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Yeah. Oh well, more time to study other builds

I’d definitely be interested if you decide to let them go. In other news, I just got a notification from USPS that my BBB has FINALLY arrived in Denver. I’m guessing I should have it tomorrow or Tuesday! Sent from my iPhone using The Force

I have used Novus for years and it does well at keeping my armour shiny. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So Glen when does your build start?

Greetings, fellow troopers! TK 25970 reporting, as the newest recruit of the 501st Hellenic Outpost. I got my approval on the 29th of November, just in time for my first troop and a make-a-wish event in Athens. I can't stress out how happy i feel, having finally achieved my goal of joining the Legion. Next steps involve upgrading the armor (aiming for EIB and maybe centurion) and of course...lots of trooping

Cool, red and rubbery Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

But they get cool new red armor! Sent from my iPhone using The Force

The Sith Troopers are an elite army who have been awaiting the call. They are lots to Kylo and the Knights ofRen. Whilst imposing they prove no more effective than regular troopers. Sith Troopers+First Order=Final Order Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

A couple of other ways to reinforce would be to use some fibreglass matt and resin, get's a bit messy for such small areas OR JB weld, it is grey though so would need to be painted afterwards, it's a 2 part system and takes a while to dry but is strong and sandable, I've used in on my FOTK build and it does reinforce really well any areas of cracking, could be an option

50/50 chance there, at least it's only a little more sewing

The only way I've been able to get rid of attachments is go to each post that you have attachments, click edit at the bottom of the post, then in the attachment box click on the recycle bin to delete

I actually have a set of unused Imperial Gaskets rubber gaskets. They may we’ll be the last on the planet! [emoji1787] They’ve bloomed a little do I’m going to try and clean them up. Will let you know if I plan to sell. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Anytime when you need one, do drop a pm or drop our page a message --------------

Okay, this is weird. On a browser, link properly displays photo. On Tapatalk, link resolves to some random thread. Seems like a bug on the Tapatalk side.

I went out and bought the 3 step Novus kit. Thanks @Sly11

Trimmed shins down! I’m happy the way the turned out...finally. I will trim the backs for comfort when I get a chance to fit Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Always a pleasure to give back to the community by helping others, people give or take what they will but the majority stick around and share what they know

I did specify a TLJ armor kit without helmet when I ordered. I’m pretty sure they adjust the kit for which one you order. I’ll post pics of all of the parts in the coming week once I get my BBB. The main item holding me back on Centurion right now is rubber gaskets. Seems they’re not available. I’ve ordered a set of gaskets and neck seal from Geeky Pink for now. Sent from my iPhone using The Force

I literally saw this one with the almost-off helmet for the first time about an hour ago. Funny how paying attention to tiny details here on FISD has opened my eyes to wardrobe malfunctions. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

"I may be small but I carry a BIG stick"

Once cleaned up and repainted, those split rivets will look fantastic! Han snap: Perfect. Cod snaps: I would round out those edges just a hair. Otherwise, they can cause chafing or snag on your undersuit.

ABS will stay pretty darned shiny. My Hero and Stunt are still glossy even after years. (can't say the same for my HWT, though, lol). One thing you can do is to make cloth sleeves for the various armor pieces. I made mine out of sheets and fabric glue (no ironing). This will help keep the scratches to a minimum during transport in your bin.

Ahh awesome, yes very sweet kit, keen to get one myself.

Such a stunning kit and great fun to paint and build. If I bought again I’d definitely buy with the separate grip for ease of painting. Look forward to seeing your build. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Looks cool, looking forward to see the building thread and final result. enjoy !

You know you're in the end stages of a build (or project) when you start going to the hardware store daily. Or maybe also the beginning, too. Well, I always did say it's not a real project until you have to make at least two trips to the hardware store. Bonus points if they're in the same day. I got nearly everything done I wanted to get done last night, and since my goal was a bit ambitious, I'm calling that a win. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to glue the elastic connections into both the finger armor and tip armor, because of the magnets also gluing into the finger tips, and I was right. I will be able to glue the finger tips onto the elastic tonight, since the glue has set enough the magnets won't shift anymore. I also didn't get to sewing in the other magnets into the gloves. But I also hate hand sewing and avoid it at all costs, so I'm not that upset about it. Otherwise, last night's work: A whole lot of gluing, some sewing, some planning, and thank god for sewing clips (the little colorful clips). Corresponding Velcro glued or sewn in (belt box covers, chest plate, thigh holders), snap plates made and glued in (cod/butt connection and shoulder bells), elastic straps (wrist guards, hand guards, toe boot spats, heel boot spats, knees). My shoes arrived! They're actually pretty comfortable, and I will be able to stand in them at length which is obviously very important. They fit! For reference, I used Calto's size chart and measured my foot- I normally wear a Men's 10 (Women's 12), and I was spot on to their Men's 10, per measurement and now fit. So I'd say they run true to size, and/or at the very least true to their size chart (what a concept, I wish more vendors were like that). I wish I had some more ankle support, so I'd recommend, if you can find it, a boot version, though if you can't these are a valid option. Because they're men's shoes and while my foot is long, it's narrow and not particularly high, when I walk the shoe doesn't come with my foot when I lift up- the heel slides off. So I made a quick elastic loop to slip around the base of the boot and around my ankle. Problem solved. (I feel like I learned this from a motorcycle trick, but what application that would have on a motorcycle I have no idea- maybe I was just inspired by the strap on gear shift toe guards or stirrups on pants to keep them down). I got the belt done! The other two soft pouches with covers are not on there, but I have them, have sewn the needed Velcro to one, and the corresponding Velcro is gluing to the plastic covers. They just slide onto the belt so they can be added at any time. I used Chicago screws to attach them- punched holes in the back box and belt with my soldering iron, put glue on the inside around the holes so the inside part of the screw would stay in place, and screwed in the second half from the back of the belt into them. I also glued the inner boxes into the outer boxes, since they're not going to be functional anyway. This finger armor mess just looks hilarious: To make the finger connection contraption, I took a piece of Velcro, sewed five strips of elastic to the back of it, and then glued each of those elastic strips into the base of the fingers. I will do the same with the base of the finger tips tonight. This creates a stretchy connection between each of the parts, so that I can pull them on and off, but they will stay in place when on. And, if one does manage to get bumped or otherwise come off, it will dangle as the Velcro will be stuck to its corresponding piece on the palm of the glove. I can also take them off to wash the gloves (which I do every now and again, because those can get gross, especially after summer troops). I stole the idea from @LadyInWhite- it's been a couple years so I have no idea what connection material she used, but the concept is the same. Due to the placement of the corresponding Velcro, I'm going to have to hand-sew it into the palm. Lots of hand sewing in my future tonight. I decided on trying out suspenders to hold up the ab/kidney- I snagged a pair at a local Boot Barn. They seem sturdy, hopefully they'll hold up. I think I'll skip the neat ones as they're probably more decorative than heavy-duty and I want service over look. I want to avoid putting extra stress on the armor itself as much as possible, so I plan to get some sort of bracketing and glue it into the ab/kidney, and then clip the suspenders onto that. This is the custom champagne color I plan to use to airbrush the blasters- it's made with a mix of Alclad Chrome and Gold, with more chrome than gold. What's kind of interesting is when it settles, they split into their respective colors. But they mix easily and well, and the separation in the bottle when sitting is normal, so I'm thinking it won't be an issue once painted. I probably should have noted how much of each I used, so I could replicate it, or at least help out a future Shiny Sister, but I made this randomly at a build party in November, and I didn't write it down. Roughly it was 3:1 silver to gold. I used pipettes to transfer from the original bottles to this one. So about three pipettes of silver and one of gold, then just tweak it until you're happy. To to (tonight): Sew magnets into glove finger tips (inside so they don't shatter each other) Sew Velcro onto glove palms Glue elastic connection into finger tip armor Airbrush blasters Yoke snap plates for shoulder bell connections (so they can be ready to glue in once back/yoke is received) Make helmet fans Velcro to top of cod for attachment to belt, most likely Velcro to top of butt plate for attachment- CRL says to kidney (well ab, but it's the kidney back part of the kidney/ab, so technically kidney), but I'm thinking placement might be belt. I'll hold it up and see, either way. it's getting Velcro Corresponding Velcro to belt for cod Possibly corresponding Velcro to belt for butt, or maybe it will go on the kidney and we'll hold off 'cause I don't have that part back yet When I get the rest of the parts: Cut and glue in elastic connection into final boot spat Glue in helmet liner Install fans (I will tape them in if needed, that's my current "temp" fix on one of my TK ones) Install lens Corresponding Velcro to yoke for chest connection (already glued into chest) ...is that really it? I think it is. Wow. I'm really at the point where I don't care if y'all have to duct tape me into her- she's getting worn and debuted at this premiere! They sell silver duct tape, right? It worked for Izzy at TFA with his FOTK! (Half a roll of white duct tape every time he wore it, no joke. Good times. Actually it was a great adventure, I got pretty good at it by the third time, too.)

Starting my cardinal build. Based on references in Phasma and in Galaxy's Edge, Black Spire Outpost. I'm going with red boots and red blaster.

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!

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

Can’t get the cricket player idea out of my head Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk