Leaderboard

OP (MV) Post #4 In my previous post I mentioned that I'd received my rubber E-11 from @Hellhounds Props / Trooperbay, and this week I completed my photo comparison review (thread) of it verses the two other main rubber E-11 suppliers: Hyperfirm and Praetorian. Below are some of the images I took of my blaster and utilized in the review. It's my first E-11, and as such I'm giddy with it in-hand, but I think others would also find that Hellhounds holds their own with their rubber blaster. Now back to my actual armor build progress. In my previous post on this build thread I added several photos showing my thigh height (knee to belt-line) versus the armor thigh piece height from ATA, and I'm still hoping to hear some feedback from some of you Troopers. The right-side ATA thigh piece is 16" tall with the recommended trim lines, and the left-side piece is a little over 15" tall, I imagine to accommodate the sniper plate. The distance from the top of my knee cap to my belt-line is 18", but since I've never worn armor before I don't know how far below a Trooper's normal belt-line the top of the thigh pieces should end. I know the black gap is supposed to be minimal. In that previous post above you'll find diagrams of what I'm attempting to describe. That's me on the left, and the Legion ANH Stunt TK CRL model on the right. I'd assume that a TK's normal belt-line would be somewhere underneath the actual armor belt, but my question is, would the thigh armor end any closer than two or three inches below said belt-line. I don't want increased gaps to disqualify me from Level 3 status. This week I also spent a lot of time pouring over @justjoseph63's Quick Reference Guide for armor from the OT. While compiling research for my build I've used a combination of electronic files and printed pages from FISD, and I felt the extensiveness of that AMAZING thread deserved to be printed out. Unfortunately, unless I'm missing something (I probably am), FISD posts don't print well, and I also wanted to remove the repeating post signatures and create clickable links in an index. After many hours of copying, pasting, image resizing, font coloring, and page formatting, I completed a PDF version of the guide which I can then easily use as a resource on my iPad throughout my build, and also print out for my research/reference folder. (Joseph, I sent you a PM about all this). An added benefit of doing all this is that I was staring at and reading the content repeatedly, and thus I have a better understanding of all that will be required for me to reach Level 3 Centurion status. Seriously guys, Joseph is amazing. But I'm sure you already knew that. This week I also received some new materials for my build, shown below. The snap fastener kit came from Amazon, and I do not intend to actually use any of the snaps for functional purposes. I really just wanted the fastener tool, and the bonus snaps will just be used cosmetically (think Han snap). The snaps and strapping will be of high quality from TheRascalKing. The monocular will hopefully be the source of the optics for the E-11 scope, per @T-Jay's research/poll thread. My hope had been to simply jam the lenses into the both rubber ends of the scope, but unfortunately upon disassembly I discovered that the lenses are thicker than I anticipated, so I may need to bore into the scope ends a bit for added depth. Big bummer, since I had hoped to avoid cutting into the rubber and foam. It also appears that the smaller lens may be a bit too large for the front of my scope. Might anybody have some alternate lens piece suggestions that aren't too costly? Yesterday I also stumbled upon the DLT-19 threads here on FISD and on MEPD, and I'm now kinda hooked on the low-cost scratch build idea. I have a bad feeling about this. I should probably concentrate on my first TK build first before foraying into the world of blaster construction. Side note related to this: Where have folks sourced their T-tracks? It seems that Super6Props is one of the more popular ones, and I know that @SlyFox740 also found what appears to be the screen-used RO variant. I do have one last question, related to FISD forum posts. Is there a method to save drafts of posts or responses to be opened later on a different device? It appears that when I close a draft response on my desktop computer the typed text and images remain when I next go back to it on that same browser and machine, and I've experienced the same thing on Tapatalk, but the draft content doesn't appears to be saved for retrieval on a different device. Am I missing something? Finally, if it isn't obvious by now, I'm considering this TK build process as a journey, and as such I want to integrate some semi-related (but not always so) personal notes along the way. Last week we finally finished decorating our Christmas tree, and I chuckled at the juxtaposition of Fett next to the angel. I'm surprised my wife continues to give me Star Wars ornaments, but hey, not gonna complain. Until next time. MV

TK20187 approved, report to the battlefront and await your orders trooper. Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Thanks gents - That's been my experience as well. I was just hoping that I could continue drafts on multiple devices, since I use up to four different ones. It took me a couple days to put together my E-11 blaster photo review since I had to wait to get back to my desktop at home late every night. Cheers.

Last night's progress! It doesn't look like a whole lot, but it was. That was a good three hours worth of work. E6000 is famous for oozing, but man, it was just being awful last night. I ended up scraping a lot off the table and using it rather than squeezing the tube because there was so much there. I glued Velcro to: The top and bottom inside of the biceps, for gasket connections The top of the forearms, for gasket connections The bottom of the thighs, for gasket connections The top of the shins, for gasket connections The shins for closure seam The ankle spats for closure seam I also cut out little pieces of ABS (from scraps) to act as a sandwich for the elastic connections- underside of armor piece, elastic end, ABS scrap. The elastic will stay in place better is stress areas (constant on/off of hand guards, wrist guards, etc.). Pictures of that when I glue the elastics in I ran of out of time, ran out of glue, ran out of clamps, and ran out of energy. I am confident I used every drop possible out of that tube of E6000. My elevator shoes should arrive today! Got lucky- the company is based in Arcadia, which is only about 3.5 hours away from me, and they shipped same day. Tonight I will glue in all the elastic connections- Hand guards Wrist guards Knees? (Debating between elastic wrap around or Chicago screwing them into the gaskets for semi-permanent attachment) Boot spats (toe) Heel spats Fingers to each other to base of glove And glue in the magnets into the finger tips Later: Top boot spat (not yet back from painters) I also will make various snap plates, I can't make all the connections yet, but I can at least get some of the base plates gluing and assembled ready to go. Snaps on shoulder bells to yoke (yoke not back) Snaps on cod and butt for cod strap (all in hand) I'm thinking Velcro attachments for the thighs- so cut some more Velcro and glue to the inside of the thighs and sew to the strap on the harness. My TK is snaps, and it works, but I don't see why Velcro wouldn't also work. I can always rip off the Velcro and add snaps at a later date if needed. Belt boxes to belt- Chicago screws through the back box and through the belt. I have enough pieces and still have Izzy's FOTK in my garage for sizing and placement over the missing ab/kidney. I'm a little concerned about the belt to the ab- mine doesn't have a good lip to Velcro or otherwise attach the belt. Worst case scenario I get it as tight as I can and hope it does't slip (no holster to weigh it down at least) for now. Later I think I'll cut off the tiny, not flat lip from the ab, and add a new, flat backing piece to which I'll add Velcro or snaps to attach the belt. I'm going to glue the head of the Chicago screw into the inside of the inner belt box, then glue the inner box into the outer box- they're not going to be functional anyway. I ordered gloves, they've shipped already so they should be here soon. In the meantime I'm taking back my Phasma turned TK turned Phasma again gloves and using those. I can still wear them with the TK with magnets in the fingers if needed in the meantime (for the premiere I plan to wear as many of my costumes as I can, as many times as I can- it's tradition, and I have four whole days to do it). I also ordered more magnets- One of the dang finger magnets broke from connecting with another. I also am using the ones I had planned to use for the ab/kidney closure for clamp magnet purposes, and don't feel like prying off the blue tape I have on them. And then some more rounds just in case the rectangle ones don't work for the closure. Plus, you can never have too many magnets. Thank you, Amazon Prime- they will be here tomorrow. I'd like to say I could then also airbrush the blasters but I know the above will take up all the time I have after work tonight, so that will have to be Thursday's job. Gonna be down to the wire but I think I can make it!

Well I suppose magnets for clamping for now. I’m looking at attaching the pauldron like JAFO did with magnets. And might look into doing magnet closures for some of the armor. Aaaand I just found your Magnets thread.. Sent from my iPhone using The Force

He He! Shhh.... they suspect nothing Yeah, I'm very impressed by KB's wait times. Especially compared to the wait time for my OTTK, which was 5-6 months. For sure! Yes, I got a box of all the good stuff prepped for the build

@gmrhodes13 @JAFO @Sly11 Awesome stuff. I appreciate all the info and tips from you guys!

Usual warning on label but reasonably safe to use. I tried to limit how much I used it indoors and skin contact but when caught few drops on me or smelled it didn't effeerrct mmemee me atts alls.

Very exciting times, let the stalking of the (every) delivery driver begin

Well, look at that… The lighting in my living room is terrible, so it's really not showing it off well. There is a fuzzy but noticeable reflection when outside in sunlight and in better, more direct light. It's much more impressive looking in person than here. I think it's perfect for TFA! They were still working on the back/yoke, ab/kidney, one of the boot spat sets, and the helmet, but I picked up the finished pieces! I had a marathon weekend of trooping and setting up (six troops in three days, two on Friday, three on Saturday, and one on Sunday; plus setting up for the parade that was the third troop on Saturday, and setting up at our local theater for ROS). I have neither the energy nor the time to even think about this, but yet, I must press forward. The weather is awful for painting, but all I have left is the Alclad. I mixed up some custom champagne from silver and gold, and I’m happy with it. I just now have to get up my neve to hang the blasters up somewhere and get to town with the airbrush machine. (I’ll add a photo here later or in the next post, whichever I remember to do). I cut out a bunch of Velcro and elastic pieces for the connections. Elastic for the hand guards, wrist guards, boot spats, internal strap for the fingers (to attach to the palm of the glove, so if they come off, they’ll just dangle), and cod/butt connection. Velcro for the shin closures, ankle spat closures, some for the chest to yoke (hopefully it will have enough edge to attach to, we’ll see), and inside the biceps (upper and lower), forearms (upper), thighs (lower) and shins (upper) for the gasket attachments. I’m going to use the gasket harness to hold up the thighs (I believe this is what its’ designed for- it’s the right length and the right position, so I’m going with it). I’m going to get some suspenders to hold up the ab/kidney. I wanted to get some fun special ones, but right now, I’m just getting whatever I can find for now, then I’ll go on Etsy and find some cute personalized ones (I’m thinking either Ravenclaw or Doctor Who) when I have more time. I just want to finish right now. Upgrades and mods will be inevitable anyway, so might as well do them later. I just about tore myself apart going over how to work on my lifts…. I added some material to the bottom so it wasn’t as steep of a drop, I was looking into expanding foam like Wookiee feet to add a backing for the slant in the back… I even bought a can of expanding foam. And then when I was just so frustrated I didn’t know which way was up, I found some elevator shoes with internal lifts on clearance and just bought them. 4.4’’ of lift, between internal and heel. Should have just done this in the first place, but I was trying to keep the cost down (only spent $40 total on the lifts, so not a huge loss, I can use the boots for something else). Another learn from my mistakes- if you want serious lift, just get shoes made for that purpose. They also make these in much less extreme lift (I think about 1.5’’), though for that little I’d do the inserts and use a cheaper shoe. The lifted shoes are kind of expensive, but not bad as far as good and specialty shoes go. Also like such things, they have a big price range- anywhere from $100 - $400. These are Calto (I've heard that brand thrown around before, appear to be well-thought of). At our last build party of the year (November), I did manage to mod and ¾ paint my blasters: There were a few subtle modifications needed to convert the F-11D to the F-11D Phasma carries- remove part of the trigger guard (she’d never get her finger in there with the finger armor with it, and honestly, even without it’s close), and remove the second part of the grip (again, she can’t bend her fingers well, so the smaller grip the easier she could grab it). I used a dremel with a cutting wheel to cut off both pieces, then filled in the open space with epoxy putty (I’m using Gorilla brand). It’s quite subtle, but after you do it it’s install like “That’s Phasma’s blaster!” v. “That’s an FOTK blaster.” At least for nerds like us. I mean I got called “Superman” at a recent troop (as a TK… specifically Reindeer TK, so I had my blinking red noise and antlers), so there’s that. Instead of acetone knocking down the 3D print lines, I used filler primer, per a suggestion from a Squad-mate. Worked great. There were just a couple of steps in the order I did them that I should have done differently, but it’s too late and not worth it for me now. What I did: Used liquid latex to mask off all areas that were going to stay black Paint entire thing with filler primer Paint entire thing with glossy black. Paint entire thing with Alclad (next step, not yet completed as of now) Remove latex (will be done after Alclad) What I should have done, and what I recommend doing: Paint entire thing with filler primer Paint entire thing glossy black Use liquid latex to mask off areas that remain black Paint entire thing with Alclad Remove latex My original thought process was the black parts that are staying black are already black, save myself the step of re-painting them black. Except I could have just masked them off AFTER and I still would have done the masking only once, gotten the fillable primer on there to knock down their 3D print lines and probably a slightly nicer black gloss (though they basically disappear with the rest, because your eye tricks you, and they were quite subtle to begin with. Plus, there’s not a lot of black on the blaster, so you don’t really notice). But, like I said, not worth taking off the latex, painting it black again, letting it dry in this cold weather, re-applying latex, and then airbrushing it. If I weren’t on a deadline, maybe. Still a maybe. And FYI, you burn through this stuff pretty quick- so buy more than one can. There was an emergency Home Depot run in the middle of the build party. Ignore the weird textures- that's where the latex is. What’s left to do: Glue in all Velcro and elastics Install lens in helmet (once received) Install helmet liner (once received) Make and install helmet fans (can make fans now) Get suspenders, and install once ab/kidney received Glue belt boxes together and attach to belt Make magnet closure for ab/kidney (armor isn’t back, but I can make the structure and glue it in once the armor’s back) Add corresponding Velcro to yoke (once received) Glue magnets into armor fingertips Sew magnets into glove fingertips Tailor in gloves? I seem to recall them being a bit big in the fingers (I have long, thin hands), but I couldn’t find them last night because I lost my TK gloves and they’re the same (Nomex) so I yanked Phasma’s and totally forgot until right now. Would you like a metaphor for how my week has been going? There you go. Order Nomex gloves ASAP (trying to remember my size- man my eBay purchase history is WEIRD) Airbrush blasters Make various snap plates for connections, and what connections I can make now with the parts I have ??? Probably something I’m forgetting but that’s most of it! Why does it seem like less when written out like that?

Quick reference guide for armor used in ******** Otherwise known as the OT (Original Trilogy) ******** Whether you are aiming toward Basic 501st approval, Expert Infantry or Centurion level, the FISD Gallery section is an invaluable resource for information containing hundreds of images of screen captures and film used armor. However, searching for the exact reference you are looking for can take a lot of time, especially for those seeking higher levels of accuracy or approval. This thread contains edited versions of those images and is designed to be a quick reference. It also contains notes and CRL (Costume Reference Library) requirements as applicable, but does not contain them all. For complete info. you can view the various costumes here: CRL IMPORTANT! Please be aware when applying for higher levels that the Deployment Officers do not depend solely on the CRLs when reviewing submissions. Screen caps and reference images are also taken into consideration. When in doubt, always feel free to contact any member of the D.O. Staff for assistance... we are here to help! The costume categories are shown as ANH (A New Hope) Stunt, ANH Hero, the Empire Strikes Back (ESB) and Return of the Jedi (ROTJ). Items for Basic 501st approval will be listed as Basic Items for Expert Infantry approval will be listed as Level 2 Items for Centurion approval will be listed as Level 3 Requirements from the various CRLs will be shown like this: bold, italicized in white, and may be paraphrased for brevity. Comments will be listed as Notes: or Important: TO SEE A PARTICULAR AREA, JUST SCROLL OVER IT BELOW AND LEFT CLICK ON IT! HELMET ARMOR BOOTS/HOLSTER Brow Trim Chest/Back Plate Boots Ear Placement AB/Kidney/Posterior plates (including strapping Holster Ear Screws Belt (ABS-Canvas) and Drop Boxes Ear Bars Shoulder Bells Tears/Traps Biceps/Forearms Frown Thighs/Lower Leg Armor Tube Stripes Thermal Detonator (TD) Hovi Tips Gloves/Hand Guards Vocoder DOWNLOADABLE PDF for PRINTING: Courtesy of Caleb (MaskedVengance) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BbwWkC8nwLgH-jvU634IUcrO2mf4Yovb/view This will be an ongoing project and more photos will be added. I have locked the topic, but if you have any reference images you would like to see added, please feel free to PM me. Thanks for looking, and I hope this helps! SHOUT OUT to Mark (sskunky) of CFO for providing me with some great photos of his screen used ROTJ armor. THANKS!

Heehee. I’ll tell you what, that was a day for the books. I had just seated myself for a quick bite in the mess hall. It was French Toast Day and everyone knows Imperial French Toast is the Best French Toast. So just as I’m pouring on a thick layer of maple syrup, the Sup yells over the comm to report immediately to Docking Control Room 327. I grab my gear, rush over there and had a bit of trouble opening the door. While the Sup worked on that, my mind kept drifting back to that delicious French Toast. Then BAM! The door opens and I am ripped away from my culinary daydreams. I guess I instinctively burst into the room and... bonk. Thankfully the Sup didn’t notice and we spent the rest of the afternoon chasing a group of stowaways around the Station and trading laser fire. Not a great day and I never did get back to that French Toast. p.s. you are correct, the movie trooper sustained no damage but there’s nothing wrong with imagining “what if?”

Con los dedos cruzados, También se le dice tocayo! Muchas gracias bro

I'm not even an approved TK yet, but I love reading this newsletter! @bishopdonmiguel - Great work on that tabloid. Also, I can't help but wonder if your OT TK is designed to mimic that of the infamous head-bumping TK in ANH. The horizontal mark above your brow made me think of it, though I do not recall if a similar mark was left on the TK's bucket after the Death Star door bump.

Curious to see if the armor is identical sans color in the film.

Missed that. Thanks for the intel. Will fix.

Do not order form Head Shot Props. Recently had an obnoxious dealing with Head Shot Props. I posted on reddit and we thought it wise to post it here as well since I wasn't alone in having problems with them. Here's what my post(s) was:

Some glue will definitely help give you a little extra strength

Nice work, looks good, there should be a secondary edge inside the inner end

Perfect! Thank you, sir!

Hello Joseph, Attached are the images requested, indeed the lighting on that photo is making my armor much shinier than it really is. Right Shoulder bell Left Shoulder bell If there is anything else needed, do let me know. Thanks

Thermal Detonator (con’t): Once again, I turn to my vinyl cutter for a stencil. This time to create the indentation on the TD. A shallow grinding with the Dremel followed by some sanding to clean up. If only the rest of the TD build was this easy.

I agree Yeah, I like the idea as well of being able to go with and without the pauldron. That is if I get a pauldron

Great minds think alike, Jayke!

I plan to use these ones that justjoseph63 linked in one of his threads. https://www.ebay.com/itm/6pcs-Super-Strong-Neodymium-Rare-earth-Magnet-Disc-for-sale-7-8-dia-x-1-8-thick/281060567507?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 P.S. Wow right as I started to type your name, Joseph, you commented on my thread! What a coincidence!

Magnets for clamping or magnets for another purpose?

NICE job on this, Mario! Can you do us a favor and post up a photo of the fronts of the shoulder bells (by themselves) showing the areas highlighted below? Also, it may be the photo, but the paint looks pretty shiny and does not appear to be ... "lightly scuffed, (battle worn)..". Thanks, brother!

Wow Congratulations Don, this is your real succes, the armor is just an adjustment, I'm sure you're going to acomplish as I can see you are a goal achiever. Congrats to your friend Rayan too for a great help. Cheers

The kidney plate looks off because we flattened a return edge - when we started the build, I was around 230 lbs. and we thought that we were going to need shims. I'm down to 195 now and don't need the shims I think that the flattening is causing them to look misaligned but, with having to lengthen the front of my torso too because of my height, the back would be hanging way too low. When building, we (mostly I) were worried about gaps and wanted to address that first. As for the unneeded shims - I should've lost the weight before the build. Thank you for the feedback and I'll discuss with Ryan (he's the real brains of the operation)

Nice!

Congratulations trooper

Well done Troy!

Awesome!!!!

Exciting times mate! Hope you e been busy getting all your tools, adhesives and PPE prepped for the build. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thermal Detonator (con’t): I’ll spare you all the small iterative changes over several hours of work. After getting the shape of the tube nearly finished, I mounted the tube to the back plate using CA glue and (6) pull rivets with washers. A hole was cut in the back to facilitate installation and then filled with expanding foam to fill the void and help keep the tube as rigid as possible. If anyone wants pictures of that, shout. More filling, more sanding and I’m reasonably happy with the result. BUT I noticed the piece shown in the CRL has detail on the bottom this one doesn’t have. Basically, the ridge lines of the back plate continue down behind and below the TD. Solved this by affixing a couple pieces of scrap glued together, shaped like the ridge line and affixed to the bottom. The major work on this is now done but I will need to add a groove on the top and eventually finalize the thickness of the back plate. I will do that later when I get the armor ready to wear for fitting. Glad to have this part behind me. I think the assembly of the TD could be simplified greatly by a redesign. But if many builders simply jump to using the 3D print, might not be any incentive for 850 Armor Works to make a change here.

You can try Methylene Chloride ( dichloro methane ), it works like Acetone on ABS and will melt and smooth the PLA. I used it on my blaster to both weld pieces together and to smooth out print lines.

They were pretty quick about sending these. I got a notification Monday that the label was printed. Then later that day it reached UPS with an arrival date of Thursday for here in Colorado. Sent from my iPhone using The Force

Coming along nicely mate! That Husky case is a great investment. We don’t have them in AU and I had to get one imported. Was the best purchase. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

You’ve done a great job [emoji1305] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thermal Detonator (con’t): My solution is to extend the length of the right side cap so it can fit inside the tube. I will patch the voids with body filler. I also took care to extend the cap shim material beyond the end so I can create an indentation for accuracy. Once assembled and a preliminary filler is applied, I can see I have SO MUCH MORE WORK LEFT TO DO on this piece.

Hey everyone! So this morning, I received a tracking number for my armor, and it’s supposed to get here by the end of the week!

VERY interesting! Thank you for that insight. Love to hear these little details.

Good Luck Commander!

The print looks good! Here’s an interesting fact for you, the TLJ forearms had hidden zippers! The zip was stitched to some fabric which was glued either side of a slit in the armour. The CommPad and Picatinny rail were cast as one piece. After the forearm was zipped-up the CommPad was affixed using Velcro and the Picatinny Rail was bolted down. The mod was an upgrade to the TFA design and not only provided a sleek design but assisted performers with large hands. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yesterday was my BBB day I'm just not able to post pics Using Imgur. Not able to figure it out. http://imgur.com/gallery/wUuFwvV http://imgur.com/gallery/fteGIwj

Great Erick, Welcome to EIB, now just a little steps and go for Centurion Trooper!!!

Could I add a suggestion to your great info piece? When making magnet sachets, it's a really good idea to make sure that you've got polarity-correct pairs. An easy way to help identify magnet pairs is to assemble them using fabric with high-contrast colors. Kind of like this:

I remember getting a set from china, via ebay, with only a few pages from a local newspaper as packing, thought they had not arrived, then noticed they were stuck to the inside of my letterbox I also found them really handy for finding a few nails that had been used on a wooden window frame that had been skimmed over......see, they also have practical uses.

Thanks bro! Those sniper plates don’t fit! Lol...but I love it! Thank you for the constant encouragement! I’m almost there! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk