jhpeyto

May the 4th be with you. Did some trooping at the local library today.

Just wondering how everyone transports their TK armor to events. Mine sits on a mannequin in my office at home but when I've traveled with it (Halloween) it just Kinda sits in the trunk, padded with some spare blankets so it doesn't roll around that much. I've seen a photo on the 501st facebook of a bunch of TK's going to a star wars weekend at Disney world and had large cooler-looking boxes with wheels. Anyone know what those are?

Took it awhile, after 4 weeks I sent an email requesting an update. Apparently my email got lost, resubmitted everything and about a week after that got my approval letter!

\ So pretty much done. Still missing: 1. Real TK boots, the motorcycle boots I have have thicker souls and very loose ankles, so they get all scrunched up. 2. The belt I need to redo, Messed up the snap placement by about 1/4 inch and put the hoslter in the wrong spot. (You can see the rivets) For the time being I will be going without a blaster/hostler. The little star wars rebel E11 blaster I got already started to come apart and it's pretty much just sat in my closet and my 2 year old has played with it some. 3. Forgot to paint the rivets on the right thigh 4. Helmet needs padding, still kinda swivels and bobbles around. Waiting on pads in the mail. (Along with helmet fans) Thinking of: 1. Adding another strap on the right side of the "clamshell" so it doesn't open so bad. 2. Heat bending the butt so it curves more, it kinda flares out looking at it from behind. 3. Some foam padding in the forearms to keep them from bouncing around. Impressions so far: 1. I can walk around no problem, however I cannot pick anything up. If I drop something it's as good as gone. I'm assuming that is just the nature of the suit. 2. Getting the full suit on is still a pain. I tend to go in this order: Thighs > Boots > Calves > Middle ( Ab, Butt, Kidney, Chest, Back all strapped together) > Gloves > Arms (Shoulders, Biceps, Forearms all strapped together) Helmet. Problem is I cannot seem to get the arms on by myself, always need my kid or wife to snap the shoulder to the strap under the shoulder ribs. So anyone have any comments to add?

Good news is I am pretty much done! I'm waiting for some helmet pads and a some fans, but once I had those together that'll be it! And I'll post the finished pictures. (And waiting for new boots) I have a PA system from toopergear, has a headset and speaker that I'll put under the chestplate. I'll see how that works out. I have seen somewhere alittle speaker set that replaces the Aerators. Has anyone used them? Looking at this: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/10123-howto-helmet-mounted-speakers/ Seems fairly straight forward, but waiting on John for a reply about the ROM/FX board

Well I ordered a set of fans from Evilboy, I'll have those & a mic for the PA system from toopergear in the helmet.

Update, nearing the finish line! Did some trimming at the back of the thighs so I could walk easier. Just took a dremel saw to cut out the back portion. Sanded down Opened the tops of the calves more. Got rid of a few "pinchy" corners Fuzzy picture I know. Not sure who's build I read this off of, but general idea was to take a large drill and hand drill about halfway down to give the screw a holy to go in, to make it more flush. Just sitting in the holes, right side has the "hand drilled recess" Gluing the helmet And the eyes. Put a small amount of E6000 on the edge of the eye pieces on the helmet. Then took a Q-Tip and edged more between the lenses and the inside of the helmet. Was a bit to peel off on the outside but it's held in well since then. Was a sizeable gap when the ears were first put on. I decided instead of the sand, check sand check sand check I'd try heat bending. Turned out pretty good, still a gap but I find it acceptable. Frown painted and mic tips painted. The stripes were pretty easy to put on, just lay them down and press them individually then remove the strip. The other spots minus frown & vocoder were stickers that came with the NE armor Side by side of my bucket and the FX one I got 2 or 3 years ago. Still need to take a toothpick and clean up the frown and vocoder painting. And this is a better view of the ear gap, it's not that bad and I'm happy with it. Question 16: The double S trim that goes around the bottom, haven't seen any builds that show this in detail so I imagine it's stupid easy. It just starts in the back, goes along the bottom? And some dabs of E6000 to help it secure? Question 17: I've read a lot of helmet fans, and seen some builds. Anyone have any recommendations on where to get some? Question 18: Boots, the boots I've used in the pictures are my motorcycle boots, they're a bit too loose and tall around the ankle to be real TK boots. I'm currently on the waiting list for TKBoots (I think) and imperialboots hasn't emailed me back, are there any other good vendors? I've seen a few others but they have the seam in the front and only good for basic approval.

If it makes you feel better I started my build in April, nearly done though! My self imposed deadline was Halloween and I'm confident I'll make it. I started with arms, then worked my way down. Saving the bucket for last.

Started on my bucket today. Just trimmed out the teeth and started to look at how it goes together. Started with a few holes with my dremel Finished them out. I've noticed the NE kit has 10 teeth, but only 8 are allowed. So after some looking I see that last one is just left alone and normally just painted over grey? Is that right? Basic view of how it goes together. From what I understand the back is glued to the top. And the front/back are screwed together. I'll need to drill two holes for the mic tips up front, and get a wire mesh to go behind the teeth. Ear pieces seem pretty straight forward, I am assuming this lip is the easiest way to see which side it goes on. Like this. And as far as the screws go, the "before ears" are drilled and screwed first, then the ear is placed over it. A slight gap is acceptable and sometimes expected? And big question about the eyes. My kit came with 2 green lenses. These guys. I've read they're supposed to be flat and the black bubble ones are for hero builds, and these seem in between. Would these be acceptable? Here's a few more shots of what they look like in the helmet. They don't seem to "bubble" like hero lenses, but would love a more experienced opinion. Question 13: Just ignore that 1st and 10th tooth and paint over them? The two on the far sides? Question 14: What is good to use for the mesh? Or what department would I look at in say Hobby Lobby or Lowes? Question 15: Would these lenses be acceptable for basic ANH Stunt status? And of course any other comments, please post 'em.

Ok finally got around to my update. Pretty much done, except for some fitting/comfort issues and my bucket. Just gluing the thighs together. The snap plates for the garter belt, about halfway down the thighs My fancy garter belt, I used the "V" style I've seen around. Also, the tape was there to give me a line while I was sewing it. Also glued them as well, I don't have access to a sewing machine anywhere. Same techniques with the calves as thighs/forearms/biceps Started to trim the return edges in the calves, so they're not pinching. Here's a few test fitting shots. Four things, 1 That is not the bucket I will use, just a FX Replica I've had for awhile. Just wanted to complete the look. 2. My right arms weren't snapped and I didn't notice till after the picture was done. 3. Those are not the boots I will use, I'm waiting for TKBoots.com to ship out their next production line. Those are UDReplica Motorcycle boots that go with my stormtrooper motorcycle suit. and 4. I forgot to put on my thermal detonator Probably the biggest complaint I have so far is just putting the whole thing on lol. I'm sure it'll get easier with practice but it almost feels like I need a 2nd person to get the shoulder bells/arms snapped on. So Question 12: What's everyone's order that they put the suit on in?

So almost done with the legs, will post pictures when I get them done. I've decided to go with the elastic loops / belt option to hold up the thighs. From what I've seen and read, most people don't have any strapping for the calves? They just kinda hold themselves up from clamping around the boots? Do I have that right?

Ah, well uhh opps! She didn't tell me!

Also here's a link to my Stormtrooper Themed Motorcycle in the works: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/32444-imperial-honda-shadow-ace-1100/

So update. Almost finished the belt, finished the detonator and alittle work on the legs. The ab plate snaps were a pain to place, had to get creative and buy the rod & hammer instead of the pliers I've been using. Doing the paint stick trick to help with the heat gun bending. The ends are longer in this picture, resized them once the snap covers were on. Bending snaps on the canvas belt and ammo belt Gluing on the snap covers, and the elastic for the drop boxes. Kept them to were I can open them if I really need to. Marking for the drill points The detonator setting for the night. knee belt bending. My rivet gun broke so gona have to wait till I get a new one to attach it. Someone in a facebook group I'm in is doing GISHWHES (Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen) and one of the items on her list was: "Work opportunities are scarce since the Death Star Blew up. Let's see a stormtrooper working at their job as a waiter, fast food line prep, car mechanic, postal worker, deli sandwich maker, road-repair worker, etc..) So I helped her out with this pic, though I cut off the bottom so you couldn't see the khaki cargo shorts. I did miss up on my belt and attatched the holster to the belt when it was upside down. So it ended up on the wrong side. Got the holster off with no problem, but going to have to reorder a belt. =( Hoping to finish the legs this week and then the helmet is all that's left!

So finished connecting the Torso today. Still need to paint the buttons & rivets & get the belt attachments on. Did a test fit and it seemed alright to me, without the belt properly on though the torso drooped and the chest plate wasn't cover it. So I just threw the belt on and it helped a lot, I imagine with the belt proper it would be alright. The but plate needs some adjusting, going to shorten the strap and may heat bend it inwards a bit so it wraps around me more. Any insights from other sets of eyes?

Thanks Mutter, I already ordered the snap rivets, if they don't work out I'll try your link. Feel like an idiot once I realized how much easier the cover strips are to cut if you clamp a side or both down. Same goes for cutting armor pieces. Test fitted my right thigh, seems a tad long. As I can't really bend my knee to a 90 degree angle. Kinda stops at a 75-80 degree angle. Doesn't really effect walking around much, but makes sitting near impossible (And I imagine with the rest of the armor it would be) Question 10: That knee restriction normal? Question 11: If not, best solution to cut the top of the thighs along the pattern to "scoot up" the thighs?

So I've stalled on the torso waiting for rivets. Didn't have split rivets and didn't notice till I was ready to assemble the ab & kidney sections together. (I had normal rivets) And no one in town carries split rivets so I'm stuck waiting for some to come in. So in the mean time I figured I'd start working on the thighs. So if I'm not mistaken the leg pieces are built like the arms, except they're velcro'd in the back. (calves for sure, thighs if needed) And if velcro'n make sure the "visible vecro" is on the inner sides. Cover strips are about 20mm wide. And it's tapered toward the knee. As far as the strapping system, I could use some opinions on that. I've seen "suspenders" and "belt" systems used. Anything else I may be missing or tips, comments, concerns?

Just an update, stalled out for a bit due to a new motorcycle popping up. That and I'm waiting on Hobby Lobby to get in some snaps, figure I started with them and would rather use the same kind throughout the build. Cheaper to just wait for them to get some more in stock than order from their website. Still feel confident I'll make my self imposed Halloween deadline.

So update, got some of the chest done. Trimmed off most of the excess plastic on the straps Sanded them down with the dremel. Gluing on the shoulder snap points. Measuring for the snap placement Test fitting before I punch in the rest of the snaps. Was running out of room in my office, so I boxed up the motorcycle suit and placing the finished armor pieces of the mannequin. Though with just the shirt, and how skinny he is, looks like a mini-skirt. Armor looks a bit big on the mannequin, but I'm about 3-4 inches taller and he's got like a 30 inch chest. So as I move onto the ab/cod/butt/kidney areas I've read alot about cutting the cod or not. I think I am going to leave it as one piece, see how I like it, then cut if necessary.

Looks great so far. I've got the same kit as you saw earlier. Working on my chest/back now then the kidney plate/codpiece. And I didn't realize it till just now but I also saw your Rubie's blaster build. And since I'm not looking to spend $150+ for a replica or want to wait for the $100 kits to restock I ordered that one and plan to do the same thing you did. Except I'll see if I can find some small cylinders and try sanding down the front ridges so they're straighter and less curved.

An update, I've finished the arms for the most part. Minus a few touch ups around the gaps, either will trim the return edges & sand a bit so it's not so pointy, or just some caulk to fill in the gaps. I've read caulk works decently, it just needs to be replaced when it starts to discolor. Which that isn't hard to do. I ran out of snaps so it'll have to wait to adjust the elastic bands, but I'm also going to wait until I have the chest armor done before I make the final adjustments. Also plan to add some foam inside the forearms so they don't "float". That is not the bucket I will use, that's just an FX helm I bought 2 years ago. Just threw it on to help complete the look and help me feel closer to being finished. The shoulders are just connected with an elastic strap, it's too long so they droop in this picture. They'll be connected to the shoulderstraps of the chest armor when I get there. *Bonus pics* This is why I bought the FX helm, my girls first Halloween we went as stormtroopers. That suit is a leather motorcycle suit from UD Replicas I got 2-3 years ago. Have a matching motorcycle helm, it sure turns heads when I have the full get up on for a ride. Next part is the chest. Any questions/suggestions/comments on everything so far?

@ Mutter a pencil eraser is a great idea, can get where my finger can't, thanks. @ Joe.Gravelle Ya I read about the snap heating up and affecting the plastic, so I figured I'd put an extra layer to be safe.

Update, left arm is done. Just working on the strapping system for it. I plan to have one band of black elastic run down my left arm, starting at the shoulder, snapping on the bicep and snapping on the forearm. 3 snapping points, Middle Shoulder, Mid Bicep and Upper Forearm, male ends on the armor and female ends on the elastic. And add a separate line to connect the shoulders to the shoulder straps of the armor. Here is the lifeless arm. Roughly how I plan to attach the snap points on. Male end is snapped through a square of elastic and the whole thing is glued to a ABS square, then the square will be glued to the inside of the armor. Snap points drying. Question 9: What is the best way to clean the excess E6000? There was some fingerprint smudges around my forearms when I was getting them into position, just rubbing my fingers along the ABS was enough to get that off. For the area right along the cover strips there is a bit of excess and it's harder for me to get my finger there to create the friction to get it off. What's the best way to go about that y'all have found?

First glue, don't have enough clamps to do more than 1 piece at a time.

Some more progress. Think I'm about done cutting my left arm pieces and ready to glue them together. Had to angle towards the wrist to close the excess space. Cut an arc on the inner forearm so I had some room to move it. The right one has an arc, not sure why the left didn't. Couldn't really bend my arm past a 20-30 degree angle without one. Apologies for the dirty mirror, my kids bathroom =( Probably should've cleaned it. Anyway, fit feels good, I can move my around around comfortably. Only real collision is because the pieces aren't in a strapping system and move around my arm. Question 7: Anyone have any comments about the fit looks? Question 8: What's the best way to go about gluing these with E6000? I was thinking start with placing a cover strip on the inside halfway on one piece and place the 2nd piece in the "L" then the cover strip.