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Hmmm...like Daniel, I’m a little confused. As the coverstrip is on the outside of the armour piece, it shouldn’t play and part in the space between the arm and the armour. I have quite slim arms, so just cut more (evenly) from each side of the limb, then butt jointed the two with the coverstrip. If my arms were larger, I’d have cut less away from the limb part, but still covered with a 15mm strip. I believe the strip size would only increase if needs must, for example if the trooper is of a larger build and needs to cover some larger gaps. :-)

Not sure I understand this correctly but here goes If you have thinner arms - great that means you can go with Canon size cover strips, you adjust the size of the biceps by cutting down the two halves, not by making the cover strip more narrow

One finger is good advice. I used two and my biceps turned out a bit large (at least width-wise). However, I couldn't size them down much more because I had to keep my forearms a little bigger (to get my hand though the end) and wanted to keep the cover strips as close to cannon as possible. In the end, I added a little bit of foam to the inside of my biceps too keep them centered and stable. I could have reshaped them with a hot bath, but then my shoulder bells wouldn't fit as nice.

First, it is GREAT to see all the new HWTs coming on board! This costume provides you the option of trooping as two different characters, as you can remove the extra accessories and clean up your armor to troop as a shiny white TK when needed. However, there needs to be some continuity among us. As with any costume here, there are certain guidelines that need to be followed, which is why we have the CRLs in place. The HWT pack used for this costume is based on the original Star Wars Battlefront game, and as such the details need to follow those seen there. We realize that not everyone has access to all the parts that are listed in the most popular pack build threads, but those items can be sourced from different places and still meet the requirements, In order to keep everyone on the same page, I have asked Sean (TK 77019) to draw up some diagrams for me with measurements agreed upon with Tony (ukswrath), who is a fellow DO, as well as the maker of the pack build that most of us followed. As there are no precise screen caps available, these measurements are to assist you as a general guide, and you will be allowed a certain amount of leeway to get you as close as possible to the "original", and if followed, will be acceptable to EIB and Centurion levels. Please note the absence of extra greeblies, lights, etc. (Please see notes at bottom of post). PLEASE NOTE: The antenna is shown on the above pack, but is NO LONGER PERMITTED, even for basic approval. The thickness of the pack base can run from 3.5 inches (shown) to 6 inches.

At the encouragement of @ukswrath, here is a post I originally made a year and a half ago on the Anovos FB build group, which is handy for all makes of armor, not just Anovos. ABS Paste?!?! WTF is THAT? I've seen variations of this question over and over. So perhaps this will be helpful. ABS paste is homemade glue for your ABS plastic. It literally melts and reforms the plastic into a solid piece, so it's more like welding than gluing. But as the warning phrase "it literally melts..." foreshadows, you should be careful. Making couldn't be easier. Get a GLASS jar. Don't be that person who makes it in a plastic cup. You know... the one that puts plastic melting stuff into a plastic cup. You've met that guy. Don't be that guy. All you need is a jar, some ABS scrap, and some construction grade acetone. Nail polish remover is NOT strong enough, even though it has "some" acetone in it. Pick up a bottle at Home Depot or the like. (For people in other countries, like the UK, where Acetone is not readily available... you have my sympathies) For containers, I feel a glass baby food jar is ideal. It's just the perfect size (unless you doing something epic!), stupid cheap (if you don't already have one somewhere), and easy to work with. I'm going to assume baby food jar, so if you choose a 2 quart mason jar, scale as needed. In general, ABS paste is practically free, other than the price of a tiny bit of Acetone and maybe a buck for a jar of baby food, if you don't have a suitable container already, since your source material is scrap from your own build. (never toss that armor scrap!) A NOTE ABOUT FUMES: Pure Acetone is nasty stuff. You really don't want to be breathing Acetone fumes. A whiff here and there likely won't cause lasting harm, unless you have existing pulmonary issues, but still, do your best to avoid breathing a lot of the stuff. At a minimum, you can end up with a NASTY headache. At worse, you can actually cause damage to your lungs. Use your own level of protection that feels best for you... some want to wear a full respirator (with a volatile organic cartridge), others, like myself, are content to work outdoors and minimize breathing it. (Once the jar is capped, it should be fine to bring indoors.) FILL the jar with the tiniest scraps if ABS you can get. I literally used the curly-que and powdered scrap from under my belt sander, after all my rough cuts, in addition to cutting up a few pieces of scrap into 1/4" square pieces, with scissors. And now the magic. Add approx 1 teaspoon of Acetone (and remember, I'm assuming a baby-food size jar... scale accordingly if you're trying to go big and make enough for your entire squad to build with!). Cap the jar, wait 15-20 min (or more, no worries) and then check on it. Poke it with a stir stick. (You can literally use a stick. Although IMO, a wooden coffee stir stick (free at Starbucks!) is ideal, and Popsicle sticks have their proponents, too, as does the toothpick crew, for detail work.) If you literally do not have a stick, a strong piece of scrap you don't care about will do, just be careful where you set it afterwards. But poke at it. Get an idea where it's going. Then add about 1 tsp more Acetone. Re-cap it again, wait 15-20 min, then check again, and this time, stir it a little more seriously. Note the consistency. You'll probably want to add some more, perhaps 1 more tsp, perhaps less? You may be starting to get a feel for it by now. Let sit for a good 1/2 hr, then check and stir AGAIN. We're going slow. Slow is good. Watch some TV or read a book. You have better things to do than watch ABS melt in super slow motion. At this point, you SHOULD be close to ready to go. If not, I recommend letting it sit overnight before checking it again. (in fact, that's not a bad idea in general, but it's not strictly necessary) Only add more Acetone if you still really think it's too thick and clumpy in the morning, after stirring it some more. Repeat until you reach that magic mayonnaise moment. Correct consistency is *roughly* mayo-like. I'd say somewhere between Elmer's glue (a little too runny?) and Toothpaste (perhaps a little too thick). Too runny = bad. Remember the "melting plastic" part? You don't want that running down your armor. Too thick and you may get air pockets. Shoot for the Goldilocks zone. ) When you're ready, apply with a stick. Let it dry (duration depends on thickness... maybe 20 min, maybe overnight?) and sand it down. Repeat until pretty. Relatively small amounts (read: the small patches that ABS paste is generally best for) should be relatively safe to use indoors, just be aware of the fumes. Larger projects (or sensitive spouses... not that it smells too different from the nail salon, in my mind) are probably best to work on outdoors. The beauty of using the same plastic your armor is made from, to make paste, is you get a dead-on 100% perfect color match. No painting needed! (note: The level of polish/sheen will not be the same, but the color itself will be a match. ABS paste isn't really good for large area applications... and trying to do that will likely end up causing warping from too much acetone anyway) (2nd note: ABS paste is not as strong as the original plastic. It's not actually a glue, even if it looks like one. For connections needing a very strong join, use CA glue, as usual.) (pre-sanding... but note that color match to the Anovos armor!) The paste doesn't really go bad, but eventually it'll harden and you'll need to add more Acetone. Keep it capped, and it'll last longer, of course... you can dry it out quite fast if you leave the cap off for more than a few hours. Future batches you can probably go faster (read: add more acetone, sooner), but I recommend the slow approach when you're starting out, until you have a good feel for it. Good luck!

Got my BBB from TM and I'm diving in...slowly and apprehensively. I'll be using TM's Hero build on FB as photo references, and GodofLibra's build thread and TK1386's videos on YouTube for reference, along with lots of feedback from the FISD I hope. First night at it tonight and I trimmed the shoulder straps and shoulder bells. A long way to go, but I'll get there. I don't think my wife knew what she signed up for when I got the blessing to order my kit. -Copper Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So I recently started on my Doopydoos E11 kit with Tino's completion kit and am mildly terrified about this — not that there's any shortage of reference material, but without any authoritative process to follow. So I'm just shadowing some of the other builds here, hoping to get it right. Order of operations is pretty important from what I gather — getting some of these things done in the right order is high on my priority list. Anyway, here's the progress i've made so far. Main Sterling Body and Forward Understock Section — I hollowed out the underside and drilled out the holes on top (note the photo isn't the final photo — just in progress of clearing out the cavity underneath). Main Grip — trigger installed with pen spring and nail holding it in place. I may also go back and put in small metal washers on either side of the trigger for a more smooth action and to give it a little more stability to prevent it from wobbling. I also hollowed out enough of the grip to fit the three-way switch. I'm not putting in electronics in my gun but did like the idea of a physical response from the switch. THIS WAS TERRIFYING hollowing out the grip like this. Main Grip — filled in with Green Stuff and the installation of the stabilization screw: Interior spring coil: Front of body: Magazine screw thingy attached. Had to do a slight repair on the surrounding resin: I hope to make more progress this weekend. It may be slightly unrealistic, but I want to try and get this ready for my first troop in two weeks. Time to buckle down and get things done.

Thankyou brother Enviado desde mi Aquaris E5 mediante Tapatalk

Here is the issue I had with my armour. The AP armour has moulded return edges at the front and back. I wanted 15mm coverstrips. So, to make things look good, the moulded return edges have to be 15mm too (actually a bit more to match my forearms). I could completely remove the return edges at the back, but then the overall fit would be too small. It is the return edge at the back... it was just in a bad spot for me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, sorry, I think it's me that was a bit confused, haha. It's not really the width of the cover strip itself that was really bugging me, but what's happening "under" the cover strip... 8-) Sent from my LG-M470 using Tapatalk

Yep - thank the maker for tolerant wifes!! Congrats on BBB day. That’s some beautiful armour, as Daniel (@TheSwede) and Tony (@GodOfLibra), amongst others, have proven.

Good stuff, Greg. Would adjusting the width of the coverstrips be done to bridge a gap in the limb parts (assuming they’re too small to fit)? I’m guessing the amount of excess on each part varies between armour makers. Thankfully, my RWA armour had enough excess on the limbs that I could size up and fit without having to change the size of the coverstrips. So, even if I had to add an inch or so to the biceps, for example, I would have simply trimmed less off of the bicep halves and still added a 15mm coverstrips. If that makes sense. ;-)

Happy BBB-day - TM is a great kit, I might be a bit biased as I have two

Some excellent suggestions for you there, Gil. I would personally stay with the nylon for attaching the snaps to the armor itself, as it can conform to the shapes with no problem, especially as Brien mentioned it is flexible (but strong). Q mentioned the double snaps, and I swear by it. On my first build I went with single snaps in some areas and some would pop off at inopportune times, (especially the shoulder). Below is the system I use now. It requires a bit more work and materials, but you can be assured that nothing will ever come off while you are on a troop!

Yeah, yeah, I did with my actual TKC, as you can see at these photos, the ammo belt is on his position xD 1st on my premiere, the other on a event that i went with the armor to just have fun xD Ps. Yes, I know that's not the "grey canon weathering" that i'm supposed to do, but, to be honest, I trully like this one much more than the light weathering that is made with grey paints...also...it was handmade with brush and paper towel, I don't have an airbrush ^^u

Yeah, these are from Tino’s completion set and I took them out of the housing that they came in. I am assuming that the lenses can be just mounted inside the scope and I was not planning on using the prisms. But maybe they are essential? I don’t know. I always thought and assumed that the lenses inside a scope were purely cosmetic and not functional. Frankly, I wasn’t aiming for a fully functioning scope either. I’m just happy enough to try and shoot for a movie accurate prop that does not have to fulfill hero prop levels of accuracy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you Draco for the reference photo — will tackle that soon. I have moved onto the scope, have successfully hollowed it out, and also spliced off the end pieces. But I have a question about the lenses. I know they are purely for cosmetic purposes, but which way does the lens curvature face? Does the concave face toward or away from the person looking into the scope? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice job on the selector switch, I wasn't brave enough to try that, will do on my next build tho! Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

Here are the application pics. Yeah, my TD is crooked. There really is an art to getting everything lined up and looking good. Kudos to my wife for being my handler and photographer. I gave her a couple images showing how the armour should look and she made it happen. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

First time in armour, I’m still grinning. Plus I saw the Solo trailer. So that adds to the grin. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To be more clear, the CRL says *nothing* about the presence of the U fabric on the sides, e.g. doesn't say that it cannot be present. The prototype as shown complies with the CRL as I read it. Heck, in comics they leave out the U too, so I don't see a material difference. Here is a pix from last Celebration. Check out the boots.

Paul, can we chat regarding Vincent's design? To keep costs down and remove some of the issues with the flap, I asked Vincent to produce a prototype with stitching that would emulate that look but not have the issues associated with the flap (the adhesive comes off, color differences, fraying and damage from the shin). These are based off the original boots that were approved as the original CRL (before Gio's photos were added to the CRL). Here are photos of the prototype: Would really like to have a reliable vendor like Vincent on this project... hoping this can help our new members and the ladies that have worn-out originals!

Nice work! If I had anything to add it would be to build your armor in such a way you're not too dependent on a handler or anyone else for that matter to help you get dressed, or insure your armor is installed correctly. Yes, it is very nice to have an attentive and educated helper however, I can't tell you how many times I've trooped with something out of sorts and no one said a thing, even after I asked someone to check. On a more positive note hopefully there will be Centurion or Specialist level troopers with you who actually care about what everyone around them looks like, because they want everyone else around them to look their best.

I will be doing a video on building a KB FO and posting that on my You tube channel very soon.

No worries!

Thank you!! For some reason this never popped up in my search. And thanks for the link to the build, I'm more than likely going to be mashing them together as well.

and Chris has submitted his Heavy Weapon Trooper! Full submission album here: http://imgur.com/a/k2jU1 We managed to get his backpack situated pretty well compared to mine. He's wearing his pouch "straight" as opposed to my angled one... as far as I can tell either is acceptable? The pauldron he's using has a pretty big neck hole and sits a little weird, so I'm going to try bringing the closure smaller with some velcro. Any suggestions for good pauldron makers? I'm not thrilled with these two.

OK guys here is a brief explanations of my pack build. This is not a detailed "How To" per say it is just a good visual showing how I solved some of the build issues. I will answer any and all questions regarding how I did any part of it if you are interested. Just drop me a PM. Here is a quick overview: For the base I used an oil pan. Company and item number are shown in the pics. Starps were taken from a $9 Walmart packpack and bolted onto base. Boxes are project boxes from radio shack. I chose them based on best fit from the screengrabs in the HWT thread and the posts from Quartermaster showing his awesome pack builds. Covers were made from sticky back floor tiles from Lowe's at 88 cents each. Used one and a half of those babies! The buttons were furniture end caps from Lowe's and all the boxes were rivited to the base before the covers were put on. Slanted box was hand cut then re assembled. Tube is a handi wipes or bug repelant tube with the face cut out so I could rivet it to base. Pre drilled and test fitted all rivets before painting. Tube was painted, riveted, and piece from another tube was painted black and glued over opening. I think rivets make the overall pack more sturdy. Radio box was two project boxes bolted together then the face was made from floor tiles and painted before applying after riveting boxes to base. Pictures show the cups I used to make the funnel. Yes that is Olaf! I ended up riveting a flat piece to the bottom of the cone and then using that to glue the cone to the base. Getting it on the pack is the tricky part due to the shape. I did not get a good picture of this but if you need one to help explain I will get one for you. Tube is 1.5 PVC and caps are 1.5 end caps then cut to 1" and glued on after tube base was painted. Side cap is 2" PVC cut to match screen grabs and then small ABS strips left over from my TK build were cut to length, heated and bent to shape and glued to try and match screen grabs. I riveted that to the pole. That's really it and I hope it helps. Again any questions hit me up and I will do my best to help.

Unbelievable! You used the EXACT same floor tiles I did, (great minds think alike).... Wish I would have angled the vent box like you did, though. Looks incredible!