theisaac

Since I can't sculp or have the time/money to learn/build a vactable I decided to build a foam TK for my 5 year old boys. I am using the TK409.com tutorial. Feel free to move this if you think it shouldn't be in here with the big boys. I went down to the local craft store and got some foam sheets for .98 cents each and some glue for 2.00. These things should cost about 10.00 each without a mask. Not sure what to do about mini helmets yet. Below are what the sheets look like from the store. My sons are identical twins *insert clone joke* so I only had to wrangle one of them to take some measurements for both suits. I cut out the forearms and biceps and then some fake cover strips and glued them down. For the forearm divots I cut a wider strip and then rectangles our of that to give depth. The biceps will get glued into a tube they slide on and attaches to the shoulder bell like our suits do. The forearms will velcro together.

Give me a few hours and I'll update my original build thread with what I come up with. I don't want to hijack Sam's thread. Sam, building my TK gave me confidence that I could build just about anything afterwards. The feedback and support the FISD members give one another is amazing. And stormtroopers are in way higher demand than Tie Pilots at events. Everyone asks for stormtroopers! Keep on moving forward brother and keep posting pics with your questions. We are here to help ya. Good luck

You *may* want to experiment with facing the amp speaker facing out towards the armor instead of in facing your chest. If its working perfectly then awesome. I noticed on mine I would get random feedback because I had to turn up the volume so loud when I had the speaker facing my body. Someone suggested I face it outward and it was a HUGE improvement. Just something to play with a little if you get bored brother.

Well now that has been pointed out I can't NOT notice my rivet covers on my belt. Looks like I know what I am doing tomorrow now. Thanks a lot Mathias Sam, keep up the patient pursuit towards the end game bro! Welcome to the linebacker trooper club. The best part is you can always find yourself in group shots!

Exactly what they said. I had to do the same with my kit. I just used wider shims in the back of my calves and they close just fine. We can help you get setup with nearly any set of armor you decide on bro. Good luck.

Im jealous! Look forward to more pics bro!

Trooperbay sells neck wallets

Man I suck, I was too excited to send in my submission that I just said "pick anything as long as I pass". Now Im TK 9492

just rebel propaganda. Like when they used Ewoks as meat shields.

Ya man, welcome to Centurion LOL. Great build, thanks for sharing and letting us admire your build.

You are not alone buddy. We are here to help if you have questions. Believe me, I spent 7 pages on my build thread asking question after question.

Signed her guestbook. Please pass along a hug and prayers from out here in Arizona. *Bucket off

Vern, get well soon buddy. Hope you are feeling better soon.

http://www.whitearmo...icture-heavyam/ My arms are similar in size. Page 2 and 3 you can see how I shimmed mine to fit me. If you want to post some pics of where you are at with your build, we can suggest some sound solutions for ya buddy.

are your arms too big or too small?

The answer to your question is personal preference. I can only answer with my journey that started in Feb. I went with AM because it would fit me and I didnt know much about accuracy at the time. It was white plastic that looked like a Stormtrooper to me. I build my kit and was approved in July. Since then I have replaced the AM chest and back for RT-Mod parts because of how squared and chunky the AM parts are. If I could do it all over again, I would have saved up some more money and went with RT-Mod or emailed my measurements to Troopermaster to see if a his kit would fit with my body type. This is all based on looks alone. Once you spend hours looking at photos and building, many folks are bit by the accuracy bug and want to look exactly like what you saw on the screen. AM is not accurate. If I were to pick a kit based on looks between AM and ATA.... Go with ATA. If you end up finding some AM armor somewhere, dont get the helmet. Go with an ATA helmet. Hope, that helps you buddy.

Hey man, Im part of the Arizona Garrison (Dune Sea Garrison). I would be glad to help you out. We have some really helpful folks that have tons of experience putting together a TK. Send me a PM and we can talk some more. I have an AM base kid myself so I can give you some feedback on the pro's and con's of it. Isaac

You can still use them for storage and get EIB. The requirement is that you have closed drop boxes. You can close them with magnets so that you can open them when you want to. I was thinking of doing this myself at some point. However the boxes get knocked around quite a bit while walking and posing so I would not trust anything valuable inside of them. I could be wrong, I just know mine take a beating from time to time. If you want to store things, I have seen people use their Thermal Detonator used to hold keys and such. Either way, close the back with inner drop boxes and you will look better buddy.

Good work Website crew! Its a cool feature that is useful. You don't see that very often. Well done!

that is impressive to nail that close one the first go. It will be personal preference but you can trim them down closer to the buck line and they will not have that "wavey" part around the outside from the moulds. I did not do that on my first build because I was worried about gaps so as soon as I got them flush, I stopped. Now I will take them down to the buck lines and they look great. It sounds like you are shooting for basic 501st approval with your build. I was in the same place when I started building my TK. I would encourage you to find that fine line between screen accuracy and living action figure. Keep a list of the Expert Infantry requirements close by during your build and check them off as you go. It is not hard to get if you start your build with EI in mind. I can tell you from personal experience that its a great feeling knowing you are one of a few hundred who have taken their build to the next level and earned that award. You clearly have patience so don't be afraid to have a go at hand painting your helmet. In the end it really does look cooler than the stickers and its one more thing to show off when people look at you suited up and their jaws drop. Good luck! post a TON of pictures bro. I'm re-living my helmet build through you right now.

What Glen said ^^^^ about the teeth. You did a great job on the eyes! I think thats the hardest part of the face trimming too.

I set a goal to drop 30 lbs and go from EIB to Centurion.

I have an ATA lid. I tried pressure and like Vern said, it didnt work for me. It kept pulling up when I would put my helmet on. I found some tips on here about using superglue in little drops every inch or so. Worked like a charm for mine. I haven't had it come off yet. I would take a few pics of the S trim before you glue it though just in case you go for EIB or Centurion down the road before you glue it.

thats awesome! I want it for my kids when yours outgrow both of those suits! I have twin five-year-olds.

I use hot glue and some of that upholstery foam you get in sheets and it works well and you can pull it off when you need to. I don't notice any smells. You might want to try that and sniff test it afterwards.