tkrestonva

Eric, you beat me to it. Moving topic to Announcements section.

Unless you plan on going into the armor business, you probably don't want to go that route. The initial setup costs are much more than what you'll pay by simply purchasing a kit, and you still have to have the artistic talent to sculpt the armor-forming tools. Nearly everyone buys a kit from an established armor maker. Unless you are doing it simply for the challenge, it doesn't make sense (to me) to reproduce what others have already done - and do quite well.

The plastic iron thing, i.e. a hobby/sealing iron. You don't necessarily *need* to soften and/or eliminate the thumbprint (I don't know if it's right or left) for any level of 501st qualification, although it is certainly your option to do so. Actually the only person I know of who has successfully reduced or removed a bicep thumbprint on any kit is Roguetrooper.

If you have a hobby shop nearby, in particular one that specializes in plastic scale models (cars, airplanes, military vehicles, etc.), you should be able to find the scissors there. Alternatively, you can buy them online.

http://forum.whitear...showtopic=11760 The helmet is a good place to start. For the body armor, most start with the smaller pieces (forearms and biceps) and go from there. I would also seek some hand-on assistance from the folks at Cloud City Garrison, as they may already have many of the needed tools and supplies.

If you do and they have the same bells and whistles of Erv's blaster, I'm willing to forgo my dreams of a deactivated Sterling and break open the piggy bank for one of there. Please keep us posted, Vern.

Yes, precisely.

I'd also take a look at screen grabs, and try to make a judgement call based on those. Unless you have an upper body that is both the size and shape of a wine barrel, you'll definitely need to trim the wings back from both the chest and upper back.

Totally agree on the right kit for your bud - ATA all the way. As for you, I'll tell you this - I'm 6'1" 220 lbs with a 35 inch waist. I've also been an recreational bodybuilder (i.e. I train/diet but I don't do shows) for 20+ years. I went AM, the primary reason being that I didn't want to have to shim or othewise shoe-horn myself into a kit made for a man 60lbs lighter and a lot skinnier in the arms, chest, back, shoulders, and legs than I am. Totally wanted to avoid the "big guy - little suit" look. However, I also took what I believe are the most inaccurate parts of AM (chest and back) and replaced them with more accurate RT Mod parts, and I tried to incorporate screen-accurate features (for example, butt-joins & cover strips) into my build. As far as the AM helmet goes - don't bother with it unless you simply want a side project. Get an AM Lite kit instead if AM ends up being your choice. There are lots of different helmet options available, all of them better than the FX/AM helmet. Or, you could get the full kit and turn the helmet into a nice reading lamp:-----------

Looking good overall. As for details, it looks like your drop box straps are black (should be white), and you could use some inner drop boxes. I would also do the 45 degree clip on the belt corners.

Love this photo!

Well now, I believe that particular perspective is a first for an EI submission. Whatever works.

Speaking of 2's, you might be only the second TKC EI. How many do we have, anyway?

That's actually a great idea for a novelty lamp.

A couple of quick questions - how much do you weigh, and how would you describe your body type (thin, "average", muscular, etc.)? If you happen to have detailed chest, upper arm (flexed), forearm, thigh, and calf measurements that would of course be ideal. We're the same height, which tells me that if I wore TM the gaps at the hips, elbows, and knees would be similar to yours - and perfectly acceptable in terms of scale. What I'm constantly wondering is if a 220lb recreational bodybuilder like myself can fit into a TM without requiring huge shims in the arms and legs.

There may be a tech issue, but first there are at least two things you need to do: 1. Get approved for access to the 501st and Detachment Only sections of the board: http://forum.whitear...hp?showtopic=16 2. Apply for Expert Infantry first - you have to have EI done before you can apply for Centurion. If your kit is up to snuff, you can apply for the latter immediately after the former is approved and use the same set of photos, but they have to be separate threads.

You look absolutely inspiring, and the weathering seems especially well done. Hopefully you'll be able to make it down to C6 this summer.

There are several threads detailing the butt join process for AM. Here is probably the definitive thread on AM armor assembly - and it's pinned right at the top of the ANH Build Threads subforum: ---------- Lots of AM owners here (myself included) have done the butt join method as opposed to the overlap method, I found that the armor goes together easier and it just plain looks better. While ideally you'll use the measurements in Pandatrooper's thread, ultimately you have to do what works best for your body. For instance, my biceps measure 17.5 inches (you got me beat by 1/2 inch - I'll need to hit the gym harder) so instead of using 15mm cover strips I sized my forearms and biceps to allow for 20mm cover strips. The larger strips work better and look more proportional on my larger limbs. Best rule to follow: measure twice (at least), cut once. To that I would add go slow, taking off a bit at a time until you get down to the size that works best for you. You can always take off plastic, but once it's off - it's off.

Very few builds (none that I know of, actually) fit and/or hold up perfectly the first time they are worn and/or trooped in. It's an ongoing project, and you will continuously tweak your armor as you make new discoveries in terms of fit, accuracy, ease of movement, etc. The day you finally have it dialed in perfectly is the day to start the whole process over with a brand new kit.

There is an entire section of the FISD dedicated to blasters. All you have to do is look. -----------

Look here----------- I would also reiterate what Jimmy said about physical size - if you are not close to screen-accurately sized, neither of these kits may work fo you. RS in particular, whom the seller himself said works best for slim builds. Also, IMO neither kit is well-suited for a completely novice builder. Although many TM owners here went straight from nothing to TM and did quite well, many the guys here who look like they stepped right off the set (especially the RS kits) have generally completed at least two or three builds before taking on the challenge. Alternatively, if money is truly no object (!) then you could commission TM or RS to build your kit for you based on the measurements you send them.

If you are going ROTJ, I would actually replace the helmet altogether. A CFO would be the best choice IMO. You'll also need to paint your boot sole edges from black to white, and I wasn't aware that the thigh ammo belt was supposed to be mounted that high.

Interesting. Are you doing a ROTJ build?

What color did you paint your thermal detonator?

A lot of people like their drop boxes to touch their belt, but I'm not one of them - I like mine loose enough to be able to move a bit. But you definitely should move them out to the edge of the belt as well.