wingnut65

Great looking build. It all fits together very well. Good Luck!

And Boots! I hear they can affect the fit of the shins I have waited to do my shins until my boots arrived. Just got in, so they will be getting done soon.

They are right on track. I forgot to mention that once the costume goes on, we become celebrities and many, many people will want photos with us. People of all ages. I don't know how many grandparents have taken pix with me to send to their son, their daughter, or their grandkids. Another fun activity while suited up is the Photobomb! If you see someone taking pictures near you, step off to the side, but still in view so they will find you when they look at their pictures later, but didn't realize you were standing there. Here's one from Saturday when I was walking past a photo and stopped for a moment. I kept walking and they never made a comment about me. Just having a little fun!

I have no idea what a TK troop will be like, yet, but I am having a blast with my Tusken. Best way to get a good feel is to be in contact with your local squad and volunteer to handle with them. You can be their eyes, since visibility is limited with buckets on. You can carry their camera or a phone to record the smiles that kids have when seeing troopers. Even parents have huge smiles when holding a blaster next to a Stormtrooper. Most of all, just have fun and the kids will have fun!

Only after your 501st TK costume approval has been processed through FISD, then the EIB will become available.

Nice painting! Wow, that looks great. Bucket painting is on my To-Do list for next week! I noticed the shoulder snap as well. If you have them all snap on-off, It should be easy to rotate or swap. I do have a question on that snap... I've seen some using the sew-on snap half for that snap so the head won't be visible. I' hope it is acceptable to have the snap visible so I can wrap up the snaps without another shopping trip. I just noticed an odd curve on the lower side of the right eye. Is it just the angle of the photo, or does it need a little heated persuasion to get back in shape?

When I purchased my Bass Amsterdam's off Amazon Prime on 9/18/15, the prices were jumping around, based on sizes available. I got an 8 US for $59.60 and today they are $56.02 (including shipping). I just noticed that today, size 10 US are $48.00and 7 US are $70.99. Weird! - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LZT968?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00 As for the large size, I added a Dr. Scholl's insert into each and they fit perfectly and are super comfortable. I can't wait to troop in these in my TK!

Welcome to FISD, Bing. Thanks for asking the question before jumping at something on eBay. Rule #1 - AVOID EBAY! Usually, the only reason why they sell on eBay is that they can't sell to those who know what armor should look like. Rule #2 - The only 501st approved costume is one that has been fit to your specific body and all adjustments and fixed to meet the standards. That costume will not pass 501st approval without heavy repairs. Note all the rivets in the seams! And the gray painting on the mask is way more than needed Also, reading his ad, he says that it was a 501st approved KIT! "FYI - This armor molding was approved by the 501st but you may want to look in to whether my construction methods are also approved." He doesn't mention anything about a neck seal, but since he doesn't have one to wear, he wouldn't be selling it! Avoid this opportunity and look here on FISD for better options. Start your search with this thread: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/ Welcome again, and I hope we can assist you on your trail to becoming a Stormtrooper!

After seeing a bunch of Memes popping up on Facebook along this topic, I've also spotted numerous Star Wars sightings in my daily life. I wonder if others Star Wars fans see things differently as well. This morning, the 'Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens' FB page posted this inspiration: Ironically, I found the Force staring at me this morning as I made coffee! Do you see it? After seeing the above FB Post, I just had to start this thread to see what else is out there. Where have you seen Star Wars in your daily lives? And I don't mean spotting an obvious costume...

My snaps will be the next of the To-Do list. I'm thinking along the same line as =Sv3=... I plan on adding a nylon strap tab between the snap head and the elastic so removing the snaps will not stretch the elastic. I have a fear that pulling the elastic all the time will stretch it away from around the snap head. Has anyone else done something similar?

I've had to use Firefox for my post updates where I need to insert pix or copy/paste text. Although, someone mentioned the little switch on the upper left corner of this reply window that allows some copy/pasting. For images, the forum browser is looking for the image codes before and after the photo links. This is a sample, but I had to add spaces before and after the IMG and /IMG. There should be no spaces in this format. Everything between the ] and [ is the photo link with no spaces. [ IMG ]www. photo hosting website links[ /IMG ] These codes may have to be typed in front and after the photo links to get them to be viewable.

From what I've been told, the biceps are not formed correctly and will need a boiling water bath to get them to be comfortable.

I guess I have been fortunate that my garage is so hot to work in that I have a fan on at all times, blowing on me. I haven't had any issues with using it on my Tusken or my TK, but the fan is constantly circulating fresh air in my face. Be safe everyone!

Not a question, but an awesome statement.. At a local movie theater fund raiser in June, we had a full variety of costumes, including a Vader, a Wookie, Han Solo and Princess Leia Slave. As I was dripping wet in my Tusken, we were gathered to take a group shot and Leia was next to me. I commented to her that she was lucky not to be in a heavy costume and sweating to death. Beautiful Leia said, "Yes. But, I make others sweat!" And indeed she did!

^ Exactly! Your traps align with the edges of the eyes pretty well. So far, it looks good! The ears may still be a little thick. BT, Nice work on the arms!

Sorry, Joseph. I think you need to take the ice out of the shoes to wear them!

I've heard from friends the success they have had using a zip-lock bag of water in each shoe and putting in the freezer.

Correct. Translated, its 5/8", 7/8" and 1", respectively.

Plastic Repairs… While trimming the Sniper Knee, I encountered two places that needed to be repaired. Since I have not completed the left calf yet to see how this is going to mount, I don’t know if these are really issues, or I might just be cutting these sections off later on. We’ll see… First was a slip of the knife on the wrong side of the line. Oops! And it was deep enough that sanding and polishing really wouldn’t make it go away. Second issue was what appears to be a molding issue. I marked the edge of the mold with a pencil and then cut it out. It was only then that I noticed the miter on the corner when the other side is a continuous curve. TIP: If I had noticed this before cutting it, I would have cut it out as the correct radius and then heated the corner up with a heating iron to form to a smooth edge. Oh, well… I sent in the proper Supply Request Form for the Empire’s Repair Goop, or even some All Purpose Goop, but the Requisitions Manager informed be the nearest Supply Ship was 63 Parsecs away and denied my request. So, I had to be resourceful and formulate my own Goop. As many other Troopers before me, I mixed scraps of ABS with some acetone in a glass bottle and let it dissolve. This stuff has potential! Using a bamboo skewer, I spread a little along the bad edge of the knee plate. It is kinda has a Silly Putty consistency and I formed it better with my fingers. After letting it dry thoroughly overnight, I sanded it down with finer and finer sandpaper, going down to 400 grit. Then I pulled out my Micro-Mesh sanding/polishing kit that goes from 1500 grit down to 12000 grit in nine steps. I’ll post more on this polishing kit later. Left side: Done! Right side: Done! Not too bad for a first time. Now I just hope the Equipment Officer will approve the repairs! I’m not going to trim the inside of the sniper knee plate until the calf is finished. I want to see exactly where I need to cut and don’t want to try any more repairs. Until the next episode in the building of the next Tampa Bay ATA, be sure to take time for some target practice so we can protect the Empire!

As we continue this wonderful journey into White Plastic Euphoria, I must remind you that your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device! Ya never know when you might need it! More Trimming – Shoulder Bells… I finished my biceps, forearms and thighs and decided to hold off on the shins until I could order my boots. I don’t want to cut too much or in the wrong place and be sorry about it. I moved on to the shoulder bells and the rest of the body armor. Meet Others! I want to take a moment and emphasize how helpful it is to personally talk to others who have traveled this trip before. When we trooped at the Ray’s Star Wars night, I took my taped up biceps and shoulder bells with me to get some guidance on the next steps. I had marked along the shoulder bells a conservative line I thought would work, but where I would need some extra sanding to get it right. Local members PiettLives and Chadder said to raise my line and cut at the mold lines. So, I did! I have a cheap shop knife that is perfectly flat along the side that worked well for this step and wouldn’t rock or twist when being held down. I used a block of wood and plastic spacers to get the knife blade to the right height to create a perfectly straight line around the whole shoulder bell. (I now hear that the originals actually had a curve to the sides… I may need to sand them in, if really needed) I held the knife perfectly still and moved the shoulder bell against the knife while holding it flat against the workbench. I started lightly to just scratch the surface, and then kept going a little deeper each time. After a few times around, it was easy to snap the scrap off in one piece. I trimmed the bottom edges to leave about a 1/4" (6.35 mm) return edge. I then started trimming the rest of the body pieces. Here is the Kidney Plate getting its return on the top and bottom. The sides were trimmed straight. Although I may need to make adjustments when I start fitting the armor. Also, I have not trimmed out the notches on the bottom corners, yet. BTW, I was only holding it like this to take the photo. Actually cutting was on the workbench. No blood has been shed in the trimming and sanding process, yet. Here's how the rest of the body armor turned out! These puzzle pieces can be set aside until its time for the fitting and snaps. Next up, Ooops!

Makes perfect sense. I have my shirt coming in next week and I have a pair of pants. I will not do any final forming and fitting until it arrives! I really hope it does help out in the midsection. This year, I'm aiming to lose 10 pounds and I am getting close, only 12 more to go!

I've always like Tony's elastic and hooks. I still might do it that way, For some reason, I had noted to use size 2 bra hooks for the calfs. But, for the minimal difference in size, 3 should be fine and may be just a little easier to connect. Mark is correct on the paint and thinner. The only time thinner is really needed is when you plan to spray it through a spray gun. Otherwise, straight from the bottle and use thinner for clean-up.

I've been trying to get the gaps along the cover strips to go away when they arre glued, but some still sneaked in. I do have an idea up my sleeve that I think will solve that problem. I agree that Paul (Trooperbay) just makes the TK build look unelievably easy. He is so comfortable using the box cutter to free-hand the cuts. I do plan on watching all 47 episodes of his Helmet Build tutorial before I start any cuts!

So far, I am right on the standard sizes. But, I haven't completely suited up yet. The biceps and thighs are tight now, but I think it may be just a little wonky and needing a little hot water and some pursuation to be round. If needed, I can separate the backs and add space to get more room. But that would be a last resort.

Thanks, Joseph and Jason. Gotta be resourceful when you need to be thrifty! I still have to buy a few more pieces, but I didn't feel I needed to add another $30 or so to the budget just for the rare earth magnets. I am fortunate that I have a full workshop of tools and so far have just had to by several tubes of E-6000 glue. Thanks for the offer, Ken As I get into the strapping and getting adjusted to hang just right, I may take you up on that. And, Congrats, Ken (PiettLives), on having your picture of us hit the front page of the 501st Facebook Page for Tusken Tuesday! If I had known it would be that big of a hit, I would have raised the gaffi for the Tusken Pose!