Barcoder

LOL. Then this set has got a fair bit of character already.

Thanks for the info. I will give it a try on some of the excess pieces; to see if it`s an option.

I quickly noticed a few oddities about this armour...and probably the way it was cast? There are numerous indents or divots around sharper points. It is most noticeable on the knee ammo belt. Is this due to unskilled vacu-forming? How prevalent is this occurrence on other armour types? I am curious if ABS paste could be used to fix these...

To help get my feet wet and a feel for working with the ABS, why not start with the small stuff? Ab buttons, hand guards and ammo belt-I am coming for you... Side note-the ABS is quite thick; I’m guessing thicker than normal? There is no quick score, bend and snap with this stuff. After watching some videos on Trooperbay, I had expected it be easy. Not so much. Scoring requires a lot of pressure. Using tin snips has proved very useful in breaking the excess into smaller sections, especially on curved areas.

My first instinct was to work on the helmet. Admittedly, I did start to trim the teeth & eyes first before realizing I really had no idea what I was doing... If you are going to do something, it’s best to learn from those before you. (The thought of trimming the ears actually caused a bit of anxiety.) <Insert 4 weeks of scouring the FISD for information, watching tutorials and compiling a supply shopping list> Side note - Finding a supply of neck & brow trim, not including Trooperbay/FISD, is not easy. Especially in Canada. DirectSeals in the UK seemed like the natural choice...

Welcome to my build, which doesn't start off with the obligatory “brown box†pic, full of excitement and promise. No, this one begins with a blue plastic recycling bag full of armour. (I am not including a photo out of embarrassment. lol) I figured I would start a build as I will probably need a lot of advise and tips along the way... Needless to say it began with the usual beginner’s excitement & “what the hell have I gotten myself into!†thoughts... My initial excitement quickly turned to despair as my research on the FISD indicated this set was from a known recaster out of Arizona. However, a glimmer of hope appeared as further research indicated that someone had gotten basic 501st approval with this armour. With some elbow grease, creativity and buttloads of effort, I can make the best out of this unfortunate situation. (Personally, I am aiming for EIB) Enough back story, on to the armour... The kit included all the required pieces of untrimmed armour for an ANH stunt build and that’s it. No extras like brow & neck trim, extra ABS pieces for strips, TD clips, hardware, etc... The helmet (only one set of ears) included decals and basic mic tips (no mesh). I have read "you get what you pay for" more than a few times on this forum. I understand completely, now.