Gauntlet kit trouble

Hey

I've recently started work on my gauntlet kit ( Thanks to my new toy, I mean Dremel tool ) but the two bottom halfs seem to be a whole lot wider than the top halfs not to mention the fact that they look like they would fit a gorilla's arms !!

any advice on downsizing or reshaping would be greatly appreciated

Many thanks in advance

Randy

What kit is it?
If it's made of plastic like ABS or styrene, just heating it up a little with a hair dryer or heat gun. When its flexible, form it so it is the correct shape to fit your arms. I'm not sure about fibreglass since I've never tried it.

They're fibre glass , they were a birthday present last year

The rocket and stuff are Resin

THe best way that I have found is to just keep trimming little by little till they are the shape and size you need. The good thing is that they are too big. You can keep cutting down when they are too big but if they are too small, you are out of luck.
Just work slowly and patiently and you'll get it.

I got some gauntlets too, but Iam not sure the best way to start on em, ive looked em over and I really need to make sure i get the correct bottoms with there tops and all, ill try to post some pics later or something, there outta a thin plasticy material that flexes when I apply pressure, the other parts are resin some areas look lik they have a slight indent perhaps where the molded part actually ended, but mine include more, like where you arm goes on on the... i think left one, its odd shapped, and lookin closly you can see a very circular indent. Ill get pics.. theyll help. just a basic "I started with the left gaunt, using a dremal to...." would be useful, i dont wanna screw these up.. iam thinkin of molding em in case i do...

Are you sure you have the halves matched up correctly? It sounds simple but it is easy to make that mistake.

my fiberglass kit didn't match up either. I had to use a heat gun to heat them up. It took a pretty darn high temp to get them flexible. Then I had to shape them several times before the new shape held. Get some rubber bands to hold the right shapes. I used rubber bands and clamps to hold the halves together while they cooled.

Mine are also WAY to big. I would like to find a smaller kit. I use a piece of 2"thick foam in each gauntlet to get it to hold it's place on my arms.

Originally Posted by Slowmo

Mine are also WAY to big. I would like to find a smaller kit. I use a piece of 2"thick foam in each gauntlet to get it to hold it's place on my arms.

I was planing on the same thing. keeps me away from the fibreglass itch as well...

Thanks for the advice and help everyone very much apprecitated

The halves are definately matched up correctly Boba goat

I shall try E2K13's suggestion and carefully downsize bit by bit, this does mean I might have to re do those three little square shaprs but that does'nt sound too difficult
I might just have to start work on a set that is'nt made for folks with forearms like barrels

Hey Kissker good luck with yours

Randy

I had the same problem with my first RA kit. The gauntlets were way to large for my thin arms. So I came with the idea to use thick footless stockings over the sleeves, you know the style that women use in fitness studios when they do aerobic activities.

wouldnt that get hot? I used a heat gun to bend mine inside of the other, then used a hinge on the outside and then a long magnet to clsoe them together.

Originally Posted by FettTheHunter

I shall also be making a new flame thrower unit out of alumiun so if anyone has any ideas what would make good nozzles ( I do a search but I could'nt find anything ) that would be most helpful

Are you doing ESB or ROTJ?

Sorry, should have specified
Return of the Jedi gauntlets are the ones I'm doing

Looks like no matter what alterations I might make to the gauntlet shell they would never fit properly

Looks like I'm left with a rocket and a keypad

I just bought two sets of fiberglass gauntlets. Neither of them are very good. They don't match up and the resin parts have a billion bubbles. That's why I'm making new gauntlets. I didn't really want to make stuff for my Boba Fett. I wanted to just buy all the parts but holy cow! These gauntlets are bad. I'm gonna try making them from 3/16" thick high impact styrene and from rubber just like my guns. One or the other will work.

Hey Postmortem01... Two sets !!! that's awful !!

I guess I'll be going the route of making my own again too, but more accurate this time .. I kind of like making as much as possible myself but the kit was a birthday present so I feel kinda bad about not building them, oh well

Randy

Did you think about laying weatherstriping foam inside of the shells, and the upper part? Thats what I did so they wouldnt turn on my arms.

Originally Posted by bobagoat

Are you sure you have the halves matched up correctly? It sounds simple but it is easy to make that mistake.

I am glad this was brought up. How do you know if you have the right pieces together? I guess I don't have the "eye" for it. I have looked at as many pictures as I could find and just cant tell.

Originally Posted by Laan

I am glad this was brought up. How do you know if you have the right pieces together? I guess I don't have the "eye" for it. I have looked at as many pictures as I could find and just cant tell.

Use the three little square indents on the lower halfs

Randy

here we go, i took some pictures finally.. and well.. maybe you can see what i mean. aint the best pictures but you can see the areas needing attention, I just need a little help on where to start, i figured start with the left, its going to be ESB and if i can do the left, i can do the right, then ill worry about paintin em up. (and before you get onto me saying "thats not the left" these are pictures of the"deformities" i mentioned, and not just one arm targeted...)

you have to trim that bent in plastic off, there not perfect off the mold, nothing styrene is. and use your stovetop oven burner hold them over it a few seconds and you can get it inshape in no time, I even formed the inner pieces on the stove to fit inside the uppers.

well i know i need to trim, but how far is the main question. I was hoping someone had some good reference pictures, my kit didnt come with a cd, just the plastics really, and he threw in a few resin pieces outta kindness to me, I want these to work well, my others dont have to look as perfect, because of a minor thing iam doing to them.. posted on another forum "flamethrower" and its kinda a give away what Iam doing to them, but these are for Dragon Con and stuff, and I need them to look excellent, iam already years behind, I wanna make a good first impression. ESB details please.

There are some nice refference pictures on the tk90 site ( you know the one )

Just a quick question ... I had a idea as how to make the bottom halves fit the top halves, I'm going to cut the bottom halves in half and make them fit that way ( if that makes sense ) but how do I put the re-sized halves back together afterwards ?

Many thanks

Randy