Owen91

Alright, hows this?

Alright, so its not as close as it needs to be. Thanks Keith, I'll adjust it tomorrow. Also, I've been trimming my helmet, and while the eyes went well I'm not pleased with my handiwork with some of the teeth. If one does not have access to a dremel tool, how does one go about shaping the gaps properly? I want that smooth twinky look, but with a boxcutter and drill I'm not having much luck. Otherwise, I'll get some more pictures and post them tomorrow. I think my calves, forearms, and biceps are in good order, but I had a horrendous time getting the back thigh seam to close. It took 4 of my biggest clamps plus a C-clamp and Tape to get it to hold down, and I'm worried that when the tape comes off I won't find a totally flush fit. We'll find out tomorrow!

First pics are up, and with them a question. Does this look okay? I glued it along the front so I can easily peel it off if need be. I've looked at a few screen references on here, as well as some other builds, and I think this works.

I'm on my build now and I'm using HD dritz snaps from Walmart. They're working well so far!

Progress so far: Calves completed with sniper plate glued on (held together VERY well, that velcro has a strong grip!) biceps completed, one forearm completed, trimming of parts mostly completed. Tomorrow I'm going to glue the thighs and trim up the remaining accessories! 3 notes: 1. I did decide to use the built-in overlaps, I'm more comfortable with that approach. 2. I'm working on getting a digital camera, I've never really had need of one up to now! 3. This build is turning out to be a LOT of fun and is way less intimidating now that I've gained some ground! (thanks in no small part to the many informative builds posted here on the FISD)

Tyler and Tray, thank you both! I'll push on and start gluing some joints together, I suppose I was merely undergoing a spell of beginner's anxiety. I bought a pair of left-handed aviation snips (they also had straight and right handed snips) from Wal-mart. to assist me with my cutting. They've worked wonders so far, especially on straight edges and slight turns.

A hairdryer will work? I think I'd rather use that. It may take longer to get it hot enough to bend but at least It wouldn't be as quick to warp. I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but should I bend a part before I glue it together or afterwards? I'm thinking afterwards.

Thanks for the informative response Tyler! I'll definitely give the cover strips a shot. Is there any way I can use the cover strips to help tighten up the calves? When the front seam is fit flush a very wide back seam is the result. When I try to push the back and front seams of the calf pieces together it takes a lot of effort to squeeze them into place. I can't hold them in place with clamps alone. I'm confident the glue can hold the front seam, but I'm a bit cautious about how well the industrial velcro will hold the back. I've seen a few people melt their calves trying to remedy this, so I'd really, really like to stay away from a heat gun. It may work out just fine, but I've got a bad feeling about it. I'll post some pics tomorrow, unfortunately I've only got a cellphone camera. Will try to borrow a digital cam ASAP.

It's here! I've got everything opened and splayed out across my floor. Between siezures of joy, I'm trimming the kit from the calves up. I'm aware that the T/MC suit was formed off an ROTJ original, and as such utilises the overlap method on the limbs instead of coverstrips. Will using this method be acceptable for an ESB trooper (its not mentioned in the CRLs at all) or should I use the coverstrips? I ask because I'm a little scared of this thing and I do not want to mess it up with any potentially unnecessary cutting. Until then, I'll just keep on trimming. Thanks guys!

Build's done and was carried out on a separate thread, this post is no longer relevant and may be deleted at the staff's liesure. Thanks!

God it just.. It looks so awful! @Luis, I recommend checking around the Getting Started forum and find out about the different types of armour. There are lots of armour makers here on FISD that charge less for their wares, and for MUCH higher quality! There might even some armour to be found for sale in the proper sections. Dig around and get to know the site, it's frackin' huge!

I was just browsing around Youtube and found this AWESOME teaser for a Star Wars anime fan film that's currently in the works! Looks like its going to be told from an Imperial point of view, considering 90% of the exploding fighters are X-wings! #! I'm not sure who's working on this, but they're doing a GREAT job!

And right behind that is the clonetrooper I bet, TK's better though!

haha, nice Glen!

So the general mood I'm picking up here is that armour is fairly strong and will not break unless subjected to extreme stress, constant straining, or gymnastics. While this means I will have to cancel my plans for the "TKs in Tutus" club, I am glad to have a better understanding of the armour's strengths and weaknesses. Though the topic of yellowing is something I really need to look into. I'd love to hear anyone else's horror stories, advice or experience in the matter! Thank y'all again for the feedback!

Hi all! My T/MC kit will be here within the next 2-3 weeks, and while my studies have largely focused on building the armour and its positive sides, I haven't learned much about its weaknesses. I'm of the understanding that T/MC is a tad thick compared to other makers' wares, and that ABS in general can take a lot more abuse than HIPS. But what qualifies as abuse? Does it come in the form of a bear hug from an overly zealous Star wars fan, or as an accidental bump into a sharp edge? Will a trip and fall bust a sniper plate or is it more flexible than that? Don't get me wrong, I'm going to wear the armour as if It were a suit of babies. I'm just trying to get a sense of how careful I need to be with this stuff! Thanks in advance!

Wow.. I had no idea how long the process actually took. I've got about 4 more weeks on the waiting list, assuming it doesnt change, and from there about 3-4 months wait for armour to be done? I have been budgeting mercilessly, thinking I had only a matter of 2-3 months total to get everything ready. I've been pinching pennies till my fingers bled! I cannot say I'm surprised though. There are less than what, 10 reputable TK armour producers to like 2,300 TKs and counting? On that note, I'm not complaining at all . I'd rather wait 6 months for High quality than wait 6 weeks for Ebay garbage. This thread is a good thread because it tells new guys like me what to expect, and may take some FlaK off the armor makers' shoulders.

WOW.This guy takes FARB (Fast And Researchless Buying/Building) to a new level!!

I second this. In my early interests in becoming a trooper I gravitated toward Ebay to see what was up. I started seeing a bunch of 501st claims and was like "wait a minute, I thought the 501st were hired actors? I must verify." Later my girlfriend, by pure happenstance, runs into the 501st at a sci-fi event at the local library. She gets their info for me, a few emails get sent, Bam. Registered to the FISD and am sooooooo glad I did!

Alrighty, citing this thread: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=8653&hl=mic#entry109832 After playing around with it for a while I have determined that, in order to get the most satisfaction out of the Smalltalk, I must conduct surgery on it and wire in a new mic. The amplifier itself I believe to be sufficient, and I think the clarity will vastly improve when I have a mic that doesn't have to hang in the opening of my mouth to work. Could anyone recommend a good quality headset and maybe some instructions on rewiring mics? At this point I realise I've commited the rather noobish mistake of buying cheap, a wise man once said "when you buy cheap, you almost always have to go back and spend more money to make it better, so why not save up and buy it right the first time?" Now I'm going to take my mistake and work to fix it. Thanks guys!

Got it in the mail today! The sound quality is great and the volume is more than sufficient. There is a lot of squealing and feedback if the device is exposed, but once you cover it up it works wonderfully, it also looks skinny enough to fit comfortably under the breast plate. Best part? 10$ on ebay! The mic is odd to me, its got a hard plastic covering over one side with a tiny nipple that you speak into, It seemed to have difficulty picking up my voice from this end, speaking through the open back side worked just fine but for safety's sake I'm going remove it from the plastic and find some foam or something to protect it from humidity.---------------