bzb

I think the best one is the grappling hook, gets me every time.

MTK sells a very good kit with lots of extras that you won't have to spend time/money sourcing. I went Centurion with MTK and there's a couple others that look very good and are just a couple small items away from Centurion, as well. My Cent thread: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/26625-tk-31100-requesting-anh-stunt-centurion-status-mtk113/

IME, for not much more, you can get a more complete kit from a reputable maker.

My first troop, I got dinged up all over the place. Hyperfirm rubber or something else left a mark on my chest, got some lady's makeup on my shoulder, leaned on a dirty wall and got a mark on the O|| piece... It happens on its own, naturally. I peeled pieces of my boot paint off, but obviously that can't be done with the TK Boots. I prefer the shiny armor and clean boots, as if it were military issued on the Death Star, and you gotta polish it all every night.

Congrats James!

Almost there Leo - I really thought this would be a much easier pass! The straps I used for the arms are simply velcro straps. I had same fitment issues with it, where the joint of the bicep and forearm caused armor bite when bending my arm. I simply moved the foam up higher on the inside of the forearm and this made it so the forearm would overlap the bicep when bent. The one thing I don't like about the "stacked" approach is how much the setup clanks around, even with the foam. Maybe an armorer can start to make some longer forearm and shoulder bell options

Had a failure at the shoulders with the sew-in snaps. Either I flail around like an idiot in the armor, or my sewing skills are sub-par. Or both. I decided to do the double-up and use velcro and snaps on the whole piece. Outside of this, I haven't had any other issues, and functionally everything is working out well with this setup. I've received a lot of compliments on the fit of my armor from other 501st folks, and have had a blast at two parades entertaining kids and adults (and taking a TON of #stormtrooperselfies)

For comfort (i.e. not poking you in the ankle) I'd trim em to line them up. As far as them not being symmetrical - yes, that's common.

Strangely, I find the opposite to be true: that the Legion's rules are pretty flexible based on make of armor, size of trooper, etc. There are some things that appear are non-negotiable; the most apparent reason being is that we want to look as uniform as possible when we are out in large groups. That makes total sense to me, as a noob. Some concessions are made because of the difficulty of moving around in this armor. Other concessions are made for the various body shapes and the enthusiasts that want to troop. I can certainly say that I felt a little more scrutinized than some other guys, because I am closely fit to the "profile" for a stormtrooper. It makes sense (and was/is highly appreciated) that folks were so critical of my appearance, because my final product is something that is intended to look almost exactly like the movies. But in Paul's case, I totally agree with Mathias, that every suit you make is one more closer to making it a "standard". Very few others are making that distinction... as a direct result of the few folks actually creating the armor! Anyway, total tangent, and I apologize for piling on! The armor looks great to me, Wade, and I hope to see that EIB badge by your name shortly!

Thank you! Added sniper knee photo, second to last. I still feel like I need to make a couple minor adjustments for fit. We'll see how walking a couple miles this weekend fares.

Bobby Shively 31100 Centurion Letter

A guy in our Garrison finally got new armor and ditched his FX. The jabs were non-stop, even from noobs like me This is way overpriced at $760.

Added a couple photos to first post that I realized I left off: S-trim, rubber gloves.

Germain and his arm straps again Looks really good. TM must be a very customizable kit. Most guys over about 5'10 usually have a much larger gap at the knee - evident with the sniper plate. Good luck!

Name: Bobby Shively 501st ID: TK-31100 FISD Name: bzb Garrison: Georgia Armor: MTK Helmet: MTK Blaster: Hyperfirm E-11 Height: 6' Weight: 170 lbs Boots: Angelus-painted Chelseas (Land's End) size 10.5, TK Boots size 11 Canvas Belt: TKittel Hand Plates: Sonneschein white non-latex Seal: Darman Holster: Darman Electronics: Echo fan kit, Aker voice amp EIB application: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/26564-tk-31100-requesting-anh-stunt-eib-status-mtk363/ Build thread: After making a few adjustments to the armor, replacing the tube stripes, and scuffing the boots up, I believe it's ready for Centurion. Looking for feedback. Helmet: Belt: No return on forearms: Elastic over shoulder bridge:

Made a few adjustments toward Centurion. After my first troop, I had a couple armor bites, so I trimmed those areas a little bit. Added straps to the chest to make sure it never pops up over the ab plate. New tube stripes. New rubber gloves. Need cotton liners before I troop in these. Hands get sweaty REAL quick. Scuffed (chipped?) up the Chelseas. I think I may need some help with suggestions on how to make this look better.

I keed I keed. New stripes. And new gloves. Need some cotton liners, this stuff makes hands sweaty in 4.6 seconds flat.

A few adjustments. This should be good for Centurion now, yes?

Just a word of advice: you probably don't want to use CA glue on the front of the shins, anyway. CA glue is great for parts that will stay together, but the shins are going to be opened and closed, and CA is brittle when it's cured. E6000's flexibility is a huge bonus for the shins. On the cover strip on the calves, CA is fine (but also note that if you use velcro there will be frequent stress on the calves, too).

CA glue works great, if you're as impatient as I am

Not at all - I need to be sure before I apply my new ones, too

I think you have em backward. My first tube stripes were applied backward:

Woot thanks! And thanks for the quick turnaround, as well!

And thank you for all the suggestions. I am definitely not 100% on this, and I do indeed aim for Centurion. I already have some adjustments in progress for some bites that occurred during my first official troop. The MTK armor looks great in person, and the kit went together very quick (mine and James' seemed to just assemble itself). Using MTK's techniques and videos, the process is almost too easy. Onto some answers! 1. The TD came with the kit, including the pipe already greyed out. I made the clips from aluminum purchased at Home Depot. 2. The belt was actually a concern at first with the snaps after talking with a few TKs at the Legoland troop. I was told multiple times how much everyone hates snaps for the belt! During my first troop, the belt wasn't bad at all, but understood on it wearing out and making noise. I'll have to chat with some of the other guys in my Garrison to see what's working for them - maybe a combo of snaps and velcro. 3. I do plan on taking more off the ears after seeing Batphobic's ATA in person. Wow, those ears are SLIM. Also, Mike was great in sending me a pair of new ears with a quickness... so I feel confident even if I screw them up again 4. A new set of tube stripes just came in the mail. I plan on working on that piece before our St. Paddy's parade. 5. The strapping kit from Mr. Nostripes is fantastic. I hit the screws with a little blue Loctite, because I did lose a couple of them after my first troop. Outside of that, my torso is apparently long, so I'm going to have to add some snaps to make sure the chest stays overlapping the abs. 6. The helmet liner is from a motorcycle helmet. I used to ride, so I'm used to the "fat cheeks" feel, and after adding this to my bucket it feels so much more comfortable. Additionally, the wicking properties help immensely. Lastly, the plastic backers protects my face from the screw posts! $20 from Amazon, got it in XL. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HB2HY0/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Thanks for checking my build out!

Thanks Steve, and DOH, I knew I'd forget something. I even had the checklist in front of me. Will my 501st submission side photos work? I can take new ones tomorrow, if not. I'll also get photos of the bicep strap mixed with the forearm strap. I don't particularly like the way it fits, but I can at least demonstrate how well the bicep hook works (and it feels far more comfortable when it's strapped on the hook!) This is the photo of how it looks when the strap is on the hook: Also, I edited the main post to add the following three photos: