Jump to content

bleedn21's Anovos ANH stunt Build Thread


bleedn21

Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, bleedn21 said:

Thanks!  I originally bought it for myself, but she's taken full ownership. I've created a monster.

Great! sounds as she is on the right path of becoming a fierce Stormtrooper:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another quick question for everyone...  What is the best way to reshape the plastic parts i.e.: adjust the contours to fit body shapes?  I have a heat gun, but don't want to melt anything.  Do hair dryers work for this purpose?  In Cricket's thread she talks about a hot water bath.  Is that the preferred method for everyone?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hot water bath is a lot more gentle than a heat gun, sure you can use one but you do need some practice before hand, ABS goes from pliable to molten mess in the blink of an eye ;)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unless you are VERY familiar with a heat gun I would avoid it at all costs for reshaping armor.  Most of them can reach temperatures of over a thousand degrees or more, which is way too hot for anyone not used to working with one.

What parts do you need to re-shape?  There are alternatives you can use for some pieces.  Pics would definitely help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Unless you are VERY familiar with a heat gun I would avoid it at all costs for reshaping armor.  Most of them can reach temperatures of over a thousand degrees or more, which is way too hot for anyone not used to working with one.

What parts do you need to re-shape?  There are alternatives you can use for some pieces.  Pics would definitely help.

I'm looking to reshape the ab plate and kidney plate, as the outside edges flare too far away from her body.  There is a large gap of 2" or so on both sides in places.  The fitment pictures I shared don;t show it, as the armor was taped tight to her shape.  I'll post some pics of the gap(s) later tonight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Removing the return edges on the top and bottom of the ab plate and trimming down the return edges on the kidney plate to about 1/4 inch will help when reshaping them.  The reason so many pieces are hard to reshape is due to the fact that the return edges make this difficult and they tend to buckle.  

Here is a photo of a screen used ab with the edges removed.  (The cod is missing, but you get the idea).

2FWUCti.jpg?1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Update:

 

I've looked through Cricket's build thread and found her trimming guide.  I though about it for a day or so, and came up with (what I think) may be a new idea

I've tried a new fit-up tactic.  I'm using black electrical tape to knock out any areas that I think may need trimming - heavily referencing Cricket's trimming guide.

 

My wife is 5'-6", and for the most part, things seem to be fitting okay.  I've notices some areas where the armor appears just too bulky in places.

 

Jf1lCT1.jpg

I've used black electrical tape to knock out some areas at the sides where the shoulder bells go. I think I'm on the right path.  It looks like the chest plate should hang in a good location on the ab plate.

 

9IFPWxP.jpg

I think I've got too much of a taper at the bottom of the back plate.

 

c5vB7BY.jpg

Chest Plate to Back Plate - Here is one of the areas I think is going to need reforming with heat, or will just need to be removed entirely.

 

KvwDQlB.jpg

I've pulled the Kidney Plate in to fit her form.  There are gaps at the corners of the Back Plate that look like they will need to brought in with a little reshaping.  Again, looks like I've too much taper at the bottom of this piece.

 

KZlBJye.jpg

Another shot of the Back-to Kidney Plate gap.

 

664hD4b.jpg

The reason I wanted to cut down the Ab Plate - the top landed in a somewhat uncomfortable spot for a lady.  I took the return edge off, and she says it is comfortable.  I don't think I'll trim this unless it really bothers her.

 

uwQmRsV.jpg

Another shot of her left side alignment.  I'm going to split the difference between the ab and kidney plates for the trim.  I've marked the proposed seam location , and it still looks pretty straight.

 

A3UFQQO.jpg

Right side again.  I don't know why, but I'm nervous about trimming this piece.

 

ldu75il.jpg

Whole back assembly.

 

While we were test fitting these pieces,  we did a fly-by on the thigh pieces too.  not too shabby.  some trimming on the back might be required.  I didn't take any pictures yet, but once I have the chest and back finalized, I'll concentrate on the thighs and shoulder bells.

 

I'm hoping that once I have the whole torso assembly riveted and buttoned, it will fit her shape well, and won't need too much reforming. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ANOVOS CHANGES???

 

Good evening everyone!  While looking over the kits, I have noticed a couple of changes that Anovos must have recently made.  See below...

 

rVsUrj9.jpg

Belt no longer comes assembled in "hero" configuration.  If I'm not mistaken, I should be able to get this right without any modification.

 

dnFiLgi.jpg

The frown on the helmet looks a little more screen accurate than the previous versions with the teeth not fully painted. 

 

Does anyone else have a kit similar to this form Anovos?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/19/2018 at 12:36 PM, bleedn21 said:

I'm looking to reshape the ab plate and kidney plate, as the outside edges flare too far away from her body.  There is a large gap of 2" or so on both sides in places.  The fitment pictures I shared don;t show it, as the armor was taped tight to her shape.  I'll post some pics of the gap(s) later tonight.


Hey Ryan, 

 

Kudos to you for helping your wife with her TK!  Tell her that she needs to keep you.  :)

 

About the ab/kidney reshaping, I posted some info here about how I reshaped my WTF pieces in hot water.  You will need a 12 quart pot for the task (the big kind for steaming tamales).

I would hold off on trimming any of the edges of the kidney/ab (where they meet) until you've properly shaped the pieces first.  The kidney/ab should meet together without anything having to force them into position or hold them in place.  

Keep up the good work!


 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, bleedn21 said:

ANOVOS CHANGES???

 

Good evening everyone!  While looking over the kits, I have noticed a couple of changes that Anovos must have recently made.  See below...

 

rVsUrj9.jpg

Belt no longer comes assembled in "hero" configuration.  If I'm not mistaken, I should be able to get this right without any modification.

 

dnFiLgi.jpg

The frown on the helmet looks a little more screen accurate than the previous versions with the teeth not fully painted. 

 

Does anyone else have a kit similar to this form Anovos?

oh they fixed the overspray now did they?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, bleedn21 said:

Otherwise not too bad.

They are actual screen-shots so in a sence they are not missing anything:) And most of them have it, it`s also quite possible the same helmets from different angles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are actual screen-shots so in a sence they are not missing anything And most of them have it, it`s also quite possible the same helmets from different angles.

Ah! I meant it looks like the Anovos helmets, while an improvement from previous versions, may still need some painting on the frowns.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, bleedn21 said:


Ah! I meant it looks like the Anovos helmets, while an improvement from previous versions, may still need some painting on the frowns.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Aaah….now THAT makes alot more sence^_^ I blame a long work day for not having all wires connected, totally see what you meant now:smiley-sw013:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Back again with another update!  Tried my hand at using hot water to form my wife's armor to a more fitting shape, and it worked (for the most part).  I also tried some re-shaping with my heat gun on a scrap chunk of plastic, and was okay with that too.

 

Since I haven't seen too many posts on re-shaping with hot water, I figured I'd share my adventure

 

DdFZnM0.jpg

Pieces I wanted to re-shape.  Scrap for experimentation at the bottom left.  Hard-hitting sci-fi to read while waiting for water to boil on the right.

 

sh18FFV.jpg

My setup for this task...  I re-purposed my boil kettle and burner for home brewing, which came in handy.  I kept a tub of cold water close by for a quick quenching.

 

AnXdvud.jpg

This pot held the whole ab plate....  NOTE: I shut the burner down any time i took the plastic near the pot.  The interweb says ABS has melting point of 221˚F (105˚C), and water boils at 212˚F (100˚C). No chance of ever melting this stuff with the water.  Propane flame is around 3,500˚F.  DOOOOOM!!!! I found the plastic didn't get pliable until close to the boiling point.

 

V3yBgoe.jpg

Skipping a couple steps, but I reshaped the ab and kidney plates to a nice shape using the inside of a 5 gallon bucket.  I pushed the pieces inside until they were about as wide as I wanted them,  poured the water in, held for about 40 seconds and then submerged the whole thing in the big cold water  tub.  Here is the lovely shape I got.  They now fit m'lady's body quite a lot better.

 

oYYPd6E.jpg

RIGHT SIDE ...  I re-fit the sections back on her, and am happy to report that my old marks were bang on! 

 

NZPKOAg.jpg

LEFT SIDE ...  I am left with about 1-1/4" (30mm) at the top on each side that I think I will have to trim in order to get these to meet up properly.

 

iwHzZ0G.jpg

BACK FIT-UP... I figure I'm going to have to reshape the tush plate.  The upper back was moved up to show the rest.

 

W8Ivqkx.jpg

Here is how the back plate fits up.  I'll give this a bit of a reforming to better match with the kidney plate.  I have reconsidered trimming anything off the sides until it is reshaped a bit.

 

QyeEm4Y.jpg

Illustration of the area of where the butt plate and rear thighs are mingling a little too much.  I might have to break this party up!  What to trim? the butt plate? the thighs?  I think I should trim the thighs.

 

pX3S725.jpg

The right thigh.  I've marked out a rough cut area with a removable marker.

 

A few questions...

 

-Trimming the ab and kidney plate... do I split the difference between both the ab and kidney plate and trim 3/8" off each?  that will give me a straight line right up the side.  If i trim just one or the other, it will give me a more angular seam line that already exists.  Is there any preference between the two?

-The butt plate looks to be a good size.  I'll need to form the bottom "tab" in a bit.  Are the thighs the right thing to cut here?

 

In other news...  I've been working on my suit while we're waiting for snaps and setting tools to arrive from Tandy Leather.  It looks like I'm either going to have to shim my kidney plate  (1-1/2" total) or hit the gym!  I honestly don't know which would be harder.  :6:

 

Let me know what y'all think!  Until next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by bleedn21
spelling/grammar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Hi all,

 

It's been a while since my last update.   My wife and I have still been building  - usually a little each night, but figured we'd update when we made a little more progress.  Long story short, all my snap material and tools have come in the mail, and my wife and I have been busy strapping all her torso pieces together.  We are using a hybrid system of JustJoseph63's snap system and some Ukswrath's tutorial (Dritz Sew-on snaps).  Lots of double snap attachments for all the extreme trooping we plan to do, plus we figure that it would be nice to have each piece easily removable for future fitting/adustments!

 

Here are the pictures

 

wVbdV44.jpg

Front View

 

m0j0zsV.jpg

Back View - I still have the electrical tape on where I thought I might trim.  I'm rethinking it now.might trim the sides of the back plate lower down.

 

Q0FxJ5a.jpg

The shoulder bells like to tuck underneath the chest plate. I think I may have to pull the shoulder bells up higher to fix this, or possibly trim the sides of the chest plate a little.

 

XRlnvQK.jpg

Shot of the right side.  Bell also tucked in.

 

ZH9qQdR.jpg

Side shot.  I might bend the tabs on the back plate down with hot water, or trim the bottom of the plate to bring it down. 

 

OxPyOgf.jpg

We forgot to do up the snaps on the right side of the torso.  It comes together nicely though...  believe me!

 

6fjuwM3.jpg

Other side, complete with "Warrior Hair".

 

Thanks all!  We have been referencing Cricket's build and trimming guide a lot, and it is great to have all of this info in one place.  As always, really appreciate any feedback you have to offer. 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Ryan, I just noticed this build thread.  Great job on sizing down that armour!  Since you are already referencing Cricket's build, I can't really add anything truly helpful here. :) 

 

I'll repeat something that has already been said - you will probably want to trim away some of the return edge at the top of the forearm for comfort - speaking from experience.

 

Keep up the good work.  I like your solution for hot bathing larger items. :duim:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/10/2018 at 1:35 PM, lucnak said:

For her back plate, heat bend the tabs down . Will be a bit more accurate than trimming the bottom of the back plate. Looking good! Great progress.

Thanks, Luc!  I really didn't want to have to do any trimming - I think that's unavoidable for the thigh pieces (pics of those coming after this weekend).  I'll get a pot of water on shortly and bend those tabs down!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/10/2018 at 9:02 AM, wook1138 said:

Hey Ryan, I just noticed this build thread.  Great job on sizing down that armour!  Since you are already referencing Cricket's build, I can't really add anything truly helpful here. :) 

 

I'll repeat something that has already been said - you will probably want to trim away some of the return edge at the top of the forearm for comfort - speaking from experience.

 

Keep up the good work.  I like your solution for hot bathing larger items. :duim:

Thanks Greg.

 

I did trim a little of the return edge of both the forearm pieces and the bottom of the biceps.  In the process of gluing the elastics between them now.  Glad you liked the brew kettle for the forming/bending!  It worked like a charm!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi everyone!

 

I have moved on to trying my suit out, and fitting this to my moderately tall (6'1"-ish) frame, have run into a funny issue with the back to kidney connection...

 

HdJxuui.jpg

 

I have a gap of about 2 1/2" between the two.  I know for centurion minimal to no gap is acceptable.  I think I have a solution to straighten out the tabs at the top and drop the back plate down to meet the kidney plate.  May have to install shims to the top tabs on the back plate.  Is this an acceptable fix for this?

 

Thanks again for you guidance!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't recall every seeing anyone extend the tabs of the back plate before. Can we see a photo of this on your body? Is it possible that your kidney and butt plate are sitting too low? That's a pretty large gap right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...