A "Short trooper" question.

[PGHtrooper21]

I am between 5.3 and 5.4 feet tall. I have begun the assembly of my AP Armor. I am saving the thighs for last. When I did a "tape" test assembly of my thighs and shins I noticed I have to trim the thighs. In doing so I am going to line them up and trim them to my height.

 

The question that I am asking is. How far should the bottom my thighs line up to my knees without having the armor causing me to trip?

 

Andy

[MiDri]

I am between 5.3 and 5.4 feet tall. I have begun the assembly of my AP Armor. I am saving the thighs for last. When I did a "tape" test assembly of my thighs and shins I noticed I have to trim the thighs. In doing so I am going to line them up and trim them to my height.

 

The question that I am asking is. How far should the bottom my thighs line up to my knees without having the armor causing me to trip?

 

Andy

 

I'm 5'7 and have AP armor -- I've not trimmed it and just about every part of the armor meets another piece of armor (very little black showing) and It's fairly restrictive, I don't feel like I'm going to trip, I can't move fast enough.

[kiyotei[TK]]

I'm a kinda short AP armor guy at 5'7". I had to trim my thighs and shins. The thighs I trimmed on the top side. The length I went with was more related to me being able to walk properly in the armor. Since you have not actual worn the armor for an event you most likely will find that you will have to retrim it later on. That's fine and is expected so don't fret over getting it just right. As everyone on here says, "trim a little and then trim again if need be". The shins I had to trim from the bottom to shorten them. Trimming the shins will also affect how much you need to trim the thighs so keep that in mind. I realize I'm not actually answering your question but giving you some advice. OK so for how it should look, best think is to look at some photos from the movie and see how they look. The shins should not touch the thighs. Remember when you look at photos on here of members in their armor that the taller guys will have a bigger gap between the shins and thighs but that's because of their height. The original stormtroopers were 5'11" tall.

[DarkTrooper[TK]]

I'm working on my ATA right now. My issue is with my torso piece. I had length issues with my FX kit where (untrimmed) the bottom of the chest piece covers half the buttons and detail pieces on the ab piece. With the FX, I cut off about an inch and a half from the ab piece, the part that ends up being covered by the belt anyways.

 

This time around I think I'll be trimming the bottom of the chest plate. My concern is having a return edge at the edge of the plastic. I've read the posts about using a hobby iron. I'm just worried about "messing" up. I guess I could could trim first and see how it looks.

 

Overall, I'm taking my time with the armor and following the "10 foot rule". Don't get me wrong, I'm still making an accurate representation of a Stormtrooper but I'm not letting microscopic details bother me. Who the heck is gonna be looking at my armor from inches away anyways?!

[darren1970[501st]]

I think Jim said it all.

 

Troop in it ( or at least wear it for a good while ) then trim a little, then try again. More time consuming, but it will give you a good compromise between your comfort and a gap that looks in proportion.

 

Darren

[Jag[TK]]

I stand at a massive 5'4" and in possession of an AP style kit still being built. I've had no "too big" problems that will keep me from trimming anything not on my legs at least until AFTER my first troop in the armor.

 

On the legs, I've had problems just walking. I sound like a plastic cup being crushed when I walk. I've seen posts where the concern is "showing too much black". In my suit I have people wondering "IS there black?" The thigh armor was striking the butt and cod and carved in nice furrows in my paint job. Even before attaching the sniper plate and knee bando the shin and thigh "talked" (clacked together). I also had problems getting my foot off the ground to negotiate a step because the leg armor was binding.

 

I was loathe to cut anything, but once I figured "close to screen accurate" meant I wouldn't be able to wear the armor the decision was clear. I cut the thighs along the top edge and cut the shins along the bottom. Using a marking gauge, I trimmed 1/4" off and re-suited to see how things fit. I've cut the shins twice and thighs once. I may have to trim the thighs again.

 

Everyone's body shape is different and some fit the suit better than others. I believe it's easier to add than subtract, but for me, it's ALL subtract. I'm very fortunate not to have to mess with the chest to see the ab plate properly.

 

(misc note#1: after the fact I was at a hobby store that sold remote control airplanes, they had a hobby iron that modelers used to tighten up the plastic on plane wings. this is the same kind of model iron seen elsewhere on these pages to put an "lip" on armor. it went for $20, much better than stuff I've seen at Micheal's or Joanns. you do have to purchase the terry cloth bootie separately tho)

 

(misc note#2: i don't have an authoritative TK friend near by so figuring out what looks right while suited has been a challenge. my wife doesn't "play dress up" like I do so I can't really rely on her observations. i got a hold of a cheapie video cam that runs on 3 AAA batteries. this has reduced a lot of guess work and help me correct a lot of problems)