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Heres a quick demo of my Troopacoola Digital Variable Speed system. Please note, any price listed is out of date. For upto date listings and more info, follow the link in the description [emoji846] Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

If you haven't already done so, I would suggest adding interior cover strips inside the front calf connections. The reason being is because those particular connections gets a LOT of stress from opening/closing the backs when suiting up. They don't have to be pretty, lol, as no one sees them anyway and it takes some of the stress off the front cover strips.

For all those wanting to see your kit, here you go... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Bucket update. Weathering done, just need to add some padding, liner and attach the lenses. Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Hey everyone! Small update: KB announced recently that kits will start to be shipped today! Fingers crossed that the BBB comes before the week is over And that is pretty much it. Until next time

@Cricket - Here's the post I previously referred to. What type of cloth did you use for these sachets? Microfiber or felt of some sort? Did you simply cut your own by-the-yard fabric squares with zigzag craft scissors? I want to ensure I don't scratch the armor. @kman - Do you have a suggestion for smaller diameter alternatives? Does the 7/8" size simply not fit inside forearm pieces? Btw, EXCELLENT post Joseph! I love all your 101s!

Staying in character while in armor has always interested me. After watching videos of the Stormtroopers at Disney's Galaxy's Edge, I decided to start compiling an array of sayings and responses for different scenarios and I would like to share them with you! SPECIFIC RESPONSES: Citizen: Can I get a picture with you!? Stormtrooper: Affirmative. Proceed with holoscan. Citizen: Thank you! Stormtrooper: All for the glory of the Empire/First Order! Citizen: Your armor is awesome! Stormtrooper: It's made to Imperial specifications. Citizen: How long did it take you to make that? Stormtrooper: About ____ standard months. Citizen: (Waves hand) You don't need to see my identification, or These aren't the droids you're looking for. Stormtrooper: This must not be the Jedi we're looking for. PUBLIC INTERACTION If you see members of the public staring at you in awe or excitement: The Empire/First Order recognizes your loyalty! Your allegiance is noted. The Rebels/Resistance will fall under the might of the Empire/First Order! Careful Citizens! Rebel activity has been reported in this sector! If you see a child dressed as Darth Vader, or Kylo Ren. (Salute them) Lord Vader/Ren! If you see someone with a lightsaber: That's a lightsaber! We'll assume you're a collector. ONLY a collector. CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER TROOPERS: Stormtrooper#1: I could sure go for a cup of caf right now! Stormtrooper#2: Affirmative! Stormtrooper#1: I heard that Lord Vader/Ren might be making an appearance today! Stormtrooper#2 That seems unlikely. Stormtrooper#1: Have you heard about the new T-16's? Stormtrooper#2: Yeah, some of the other guys were telling me about it! They said it was quite a thing to see! ANNOUNCEMENTS: Stormtrooper: Citizens! We have been ordered to re-position, and are vacating these premises! Stormtrooper: Rebel activity has been reported in this area! If you see anything, then report it immediately! Remember to use discretion when interacting with the public. If they seem annoyed, or disinterested, then then don't continue to harass them. And If a child seems frightened of you, then break character and try to sound cheerful. Maybe even lift up your bucket, so they can see it's a real person under there! I'll update this with more phrases and responses as I come up with them. Feel free to post any of your own ideas!

As the Boy Scout motto says, "Be prepared". In most cases, if taken care of a well built set of armor should last a long, long time. Inspecting the various components before an event is suggested, but when the inevitable "Oh crap" moments occur having things at-the-ready can really help. Not just for you, but for a fellow trooper as well! The following is a list of suggested items to have with you for "wardrobe malfunctions" which happen to many of us during a troop. I'm not saying you have to have each and every item shown below, so the choices are yours for what to include. 1. Gaffer's ("gaffa") tape (white/2" (5 cm) wide: This is a heavy cotton cloth tape with great adhesive properties, and is widely used in theatre, film and television productions. Although strong, it can be torn by hand as needed, leaves little or no residue and will generally not damage most surfaces. If you look closely, it was used a LOT in the first SW films, and is a good temporary fix for cracks/splits. -- alternatively -- 2. Duct tape (white/2" (5 cm) wide: Everyone knows it has a powerful adhesive property and super strength, but it leaves behind a strong, sticky residue which can be difficult to remove, especially if left on for extended periods. Rubbing alcohol, Goo Gone or even cooking oil can remove it, but it is not easy so therefore is not suggested. In case you have a strapping issue (snaps pop out, strap disconnects from an armor piece, etc.) it's not a huge deal if you are prepared. Installing/setting snaps in the field is not always possible (unless you have a hammer/snap setting device) and can take time. Though temporary, a quicker alternative is to use nylon strapping (you probably have a few feet left over from your build) cut to length with Velcro (cut to size) in lieu of the snaps. 3. Black 2" (5 cm) wide nylon strapping 2' (60 cm) long: Black 1" (2.5 cm) wide nylon strapping 2' (60 cm) long. Industrial Strength Velcro *** (2" x 4" sections) *** Although very strong, it will a leave residue from the adhesive backing. This can be removed from your armor with Goo-Gone or a similar product. NOTE: If you want to be extra prepared, having lengths of other materials (nylon.elastic, white Velcro etc.) used in your build are encouraged. 4. CA (Super) Glue (Single use sizes) 5. Zip-Kicker I am not a fan of using CA glue on any armor part, but in an emergency it can certainly come in handy. If needed, I highly suggest using the GEL type, as it will not run like the regular type does. Available at most craft and "Dollar" stores. Zip Kicker is an accelerant that will set CA glue instantly. There are other name brands, but I used this one as an example. Available in a spray or aerosol. 6. Razor knife 7. Lexan scissors 8. Sanding sponge Having a sharp razor knife on hand will come in handy for many things, including cutting strapping, Velcro, etc. For safety, I recommend the folding type as seen below, and always have a new blade in it. Dull blades are useless. Be CAREFUL when cutting. As TKs, we are not known for our shooting accuracy, especially when missing our trigger finger. Lexan scissors are great for cutting/trimming ABS, especially if you need to cut shims for cracks/splits (see below). Do NOT use these to cut Industrial Strength Velcro. The adhesive will gum up the blades. A sanding sponge is perfect to have in case you need to smooth out any rough edges that may be cutting into you or snagging your under suit. Scrap ABS A piece of scrap ABS about 2" x 6" can be used to make emergency shims for cracks. Just cut it to the width/length needed and CA glue it to the inside of the affected area. 9. USB battery charger/power supply 10. Batteries Whether you use the rechargeable USB type or regular type for your fan system, etc. having a backup is always a good idea. 11. Screwdriver (multi-bit) 12. Small pliers Although these may only be needed for those with the "classic" strapping system, they can be used to tighten helmet screws and such. I have loaned mine to those with costumes from Lord Vader to Boba Fett on troops. It's better to "have em' and not need em' than need em' and not have em'". I have the "stubby" type screwdriver as seen below, as it takes up less room and all the bits are stored in the handle. 13. Lens de-fogger Even if using a good fan system in your bucket, you can still get fogged lenses. Not only is it annoying, it's dangerous, as our field of vision is not the best to begin with. You can purchase a product designed to prevent this, or (as I do) rub a bit of shaving cream (foam type) inside and polish it out before each troop. Your choice. 14. Magic Eraser 15. Paint pens For minor scuffs on shiny white armor the Magic erasers really do the trick. A single one will last a LONG time. Paint pens are a quick and easy fix for deeper scratches in your armor (white) or touch-ups on the ear bumps, etc. (black). I suggest the Acrylic type (not the oil based) paint as it can be more easily removed if/when needed. 16. Adhesive bandages It happens. Cuts, armor bite, blisters, etc. I suggest having a few of each in various sizes, especially as they don't take up much room. 17. Disinfecting wipes Let's face it. We wear compression suits and plastic so we sweat, and sweat can smell bad. To keep my bin from having the aroma of a gym locker I use these to wipe down my armor before putting it away after each use. Your fellow trooping mates (and the public) will thank you. 18: Cleaner/Polish No Matter how careful you are with your armor, you are going to get scratches or scuffs. It happens. One way of dealing with it is to use a product that cleans and shines all at one time. Although I have not used it (yet), this product has high reviews: Link and reviews here. Thank you to Greg @Oldracer for this tip! Now, there are a lot of other items that I have seen people carry.... electrical tape, a hammer, snap setting tool, safety pins, files, etc. It all depends on your particular needs and how much room you have, but most of the above items will fit together in a medium sized plastic container. Please feel free to add anything that you feel may help, and happy trooping!

Hey everyone! This is exciting! So, my birthday was yesterday, and my amazing parents gave me a First Order KB Props kit! (Thank you Mom and Dad) As you may have seen, I have been building an ANH TK for the past several months, and is now almost complete. Building the armor was one of the greatest experiences of all. For this build, I will be building the standard TFA Stormtrooper, although that may change in the future. (Pauldron or Riot Control Gear, as I have the Black Series Baton) Lets get into the specs: Helmet: KB Armor: KB Gaskets: Attempt to make myself before purchasing Gloves: Endor Finders Boots: sticking with my ANH ones for now, may change in the future The armor is set to arrive in less than 3 weeks, right around the release of The Rise of Skywalker. Get me even more hyped for the movie And that's about it so far I can't wait to start and to experience this journey with you all again. Until next time

White elastic strap connecting chest and back plate.... Check! Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Coming up! Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Hi Erick, as per the CRL states about the shoulder bridge connection: Chest and back shall be connected with a white fabric or preferably elastic strap at the shoulders. You may want to add a photo showing the white fabric or elastic. cheers.

Also don't paint the upper corner ab snap

The only one not painted is the one on the cod. The rest (ab/kidney- thigh ammo pack) are white. Hint: Be sure to scuff up the heads of the rivets with sandpaper and then clean them before painting. This will give the paint a better surface to adhere to.

I found inspiration over at YouTube for making a PVC mannequin. Quick, easy, and cheap! I posted how I made mine here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/41502-crickets-wtf-hero-build-even-more-tk-for-the-vertically-challenged/?do=findComment&comment=604120

Great work! SOmetimes it’s good to take a break (too bad you were sick though). It helps you to refocus. If you are afraid of the ammo belt tracking, then a hot bath for it would be okay. I don’t think I did mine. Good work on filling the holes with ABS paste. I used a larger file to sand mine down, then switched to sand paper for the final finish work and polishing. Your left front cover strip looks too long. Did you trim it back eventually?

I loved this one.... just one more reason to avoid ebay for armor. The chest looks like it was re cast from the front end of a pickup truck.

They’re super small. As they are pre trimmed you have to work with what you get. I’m 6-1 and 32 waist and I would say that any bigger and the kit will require major work. On top of the painting. But they are clearable.

Damn that look amazing. Especially if it's on me... Lol Sent from my Redmi K20 Pro using Tapatalk

Looks like we have a few KB builds on the forum that are coming in on this run. Excited to have others to work alongside during this whole project! Waiting patiently for my shipping confirmation.. Sent from my iPhone using The Force

Great news Jayke. looking forward to your build

Excellent advice guys, thanks. I will be making a start on my build soon (with sandpaper and E6000).

Looking good , keep on doing a great work.

Here is how the thighs came out: Left back: Left front: Right back: Right front: And I finally made some ABS paste! Also on the sniper plate: Good thing the front of the legs already were coverstripped insted of overlapped.

Nice work, Erick! We'll be with you soon.

Don’t be like Anakin and hate sand lol. Sanding is good for glueing surfaces. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I got my approval email this morning!!! Thank you so much to everyone who helped me along the way!! My childhood dream has finally come true!!

I painted up a tackle box that I take with me on troops: It has most of the things in Joseph’s list. I also carry white/black/silver paint pens and sharpies for emergency scratch repairs.

Thanks! I’m so excited! Thank you, I can’t wait to start!