sharkbait

Shin cover trips (back): Thigh cover strips (front): Thigh cover strips (back):

It must have been the LED flashlights making the lenses look blue. Here's what they were made out of:

...I left the post-it it came with saying which side was the smooth/out on it until I was completely done; I've never been able to tell the difference between smooth/not.

It's snapped in two places (by the drop boxes). I think what it is, is the holster and blaster. When it's just the holster, there's no issue, but when the blaster is in the holster, the weight pulls it down. I tried to pull it up, but it must have slipped back down while we were playing with the lighting and angles for the shot. If I have my blaster at a troop, then I'm holding it, so it's generally not an issue. (Also ignore the placement of the drop boxes in this pic, I moved them to show the snaps better).

Name: Rebecca Beiderwell 501st ID: 29118 FISD Forum: Sharkbait Garrison: Central California Garrison - South Valley Squad Mandatory Information: Armor Maker - AM 2.0/RT-MOD Helmet Maker - AM 2.0 Blaster Type - Hyperfirm Optional: Height - 5'11'' Boots Maker = TK Boots Canvas Belt - TKittel Hand Plates Type - Elastic strap over chemical gloves Electronics - ukswrath hovi mike tips/speakers, amp, iComm, omni mike, Gatz fans Neck Seal Type - trooperbay.com Holster Maker - Darman Thigh garter system - Pencap510 Photos: Front, arms at side Back, arms at side Left, arm raised Right, arm raised Right side detail, arm raised Left side detail, arm raised Ab details Cod and butt attachment Interior strapping Helmet front Helmet side Helmet back Hovi tip detail Lens color (backlit) (flat smoke gray) Edit: Lens color (backlit) with better lighting- it really is smoke gray. Blaster left Blaster right Edit: Blaster D-Ring added Neck seal TD Holster attachment Action shot Bucket off Misc edits: Fixed shin and thigh cover strips:

Two, one on each side below the frown, directed upwards towards the lenses. If you can, leaving a bit of a gap between the lens and the helmet is also helpful. Also, I highly recommend the blue 12-volt rechargeable batteries (eBay). On a full charge, mine last about 4 - 4 1/2 hours. But when they die, they die, no warning or slow down.

Looking good! I built straight to Centurion on my ESB TK as well, it's really not that much more effort if you do it from the get-go. Split rivets can be a pain to remove, but buy extra (they're usually cheap), and practice with one before you try and set them on the cod or ab/kidney connection. Mineral spirits works great for removing paint, and for cleaning up details. Also, frog tape works better than blue tape for masking off areas (especially for the tiny ab buttons). When you get to the thighs (which I recommend doing those last, because it's easier to get them proportional when everything else is done), check out LadyInWhite's tutorial. The gist is that instead of making a straight line cut to trim width, you do a sublte "V", smaller at the top and deeper at the bottom, to adjust for a female thigh which is more like 2:1 unlike male thighs that are 1:1. You don't see it directly in the end result, you just see a better fit that looks "normal". https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1IS7jqceqOfOQ9KqkM3fH0DaqDSp2TIWQ_q-npSSBy4o/mobilebasic?pli=1 Also buy extra snaps; you'll inevitably screw some up. Tandy Line 24, they aren't the cheapest, but they're very solid and will hold up the best. Can't wait to see more. .

I did ukswrath Hovi mic tip with iComm, amp 2, omni mike, and PTT cable, and have been very happy. I never use the PTT cable because I know me and I'd forget to press it and just talk. The amp is small, fits inside the helmet no problem, the iComm fits nicely on the other side, the tips are CRL accurate (the ones that came with my kit weren't great and I'd have to paint them), and the mike has so far been good. I tested plugging in my shuffle with TK chatter into the iComm, but then with the chatter, I risked having to talk over them (the PTT cable would eliminate this, but for me personally, see above). I bought a cheap voice amp from amazon ($20), plugged a micro SD with chatter into it, and duct taped (for now, eventually I'll make a nice pocket for it) into my back plate. I've already found the chatter works best in non-Con settings- it's too noisy at cons and the effect is often lost. I can also crank that amp up way louder so it can be heard, without effecting my voice. On that, I think it's really a matter of personal preference. And watch ukswrath's youtube videos on his electronics, very helpful. As for padding, I found a set of replacement military helmet padding at a local military surplus store for $20, and still had two pads left over. Like these I just found for $11 on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Aftermarket-Upgrade-Pads-Helmet-Velcro/dp/B00A4TNQ8A (I guess I supported a local business, that's always nice). You can arrange them how you like. So far, I've been comfortable, and they're removable, so they can be washed.

I second Lewis (slavefive), that's where I got my ESB E-11, and it's fantastic. As of 2/18/16, Diamond State Props announced on their website they're closing for good (check their homepage for full message).

I have the ESB E-11 from Lewis (slavefive) too. I love it! Fast production, shipping and good price. I haven't dropped it yet, but I feel like if I do, it won't be a disaster, and great to troop with, nice weight to it.

I did my first few troops without fans, in winter, and when indoors, my lenses fogged up instantly without some sort of anti-fog, and even with anti-fog, enclosed areas (not big open buildings like at cons), they still fogged a little. Until I got my fans installed, and I had no idea what I was missing. It gets rather muggy inside the helmet. Fans vary, but most aren't that loud, a gentle whir. And there's ukswrath's hearing assist system if you need it. Bottom line is you CAN troop without fans (one of our guys does it), but it's infinitely more comfortable with fans.

TK-29188 requesting 501st access. http://www.501st.com/members/displaymember.php?userID=20545&costumeID=126 Thanks!

I'm an introvert as well, but once I get close to people, I'm pretty social (I just need to recharge afterwards). I got lucky and I have a whole local Squad in my immediate area (though the Garrison goes all the way up to Redding and Reno), but if you ever get the chance to handle, do it; it's actually a ton of fun and very helpful to all involved. As far as building and questions, the boards are a wealth of information. Find several build threads that match your costume or armor type and pour over them and follow along. If you need detailed pictures, check the EIB and Centurion application threads- lots of close ups and pictures of internal strapping, etc. I'd also suggest reaching out via email to your future Garrison; they started where you are, too, and even if you can't meet in person, any contact is better than no contact.

There's no kit available yet (I'm looking into doing a Phasma myself), so what's been done thus far is the First Order TK with modifications, also a different or modded helmet (hers flares out, TKs tuck under, no hovi tip, and I think other details, besides chrome, obviously). Check out LadyInWhite's build and tutorial: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/32972-ladyinwhite-phasma-build/ She's great- I used another of her tutorials to shape my ESB TK thighs (altered fit for female form vs. standard male). There's a few other Phasma build threads floating around, too, they'd be good to check out, and standard FOTK builds for the base.

I tried to skip the inner strip once, early on, on I think either a bicep or a forearm, and it was a disaster. I ended up cleaning off the glue and doing it one piece at at time. I needed the hold of the inner strips. I had also attempted to glue the forearms in one go- inner strips to both halves and on both sides, also did not happen. I think the reason the thighs worked is more practice, for sure, but mainly I didn't have to reshape the thigh pieces for a round fit, like I did the forearms (well, one of them anyway), so there was less resistance and the clamps and magnets were able to hold better. Motivation I'm sure also played a factor.

Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated... I've been steadily working and building (and taking pictures for the most part) but just haven't been able to post updates. Most of the time it came down to either work on the armor, or post; well, the former obviously won out. So, here's what I've been up to: Under suit: I always have issues with my pants and long-sleeves riding up, so for my under suit (Eastbay compression top and pants), I used an old motorcycle trick, and added ¼’’ black elastic stirrups to each pant leg and sleeve. Worked just like I’d hoped. The sleeves were actually long enough that they don’t end to ride up much, but this will definitely keep them from doing so, and the pants did want to migrate upwards after walking, so this will keep those in place, too. Inner strips glued onto forearms and biceps, and then glued fully closed. Original shoulder bridge v. rough trimmed shoulder bridge. Some sanding later and the shoulder bridges were done. I trimmed return edges until the cows came home, it seemed like. I put a crack in the top of a shin doing so. I went ahead and removed the entire return edge on the bottom of the shin and both ends of the thighs. Fit wise, this felt much better, looks, you really don’t see it much. Next I worked on the shins, following the AM Shin Tutorial religiously, labeled them carefully, and fitted them. When I glued the inner strips to the front. One side looked like it wasn't sitting, right, and had too much flex. I tested it, and sure enough, CRACK. I made some ABS paste and fixed both cracks. Then I glued the cover strips to the front and back. My canvas belt is from TKittell. I trimmed the edges, added the 45 degree angle, punched holes, and riveted the plastic to the canvas, and added buttons. I did elastic loops to attach my drop boxes. To bend the belt (and thigh ammo pack), I used this tutorial by Pandatrooper. Worked perfectly! The blaster is a Hyperfirm by Slavefive, and the holster is a 8 oz by Darman. I taped and painted the ab buttons: I also painted the side rivets white: My kit came with green bubble lenses and a thin flat green sheet. I’m picky and I wanted smoke. Long story short, after looking all over town for a welding screen or lenses that weren’t grade 12s, I found out Cycle Gear’s in house brand BiLT has cheap shields to go with their cheap motorcycle helmets. So, $17 later, I had a dark smoke shield to cut new lenses out of (and it was big enough I can get at least one more set out of it, or, if I screwed up, I’d have more material to work with). I used the green bubbles as templates (perfect shape). Dremel work and four cutting blades (one eaten through, one rolled of the table and shattered, one got ¼ of the way in and shattered, and one made it just barely to the end) and some sanding later, I have new lenses! I got the teeth cut out to satisfaction and used Sabyre's technique of Play Doh to mask them off before spray painting the inside of the helmet black. I roughed up the inside a bit with sandpaper (in hindsight I could have used my finer grain, but ultimately most of it will be covered with helmet pads and/or too dark to really be seen anyway, so it didn't really matter). I used Rustoleum 2x, and I think it worked great, about two coats at it was evenly covered, with minimal over spray. I also went with Gloss because I favor the gloss look. (Also, Play Doh smells like childhood). I would also recommend covering not just the edges like I did but about 1'' - 2'' farther in as well, helps with over spray and wind. But it wasn't anything some mineral spirits didn't take care of. And when working with mineral spirits, note where your hands end up, because you’ll end up smudging liquid-y paint all. freaking. over. the. place. And not understand why for an embarrassing amount of time. Helmet inside looks good! Might it be time to assemble? On one side, the pre-dimpled holes were dead on. The other… just the slightest bit crooked. Enough to drive me nuts. After much back and forth, the helmet went in time out for a few weeks while I worked on other stuff. Then, it came back out, and much was accomplished. I re-drilled a few holes, sanded, cried, added a screw under the ears to pull the helmet pieces together. It's still not quite there, but it's close. I taped off and painted the ear bars, and added the last decals. I also ordered hovi tips from ukswrath, with the speaker/audio system, and they arrived Christmas Eve. First Christmas gift of the year! I played with them Christmas morning and am very happy thus far. (I did the iComm, amp, omni mike, and ptt cable, which I may or may not use). I added velcro and have a mess of wires to put in there. A garrison member is making me a fan system, so I'll have that shortly, and will install then. I went to a local military supply store and picked up some helmet padding, exactly the type I was after and for only $22, too. For the snap plates, I went with four singles to connect the butt and kidney, two for the shoulder connections, one for each shoulder bell, three for the right side connection of kidney to abs. My giant brown box with my 50 gallon Stanley storage container arrived. I am apparently part cat so the first thing I did after I pulled it out was sit in the box. TD tube measured and trimmed. Exactly 7.5’’ long, with end caps. I’m not sure how I managed that. I measured again and glued on the plate. I ordered clips from ukswrath and all was complete. For the thighs, I used Lady In White’s tutorial, and make a V cut instead of a straight cut, to taper them just a bit at the bottom. I'm on a time crunch, because I really want to troop our next event, the Girl Scout G.I.R.L. Expo, which is next Saturday. (I had originally hoped to troop the TFA premier, but it was pretty obvious that wasn't going to happen, and I considered trying for yesterday's event, Star Wars Night with the Fresno Monsters, but I wasn't quite there, either). I was a Girl Scout for seven years (sold cookies for six), and I think it's fitting. So, in effort to finish on time, I had already glued the front inner strips. Since I've been letting the glue cure for 48 hours, I don't have the luxury of gluing piece by piece with two days each and only six days to finish. I glued the fronts together, the front cover strips, the back inner strips and the back cover strips. So far... so good. Test fitting the thighs. Ignore the fact that the sniper plate is on the wrong side, I was in a hurry and not paying attention since I was focused on the thighs. So, checklist of what’s left: Fix ears Finish installing helmet electronics (tie up cords, basically) Install fans and 12v batteries Trim and attach thigh pack Looks like I'm gonna make it!

AM 2.0 kit comes with decals for ANH Hero and Stunt, but if you're like me and doing ESB, you'll have to source elsewhere. Beyond basic membership, ANH Centurion requires hand painting or hand painted look decals. EIB ESB requires decals for tube stripes, tears and traps. I went through Trooperbay.com, but once I put them on I was concerned about the traps, the rest seem fine.

How did you (or how are you going to) fix the crack on the shin? I put a crack in one of mine while trimming return edges and wasn't sure what to do about it... I assume ABS paste or something, but that's as far as I got.

I'd recommend Tandy Line 24 snaps, 5/16'' post, anything under 5/16'' is too small. Check out this list for all the things you'll need and how much: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31404-supply-list-for-your-tk-build/ From that post, Echo (Francisco) has Centurion level rivet sets available, at cost no less. (Especially helpful if you're like me and unable to get less than 50 at a time locally).

Well sweet! We're you find that? I guess the CRL just isn't updated to reflect 1.0 v. 2.0 (they did so for the chest- it specifically states 1.0 chest needs to be upgraded). I always thought the CRL picture looked an awful lot like AM 2.0, but it's a small picture, and I'm still learning subtle details, so I just figured I missed something...

No idea. The CRL just says "AM back plate is replaced with a more screen accurate version" for Centurion (you're good for basic and Expert Infantryman). I have a feeling if they were side by side you'd probably be able to spot the difference. If anyone knows I'm curious if there's a specific defect or it's just not up to new standards.