Ukswrath's Anovos Shadow Stormtrooper Build

[ukswrath[TX]]

10. Waist belt (preassembled from Anovos) Accuracy Modifications

 

So over on the FISD it's been decided the cloth belt that comes with the Anovos kit is not worthy of approval at the highest level. In our opinion it's lackluster appearance does not meet the quality standards and so is a suggested replacement at L2 and mandatory at L3. Not sure how the command staff feels about it here but for the sake of all things holy and good in the empire I'll be replacing it regardless lol. The belt will be replaced with a Jim Kittle belt, one of the finest belts in the legion IMHO. NOTE: This procedure has it's risks, possible ammo belt damage etc. This is an "At Your Own Risk" modification and should only be done so if you want to, or required by the Special Ops DO, which I believe it is NOT. Enjoy

 

 

 

10a. Disassembly

 

The trickiest part of this entire mod just so happens to be the very first step. It requires detaching the cloth belt from the ammo belt which also requires you remove the rivet covers on the front of the ammo belt that just so happen to be glued together with plastic welder type glue, which makes it almost impossible to remove without damaging the ammo belt, the caps or both. That said, I've done several of these without any permanent VISIBLE damages. If you follow my directions you should be able to pull this off without any issues.

 

If you're still with me let's begin.

 

Removing the rivet caps. I've found the glue bonding the caps to the ammo belt will soften with heat. I've tried a hot water bath but the amount heat it takes to soften the glue may distort the plastic so I abandoned that idea, and under NO circumstances do we use a heat gun. Here's my solution. Take a butter knife and wedge it between the cap and ammo belt. In some situations doing this will cause a less secured cap to pop off. If this happens to you you're in luck, move to the next cap. If you're not so lucky continue on.

 

 

 

Flip the belt over so that the rivets are facing upward. Using a DULL or unsharpened 1/4" drill bit, place bit on the head of the rivet and begin to power the drill. The goal here is to heat the rivet without drilling through it if possible, if you do it's no big deal. I've also been told running the drill backwards does the same trick, though I've never tried it. Anyway, the heat should transfer through the rivet metal to the glue on the opposite side which will soften it.

 

 

 

If all goes well the cap should pop off, sometime with the rivet sometimes without. In this case I inadvertently drilled through the rivet head which worked out anyway.

 

 

 

Ammo belt aftermath.

 

 

 

Finish removing rivets and cloth belt and drop boxes.

 

 

 

Using a dremel or other remove the remainder of glue and rivet.

 

 

 

Other items that need attention are the drop boxes. Anovis wedges the connecting straps between the drop box halves. They should be glued to the outside of the inner box. Without disassembling the drop box halves firmly, but carefully remove the straps by pulling on them.

 

 

And finally remove the holster.

 

 

 

Ready to assemble. To be continued...

[ukswrath[TX]]

Beautiful work as always brother. Have you built a TK before😄

 

Thanks Peter.

 

No never lol

[retrofire[501st]]

It's a shame they don't reach out mostly to the FISD and SpecOps and learn how these are correctly built in the first place. Thanks for the tutorial! This is the kind of stuff that goes in the toolbox. Even though I roll in Scout armor this is good stuff to learn.

[ukswrath[TX]]

It's a shame they don't reach out mostly to the FISD and SpecOps and learn how these are correctly built in the first place. Thanks for the tutorial! This is the kind of stuff that goes in the toolbox. Even though I roll in Scout armor this is good stuff to learn.

 

Yea, well unfortunately the FB groups are killing the march for accuracy. Thanks for the kind words brother.

[Darth Emphatic[CMD-DWM]]

That looks awesome, man. I am not big fan of the Anovos belt, but I admit I also haven't seen it in person to make an ultimate judgment. It's not bad enough, from what I have seen, not to pass basic approval, but if it was my armor, I would probably replace it.

[ukswrath[TX]]

That looks awesome, man. I am not big fan of the Anovos belt, but I admit I also haven't seen it in person to make an ultimate judgment. It's not bad enough, from what I have seen, not to pass basic approval, but if it was my armor, I would probably replace it.

 

Thanks Steve, yea the belt is junk. The weight of the holster alone makes it sag and look like a wet noodle. It had to go.

 

When the Anovos Armor came out a few of us at the FISD gave them advice on what to change for future builds, for the most part it fell on def ears. So here we are lol. Though for the introductory price it's a no brainer, I bought a few and built two to Centurion so far. If you can get one cheap they're fun to build but I wouldn't plan on them lasting long.

[Griffin-X[501st]]

Looking really good Tony...and agree on the belt part, too.

[ukswrath[TX]]

Looking really good Tony...and agree on the belt part, too.

 

Thanks Jim

[retrofire[501st]]

It would seem that you would spend more to get it to ESB or Centurion with the replacements and sweat equity then getting a good set and building it to that level to begin with. Both of my scouts are SC and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

[ukswrath[TX]]

It would seem that you would spend more to get it to ESB or Centurion with the replacements and sweat equity then getting a good set and building it to that level to begin with. Both of my scouts are SC and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

 

Agreed however, the set only cost $350 at the introductory price, which also came with the soft goods, under suit, gloves and neck seal. Total build cost including replacing the Anovos supplied velcro connecting straps with brackets or snaps, cloth waist belt with a Kittle belt and rubber hand guards, your still only talking $450 not including boots. Trust me I'm not an Anovos advocate, just throwing out numbers here. I built one of these armor sets for a fellow garrison member, to Centurion, in two weekends. He now troops next to $1,800 TM and RS armor owners. Besides the fact it just doesn't look at purdy as the high dollar suits IMHO, it's a fully functional set of armor for 1/4 the cost.

[Kylorick[501st]]

Wow thats a great price.

[Darth Emphatic[CMD-DWM]]

Yep, the pre-orders can be very cost effective and I bought a kit for just that reason when they first launched.

[retrofire[501st]]

 

Agreed however, the set only cost $350 at the introductory price, which also came with the soft goods, under suit, gloves and neck seal. Total build cost including replacing the Anovos supplied velcro connecting straps with brackets or snaps, cloth waist belt with a Kittle belt and rubber hand guards, your still only talking $450 not including boots. Trust me I'm not an Anovos advocate, just throwing out numbers here. I built one of these armor sets for a fellow garrison member, to Centurion, in two weekends. He now troops next to $1,800 TM and RS armor owners. Besides the fact it just doesn't look at purdy as the high dollar suits IMHO, it's a fully functional set of armor for 1/4 the cost.

 

I totally get that and at that price it can't be beat. The reason we do this is to bring the smiles and joy so the armor kind of fades away when the kids (big and little) come. The achievement of lvl 2 & 3 is icing on the cake for us the builders and I'm a firm believer that everyone can do it and there are plenty of folks, like you, that are happy to help folks like me achieve that goal. I love that more and more makers (some good, some bad) are creating armor so more people can join us. I don't want to Shanghai your thread anymore but just say thanks for doing threads like this to help us all become better builders.

[ukswrath[TX]]

Wow thats a great price.

 

Yep

 

Yep, the pre-orders can be very cost effective and I bought a kit for just that reason when they first launched.

 

Yea. During the Anovos onslaught I heard a love of diehards say they'd never buy one to only find out they caved.

 

I totally get that and at that price it can't be beat. The reason we do this is to bring the smiles and joy so the armor kind of fades away when the kids (big and little) come. The achievement of lvl 2 & 3 is icing on the cake for us the builders and I'm a firm believer that everyone can do it and there are plenty of folks, like you, that are happy to help folks like me achieve that goal. I love that more and more makers (some good, some bad) are creating armor so more people can join us. I don't want to Shanghai your thread anymore but just say thanks for doing threads like this to help us all become better builders.

 

When Anovos hit the stage it was a shock to the vetted builders. Disney was now granting licenses to vendors that didn't follow the same rules the vetted did. If anyone was following the hysteria unfold on whitearmor it was a nightmare for us on the staff. I'm all for accuracy but like you said it's also about bringing joy to others. I do what I can to help others fulfill their dreams, whether it commission builds or build parties, it's something I love to do.

[ukswrath[TX]]

10. Waist belt (preassembled from Anovos) Accuracy Modifications

 

10b. Belt assembly and installation part 1

 

As discussed earlier I'm replacing the Anovos cloth belt with a Kittle belt. Here's both items before assembly.

 

 

 

Take the cloth belt and find the center of the belt. NOTE: Kittle belts have a front and back side. He generally specifies this with a piece of tape (shown above)

 

 

 

NOTE: In this build the cloth belt will be attached to the ammo belt with pop rivets. My first choice would have been to use canon cap rivets but with the minor damage done to the mounting holes from the disassembly I'm electing to use cap rivets with aluminum washers.

 

Using hole punch create a hole for the 1/8 x 3/16" pop rivet. For the moment we are only working on the center hole. The outer holes will be done a little bit later.

 

 

 

From the back side install rivet and washer (if needed).

 

 

A washer was used on the front (ammo belt) side also.

 

 

 

Center section done.

[ukswrath[TX]]

10. Waist belt (preassembled from Anovos) Accuracy Modifications

 

10c. Belt assembly and installation part 2 (install Ab to Belt mounting snaps)

 

In this section I'll be installing the Ab to waist belt mounting snaps. I'm be using Line 24 snaps to secure the belt to the ab. At the time of build I realized I'd run out of "S" popper snaps which are canon.

 

Anyway, following the template measurements below, on the Ab locate, mark and drill 1/8" holes for the snap base.

 

 

 

 

 

After drilling the holes place the Ab on a chair. Temporarily mount (magnets work best) the center and vertical ab buttons. Place the current belt assembly on the ab with the upper part of the belt at or just below the lower ab buttons.

 

 

 

Temporarily attach belt assembly using painters tape. Center the belt so that it is centered with the lower vertical raised section that travels to the cod. Afterwards remove ab buttons. The purpose with the on and off of the buttons is to avoid scratching them during this procedure.

 

 

 

Wrap the remainder of the belt behind the ab. Flip ab over so that it is face down. Locate snap mounting holes. Center cloth belt on holes. Place a pencil through the holes and mark the cloth belt.

 

 

 

Afterwards (NOTE: I used a silver sharpie)

 

 

 

IMPORTANT!!! At this point you'll want to locate and mark cloth belt through the mounting holes and each end of the ammo belt.

 

 

 

Remove belt and install mounting rivets. Install the male from the inside of the ab facing forward. Sorry for the next few blurry photos.

 

 

 

Place waist belt on a flat surface. Punch out holes for ab to cloth belt mounting rivets and for ammo belt to to cloth belt.

 

 

 

Install female snaps. NOTE: Some how I forgot to take photos of this process DOE!

 

Afterwards connect ammo belt to cloth belt using pop rivets.

 

 

 

Afterwards

 

 

 

Reinstall cap rivets covers. Apply glue and clamp

 

 

 

Test fit

 

 

 

Apply glue and clamp

 

 

 

Let dry. To be cont....

[ukswrath[TX]]

10. Waist belt (preassembled from Anovos) Accuracy Modifications

 

10d. Belt assembly (Holster modification and install)

 

In this section I'll be slightly modifying, then installing the gun holster. First order of business is to remove the weak cap rivets and replace them with stronger and more accurate Chicago screws. Drill out or pull apart cap rivets.

 

 

 

Since I won't be using the upper holster mounts I trimmed them roughly 3/4" above the lower hole. Afterwards install 3/8" long Chicago screws. NOTE: You'll have to purchase these as they do not come with the kit.

 

Another note: You may notice the straps are installed smooth side out. With the OTTK armor it's supposed to be unfinished or rough side out. I figured this kit was supposed to be shinny so I left them as such. If this is incorrect someone please tell me.

 

 

 

Prepare to install on cloth belt. In the image below there are measurements indicating where the holster mounts should be placed.

 

 

 

 

Measure, mark and punch 3/16" holes for Chicago screws. NOTE: The original screws will be used here.

 

 

 

And install.

 

 

 

Next up, drop boxes...

 

EDIT: Paint the chicago screws then drop box time lol

[ukswrath[TX]]

10. Waist belt (preassembled from Anovos) Accuracy Modifications

 

10e. Belt assembly (Drop box modification and install)

 

Finishing off the waist belt, in this section I'll illustrate how to correctly modify, install the drop box and connecting connecting straps. As mentioned previously remove drop box straps from the drop boxes (glued being wedged between both drop box halves).

 

At this point you can choose to use the same drop box elastic you removed or do as I did and use other connection elastic from the Anovos kit. I'll choose to use the old drop box elastic at a later time. This is what I used, technically the shoulder bell around the bicep strapping. Using a exacto knife remove the velcro from the elastic.

 

 

Before assembly

 

 

 

In the following few photos I'll be reinstalling the elastic, cutting out sections to go around snaps (if you assembled you belt similar to mine).

 

 

 

Center strapping to drop box and align drop box so that the outer edge is aligned with the outer edge of the ammo belt, and with little to no clearance between the box and the ammo belt above it.

 

 

 

Apply glue to the drop box, between the box elastic and between the elastic and cloth belt.

 

 

 

Apply clamps and let dry.

 

 

 

Finished, don't mine the dirtiness it still needs final cleaning.

 

[ukswrath[TX]]

Man what is up with this website, very buggy. Copy and paste is a nightmare

[Darth Emphatic[CMD-DWM]]

Jim or I would be happy to help, but we are going to need more details. I am not having any issues with copy or paste. What are you specifically trying to do?

[ukswrath[TX]]

Hey Chris yea I heard the release date got pushed back, sorry to hear that. Welcome to Anovos. Like you said, stay positive and in the mean time get all your supplies and tools together. Also order any items that do not come with the kit. And finally, read, read, read

 

Thanks for the kudos

[ukswrath[TX]]

6. Chest plate and shoulders

 

6b. Chest to cover plate assembly.

 

By this time you should have your chest and shoulder cover plates trimmed out. Perform a test fit of the plates. The largest of the ribs on the cover plates faces forward. Also, when gluing the covers to the chest there should be approximately 5 ribs on the chest side, the remainder will be floating.

 

 

 

Note the cover to chest edge alignment.

 

 

 

In the following photos I'll be gluing the covers to the chest. Apply glue as shown. using a couple clamps secure in place and let dry.

 

 

 

Note: The right side chest mount is a bit wonky in shape, that's ok just follow the outer edge.

 

 

 

While clamps are in place carefully check to ensure the covers will sit relatively close to the center of the back plate. This does not have to be perfect.

 

 

 

Finished

 

[ukswrath[TX]]

14. Strapping

 

14a. Snap mounts

 

As discussed earlier I had to abandon the desire to install bracket connections due to the limitations of this particular armor, bummer, ok i'm over it let's move on lol. Snaps as well as other materials will be used to connect plates of armor. In this section I'll be making and installing the mounts needed to connect armor sections. NOTE: Other sections will require the use snaps without mounts (lower posterior), split rivets (kidney to ab), or the combination of the two (cod, lower ab). These will be discussed later.

 

Using line 24 DOT snaps and roughly 1" x 2" black nylon webbing I'll create mounts to connect the follow armor sections. Chest to Back, Chest to Ab, Back to Kidney, and Kidney to Posterior (butt). NOTE: I've see other builders use two snaps per connection/mount. I'm a firm believer if you use good quality snaps like DOT, Fasnap or Tandy it will only require one snap per connection.

 

Assembly all the necessary hardware and tools. Similar to what's been demonstrated previously, center, punch hole and install male snap base.

Though the following image shows me using the base tool I highly suggest using a hard flat area to use as it will also flatten the base during install. Use the the concrete or an vise, this will make securing the mount to armor easier and more secure.

 

Create roughly 19 mounts.

 

 

Apply E6000 the the back of the mounts. Avoid applying glue directly to the snap itself but to the nylon only. Some cheaper snaps have been know to have adverse reaction to the glue.

 

Install mounts in the following locations. Using scrap material secure and let dry.

 

 

 

To be cont....

[ukswrath[TX]]

Jim or I would be happy to help, but we are going to need more details. I am not having any issues with copy or paste. What are you specifically trying to do?

 

If I copy the heading from one section and paste it into a new section when I go to save it it scrambles everything and half the time it deletes the photos or partially. Weird.

[ukswrath[TX]]

14. Strapping continued....

 

14b Snap mounts continued: Ab, Cod and Posterior

 

In this section we'll be installing the right side Ab male snap (This snap will be functional). We'll also the cod split rivet but we'll be adding a male snap on the interior so that a snap can be used to connect the Cod to the Posterior. And finally we'll be installing two male snaps on the Posterior (These snaps will also be functional).

 

Beginning with the ab, measure, drill hole than install male snap with the post base facing outward. Measure roughly 20mm from the top of the ab return edge and roughly 10mm from the side (where the armor bend begins).

 

Here's a reference photo

 

 

 

Finished photo posted

 

NEXT!