie I wouldn't worry about the shims for the ab & kidney as you will still look great and can then take the time do get the shims perfect. I think even basic approval allows a gap although it isn't preferred.

As far as your cover strip method it works great, especially when you close the thighs, doing one side at a time is very helpful.

Edited by mikidymac
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I'm a little confused about the calf armor.  I see there is an ongoing debate about which calf matches which, but either way, there seems to be a large amount of overhang that I don't see on most of the builds I've looked through.  Does everyone just true up the calf armor once it's assembled so there isn't such a large overhang?

 

Yup, the calfs. I was stuck there just like you. Was your overhang like this? (This was before I trimmed anything to fit me)

 

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Remember, when measuring how much to cut off, have your boots on. And trim the front first!

 

For which shin is which, I recommend taking a look at Tony's guide. (http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/35086-ukswraths-anovos-tk-build/page-13#entry462538)

Take notice of the curves on the sides of the shins. This is how I decided which are which. 

 

Cheers!

Edited by T K
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Alright, so I have been quiet, but not because I haven't been working.  

 

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Here's where I am gonna need some help.  This does not seem to be a problem most people have, but my shoulders are abnormally tall and wide (according to a tailor), for someone my size.  I also have a very large upper back.   In these next 2 pictures, I cannot pull the codpiece any further up (if I got super creative, and found exactly the right pants, I could maybe get another .5" out of it), and as far as I'm aware, there is a specific alignment that is needed between the bottom of the ab plate and the bottom of the kidney plate.  

 

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With the correct gap between the kidney plate and the back armor, it falls a full 2" below the top of my shoulders.  I saw a recommendation to bend the "shoulder strap" sections of the back plate, but I absolutely don't want to remove the return there at all, and failing to do so would lead to cracking if I try to heat and bend it.  Keeping in mind that this is a test fit, and the kidney plate isn't in its final location, it also cannot move upward 2".  Period.  Is there something I'm missing, or am I going to have to pick between a list of inaccurate options to make this fit?  I'm not going to make any modification that disqualifies me from Centurion, so I need a Centurion approved method for correcting this issue.  

 

EDIT:  After a more thorough test fit, I think I have determined my exact problem.  The codpiece can't go up any higher for the obvious reason, and because then my thigh armor would have too much of a gap at the top below the codpiece.  The posterior armor actually has to sit higher than I thought, and as of now, it can't.  It's sitting right around an inch too low, butted (no pun intended) right up against the kidney plate.  Everything would fit perfectly if I could just raise the kidney plate ~1.25" upwards.  What is the maximum overlap for the top of the kidney plate to the top of the ab plate allowed for Centurion status?  Because honestly, raising that kidney plate would solve literally every issue I have.  

Edited by agordon117
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A couple of things I've noticed:

1. You are going to want to taper down the forearm openings at the wrist end, essentially so that the forearm armor roughly follows the tapered shape of your actual forearm. The opening should be at a point where you literally have to squeeze your hand and fingers into a narrow shape in order to get them in and out of the forearm armor.

2. As I suggested in your introductory thread, you'll want to remove part of the return edge at the top of the backplate where it rides on top of your traps, and heat bend it so that the armor can sit lower on your back. You need not remove the entire return edge (nor would doing so disqualify you for Centurion). A gradual tapered removal will do the trick and it's barely noticeable - see photo of my kit below as an example:

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With the correct gap between the kidney plate and the back armor, it falls a full 2" below the top of my shoulders.  I saw a recommendation to bend the "shoulder strap" sections of the back plate, but I absolutely don't want to remove the return there at all, and failing to do so would lead to cracking if I try to heat and bend it.  Keeping in mind that this is a test fit, and the kidney plate isn't in its final location, it also cannot move upward 2".  Period.  Is there something I'm missing, or am I going to have to pick between a list of inaccurate options to make this fit?  I'm not going to make any modification that disqualifies me from Centurion, so I need a Centurion approved method for correcting this issue.  

 

EDIT:  After a more thorough test fit, I think I have determined my exact problem.  The codpiece can't go up any higher for the obvious reason, and because then my thigh armor would have too much of a gap at the top below the codpiece.  The posterior armor actually has to sit higher than I thought, and as of now, it can't.  It's sitting right around an inch too low, butted (no pun intended) right up against the kidney plate.  Everything would fit perfectly if I could just raise the kidney plate ~1.25" upwards.  What is the maximum overlap for the top of the kidney plate to the top of the ab plate allowed for Centurion status?  Because honestly, raising that kidney plate would solve literally every issue I have.

I'm having a bit of trouble visualizing the problem, but it sounds like you want to be able to pull the kidney plate up a bit so that the top of the kidney plate is not perfectly aligned with the top of the ab plate, but it's about 1 1/4 inches higher - did I get that correct? If so, then as long as when you secure the belt on your back it still falls on the kidney plate (even if it's right at the bottom edge) you should be fine. But can you post a photo of what you are seeing?

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Well, unfortunately, I cannot taper the forearms any more, or I will not be able to get my hands through. I have big forearms, small wrists, and large (glove soze) hands. The most I coupdated have take off of the front was .5" in the circumference, so I didn't bother. I did remove part of the return on the back plate like that, but I am hesitant to heat and bend it. I am worried if the back plate sits any lower, the posterior armor will sit too low. <br><br>
You do have the problem exactly right. I can strap this thing up correctly, but once it goes on, the kidney plate will be sitting high, with everything else sitting correctly.

 

Also, can someone please alleviate my concerns about my boots?  I keep reading "no front seam", which I assumed meant don't get the walmart boots that have a seam going all of the way to the toe.  But then when I was directing a friend to tkboots, I noticed those don't have ANY front seam.  

 

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My boots

 

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The ANH Stunt Centurion Checklist, which shows the same exact seam pattern as my boots.  

 

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Boots with seam that goes all of the way to the front

 

 

I will admit, I am going to be very cross about this if my boots, which are the ones shown in the checklist, are not actually Centurion approved, yet they appear on the checklist anyway.  If the checklist is outdated (in text or image) rather than leaving inaccurate stuff up, it should be completely taken down so as to not cause confusion.  

Edited by agordon117
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Alright, again, haven't posted daily, but I've been working.  I did end up ripping the forearms apart, trimming them, and re-gluing them.  They do look better now.  

 

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I stopped being so careful with the glue, because I didn't realize it was this easy (even if it's a little annoying) to get it off.  

 

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I fixed up my E-11 (not planning on taking that to the premier though, I'd rather not get arrested).  There was a loose wire on the recharge port that I've procrastinated fixing for... 2 years maybe?

 

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As you can see, the thighs and forearms are glued, minus some internal reinforcement, and they need some sanding on the top and bottom edges to true everything up.  

 

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I started installing the bracket system, still not sure if I'm okay with protruding screw heads.  Every mounting point is reinforced.  

 

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And as far as the fitness routine goes, I've been an ANGEL on my diet.  Haven't slipped, cheated, snuck a snack, etc.  It's been EXACTLY 1200 calories a day (ALL clean calories, lots of salmon, anything grilled or pan fried is done "dry" with no oil or butter in the pan), at least 8 (usually 10) pints of water a day, and 1-2 workouts, depending on what the strength workout is for that day.  On 12/1 I weighed in at 230 lbs, and on 12/9 I weighed in at 219.8 lbs.  Despite what seems like an impressive amount of loss in such a short amount of time, I'm a little disappointed.  I purposefully skipped day 1 to eliminate any leftover food in my system, so I didn't weigh myself until day 2.  I was also very scientific about when I weighed myself each day.  

 

day 2-3:  -.6 lbs.  

Day 3-4: -2.7 lbs.  

day 4-5: -0 lbs.  

day 5-6: -1.3 lbs.  

day 6-7: - 2.3 lbs.

Day 7-8: -1.3 lbs.

Day 8-9: -1.6 lbs.

Day 9-10: -.4 lbs

 

Granted that day 2-3 was still early in the routine, and could have had skewed results, day 4-5 and day 9-10 really were disappointing.  I started measuring my waist daily on 12/4 to help see if it was just water retention skewing some of the results.  Since 12/4 I am down 2.5 inches in the waist, and did not lose any inches from day 9-10.  I know the weight loss cycle is weird, but it's tough to be SO disciplined about eating and working out on this crazy level, and seeing a net loss of .4 lbs for a day.  I'm not asking for 2.7 lbs on a daily basis, but a more consistent 1.5 lbs with no less than 1 lb per day would be nice.  Part of the motivation is seeing that it's working, and when you wake up in the morning and the scale tells you "hey, good job, you're the same as yesterday" you really have to dig deep for that extra motivation.  At 1200 calories, there's also the constant worry of when the super low intake is going to stop working, so seeing a small change on the scale triggers the "okay, is it still going to work if I keep doing exactly this?  Do I have to change things up for slightly slower weight loss?  Do I have to increase my intake just for today to rev my metabolism back up?" type of thoughts.  

 

 

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11/29

 

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12/9

 

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11/29

 

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12/9

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Nice progress with the kit (including the tightened-up forearms), and VERY impressive job on the diet and exercise routine. At 6'1" and 220lbs, I'd like to drop back down to my fighting weight of 205lbs - not to mention drop 2-3" off of my current size 36 waist. I'm fine with 2x/day workouts, but a 1200 calorie/day diet would be torture.

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Thanks.  Yeah, I'm 5'9", so 220 is pretty high for someone my size (even with my amount of muscle mass), and I really hate drawn out long term dieting.  That's how I always fall off the wagon.  If I have to be disciplined for 18 months to hit goal weight, that's a lot worse than going through a quick 3-4 week weight loss routine and then normalizing back to 1-2 lbs per week for the remainder.  1200 calories really does suck though.  I'm able to get through it a little easier now than on day 1-5, but not much.  You have to specifically time every glass of water so you don't tank your electrolytes, and time every "meal" (if you can call them that) so that you make it through the day without going to bed starving.  I don't eat my half sandwich (well, it's a whole sandwich on a single piece of bread, 425 calories) until 3pm so that I can make it through my 5:30 workout all of the way to dinner at 7.  At 1pm when you start to feel hungry, the next 2 hours go by REALLY slowly.  

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So, last night I was in autopilot mode and wound up drilling holes in the wrong place for the lower brackets on the kidney plate. Anyone know the closest white to the color of the anovos armor for me to fill and paint the wrong holes? <br><br>

Also, diet started going downhill 2 days ago. I was on the same workout and calorie routine, but 2 days ago I was tired and ready for bed at 6pm, and yesterday by 2:30pm. My body, rather than using fat for energy to keep me going, decided to just slow everything down. So yesterday I bumped up my calories by 250. I went from 10.5 lbs down yesterday to 10.1 lbs down today, but I did continue losing inches off of the waist (3.5" down since 12/4 now). <br><br>

Gonna spend the whole day building today. Hopefully I make a good amount of headway, but there really are only a few big things left to take care of.

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*sigh*. Anyone have any tips on removing a snap without drilling it? Anovos kindly omitted the part where there are 2 ever so slightly different sizes of snaps in the kit, so now I need to replace the belt snaps on the ab plate. There'should no possible way to prevent the snap from spinning or heating up when I try to drill it.

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ABS paste is your best bet for getting the colour just right and it's the best way to fill a hole. Just use some scrap pieces of plastic to make it. There are a ton of threads on the process in here!

 

As far as I know there is no good way to remove a snap without drilling it. It's just going to make a heck of a mess to the plastic surrounding it.

 

You should be able to just drill the fold on the inside centre of the snap and it will just fall apart; I've had to do it a couple times too.

 

Also, are you test fitting all your pieces with your undersuit on? It will make a big difference in the long run and ensure an accurate fit.

 

One more thing; your belt. I recommend and upgrade to it first of all. The one ANOVOS sent is terribly flimsy and as a result it doesn't look great. Another reason to upgrade it is the holster needs two fasteners holding it to the belt for ANH not four.

 

Here's a very quick reference from my kit.

 

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Edited by C0bra_M3nace
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The belt is on my upgrade list, but I'm in the process of losing weight, so it seems silly to order it now and try to guess the size when I could just do it later on and know for sure it's the right size.  

 

Any test fits regarding actual sizing are done with the undersuit on, yes.  

 

I do have another issue at the moment.  My calves are very muscular, and so i can't actually trim a lot off of the front of the shins.  If I do, the armor is not going to close in the back.  

 

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This is how the sniper knee fits.  Is that large gap acceptable?  In hindsight, if I knew every problem I was gonna have in advance, I could have "sculpted" the return on the bottom to close that gap, but going through most of the build logs, everyone only shows the top of the sniper knee following the top of the shin, and doesn't bother showing how it fits otherwise.  

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Alright, so, after a busy few days, my final weight loss numbers (pre Rogue One) were 13 lbs and 4.5 inches lost on the waist.  

 

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A couple of notes:

 

The backs of the shins do line up properly if attached properly, this was sort of a rush suit up to see how everything fit.

 

The shoulder bells will not come in any more at the bottom.  I can move the armpit strap up, down, tighten it, etc, and there's simply nowhere for the shoulder bells to come in.  I have BROAD shoulders, and needed to extend the bicep armor as well.  I did remove all of the return edge on the shoulder bells.  

 

The belt must have come unsnapped during the pictures, as it fit in the correct place (just touching the bottom of the ab detail plate) under normal circumstances.  

 

The left thigh was hiked up more after the pictures

 

The right forearm was hiked up more after the pictures.  

 

There is a strap going all of the way from shoulder to shoulder, as nothing going from shoulder to chestplate would be able to withstand the force needed to hold the shoulders in place.  I'm not sure if I have to hide that strap, but I'll have to come up with something if I do.  

 

 

 

I'll take some better pictures once I'm ready to apply for basic membership, but I have to patch the top holes in the belt first (which I really still can't fathom is needed for BASIC approval) since I am not ordering the new belt until I've got the ab/kidney gap closed.  

 

 

 

I had some serious problems with my throat mic setup, any time the throat mic was near the chest plate, there was CRAZY feedback, and this is a nice throat mic too.  wearing the aker amp and icomm units on a gopro chest rig.  Also had some problems with the SHA.  I opted for the version with speakers, and there was crazy feedback once the volume was cranked to a level where it actually assisted hearing.  I don't really want to deal with earbuds, as that's an akward connection to have.  And now that I've drilled holes in the ears of my helmet, I don't want to move the microphones to a different location, as the holes will have served no purpose.  

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Now that I see a full suit-up from the front and back, I'll tell you that the single biggest thing you can do to close the gaps at the shoulders is bring the attach point on the white elastic that connects the chest to the back under the shoulder bridges forward.

 

It's intuitive to put the attach point midway between the front and back, but that results in the shoulders being rolled back - as can be seen by the fact that you have much less of a gap in the back than in the front. If you move the attach point to about halfway between the midpoint and the front while keeping everything else the same, it will help even out the gap.

 

I'm not surprised that you are having problems with the throat mic. Others have tried that approach, but I don't recall a single case where they were completely successful in using one.

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I'm not connecting the shoulders to that white elastic.  It would never be strong enough to hold the shoulders tight.  I have to directly connect shoulder to shoulder with a strap.  I can change where that strap hits the shoulders, but I can't connect only from each shoulder to the chest plate.  my shoulders are far too wide to use a conventional shoulder strapping method.  

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