Couples TK Build

[Barclay]

OK... After receiving our BBB last year, we started with getting everything trimmed and ready to go.  Well, once that got the trimming done we hit a roadblock by just being overwhelmed with the work that was sitting before us and no idea of what to do first...  So no more sitting around and looking at our TK sitting in our Huskey Bins wanting to see the light of the day. 

Today we started with tape on our legs and arms to start to get an idea on the sizing that we will need to do (I am about 6ft, and she is about 5'3").  It looks like I will be able to get away with very little sizing, but we will be doing lots and lots of trimming for her.....

Should we start with the Arms and Legs and then do the body, or should we start with the body first and then work on the arms and legs???   Or does it really matter where we start?

And yes, we do have Ukswarath's Anovos TK build thread open in front of us, and I have been looking at build treads on White Armor and the FB pages.... But even still very overwhelming...

[Pixelito]

I'm not sure that it matters a ton which bit you start with. I started with all the torso stuff since that required the most modification for me, then I worked on arms and did legs last. I think if you just stick to working on sections like that, it's fairly easy to get everything to fit together.

It's definitely overwhelming, but if you just take things one section at a time, it can help make it more manageable.... That's just what worked for me though.

[sitpadeshu]

If you are a shorter Trooper and need to do a bunch of trimming start with the body first.  It doesn't matter if the suit fits without a lot of trimming down but it does matter if thee is a lot o resizing.

[valkyrio]

I definitely need to size down the body!  Are there any guidelines about how much trimming is TOO MUCH? (E.g. my bicep measures 5 inches less around than the armor shell.  After trimming should the shell still be a minimum of ... say a 12"circumference, or,  leave only a minimal gap of 1/2" between body & armor?)

Christina, we met at a build party last March, when I was first trimming my pieces...

[Barclay]

just for clarification for those following this thread...  The TK's being built in this thread are for Valkyrio and Barclay...   We are going to try to be working on the same part at the same time to keep things clear... 

[Barclay]

Today we started with the Arms (will go to the body next so that we can fit that before doing final adjustments to the arms).   We took the return edge off of the arms, and have started trimming her arms back starting with taking about 1 inch off the end, and 1/2 inch off one side (will prob need to take more off both the end and sides).   The biceps we are putting shims on the inside just to add extra structural strength.  On hers we had to take 1/2 inch off each side of the outer piece just to start getting down to the right fit for her.

[Barclay]

Very little work done on our TK's this week due to work, and bringing work home with us.. but we do have some items worked on.  Valeri was able to cut us 40 2x2 nylon squares for out snaps and trimmed down her arms some (maybe needs more trimming??  we will post pics of her arms shortly).  I have found that I will need to trim more then I originally thought I would, so I figure that if I can get one side to fit as it should I can then take those measurements and transfer them over to the other side.  Below is my current Left Arm as it is fitting right now

[Barclay]

Also I was looking at the lower legs.  once again the left side seems to be fine, but the right side seems to be shaped wrong and will need some shaping work done on it.  It almost seems like it is squished some from front to back and will need to be trimmed down a small amount once it is shaped.  am I on the right path??    We still have not gotten to the body parts for sizing as of yet.. but will get to it soon I hope.  Pics of her progress to be posted soon

[daryldoak]

You are definitely on the right path.

24/27 is the left leg, 25/28 is the right leg.  Long edge goes to the inside of the leg.

I used a heat gun to shape mine, but use extreme caution if you use this technique.  You could also use hot water to shape them.

[Barclay]

On to the Body, so that I can get it fitted correctly so that the other parts can all fit in as well.   Today I did a little light sanding on the edges so that I could get taped into the body to see how it was looking.   I have found that I will need to cut the return edge on the back piece by my neck as it is digging in way to much.  I also have found that my torso is longer then the original people that the suit was molded for.  Due to this, I have a fairly significant gap from my back piece to my kidney piece and the chest plate sits almost on top of the Abs plate (just a small amount of overlap available).   Also I am a bit round in the middle (more then I really want to be) and this has caused some side gaps as well.   Are these both of these areas ok to have gaps, or will I need to cut the return edges off so that I can insert shims to cover them. 

So my questions are
        1)  Do you think that just doing some shaping on the butt plate will be needed, or does it need cut down a little more.
        2)  How much of a gap in the sides and on the back are to much, and should I just cut the return edges off and find some way to shim them
        3)  How do I adjust for the torso length that does not allow the chest piece to cover more then about 1/4 inch of the top of the Abs plate
                   Note: the Abs is about as high as I am able to make it go due to the crotch being attached
        4)  On the back piece, I am a bit broader in the shoulders and upper back then the kit is.. How do I shape this for a better fit that may also cut the back gap down some.
        5)  And most importantly, how is it looking over all?? 

Once I have everything trimmed and shaped as needed, I can then start putting the snaps in and continue back onto the arms and legs.   

Attached are pics of the first body tape job.

[daryldoak]

1.  I would just leave the butt plate as is, your belt and holster will hold the edges in place.

2.  The side gaps are fine for basic approval.  For higher levels (EIB and Centurion) you'll need to close the gaps.

3 & 4. Both the chest and the back look too high.  The default curvature of the Anovos shoulders is too much.

I would suggest removing the return edge from the shoulder areas of the chest and back.  Then you can reshape them using either a heat gun (use extreme caution) or a hot water bath.

This will allow you to lower both the chest and the back.

If that doesn't work you might look at Brian's (pixelito) build where he extended the ab plate.

5.  Yes, it's looking really good.  Keep up the good work.

[Barclay]

Did a little hot water treatment on the back and chest trying to get a little more length out of them by bending the tops out a little.  I think I can still get a little more out of the chest, but I think I have all that I can get out of the back.   I now have less then a 2 inch gap from the back to the kidney plate (that is if I am able to get away with the placement of the back as shown in the attached pictures).  I am running about an average of 1.5 inches for a gap on the sides if I tape my self in sell (the belt should help in this as well as long as I do not gain more weight).  So now for the following questions..

1) how is the back looking.   Is the gap now acceptable, and is the placement of the back alright (or does it need to be higher creating more of a gap).
2) in the pic with the red measuring tape.  Is this the proper measurement to take before ordering a replacement belt from someone (such as Rob Kettle) or should I wait until I have all the internal straps done before bothering with thinking about getting a belt ordered.
3) can I get away with an internal strap from the ab plate to the chest to keep it from gapping, or do I need to try shaping it more or maybe cutting the ab and putting in a shim.

Yep.. its going slow, but I am trying to keep working on the kit...

[valkyrio]

My turn! I had also started with arm pieces, but backed up to get the torso fitted first. While Barclay has a long torso, I, on the other hand, have a short one.  I could use some tips on which parts to trim to get the right look, because the proportions are off, but I don't want to overdo the trimming/shaping and ruin the kit! (Pics follow) Torso mods so far:

• Trimmed 1.5 inches from the bottom of the chest piece. I hope that will not be too much, though I think it might be, since I still have to put the return edge on it.   
• Trimmed 0.5 inches from each side of the back kidney piece and shaped it a bit.
• Separated the cod section from the abs - the piece is still intact and untrimmed, it's just underneath the abs piece in the pictures.
• Shaped the sides of the chest and back pieces, adding a curve to the sides

Possible Next steps/questions:

• Trim length off the back or kidney pieces, most likely kidney.  ... Or should both pieces have some length taken off?  Will I also need to take some off the top of the butt piece?
• Shape the side ends of the abs & butt pieces, and possibly trim some off the side edges.
• Is enough of the cod section visible, or should I expose more of it?  If I make more of it visible, it pushes the abs up and I'd need to trim off the top return from the abs, or trim a half inch off it. I'll probably need to trim the top of the abs anyway.
• The tops of the shoulders meet - will I need to trim them to have a gap, or is it OK that they touch?
• When using the hot-water shaping, some warping of previously trimmed edges occurred.  Is this just going to happen, or is the water too hot?  Is there a way to avoid warping of return edges when increasing the curves?

[Barclay]

Would someone please post a picture of the back part of the Thermo Detonator?  I would like to see how the metal clips and the plastic line up.

Thank you

Barclay

[daryldoak]

Would someone please post a picture of the back part of the Thermo Detonator?  I would like to see how the metal clips and the plastic line up.

Thank you

Barclay

Check the last post in my TK build.  There is a picture.  The clips have bee replaced, but same placement.