tkrestonva

Another preview of what this kit is actually supposed to look like, along with some statements from the Anovos CEO as to the build difficulty: http://www.starwars.com/news/armor-masters-behind-the-scenes-of-anovos-first-order-stormtrooper-standard-kit?cmp=smc%7C767986363&linkId=33060951

What kind of kit do you have?

You are much more likely to be too hot than too cold. For me, UnderArmor HeatGear works great for most troops, even those when it's not oppressive hot outside. They also make a balaclava that is meant for hot weather wear. Having the ColdGear is a nice option to have as well if you plan on doing outdoor cold weather troops, although I don't have any experience per se with it.

Sounds pretty cool. I say do it up in Photoshop with your different ideas and post it.

I would go with slightly bigger. It should be tailored to your build, but it shouldn't fit like a catsuit.

Agreed with Paul. Most go with the 10w MR1506 since it is small enough to fit behind the chestplate but still has more than enough volume to be heard even in crowded spaces. Those who prefer the larger MR1505 tend to mount them on their belts. Not what I do, but to each his own.

Nice work!

The OT kit seemed to more or less match the information that was available prior to actually being shipped. The biggest flaws had to do with the quality of many of the parts, most notably the fabric belt but other parts as well. For instance, the plastic is very thin, the holster is too rigid, the paint job on the helmet isn't what it should have been, the undersuit tends to bleed color, etc. In terms of accuracy (with the notable exception of the number of holster fasteners on the belt), it's quite good. If built correctly and to the wearer's body, it is easily approvable for 501st Legion acceptance, and can be approved all the way to Centurion with a few mods and/or part replacements.

Home Depot sells it as well.

In general, the standard kit is all plastic (including the helmet), the premium kit is the same armor but with a fiberglass helmet. Not sure what other differences there might be.

Aside from the sneak peek from eBay that I posted earlier in the thread, no one knows what this kit really looks like yet. It's essentially the same sort of speculating we were all doing prior to the start of shipping for the Anovos OT TK kit. But if it's at least as good as the prototype/marketing kits, assuming it is built correctly and to the wearer you should have no issue with basic approval. I have the Mitcheg helmet, and I'm quite happy with it. It's my primary FOTK trooping helmet - my 1st generation ANOVOS premium now sits on a shelf.

Just like any other major convention (and convention center), the earlier in the day you arrive - the more likely it is that you will find suitable parking. It also depends on the day - Saturday will be an absolute mad house, Friday and Sunday less so, Thursday will be the slowest day (relatively speaking) of the convention. My suggestion would be to find someone who is staying within walking distance of the convention and ask them to store your gear in their room. That way, you can take alternate transportation means (public transit, taxis, Uber, etc.) to/from Disney Springs.

Even with upgraded gaskets and such, I personally don't know of a single TFA trooper that can suit up unassisted. I'm also not sure what advantage using rare earth magnets will provide you over Velcro to, say for instance, close the shins. Once I'm in kit it's relatively comfortable and I can certainly get out of it by myself if I need to. But getting into it (at least without looking like I got dressed in the dark) is pretty much out of the question.

Yep. People like myself and Kalani who are often on that group do our best to steer them in the right direction (which often means referring them back here), but (1) we can't catch everything, (2) anyone can chime in on a 5000+ members public FB group and make themselves sound good regardless of their actual level of expertise, (3) given FB's always-on, instant-gratification nature, people seem to have gotten lazy in terms of doing their due diligence - I've seen a lot of things over there that made me cringe (one kid put his kit together with RIVETS!!!) and that could have been easily avoided.

We would definitely need to see what the armor looks like on you right now in order to advise you, as opposed to how it looked before you started trimming. Also, have you looked into contacting the local 501st members? They can offer hands-on help.

Well done.

Are these the guys with the (mostly) cloth backpacks, or do they have backpacks that resemble ANH sandtroopers?

Welcome. Have you found this section of the forum yet? http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/38-getting-started-read-this-first/ Also, be sure to reach out to your local 501st garrison, as that should allow you to see examples of several different kits up close. Where are you located?

In that case, you'll want to move that shoulder-to-shoulder connecting strap as far forward as you can. You may even need to move it so that it crosses your collarbone instead of your traps.

Now that I see a full suit-up from the front and back, I'll tell you that the single biggest thing you can do to close the gaps at the shoulders is bring the attach point on the white elastic that connects the chest to the back under the shoulder bridges forward. It's intuitive to put the attach point midway between the front and back, but that results in the shoulders being rolled back - as can be seen by the fact that you have much less of a gap in the back than in the front. If you move the attach point to about halfway between the midpoint and the front while keeping everything else the same, it will help even out the gap. I'm not surprised that you are having problems with the throat mic. Others have tried that approach, but I don't recall a single case where they were completely successful in using one.

It's been said that ROTJ-style stormtroopers was the perfecting of the stormtrooper in George Lucas' eyes. Hence, much of what you see post-ROTJ (especially in the video games) is based on ROTJ armor - that includes the armor seen in TFU. And like Caleb said, the CRL for TKC is based on the character as seen in TFU.

A couple of quick mods later with an LED flashlight, a carry strap, a drill, and some hot glue ... and voila! Not so much worried about the small details - for now, this will do.

Done.

I like this. I wonder if I have enough time to add a flashlight and carry strap to my DLT-19?

Doing good so far. I agree with using the stickers as much as possible given the time constraints. You want to do as good a job as possible, but a Centurion-level build isn't a requirement for a 14 year old who won't know the difference. Have you decided on the internal padding yet? If not, I suggest foregoing the hard hat system (if that's what came with the kit) and getting a set of ACH pads via Amazon Prime.