Alikh's ANH Stunt TK Build

[Alikh[TK]]

12 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Looking nice, sir!  

I noticed that your bucket is riding a bit high, and I'm thinking that you have padding in the top.  Removing that would bring the helmet down and significantly increase your field of vision.  Trust me.

 

   

 

If you can raise the bells it would give you a better overall look.  As for the forearms, I would split the difference on the length- (raise the left one a tad and lower the right a bit.

 

      

 

SUPER job on adjusting the TD clips.  If I could offer one suggestion, it would be to change the direction of the bend on the bottoms.  If they face outward they can scratch your armor where the metal meets the plastic.  Facing the bend the other way as shown would prevent this.  The Velcro on the back like you have it is always a great idea to prevent scratches as well.

 

                                                           Note how bottom bends face away from the wearer.

    

 

 

Thanks!  Not sure how I got the bend off the detonator clip backwards, but I've fixed it now! 

[Alikh[TK]]

Began working on the calves.  From an earlier pic, you may remember the calves were way too long for my height.  I was able to estimate that about 1.5in may need taken off visually.  I started with just 1in to check from there.  I think a little more still needs taken off since it pushes up into my knee a bit, what do  you all think?  Only concern I have is that the boot opening is going to keep getting wider the more I cut it back for length.  Short legs and wide calves are making this fit a tricky one.

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by Alikh

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

It will be difficult to tell how the left shin will sit compared to the thigh until you get the sniper plate glued to it, but right now it looks pretty darned good!  Right now they sit perfectly on the boots, so depending on how the thigh length is you may be in good shape.  You have some "wiggle room" in the gap.

 

      

 

In looking at the top, you have a little bit more of the ridge on the inside than the outside (blue arrows).  No the biggest of deals by any means, but don't trim any more off of that area.

The cover strip should sit in the center.  The bottoms are a tiny bit flared out (see yellow arrow in the first pic above), but when you pull them together they should be fine.

The rear edges should ideally be parallel.  If you have the room, I would suggest trimming the outside piece (second photo) to achieve that.  It would also bring in the bottoms a bit

   

 

Keep up the great work, sir, and keep those photos coming! 

 

[Alikh[TK]]

Finally got hold of some glue that seems to have bonded to both the glove and the silicone hand guard.  (Thanks to Mayo's build thread!)  Question- do the guards need painted or do they remain as is?

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Glad to know that you found something to bond them with, so they are definitely not silicone.  Note that Loctite Plastics Bonder is CA (super) glue and is pretty brittle when it cures.  Because the guard and gloved flex when worn, it may be a good idea to keep an eye on the edges down the road in case the bond starts to fail in those areas and it starts to lift off.  A little separation on the sides is expected, though.

 

As for painting them, I wouldn't worry about it at this point in time.  I believe they do contain at least some amount of latex, though, which naturally yellows with age and exposure to sunlight.  This is not a big deal, but if they get too yellow, painting them would certainly be an option (the originals were painted latex).

 

   

[Alikh[TK]]

9 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Glad to know that you found something to bond them with, so they are definitely not silicone.  Note that Loctite Plastics Bonder is CA (super) glue and is pretty brittle when it cures.  Because the guard and gloved flex when worn, it may be a good idea to keep an eye on the edges down the road in case the bond starts to fail in those areas and it starts to lift off.  A little separation on the sides is expected, though.

 

As for painting them, I wouldn't worry about it at this point in time.  I believe they do contain at least some amount of latex, though, which naturally yellows with age and exposure to sunlight.  This is not a big deal, but if they get too yellow, painting them would certainly be an option (the originals were painted latex).

 

   

 

Thank you!

 

Next question while I wait for glue to dry- What is a good build guide to check out for steps to make the belt?  I've been looking around for a bit, but I haven't found one yet that really has all the steps of measuring, mounting the abs to the cloth, the snaps for the cloth to the ab plate, etc.  I've seen a few pieces on a few different guides, but am hoping to find a more step by step process all in one place.  I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what I need to do for the rest of the armor, but the belt still eludes me.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

33 minutes ago, Alikh said:

 

Thank you!

 

Next question while I wait for glue to dry- What is a good build guide to check out for steps to make the belt?  I've been looking around for a bit, but I haven't found one yet that really has all the steps of measuring, mounting the abs to the cloth, the snaps for the cloth to the ab plate, etc.  I've seen a few pieces on a few different guides, but am hoping to find a more step by step process all in one place.  I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what I need to do for the rest of the armor, but the belt still eludes me.

Bending the ABS Belt by gazmosis, Boba_Skywalker3

Attaching Belt to Abs by GnrlGrievous

Holster Placement on Belt by CableGuy

Current (2021) Holster Placement by gmrhodes13 (follow-up to previous thread above)  [NEW ADDITION]

Belt Assembly by ukswrath

Belt overlap

Removable Holster

 

All in one resources thread, go to for most info  

 

 

 

[Alikh[TK]]

10 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Bending the ABS Belt by gazmosis, Boba_Skywalker3

Attaching Belt to Abs by GnrlGrievous

Holster Placement on Belt by CableGuy

Current (2021) Holster Placement by gmrhodes13 (follow-up to previous thread above)  [NEW ADDITION]

Belt Assembly by ukswrath

Belt overlap

Removable Holster

 

All in one resources thread, go to for most info  

 

 

 

 

Perfect, thank you!!!!

[Alikh[TK]]

Finished with the resizing and front cover strips on the calves.  This was a hard step.  As I mentioned earlier I had to cut an inch off the bottom, then trim a bit on the rear seam to have it sit more flush.  Originally when I did the shin cover strips, I just did a single, external strip just like my arms.  When I went to try it on, the shin seam immediately split.  I have relatively muscular/wide calves, so I need to pull the back open a large amount to fit it.  I added an internal cover strip, and all seems well now.  Ive taken then both on and off a number of times.

 

I still need to get more snaps to work on connecting the torso pieces, so I guess next up I will work on the thighs.  I am positive they will need resized as well.

 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by Alikh

[Sly11[Admin]]

Looking good Alex.

Make sure you sand off any of the sharp corners on those cover strips. just a touch so they cant catch or damage anything.

The one at the bottom of the shin can damage your boot from rubbing,

[Alikh[TK]]

6 hours ago, Sly11 said:

Looking good Alex.

Make sure you sand off any of the sharp corners on those cover strips. just a touch so they cant catch or damage anything.

The one at the bottom of the shin can damage your boot from rubbing,

Definitely will!  The one spot you can clearly see that will rub on the boot originally lined up better, but it was on the calve that split originally.  When I reglued it, it shifted a bit that I didn't notice before it was dry.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

You can either sand or cut both are acceptable although cut on an angle is more screen accurate  

 

[Alikh[TK]]

Been super busy the last few months, but finally working on the kit again.  Looking at trimming the thigh piece now.  I had to take 1in off the shins, I'm thinking I need to do about the same with the thigh piece as well.  Pics below- pulled up as high as I can on my thigh the bottom still sits very close my knee-- too close I think.  In the second pic where I have my leg bent, that is the extent of how far I can bend, and that is without having a shin plate on.  Obv the fit isnt 100% since Im wearing shorts and not the undersuit, just trying to get an idea of if I need to trim it.  I do, right?

 

 

Edited March 7, 2022 by Alikh

[Harbinger[IPM]]

I would advise against any thigh armor trimming without your shins and undersuit one to measure first. I learned this the hard way.

 

Another tip, from someone who did it the 'wrong' way - make sure to trim for length BEFORE girth, or you'll find yourself having to shim it later. It's a cone, so if you trim... it gets narrower.

Edited March 7, 2022 by Harbinger

[Alikh[TK]]

Working a bit more on sizing of the thigh.  A few thoughts:

 

You can see it sits a bit askew when pulled all the way up- do I trim some out of the groin/inner thigh area to fix that?

Related, Is the thigh plate too long?  It feels a bit too long when on my body, but visually I can't really decide.  The thigh and shin almost touch at the knee.

Last though- now put together with the thigh, is the shin still too long?

 

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Alikh

[husky68[TK]]

I might be a bit late to offer some advice,  but I also had issues with wide calves.  You can see in my build log that I joined my shins and forearms in a V so the openings were sized right.  Also with an inner/outer strip and gap filler to make as much room as possible.  Also for shins I created a lock to hold them in correct place as I need to hold them exactly the right spot with a lot of tension.

One of my last posts trying a new lock pin system, it worked well for troop but the pin needs improvement for removal.

 

[Alikh[TK]]

13 hours ago, husky68 said:

I might be a bit late to offer some advice,  but I also had issues with wide calves.  

 

 

Thank you!  It definitely was a struggle to figure out at first.  I still havent decided on a way to lock the back of the calves yet.  I think I will need to cut it to slim near the ankle to fit over the boot more cleanly.

[Alikh[TK]]

Worked on sizing/strapping today while I think about what how to proceed with finishing the legs.

 

Also started planning for the belt.  Quick question (see second pic below)  The ABS for the belt came pre trimmed.  Am I right that the corners cut on it are incorrect as they dont line up with the belt?  Or is there some wiggle room in that measurement?

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

17 minutes ago, Alikh said:

Worked on sizing/strapping today while I think about what how to proceed with finishing the legs.

 

Also started planning for the belt.  Quick question (see second pic below)  The ABS for the belt came pre trimmed.  Am I right that the corners cut on it are incorrect as they dont line up with the belt?  Or is there some wiggle room in that measurement?

 

You should be ok for basic approval but for higher levels :

L3

 

• The corners of the plastic ammo belt shall be trimmed at a 45 degree angle that that meets the outer edge of the cloth belt.

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

15 minutes ago, Alikh said:

Also started planning for the belt.  Quick question (see second pic below)  The ABS for the belt came pre trimmed.  Am I right that the corners cut on it are incorrect as they dont line up with the belt?  Or is there some wiggle room in that measurement?

 

 

Hi Alex, you're completely right. What I would recommend is to re align the canvas belt and trim the ABS belt to line up.

 

 

 

References

 

    

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Having the button covers off center is also fine as that is screen accurate

Reference (pinched from Mario) 

     

 

[Alikh[TK]]

Awesome, thanks for the quick replies everyone!  Luckily I haven't attached the abs to the canvas yet, was just lining it up visually and realized it looked off.  Ill re trim the corners so they meet higher level approval.  No reason to do it as is now and come back to redo it later.  Thanks!

[Alikh[TK]]

Next round of belt questions!

 

I've measured out and marked center on the canvas, as well as the two rivet holes on the ammo belt.  Looking around at some other builds here, looks like they all have a third rivet in the center.  Is that required for keeping the ammo belt fully supported?  As I've mentioned before my set came pre trimmed from AP, but like the belt angles I've have to make some adjustments.  Are the 2 holes an AP thing or do I need to drill a third?

 

 

Second, how do you measure/mark where the snaps on the ab plate need to go?  I was looking at the build here, but not sure if those were eyeballed or how they were marked before drilling.

 

Lastly, to make sure I understand it correctly- I'd use 2 (or 3?) rivets to attach the ammo belt to the canvas, then 2 snaps to attach the right and left of the canvas to the front of the ab plate, right?  Obviously I need to attach the ammo pouches and holster as well, just trying to figure out the base construction here.

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

18 minutes ago, Alikh said:

Next round of belt questions!

 

I've measured out and marked center on the canvas, as well as the two rivet holes on the ammo belt.  Looking around at some other builds here, looks like they all have a third rivet in the center.  Is that required for keeping the ammo belt fully supported?  As I've mentioned before my set came pre trimmed from AP, but like the belt angles I've have to make some adjustments.  Are the 2 holes an AP thing or do I need to drill a third?

 

 

Second, how do you measure/mark where the snaps on the ab plate need to go?  I was looking at the build here, but not sure if those were eyeballed or how they were marked before drilling.

 

Lastly, to make sure I understand it correctly- I'd use 2 (or 3?) rivets to attach the ammo belt to the canvas, then 2 snaps to attach the right and left of the canvas to the front of the ab plate, right?  Obviously I need to attach the ammo pouches and holster as well, just trying to figure out the base construction here.

 

 

Hi. 

 

"I'd use 2 (or 3?) rivets to attach the ammo belt to the canvas," 

 

In my case, I prefer to use Chicago screws , not accurate but practic for any fix.

 

 

then 2 snaps to attach the right and left of the canvas to the front of the ab plate, right?  

 

 Yes

 

 

Finally, You may want to check this video. I think it would be useful .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Alikh[TK]]

Thank you, I will definitely check out the vid later today.  I absolutely hate dealing with rivets,- I'd never heard of chicago screws before, thanks!