[My 1st Build. Ever. [*AM]]

Steffen, looks like you missed a word there. I'm assuming you meant like a rubber eraser or something or just a piece of rubber in general?

[My 1st Build. Ever. [*AM]]

Man, you're suggestions are spot on. Just what i needed. I'm definitely going to grab some magnets from somewhere. There's space in between the outside cover strips and the arm pieces, so getting underneath them and gently prying them off should be easy. And what a relief that I can clean this glue off. I'll plan on taking them apart, cleaning up and getting ready for whenever I get the magnets I need tonight. I'm going to check the local Ace and if they don't have em, I'm going to order them online.

 

Thanks for the tip on scoring it to. I sanded the glue surface slightly to try and roughen it up, but that cross-scoring idea sounds brilliant. I'll try that.

 

And funny that you mention using the excess plastic from the forearms for the inside strips. That's actually what I did. It just seemed to make sense that since that was cut off the forearm piece it was already the right length I needed for the inside. It's a little thinner than the scrap plastic in the kit, but I figured it was enough to add a little extra strength on the inside. Glad I was thinking smart on that one.

 

Now that I've got a good handle on what I need to do, I think I'm ready to attack it again. Thanks a ton Brian.

[My 1st Build. Ever. [*AM]]

So finally got the tools and supplies I thought I needed to start out Friday night. (I now realize I'm missing somethings.) Spent some time yesterday reading through a few build threads trying to get a solid idea of how to best approach this. And finally spent most of the afternoon/evening today getting started and trying to make some head way. I was hopeful and enthuzed. Everything started out great. But... then things started going bad when I got to the glue. I'm feeling pretty defeated right now. You'll see in a sec. Here's the my progress so far in photos...

 

Unpacked all the pieces, got all my tools and supplies ready.

 

ANH Stormtrooper Kit by nolawill, on Flickr

 

 

I couldn't help but get excited as I was eyeballing all these pieces.

 

ANH Stormtrooper Kit by nolawill, on Flickr

 

 

 

I decided to start with the forearms, and thats what was suggested, and it seems that others have started there as well. First thing I noticed was that a lot of folks remove the return edge on the forearms. Made a lot of sense too, since it would make it easier for my hands to slip through went putting them on.

 

Cut-off return edge by nolawill, on Flickr

 

 

Below is after sanding the edge some to get nice and smooth.

 

Smoothed Forearm Edge by nolawill, on Flickr

 

 

Here's both forearm pieces with their return edges cut off and the cut edge sanded some.

 

 

Return on both forearms by nolawill, on Flickr

 

 

Ready to size it up to my arm. I'm pretty slim dude, so I can already see that I'm going to be trimming a ton off of these. This is probably going to be a recurring trend on this build considering my size.

 

 

Sizing a forearm by nolawill, on Flickr

 

 

Got it sized up, feels comfortable, I move around in this pretty good, and got my lines marked and ready for cutting.

 

 

Cutting Lines on a Forearm by nolawill, on Flickr

 

 

First of the long cuts. Seeing that pandatrooper used scissors on this part, and also since these cuts will be concealed by the cover strips I figured I'd be good cutting these this way.

 

 

Cutting a forearm piece by nolawill, on Flickr

 

 

So everything up to this point had been going great. I had no trouble sizing the forearms and trimming them down. I even heated the forearms some to try and bend them a little more to fit my arm. Now, the keep in mind the time between when I started cutting to the time that this next photo was taken was probably a couple hours or so. This is where things started going sour for me.

 

 

Attempted forearms by nolawill, on Flickr

 

As you can see here, I clearly need some magnets or bigger clamps or something. The cover strips are not sticking. Maybe I tried gluing to much at once or something. I don't know.

 

 

Not sticking by nolawill, on Flickr

 

As if that wasn't enough, the glue was getting pretty messy in the process as well. I got that stuff all over the forearm pieces. I'm really hoping I haven't screwed these up permanently. I kind of gave up on them and they're drying now. I guess I'll see what they look like in the morning. Is there something out there that's useful for cleaning off excess glue? I tried wiping it with some paper towels while I was gluing them, but that just seemed to smear it around more. Like I said, I was not doing well.

 

 

Messy Glue by nolawill, on Flickr

 

Not feeling super confident about the next pieces - or even having to try these pieces again. But I've committed myself to this, and come what may, I'm going to see this through. I'd really hate to waste my money by giving up, or irreparably ruining my kit. Got another busy work week this week, so I may not get back to this until next weekend. We'll see. Maybe I'll have built up more confidence to give it another go by then. I don't know. I need to go watch a star wars episode or something. That'll make me feel better....

[My 1st Build. Ever. [*AM]]

You guys are awesome. E6000 it is. Plan on shopping for stuff after work today and starting on the build this weekend. So where's the best place on the suit to start? I figure I should start on an easy part as a confidence booster for the rest of the suit. Any suggestions?

[Hey from Memphis]

Awesome. Thanks for all the welcomes everyone. I've officially started my own build thread over here http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=19951

I'll be posting pics, and I would welcome any helpful advice as I go along. Thanks so much!

[My 1st Build. Ever. [*AM]]

So some have suggested I start a thread chronicling my progress on my first build ever. Not to mention I know I'm going to need help, so please share any helpful input as I go along. And since everyone seems to like pictures, and I like to take them, here's one for starters. How's this for a kickoff?

 

AM Build unfinished helmet by nolawill, on Flickr

And forgive me, I'm a designer by trade, so some of my shots may get a little artsy.

 

 

So far, I've got my AM kit from troopergear. Everyone says to toss the instructions it came with. Been trying to read through a lot of threads on here, and have found a lot of useful resources. I'm so glad I didn't jump on the first thing I saw (*cough* rubies) and waited to find something a little better. Also went to a sporting goods store and got my two piece under armor suit. Fits perfect and I think it look awesome under my armor. Working on a shopping list so I can get everything I need for the build. You guys have thoughts on type of adhesive to get? The standard seems to be E6000, but I've also seen some stuff along the lines of a plastic welder? Is there a major difference? Is either better?

[Hey from Memphis]

Thanks for the helpful advice and all the welcomes everyone. I did finally get my kit. And yea, after seeing everything, I was way off. Going to take my time like you all say, and do it right. I got myself over my initial excitement, and now its time to buckle down and get to work. I've been reading through the tutorials, and this kit came with instructions also. My first step is going out and getting tools and supplies. And trust me. I will definitely be requesting more advice when the time comes. One step at a time...

[Hey from Memphis]

Whoa. Yea. Being new and all, I really have no idea what I'm in for. I was relying on the fact that I'm pretty decent with building things. But, you make a great point. And thanks for the heads up on the midsouth garrison. Didn't know anything about them. Will definitely check em out. Much appreciated.

[Hey from Memphis]

Hi. Figured I'd start a post and introduce myself. Just bought a kit from trooper gear. Still expecting. Really hoping it comes today so I can get started. Been reading a ton of stuff on here trying to prep myself and get in the zone for all that needs to be done. This is all totally new to me. If there's anyone other troops in the Memphis area please holla. I'll try to post photos on here so everyone can see my progress. If I do get the kit today, I'm hoping I can have it done by the end of the weekend. We'll see.