Shinale (Resolving a Conflict of Authoritative Advice)

Note (29 March 2019): This issue isn't usually a problem in modern Anovos kits, but if you have an issue with determining the correct pairing of shin pieces, this blog post dated 23 Feb 2016 may be of use. For an updated tutorial, check out UKSWrath's updated guide on shin pre-assembly here.

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Because a probable minority of the kits had mis-numbered shin pieces, there has been a ton of talk about the shins, how they go together, and which pieces fit on which leg. I'm hoping that this will be the last post on this subject. If you want to skip to the details and reasoning, skip to the jump.

Yesterday started out like any other day, with some banter and advice regarding the build, and of course the shins come up again. I give my advice, based on what I'd been told by UKSwrath. l However, another poster flatly advised me that my advice was wrong.

This was obviously upsetting, as I have already rebuilt my shins three times. Swapping the legs at this point would mean I have to move the sniper knee and swap the back strips, again.

The crux of the argument ultimately is with a conflict of two authoritative people on whitearmor.net: UKSWrath and his advice on my leg pieces, and TrooperMaster, a 501st FISD Master Armorer, with my own build and with KMan's build.

The conflicting advice, building, and rebuilding of these pieces has caused me a great amount of discontent and stress. Therefore, last night I was resolved to get to the bottom of this issue, through the advice of fellow kit builders and veteran TKs, with other considerations in mind.

I asked two groups for input: the ANOVOS group, and my (hopefully) future 501st squad. Opinions were split down the board. On one hand there's the matter of how it fits me; on the other hand, the armor should be (roughly) anatomically correct for the leg on which it belongs.

Take this example:

Here's my unsightly right leg, and the shin that should match it (Pieces 25 & 28). On my leg, there's a long curve on the outside of the shin, and a short curve on the inside towards my body's center line. The armor shin matches this.

Here's a picture of UKSWrath's right shin, for example. Note how the piece with the broad curve is on the outside of the leg, and the piece with the sharper curve is on the inside:

There's also this graphic from KMan:

After UKSWrath's advice, I wanted to use this shin on my right leg (Pieces 24 & 27):

It fits all right, but the long curve would be on the inside, not the outside like it should be. This should be the shin piece for my left leg... right?

I thought that the shins felt better wearing them on the opposite legs, per UKSWRath's advice. However, I discovered after more test wearing least night and today that it really doesn't matter which leg they're on; they're uncomfortable either way. But why? It's mostly due to the fact that I need to trim off more of the inside edges so that the pieces don't rub the insides of my knees, and the ends of the strips near the ankles. I might also have to make cut-outs for my back of my knees. Those changes should vastly improve comfort.

Using TrooperMaster's advice, the right shin looks weird, but UKSWrath's advice, though, the left shin looks weird. Basically, Pieces 25 & 28 just look weird assembled, and it's just the mold and nothing to do with placement.

So what have I concluded after all of this? Let's recap:

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Rough Timeline:

• I start gluing my shins together. Immediately, something doesn't look right.
• TrooperMaster observes that some kits have mismatched pieces based on their curvature.
• I begrudgingly experiment with my pieces, discovering that it seems that I was affected by this issue. I update my blog.
• I get my left and right shins built according to advice from TrooperMaster
• After having some slight issues, I post pictures to UKSWrath's thread for advice. UKSWrath advises me that it seems that the pieces are on the wrong legs.
• I swap some parts and move the sniper knee over, thinking the issue is resolved. I update my blog and also my past related blog posts.
• Monday I was told that my advice (based on UKSWrath's opinion) was wrong. Obviously, I'm upset by this.
• I crowdsourced for authoritative advice between my future squad mates and the ANOVOS FB group.

Considerations:

• TrooperMaster is a master armorer. As snarky as he can be with his advice, it is sound.
• I originally had my legs laid out in a manner advised by TrooperMaster (until I was told otherwise by UKSWrath).
• The form of the shins should follow the body's natural form.
• The shins should be comfortable to troop in.
• The shins should match screen-worn shins as close as possible.

Final Verdict: (for my case and perhaps others affected by the ANOVOS shin mis-numbering issue):

TrooperMaster's Advice

• Pieces 24 & 27 should be the left shin
• Pieces 25 & 28 should be the right shin

Summary:

Please consider that this is my first build, and that by no means am I an authority. I try to give advice based on my personal experiences with this build. However, sometimes the advice given to me by supposed authorities my be inaccurate or just plain wrong. Not only does it irk me to receive wrong advice (well-intended as it should be), but it further pains me to pass along wrong advice to others to whom I give advice or read this blog. If anything, I hope to save someone the trouble of going through the same issues I've encountered.

Also, my apologies to KMan and TrooperMaster for my temper. I was frustrated by the whole ordeal, but after working on thigh pieces last night was able to clear my head and have (hopefully) one last go at this topic.

Anyhow, I'll have to swap the back strips and sniper knee again, as well as perform the trimming on the inside edges of the knees. Afterwards, I can determine if I'll need to cut out the back of the knees for better mobility and comfort while trooping.

I'll be back-updating my older blog posts (again) to eliminate any confusion on this matter, now that I've exhaustively studied it to make a (hopefully) final determination. And don't worry; my next blog should be about something not shin related (thighs, actually).