tkrestonva

It'll ultimately be up to your garrison GML (and you might want to contact him about it before you commit to anything), but It looks like the CRL allows for a direct attachment: Thermal Detonator (a.k.a. O2 canister) attaches to the back of the belt. This is a gray cylinder between 2” and 2.5" in diameter with white end caps on each end, and a white control panel pad, with controls closest to the right end cap.

Here's a tip - if you are doing inner joining strips (which admittedly are not screen-accurate but increase your joint strength by a factor of 2), use the scrap plastic from the ovelap you trimmed off. That way, you make the best use of your resources. No one will see the inside of your armor anyway, and you may find yourself or someone you know in need of the extra strips that came with the kit. Waste not, want not.

Also, in this photo you are not quite wearing the bicep correctly. Spin it on your arm 90 degrees, such that the thumbprint is facing the camera in the photo. For a visual, take a look at the photos of my arm armor.

I would think if sunglasses can be routinely ground to prescription, so can these. A guy in my garrison had a set made and loves them, but he also said they weren't cheap (he didn't say how much he paid for them). Best to talk to your local optician / glasses store, and describe what it is you are trying to do. I'd take a set of helmet lenses with you to give them an idea of the shape and color you need.

In addition to the holster (and maybe a different canvas belt to go with it) you'll need a different helmet, handplates, and possibly a different blaster.

Forearms look fine as is from what I can see. The extra room will actually allow you to bend your arm without your inner forearm flesh being uncomfortably squeezed.The slight misalignment at the elbow end will be covered by a finishing strip, the important thing is that the two halves meet up properly at the wrist. 14.5mm is also fine - no one is going to give you crap for being 0.5mm too narrow, especially when the trade is it makes for a more efficient use of a limited resource (those being the extra ABS strips).

Better to wait for the E6000. Perhaps one of the local 501st members has some they can lend you. As for telling left from right, as I recall there really is no difference - they are symmetrical. I marked them as such simply for convenience as I was doing the assembly.

As a reference point, here are my arms:

Yes, you can also trim back the return edges on the biceps if you like, or even trim them off entirely. With the exception of the forearm (at the wrist) and shin (at the foot) which had no visible return edges, the thickness of the return edges on the screen suits were pretty inconsistent. It all depended on how that particular suit was trimmed, and it seems they were largely trimmed differently. Personally, I prefer to preserve as much of the return edges as possible while still allowing the suit to be reasonably functional and comfortable. Although the large return edges on AM armor are a departure from screen-accurate, they also create the illusion of thickness and depth to the armor. As for the shape of the bicep, even trimming the return edges completely won't make it perfectly circular. The only way to do that is to reshape the piece with heat. Given how easy it is to ruin the plastic with a heat gun, that's something I would recommend only for someone with advanced skills.

I'd extend that black cut line up and into the outer part of the forearm as well such that there is no return edge at all at the wrist. But yes, in terms of how much to take off that looks good. As for the biceps, it's your choice. Others may have left part of it on. Me - I cut it off entirely.

It's better if you simply glue the forearms shut entirely. Velcro will work but it adds bulk at the seam, and doesn't give you the clean look of a fully-glued forearm. Ditto for the biceps. E6000 is the preferred adhesive, as it dries clear and is very forgiving - if you make a mistake, you can gently pry the parts apart, clean off the residue, and start over. I tapered my forearms such that the hole near the elbow is pretty much as you show it, but the hole at the wrist is nearly circular. Ideally it should fit such that your hand should just be able to squeeze through. If necessary, you can give yourself more room to squeeze your hand through by trimming off the return edge at the wrist. For screen-accuracy, it shouldn't be there anyway.

Yes, exactly. Not only does it solve the problem, but the end result looks better and is more accurate. I'd use this build technique for the biceps, forearms, thighs, and shins.

The AM bicep halves don't really align all that well if you plan to use the overlapping join assembly method. However, if you use the butt-join and cover strip assembly method like myself, Pandatrooper, and a fair few others have used, it resolves the problem for you.

Thumbprint faces inside, basically it centers on your bicep. Exactly opposite of how you are wearing it in the photo. Before you start, there are a number of AM build threads that cover the different possible ways of assembling the kit. I suggest having a read, and contacting the authors directly if you have specific questions.

Congratulations! Next stop - Expert Infantry.

Mine autocorrects "TK", "ANH", "ESB", etc.

Hmmn, I might need to do the same.

Unless something has changed, RT Mod helmets come with a vocoder decal and, save for the gray lens material, are EIB-able as is. My original EI submission back in 2009 (with my old FX kit) was with an RT helmet. I imagine other RT Mod wearers since have also stuck with the decal (no pun intended). However, the better way to go is to peel off the sticker and paint it. Something I intended to do, but never got around to before upgrading to my current lids.

Congratulations. It's always good to see a new trooper in the making.

Agreed. I typically wear black Nomex gloves with my ESB rig (which I find far more trooping practical than my Centurion-grade short satin gloves), and I've never had a bleed issue. Then again, I got my Nomex gloves from a local military surplus store, and they cost me around $50.

Congratulations! You'll need to post a request for status upgrade: http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=16&st=0

With the exception of Han, you didn't see any seated stormtroopers in the movies. I just plan for being on my feet the entire time, and if it's an especially long troop (over 4 hours), schedule myself for a mid-troop break out of armor. I can manage stairs, but I have to do a bit of a sidestep to go up. Down is no problem, with the exception of not being able to see below chest-level. As for shortening the thighs, post some pics and let's see how they currently look. Personally, I think the less black undersuit showing, the better. The tradeoff is less black = less mobility. And as far as "mundane" activities, going to the bathroom (be it #1 or #2) becomes a real hassle in armor, if it's even possible. I don't bother with it, I just make sure I go before suiting up, and manage my fluid intake appropriately based on how much I think I'll lose in sweat during the troop.

My sentiments exactly. Would love to do a MEM one day. Great job as always.

Well done.

It seems that if you go with the screen-accurate wire method, you almost have to use the super-flexible 1mm TM armor. I would think that anything thicker & more rigid that doesn't flex with movement is too brittle to use that method. Also, you need viable return edges. My RT Mod back plate came with no return edge, and only a small return on the chest plate.