TrooperJay

May the force (and serious patience) be with you.

Wow, what a great tip Karin. And thanks guys, appreciate the solid responses. Every bit helps!

Okay so I know it's laying around here in one of the sections, But can anyone direct me with some pointers on doing the accurate inner helmet padding? Design and placement. I'm getting really tired of my current padding and have a few upgrades I need to do before next weekend. Thanks for the help! Regards, Julian

Holy moly! Looks like you got your work cut out for ya there Derek. Looking good, complete modification for your own personal fit. Oh the places we go for our TK armor! Cheers!

Agreed Mathias. This is not cheap, you can't just pick up a cheap kit and expect to be done. There is much much more to it than that. Ultimately the costs will pretty much never end. Constant upgrades.

Yep, disappointing to see someone even attempting to come off as authentic with that!

Another recast FX in fiberglass. And that bucket, again looks fishy. Save a little more and invest in something you can really count on! TK building is a long, anxious process that takes patience. Wait a bit longer, and you'll be glad you did.

The helmet looks very fishy to me. Very. Anddd, it is Recast FX. Topping it off being fiberglass. Wouldn't recommend fiberglass to a first timer. Stay away from ebay! It may save you money at first, but most all of us can say the extra time, headache and inconvenience those kits cause are not worth it! This is where you belong if you are at the point of considering a purchase- http://www.whitearmo...showtopic=11538 The vetted casters are extremely helpful. Contact one of them and you will be quickly on your way to organizing what it will take to get your first kit ever, shipped to your door. Best regards, Cheers! Julian

I would agree 100% with Brian. Luis, I understand the convenience of affordability, but one virtue I've learned in the TK building experience is patience. Get prepared, save and invest in the best resources you can, and most importantly, DONT SETTLE FOR A CHEAP RECAST. There are some amazing vetted vendors here, that offer much help and will truly make your TK experience worth it. Original and quality TK kits. This is where you want to start-http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=11538 You are on your way, just hang in there, gather your means, and do it right. We are here for you, so ask away! You are making the right decision so far by consulting us. Best regards! Cheers, TrooperJay

I went to Joanne's and got everything i needed. The canvas, (double layered) the elastic and the velcro. All costed me $18. The savings were awesome and the project was fun. DIY, with patience and the right materials, is always a good alternative!

Agreed Tyler. Avoid any problems down the road.

Looks like you are exactly right Lou, I'd have to say, after just dumping 30 hours plus into my own set of FX, that is identical. Recast.

Are you speaking in terms off offset along the length of the belt (left and right) or offset of up and down? (top and bottom of belt). Some troopers' belts show both, due to sizing and comfortability. Also fitment onto the armor, such as a split cod piece etc.

Thanks, should prove to be effective. I will be sewing some webbing to the upper front tongue of the boot with some Velcro to go into my shins. That should prevent any dreaded "pop-outs"

I've seen that before, in the days leading up to my armor kit order, its a great vid!

Hey Joel looking good! Great job for your first bucket. What caster is that? I'm looking for a new lid myself.

Still waiting on my Angelus paint, I'll post a small build thread for fellow DIY TK Boot builders

Yes indeed Mathias, thanks! If anyone was wondering, here they are, found them online: -------- Super cheap alternative, and yes they are women's, so sizing was a little weird. I'm an 8.5 and got a women's 10. Whatever it takes when it comes to TK building!

Yeah, not perfect. But with a nice white coat, some shine, and paired up with a fully dressed TK, I think I'll be good to go!

Okay, so I know TK BOOTS are the absolute best bet to go with. (Edit, besides scoring a pair of originals!) However, I've been sourcing out my resources and looking around for alternatives, make a nice little boot project for myself. What do you guys think of these? I was out running errands, with no intention of buying or looking for something to add to my TK build, and I found these. They have a pretty similar overall shape, only thing I noticed was the "U" shaped elastic region was slightly bigger than canon boots and the sole was slightly thinner. I think they are preeeetttttyy close though! Just wanted some opinions before I went forth with getting them up to par. Cheers, Julian (and yes, as seen in picture two I do have an endless supply of board games ---------

I made the mistake of building my entire kit in my living room, the ENTIRE house smells of E6000. Don't know when the smell will go away.

And Tony, yes. Although, a great virtue of TK building I've learned is patience. So it does clean up VERY easily, literally with your fingers and some elbow grease. Takes a while to dry, but the benefits, especially when used on a first build, outweigh the drawback of dry time. Very forgiving, and very strong.

Much agreed with Ingrid

For the gaps, I simply used a 3 inch wide piece of elastic and ran it the length of the kidney and ab plates. Because i used the elastic sideways, (not in stretch direction), it provided strength similar to that of nylon webbing. It made for a great quick solution!

I have cured parts for 12 hours or less and was perfectly fine. (Helmet pieces, webbing) HOWEVER, dont rush it when it comes to high tension pieces like closing up the forearms. I wasnt patient and pulled my clamps and tape and within minutes the stress of the tention had slowly separated them. Had to get all the E6000 off and start over. After that, I waited about 12-16 hours for most but a good 24 hours for pieces that i felt really needed it. You should usually be able to tell when clamping how much stress there is at the seams.