ASSEMBLING THE THIGH ARMOR

Start with the front and back thigh armor. Temporarily masking tape the pieces together like a clam shell. If you are able to slip the thigh armor over your foot and up your leg without any problem, you should consider ABS cementing the pieces together. If not, then Industrial Velcro is the preferred method in securing the thigh halves.

ABS cement the thigh armor in the following method. Have an ABS applicator ready such as toothpicks to apply the ABS cement, and clamps and masking tape to hold the halves together. Apply the ABS cement to the inside of the outer ridge. Ensure that you do not apply too much as the excess cement will push out once the pieces are tightly pressed to one another. Do one side at a time and let cure before repeating on other half.
Repeat for other thigh armor.

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ASSEMBLING THE CALF ARMOR

Put together the front and back calf armor aligning it to match. It is unlikely that you are able to slip the calf armor over your foot and up your leg and therefore will not be ABS cementing the halves together.
Industrial Velcro is the preferred method in securing the thigh halves. Cut white velcro strips to the width of the ridge line and the length of the calf ridge. Apply the hook side to the inner ridge so that it faces out away from your bodysuit. Apply the loop side facing on the ridge line facing in.
Do this to both sides of the calf halves and repeat on the other leg calf.

You may wish to permanently attached the front half of the calf sections with ABS cement and leave the back attached with velcro. Check to see if the calf armor will have enough give to allow you to open only the backside and slip it around your leg calf. If it does then you should be okay to ABS cement the front half. This will give the front of the leg calf armor a cleaner look with the halves being pressed close together.

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SECURING THE THIGH ARMOR BOXES

The Armor boxes piece that is to be placed on the lower right thigh armor is secured with rivets. First take the Armor boxes and bend inward along all the crease lines. Bend each line a little bit at a time until the entire piece wraps around the thigh armor.

Drill two holes in the Armor Boxes piece using a drill bit the size of the rivet diameter. Drill one hole on each side a half inch in from the end and halfway from top to bottom. Line up the Armor boxes piece on the thigh armor where you want to place it and temporarily secure it with masking tape. Mark the holes through the drilled out armor boxes piece to the thigh armor. Drill out the marked holes on the thigh armor.

Take white rivets and push through the holes starting in the Armor boxes piece, and through the thigh armor. Place a rivet washer on the backside. Use the rivet gun and secure the rivet. Repeat on both holes.

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SECURING THE KNEE PLATE

Securing the knee plate can be done with snaps, velcro or rivets. Snaps and velcro are not he best pieces to use simply because the knee plate can be easily removed. This is one of the pieces fans tend to steal off your armor. Rivets will provide the best securing and best security for the knee plate mounted to the top of the left calf armor assembly. If you ABS cemented the front of the calf armor then riveting the knee plate in place can be done permanently. If you velcroed in the front of the calf piece, you may want to consider only riveting one half of the knee plate and using velcro or a snap to secure the other side. Take note that velcro and snaps will leave the knee plate sitting not flush against the calf armor. This in itself leaves the look undesirable.
The last posibilty is to ABS cement the knee plate in place but is not recommended due to the stress the calf armor will place upon it and because now the knee plate will not flex when walking.

To begin, line up the knee plate over the top of the left calf armor assembly. Temporarily secure it with masking tape. Mark where you will drill holes or mount velcro or snaps. For drilling use a drill bit the size of the rivet diameter and drill through both the knee plate and the calf armor below it. Repeat on both sides.

Place the rivet through the front side of the knee plate continuing through the calf armor. Place a rivet washer on the back side. Use the rivet gun and secure the rivet. Repeat for the second hole.

For Velcro, simply place loop velcro on the back side of the knee plate and hook velcro on the front side of the calf armor.

For using snaps. Once your snap location is marked, make up a hidden snap shim piece. Use the female snap in this piece. Double check the location of your mounting point and secure the hidden snap shim piece to the inner side of the knee plate. Repeat for other half of knee plate if using only snaps to secure to calf armor.

Drill out the hole for the male snap on the calf armor. Secure the male snap to the calf armor. Repeat for other half of knee plate if using only snaps to secure to calf armor.

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ATTACHING THIGH ARMOR TO WAIST BELT

Note: before proceding with this step please see SITTING MODIFICATION TO THIGH ARMOR below.

Attaching the thigh armor to the ab armor went through two changes. The first attempt was to just use hidden snaps. Under waist bending conditions, the elastic stretch fabric would catch under the armor pieces and pull the snaps off the thigh armor and sometimes the Ab armor (unsnapping themselves).
So, the second idea is to wear a belt around the waist and to use Shim Strips on the thigh armor attaching the two with the elastic stretch fabric. Make the Shim Strips 3/4 inch wide and long enough to cross over the top of the ridge line from the inside of the thigh armor. Put a slight arch into both strips by bending them. This will allow it to fit in the curvature of the inside of the thigh armor. ABS cement in the side edges of the Shim Strip about 1 to 2 inches down from the top of the thigh armor. Secure the two ends and let cure.
Take a piece of black elastic stretch fabric (I used a baseball helmet adjustable chin strap) and wrap it around the shim on the 3/4 inch side. Sew the end of the fabric where it meets back to itself on the other side of the shim. Make the stitching strong to prevent it from pulling loose.

The belt can be anything you want. But be forewarned, the belt material should not cut into the bodysuit or make you uncomfortable when wearing it.

Make sure the length of the black elastic stretch fabric is long enough to reach the belt you will be wearing around your waist. It must be long enough to go over the top and loop back down to snap together. Test fit this while wearing the belt and thigh armor.
For the male and female snaps that will mount on the stretch fabric, use the baseball helmet adjustable chin strap adjusters. Take one side of the adjuster (it has the snap mounted to it), and drill out the female snap. Flip it over and mount a male snap, put it on the stretch fabric. This end should be below the waist belt before you loop the end over the belt. Take the second adjuster leaving the female snap and run it down the stretch fabric. Make sure the female snap is facing the male snap after it loops over the belt. Now snap it together.
Repeat for other thigh.

Repeat the process for the other thigh armor.

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ADDING PADDING TO THE THIGH ARMOR

For the padding use foam weatherstripping which can be found at any hardware store. Use velcro to attach foam strips to the inside of the thigh armor. Use loop on the armor side and hook on the foam side. You will have to experiment on where to mount the foam strips and in which direction to mount it. This will depend on your height and weight and thigh thickness.

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SITTING MODIFICATION TO THIGH ARMOR

Attempting to sit in Stormtrooper Armor is difficult at best. I found two modifications that needed to be done in order to sit, walk up and down stairs, and run. Both modifications are done to the thigh armor. It involves cutting away the top of the thigh armor until you are able to sit down. And cutting a half moon shape in the lower raised ridge in back of the thigh.

Start out with cutting the half moon shape. Only cut one to two millimeters or 1/16 of an inch to start. Take a little off at a time until you reach the desired results. It is best to do so in this manner, as there is no putting back what you cut off.

Test fit the thigh armor after every cut. You will need to test fit it with the lower armor in place and possibly the calf armor as well. It is also a good idea to wear the bodysuit while test fitting.
The next area to mod is the top of the thigh armor. Cut one to two millimeters or 1/16 of an inch to start. Test fit between cuts. Check your fit, inspect what needs to be cut off. Mark this area with masking tape as a marker is too permanent and pen and pencil leaves scratches in the armor.
Continue to cut off the top of the thigh armor until the fit is desired.
Based on my height of 5 feet ten inches and my build, I cut down approximately one (1) inch off the top of my thigh armor. I did not cut one inch all the way around the top of the armor. The further down I cut, the less I cut off the back top of the armor. When marking the top of the thigh armor you will be taking more off the front. Your marked line will taper off (get smaller)as you go around the sides of the thigh. You may find it unnecessary to cut anything off the sides or back.
You will have to pick a stopping point as well, a balance between how well you can sit, walk up stairs, etc. and the look of the thigh armor after it is cut down. If you take too much off the top of the thigh armor, it will not look right.

Now you have completed the Leg Armor.

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