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LBB Day! Aside from my HFX E-11, which hopefully should arrive soon, my shipment arrived from Imperial Boots' September wave just now! Having read in a few threads about size running on the small side, I ordered a size 13. I normally wear a 12. First thing I noticed was these guys do not skimp on their packaging. It arrived in a DHL shipping envelope. Inside that was another white plastic shipping envelope wrapped in IB tape. Inside that was the shoebox, also wrapped in IB tape. In the shoebox, both boots were immaculate, each wrapped in their own microfabric mesh baggie, and each stuffed with filler packing to retain its shape for shipment, along with what I'd call a "certificate of authenticity", thanking you for buying from them, and a 4" x 4" patch! Trying them on they both fit perfectly. I did notice that I could not feel any discernible arch support, but ordering the next size up from my normal, that leaves just enough room for a gel/arch support insert. Perfect for trooping! All in all so far 10/10 for this product! Sent from my MSE-6 droid using Tapatalk

I am now officially TK-17529!!!

Always a good idea to add some glue for extra hold

Worked on the shins and wanted to make them look as similar to the Anovos and CRL I traced a line trying the replicate that. Made the cut and transfered it to the back piece, I´m glueing it with an overlap so drew another line, a glue-line if you will, and then cut the excess of (2nd pic below although it`s the left shin as I forgot to take a pic when doing the right) Glued together Then I trimmed the top sides, CRL seam is straighter at the bottom but it will do (might trim the top a bit "flatter") The inside will be closed with velcro and instead of using overlap I chose to use a inner strip as velcro shelf, to me that would make the gap slightly less. Here`s how i did the left shin but same applies for both. First I drew a line so it would follow the shape of the seam and then did another one further in, big enough to have velcro on it and to be able to glue it to the inside of the shin. Ready to be glued in, not perfect but it will get the job done - hopefully Finished Then taped and trimed it. For the right shins inner seam I used the cut-out from the left Cut Transfered the line Made the inner strip as described, taped together and trimmed The might need a bit of heat-persuasion to stay closed but I will find that out ones I put the velcro on after painting.

Finally made some progress! One forearm is done! Putting on cover strips is the WORST! [emoji21] On one side of the finished forearm, the strip kept shifting everytime I put down a clamp, so it ended up a little weird. I'm just...gonna leave it for now. Below is a picture of one forearm that is trimmed, and one that hasn't been trimmed yet. Huge difference! Curse my small forearms! Marked the second Popeye arm to cut length wise, and also marked my chest piece. Just gotta cut the neck a couple centimeters at a time Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

Nothing yet on my official approval but I did get permission to participate in tomorrow night's troop, so I'm excited for that! Last night I got the Velcro in place on both boots and shins and then I figured out how to pack everything in the tote. Should be all ready to go now! Running To-Do List: Drill/install snaps in ab for belt Build Belt Glue on Shoulder Bridges Velcro Shoulder Bridge elastic in place Glue in snap plates for Shoulder Bell to Shoulder Strap connection Glue in snap plates for Shoulder Bell to Bicep connection Reposition Bicep Hooks Reshape Shins & Back Plate at Shoulders Glue in Shin Magnets and Covers (Temp. Countermeasure for Covers in place) Final thigh test fit for upper thigh trimming Glue in snap plates for Thigh Garter System Glue on Silicone Hand Plates Install Sniper Knee Plate () Submit Application/Pictures to GML Submit Member Application Hopefully be able to sign up for 9/28 troop () Make any necessary changes & submit EIB Application Make any necessary changes & submit Centurion Application  Start next build 

Having no return is approvable at all levels, however it`s not screen accurate as seen below, ref pic from Lucas archives, you can clearly see the return, granted it`s minimal in some places and removed in order to level out the inside/outside thigh piece in the back so one can say that having a return is more accurate than not

When using a leather belt there`s no issue Great work - you make it look "all to easy" (said with a deep Vader voice)

Sweet! Glad to hear! I haven't started sanding down yet, so I expect I may be able to even out some of the inconsistencies in order to get them to line up for gluing.

Very nice work sir. My only suggestion would be to shorten the top straps that connect your shoulder bells to the bridges. Try and get the top of the bells almost if not touching the edge of the bridges if possible.

So you've decided you want to be a First Order Stormtrooper. Congratulations and welcome! But did you know that there are four types of First Order TKs? We have The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Last Jedi Executioner, and Captain Phasma. Can't tell the difference between all that white armor? Don't worry- here's a spreadsheet of all the similarities and differences between them! Now all you have to decide is which version you like best. Details for Basic Approval, Expert Infantryman, and Centurion are all included. First Order TKs - What's the Difference? If you have any questions or would like further clarification, please feel free to contact me. Whitearmor is also here to help, so ask early and often! Interested in Original Trilogy Stormtroopers? See this post for differences between Original Trilogy TKs

Morning, all! I recently got inspired by a thread in the NCO Club (Off Topic) section about the differences between OT TKs and if a spreadsheet laying them out existed. We came to the conclusion we didn't think one did, and then on Friday I didn't have any real work to do at work, so I made one. It's OT TK only for now; I may make one for FOTKs someday, but that is not this day. There are spreadsheets for OTTKs and FOTKs- now including TLJ Phasma as per the recent update to the CRL! They are also now in PDF format for easy viewing! Here's the link for viewing/downloading (it looks terrible in preview- Google Sheets or download are the way to go). OT TKs - https://drive.google.com/file/d/10tEVteIreh6AHMogW010cuH_Bf8TBfU6/view?usp=sharing FOTKs - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GBkXIfRs9lYW6vnhVjqdEv5oNdp2ToTs/view?usp=sharing So my question is: Where should I post this for all to view? Armor discussion? Generic tutorials? My only thought is put it where it will be the most helpful, and I would prefer it not limited to the 501st-only areas, as it could help someone decide which TK to do for acceptance into the Legion (that was the point of the thread that inspired it). FURTHER EDIT: These have both been posted under the "Getting Started - Read this First!" Section. I note this post was pinned, but those weren't- those are the ones I'd recommend pining, as those are the ones I'll be updating with CRL changes.

Thanks Glen , I will correct the details this weekend.

Most of mine came off easily. Just take your time and go slowly. In places we’re it’s stuck they used CA for mine so just working got it off. If you need one a blunt edge will also help.

Congrats again, Eric!!!

Congratulations and welcome to the ranks trooper

Welcome to the Legion Trooper

Yeaaahhhhh!!! Huge congrats, trooper!

Thanks. That seems like it works well.

I unfortunately never got a picture, the at one of the wrist ends, the strip shifted to the side so that one of the ends of the forearm was exposed, though I removed the cover strip and shifted it over so it's fixed now Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

Today i had to repair some parts on my TK and it was finished earlier than i expected, so i did the corrections as you recommended. This weekend a big event in the south of Germany takes place ... really looking forward to it. I think I do not need to explain what i try to fix here :-), everybody struggles with those, right? :-) The End Cap Clip is now smooth like a baby skin :-) Before i drilled new holes for the scope for repositioning, i double checked the position. Obviously, the picture i posted before showed a wrong viewing angle, just have a look. I think, it has the right position. What do you think? Thanks for your time :-)

Congrats Eric! First troop!!!!! Get some good pictures and make Vader proud

Looking good Trooper

I have carefully removed the forehead, snout and lens of the Anovos helmet to make painting a little bit more easier.I have sanded back the previous paint application with sanding blocks. Starting off with a grey primer. For the brown this time around I am using Halfords Ford Rio Brown. As we know the texture was applied using the beige so the rio brown needs to be flat and smooth to repicate the dark brown resin that the ST armour was cast in and is visible showing through from underneath the beige in a lot of reference pictures. There are some parts of the ST helmet that appear not to be textured so I carefully mask the following areas. Forehead rim. Notches on the cheeks. Heat sinks. Bands on the temple. Neck ring. Vents on the rear and 2 longer vents at lower rear. Small ovals on each ear. Vent inside each ear. Recessed detail above lens under forehead. Note that I have used torn masking tape to recreate the paint damaged effect seen immediately above the blast shield rims of the Screen used helmets. I use liquid mask in some parts where its tricky to get tape positioned. Once all the areas are masked I use a clear lacquer to gloss the dark brown. When the gloss lacquer is dry the areas where I want the paint flakes to appear are masked using Humbrol masking fluid. For personal preference I have painted these harder to hit places first with sahara beige straight from the can just to get some proper coverage on them before I start with the texture. From a reliable source I was informed the texture of the ST helmets was applied through a paint gun. The paint was colour matched to the Montana Gold Sahara Beige then somehow I suspect using the settings on the gun the paint was allowed to be texturised. I want to try and mimic that process without using off the shelf texture paints.These Montana paints are used for graffiti and already the pressure is low when the paint is dispensed. I have switched out the standard nozzle for another that will splatter the paint. I want it to drizzle from the nozzle and not to be too atomised when it leaves the can. You can see how the paint is laying. I will build up the layers trying to keep them even despite the low pressure and tricky nozzle wanting to flood areas. It is a messy process but effective. You can see the texture is soft and not gritty. I do not want a gritty or coarse finish. The texture should be loose to allow the muck to sit in it correctly when I start to weather it. Once the beige is dry I can get the emblem on the forehead. The horizontal lines of the cut out in the emblem should sit at the same angle as the horizontal bands on the side of the helmet. These are good guides for achieving the correct orientation of the emblem. Mask. Paint. Peel.I remove the rest of the masking tape and fluid then paint the black details in. The snout, lens and forehead can be put back. These are the tools I use for weathering/ageing the helmet. I do not want to fiddle too much however I want a lot of muck and damage on the bucket whilst keeping the marks true to what is seen on the displayed costumes. The muck sits in the recesses of the textured paint. A variety of mark making around the bucket will give an authentic appearance.40 grit sandpaper by hand and belt sander will tear away paint to create the scuff marks and the masked areas once peeled will reveal the paint chips. A comparrison picture of the my finished helmet on the left and the screen used on the right. It is a much more accurate paint app than my previous attempt so I am happier with it. The texture is a lot softer than beofre and the weathering is applied with confodence using broad strokes I hope achieveing a more convincing dirty look rather than a painted one.

Just did the first layer of the black lines everywhere... Kind of a hack job, but it's the first layer. I'll touch it up over the next few days, then clean up the edges with some mineral spirits and I'm confident it will look alright when it's all done. Tell me... what do you see... Thanks for any feedback!

Oh well that is a happy coincidence and I suppose you're welcome. Sent from my 5054N using Tapatalk

Hmm ok - well the thigh one is more of what’s cutting off a better leg bend. So I guess that’s a good place to start! Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah I was planning anyways to remove the upper return edge from the rear of the shin, and the lower return edge from the rear of the thigh. That should help get the full bend in the leg. From there ... we'll see!

Wow looks great!

Actually just found some good photos on Facebook:

Nice work! The curves looks great.

Awesome build! Good luck Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good looking armor ! Goodluck with your EIB app !

Nice armor !! Good work !

Ah ok, have that one also. Easy enough. Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk

Should be Humbrol 14 French Blue Gloss

Nice work trooper, just a couple of things, it looks like the corners on your belt have been rounded off, it's not a requirement for L2 but it would look much better if they are cut off at an angle and it's a quick fix Also what blue did you use for your ab buttons, looks very dark?

Looking pretty good so far! I noticed the belt placement and forearm return edges too, but those have already been well explained. Definitely follow Tony's build thread, and also others- even if they aren't your armor maker, there's a lot of cross over, and sometimes it helps seeing multiple different picture and angles. Also check out the EIB and Centurion threads for great close ups of a lot of different parts.

I wanted to add the original style brackets but was just worried about the cracking down the track so when for a standard elastic system inside. Even if you go with the brackets you could always have the elastic attached to those a little loose and add an elastic system inside, this will keep the strain of the brackets and hopefully they will last a little longer. I have 3 cracks in my ATA and that's over 6 years so I'm pretty happy, two came from airline transport, noticed them when I got to the destination, one in the kidney plate and one on the shoulder straps, both have been fixed with extra support glued behind. The most recent crack is on the sides of one of my shins, I guess because of the opening closing over the years, again I've added a support piece behind.

Maybe once or twice Rat Just marking out spacing for the side rivets, will have to leave this until trial fit, see if any shims will be needed. Time to make some snap plates, I used to use abs plates but find the nylon conforms to the armor better and there is no need for any heat. You can never have enough magnets, clamps or tape, in fact I've ordered another 50 magnets Next start gluing them, a few pieces of scrap abs can help keep the nylon flat. Almost done.

Thank you Joseph, his passing was so sudden. A new day and feeling a bit better, trimming continues. I like to add inside strips just for a little more strength, some don't but I think they are especially important on the shins, with the constant opening and closing some extra strength is a good idea. Plenty of ABS strips left from the trimming, so cut them down to size, sand and glue to the insides. Within no time you'll have all the inner strips attached. Continuing trimming, again the sanding block comes in handy for nice straight lines. Add a guide line to the plastic belt and knee ammo strip, will help when it comes to trimming. Hold the pencil in the desired spot, keep your fingers against the other side and pull the pencil along. Once you have everything trimmed you can mark out the holes and angled edges on the belt. After the rough trim of the ab plates you can measure against the ab and trim to match. Getting the drop box backs nice and flat, if anyone is interested these are trimmed to 15mm. Now I do prefer using a rotary tool, many like using the score and snap method, what ever works for you. The advantages of using a rotary tool is you can save a lot of time, downfall is you'll end up with a lap full of ABS filings, now as long as you have nothing else on your chair you can save these for later to make ABS paste if it's needed. Just make sure it isn't contaminated with any other particles or the colour can change slightly. I always advise people to do their research before starting their build, it's a lot easier having info and references close by when you are trimming rather than having to stop and go online and search with every piece, then in no time flat, trimming is almost complete.

Last Night in Review I did Things. Many Things. I feel quite accomplished, and so excited about this build in general. Look at all these [predominantly] smooth edges!! Woo! I got a round of advice and turned my oversized button plates into these marvelous masterpieces: And you know what else I did? Left my cutproof gloves in the rain and didn't wear them and cut BOTH of my hands in a matter of an hour. PPE, people, PPE. I'll be cleaning up all these edges a bit more but I'm still quite pleased with the work the ol' non-Dremel Dremel got done. I put it in the vise like so and gave myself the luxury of using both hands (not pictured - once more, where's my third arm when I need it?) to draw my pieces across the sanding disc. It made for a much smoother sanding time, bracing my elbows against my torso and swaying back and forth. Dancin' with Smudge already. Speaking of button plates, I followed this billhagram for initial sizing which matched my ATA ab in every dimension except one. The vertical sizing on the smaller button plate is glaringly different. Weird, huh? Oh well. I ended up sanding down past those dimensions a couple mm anyway, but it was a good jumping off point. The buttons on this ATA panel have always bugged me - they're just so BIG - maybe they look even bigger than they are cause they're skooshed into a shorter space? - but I digress. I also barely started trimming the ears. I stopped filing them before I got to the proper spot, I know. I've seen plenty of tutorials on working with them, but the fact that my kit came with two sets right off the bat makes me feel like I'll need them... these and the forearms are the only things really bugging me at the moment. The forearms are so so thick I can't seem to bend them at all. Taking the return edge down some more may help. We shall see. One last thing - the TD tube! I went with a generic Rust-oleum grey. Anybody following along think it's very important I use the Testors grey from the traps/tears/buttons instead? Over and out!

Not to worry, my friend.... I literally learn something new here every single day! Now, if I could just remember it all I would be in good shape, lol!

The corners of both ab button plates should be squared off, Lorelei. Rounding them off may be a little more aesthetically pleasing, and honestly will not make a big difference for approval, but for screen accuracy the corners should be at a sharp 90 degree angle just as yours is now. When they were constructing the original suits, I imagine they just wanted to get them done and didn't bother with the small details like this. Little did they realize at the time that their handiwork would be scrutinized so much, lol! Here is another example:

Some updated pics with the revised strapping.

In regards to the pic it’s a no! (Unless I don’t get what you mean) that’s only were to start cutting from that end, you will have to see how much to cut on the elbow end too....when you have made the sizing you will probably have an overlap and you mark the center on the part that goes over and the part that goes under on one end (wrist) then repeat for the other end of the armor part (elbow) then draw a line between the marks on both pieces (outer/inner half). the reason for trimming the back is because the armor has ridges molded in on the front and you will want to Keep those in order to look like the Troopers seen on screen. You should aim for the same size cover strips front and back even though most look at you from the front the back need to look the part as well. On screen accurate biceps there are no ridges so on those you trim equally from both halves/sides. Taper means that the piece is bigger on one end and then gradualy gets smaller/narrower. The forearm as an example is bigger at the elbow and smaller at the wrist, you don’t want it to be a square block on your arm, same goes for all the limbs, simply put the armor should follow the contour of the body And return edge, I would leave some on the outside half of the forearm and lower bicep as it gives the armor an illusion of thickess. And by some I mean a few mm. I start with roughly 5-7 mm and then trim it down to my liking in terms of fit, look and comfort. Just don’t be to quick to shave all of it off before testing how you like it - only place you do right of the bat is the wrist and bottom of shins And - I would recommend checking out the approved Centurions in the advanced tactics section to see how it can look like when finished and it will help you on your build

getting closer to being ready to send it out to be painted. Working on the fine details, greeblies, and shoulder metal plate things I bought. I should be able to do a duct tape assisted wearing soon i keep working on it almost every day. An hour here and there. Hopefully it’s done before Halloween and approved. Dont mind the R2 project. I’m also in the middle of building an R2D2 as well. Can’t have just one project to overwhelm myself with.

So I've made come adjustments and trooped this past weekend with great results. I reinforced my elastic shoulder straps with webbing ... this removed any stretch happening at my shoulders I added padding on the inside of my back plate near the bottom ... to remove a pressure point while wearing the pack I created some straps that go from my thigh garter belt up to my shoulder straps. This gives me the ability to take the weight of the pack and move it from my shoulder straps to my thigh garter. This keeps the pack more upright, it prevents my back plate from drooping down and over my kidney plate, and keeps my back plate where it should be. The straps have a suspender top and a loop around my garter belt at the bottom. In the strap itself, I added to clips for easy on-off. It's hard to get pictures of the set-up, but here's a diagram. The straps go down the front of my torso, not the back.