MoSc0ut

It because he's not the original maker of the bucks that he's using to pull TK armor. He has full permissions from the original maker and he and his crew are outstanding to work with and the kit is outstanding quality. I just had my set approved and trooped it this past weekend! I'll be shooting for EIB and Cent once I finish my blaster and I am being told by many I should have no issues getting to those levels. Jim - TK50899

I think I just somehow glossed over this important addition. I may make mine with snaps to make it more modular. Jim

It's lights for the Starlight Parade in Portland, OR. It's a parade that kicks off in the evening and we are all having some fun with it!! Jim

The troop was good. Hot!! But good. I also picked up several pointers from fellow troopers who have been doing this for a while. Like putting a piece of nylon strapping inside the shoulder bell attaching it to the bicep. It keeps stuff all lined up and looking good. I believe that RS armor comes this way and I've seen it mentioned in other threads but until I had to keep messing with my bicep I couldn't really picture the point of it. Again I can't stress enough getting the cod piece trimmed comfortably. The insides of my thighs are killing me today!! Lol! Jim

First troop! It was 98 degrees and a 2 1/2 mile walk slightly uphill most of the way. Heck of a way to start off. **No malfunctions and it was pretty comfortable as far as TK armor goes. I will be doing some trimming in the general groin area.** (I'm the second one from the left in the front row.) Jim

Not really, 1/2" is kind of the standard. Just make sure they are as comfortable as possible. You're probably going to want to add a bit of foam in there to keep any return edges from digging in anywhere. The pinch points to watch out for are mainly where the top back of the thigh pokes into the bottom of your rear and the same is somewhat true in the front. Also the left knee as it likes to fight with the sniper plate. Sorry for the late reply. I did my first troop today. As a result I will be trimming more on the groin area as that is about the only place that gave me any trouble.

Moving right along! Before yo make any cuts to the backs of those shins make sure to take pics and post them for feedback. If I didn't mention it before, make sure you size them with your boots on and you want about 1/2" gap at the top and bottom for wiggle room. After you have them taped where you want them use a pencil to mark at where they overlap. This is so you can get them lined up again once you remove them. After you have them off you can either eyeball it or use a measuring tape, preferably the sewing type, to ensure they are roughly symmetrical. (This is a step I left out the first time and my left shin ended up being almost an inch bigger than my right! Learn from my mistake. [emoji51]) I'm happy to help in any way and UKswrath is pretty quick on answering back if you post them over on his ANOVOS build page too. He reviews EIB and Centurion apps so I highly value his opinion. Jim M.

TK50899 reporting! Yep, I got my ID today! Jim M.

They look like 15mm popper snaps. Am I right? Jim

Thanks to your help I got my basic approval so I can do my first troop tomorrow! (Still waiting on my Legion ID though) I said it before but this has been an invaluable resource. I'll be submitting my EIB and Centurion apps in the next few weeks. (After I finish my blaster!) *I have fixed that sniper knee by the way. [emoji6] Jim

Nice! I see the light at the end of the tunnel for you! I've also got to admire your patience. I switched to CA glue because I couldn't wait for E6000 to dry every night. [emoji6] It only bit me once with my left shin. Jim

I am hoping that it is just a quick virus passing through too! People are excited about your scopes BUT I think I can say with all certainty that we are all more concerned with your well being than these scopes! Get well soon, we look forward to more great projects as soon as your feeling up to it. Jim

Yes, you are correct. The right thigh isn't as important to be aligned perfectly because it's covered by the ammo belt. The left one is the one to take your time on. If you review the ANH reference photos not all are perfect and some have quite a bit of gap. So really either way your good to go if you make a little boo boo. [emoji6] Jim

Thanks! You are super close too. The stirrups are a bit of a pain to get on but look much better when trooping. Don't forget to add the fuzzy sided Velcro to the inside bottom, front and back of the shins so you don't scuff up your nice new boots as fast! The hard hat idea was basically me thinking, "what the heck am I going to do with a hard hat with no liner?" As I was holding it in my hands I saw the connection points and [emoji362]!! Put those in the helmet! Now it's a very solid connection point and I can pop it out easily if I need to wash that sweat band. Jim

Got my Basic Approval! My TK ID should be coming in a day or two! Next up, EIB submission! Jim

Looks awesome man!! Sorry to hear about the friendship. I too ended a long time friendship and five years later our paths came back together. So who knows? At least you have your build to look forward to and keep your mind off things. [emoji846] Keep chugging along!! Jim

Here are the "Trooping hand guards" complete. Jim

Here are the files I mentioned earlier. Jim M.

I added some stirrups to my calves to keep them down while trooping. I also had to shorten my shoulder elastic a bit as it was bunching up a bit now that I have all the strapping in. My body provides some of the support so the armor doesn't actually hang on my shoulders. I also made use of my included plastic hand guards and made "trooping hand guards". I'll use these with some more comfortable gloves when trooping. They slide off and on super easy, a great idea I got from a fellow trooper. Jim M.

Thanks PewPewPew! It's bittersweet, I have really enjoyed working on this. I'm sure there will be more projects in the future. Like my upcoming E-11 build. Thanks for following me through this project. I still have my EIB and Centurion submissions to go. Stay tuned. Jim M.

I don't think anyone will care what color the parts are as they will all end up primed and painted in the end. Doopy's are the plain resin color and you see the amazing things people do with those! I say save yourself the $ and effort and make leave them pigment free. Jim

Looks good! On the legs the cover strips are 20mm on the front and backs of the thighs but 20mm on the front of the calves but 25mm on the backs. I have a diagram of the cover strips I'll post but it's on my computer and I'm in the middle of making dinner at the moment. If you pop over to my build thread you can check out how I did my legs. Wide painters tape was the key to doing the overlap and getting it to hold while I slid them off. So I first I did the front sides and added the cover strips, the legs I did inner and outer strips. Then I did a test fit and overlapped the backsides and taped them in place. Then I took them off and held them next to each other to see if they were pretty mich symmetrical. The following picture are the calves bit the process is the same. I then used a straight object, in this case a pencil, to bisect the calf or thigh into equal halves. That way the cover strip is centered on the back of the leg. Then make a tick mark top and bottom on both halves where the pencil touches. Then I used a strip of blue tape to "connect the dots" then cut / score and snap, along the edge of the blue tape. You'll end up with a gap that will need to be closed up with a hot water bath. You can then add cover strips and you're done! Jim

So spice, how's the build coming? I wrapped up mine enough to submit for basic approval today. I'm anxious to see your photographic answer to this! (Had to resort to hand to hand because my blaster looks like this at the moment.) (That's not even all the parts!) Jim

Here's the photos I sent in to my local Garrison for basic approval. Ready for deployment! *yes, I am working on fixing that sniper plate issue and may already have it sorted but I've got to clean up before the wife gets home! Jim

Today is some final detail work. Glued on ab buttons Painted screws I also did another hot water bath on a few pieces after a final fitting revealed a few needed to be shaped not to my anatomy. Mainly the posterior and left & right calves as well as the whole right arm. The arm was a little too oval and needed to be more round. The right calf needed to be MORE oval and LESS round. The left calf just needed to be closed up more after my repair mentioned earlier. I ran around for several hours with the legs on as I was doing other bits just to get an idea of what a troop would feel like. I almost forgot to mention that I took some 1" and 1/2" foam and padded up some key places. Mainly the legs and arms. Other than adding the stirrups in the calves and making my "trooping gloves" I think I am done and ready for basic approval. Wow. Feels weird to say that. Jim