justjoseph63

That is the nicest looking E-11 I have seen in a long, long time, Adam, and thanks for this tutorial!. All that hard work and attention to detail has paid off in spades and is certain to be the envy on future troops! I'm not a Doctor (nor do I play one on TV) but I think I can officially diagnose you with OCTKD disorder. Welcome to the club!

Why does this not surprise me? You are an ANIMAL when it comes to builds, brother. I am constantly amazed every time I see one of your new ones, and I always wonder what the next one will be!

EXCELLENT idea on waiting until you get the chest and back complete and fitted. That way you will have a better idea on where to place the bells. I assume you mean the white elastic that connects the chest and back, correct? If so, doubling this for added strength is certainly can't hurt. As for adding a strip of nylon webbing, I don't think it will be necessary. BUT, if you do, make sure the posts on the snaps will be long enough to go through all the layers and still have enough for them to connect securely to the bases- you might want to do a test piece. Keep those photos rolling in!

Although they were cast from original screen used armor, RS shoulder bells can be a bit tricky as they are not the same length (photo 1). As seen in their commission builds (photos 2, 3 and 4) the left bell is almost always shorter than the right (photo 5 shows them reversed). 1 2 3 4 5 Screen used bell (no return edge) Reference images Not the biggest of deals by any means, but since you are doing your own build you have the opportunity for a better "ideal" look by making them both the same length. That's up to you of course, but I would suggest trimming them down a little at a time until you get to where you are happy with the overall look. Some things to keep in mind are: 1. The tops should touch (or be very close to) the shoulder bridge area with no big gaps (as seen in pics 3, 4 and 5). 2. Any gaps between the front/back of the bells and chest/back plates should be kept as minimal as possible. 3. You can trim all or most of the return edges off of the bottoms (this is screen accurate) to even them up if needed. Will it affect higher levels of approval if they are not the same length? Nope, but we recommend getting them as close as you can.

The product I use (for the exact same reason) on the electrobinoculars I make is Rustoleum 2X clear coat, but be sure to get the Matte finish.

The sniper knee plate ridges need to align with the ridges on the top of the calf. Know in advance that it will not sit perfectly flush.. below is a detail (first photo) from a WTF build. Note how the ridges line up on the side but there is a gap under the front (arrow). This is expected and is perfectly fine. The ridges will also not be in contact all the way up (second photo). Again, perfectly normal and acceptable. It helps a LOT to remove ALL of the return edge on the bottom of the sniper plate before fitting/gluing. For the TD clips, I suggest going with Tony's (ukswrath). He includes the correct screws as well, and you can find those here.

One word here, Chris.. spectacular! A truly awesome build, and your "esprit de corps" is shining brightly, brother. Just one thing before we can move you along.. we need one small favor which should take you all of 15 minutes or less. As per the CRL for Basic, the "Frown... does not leave the teeth area". The rest of your paint work is absolute textbook, but we need you to grab some toothpicks and some (non-acetone) paint remover and take a bit off the tops of some of those teeth (the bottoms look great). Yes, there were some TKs that had the paint extending further onto the gums, but for our purposes we gotta' go by the CRL Reference images (note the white space between the teeth and "gums"). After following your build thread and seeing that keen eye for details. we have every faith that you can quickly knock this out! After getting this done, please post up a few pics of the finished product so that we can get that EI badge under your name.

It looks like you have a nice taper on the forearms, but double check that the wrist opening is not too wide. I would also remove 100% of the return edges around the wrist (arrow) and in the "hump" area. The ridges on each side of the seam/where the cover strip will go look a bit wide. If you can narrow these it would give you a more screen accurate look, but that depends on the size of your thighs. Troopers come in all shapes and sizes so we allow for things like this. "I've never used abs paste before, but I have a mason jar outside cooking with acetone and scrap. I saw that I could weld plastic, sand and polish it? That's rad. I planned to use this to reinforce the interior of the armor along the cover strip seams". I personally don't think you need the ABS paste on the inside. As long as the interior cover strip is wide enough and you use E-6000 to attach them you should be golden. Since the calves get opened and closed a lot it puts stress on the front seams. ABS paste is brittle and not very forgiving, whereas E-6000 stays flexible.

Coming along nicely, Chuck! You won't be disappointed that you removed all those return edges. Trust me. Do you have your boots yet? The reason I ask is that it makes it MUCH easier to size the calves if you have them to wear when sizing. Otherwise, you may measure them too loose (or tight) which will throw off the connections in the back. Keep those photos rolling in!

Folding Stock The folding stock for the ROTJ version was (for the most part) the same as the L2A3. However, 2 differences I noticed were that there is a rivet in the section that folds out (left side only). I have no idea why it's there, but it will lock the stock in place when present, so that may be why they did it. There is also a hole toward the rear. I have drilled these out (below) and will add the rivet in the front, and since the rear hole seems to have a backing of some sort I will probably just glue a tiny ABS scrap behind it before re-painting. Reference images One more tiny detail is that unlike the L2A3 type, an E-clip is present behind the bolt on the stock hinge (both sides). Looks like a trip to the hardware store! Reference images E-clip

Scope OK, back to it. Just when I thought I'd nailed the scope, in studying the reference images closer I noticed that the small brass grommet I had used on the front end was too small (photo 1). Even though I made the knurled screw insert (photo 3) I just wasn't happy with the look. I searched everywhere for a more accurate one but to no avail. I also was not over the moon with the overall shape of the rear part, but was not up to sculpting a new one. I ordered the mounting bracket on ebay: I know I'm getting WAY too finicky, and that many of these details will never be noticed, but that's just in my nature so thanks for bearing with me. Reference images Note: In the reference images (first 2 pics above) a few of the front sections were bent up, but not all of them.. I wonder if this was because they got caught up on the holster. I also noticed that some of the front sections were not at the bottom but on the side (last pic above). I'm sure either would be fine, but I'm going with the bottom. After some serious consideration, I decided to bite the bullet and ordered an accurate replica aluminum Stembridge scope. A bit pricey but well worth it imo. 1 2 3 You will need to cut out a section of the scope rail for the mounting hardware. Easy to do with a Dremel, but leave something (a small lip) for the mount to grab onto.

Ouch. So sorry to hear about your loss! Getting that ratio exact is not easy, but with the syringes you should be fine. Since I know zip about 3D printing, following Andrews and Glen's advice is a great idea. For some hard to reach areas I used the Bondo glazing and then sanded with 3M silicone sandpaper wrapped around the flattened end of a craft (popsicle) stick. This sandpaper truly is a miracle. It is insanely flexible so you can bend it into any shape, it will not tear, and seems to forever. It's also washable! (I did an entire TK and an E-11 build with one 5 x 7 sheet and it's still going strong)! They don't make it anymore, but I can send you enough of the 150 and 220 grit to get you through this build (no charge), just PM me.

As per usual (and to echo Andrew's comment) this is one fantastic submission, brother (not that I expected any less from you)! You are in the queue, sir!

Face it, brother... you have the eye for detail now and there's no getting around it.. (we should start a 12 step program for those of us who are bitten by this bug)!

Welcome, Kenny, and glad to have you here! We are here to help every step of the way with your build, so you are doing the exact right thing by posting up pics before permanently attaching the ears. Can you post up a side view for us? It looks like you haven't attached the cap to the face plate yet- which is a good thing. It will make it MUCH easier to cut out the teeth and finish cutting out the eye openings without having it as one piece, as it can get kind of unwieldy. Keep the questions (and photos) coming and never be shy about asking us anything, especially when in doubt. We are here for ya', and I look forward to seeing your progress!

I did the exact same thing with the aluminum "moon" and it has worked out great. I like the heft that the metal stock gives as well. "Note that tiny little sight. I'm trying to decide if I need to make a better one or if I can just overlook that itty bitty thing". Yeah, I would. I have always made my own by cutting the head off of a machine screw and then grinding down the end (you could use a metal file, though). Just Dremel off the old one, drill a hole and screw it in.. done deal. Crappy illustration, but you get the point, lol.

The good thing about silicone is that it is almost indestructible, stays flexible and will never turn yellow. I sell these (link) but postage is high to the UK (like £17). I believe Chris from the UKG may be your best bet, though and his run about £25 (shipped). link here

Way to go Garrett! Looking forward to seeing your Expert Infantry submission!

Front/Top greeb This was another part where I was not too happy with the design as it came (2). It did have the round bit on the right side with the 5 holes, but it was a bit too short, had the small bar in the center and lacked the small arc on the bottom of the front, so I ended up making one from scratch (3). Side note: This is the first SW weapon I have ever seen where they used phillips-head screws (1). 1 2 3

Really nice job on the trimming, Chuck, and I'm sure that belt sander saved you a ton of time! Looks like you took the right amount off of everything to start with, and the Dremel will be perfect for the detail trimming (wrist openings and such). Keep up the great work, and keep those photos coming!

As Glen said, don't go near it. Not just because there are dozens of issues with it's terrible details, but also the fact that it is way (and I mean WAY) overpriced. There are lots of "vetted" sellers listed in the thread he gave you a link to that can supply a fantastic kit for less money. You can also find kits on ebay etc. where you can pick up a set for a few hundred dollars, but you get what you pay for. Cheap re-cast garbage. Other advantages to purchasing from one of our "tried and true" sellers is that you know you are getting not just quality, but great customer service. Whoever you decide on, know that we are here for you every step of the way, from helping you find a kit to the build and beyond, so never be shy about asking questions. It's what we do here!

That weapon is looking fantastic, Gerald! I am thinking you read through my post here, but I would not suggest using the XTC epoxy on the shroud. The reason is that it is not very viscous and it will drip though the holes into the barrel inside and make a mess. After a thorough sanding with 200 grit, in addition to the Bondo glazing I just applied 2 coats of the primer/filler. Bada-bing, bada-boom. Ready for paint, but don't forget to cover the area where the T-tracks will be with tape first.

SUPER nice job on this build, Chris.. lots of great attention to detail! The only things I can suggest at this point are to rotate the shoulder bells back a little which will help close up the gap in the back, and maybe drop the left forearm down a bit so that the gaps between them and the top of the hand guards are the same on both sides. Once you get your Basic approval, I hope to see your submission for Expert Infantry!

Thanks! I'm no Vern, lol.. this has been a challenging (but fun) build so far and I've learned a lot about this under-rated weapon. The only part I'm concerned about is the U channels for the shroud when I get to that point. BUT....

Hammers These caused me the most trouble. The ones that came with the kit were the right size, but the design was off (top photo). So, time to start from scratch. After 3 tries I finally got it as close as I could (middle photo) to the reference image (bottom photo). Perfect? Nope. Close? I think so. I made a mold and cast them in resin so they would match.