tkrestonva

If you have an Anovos kit and you are using the Velcro that they supplied, then that's a common occurrence. That Velcro is crap. Better to rip it all out and replace it with a snap-based system. However, if you simply must use Velcro, at least get the industrial-strength kind.

Seems like it would be less trouble just to hand-wash them.

I have both latex and cloth gaskets (both of which are from Imperial Gaskets) and the breathability difference is stark. The latex gaskets have the breathability of a wetsuit or a rubber body glove (which means they don't breathe at all), the cloth gaskets are more like a sweater or thick shirt. As far as cleaning goes, I simply wipe out my latex gaskets with a wet cloth. For dealing with the bunching, my shoulder gaskets are connected to the ab armor via a couple of nylon straps - they both pull the gaskets down and hold the armor up. Yes, it looks like part of your mobility problem at the elbows is that your upper arm armor is too long.

Have you tried contacting AP directly?

6'2" is not out of range for TK builds. Your kit can easily be fitted to accommodate your height. Depending on how you carry your height (long legs, long torso, etc.) you may have slightly larger than normal gaps at the knees, hips, upper back, etc. It will mostly be a matter of how you strap it together so as to evenly distribute the gaps.

Hey Jim - can you clear your inbox here?

Besides those two, your other options appear to be "850 Armor Works", and "Thorsson & Associates Workshop". Both can be found primarily on Facebook. ​Speaking of Facebook, this is the go-to site for all things Phasma-related: http://www.facebook.com/groups/captainphasma/

Not specifically. Your best bet is to comb through Germain's thread pinned at the top of the TFA Weapons section.

I wouldn't trim anything off of the sides of the kidney and butt plate, in particular if you expect to have to add shims later. Doesn't make a lot of sense - at least not to me. AM armor is pulled larger specifically to help troopers that have more to cover, especially in the midsection area. The cod cutline looks about right to me, but when in doubt there is an excellent archives photo in our reference library here that shows half a dozen suits stacked on a shelf at the perfect viewing angle to estimate how that area should be trimmed. The important part is getting rid of that extra plastic - I have started callig it the "trooper hymen". Like the actual thing, it's not meant to be there indefinitely. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/gallery/image/910-armor-shelf-03jpg The library link is pinned at the top ofthe main forum page, but here is the URL: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/gallery/

Nice-looking kit. Side note ... where did you get the height scale with the Legion and Garrison logo on it? My garrison could use one of those.

I've never had an issue with Tandy Line 24 snaps, but you need to ensure they are properly applied. For that, nothing beats an old-fashioned, hammer-and-hand driven, anvil-and-setter tool combination. For example, the male snap to the far right in your photo has not been properly set. It really needs to be hammered down into place so that when the male appendage (heh) is split during the application process, the split ends lie as flat as possible. Otherwise, the snap will not hold when mated to the female snap.

Heston 3D Solutions on Etsy also offers a nice kit.

This is posted in the Ongoing Sales section: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/39247-t-21-blaster-run/

Check here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/11-for-sale-or-trade-personal-items/ Also here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/16-ongoing-sales-project-orders/ You will need to define what "reasonable price" means to you. It is different for different people. Also, BFGs tend to be expensive - especially T21s with (optional) added electronics. I've seen them go as high as around $500.

The kit looks like a legit RS kit. However, considering the risks of buying costumes/props over ebay, I echo Q's recommendation about going straight to the source.

The official group photos have been posted! http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/41575-swco-fisd-official-group-pictures/ Photo credit goes to Steve "SLam" Lam, a.k.a TK-878. SLam was also our photographer for SWCA (i.e. C7), and once again he knocked it out of the park - thanks Steve! Take a look at the rest of his photos from SWCO (https://www.flickr.com/photos/slamto/albums) and if you have your own personal photos, feel free to choose the handful out of the hundreds that you may have taken that you are most proud of and post them in the Field Training Exercises section with "SWCO" somewhere in the title so that we can find them easily - we want to see them!

Congratulations on BBB Day (along with boots & tools day)! Looks like you're off to a good start. Regarding the helmet face, although I'm not a pro at AM helmet assembly (but I do have some experience), that raised ridge has to be there for a reason. Best to leave it on until you are absolutely certain you don't need it. Ditto with the warped dome - let someone else with more experience look at it first before doing anything with it. In the meantime, you can work on other parts of the kit.

Yep.

Yes, you can reshape them by giving them a hot water bath. Basically, you immerse the piece in near-boiling water long enough for it to soften a bit (with the thin Anovos plastic I suggest no more than 10 seconds), gently pull them apart, and lock in the shape by quenching them in cool water.

The process for trimming and fitting should be similar to that of a plastic kit. The difference will be in the tools you use and especially the extra safety precautions you will need to take in working with fiberglass. Definitely post pictures.

Mine is one of the original Alpha 75 kits, and I've been trooping it for a little under 2 years now. I had it professionally painted at an auto body shop. Not the cheapest option, but it has held up well and to me was well worth it. I've also sent two other FO TKs and an FO TIE pilot in my Garrison to the same guy I used.

In addition to posting here, I recommend you also join the Captain Phasma Costumers group on Facebook.

Congrats! Out of curiosity, which kit is this?

Anna likely isn't on FISD, but you can reach her via PM on the GT forum - she goes by the username "azri". For ESB, you don't use rubber handplates. You use the snowtrooper-style hard plastic handplates (the AM kit comes with a set). So no need for the gloves, either. You'll definitely want the Neodymium rare earth magnets (as opposed to the ceramic magnets). If you've never played with rare earth magnets, you'll be shocked at the difference. There is simply no comparison in the level of pull force between the two, and you'll need it to hold the thick AM plastic together while the E6000 cures.

You can definitely find the gloves cheaper on ebay. Assuming you are using black Nomex flight gloves (generally the preferred choice for trooping), simply do an ebay search on the term "black Nomex flight gloves". You may be able to find them for as little as $10 per pair. Echoing what Brian from OLG said, you definitely don't need 15' of Velcro (either white or black), but you will need the elastic that he refers to. I get my elastic from Joann Fabrics. Don't forget to add the cost of a cloth belt - TKittell is the go to guy for that. I already sent you the link via PM but here it is again: http://www.imperialissue.com. Magnets ... you're going to need a lot of them (I recommend 40-50) and buying them retail comes at a premium. You can get them much cheaper online. I used http://www.banggood.com for my most recent magnet purchase, as I found they were by far the cheapest. Problem is, they are imported from China (of course), and can take weeks to arrive - time you don't have if you want to be done by mid-June. In your case, a domestic supplier would be a better choice. http://www.kjmagnetics.com and http://www.magnet4less.com are two suppliers I've used in the past. Look for disc-shaped Ne rare earth magnets of N42 or greater strength, approximately 3/4" x 1/8" in size. You'll need plenty because (1) it's a 24 hour cure time when gluing parts together via E6000 and the number of clamps and magnets you have is your limiting factor, (2) they tend to want to fly together and shatter so you'll need extras to account for losses, and (3) they are stackable if you feel you need to increase the pull force. Snaps - Nickel-plated Line 24 snaps from Tandy leather is generally the recommended choice. I would get the 100 pack, as you will inevitably ruin a few (or more) as you are learning how to properly set them. You'll also want to pick up a compatible snap setting tool while you're at it. Scissors - I recommend you get the curved and straight hobby (Lexan) scissors as a set. Both are useful, and they can be found on amazon.com