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Initial layout today. Excited to get started! Suggestions on where to start?

Hey guys, Previously I have trouble finding a high resolution of the crosshair to be printed in HD on stickers as everything elsewhere is in JPEG format. So I decided to draw my own. based on references I found on the white armor (FISD) forum. Sharing it here for all to use/mod. (This is in AI format, so all may size it to whichever sizing required without it getting pixelated) Cheers! Happy Trooping Wilson TK31593 Preview: E11 Ratina Display V1.ai

Heeey troopers! It's me again, with yet another build. I've had to fast track this one, so it's taking priority over progress on my 3D printed Shoretrooper (that build is going on over at the Pathfinder's Detachment). I finally have enough pieces printed/welded together that I can share some activity now. I'll begin by saying that this is a build for my 10-year-old son, Cameron. A few years ago, I built a Battle Buddy FOTK conversion for him, and he loved it more than anything. He would have slept in it if I allowed it. He was treated like a rock star everywhere he went in it, and he completely embraced the bada$$ FOTK trooper we all know and love from the movies. He was approved in it for Galactic Academy, and has trooped with me many times- always stealing the show! Earlier this year I was approached by our GML who requested some guidance from me about the FOTK Battle Buddy conversion process. The Garrison was looking to build a kid-sized FOTK for a 5-year-old boy named Jimmy (he has chronic heart conditions) whose only wish was to have a stormtrooper helmet. (Most people don't even consider that something like an entire suit of FOTK armor exists in a child's size, so the best Jimmy could hope for was a FOTK helmet.) However, we ALL know that it's possible! Since I am one of just a few troopers in our Garrison who have taken the journey of the FOTK Battle Buddy build, there was hope that I could help with putting one together for Jimmy. I told my son about Jimmy and his conditions and that I *might* be making another one. My son started to cry, and when I asked him why, he said, "I want Jimmy to have my stormtrooper armor. He's had a hard life, and I want him to feel happy." I was very moved by his reaction, but told him to think about it first. I didn't want Cameron to give his armor away simply because he thought it was something that I wanted him to do. He was very attached to his armor, and I didn't understand how he suddenly could offer it up like that. He said he would think about it, and we didn't discuss it any further. A week later, Cameron brought $60 of his saved allowance (which was pretty much all he had), dumped it on our kitchen counter, and said, "I want to donate this to the American Heart Association." What??? It was such an "out-of-the-blue" gesture for him, and it took me by surprise. Then I remembered Jimmy. So I asked Cameron, "So, is this about Jimmy? The armor?" And he yelled at me, "Yes! I want to help Jimmy! I want to give my armor to him. I haven't changed my mind!" Okay then. He wanted to keep the helmet, though. And that's what happened. Somehow I was chosen to be the person who was the "voice" for the surprises during the Bert's Big Adventure presentation . (Watch out- nerd with a mic!) The Georgia Garrison presented Jimmy with a Battle Buddy first. Jimmy was soooo excited about it! I don't think that the family knew that there was moooooore! After that, Lord Vader presented Jimmy with a FOTK helmet (a lovely Rubies Deluxe conversion crafted by our own Sith Lord, Scott Britt). Jimmy was thrilled! Then came the biggie... the Garrison donated a small case on wheels to hold the armor (just like the one I used for Cameron's armor), and the case was wheeled out in front of Jimmy and his family. I don't think they understood what was being presented until I started pulling out the chest and back plates and said, it's his VERY OWN ARMOR. Jimmy cheered, and the parents started to cry. Cameron suddenly became shy and stood off to the side, a little overwhelmed at all the people and the excitement. Could a mom be any prouder? I think not! And if you're still here... As a gesture of thanks to Cameron, I'm rewarding him with a new set of 3D printed FOTK armor. This set will be more screen accurate than the Battle Buddy for sure. I'm trying to build to 501st specs along the way. I don't know a thing about the FOTK armor, so I'm learning as I go. I bought my files here, and the person who made the files has been very, very, very receptive when I've requested changes to the files for improved accuracy and/or model print improvements. Seriously, if I ask for a change, I usually get a new file within an hour. I don't think he ever sleeps. Most change requests were for improved thickness of the parts. Everything prints out really solid. Here are most of the parts I've printed/assembled so far. Using Armorsmith, I've been able to scale everything down to fit Cameron nicely. Still have lots of sanding and gluing of greeblies before priming these parts. The white stuff on the seams is Apoxie Paste, and it sands like buttah. The shins are two halves (another request I made), and they are attached with heavy white elastic on the outside. I'll be securing them closed on the insides with some elastic and velcro. I love the shape of the FOTK back. Another change that was made per my request was that the yoke and back be formed in one piece. It is incredibly solid and very strong, yet has some flex to it as well (yay for ABS printing!). Cameron loves sliding this piece on. He keeps saying that it's like a Halo backpack. And today was the first day of priming parts! The weather was nice enough today to get a few light coats of filler primer on the biceps. One thing I love about filler primer is how it shows you what you need to work on. Like more fine sanding on those printed buckles. A small step on a much longer journey, but I'm excited about the trip!

Yesterday was BBB day! Did a layout today. Excited to get started but overwhelmed too. I'm thinking I will start on the helmet first. I am aiming for Centurion.

Well since I'm all locked up with no where to go and I had already purchased and/or had everything I needed in house, I figured it was the perfect time to build my pack. I followed the CRL and @ukswrath build as closely as possible, (thanks for that Tony) about a year ago I lucked out and was able to pick up a pauldron for a steal. While I was still gainfully employed I added everything on the build list to my Amazon cart and I've kept it all in my shop all this time so as soon as I got the time I started building. I trimmed out some of the pieces and set everything up to get an idea of scale and layout and I was pretty happy with it.

It begins

Hello all. I'm Derek, currently residing in Northern Ireland and using the lockdown to try and complete my TK build. Its a DA Props kit and just about ready for strapping. I've done my e11 using a doopys kit with Blast FX installed. On here to brose for build tips and ask the usual how do I do something questions. Cheers!

Hello everyone! My name is Carter, I’m 16 and from Garrison Carida. I made this post over on the general page, but was told by CableGuy that I’d probably get better feedback over here. I’ve attached some photos of me and my armor below, which is an Anovos Kit, and I wanted some input on fixes I need to make. Apparently in my excitement I put the 3 rivets on my right side rather than my left, and the “Han” snap on the left rather than the right [emoji2359]. In addition to those, I also extended the from cover strip on my left thigh past the ridge at the bottom. So my question is how would I fill the holes from the rivets when transferring them to the left, and how would I repair the ridge on my left thigh, as the cover strip is super glued down and I’m worried I’ll ruin it. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m working on a ANH Hero TK. Just got my box today. Can’t wait to get started!

I’m running out of things to build... I just realized that I never filled the hole in the top where I cut the cap off. Luckily I still have a fair bit of textured black styrene. I cut a little square and although it won’t be seamless after a little filing and sanding I think it’ll do the job. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Chris, congratulations on your BBB day !! Enjoy this journey to become an Imperial Stormtrooper. What I usually do, I call it My ABC, when starting an armor build is: 1- Cut all , remove return edges where need and sand all pieces. 2- Start Adjusting from upside Arms,Forearms, Thighs, shins using painter's tape. (remember to wear your inner black suit.) 3- Cut and glue cover strips, place Snaps ,Rivets, Ammo packs, Belt. 4- Place Straps . 5- Test fit all the armor and adjust where needed. Cheers. Good luck and looking forward for your advances.

Salute Sebastiano

Some outstanding advice from @CableGuy there, Carter. The belt button covers are available from Trooperbay, but you have have to buy them in a set that includes other items. Link here. The holes in your armor can be filled with ABS paste. This may seem a bit daunting, but will definitely get the job done. @kman has a fantastic tutorial here on how to make it, but you won't need nearly as much as he makes in his thread, lol. A teaspoon or so of finished product should take care of the all the holes. When using this stuff, here are a few suggestions: 1. Glue some small ABS scraps on the inside behind each of the holes. 2. Add just enough paste to fill the holes with a TINY bit of a raised area on the top. The more you add, the more you have to sand off. 3. Sand down using progressively finer sandpaper (I would start with 180 and go up). 4. Finish/polish with Novus scratch removal products (or something similar). Will it take some work? Yep. Is it worth the time? Definitely! If you follow Dan's advice, once you are old enough to apply for 501st approval you should be good to go! If you have any other questions.issues, always feel free to ask.

Looks MUCH better, Damien! Now that you have the right shape, don't forget about removing those return edges at the bottom. Keep up the great work!

Just a suggestion, no real rule to this, but I might start with biceps. They are relatively simple and mistakes will not be seen much. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome to FISD future Trooper. Congratulations for your BBB Day. Glad to read your going for higher levels, feel free to ask whatever you need, post photos and receive feedback and tips for our very experienced Troopers. Take a look to the following post. I think it could be useful for starting your helmet build. Good luck with your project and remember, we are here to help.

Nothing like BBB day! Good Luck Future Trooper!

Excellent bro, enjoy your build Sent from my GM1900 using Tapatalk

Hi Carter, Photos have come out great on this new thread. :-) I’ll copy and paste my feedback below, then hopefully some other troopers can chip in with their suggestions, too. Especially concerning ABS paste as I’ve not personally made or used this before. Hi Carter, Great to hear that you are looking to join when your are a little older. You’ve done a nice job of fitting the armour to your frame - it mostly sits really well. While you are waiting to join, there are some changes that will be needed for clearance. I’ll show them below; From the top Blue; I’d suggest shortening the strapping from the shoulder straps to the shoulder bells. This will bring the bells in a little. Yellow; The ammo belt is missing the three covers that go over the fixings. Green; the coverstrips on the thighs should stop at the ridge. From the back, I’d suggest that you try lowering the back plate to reduce the gap. The left side is a little more tricky. Unfortunately, (green) it looks like you’ve put the side rivets on the right hand side of the armour, not the left. There should be 6 split rivets on this side Blue; this looks like the “Han snap” and should be on the right hand side. Yellow; your helmet is a Stunt helmet so the belt should match the Stunt appearance. As such is should only have e two fixings. Belt holster reference Side rivets reference As above, on the right side we should not have rivets - just the one visible “Han snap”. Blue ; some white paint should be applied to the thigh ammo pack fixings. Right side reference Most of these are quite easy to change and it’ll certainly give you a bit of a project. If you have any questions about the above points, or how to remedy them, don’t hesitate to ask. Best wishes Dan

I wish I lived back in Orlando so I could link at one of the TK Sweatshop armor parties. Always missed them when I lived in Orlando. Thankfully up here we have 850 Armorworks locally so sometimes I can get in on a build part. Should make getting myself a R1 TK easy enough in the future too! I got a chance to crack away at the thermal det and got it down to our 7.5 inch size on the dot. Had to slice off some and redo some screws' placement. I also had a chance to set upo an album to more easily view my photos. I've been wrestling with the forum's file size limits and that's made uploading tough. TK-3437 I also have my 3 glove options laid out. The two shorter ones are the dipped fabric gloves while the long ones are vintage chem gloves I got when I bought an old surplus gasmask. It's been nice to have options. The shorter ones make it a little easier to manipulate items since they are thinner rubber so they are typically my trooping ones.

Welcome Derek! Definitely a good time to put to good use.

Thanks for the warm welcome, troopers! I'll let you all know once I've decided, and then start a buil thread eventually

How to attach flexible hand guards to rubber gloves For those aiming for Expert Infantry/Centurion level or just screen accuracy, the flexible hand guards will be need to be attached to your rubber (chemical style) gloves. Many folks have asked me the best way to do this, so here is my preferred method. Note that I am using the silicone guards that I make which have a heavy-duty cloth backing in order for glue to adhere to, but this should work for most other types including ones made from natural latex. ****Instructions for Nomex gloves at bottom Supplies needed: 1. E-6000 glue- I highly recommend using this product instead of CA (super) glue or epoxy, both of which can (and will) get brittle over time, causing the bond to fail. 2. Rough grit sandpaper (80 to 120 grit) 3. 2 or more heavy books. 4. Thin point Sharpie marker or soft lead pencil. 5. Blue painter's tape. Step one- Determine placement. The front end of the guard should sit right at the end of your knuckles, and in the center of the back of your hand. NOTE: Placing them too far forward will put undue stress on the glue in that area when you bend your fingers down and may cause separation. Step two- After measuring both sides and determining proper alignment, attach the blue tape to mark where the bottoms will be. Note distance between end of guard and bottom of glove fingers. Reference image Make sure that there are no wrinkles in the rubber glove. Step three- Using the Sharpie or pencil, mark a line around the guards. Step four- Sand down the area inside your lines. Doing this will rough-up the surface and allow for better adhesion. NOTE: Clean the area thoroughly afterward and allow it to dry. Step five- Place a generous amount of E-6000 around the perimeters and inside, then rub it around the entire center/edges to even it out (you can go a little heavier on the edges). Leave a small area around the edge to prevent seepage. Step six- Lay the gloves side by side and place the hand guards glue down in the outlined areas. Place at least TWO large books or other heavy, flat objects in top. This is necessary for proper adhesion. IMPORTANT: Leave them under the weight for at least 12-24 hours to allow the glue to completely cure/set. If you do have any seepage of the E-6000 it can be removed by rubbing it off with your thumb. DONE! NOMEX GLOVES- When attaching to Nomex gloves, use the same method as above But be SURE to put a piece of wax paper inside the gloves. Otherwise, the glue will seep through and bond them closed. NOTE: Please be aware that Nomex gloves are not permitted for Expert Infantry/Centurion approval.