The metal pieces I had bent last night (the left sleeve on the picture) and glued into place are in my opinion really too big for the scale. From another mad dash through the craft store during lunchtime, I encountered something that will work. It is aluminum that is soft enough to bend without too much effort, and it's practically trimmed for me to begin with, so all I had to really do was roll it into shape, and then glue it. I must have rolled these little tin shapes for quite some time when my dulled senses were beckoned to sleep by the toll of the midnight hour. So another night has come to pass and there is much to do for the armor but I am happy at the results now. I wrapped the armored sleeve around the ape's upper arm and it looks wonderful. The studs will not be overwhelmed by the size of the metal plating and there is no need for me to paint this. Both sleeves are now done. This costume is promising to be a good one. After the glue has dried, I am going to place the sleeves face down on my kitchen counter and rub down the metal out so they are flattened. At that point, I will decide if I should add the horizontal bars on each metal plate--if they add or detract to the overall outlook of the outfit.
