BobbyFromBUF

Hi there, I am currently assembling a Tupperware TK NE kit that I bought few years ago. It's been a long process, but I'm finally making good progress with my build. I needed to finish my helmet for an event held annually in my city called "The World's Largest Disco". It's a great event that raises thousands of dollars every year for a local children's charity, and features amazing costumes, dancing, and music from the 70's. This year I wanted to wear my ANH Stunt TK Helmet with a vintage white tuxedo. It turned out great, and I had a blast! 12295480_10205276979387277_5092756337069340896_n by Robert Whalen, on Flickr 12313944_10208017072893221_8977884773043844093_n by Robert Whalen, on Flickr To get it to fit was a little challenging, but I just wanted to share the strategy that I ended up using in case someone else might find it helpful. I ended up drawing out patterns on EVA foam (an anti-fatigue floor mat). I tried a few things, but finally settled on this design... DSC_0479 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr In some cases I used 2 or 3 layers of foam to get the correct fit for my head shape... DSC_0480 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0490 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0491 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr The amount of foam needed for 1 layer thick of padding fits onto a square which is roughly 14"x14". The foam is relatively cheap (I purchased it at at a store called "Ollie's Bargain Outlet" for $17.99 for a 3'x6' roll.) Here is a list of the foam part dimensions if you would like to try the same technique... The two parts for the back left and right sides are roughly 3"x5" DSC_0485 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Each of the top parts is roughly 1.5" inches wide at the widest point. The longest center piece being about 10.5". With the two side pieces being about 8.5" each. DSC_0487 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr The back center piece is roughly 3"x2". DSC_0488 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr The temple pieces have an odd shape, but ended up being roughly 2.5"x4" on one end with a curve down to about 3". DSC_0489 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr I neglected to take a photo, but the cheek pieces ended up being roughly 2.25"x1.25" with a curved pattern. All the pieces were laid inside the helmet and traced with a pencil to ensure proper placement, and then hot glued in place. I hope this can be helpful for someone out there who needs an interior helmet solution on a budget. (Edit: spelling and grammar.)

Well, after some hard thinking, I decided to use the original ears that came with my kit. I purchased from Tupperware TK, and shortly after receiving my kit I received an additional package with replacement ears. Since I have the new ears, I figured it couldn't hurt to try and shape the old ones with a heat sealing iron and heat gun. Here are the results.... DSC_0492 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0493 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0494 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0495 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0498 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

The NE Ears come really thick to start off. I just can't seem to figure out what I'm doing wrong. DSC_0474 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0475 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr No matter how I push or pull, I just can't get this gap to shrink. I read a suggestion to attach the ears with the screws, use pencil marks, and then keep trimming. But, I'm obviously not understanding... DSC_0476 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0477 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Please help! Thanks!

Hi All, Happy Thanksgiving to anyone out there celebrating... I am having a dilemma regarding my helmet. The shape of the helmet is making it extremely difficult to trim the ears. Would it be crazy of me to add an extra rivet to each side - under the ears - to snug up where the tube connects on the face to the back? I can't find any examples of anyone else doing this, but I feel like it might be my only way to get a good secure fit. Any direction would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Bobby DSC_0473 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0472 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

I started trimming the helmet, and actually attached the cap and back together. I just noticed after staring at the Dave M Helmet that the "lines" of the eye and the front edge of the trap line up. So, I'm going to use this as a way to make sure I'm staying lined up properly.... Dave M side by side 2 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Dave M side by side 1 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr That's not much progress, but at least its something. Well, I'm off to High School Alumni Lacrosse Game. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to do a bit more tonight. :-)

Thanks Mutter! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Now, I'm trying to figure out the positioning so I can trim. I actually bought TK4510's Basic Helmet Assembly Guide when I first ordered the armor - not realizing that the guide was for a 2 piece helmet. However, it's still extremely helpful. TK4510 mentions that the forward edge of the ear/com link should end up being between 1/2" and 3/4" from the tear. So, with this in mind, I cut the brow trim (leaving a bit extra to trim off later), and used some clamps to hold things in place. DSC_0338 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Does the angle of the faceplate look "right". I was afraid that it looked a bit "shallow"... DSC_0339 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr So, I held the ears on, and traced the edges. I hope this is leaving the correct "S curve". DSC_0343 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0345 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Does this seem correct? DSC_0346 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0347 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Thanks everyone. I am really going to make a run at this thing this week. Any feedback I could get over the weekend would be very much appreciated.

Next I got out the blue tape and started taping the back n cap back together. I was trying to get some photos of the angles of the overlap. Does this look right? I'm just trying to be careful before I proceed with glue. DSC_0327 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0326 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0325 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0324 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

So, here my helmet has sat. Taped together. Very poorly. Resting on a mannequin head for over 2 years. That is terrible, and should be a crime.... DSC_0316 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0315 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0317 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr I have had enough. I am off next week, and I am gonna put this sucker together. Part of the reason I stopped my build 2 years ago is that the NE Helmet is super "wonky". There's tons of "extra" material on every single part that needs to be trimmed before the parts can begin to resemble the shape I'd like. With that said, I yanked that blue tape off so I can better assess what I have going here. Here are a couple of shots of the faceplate separated from the cap and back... DSC_0329 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0328 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr I noticed on some other threads that faceplates from 2 piece helmet assemblies don't generally have that thick brow bulge on the faceplate. Does this brow "bulge" serve a purpose as a guide or something? Should I just cut it off? Any direction would be super helpful. Thanks!

Can I ask if there is any trick to figuring out the "familiar s curve" and the screw hole placement? Sorry to go back to such an old topic, but I'm really stuck on this particular step.

Thank you!

Actually, now that I'm searching for it, I'm having trouble finding the Garrison Excelsior forums... Should I be looking under FISD or 501st.com or somewhere else? Thanks. Sorry for the dumb question.

I did years ago, but haven't logged on in ages. I'll make a point to do that! Thanks!

After way too long, I will be working hard on my tk during the next week. Punch list includes: assemble 3 piece helmet, trim and assemble thighs and calves, finish ab details, add shoulder straps, and connect cod/butt gap.

Thanks Sith Lord! Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

Bump for help... Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

Hello all, I am back from vacation. We had a great time at Star Wars Weekend in Orlando. I'm finding it hard to get back into my build... Feeling a little rusty. Well, I am not quite ready to start on my helmet, but I wanted to post a couple of pics, and hopefully get some feedback before I start cutting... Here is a quick look at my NE helmet. It is very wonky: IMAG5435 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr I actually ordered this helmet over a year ago. So, at that time the helmet was shipping with a set of ears that were not working out very well. Shortly after receiving my armor I received a second set of ears from TupperwareTK. This second set of ears promised to be easier to work with, and more accurate. Here is a look at both sets side by side. The top set of ears are the replacement ears: IMAG5434 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr In Darth Voorhees NE Helmet Build Thread ( http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/26301-ne-helmet-build/ ) he mentions cutting out an "S" shape on the side. Do most troopers arrive at this shape by laying out the ears and tracing their general shape? I'm having trouble visualizing this step. Any directions would be much appreciated. IMAG5436 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr IMAG5437 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr Thanks in advance for any help...

Hey Ron, I am beginning some work on my thighs, and I just have a quick question. If I am understanding correctly, you didn't reshape the tops of the thighs. My NE thighs seem like they are just completely the wrong shape at the top. I am going to try and search the AM threads, and see if I can find any clues. Any advice from you would be greatly appreciated. Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

Nice! Wow, if my back and chest were that close together it wouldn't fit over my big head, haha... Looking good. Don't forget to reinforce the elastic with something. When it stretches the snaps can pop right through. I found that out the hard way. I have been adding small pieces of nylon webbing to each snap to prevent that... Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

Thank you Germain and Ron! No sense crying over spilled milk, right? I will worry about the extra snap plates later. Next on to the thighs... I was thinking it would be annoying to try and wear my cod/ab, kidney, and butt while working on the thighs. So, in an attempt to do some creative problem solving I donned my armor, and then used some ordinary children's chalk to trace the shape on my clothes. Afterwards, I used a Sharpie to trace the chalk line. IMAG5261 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr IMAG5260 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr Presto, clothes for working in while I am trying to rough size my thighs...

Obviously, I was bound to make some mistakes throughout this build. Well, here is big mistake number one... I went to my local Jo Ann Fabrics to buys Drtiz #24 Heavy Duty Snaps, but they were out. So, instead I went across the street to Hobby Lobby and bought "Sew-ology" #24 Heavy Duty Snaps. I figured, same size, what's the big difference? IMAG5252 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr The Sew-ology snaps are TERRIBLE. The slightest amount of pressure causes them to "pop". They are useless. In addition, the female snaps from Dritz and the male snaps from Sew-ology are incompatible (and visa versa)... The worst part is that even at the recommendation of everyone on these forums to use E6000, I instead used Zap-A-Gap and Zip Kicker to install the snap plates inside my armor. No way are those ever going to be removed :-/ It's not a huge deal, but basically the inside of my armor has become cluttered with useless snap plates... I know I did this to myself, but anyways it got me to thinking about how I could do things differently. IMAG5251 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr This is my first TK build, but not my first armor. I built an Iron Man Mark VI suit a couple of years ago. IMAG5243 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr IMAG5250 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr The entire IM armor is held together with hot glue. The internal strapping is nylon webbing (no elastic), and it is linked together with 1" buckles instead of snaps. I realize that the lineage of the TK armor is based on screen accuracy. Back when the original ANH armor was being built for the movie it seemed that snaps were readily accessible. I wonder if plastic buckles were more readily available at the time, if we would all use buckles instead of snaps today? They do seem more practical to me... IMAG5248 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr IMAG5247 by bobby_whalen, on Flickr I guess I don't have a grand point to this rambling, but just wanted to share some thoughts...

I'm posting this link simply for my own future reference... It's about the NE Helmet... http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/25558-possible-fix-for-ne-helmet/ Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

Sometimes hardware stores will know what you mean if you say "sex screws". I had the same problem when I was building my Iron Man armor.... Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

Thanks FifthHorseman! I am going to and leave them alone for now and see how it goes... Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

The NE and RS shoulders are really narrow, right out of the box. My NE shoulders just wouldn't "sit" low enough on my shoulders to look right. I was looking like a linebacker instead of a Stormtrooper. So, with that said, I tried my hand at heat shaping them. I do think I made an improvement, but now I am challenged with getting the shoulders to stay in position while wearing them. Mine seem to want to meander. Any advice on this problem would be great. Here is a before and after photo of the shoulders... shoulders before and after by bobby_whalen, on Flickr