bobafret
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Posts posted by bobafret
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Good morning all!
I haven't ever posted up one of our armor parties here - we normally just do so on our Garrison boards, but I am inspired by other posts I have seen here and figured this might be a good venue to share information with potential new TK that haven't found our Garrison boards yet.
We will be holding an armor party in Highlands Ranch on Saturday June 24 from NOON-4pm (time was wrong in title sorry!). If you are interested please PM me for address details! As always, these are open to those working on armor or just considering it and wanting to see pieces up close and ask questions. I normally have my own AP armor out for viewing and do a full kit-up depending on the attendees. If you're working on armor or just want to see how all the pieces and parts get cut and put together hit me up for details!
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Thighs can be trimmed at the top, you just want to follow the contour line of the armor so that the shape remains the same. I like to just be able to bend my leg at the knee without significant interference from the armor. You can also make cuts in the bottom back of thigh and top back of shin for mobility if necessary. You do see those crescent-shaped cuts on film.
As for the back of thigh size - you can shim there, or if it is more like 1/2" you can probably get away with just covering with cover strip and backing on the inside with a strip. Make sure you are fitting with your undersuit on and not over jeans or shorts. All fitting should be done exactly as the armor will be worn (shoes on, undersuit on). That way you get the real correct fit.
Hope that helps!
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47 here! Welcome aboard - white looks great with gray!
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I built my AP to Centurion status and LOVE the armor.
That sniper plate though! What a wrestling match - haha!
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Good job Brian!
On the thigh ammo belt also just get a little white paint on the rivet heads. I used a little dab of E6000 in the center inside of mine to ensure it doesn't droop down.
Also as a general rule for finishing on the cover strips you can do a little 45 degree clip on each corner so it's not a sharp corner. Just a tiny little clip off of each corner will help to prevent snags.
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classic white TK will give you the largest range of opportunities. While it is the rare occasion, there are troops that just want TK and Vader. Things like doing the Weird Al show and opportunities direct from Lucasfilm are some notable ones. Again, they are rare, but it is a consideration. Also you will need to get used to being called Vader a LOT as a Shadow. No slight to my friends in black - I have a number of them in the Mountain Garrison. Just wanted to answer your specific questions. AP makes great armor that has lineage to original suits - beautiful plastic quality and high standards. I've personally seen TK and would stay away from that one as the example I saw was NOT approvable due to incorrect detailing and shoddy plastic quality (significant pitting and pocking). Significantly varied in quality of kits and pretty dodgy. Just my two cents there.
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Build thread and attendance at armor parties is a great way to ensure you have all the feedback you need along the way. Makes for a MUCH easier approval process! Have fun on your build!
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I just wanted to comment about how beautiful that bicep job looks. That is really fun to look at. So clean and pretty. You are going to have some NICE armor.
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Looking good! That face is intimidating to cut into isn't it? You did great - cut a little wide then file to perfection - that's the path I took as well.
Sounds like you've got the right attitude with research research research and then make the cut.
I would encourage you to shoot for Centurion out of the gate. It's easiest to do it when you are doing the build, and the little extra steps really aren't much when you consider all the work you are doing to put it together.
Keep rocking your build!
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Excellent bro can't wait to see the update.
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Yo Brian where you at on this one?
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Hi Jason! FISD is totally a wealth of info - glad you found it. Of particular interest may be the EIB and Centurion submission threads. At the very start I kind of thought that section was only for those who were in that process. But it's a GREAT section to lurk. You can see pics of all of the different armors laid out and see the suggestions made to bring those to the highest level of screen accuracy. Hopefully this will encourage you to strive for Centurion right out of the gate!
Welcome and enjoy this new obsession!
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Good job on finding those cover strip spots on the shins. Anovos is a challenging mold with that but I found the same as you, when you get it in the light it's pretty good.
Back of the shins look pretty close. 30mm might be stretching, but there is allowance on the cover strips for larger troopers. Have you been in contact with your local Garrison during this build and reached out to your local GML? The GML makes the call basically on suitability and some are stricter than others. That guidance during your build will be helpful. I am GML in Mountain Garrison and I love to work with any new applicants as they are going through their builds. That way you ensure whatever solution you implement doesn't impede any approval.
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Build for Centurion. Much easier than trying to do it afterward. It's really very negligible additions to the work you will already be doing.
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Your helmet has opposite rank bars painted - the right side has the furthest bar toward the back painted (accurate for Centurion) while the left side has the furthest bar toward the front painted. They should match. The decals on your helmet are also pretty sloppy. Particularly the back left side which doesn't seem to fit at all, and the left teardrop. You might consider hand painting these details as the decals look obviously "decalish" on this helmet.
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Couple things for you brother:
First on your forearms. There is a molded section on each forearm that the cover strip on one side should sit on top of. I believe it's the left forearm where this is VERY distinct on the anovos kit, and the right arm just has a flat section instead of the raised ridge. That ridge should be just wide enough for your cover strip to cover. The arms should be 15mm cover strips so you're basically looking at trimming all but 7.5mm from each side so that the total width of that ridge (or flat area) is about a 15mm width. Then when you glue on your cover strip, it will lay perfectly over that ridge. You can then size as necessary by trimming on the opposite side.
With your biceps, you can remove ALL of the return edge at top and bottom of the bicep. That will give you more room. You can also cheat a bit if you need to by shimming under the cover strips (also 15mm) so you could get some extra room that way.
Finally, make sure when you are fitting and trimming you are WEARING YOUR UNDERSUIT. Don't fit to bare skin. When you trim armor you should ideally have undersuit and shoes/gloves as appropriate. You want the wrist side of forearm to ideally have no return edge but then just barely fit over a gloved hand. This ensures you can get them on over your gloves, but also that you don't look like Popeye with huge disproportionate forearms on the other end of the spectrum. Anovos trim lines are WAY wide of where you ultimately will end up trimming to.
Also if you haven't, check out ukswrath Anovos build thread. It is SO detailed, has pictures and measurements and everything. It was invaluable when building my daughter's Anovos kit. You can find that here:
http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/35086-ukswraths-anovos-tk-build/
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Is it ok to remove the return edges off of the shoulder bells? I need to get them closer to the chest armor and that would help a lot.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
Yes that is perfectly acceptable. Return edge is all a matter of preference. The only place it is addressed in the CRL is actually where it requires REMOVAL of all return edge on wrist of forearm for higher levels of approval. All other return edges are personal preference. While I am a strong proponent of leaving edge where possible to maintain illusion of armor thickness, trim for fit is sometimes inevitable. Shoulder bell is definitely one of those areas.
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You are doing good work with that kit man. The button fix was clever and your strapping system is looking good. Seems to be coming together nicely.
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Looking really awesome Mike!
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Welcome to the team! Enjoy your build - it is such a fun and unique process!
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On 3/23/2017 at 11:24 PM, TK ARMOUR UK said:
Not a Bogus tracking number.
Delivered just like the other 74 boxes I sent out
Unfortunately your armor is sub par and definitely not fit for Basic Approval. For anyone interested in details please see this thread:
http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/40067-tkuk-armor-is-it-a-rippoff/
You pop up just long enough to encourage sales but give no information about lineage or source of your molds. I personally have seen your armor and documented with pictures exactly why it is sub-par and unfit. When my applicant asked for a refund, he was given one but he was then told to send that armor off to another customer in the US "to save on customs costs". How could any reputable manufacturer take a sub par product and then with no Quality Control Checking ask one customer to send their return product to a new paying customer?
In short, you are evasive, your business practices are shady, and the product that I have seen personally is not of sufficient quality for application to the 501st.
Any prospective 501st member should surely look elsewhere. A list of vetted armor makers can be found here:
http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/
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All the items you mention yourself are good catches. Cuts in back of knee are fine but do more rounded they are like a longer rounded half oval. Check screen ref pics I am on iPad so don't have them here.<br><br>
Anovos belt connection is the only glaring issue I see. Should only be connected with the bottom 2 Chicago screws. You need to remove the top two and repair fabric or just replace the belt. That is the only addition I would make to your own commentary.<br><br>
Good job! Just a bit more work and you should be ready to submit to your GML!
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OT TK is most likely going to be your best bet. Fitted and trimmed properly you have good mobility. I have ANH Stunt TK and I can do stairs, sit, kneel, and kit up and down completely by myself in less than 15 minutes.
Add to this the fact that there are WAY more resources for builds and armor, I'd be strongly leaning toward ANH Stunt TK. It's also going to be significantly less expensive to build.
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E6000 pretty much pulls apart. You can freeze parts if they are particularly stuck but normally patience and strength does the trick. E6000 on surfaces just rubs off like rubber cement.<br><br>
I can only fit one fan in my AP bucket I would face both in. Will draw air through mouth and neck. Leave some gap in lenses to allow air flow and minimize fogging
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FencingCorvetteTrooper's Triple Trooper Build (AP ANH Stunt)!
in ANH Build Threads
Posted
AWESOME! I built two kits myself when I started out in just under 9 weeks. Anovos for my daughter and AP for myself. Every spare minute I had I was sanding or cutting or dremeling or glueing or unglueing or riveting. I think I had ABS dust permanently in my nose for much of that time.
Enjoy the process it is really fun.