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

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

Thank you for the input Husky68. I have been working with Mark at AP and have plans for each issue at moment. First, I have removed the cover strips from rear of thighs at moment and am getting shim materials from Mark to be able to make a single curved shim as a wedge from top of thigh where it will be a few inches wide to the bottom where it will be 1". I used inexpensive abs sheets that don't match to test the theory and it appears that this will solve the thigh issue. My kidney plate has been extended by a much smaller amount than I have seen some troopers be able to do so that helps tremendously. Sides fit snug and close well. As for the chest plate I found a couple things. First, by moving the snap locations in the bottom of the chest to slightly higher in the plate it tends to want to pull it lower and allows overlap. I am working with this and once the thigh work is done I will make it permanent. This also needs a slightly lower line on my neck but whereas it appears it will be only roughly an inch compromise on height it should not create an issue. Once these modifications are completed then I will share some pics. Thanks again for the response. -Rick

Great to see another AP in the works. The community here is great and will offer a lot of support and advice. While it appears you are a much taller and large men that myself I can relate to your issues and can be seen in my poorly organized build log. Thankfully I was able to avoid shimming my thighs, shins and forearms ( barely ) by using a gap and filling it with scrap abs. My cover strips are still within range of Centurion if I ever get my sniper knee to align enough. Working now to improve my should bells but there is a chance I will need to buy a larger set from Walt at WTF. I'm still green but I can offer some advice from my limited experience. This advice should not be followed unless a more seasoned member can verify. The gap between thighs and ab is not ideal but I don't think it will stop you from basic approval. I can see the shim in the back of the thighs putting the cover strips at weird angles. Maybe taking a little from the back to raise them up would help. Also, remove all return edges as suggested in post from justjoseph63. It is a requirement to have chest plate overlap the ab plate, so if this can't be done you are going to be stuck. Purchasing a larger chestplate is possible and would help down the road with should bell gap. In a drastic step, you could squeeze out a few more mm or cm by adding a shim under the belt but would want to keep proper position of the belt under the ab plate buttons. I've seen this kind of cut done to help shorter troopers shorten the ab but maybe could help you with both upper overlap and thigh gap. I'll be honest, I'm very happy with AP product and support with many compliments on helmet design from others. Mark's molds can accommodate most larger waist sizes but can be a challenge in other areas for larger troopers. I still recommend AP to those that ask about where to start but caution them if they are larger than me about building to fit.

With the help of my vinyl cutter, had some time to add those pill openings to the Hand Guards. I left this undersized just a tad to allow for sanding cleanup later before painting.

Good evening Dylan! I too am starting on my first TK build, also from ATA. I’m excited to see if you’ve progressed any further in your build, and glean from your learned experiences. Out of curiosity, do you think your ATA armor would be appropriate for my body size - I’m 6’ tall and about currently 185 lbs. does that compare to you? I’m wondering if I’ll need to do any shimming. Cheers! -Caleb Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just on your shoulders I agree, they are a soft pull so cutting off and replacing the "faux lower bells" will look a lot better.

Don’t open the pill holes unless you want to. It isn’t screen accurate. The only pill holes which are open are the chest. Everything else are decals on the production used kits. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks everyone! I’ll look into these before official approval!

I can do that. He is very nice, I just wanted to make sure I am experiencing what I should before I give him a review or complain to him. I’ve been trying more and when the mic is right in front of my mouth it works well, just need to mount it like that. I will contact him if it doesn’t sound right in the bucket, thanks all.

Have you tried reaching out to Tony directly? He is a solid seller and I'm sure he will do what he can for you.

Nice job, Eric... always fantastic to see another ROTJ headed toward the ranks!! There are a couple of items I noticed which may affect your Basic approval. 1. It may be the photo, but your belt looks to be made of canvas and a bit wider than the 2.5 inch maximum allowed for Basic. For Level 1, it must be made of a tightly woven nylon/cordura material or covered with that material. 2. Depending on your GML, they may ask you to align the kidney/ab plate connection. Raising the kidney/posterior plate may do the trick. 3. Again, it may depend on your GML. but your biceps are sitting pretty far down. The shoulder bells should ideally overlap the tops (at least a bit). A gap between the shoulder bell/chest plate is fine, especially on ROTJ as the bells are more pinched at the tops but the gaps should be nearly symmetrical on both sides for a better look. Not that it will affect approval, but if your belt does end up needing to be changed out, I suggest re-positioning the holster straps. Best of luck on your approval, and let us know when you get that official TK number!!

Solid work Don, keep it up.

This is what I have now! Sent from my WAS-LX1A using Tapatalk

A bit more weathering done tonight. Biceps and Drop boxes, I plan to come back to apply some further weathering details later. Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Will definitely be working on it The Empire has me keeping busy. Costume approval #5 and three more in the works. Plus two amazing daughters who love Cosplay ...and a new puppy ....will get there. Thanx for the encouragement.

Hello JP, Try this section on FISD: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/6-anh-stunt-and-hero/ There is also a sub-section on ANH TK build threads: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/80-anh-build-threads/ Hope this helps.

Yes, lots of different grabs gracing SM after the release of Evolution of a Stormtrooper. So much good material. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I did see this posted by Markus on FB this morning Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice mod, nicely done [emoji1305] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I still don’t know how they haven’t been shutdown for fraud. How is Disney and LFL allowing this to continue?

DON’T BELIEVE THEIR HYPE! ANOSHO. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Kb had 3 spots on a run he will ship Monday if anyone you know doesnt want to wait till 2029 Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

IT’S A TRAP!!!!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Great work

Have a look at this Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Great to uncover the secret to a super shiny Sith. Thanks Mr.Sheen! [emoji1787] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

For the first time in HiRes, The Evolution of a Stormtrooper, featuring the Sith Trooper in all its super bendy goodness. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yea they're closed. You can buy them from Imperial boots but they take orders in waves then shut down to complete the orders. https://www.imperialboots.com/# Similar boots can be found elsewhere you'll just need to do a little research.

I agree with everything you have all said. I watched the trailer, I felt emotions, and I am so excited and saddened it will be the last of the Skywalker series.

Major plot spoilers: 1. We will all watch it. 2. Most of us will enjoy it and watch it again. 3. There will be a few parts some people may not like, and they will wingh about it forever 4. Star Wars will live on, and the Legion will keep going, 'cause it's just that cool.