wingnut65

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!

Nice work, Richard! I can't wait to get mine far enough for a test fit. I had read that boiling water would help get the thigh boxes to form better. I'm going to watch yours to see how much I need to form mine! Also, your build has a load of expert knowledge and advice! I have been taking notes for a while from all the threads I've read, but what Paul and Tony have mentioned has filled up a whole page! I probably wouldn't have thought about wearing the ab belt while measuring the mounting points! Thanks for saving me an Ooops!

Before I continue, here’s a reminder… With heavy emphasis on “Supervise Children”. Maybe that is why Mrs. Wingnut is always checking up on me in the garage… Now that everyone is seated and all children are supervised, let’s continue… Watch Tutorial Videos and Study Other Build Threads! Before I made any cut in any plastic, I read plenty of build threads here in FISD. Somebody had mentioned the TrooperBay Tutorial Videos as a good overview of the assembly process. I agree completely. Mike’s in-depth videos show one way of putting all the puzzle pieces together and he just does it, without any sweating! No panic. No nervousness. He just gets a knife, cuts the pieces and glues them together. I like most of his build process ideas, but I will be doing some things differently. Like I will be using E-6000 for almost everything instead of his use of super glue and zap-kicker. I’ve watched the whole series once completely, and watch episodes again as I start another step. Clean-Up On Aisle 3… I mean in the Back Yard! Taking advice of others, the first big step in starting this build was to wash all the plastic pieces with dishwashing soap and water. This removed all the mold release agents, greasy fingerprints and drool from the pieces so the glue will stick better. I then spread all that beautiful white ABS plastic out in the garage to let them dry. This was a good time to take a full inventory of everything in the package. It comes up to 48 TK puzzle pieces on 45 pieces of white ABS plastic. Actually only 46 puzzle pieces get used, if I don’t have to use the spare ear pieces that Terrell provides with each kit. Fingers crossed for that step! TIP: I should have hand dried everything to remove the water spots that I found when assembling them! So, Are You Going To Get Started?? Yep! Next up is to cut some plastic! I decided to hold off on the helmet until I had some comfort level with how ABS handles and how easy or hard it is to work with it. I decided to start small. I started with the Biceps. Especially since they would be mostly covered by the shoulder bells or stuffed under my arm pit. But, Where do I cut first??? Return Edges Some pieces have return edges and some don’t. Some have more than others. I checked the CRL and found the only specific requirement mentioned are the front of the Forearms are to have no return. What about the rest… Before I cut anything, I found this post on Return Edges. (http://www.whitearmo...0-return-edges/). In the Gospel According to Gazmosis, in post #3, Steve mentions the following; Quote: EDIT: Before trimming anything, be sure to tape pieces together to size them to know if you need to make adjustments to fit your body. As noted below, I trimmed to fit the cover strips and then tried them on. Luckily, it was all fine for me, but I could have trimmed too much. Measure Twice, Cut Once! Since biceps get minimal to no returns, I chose to go with minimal. Arm Cover Strips are to be 5/8” wide, so I trimmed each sides at half of that – 5/16” from the raised strip on the bicep and taped them together. I aligned the bottoms and my left bicep was perfect, but my right one was noticeably off. I had a troop around this time and I took my taped up biceps with me to get advice. Everyone I asked just laughed and said to Move Along... They said to align the bottom and don't worry about trimming the top to align as it will be completely hidden by the shoulder bell. So I glued in both inside reinforcing strips to one side and then glued them both together. I used clamps and some magnets to hold them. I wish I had bought the stronger rare-earth magnets, but I have been trying to be thrifty with this build and use what I have. I trimmed and sanded the top edge before putting on the cover strips. EDIT: Notice the rounded edges on the cover strips. To me, this looks nicer and it helps to keep from scratching anyone with sharp corners. Bottom edges are all lined up. I still need to heat the left one up using the hot water treatment to get it to form more into a circle. Biceps… DONE! This is how I cut the inside of all the pieces. On the ones that don’t get a return, I used the X-Acto blade to repeatedly score the inside corner of the return. I used a pair of aviation snips to cut pie slices into the scrap and then just bent them out. The 80-grit sandpaper triangle I have has been great for cleaning up the rough cut edges. I finish it off with 150 and then 220 grit sandpaper. I continued the Forearms the same way. I measured 5/16” from the raised strip, clamped a flexible metal ruler and scored several times with the knife and then snapped off. I used the snips to give a clean cut at the return edges before I snapped off the scrap When gluing on the inside reinforcing strips, I was able to get good pressure using binder clamps. One Forearm had a minor alignment issue that was solved with the sanding block. Forearms… DONE! Any advice, suggestions, questions or comments, feel free to jump in! Stay Tuned for More Trimming!

Now ya tell me! Other’s at a troop also mentioned that recommendation after I told them what my first cuts in plastic were making Cover Strips. This is the one place that has a little flexibility that I was not aware of. Luckily, I have been able to use everything I cut. When I opened my Big Brown Box, Terrell had included two sheets of ABS, one with the dimensions that I have seen noted elsewhere as the standards for Cover Strips - 5/8" for Arms (Forearms and Biceps), 7/8" for Legs (Thighs and front of Shins) and 1" for back of Shins. I have only cut one sheet, so far, and I still have the second one if I need it. I have not cut all the snap plates yet and I'm glad I didn't. I've decided to go with the double snaps for many locations.

The offsets seem to be normal. Don't fret it. I had the same concern and took my taped up biceps to a troop to get advice. Everyone I asked just laughed and said to Move Along... They said to align the bottom and don't worry about the top as it will be completely hidden by the shoulder bell. Also, a thought on the returns... Before I cut anything, I found this post on Return Edges: (http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31930-return-edges/). The Gospel According to Gazmosis, in post #3 says that biceps get minimal to no returns. So, trimming the edges to align should have no effect on the returns. If you want to keep a return edge, use a little heat to form a new one.

Awesooooome! Congrats, Dustin! Welcome to the 501st!

Thanks, Brandon, Joseph and David. Yes, I am having fun with the build. Working with my hands, making daily progress and looking forward to wearing this a amazing costume, is making it all worth while. Yes, Joseph, you can count on me popping in on a few Makaze Troops. I have the Clermont parade pencilled in on my calendar and I am waiting approval from the GKTW reviewers. I am hoping to have this all finished for an Fall Festival reveal at my church the end of October. I just need to keep taking small bites and I will get there. Step 1... And I needed to start somewhere, so I measured the lengths all the joints to receive cover strips and went to work. With my ATA kit, I received two sheets of plastic for use in making the cover strips and possibly some other needs. I didn't want to ruin the plastic by cutting wrong sizes and not having enough scrap left over, so I figured I could make a template/cutting plan. Since I play architect in real life, I am fluent in AutoCAD and figured it would be easy to do, and it was. I had enough extra space on the sheet for cutting the snap plates. Here is the first step I did on my build and the first plastic cuts I made. EDIT: I should have waited to determine the exact size of cover strips I needed, but I got lucky and they all fit! Stay tuned for more progress!

I'm hitting my ATA helmet this weekend, so I am listening... Thanks Terry for reminding me of your thorough build thread. I know what I am doing on my lunch hour... Jason, in your pix, it looks like there still might be the extra flashing on thelmet back around the tube areas that are preventing the back from mating with the front. Here is where you have yours now: And here is where pandatrooper has the lines that need to be cut along the side and around the tube area. I see you did trim some back on yours, but there still is rough edges and no curved opening for the tubes. Just a thought...

My TK Story… I’ve been hanging around here long enough, I figure it’s time to start a build thread. It makes it a lot easier to make a build thread since my kit has arrived and I am actually building a TK… Since I never actually posted in the New Member’s thread, here’s my quick background… Or you can skip all teh words in this post, look at the pictures and jump to the next one where I actually do some work. I was in Junior High when Episode 4 was released in 1977 and like most Star Wars fans, I’ve always dreamed of being a Stormtrooper. There’s just something about that White Armor! But, with a limited-to-non-existent budget for starting a new hobby, my only acceptable solution to keeping peace in the house while ordering a kit, meant I was on an 8-10 month waiting list. That allowed me time to work on the finances. My ATA kit was ordered in October 2014. Now, I just can’t wait! I mean, Seriously, I COULD NOT WAIT ! ! ! What do I do in the meantime that would not be too expensive? Thus, My 501st Adventure, Chapter 1 was started. After searching all the CRL’s and various forums and figuring out a rough budget for each costume choice, in October 2014, I ordered a Poor Man’s Tusken mask kit. I started to build the mask and costume in December 2014 and sent my DZ approval photos in on Sunday, April 12, 2015. Thursday, April 16, 2015 was opening day for Celebration Anaheim. From my desk in Tampa, I watched the live webcast of the big C7 kick-off with J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy and all the stars of The Force Awakens and then watched the release of the second TFA Trailer. I was pumped! Two hours later, I received The E-Mail! …Subject line: 501st Legion: Welcome Trooper 50297. Woohoooo! What an awesome day! I thought all the staff was partying at Celebration and I would have to wait a week. This was a nice surprise! BTW, my number is my twin daughter’s birthdate. To date, I have 6 Troops under my sash, including Tampa Bay Comic Con, two baseball games and a Fourth of July parade! My 501st Adventure, Chapter 2, Begins! Besides a Tusken build, 2015 also included me selling some clutter and stuff on eBay, selling some tools at two neighborhood garage sales and selling three vintage all-original 1960’s bicycles that I cleaned up so the chrome would shine. All in order to fund the purchase of my white armor! Funding was submitted to the Finance Minister for safe keeping. Then word came that my kit was done, payment made and my Big Brown Box finally arrived on August 12! Nice! And the obligatory picture after unpacking and drooling over the contents. I was very impressed with the packaging and am thrilled with the armor. BTW, This will be an ANH Stunt build that I am aiming for the TK Trifecta – 501st, EIB and Centurion! If you see anything that I need to adjust or repair while I build, please let me know! Let’s Get Started! … Stay tuned for further Wingnut Adventures in Tampa Bay! …

Neat idea. I've always wondered what it would look like if the belt boxes, drop boxes and knee boxes actually worked. And what if the Ab buttons actually did something?

If the goal is to reach 501st approval, before you go to all the effort, check with your Garrison Membership Liaison (GML) to get an opinion of what he/she is looking for. I just rechecked the CRL and it appears the requirement for butt joint with cover is only for Centurion level approval, so, there may be a chance even for EIB. Technically, it should be feasible to do what you are trying to. As Locitus mentioned, the cover strip is the second layer of reinforcing to secure the joint. Having just the inside strip and filling the exposed joint with goop (styrene melted in acetone), sanding smooth and then polishing, could work, but that will be the weak joint for potential cracking. It would be most concerning on the shins that need to have flex. If the goal is to make it look like one piece, consider the cover strip and then blending it in to the surrounding areas with goop or even Bondo. Sand it smooth and the seam would be gone.

I second the idea of trying gloss coat paint. The Novus plastic polish is just that, polish for plastic. I don't know how well it will work on a painted surface. Since it is painted, the polish to use for the best results, probably would be a car wax and polish. But, be sure to read the labels of the paint and the wax. Usually there is a length of paint drying time for it to cure properly.

I just came across this thread the day after my Amsterdam boots arrived. I also have the Nu-Life white paint that I will be using, just like Kyle described. I am thrilled to hear the painted boots are holding up so well. To answer Kirk's question, I had heard it somewhere also that the Amsterdam boots were acceptable. I just stumbled across the thread that includes them in the list of acceptable boots. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/24742-trooper-boots-a-list-of-suitable-candidates/

Easy Off oven cleaner is a great paint remover on plastics. I use it when I build styrene models and let it soak overnight. A toothbrush, soap and water cleans up the rest. Repeat on stubborn areas as needed.<br><br><br> Edit: Test a small area first with whatever you use to make sure it works with the type of plastic you have!

Awesome work, Brad. Congrats on earning this milestone!

This is exactly where I am on my kit. I just bought the 1" strapping and some knit elastic that I will now be returning. I love those snapping diagrams. We really need more showing strapping and elastic sizes! For some of the locations, I do plan on changing over to elastic (belt elastic!) so that it might be more sit-able. Saw a discussion here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/32788-making-armor-sit-able/ Question on the single snap vs. double snap idea... I see a few builds that have the double snaps like Joseph did on his. For those of you that have been trooping with your TK's, have you had any issues with single snaps coming unsnapped during a troop? Does the double snap help??

That's gonna take a while to buff out!

Congrats, Bob! Family and school come first! We will still be here when you are done! Start with small steps. If time will allow, start with dedicating 1-2 hours per week to the armor. It's not much time, but after a month, you will have some progress to show. For me, to build a little confidence that I won't destroy my kit, I've started with the TD and biceps and will continue with the forearms and legs. When I really feel comfortable, I'll attempt the bucket. Good Luck and Have Fun!

I am so thrilled that it isn't just me!!! Daetrin, Never heard of Edge, before now. Looks like it is included with Windows 10. Thanks, gmrhodes, for the info on the switch. Yes, it will allow me to paste into the document, but it also shades everything else out, including the option for inserting image. There has to be a better way!

I've been having fits posting on FISD when I use copy/paste for any text or image links. When I try to post a photo using the 'image' button, I can't paste anything in the pop-up box and then I can't close the box. Cancel or Red X don't work. It is locked and stuck on my screen. I end up having to close Explorer and lose everything I just typed and then have to start over. I am using Windows 7 Enterprise (company laptop), Internet Explorer 11 (Version 11.0.22) and Flash Player 18 ActiveX. Security is Microsoft's 'System Center' Endpoint Protection. I host my pix on Photobucket and have been using it for years, posting on may different forums. Only FISD is giving me issues. I don't feel it is anything that I am doing differently here, but more like my computer configurations and permissions. Maybe! To get around this, I have to open Firefox, copy the thread link over and then I have absolutely no problems with posting. Copy. Paste. Images. Everything works perfectly. Yes, I can use Firefox to get around this issue, but my default browser is Explorer and this issue has finally bugged me long enough that I need to ask about it. Uuugghhhh! It looks like Google Chrome also works for me, but I rarely use it. Any suggestions or ideas?

Nice work, Chris. I was also concerned about the clasps and how you had them. I used them on my Tusken waist pouches and they pulled out with any impact. They are not structural, unless glued heavily in place. Yes, the TrooperBay rivets are much more accurate. Also, on the Thermal Detonator, it almost looks like the straps are overlapping the cover plate. This is one of the screen used TD's: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/gallery/image/3241-gallery-12157-59-19594/

This is just what I have been searching for! Now I know what to leave and what to remove! Thanks, Steve for putting it all in one spot! This info really should be pinned in the Assembly section!