steamboatphan

Got my imperial gaskets assembled and strapped up. These are the rubber ones, and they are super HOT and not very comfortable. I will only be using these for approval pics and possibly trading card photos, as they look great! sacrificing comfort for appearance until the fabric gaskets show up. Oh, and my TK trading cards showed up today too

I'm about to cut mine tonight too! Our build pages are gonna look identical now [emoji14] Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

i will have a nylon belt under this. also i'm thinking of adding foam to thicken it up (like in Ukswrath's build) The boxes are solid. but hollow inside.

Getting ready to assemble the belt. I still need to paint the bottom halves of the horizontal boxes black. (i'm thinking flat black, instead of gloss). In Ukswrath's build, he uses rubber blocks for the bottom halves. I wonder if Plasti-dip would work for this? I'm afraid it would rub off though. Thoughts? I also have no clue on how i'm going to attach the boxes. I've seen belt loops glued to the back of the boxes, magnets, and chicago screws.... I want the easiest most secure way to attach. Preferably, without any drilling into the boxes. Thoughts on this?

That is a thing of beauty Griffin! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

Yes, I used XTC-3D on my pistol... the stuff works great.... dries/cures super fast... but works great! As far as the print lines go: They are bad! all the pics he's advertised his blaster with are finished nicely. Everyone else is using crappy cameras or bad lighting to take pics of theirs. I used my Samsung S6 for all the pics on this thread, and the details come out nicely. But like i said in the review.... you get what you pay for.

Heston's F11-D came in the mail today!!! I ordered this on February 5th, so I've been waiting awhile for it. I got the removable stock option for $214 http://www.h3dsolutions.com/shop/ep-vii-st-blaster-swappable-stockend-cap-version Since i've been waiting so long for this blaster, my hopes were built up high on the quality of it. There have been plenty of reviews on FISD about how great it is. So i will go over the pros and cons, now that it's in my hands: Pros: Ridiculously light-weight - this blaster is 100% 3D printed so you can hook it on the holster without it weighing you down Removable Stock - This is is a great option to have mainly because if you want to have it on the holster. the end cap needs to be glued on, but after you do that, the stock kinda just pops into place. there is no turning or latching mechanism to keep it on, so i will be adding thin earth magnets to keep it more secure. (i'll probably plasti dip or spray paint the gun-side magnet for appearance) Size - This thing is huge compared to an E-11. Its got a couple more inches in length without the stock on. With it on, it's just awesome. I will probably troop mostly with the stock on and my blaster pistol holstered to my thigh. Detail - This is the 501st edition, so there are decals in place to make it more accurate. Folding Handle - Yes, the handle in front comes down and clicks into place. it does not fold down the full 90 degrees though. Price - This is the cheapest fully assembled and painted Blaster out there folks.... you wont find a better price for this anywhere. Cons: Print Lines - There are a ton!! i used some stuff called XTC-3D on my pistol, which removed the print lines. Heston, it seems, made no effort to remove any of them. In some spots its very prominent. Damaged during shipping - NOOOO!!! after waiting 3 1/2 months, it gets to my door with a smashed in light on the front (the silver part below the muzzle). I've contacted Heston to see what he can do for me. Trigger - I will not be letting any kids hold my blaster during troops like i normally do. this trigger is just glued in place and will snap off if any curious kids get their hands on it. Paint - I guess there was a long delay on these blasters because Heston needed to paint them each by hand. As far as i can tell, these are just printed with black and white plastic. I could be wrong though. there are a couple of tiny spots on the blaster that aren't very clean. Overall, i'm pretty happy with this blaster. I got what i paid for. Later on down the line, i will probably upgrade to a kit or wait for a nicer fully assembled one like Hyperfirm. I was so Bummed when i saw this damage. I think i may be able to pull it out and repair though. Leaving it as is for now.

Thighs are all done! and i love how they turned out!! The clips and holster are not Jim's. I've been getting a lot of PM's asking where I got them. After checking with my buddy to see if he was cool with me posting his personal FB page on here, he gave me the green light. So, here you go! Just shoot him a PM http://www.facebook.com/kingleezard?fref=ts

Here's a close-up of the gaffers tape:

Ok, there's a lot going on in this picture.... The tape over the chest vent and pill holes is gaffers tape. The snap plate in the center connects to a nylon strap running in between the shoulder pieces Which brings me to the neodymium magnets AKA rare earth magnets. there's 2 on each side CA glued in place (each magnet is 18mm X 3mm). The other 'receiving' magnets are on the inside of the shoulder pieces. just to be clear: They are touching my chest. If i had them on the outside of the shoulder pieces, there'd be a big gap between chest plate and shoulders/yolk. The white Velcro above the magnets is just an added precaution. The Black velcro on the right and left sides has a 2" wide black elastic strap connecting to the the back piece. The magnets on Top (closest to my neck) serve no purpose right now. (i'll explain later) This setup works well for me. Between the magnets and velcro, this puppy isn't goin anywhere. and it keeps the yolk pieces right where i want them so they dont pop out the side of the chest plate.

Gotcha. i just found them on the First Order Resource Guide. didn't make the connection

perfect! do you get a discount for that?

Thighs came out real nice! Shiny legs!! Be sure to tape off the area where the clips/greeblies will be glued!! you can probably see the strip of painters tape on mine. Better adhesion for the clips in the long run!!

Got some more painting done! The back piece was kind of a pain to paint, being that its so large and awkward to prop up while spraying. I used some polish after the paint cured to try and bring the shine out a bit more, but in the end, it just made it worse. Eventually down the line, this will get another coat of white. For now it's totally "troopable" and will pass approval no problem: You can see the pinhole i missed if you look closely. The black circle is one of the decals from trooperbay

I think I'm cool enough The undersuit was bought on extreme racing's webpage. http://www.extremeracing.co.uk/http-//www-extremeracing-co-uk/Costume-Body-Suits/Stormtrooper-Costume-Body-Suit/prod-10-html/prod_10.html Apparently, these were the same ones used onscreen. I probably wont end up using it though, because in all honesty..... it's flippin HOT! now i know why Finn was always sweaty in his stormtrooper shots. Gloves and boots are from http://www.imperialboots.com and i cant speak highly enough of them. Francois, who runs the company is excellent when it comes to customer service. TOP NOTCH! http://www.trooperbay.com for all your stormtrooping needs I got the belt and decals from here. very pleased with the material. and the decals fit perfectly so far (minus the top forearm stripe which i'll end up painting). I believe these guys sell the pouches as well. My pouches are from MTK. they are great! link http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/34805-for-sale-tfa-pouches/#entry453833 Gaskets: now i originally bought Jim's Gaskets and liked how they looked. However, they are very baggy and need to be altered IMO to fit under the armor better without bunching up. I just purchased some latex/rubber gaskets from imperial gaskets. I was able to get them right away, because, Wyatt, the owner, had a pair of factory seconds laying around. normally you have to be on a wait list, even for those! (i guess i just got lucky) He also makes fabric ones which are the best gaskets out there right now! I'm currently #70 on the waitlist and was #95 in February for the fabric gaskets (just to give you an idea of how backed up they are). Apparently, the anovos provided gaskets were really crappy and now Wyatt is making gaskets for pretty much everybody who has a FO kit now. Here is the link to Imperial Gaskets - http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31019-imperial-gaskets-more-upgrades/ Or if you are really good with a sewing machine, you can make your own! http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/34099-tfa-fabric-gaskets-how-to/ Hope this helps!

I can't see it either. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

That is sweet! Who makes that? What is SS? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

In transit today! So, roughly 5 days after you get the shipping label created. Should be here in 2 days!!! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

Shipping label was created on may 5th. How long did it take you guys for the blaster to go from "label created" to "out for delivery/in transit"? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

Thanks for the shoutout! Dynamic1 and I have actually been comparing notes thru the build process Here's mine (Evin): http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?/topic/36799-Jimmiraquois-First-Order-Stormtrooper-Build And Dynamic1: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/34984-dynamic1-fo-wip/ Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

I've noticed the biceps rub against the chest plate (a lot) and it's hard to keep my arms straight at my sides. Hopefully this will get better with everything strapped in place. Also, I need to connect the chest to the back piece (under my armpit) somehow. I'm thinking a shim underneath with velcro. I've seen a girl with the phasma armor just glue the chest and the back permanently together... but she must've had a tiny head or something. Right now my chest plate is staying on with a combination of magnets and velcro. I still need something more to secure it. My big issue is having the bottom of the shoulders slide out from behind the chest piece. Lots of brainstorming to do over the next week. I'll keep you guys posted. Also... I gotta work on gaskets, cuz if you get Jim's, they are very baggy/loose right out of the box and need to be altered. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

Here's a quick progress pic. I'm happy with how it looks. Now to just strap everything in this exact position! LOL Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

I don't think your gonna get a better match than that. Go for it! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk

EMS shipping (the fast one) was 309$ I believe Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk