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Looking good, glad to be if assistance, THT

Purely for completeness: a final update to close out this build thread. TK27777 reporting for duty! After 2 years this build is finally over. I was approved earlier this week. I’ve still got a few wearability enhancements to make (studs, remove more return edge, helmet fans, and of course my blaster), but probably won’t take this kit beyond L1 (never say never [emoji1]). Thanks go to those in the group who provided advice and guidance. There’ve been many, too many to mention individually, build threads I’ve followed and taken nuggets from. Off the top of my head though,@Kman,@Ukswrath,@Cricket,@themaninthesuitcase (I know I’ve typed that wrong... again!),@Rat Ferrel... if I’ve failed to mention you, don’t take offence, I’m pretty forgetful [emoji1]lol Instead of loading this post with my submission photos, here’s the one my Garrison used [emoji4] P.s. how do I get Detachment access/status updated? I can’t seem to post in the “sign off” forum. Sent from my DH77 using Tapatalk

DH17 idealized metal build kit finally ready ,,i did this one like markus did... http

After being asked a gazillion times about how I built my magnetic shin closures, I've finally compiled everything from my TK build and put it all in one post! Let me begin by stating that I followed the tutorial here for the most part when building these magnetic shins. However, I deviated from it in order to make the closures super strong by using a magnet-to-magnet closure rather than the magnet-to-steel method outlined in the tutorial. I have worn the magnetic shins I made for my RS Props TK out on over a dozen troops, and I have never had them come apart on me. I've only had to reglue magnets twice on these shins over a two-year period: a single magnet came off after being handled a lot (opened and closed dozens and dozens of times at an armor party by those who were trying to figure out how they work), and regluing a single magnet after trooping underwater for a few hours (well, not exactly underwater, but it was a parade where it rained for HOURS and I had to walk in the rain the entire time- for hours I tell you! My boots took days to dry out!). The small amount of maintenance I've had to do on these over 2 years of trooping is quite minimal. Once you get this mod on your kit, I swear you'll never go back to anything less than a magnetic closure on your shins. STEP 1: There are many steps necessary to build magnetic shins, so I begin with making a critical component for them: ABS buttons. The buttons are necessary to hold one half of the magnet assembly in place on the inside of the shin. I'm using 12mm x 3mm n50 magnets. You'll need a total of 20 magnets for the shins (10 on each shin). I strongly suggest buying more than 20, though. I've found that they can easily break, and you'll want backups on hand! You can find them in bulk- and cheap!- on eBay. First, I begin by making a template with a hole in it that is slightly larger than the magnets I will be using. I trace the magnet on a sheet of ABS. Here's what it looks like when done. Yeah, I know my hole isn't perfectly round. It's not terribly important for it to be perfect. I used two magnets to make each button. One on top to help me see where my hole template needed to go, and one underneath to form the button shape. Heat up one section of the ABS sheet using a heat gun on LOW until it gets slightly warpy. You can even leave the magnets attached to the ABS while you heat it up. Once the plastic is soft, quickly press it onto a flat surface, pressing the hole template around the exposed magnet. This is what it looks like on the top and underneath when you're done. And here's how it looks from the side so you can see how the magnets attach to the plastic. See how the bottom magnet sits flush in the new ABS button? I spent about forty minutes repeating the process until I ended up with 10 buttons. I will cut down and shape the buttons to fit each shin later. There will be five buttons installed on each shin. Still lots of work to do, but it's a pretty good start! STEP 2: Another step necessary for how I make my magnetic shin closures is to make sure that the backs of the shins meet up as perfectly as possible. This is to avoid any unnecessary strain on the magnets. This was acheived by some gentle shaping via a hot water bath. Before putting the shins in the water, since I don't have any cover strips installed on the outsides, I reinforce the closure with blue tape. The e6000 gets really soft when subjected to boiling water, and I don't want to weaken the join in the front. Blue tape holds up nicely for this application! Here's a before and after of my shins so you can see how the backs line up a bit better. I will be doing some further fine tuning on the lengths at the bottom later as I move along in my fitting. STEP 3: This stage involves making and securing the "holes" part of the closures for the magnets. I begin by cutting out two 3/4" x 12" strips of ABS. You should have this when you're done. Next make a lengthwise mark in the center of each strip to help keep your holes lined up in the middle. Then mark 3/4" in from each end. That will be the center point for the magnets on the end. I like using magnets with holes in the middle for this, so I can easily find the 'crosshairs'. Trace the magnet. I like to use extra magnets underneath to help keep it secure while I trace. Next, find and mark the center of the strip. It should be at the 6" point. From there, measure 2 5/8" from the center mark on either side. Mark and trace your magnets. When you're done, your plastic strips should look something like this: Next, I used my drill press and a step bit to drill out the holes. It went really quickly! When you're done, you should have two strips with holes in them that can easily fit the magnets. The next part is where people tend to get confused, so I took this photo to show what goes where. The "hole" strip will be glued to the inside half of the shin on the inside. It sounds kind of confusing, but it's not all that bad. Remember that the "hole" strip will be hidden! I begin with my left shin. I mark the center of each hole to assist when I line up the edge of the shin. Next, I test fit the strip on the shin to verify placement, clamping on both ends. Then I apply e6000 to the area of the strip that will be in contact with the shin, clamp and add magnets. This is what it looks like when glued together: Here's the right shin after gluing, but before I added the magnets. Here are both shins as the e6000 cures. I'll be allowing a few days for this to cure, which will give me ample time to get my ABS buttons ready for installation. STEP 4: Once the glue had cured on the hole strips inside the shins, I removed the magnets and clamps. With a light behind the shins, you can see how the hole strips are mounted, hidden inside. Using that light as my guide, I traced the approximate location of the holes with a pencil. This helps me to get a good idea of where my holes are going to be drilled. Yep. I'm going to make some Swiss cheese of my shins. Using a small Dremel sanding band, I carefully cut a notch out, just large enough for a magnet to fit through. Here's what it looks like at this stage when the shins are closed. I'm just focusing on drilling out the holes on the inside edge, following the holes of the hole strip that was glued in. I'm not ready to drill the outer half of the shins yet. Next to clean up my buttons that will hold my magnets. I rough trimmed them all to start. Then cleaned up the corners with a Dremel. I don't want anything poking at my legs! *Important!* If you want to make sure your magnets stay stuck on your shins, you must use e6000! CA glue will not keep the magnets stuck to the buttons; they will fail. I have heard this from several troopers when I have been contacted about their magnets not holding up. I repeat, use e6000 for this next step! I applied a liberal amount of e6000 to the inside of each button, then put the magnet inside to get all cozy. Make sure that you've got the polarity of all the magnets in the same orientation before gluing! Wipe away any excess glue from the top. To make sure that the magnets are firmly mounted in the buttons, I use the magnet intended on going on the opposite side of the shin to clamp it. In the pic below, you can see how I've got all the matched magnet buttons and magnets together as they cure. Back to the shins now. I like this ridge (where the pencil is pointing) to line up at the tops. For me, it makes the closure in the back look much cleaner if this is lined up. I tape it off there to make sure that the opposite side doesn't shift while I'm making my marks for completing the holes. I have an OttLite that fits nicely inside the shin to provide a clear light so I can make outlines for where I'm going to drill out the rest of the holes. Holes were already present on the left side in the photo below. I made sure that I drilled out the holes very conservatively as I went. I used an extra magnet to make sure that the hole was just the correct size for it to fit through. Now time to attach the outer cover strip! I use a 25mm cover strip on my shins for this. I taped off the edge of the inside half to keep any glue from transferring over. Then making sure that the cover strip was straight, I clamped the heck out of it. Praying to the TK gods that it doesn't shift!!!! Now time to wait for everything to cure really, really well. I am going to give these 3-4 days to fully cure just to be on the safe side! STEP 5: One shin is complete, with the outer rear 25mm cover strip glued into place. Woo! Here's a look from the inside, before magnets are installed. Be sure to clean up all excess glue from the inside edges in order to have a clean closure when you're done. If there's extra glue in there, it may not close correctly. I've tucked the outside cover strip to the inside so you can see how the magnets on the "cover strip" half are glued on. No magnets yet. I add a dab of e6000 to the magnet (be sure to check the polarization of the magnet before gluing!!!), and set it so that it fits inside the semi circle and on the outer cover strip. Like this: I wiped away the excess glue from the magnets and then positioned the inner "hole strip" over the magnets to ensure everything is lined up correctly as it dries. I tape the tops and bottoms of the shin to ensure it doesn't shift around during this stage. I'm not completely happy with how the inside cover strip is cooperating here. It sits flat on the top and bottom, but it pulls away in the middle a bit off to the right. I will have to heat bend this before installing the magnets onto the "hole strip". :/ Ideally, the inside cover strip should be sitting completely against the outside part of the shin, and it doesn't want to do that right now. This additional stress could cause the magnets to fail. It's annoying, but I'll need to address this before proceeding any further. Gah! Using the magnet buttons I created earlier, I clamp the magnets into place while the glue cures. Once the glue has fully cured, I'll reshape that inner strip to prepare it for the final magnet button installation. STEP 6: Now that the e6000 has had lots and lots of time to cure, it's time to attach the other halves of the magnets. Make sure that the halves are super clean and free of extra dried glue. It will prevent the shins from closing well. You can do this by touch. Rub all of it off where you feel it. Once everything is cleaned off, close the "hole" half over the "magnet" half. Your shin should be closing correctly at this point. The "holes" should lock around the magnets and prevent the shin from opening at all, even without the additional magnets at this point. If the "hole" strip is not fully engaged over the magnets, you won't have a very strong bond between the magnets to keep the shin locked. Easy part next! Apply e6000 around the prepared ABS button. No need to go crazy with the stuff. You don't want it oozing all around in there. And stick it on! This part goes really quickly. For additional strength, I add some extra magnets on top. Check those clean closures! Left shin. Right shin. I will open these up in a few hours just to make sure that there isn't any extra e6000 that has spilled out and might lock those shins closed where I don't want them locked. Now to allow several days to dry, and these shins will be good to go! Here's a short video so you can see them in action. Have you tried this on your own shins? Loved it? Hated it? Made a few mods of your own to improve this method? Comment below and let me know! Cheers- Cricket TK-10401

So I'm getting ready for app on my TK (https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/46398-simes-anh-tk-build/) And now it's time to start my build. I've got a Doopy Doos kit and one of Tino's finishing kit full of tiny screws and many goodies. I decided to make a start on the receiver and stock (convinced that at some point, I'll accidentally snap one of those stock arms off en route) Got it this far - currently filing out the little section under the stock that contains the inner latch (my plan to completely clear it out and then put the latch back in) Since I have a 3D printer, I modelled the little block that goes between the arms and printed it out in PLA (I'll upload any bits that I make to Thingiverse for other folks to use/adapt once I'm done)

So this is going to be a fun one I'm building something for my armor. You get to tell me where it goes. Maybe I'll send ya something in a few months The Idea Fast Forward a bit Side View Getting E6000 All over the place as usual DRY FASTER!!!!

Okay Troopers (and future Troopers), If you have kept up on recent events here, you are aware that the updated changes in the CRLs for ANH Stunt, ANH Hero, ESB and ROTJ will take effect on June 1st. We understand that many of you may have started your build before that date, and in order to avoid confusion and possibly causing you to have to make changes, we are allowing those in that scenario to adhere to the existing CRL guidelines. There are some conditions, though: 1. You must have started (and documented) your build here on the FISD prior to June 1st. 2. You will have until September 1st (approximately 90 days) of this year to submit for Expert Infantry and then Centurion if you opt to go for higher levels with that particular set of armor. 3. We took into consideration that an average set of armor takes approximately 3 months (or less) to build and that "life happens", but if you find that it will be taking longer than the 90 days, you will be required to contact the D.O. staff if you are aiming for EI or Centurion and explain your situation. After that date, you will be required to follow the requirements as per the updated CRL. If you have already started your build and would like to include the new updates, you are more than welcome (and encouraged) to do so. If you have met the above guidelines and would like to use the existing CRL, we suggest that you print a copy before June 1st, as these will not be available to view on the 501st site after that.

Hum ... difficult your question is ! Thinking about this I must ! Today I’ve assembled the stock. I’ve sand the little parts of metal with a Dremel. I’ve cleaned and tested the threads (WD40 is my friend !). Then, I've washed all the parts and I’ve followed Chris tutorial here. The spring plate and shoulder rest didn’t fit well and I’ve trimed the spring plate. I must say I’m absolutely bluffed with the precision of the mechanism. It works perfectly !

So my week has consisted of sanding, priming, filling, sanding, priming.....and the cycle continues! However, I was able to get some of the smaller pieces ready to attempt another go at applying the gloss white. And I would say that all my surface prep is finally looking like it is paying off. This after the first coat of gloss white. Already really shiny. I will be letting the paint dry for 24 hours then wet sanding with 2000 grit before applying 2 more coats of the white. Got some work done on the helmet as well. Went over areas with spotty putty, wet sanded with 400 grit, then applied a new coat of primer. Might be getting close to actually start painting. Wet Sanded New Primer

First test fit of bicep and forearm with gaskets. I am quite pleased so far.

Thank you Brad --- All the big parts are done! I glued the final cover strip to my left thigh and also attached ammo belt to the right. There are no thigh or shin straps yet but what do you think? I think this looks pretty solid.

Nice progress. :-) I do like s good DD/Completion kit E-11 build. [emoji1303]

Thanks for your comment. Someone on facebook made the same comment. I am most likely going to have to trim the tops of the shins in the back for more mobility anyway. So, this will probably disappear in that process. I appreciate your feedback.

Folding stock screws Keyhole filed out Latch added in - gave it a go with Milliput, then gave up and instead 3D modelled something based off what I could see in the Sterling reference Super-easy to glue in with a bit of superglue (as I said earlier, I'll share up all these little greeblies on Thingiverse when I'm done) So, I need to do more digging out of the front stock, fill in the pipe behind the keyhole and put in a bolt to stand in for the latch, tidy up the fake bolts And then, I think, it's onto the Ejection Port and the Clearing Strip...and more dust!

Agreed with the others that you look good!

Larry, You are doing magnificent work. Looking forward to your progress!

Just a quick look as I’m out and about: Shoulder bridges should be glued down at the front, can see velcro. Shoulder bells appear to be sitting quite high, could be as your chest is low. Chest plate needs to come up, an plate also to give you some room at the top of you’re thighs. Belt is not straight. Forearms need rotating. Thigh cover strips should stop above the lower ridges, not continue to the bottom. Boots sticking out of shins at front. Blue on an plate buttons looks very dark, should be French Blue #14 Holster should not be held on by loops, should be short straps attached to lower section of belt. You do have a gap in the sides, ok for basic but shins would be needed for higher levels. Shins on rear should close from the outside over the inside so the opening is not seen from the outside. Thigh ammo stop should not be curved on top, should be a straight corner, only curved on bottoms. Also looks like it is secured with screws in the bottom corners, should be attached in the top corners and on the lower ridge, should be held with cap rivets. Also when taking the photos try to use a blank background, makes it a little easier for you’re GWL to edit That will have to do for the moment, I’ll comment later if others haven’t SDS does need some work right out of he box so don’t be disheartened a few tweaks and you’ll be fine.

Awesome job and congrats trooper, glad I could help you in some way. Sent from my 5054N using Tapatalk

And Phone ring tone was Star Wars Theme.... Side note he completely missed my armor was laid out in the living room...

Attaching the cover strips and knee plate. After so bondo and sanding. And finally after paint and some weathering here is a few comparison shots. Left is the old, right is new. Its not perfect but that side view makes all the difference for me. And lastly testing them out. Sorry I dont have any full body pictures yet, it will be a few weeks before I can take some. In the end I am so very happy with them! I kind of rushed it on a few parts but I think they turned out great.

TY wook1138. All great tips here is a sneak peek of helmet now. The exact point you brought up has been in my notes and I'm still working on it but I'm happy where it sits now. Well at least I think it's a happy place between to low and to high. I haven't quite finished still need to paint a few outlines and the white over screws.

I find I don't have as much movement in my FOTK and looking down is not as easy as in my OTTK. Adding some photos of what you are talking about could help, many of us use Imgur, once you upload the photo just copy and paste the "direct link" into your post.

Nice work Tuomas!

TK 46165 reporting for duty. Theres so many to thank for helping me get here. I’ll try to get to each of you.