|
Shin Guard Identification
Images The shin guards for this style of armor are somewhat peculiar and they actually consist of the two same pieces for both side, an outer and an inner, but used in reverse. Many builders use only two molds to create the four calf pieces required to make a set of shin guards, which is actually just fine and certainly acceptable by all standards. Since one knee is covered by the knee plate, the upper point of the crown is not visible on both knees. On this particular set of armor, four separate molds were created which make up the following pieces: 1. Right Outer 2. Right Inner 3. Left Inner 4. Left Outer. I know, it's confusing and when first looking at the pieces from this kit, the difference is a little difficult to spot, but we'll show you how. First, remember this is our interpretation and you may build your suit to any manner or style you wish, technically, you'll be correct either way. Below are all four pieces, they look very similar, so we'll discuss the differences.
First, you will immediately see that there are two basic designs of the crown, one has a more gentle taper downwards and one has a more sharpened 'V' appearance. Photo Below: The shin guards with the sharpened 'V' design function as the Left Outer and the Right Inner
Photo Below: The Shin Guards with the more gentle taper, function as the Right Outer and the Left Inner.
The simple rule is as follows: Depth and Crown Design. Look at this image of a man's right leg. If you draw a line down the middle of the calf region from the foot to the ankle, you'll see that most men's legs tend to be just slightly larger on the outer side. But we're all different so this may vary on your own legs. It's actually not that important. Therefore, most fans use the wider (deeper) calf pieces for the outside and the thinner (shallower) pieces for the inside. Again, since the calf pieces are formed on pretty deep tooling anyways, the odds are that either will work. You will need to trim them accordingly to adjust your fit and then apply the cover strips to meet 501st requirements.
Most fans prefer to use the shins as follows, but if you are more comfortable using the deeper shins on the inside, it's certainly an option. If you notice, the slightly shallower pieces have a deeper cut right at the top where the molded ridge begins. Some fans like this on the outside, but again, it's your suit and you can build it as you wish. For purposes of parts identification, we'll use the following images:
Hopefully this will answer any questions you may have. Enjoy! |
|