sharkbait

ABS paste is your best friend for repairs! You need it thin enough to spread but thick enough to not just drip all over the place. Let dry sand smooth. For full holes like these rather than patches, putting a ABS strip to back it would likely make your life a whole lot easier. I'm curious to see progress pics, as well!

Mine always stay in the changing room, because I don't much extra room, let alone accessible room, in my armor. Handlers. Is there a good, on-top-of things handler that you trust that could hang on to them for you? If they need to be on your physical person, then do you have any extra room in your thighs? I've seen guys make a pocket inside and stash trading cards, it could probably work for an epi-pen and phone, they're not overly large. Alternatively, you could also make a pocket in your chest plate, back plate in the recessed OII, or in the side at the ab/kidney connection.

I'd also recommend sewing a small elastic loop on the arms to go around your thumb as a way to keep the sleeves from ridding up. Also the same as stirrups on the pants. Compression suits tend to ride up in general, and I have that problem with just about all clothing (the perils of being long-bodied). Your gloves and boots will cover the stirrups completely so they don't affect the appearance. I'd also recommend at least two sets of under suit, depending on how much you intend to troop. It keeps you from being forced to wash it constantly. You will get hot and sweaty even in winter and those things can get ripe fast. Putting on an already-wet undersuit is no fun.

Check before you do this, but don't you cut that straight tab off the cod on that particular armor? I didn't use that model, but I sort of remember seeing that in a tutorial somewhere. Like I said, double check that before you do any cutting. But that should help there. I left very minimal return edge on my butt plate and cod, just a fraction to give it a bit of depth. I removed it entirely from my thighs and shins. Also bottom of forearms (for Centurion, but also comfort), and mostly from the top. Same with biceps- just a tiny bit to give the illusion of depth. I also did half-moon cuts in the backs of my thighs so I could bend my knees to walk without constant armor pinches. I still have to be careful when going up or down stairs, but normal walking isn't an issue anymore. Work incrementally, taking a little off at a time, and do one side first, then use the cut off pieces as a template for the other side to match it. That was probably the single deciding factor in comfort, for me. Alternatively, if your armor is just too snug, it will vastly limit your already limited mobility and will pinch and be uncomfortable no matter what you do. You will be stiffer at first, too, and then once you get more comfortable with the costume and how you wear it, you'll be only normal-limited.

When I get to wet sanding, I'm already at the point where I'm using a super-fine sandpaper. I take a seat and put a bucket of water next to me and rinse the sandpaper off fairly regularly, probably less of an issue with heavier grit as it won't get clogged as fast and loose its effectiveness. Let the sandpaper do the work, that's it's job, and I personally like longer strokes, but I think it depends on what you're working on. When I sanded down the edges of armor so it wouldn't poke, I used short, fast strokes, when I sanded down the mold-line on my TIE helmet mohawk, I used longer strokes. Novus, Can-Do, and Plexus (all similar, but Can-Do and Plexus are heavier on polish and less on fill in, and only one step) are for polishing and buffing out fine scratches, so you'll use them later on down the road for upkeep and repairs to keep up that awesome paint job you've done. Novus, to my knowledge, will buff out slightly deeper scratches than Can-Do and Plexus, but I've not used it, while I have used the others, so I'm not 100% on that.

E6000 is the way to go. Just use it in a well-ventilated area, and let your parts dry in well-ventilated area, too. It will take a while for the smell to go away (bigger issue when using on your bucket than the rest of the armor). Even though I feel fairly confident with ABS armor building, I still use it, rather than the CA Glue or ABS cement, because it allow for wiggle room and is forgiving of errors. I have only used Bondo once, and it is not an experience I want to have again. I thought E6000 smelled bad. Granted, we weren't building armor, we were working on a large-scale prop piece, but because none of us had ever really used it before, we ended up making so much more work for ourselves and it added hours onto an already intensive project. It has it's place, but based on my own experience I would say it's not for beginners, unless you just have no other choice. It is a filler, not a glue, as well, and has to be sanded, dremeled, or power-sanded down, and the powdery dust that it turns into smells just as bad as the liquid version. You need a decent filtering mask and eye protection.

RT-Mod is fantastic. My second suit (when my first finally bites the dust) will be (hopefully) an RT-Mod. It was my first choice originally, but then long story short, it didn't work out and I snagged an extra AM 2.0, which I'm also very happy with. But a friend's got an RT-Mod and it's still my top choice.

I'd say a super light dive skin (skin, or even sun protection only- not one of the 2mm or higher ones, you'll end up roasting). They're available at amazon, dive shops, dive shops online ---------- etc.), and often go on clearance and/or sale.

I would measure, exhale and measure again, and then if between sizes, go up one. I forgot I planned to put my hair under mine (I have just past shoulder length hair), and didn't measure with my hair. So, don't do that. Luckily, it just made it a tiny bit snugger than I'd generally prefer, but I can totally wear it. It should be fitted, but like everyone else has said, don't feel like you're choking or getting totally claustrophobic. (I don't like things tight around my neck so I cheated a little on my TIE flghtsuit and added some to the measurements. You can't tell when I'm wearing it anyway).

Mine has a minimal bib (which I prefer, it's from Trooperbay.com), and I tuck in into my undershirt. But, honestly, I don't think it would matter if I didn't, because it's completely covered by the armor and doesn't move much once velcroed closed in the back.

This is really more of a suggestion for later, but it looks like your sniper plate might end up wanting to go under your thigh- a very common problem. Mostly it just looks odd in pictures (we notice, patrons don't), and I worry about snapping it off or cracking. Sometimes when you walk it will catch and make you stumble or your gait odd (again, patrons don't notice, but our relative comfort while wearing armor is paramount). Our solution is to bundle up a cheap washcloth (like from the dollar store), wrap it up in white duct tape, and tape it into the front of the shin at the top, to punch it out just that little bit. This doesn't affect approval- it's just a looks thing, and for me at least, it eased my mind with necessary stress on the armor. I can dig up a picture of my fix if you're interested- might make more sense in photos than words.

I did my ESB TK build to Centurion with no build experience whatsoever, and as my first 501st costume. Like others have said, there's no way that would have ever been possible without this website, and it's members. While hands-on in person help is fantastic, it can be done with just this website. In addition to the build threads, and what types of armor/where to find them, I highly recommend checking out the EIB and Centurion request threads- especially the approved ones. Even if you don't go for EIB or Centurion, building towards those standards will more likely than not get you in the clear for basic 501st approval, which it itself is of course nothing to scoff at. Biggest advice? Take it slow, try not to look too far ahead in the build, because it can get overwhelming and feel impossible and then nothing will happen. Baby steps. Once you figure out how to size parts to yourself, and how to glue the pieces together, it's a lot of repeating that process for other parts (ie, you size and glue your biceps, now repeat that process for the forearms, thighs, and half of that process for the shins). It's a marathon, not a race, and in the end, you'll be happier and have a better quality suit that will hold up if you take your time. If you run into specific problems, and can't work them out with build, EIB/Centurion threads, or the CRL, ask! We've all likely been in the same boat and can offer advice and photos of our own completed armor, or how we did something. There's many ways to do something, and you just have to find what works best for you. I also recommend starting with simpler parts, and leaving the helmet until last. It will build up your confidence to tackle the harder parts. Best of luck!

Very informative! Spot on, as well. So much of our builds are what's your comfort zone, and what level outside of that are you willing to push yourself, because you will have to push yourself at some point during your build. My biggest advise would be to ask questions. Ask your local TKs, your local GML, ask here- someone has likely run into the same problem you have, and we all started at square one at some point.

"40 - Super coarse for doing an Alderaan on whatever you are working on," I needed that today, thank you! Filing this away for when I get to this point on my Phasma. Gotta start out so shiny she blinds you! Your illustrations are great, too- very informative. Thank you!

Good job on the ears! I had a hell of a time on those suckers... There's a few minor differences between ESB and ANH, mostly in the helmet, like the teeth, which you've already got down. Decals on the helmet instead of hand painted, and no hand-painted look decals. Snowie hand guards. The holster is on the right with black loops. E-11 is more "stripped down". My original mike tips were speakers, and they attached via a screw through the back of the tip and into the helmet. It's held since 15' and counting, so I'd recommend it. As far as sizing, it's much the same between sizes, just trimming more or less depending on how large/small you need to make it. There's a bunch of build threads with shim tutorials, if you're in need of shims, too. For much of the build, you can reference ANH build threads, because so much is the same, just be careful of the little details.

Wow- very nice job! I was going to say the thicker materials like leather/leather/leather-like tend to hide wrinkles on milder curves, so I'd just pin in as best I could and then go for it. Which appears to be what you did, so there you go!

I don't know many specifics, but I've heard of someone using an automotive quality clear coat to protect signatures on helmets. It'd likely be a lot in the application, and less in the material used.

I believe their bracketing is screen-accurate. I will caution however that that style of brackets are a known weak point- where they attached at a thin point at the return edge of the abs and chest, and has pulled through/broken on several RS troopers I've seen. We've fixed them with ABS paste and adding a Tandy Snap plate so the weight/stress isn't on the brackets, but we didn't bother removing them.

Looks pretty nice, there, trooper! The ammo belt/canvas belt should be directly below the ab buttons- yours is lying on top of the bottom. As to modifying your own posts, there's an "Edit" button at the bottom of your post, and if you just need to continue adding, you can always just reply to the thread.

Tandy Line 24 are the best- just buy the 100 pack straight out and save yourself multiple trips/shipping to the Tandy store. I used rivets I found at a local independent hardware store, as I had a hard time finding them otherwise (at the time whatever member had been selling them was on a break), but justjoseph63 should be able to help you out!

To keep your sniper plate from tucking under your thigh (it's a very common problem, at least from what I've seen), you can wrap up a Dollar Store washcloth in some white duct tape, and tape it into the shin just below the sniper plate. It pushes the shin out just enough to keep it from tucking under the thigh. That's what I did, as well as at least two other TKs in my Squad I'm aware of. Otherwise, basically everything CableGuy said. You're certainly close and on the right track!

I'm a big fan of trimmed kits- having had a trimmed TK and untrimmed ANH Tie and Shadow Scout (latter two still in progress), the work saved with getting trimmed was immense, as was the saving of my hand and arm muscles from using the Lexan scissors and the dremel. Also trimmed kits are great for first timers, because you have less worry about learning how to trim and trimming off too much before you even really get started. Though you do get a significant trial by fire with an untrimmed kit, so food for thought. I second E6000- I love that stuff, discovered it when I built my TK, and I haven't looked back, I use it for all kinds of stuff. I recommend giving it a full 48 hour cure time- it takes more time, but the hold will last. And it still will come apart if you really need it to (carefully, that's how I put a crack in one of my shins). You're already putting a whole lot of time, effort, and money into this project, you might as well make it to really last. E6000 is also very forgiving for beginners- if you screw up you can pull it apart immediately and with some sticky clean up start over.

From personal experience, you don't want the thighs to be too tight, but you also don't want them knocking around too loose. I like mine pulled up higher because it helps the bottoms not dig into the back of my knees. One of our guys stores his trading cards in one of his. As to your butt plate, mine likes to pop out like that too- I've also seen the same on another woman, so I think it might have something to do with the feminine shape. Giving it a little extra length in snap plates should help that, though- just a little bit so it gives it a little give and lets it not bump and overlap onto the kidney.

As a Squad (and now me as Squad Leader) it was decreed that we generally don't do them, same with weddings, etc. There's a case-by-case basis, if one comes in for a kid that's in Make-a-Wish territory, or something to that effect, then we'll look at our schedule and consider it based on the request's specific circumstances. I'm not personally a fan of birthday parties, for reasons listed above, and captive audiences tend not to be the best for us anyway, plus the potential abuse, length (too short or too long), and all sorts of other little details. Our Squad is also crazy busy (40+ events a year), so we have plenty troops to attend and even more than we can handle at times as is, so adding private events to the mix would just be asking for headache and trouble. Now if a member has a family member or friend who they want to grace that family/friend's birthday party or wedding with their armored presence, I don't personally have any issue, so long as everyone knows it's strictly unofficial (we don't wear our colors, primarily). And if it's one of our own's birthday or wedding, we'll do it. (I suited up with a handful of others for a fellow Squad member's wedding and did a photo shoot and interacted with other wedding guests, it was great fun, because it was one of our own and I was a guest at the wedding already.) It also came up that we had offers of charity donations in lieu of payment, and my command team and I ultimately decided a private party charity donation for our appearance was still at its heart a private event, and we wanted to draw a line and stick to it to avoid confusion and muddying the waters, so we don't do that. I had a email run in with a disgruntled bridezilla with that decision.

Congratulations! Welcome aboard, Trooper!