sharkbait

Looking sharp! Good luck with EIB!

I will forever recommend AM and RT-Mod/RT-Panda- for basically everyone. But, they are also especially suited for taller and/or larger troopers. I have AM. I'm 5'11'' and it was great for me, and could easily do someone taller, or shorter. Good thickness and quality, too.

Congratulations and welcome aboard! Work on that EIB! Maybe go for Centurion, too, while you're at it?

79. "Weird Al" Yankovic - Strings Attached Tour, Sacramento - 8/11 LIFE GOAL ACHIEVED! I've loved Weird Al since I was a kid and my dad introduced me to his Dr. Demento's 20th Anniversary collection, which featured "Eat It." Many years later, my dad and went to a Weird Al concert and we saw 501st members on stage during The Saga Begins. I didn't know what the Legion was then, but knew the costumes were legit and it was a great addition. Many more years later, I joined the South Valley Squad and found out I was now friends with all those people I had seen on stage. Third from the right.

AM also makes a larger kit and is suited for large/taller troopers. You can't go wrong with either RT or AM, in my opinion.

78. Sanger National Night Out, Sanger - 8/6 On the right. We braved 103F degree heat! 0/10 Do Not Recommend.

Congratulations and welcome aboard!

Looking good!

Congratulations and welcome!

Welcome aboard! I see you've secured you EIB! Congratulations!

Awesome! We need more hands on deck in the real world. Talking on a forum is great, but nothing fully substitutes for in-person expert assistance.

You might try a combo approach- one of those headlight polishing kits. It consists of a more abrasive start to grind away impurities, then a lighter one to smooth, then you buff it with a polish and filler/sealant. Maybe in between, like after the abrasive layer, dry the whitening stuff from TrooperBay- you put it on, put it out in the sun, and basically sun-bleach it with added chemicals to assist in the bleaching process. I mean it's worth a shot- it might just make it lighter or less noticeable, but it's still a start. If it doesn't work, then you might already be in paint territory anyway so you just lost some time and effort.

I would go a size up from your normal shoe size, based on what I've heard. Worst case scenario, they don't fit and you can sell them to someone else on here. I had a friend get some in his normal size and they were fine- but he also didn't have particularly wide feet. I've heard of people with wider feet needing a size up. Anyone with actual IB books should chime in, though (I personally have TK Boots)

Count yourself as lucky! And I'm happy at least someone isn't having major issues. I would venture a guess as to you got one of their earlier kits? I've found their first/second waves were better than their stuff produced after that. Though throughout their quality control has been much like their shipping department: a monkey throwing a dart at a map.

@justjoseph63 said everything I was going to say. Awesome job! Minor tweaks and you're solid!

I have two (or three) different random brands from Amazon, pretty sure they're all actually the same thing with different lettering and branding slapped on. Love them, and reasonably priced: amazon.com/Microphone-Soaiy＆Bietrun-3-5＆6-35mm-Amplifier-Supported/dp/B07PPDR5NT/

Great build! Jimmi makes a good kit. Nice looking Wookiees, too.

Welcome to the ranks!

More progress! The shins are sized, trimmed, and final gluing! This is where it got wonky. I don’t have a whole lot of in-progress photos, because I was focused elsewhere. Mainly trying to understand what was going on and what Johnny was doing when explaining how to trim and trimming. I got to the point where I intellectually understood what was going on, but could I explain it, or write it out? Nope. Basically this is a kit-specific thing. KB’s shins and thighs are straight lines/connections, while aNOvos and the CRL aren’t a straight join, they have a curve to them. Examples: CRL, which matches the aNOvos FOTK I have as reference: KB thighs (I don’t have a before picture of the shins, but it was the same thing just in a different part): And yes, the KB back thigh is just a straight half circle/tube, with no cut down for where your butt would be. More on that later. I did an image search and didn’t find any good shots of the outer thighs on any movie shots, or even any other approved 501st Phasmas. So I just looked at my Black Series figure, because they’re known for being at least decent in accuracy, even if a toy. There’s definitely a curve on the thigh: The deeper shin curve is on the inside, not the outside like the thigh, so definitely no pictures of that one that were easy to find. And the Black Series looked kinda straight. It is basically the same curve. The other half is then just the opposite, so they fit together nicely. The outside seems more relaxed but I still see a curve in the CRL photos. What Johnny did, and then what I attempted to do based on that, was take all the measurements of different points of Izzy’s FOTK I have as reference, and then use those measurements to plot the curve on my pieces. Johnny was the true mastermind there- I basically started and tried to understand and then used his template for the remaining thigh piece we didn’t get to that night. I realize that helps no one without an FOTK lying around for visuals and physical measurements. Have I told Izzy lately thank you for letting me borrow his FOTK? I should do it again. I will also say that his aNOvos is a first wave or maybe the first of the B wave they did, so I have no idea if they’ve changed their design since. Oh wait no one who’s ordered has received anything so we don’t know the answer to that. I don’t actually know if doing a straight line would affect approval. I’d defer to the appropriate GML, of course, but the CRL text doesn’t indicate it, but the photos clearly do. And the approval is based on the combo of the text and photos. I suppose without a physical reference I’d just wing it and lightly sketch the curve on the parts until you like it and then cut. It is a bit subtle. I’m also not very good at winging it, but I’ve gotten better at it the more kits I build and help build. Pretty sure we’ve winged just about everything on the WTF Inferno TIE I’m helping a friend build (don’t even get me started). But back to that wonky thigh back with no cut out for human butts. I’m going to use both my OT TK and Izzy’s FOTK to get an idea of where to trim, and then hold it up to myself and see what works. I’m really not sure what was up with that, it’s very obviously not another piece, it is the back of the thigh. The front had the dip for the inner leg. I also have a V1 KB, and Johnny had a V2, and I think they’re on V3, now. So maybe all of the above is fixed/makes more sense now. I sat down to do the second thigh, and just couldn’t wrap my mind around how to even use the template. I got frustrated, and kept asking myself why every step of this was so hard. I’ve knocked out a bunch of other projects and little things in between working on this and this kit just keeps fighting me at every turn. Thankfully Johnny was able to come by and help me out and it’s now done and gluing. The first thigh is final gluing and the second will have its full closure gluing done in the next few days. The backs aren’t totally trimmed but will be easier to work with once assembled, so I can slip them on and adjust as necessary. Did I mention it’s also 100+ degrees here, and we’ve been in an excessive heat warning for the last three days, though at least tomorrow? The garage and the outside are rough to work in right now. (Arizonans shush, I know, it could be worse, and it will get worse here, though not quite like you poor smucks). Anyway… As far as chroming goes: I got ahold of my uncle and he has two possibilities for me, one guy who’s the best in town but pricey, and one guy who’s great and the bang-for-buck guy, but referral only. Thankfully I have a referral. I contacted him and he’s supposed to get back to me with some paint costs. I have a feeling he’s not going to be the one- he’s not a cosplay guy, he doesn’t know quite what I’m asking of him. I did end up with two extra leads, though- one is another local guy, who has (per a Yelp review I found) done Cosplay paint work before, and he’s more than happy to take a look at it and give me a quote. We’ll be meeting sometimes next week. A third option is Chrome Factory LV out of Las Vegas (https://www.chromefactorylv.com/), which Johnny found via Instagram. Their work is beautiful, and I do know an approximate cost. Basically on cost… I’m torn, frustrated, and afraid. I finally sat down with myself and thought it out, and I came up with this plan: If I can get it chromed for $1k, I will be ecstatic. I’m willing to go up to $1.5k, and still feel okay. If that just isn’t feasible or realistic, I will consider $2k, but I will have to think long and hard about it. But anything about that and I simply can’t justify it and can’t afford it (someday, but not in the next while, and especially not if I even want to think about Celebration Anaheim). I’m already afraid I won’t be able to afford the $1k - $1.5k, and am working through ever scenario I can to make it work, and on the timeline I still desperately want to stick to. The worst-case scenario is I don’t get it done in time for the premiere. Not disastrous, I suppose, but I need to strike while the iron is hot, and I’m afraid that if she doesn’t show up in this new movie, then the public will have lost interest in her. I am doing the costume for myself, and for my love of Gwendoline Christie, and all the character should have been, but I have trouble justifying it if the public isn’t also into it. I’m feeling the monetary crunch and that just kills me on a good day. I normally don’t talk specific monetary details, unless one-to-one, and generally when someone is already started or very serious about a costume, but it’s a hang-up point for me on this one, and I do think it is important for other potential Phasmas to know the possibilities and the realities, and if they can or still want to pursue her. I feel the need to be brutally honest about my experiances with this build because sugar coating it won’t help me and could set someone else up in the future for a real shock and I don’t want to do that. Money is just such an awkward topic (maybe if it weren’t people would have less problems with it). I have about $1k into her currently, so even if I dropped $1.5k on chroming, that’d still be a reasonable and even cheap Phasma. Thankfully I only have minor expenses left other than chroming (final balance of cape, I have the misc. supplies already just in my stash), so that end is in sight. I firmly believe she will be worth every penny. For my blasters, I ordered Alclad II in chrome and pale gold- I’m going to mix the two to get that champagne color for her blasters. Or maybe I’ll get lucky and the pale gold will mimic it well and I won’t need the other. Based on photos I think it needs a mix, but maybe in person it will be different. We’ll see. I did get an airbrush with compressor kit for my birthday, so we’re in good shape there! I also did a bunch of clean up work on the helmet. It needs quite a bit more, but it is cleaning up better than I expected. Tiny Dremel bits used by hand to get in those grooves, wet 1000 grit sandpaper for the ridges, more Dremel work for some of the extra mold bits, and we’re getting somewhere. Basically, what I decided while working on it, however, is that I will never be totally happy with it. I can’t get it out of my head I’m convinced it’s a B Grade. I ordered a Tripon which should be here in 3 – 4 weeks. The nose cone isn’t separate like Thorrson’s, but hell, I’m not painting the thing most likely, so it’s someone else’s problem. I’m going to keep this one and try and clean it up the best I can, but it will be converted to the broken one from TLJ. (Dumb, nothing made out of a spaceship should crack that easy, but hero v. villain and we all know how that ends in Hollywood). It will be an awesome table prop and show piece. To save on costs, I will chrome it myself with the Alclad since it’s just a prop piece and won’t have the wear-and-tear of use like the main one will. The 3 – 4 week plan will hopefully keep me motivated to finish everything else by then, so then I can just finish the new helmet and send it all for chroming. If I can get this to chroming in July, then I’ll still have four and a half months before the premiere to wrap everything up. I really do think once the chroming is done, the rest is assembly and strapping, which I can start now, but not glue in, and anyway that part is the quick easy part anyway. I’d love to be able to have the funds to chrome her by July, but if I have to wait another month, then I’ll still have enough time to make it to the finish line before the premiere. Updated list of completed/nearly completed/needing to be finished: Still needing finishing finesse and greeblies, etc.: Chest plate Back/yoke Biceps Forearms Boot spats Shoulder bells Cod piece Butt plate Knee plates Hand plates Up next: Secondary hand plates- received from KB, just need some trimming Attach all greeblies/boxes (forearms, thighs, shins) Clean up 3D print lines from blasters 1st Helmet: more sanding and clean up 2nd Helmet: sanding and prep once received Maybe finish/assemble thermal detonator. Still on the fence about it. More likely than not going to skip it to try and keep costs down as much as possible. Work up connections so they’re ready to install I’m going to have to get a taped up shot of everything on and roughly in place to show off. I'm also hopeful this will help with my motivation and my desire to keep going. I have all the desire for a finished Phasma of my own. I have much less desire to keep going to do the work necessary to get to that point.

Solid advice! Glad it worked out for you.

I believe the ones in the store are by Anovos, which their OT Officers need some minor mods (they have lacked a modesty panel, for example), but I haven't heard anything specific about the FO Officers. You'd think because Anovos is licensed they would be, but that's not a given. I didn't see an FO Officer (other than some patches/insignia) on their website, so I don't have any photos to compare to the CRL. The IOC forums would likely know better- ImperialOfficer.com. EDIT: I found a thread on the IOC forums about Anovos' FO Officers, they were like $2,200, and not even tailored. The links are also dead (probably why I couldn't find them on the Anovos website). Even if you wanted a high-end Officer, $2k+ is expensive, even for FOs (which are more rare and therefore more expensive/harder to find).

Can you post a photo so I know for sure what you're looking at? If it's the part that I'm thinking, then I don't think mine had a return edge either and doesn't now (I'm doing Phasma, but that part is the same armor piece).

Following out of interest, but personally I see decent enough I wouldn't bother. I do have friends and fellow members who would be very interested based on price, too.

I've been using Country Brook Design velcro (or, technically, since that's the brand, hook and loop) for everything. I buy it buy the 10 yard roll on Amazon for about $10, depending on what width. Regardless, I recommend E6000 them onto your surface because the sticky back, even industrial, will wear our with our repeated levels of stress and use. I also just always buy sew in now, because the sticky back kind gunks up your sewing machine on sewing projects, and you're going to glue it all anyway. Why have different types of the same width of velro?

As already mentioned above, the Getting Started and Various Types of Armor and Where to Find them is your best best for TK armor from vetted sources. For Bikers, I recommend Studio Creations (and I do not recommend WTF), but your best bet would be the Pathfinders Detachment Forums for all your biker needs: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com