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Found some mojo just before the new year and started working on things that have sat idle for months. Part of the problem that broke me was rushing things and making silly mistakes and wasting lots of effort/materials/money. This time I am taking it slower. Starting with my blasters, and specifically the smallest this SE-44C first printed before TLJ even came out I've printed all the small parts again in resin, though I apparently forgot the trigger so that is to follow. I had primed the main parts in the summer but a 400grit sanding has gone through in a few areas so I'll need to re-prime before colour. I also made some new side plate for both the SE-44C and F-11D. I printed them as 2 layers to make sanding easier and added holes where the mounting bolts will (hopefully) go. I will make these but only glue them once I am confident that they will fit the thigh plate as I will need to drill into the blaster with some reasonably large bits. Essentially I am now at paint and assembly stage on this one, so should be finished by 2043.

Hello there! Been a while since I’ve posted here... However I come with great news, my local GML’s have approved my anthology TK today and I am the first one approved in the garrison and our build group! Thank you all for the interest and advise you have given me through out this build. I’ll get some pictures posted soon! Long live the Empire!

Thank you! No polish (yet?), just the gloss white and 2K clear. I may try to cut and polish some of the dust, but... later. They're not bad enough to prevent approval forsure and I just wanna get this thing submitted. Yea I'm curious what it could have been and why it ONLY happened there... but oh well. Thanks! Just self-adhesive EVA craft foam sheets - they weigh like nothing, much less than all that metal hardware (which still isn't bad) and definitely help with the rubbing.

Welcome to the FISD! Great choice of armour, btw. Commissioned build or not, it is good to set up a build thread. There are often little things that you will want to alter for the best fit possible. Posting pics and asking questions is the best way to go - there are many here ready to help.

Thanks for the feedback fellas. @ukswrath @Ripper_L @Sly11 @gmrhodes13

Hi Georgia and welcome aboard future Trooper! Have a read in the “Getting Started-Read this First” section, as there is some really good info in there for new members. Then, have a read in “Costuming and Builds” section to discover other troopers who are building (or have built) the same armor as you! Really good tips, examples, pictures, previously answered questions, and successes here. In addition to looking at all the various build threads, I highly recommend checking out the “Advanced Tactics” section where you can see examples of those who have taken their armor to the next levels of screen accuracy (EIB and Centurion). I’d recommend that you aim to build to one of the certification levels, as TK’s look their best at these levels. It's really not hard to acquire EIB or Centurion, and it’s best to do during your build rather that after. If, and when, you’re looking for other bits –and-pieces, accessories, boots, blasters, electronics, etc., be sure to check out the “Imperial Commissary” section for items for sale, project runs, and for other stuff that most of the troopers use. Also, make contact with your local Garrison. They’ll help guide you through the process of becoming a member of the 501st, and may have local Armor Parties in the works where you can get hands-on build advice and guidance, not to mention meet members of your future Garrison. So, start a build thread here on FISD; post lots of pictures and questions. We are all here to help you out and to make sure you look your best, and represent the 501st as best as possible. All the best on your TK journey!

I glued a small scrap piece of plastic as bridge inside my helmet. I mounted my fan on it and stuffed the cables underneith, that way everything is in it's place. here's a picture: it is glued in like this and even has enough space to hide the fan battery:

Update time! Made some decent progress over the winter break (despite only taking the actual Christmas and New Years holidays off)! FINALLY finished painting ALL of the pieces in white and clear! The shoulder bridges had a weird paint reaction and had to be sanded down again... then reacted AGAIN in the same spot. Unsure what was going on, but I couldn't leave it like this, so after sanding a third time, I just powered through and decided it was good enough. To mask the helmet, I used one of my sheets of self-adhesive craft foam with a hole cut in the center, then slid the masked-off helmet onto an old cat scratching post on top of a turntable for paint. The second attempt was pretty successful and other than a handful of small dust nibs, the paint and 2K clear went on well - got good coverage and great gloss without any runs or crazy orange peel. I may be able to buff some of the dust out, but it's only visible if you're up close and looking for it. A blast with compressed air probably would have been a good idea. Here's the squint I added, after final paint. And the whole helmet, glossy... Just needs color detail paint and assembly! Now that the shoulder bridges were done (good enough after an extra round of sanding), I went ahead and epoxied them onto the chest plate. Will this hold up? I don't know, but we'll find out! It's super easy to put on and seems to be hold together well, but I may explore adding some velcro just for a positive physical connection at the back of the bridges in addition to the embedded magnets. I didn't really document this process, honestly, because I was pretty frustrated when doing it and was having my fiancé help, so I didn't want to take too much time taking photos, but I did complete the belts after they got final clear. I scuffed up the (perfect lol) surface under each belt box, as well as the back of each box, added some E6000 and then screwed straight into pilot holes I drilled in them in using screws with built-in washers. I made the holes in the belt slightly oversize so I had some adjustment room in case my measurements were slightly off (oops, they were, but I mostly fixed it). I also installed the drop boxes (which have also been backed with self-adhesive craft foam to help keep them from scratching) with 2" black elastic, and just sandwiched them under the large boxes after making holes in the elastic where the screws came through to help hold them. They don't sit perfectly flush, but good enough. Also added some ultra-thin Velcro where the back belt overlaps to hold it to the front belt, and it sits very nice and flush. Speaking of craft foam, I added some to the back of the sniper knee as well, after adding a 3/4" or so block to help shim it out. I'm not sure I'm happy with it still, as it is still tipped too far back and hits the thigh - just not as aggressively as before. I'll probably trim the thighs down and see if it improves before messing with it again though. Aaaaaaand another couple of shots suited up! Obviously not fully-adjusted submission photos, but should give me a good idea of what needs to be noodled with still... The back panel keeps wanting to sag down, but I think once I add electronics behind the chest panel, that will help add some weight and keep the distribution a little more forward. What's left?! - Helmet paint details - Helmet assembly - padding, electronics, lens, frown mesh, tube stripe backing, mic tips (ordered another set from Tony since my last spare pair went on my Hero helmet after the interior paint debacle ) - I have all the bits, just gotta actually install em after paint. - Thermal detonator paint details (I'll do the grey at the same time as the helmet grey) - Thermal detonator assembly - I'll use the same method as the belt boxes, then cover with foam as well - I'll almost certainly need to cut the thighs down, which becomes more evident with each time I actually wear the suit. It may look okay enough for submission, but it's very clunky to move around in currently. I just need to gather as much reference for the shape as I can and maybe draw it out so I can reproduce it symmetrically with a template. We'll see. I don't want to. But I probably will. haha - Final adjustment and photos! Thanks again for stopping by! Hopefully my next post will be over in the Pre-Approval sub

Hello all from NE Ohio! I am 5’11” and medium build. I will be ordering and building an RWA TX kit shortly, and look forward to making some incredible memories and joining the ranks of the 501st! I will be experimenting with integrating various electronics into the suit once I complete my build and have it approved in order to create an immersive experience. I am excited to start this journey, as I have spent weeks lurking on this forum and compiling useful knowledge for my upcoming build.

I haven't been updating this thread like I intended (pandemic, day job, etc.) but I got approved yesterday! I can troop! (maybe...) Still a ways to go in my journey, but this is a big step forward. Thank you to everyone who has commented or provided encouragement. I had SO much help from everyone. Front Right Left Rear Action I need to work on my shims to clean up the seams, and I'm going to make another TD. But I'm really happy so far! Again, thank you to everyone on FISD who helped me with this.

Many make a spring from a coat hanger and wrap around a broom handle

Congrats, Matt! Looking forward to seeing your photos, and you, Justin, and the rest of the gang in action!

OP (MV) Post #42: Helmet Work Continues Happy New Year, Troopers! I've never been one to place much significance on the transition from December 31st to January 1st, but in light of what we've all experienced these past 10 months, I'm actually excited and hopefully for 2021! I'm not sure what this new year has in store for my build, and despite my absence on the boards for the past couple weeks, I have continued to make slow progress on my helmet. Side note related to the forum. When my Tapatalk forum feed seemingly went dark on December 21st I initially thought that site traffic was simply significantly reduced due to the Christmas holiday. But then I logged in on my computer and saw Andrew's server upgrade post, and realized I was actually simply missing new posts. When I have the time hopefully I can catch up, but I do think that the two week "break" without Tapatalk has enabled me to dedicate more time for other important things during this holiday season. It almost feels like a sabbatical of sorts, but I'm also eager to see the Tapatalk functions restored, since that is typically my primary means of following the boards. Hopefully the wait won't be too much longer. It also appears that I'll need to update the image formatting on many of my previous post photos, since my side-by-side photos are now too wide for the bounds of a single line. I was eventually going to recompile them into collages anyway, to reduce my image count, and I'll work on that when things are slow with my build. Also the tiny skewed FISD browser icon is driving me crazy! And now back to my build. The "Contents" section below outlines the topics contained in this update. Tools and techniques used Teeth final sanding Eye final sanding Hovi Tips: Part 1 Lens installation Interior painting Vocoder redraft Questions review Here are some photos of the tools and techniques I used for the progress documented in this post. For sanding, I took a page out of AJ's book (thread), and used a portion of an unrepairable dowel from a dining chair. I cut off one end at an angle to give me a thinner (yet still rounded) surface to use in tight spaces such as the eyes, but I suspect I will also use the fully-rounded end for ear sanding as AJ did. I also stapled some sandpaper to the end of scrap wood to give me better access for smoothing the backs of the teeth openings. Note, too, that I used blue tape to help protect the ABS exterior surface while sanding the teeth at extreme angles. I implemented this after discovering some micro-abrasions around the eye sockets from their shaping and sanding process. The photo below shows plastic sanding needles available at Hobby Lobby that I did not discover until after I had completed all my eye and teeth sanding, but I thought I would document them as a possible tool for future builders. Since they're round they might not be completely effective for achieving straight lines and sharp corners in the teeth, but they would still be helpful for removing residual ABS burrs left by semi-high-grit metal sanding files, and also in the rounded corners of the eyes. Teeth Sanding In my previous post I asked for advice on whether or not should sand down, at a sharp angle, any of the thickness/depth of the ABS edges between the teeth. I decided proceed with additional sanding, and the two photos below show the difference between partial progress, and the final results. The very first photo in the "Tools" section above, with the sanding needle in front of blue tape, shows the angle at which I sanded the tops of bottoms of the teeth gaps. Though these top and bottom depth edges were never really visible except at extreme vertical angles (perhaps a child looking up at a sanding TK), I wanted to eliminate them completely. I kept the left and right edges untouched, since they will be painted gray and blend in with each tooth. Eye Sanding To continue with sanding, I decided that my left eye could use just a little bit more opening near the nose so I want to work with needle files and my homemade dowel sanding tool. The triple photo below shows the progression from start to finish. I possibly could have also taken just a smidge off the right (wearer's) eye, but I am very content with these final results. With my eyes formed to my liking, I thought I'd document the end result which should be common with all ATA buckets. In order to maintain a relatively consistent eye socket depth throughout each eye and between eye-to-eye (see ruler photo below for example), the overall angle of each eye is a little different. The pink and yellow arrows shown below highlight these differences. Just another perfect imperfection of these glorious OT TK buckets! Here is another take on the differences between the shapes of both eyes. The curve of the bottom edge of the left eye doesn't match the top of the eye so there will need to be a slight twist (bend on multiple planes) in order to achieve minimal gaps around the lenses. If anything, I suspect there may be a slightly larger gap on the outside edge (nearest the ear) of the left eye. The photos below show where my final trim lines are relative to the ATA suggested cut groves, denoted by the blue arrows. You can see that I didn't cut all the way to the suggested lines, which I've also seen other ATA builders do, and in my initial eye trimming post I received positive feedback on this as well. Hovi Tips: Part 1 While painting the black outline on my side traps a while back I decided to hit my hovi tips with the same Testors semi-gloss black. An easy two layers, followed by a couple twists on some 320-grit sandpaper to retain the white rims required for L3 approval. In an earlier post I touched on my concern regarding the super thin plastic in the hovi tip wells, and included the first photo shown below. I decided to proceed with milliput reinforcement in the same fashion that Ales implemented in his ATA build. Halfway through, the first photo below shows the size difference between the raw and reinforced wells. Honestly I probably went a bit thick on the milliput, but I had never before used any type of epoxy, so I was learning as I went along. They key, as I learned, was to keep my gloved fingers moist with water in order to maintain the malleability of the milliput. I wiped off excess epoxy water drips with a moist paper towel, knowing too that any extra residue would be covered by my interior paint job. With the hovi recesses adequately reinforced, and holes drilled out using the default ATA marks, it was time for a dry fitting. How does it look below? I wanted to avoid pointing the tips too far down, as I've seen on occasion here on FISD, and I think I succeeded. Right? Finally, a question regarding installation of the screen mesh in the tips themselves. The mesh I have from ATA and Ukswrath are identical, but neither of them drop right into the tips, which isn't surprising, as I know tension (and glue) will be needed to keep the mesh in place. Should I just use tiny wire cutters to shave the slightest amount of mesh off parts of my round cutouts? I've seen the highlighter cap technique and also the strategies noted in this thread, but I don't think any of the ideas work for pre-cut round mesh. Should I just press the mesh down into the tips and let some of the edges get bent back? I'd likely then pull them back out, flip them over to change the direction of the curvature, then drop back in with a dab of E6000. Thoughts? Lens Installation Taking inspiration from AJ Hamler, Kalani, and Lou (all links to their threads), I opted to create mounting points for individual eye lenses. I had initially planned on implementing Joseph's sugru lens-mounting technique, but I realized that I wanted the lenses to be replaceable in case they ever get scratched, or to switch out lighter or darker lens shades for indoor and outdoor use. Derrick's acorn nut application on fixed screw posts also caught my eye (ha), but I didn't want to deal with individually leveling each screw post to ensure the nuts would fit tightly, or even having the raised nut on the eye side of my lenses. Thus I proceeded with purchasing #6 t-nuts at my local Ace Hardware store, along with an assortment of #6 screws of varying heights to accommodate my t-nuts being situated at different heights relative to the eventual lens position. I used some plyers to easily snap off the prongs by bending them back and forth a couple times, and trimmed the base of the nuts. Each nut eventually looked like the last one in the first photo below, like a rectangle with a curved side and small notch. I then used milliput to anchor the t-nuts in place around each eye. Unlike my use of the epoxy for my hovi tips, this time I went bare-handed (no gloves), which enabled me to have more precise control when shaping the milliput into mounds. I found that the key was to keep my fingers moist with water, and I wiped off residual milliput moisture from the helmet interior even though I know it would eventually be painted over. I also made sure to have screws installed in the nuts while applying the milliput in order to keep it from squeezing up into the open bottom of the nuts, or seeping into the top. About an hour into the curing time I removed each screw to ensure they didn't get stuck, but even if I hadn't, I'm sure I would have been able to unscrew them. Simply an abundance of caution. I figured I would likely only anchor the lenses at the five points spread throughout the middle of each eye side, but I decided to add extra nuts at the inner points of each eye, above the nose area. I would have hated to need to add them after-the-fact. Many other builders have used only two or three screws per lens, but I wanted to ensure a close fit with the lenses, hence so many t-nuts. And other than the contingency points at the nose, I situated the nuts at the low points of the eye sockets, where the lenses would need to be pulled in to, rather than the corners. Though I tried to be careful about not surrounding the heads of the screws with the milliput, it occurred nonetheless, which meant some sanding would be in order. I graduated from a low grit up to 320, to shape the mounds so that the tops were flush with the top of the t-nut. The collage below shows the general process that I will continue to describe. In order to cut the lenses to the appropriate shape I first created a template on simple printer paper. I pressed a sheet flush to the inside of the eye cavity and traced the opening with a pencil, one eye at a time. Below is a scan of my second template which I copied my original tracings onto. I believe lens excess surrounding the eye openings is roughly 2cm in width. Note: the eyes are not spaced apart from each other to-scale, so this template should not be used to create a single dual-eye lens sheet. I added imperial and metric scale measurements on the image, should any other Troopers wish to use the template, and this google folder contains both this same jpg image and a pdf scan. Be aware that the files are sized for US letter 8.5"x11" printing, hence my inclusion of the measurements line, should anybody need to sale it on their printer. And though these are from my specific ATA helmet build, they should fit any OT TK armor. With my paper template complete, I then traced the outer border onto the ATA-supplied lens material. Since my lens shapes were so big, I would only have enough material for three lens cutouts (of this same size), so I knew I'd want to proceed with caution once I began drilling holes for mounting. After cutting out two lenses with my lexan scissors I traced a new template using clear binding covers (leftover from a stalled COVID face-shield project) which I would then use for marking drill holes. I then marked the holes with a sharpie, as shown in the fourth image below, and then copied them onto my green lens material. The reason I needed this middle step was because the clear sheets were far more flexible than the actual lenses, and I wanted precise hole locations. I then drilled out the five holes on each lens starting first with a small bit, and ending with a 9/64, which enabled the #6 screws to be cleanly inserted. I did not want to create excessively large screw holes so I could maintain maximum tension and keep the lenses as close to the eye openings as possible. I was mostly successful with this strategy, but needed to barely slot two holes with a round needle file to get the screws to seat properly. I suspect it will be pretty difficult to replace the lenses without first disassembling the eventual finished helmet. When installing the lenses I also became aware that one of my mounting t-nuts was situated too high and was keeping the lens from sitting flush with the eye opening, as shown in the first photo below. Ironic that this hitch was due to a mounting hole that I decided not to use anyway. So for the third time ever I got out my rotary tool and installed the metal cutting disc. Not gonna lie, I made me really nervous using it in such close proximity to my finished eyes, but everything turned out ok in the end. With the lenses installed you can see how they are offset due to the shape of my eye openings. It's a bit bothersome to my OCD self, but nobody else will ever know, and it actually help me with my foam outline, which I will document below. Reusing my clear eye templates, I traced the eye openings onto my $1.49 craft foam (6mil) and cut them out at an angle with an xacto knife. I had seem something similar to this on one of the many "What's inside your bucket?" posts here on FISD or fb, and thought it looked cool and that it might provide some cushion against my head, depending on final wearing placement. If it ends up being too tight a fit, I can always remove them since they're fitted using adhesive velcro. Behold the end-result of my lens installation! This is one of my favorite photos so far, and I think it captures the demeanor of a TK. Reminds me of the Dark Troopers. Watch out rebel scum. Interior Painting The previous section in this post showed a little preview of the interior painting which I'll now cover. Rather than use the most tradition options of regular black spray or Plasti Dip with cheese cloth, I opted for Justin's favored Rust-Oleum Truck Bed Coating spray (his ESB and ROTK thread links). With virtually no craft spray paint experience under my belt, I decided to tackle the cap of the helmet first by itself, so I could potentially learn from any mistakes prior to doing the face plate. I masked off the ATA decal and double bagged the outside of the helmet with commercial trash bags (no holes), then proceeded with spraying in my front yard on what I'm assuming was one of our last winter days in the 60s (f). After consulting with him (thanks for always being responsive!!), @TheRascalKing's recommendation was to apply seven or eight coats 10 minutes apart. For the cap I was able to do about seven coats, but my impatient self, coupled with warming sunlight, only waited between four and eight minutes between coats. I believe the spray can actually states only a couple minutes are needed, of course in optimal temperature and humidity conditions. The first two photos below show my preparation and physical setting, as well as what the bucket looked like after only a single coating. I went light, per Justin's suggestion, to maintain an even application and minimize runs. After an hour or two of partial-curing I removed the masking with an xacto blade. No actual cutting was necessary; I simply stuck the blade tip under the corner of my trapezoidal logo masking to acquire a corner to grab on to. I then left the helmet piece in my garage for about a week to finish drying (probably only took a day) and gas off, since there was quite an odor. Photos don't do it justice, but the texture of this spray looks AMAZING! Happy with my cap results, and by now fully caught up with my final eye and teeth sanding, it was time to spray the face plate. I used my double-bagging method again, and spent a lot of time closely masking around the eyes and teeth. What a pain. Then during one of my lunch breaks at work I used our College's spray room in our Art Department, which had pretty cool ventilation. My results weren't quite as good as those from my cap since the can began to run low on paint, and we eventually depleted. This resulted in some slightly uneven coats in certain areas, and just a couple spots of running, but surprisingly they all still dried with the textured surface. Oh, and I should mention that I did not scuff/sand the interior of the helmet pieces prior to spraying, since Justin said he'd never done so himself and has never had any issues. So far so good on my end. The set of photos below show first my raw spray job with masking removed, and then the final look after hand painting closely around the eyes and teeth. For this touch-up job I used Testors 1154 Black Metallic enamel since I thought the metallic look might match the texture of the sprayed surface, but I had never used it before, so I wasn't sure. I didn't realize until afterwards that it has a glossy finish, and I was hoping for more of a flat or satin, but it's no problem at all since it will be obscured by the lenses and frown mesh anyway. Vocoder Height Adjustment In a previous build update I posted my draft outline of the vocoder, and though I didn't receive any negative feedback, I wasn't completely happy with how high the top three ridges extended. The first set of triple photos below show that original height, and you can see that the ridges are so tall that they curve back out with the form of the helmet. Therefore, I decided to lower all three ridges just a small amount, as seen in this next set of images. The last photo shows that my particular ATA ABS pull actually has one of the outer ridges taller than the others. My new pencil lines nearly reach the top of that higher ridge, and I'm sure it will all look ship-shape once painted. Thanks to feedback from Tony and Justin on my most recent thread update prior to this one, I will be keeping my 2nd and 6th ridges at their current height to match the molded ridges on my ATA kit, despite stunt suits typically having them a little bit higher. I also adjusted the edges of the three center ridges which extend down to the neck opening to better match the curve of the vocoder, as shown by the yellow marks below. Finally, Christmas was a little over a week ago, and I can't help but share my most recent stormtrooper-related acquisition! My biggest gift this year was the LEGO stormtrooper helmet, which was promptly assembled Christmas afternoon! Below is a time-lapse video of the construction. Also, who says you can't have Star Wars cookies without proper cutting templates. The bell looked kinda Deathwatchy to me. Next year I have plans to turn a dangly ornament shape sideways to create The Child's head. Are my hovi tips pointed at an appropriate angle? I want to ensure they're not pointing too far down. What strategy should I use to install my pre-cut round hovi tip mesh so that they fit inside the tips? They are just barely too large to fit into the tips without trimming or bending some of the edges. Hovi Tip mesh installation Teeth painting Frown Mesh installation Vocoder painting Tony & Justin - Thanks for your continued support with my build, and answering my many questions! You guys rock! Printable/downloadable PDF of my entire build thread to this point contained in [THIS SHARED FOLDER]. The PDF will be updated within a few days of my own new posts and will note sequential version numbers and revision dates.

Got all this stuff for $12 here's coupon code for anyone needing supplies. Just show them at register at hobby lobby.

When I purchased my first costume in June 2016，Anovos didn't got TK for sale. So I had to choose shadow. Fortunately, it has the same structure as TK. And I waiting for my shadow for about two years.. Anyway, after a lot of waiting and delays, I finally finished my TK costume for my friend's wedding. I have to say that the dead line is an important reason to motivate people to move forward. Already forgot where I was in this picture...

I'm with Glen here except for splitting the post. I've been using the same $5 setter and anvil for years now without any issues.

Yeah, he has the nearly 20-inch bed, mine is only 8"!! With That kind of bed space he makes all sorts of blasters, rifles, and buckets. This one is printed in PLA, just so I can size it. Then he's going to re-do it in ABS so we can chemically smooth it. Meanwhile i'm over here like "uhh I made a phasma ornament"

Nice and tidy

Ugh you're all so demanding! I had the air brush out for something else so I ended up starting some colour! This is the cocking handle, that apparently needed sanding^, and the red thingy that goes on the side. Hot glued to a cocktail stick for something to hold but is easy to remove. The handle is just in a matt black primer, I need to decide on matt black or satin black for the blaster. Any input would be appreciated. The "red thingy*" is white primer (both primers are Vallejo if you care) and then some gloss Tamiya Red. I will probably also use some gloss clear too to help reduce scratching. I also had a bit of a shuffle in the work room so that the air brush is less effort to get out hopefully helping with momentum. I am also tempted to get the Ryobi Battery glue gun as well as I do use it a reasonable amount and means it wouldn't need to live in a drawer due to a wire. ^ good luck seeing it at more than 20cm though. * only the finest technical terms here.

Welcome! AM is fantastic armor, you will love trooping in it. If you haven't already, check out AJ's build log:

EXCELLENT find there, Tim! The ones shown in that site (specifically these) have some advantages: 1. One inch diameter will have a wider surface area. 2. Recessed area (countersunk hole) in the center would make them easier to slide apart. 3. Very strong.. N52 as opposed to N40. 4. PRICE! At $1.09 each, these come in less expensive than most others. I will be adding this link to my main post, and THANKS! By the way, as mentioned in my main post- Unless you are planning on building another set of armor, most of you will really not need this type of magnet when you are done so please consider "paying it forward" to someone in your Garrison/Squad who is starting their build by selling them your magnets at a reduced price. "Troopers helping Troopers"!

Sometimes the mold dimples don't fit perfectly, it might be better to start with the ear pieces. clamp them on and then drill through all 3 layers. you can keep the one screw you already have.

Looking forward to see you progress within the next few years. Maybe you can move the target deadline slightly forward. Let's say 2039? Man, I can so relate, I have a bunch of open projects laying here since.... well I can't even remember, but it's been years!

If you have a look on your ear pieces you may notice that they have 3 marked holes for drilling. This is where the screws go through. If you screw the ears on, the different plastic layers are pulled together and the gaps nearly disappear. Anyway that seam will be covered by the earpieces later. the 3 markings are also on the outer shell of your helmet: The hardest part is to trim the ear pieces, so they fit smoothly around the tubes. I used sandpaper to achieve that. Take your time, measure twice.

That is hilarious, made me laugh out aloud Glad to see you back on the band wagon with your builds.

Hello Georgia! RS Props is a great choice and it's good to hear, you've done months of research upfront. If you want to know some more about how life is in this great world of starwars fandom as a legion member, I'd suggest you check out the field training exercises section. https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/13-field-training-exercises/ this is where our finest troopers report from duty and show their latest event attendances! I'd also recommend you to sign up on your local garrison forums on https://501st.nz/forum/ Whenever you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Hello and welcome to FISD. Indeed research is the key, you have come to the right place for that. Enjoy and good luck, and do ask if you are in doubt.

I've been AWOL for a while, but i'm back! My 3D printer couldn't print my helmet in one piece, so I struggled with polishing out cut lines. My buddy print a new version 2.0 and I have to say, looks sexy as hell!

Kia Ora Georgia! Excellent that you are on a good path to the dark side and a nice set of armour too. Glad you have not considered the local TK armour available in NZ as it is far from accurate, Your garrison commanding officer and I have spoken about that a few times. I chat with him on Zoom every couple of weeks. You are going to love the 501st and the awesome bunch of troopers in Outpost42, i also think you will love it here in FISD, lots to see and do. Welcome abaord.

Hello and welcome aboard, a thread which you may find useful Looking forward to seeing your BBB photos (big brown boxes)

It's easiest to secure the mic to the helmet with velcro so it's in the same place every time you install your helmet. I also use velcro to secure the wires, or I use my cooling bracket system that hides the additional wires.

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/26613-tm-vs-rs-vs-ap/?do=edit Restored by Sly11

I do the same as Glen, and keep the icomm and Aker in the chest. I do have the hearing assist in my helmet but seldom use it.

I don't use hovi speakers, I find the aker amp works well behind the chest, especially at larger noisy events, gives a nice distortion as well

It took me a while to find them too. It is in that drop down list labeled "Die Set for Ring Snaps 24 Ligne/15mm (5/8")" or "Die Set for Spring Snaps 24 Ligne/15mm (5/8")" depending on which type of snaps you have.

Appliedmagnets.com is much cheaper. Someone let me know if I'm missing something.

Cut and glued on the 20mm outer cover strips. When dry I will do a final fit for the rear. I left some extra to trim about a half inch. Then do the cover strips.

Hammer, philips head screwdriver to help split the post, then standard setting tool works for me.

Happy New Year Troopers. 2020 was a challenging year for everyone, and I would like to thank you all for being here on FISD and supporting this wonderful community. 2021 hopefully gets better and better as the days go by and we can all see something that resembles a more normal life again. Stay well, stay safe, look after your family and keep paying it forward where you can

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