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OK, before I start this build thread officially, as I'm await my Big Brown Box Day, I thought I'd lead in with a prologue of sorts. I'll list out the tools, accessories and supplies I chose as they trickle in. That way I can get feedback on those choices as well and hopefully, others can gain from my stumbling about *ahem learning*. Couldn't resist starting with my first shiny new accessory (after all, gotta test my imgur right?). The last of the 12C's available at TK (Totally Killer) Boots: BTW: Please let me know if you can't see the image. I have the album setup in Imgur as Hidden (versus public) since it indicated this is still accessible via URL.

Hi guys!! I wish i had a build thread in mind during this conversion of an S&T airsoft sterling to an ANH E11 Anyway, what i did was cutting down the magazine clip, after that i found a piece of steel to bend for a scope rail. The scope is a real vintage scope. Hengstler counter is a replica bought from blue snaggletooth. The T tracks came with the scope, but i don't remember who i bought it from And the power cylinders are scratch build by myself. I did some small weathering here and there, not fully sure if it is finished Here are some pics, I hope you guys like it Here are some close ups of my power cylinder, the capacitors are sculpted with FIMO clay Hengstler counter replica The airsoft won't allow a spring in the sterling that reaches all the way to the bolt, so i cut out some hose to fit it and painted the ribs to give the illusion it is a spring Real scope Like i said this is the first time i did something like this, and i really enjoyed building those power cylinders But i am very happy with the result, in the future i will replace the red lens of the scope to one of those fancy lenses maybe a weathering pass once more, not sure yet. feedback is always welcome Now back to my TK build!!!

Thanks for your input! I am definitely going to take your advice and reinforce problem areas.

Yikes! My jaw dropped when I saw your plastic magazine with a hole in it! Good planning and careful execution. I've never seen anyone modify swpropman's Tunisian style magazine before. It's looking good!!! Great Ardyjo! How rewarding to have the electronics working after installation - you'll have the remaining parts of the blaster done in no time

Most common is straight up or slightly facing outward.

Hello everyone, I got some work done this weekend on the helmet. After I had rough cut all the holes in the helmet, I used the dremel and some mini files to finish out the holes. Here is a shot of the back vents after they have been cleaned up. Next, I took some think HIPS and cut it to fit then heated it with a heat gun and fit the parts inside the helmet. This is how it looks from the outside. Next, I sanded the whole helmet with 250 grit and primed it. This made an impression of the vents on the vent covers. I then removed the vent covers and traced outside the vent area with a sharpie. I will be cutting out the traced area then gluing in breathable color matched fabric. I took a trip to JoAnn’s fabrics and found this polyester/ spandex that is a very close match to the painters tape blue. I will be using some black polyester fabric for the other vents. I have not decied if I will make the vent covers removable or not. I am concerned that the fabric will become soiled after some time and need to be replaced. Next, I started sanding with 320 grit to determine what needed to be filled and cleaned up. Unfortunately, I realized that the glazing putty I had was three years old and dried up and there are no auto body paint supply stores open on Sunday so I will need to wait till this week to continue to work on the helmet. And that is the update so far. Thanks for the interest.

I’m sure parties will be popping up soon. Let the excitement begin Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Payment has been processed. My TK armor will be shipped either tomorrow or Wed. Now I have to find an armor party in the NTX area. Prefer it to be in the DFW area.

Installed the new mini scope display, it actually had another board installed on it, but still got it all to fit. Ran all the wires thru to the magazine and re-wired and soldered them... annnnnd everything works!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never been so nervous in my life... Have the switch on the side of the mag. housing. Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk

Ending up modding the mag. box so the lil clip lines up with the housing and so my fat lil battery fits like a glove [emoji16] very lucky to not crack the plastic very badly! Also have a permanent glue/skin thumbprint on it now. Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk

Cool, I'll give that a try, thanks! Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

On a sidenote: my team won 2-0 woop woop Anyways.....finished the shins and here is were I deviate from RS as I´m not a fan of the two "outer" pairs (2 outer right and 2 outer left) one gets with the kit, so I bought some TM Shins. Sniperplate is RS though so one can safely say the plastics match

Hey Jenny! Don't panic! The tops should line up. The bottoms don't have to. They'll be covered by the belt and won't affect higher level awards. Keep calm and carry on, trooper!

Helmet, Part IV – I like mic It doesn’t matter what kit you get, everybody’s armor has a trouble spot in the helmet -- actually, a pair of them -- that’s universal: It’s those deep holes/sockets/wells/depressions the Hovi mic tips fit into. Because of the nature of vacuum-forming and how the plastic is stretched, there’s no way to avoid a thin spot somewhere in those holes. Hold your helmet’s faceplate up to the light and it’ll shine right through. Press your finger into one of those spots and it may also go right through. As a result, it’s a good idea to beef those spots up in some manner before drilling and attaching the mic tips. Epoxy putty or gluing on scrap ABS from the back are two common ways. The mic tips are already annoying anyway. You’re trying to mount a flat-bottomed thing into a hole with a rounded bottom. They simply will not seat securely unless you really tighten down the nut holding them in place, and to do that you run the risk of pulling everything right through the thin spots. Even if you don’t damage the plastic, the chances of the mic tip pointing off in an unintended angle is high. And to make it all the more fun, if a maddening task can be fun, if your armor is well made in relation to screen accuracy then those holes probably aren’t even the same shape, so whatever you do to fix one you have to do differently to fix the other. Well, I addressed all of those annoyances with a single fix. And, like my fix involving those bottom screws on the ears, and I decided not to attach the mic tips with screws here, either. Well, not directly anyway. Instead, I used JB Weld epoxy putty, although any brand that comes in white or off-white will do. After painting up the mic tips, I went ahead and slipped the supplied screws into place in each of them, followed those with the little supplied lock washers, and tightened everything down with the supplied nuts. Then, I clipped off the screws to leave about 1/8" sticking out the bottom. http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr355/ajhamler/AJ Stormtrooper Build/TK 34 lo-res.jpg Epoxy putty is plenty sticky, but that nub of a screw sticking out will really let the putty grab the mic tip securely. The screws trimmed, I set the mic tips aside and scored the bottom of the holes where the putty would rest. http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr355/ajhamler/AJ Stormtrooper Build/TK 35 lo-res.jpg Do this carefully! It’s thin there, remember. The idea here is just to thoroughly score the plastic surface with light scratching, not cut through the plastic. Mix up a wad of putty and press it onto the bottom of one of the mics to fully engage the nib of the screw, then form it into a round mound like this. http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr355/ajhamler/AJ Stormtrooper Build/TK 36 lo-res.jpg Because the shape of your helmet holes may differ from the AM 4.0 it’s difficult to say how much you’ll need, but I used a putty ball not quite the size of a marble. Press the mic tip into the helmet hole and push firmly into place until it bottoms out. If you have lots of putty gooshing out around the bottom you used too much. Just pull it out, pinch off a bit of putty, round it over and try again. Likewise, if nothing gooshed out when you pressed it in, pull it out and add a bit more. The idea is that when you push the mic into place a small amount will bulge out from underneath -- not too much and not too little. Sounds a little nebulous, I know, but it’s really not that difficult to tell. When you have it in place with just the right amount of goosh-out, grab a thin, flat stick. I used the same sticks I use to mix and apply ABS paste. http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr355/ajhamler/AJ Stormtrooper Build/TK 37 lo-res.jpg Using the flat of the stick, smooth out the putty bulge to push it back under the mic tip, forming it into the same shape as the mic tip base. Steady the mic tip with your thumb to keep it oriented the way you want. What you’re doing here is merely directing as much putty as you can back under and in line with the base of mic tip itself. If you look down into the hole later, you won’t even be able to see the putty, as it’s all under the base. Repeat with the other mic tip and let the epoxy set and harden. The putty I used takes about an hour. When everything’s done, the mic tips are securely attached and the hole has been reinforced at the same time. This will also work with Hovi mic tips that have been converted to speakers, like those Ukswrath offers. In that case, you’ll need to drill a hole at the bottom of the opening for the post and wires to go through, but everything else works the same. This is the last structural thing to do to the outside of my helmet, so let’s flash forward a bit. I attached the lens onto the lens posts I installed earlier, followed by applying the decals for the traps, or you can paint yours, if you prefer. Then I added the tube stripe decals (or paint them if you like), and finally painted the ears. With the exception of the single black stripe on the ears, I’m considering the outside of my helmet done. Next, I'll move to the inside for the frown mesh, suspension and electronics. But meantime, here's a walk-around to take a look: http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr355/ajhamler/AJ Stormtrooper Build/TK 38 lo-res.jpg http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr355/ajhamler/AJ Stormtrooper Build/TK 39 lo-res.jpg http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr355/ajhamler/AJ Stormtrooper Build/TK 40 lo-res.jpg http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr355/ajhamler/AJ Stormtrooper Build/TK 41 lo-res.jpg Lastly, another ABS cutting mishap to share, this one more painful than the one from earlier I managed to do to my arm. I mean, that was just flesh and blood. This was my favorite shop shirt! http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr355/ajhamler/AJ Stormtrooper Build/TK 42 lo-res.jpg A.J.

E6000 the cologne of true armor builders!