Anzo

Thank you for that distinction Q. Something to consider then if I decide to go for higher certs.

Oh is that so? So if I left them too big, they would be more prone to cracking? Good call so probably 5 mm or less is more appropriate you think?

The back seems to be much less based on another photo. So maybe 5 mm if that. Can anybody else confirm? And finally, I never really saw much of a difference in the cod pieces between TFA and TLJ. With this shot of the executioner though, it is pretty clear. So I'm going to either have to procure a second, TLJ appropriate cod or modify my TFA one, so long as it is acceptable for both of my suits. That's for a later time though.

I found the answer to my question proposed above on the return edges for the chest and yoke. Today is my birthday and my wife gave me... As I perused the opening pages, I found my answer in John Boyega's foreword. There is a photo of him in UAE in his suit at a perfect angle to see the yoke an chest pieces. If I had to estimate those are about 15 - 20mm thick. I'll pencil in those measurements soon and see how it looks before trimming. Not too far off from what I drew in my photos above.

Thanks for the link. Yeah that portion is causing me some anxiety as well. In other news, the rest of my parts came today. Hand guards that were missing from the initial box and the Executioner parts: shoulders, extra back portion and black yoke pieces. Holidays are a bad time of year to get started on a kit! Trying to get a piece or two cut per day. For my ANH TK, I found score and snap to be the best method but I'm super glad I invested in a pair of straight and curved lexan scissors this time around. WAAAAY easier. Here's a link to what I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KN0RQM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Trimming is coming along slowly but surely. Holidays, work and family stuff taking precedent right now but I'm getting a few pieces cut every other day or so. I was re-watching TFA in prep for next week and will go back to it for reference photos on the yoke and back piece return edges.

Some of the cut lines are fairly easy to find/see on this armor. Others...not so much. I'm a little unclear how much return edge I'm supposed to have on the Yoke pieces. Input appreciated. This is the Yoke proper. Looking at the photos in Tony's thread, it appears that there should be no return edge on the medial sides of the yoke. So should I cut these completely? Right Distal Yoke (sorry, pharmacist here so I'm using medical terms). There appears like there should be some edge on this portions. How many mm's we talking here? I trimmed some of the excess on the Left Distal Yoke but realize that it should be more than this right? Not sure of the proper term for this piece but it connects the yoke and the back. So the Bridge perhaps? At any rate it appears like there should be no return edge across where I have already cut, but how much on the outer edges needs to go? Finally the back piece. I've roughly marked up what I think needs to go but just need affirmation.

Greetings and salutations fellow troopers. At long last I have received my FOTK kit. It has been a long road that started in June 2016. Anovos unveiled a Premier FOTK kit that was promised to ship in Sept 2016. Welllllllllll, that kit still hasn't shipped to the poor folks who purchased that. I jumped out back in March and ordered a kit from KB Props. Unfortunately, life got in the way for KB but at long last I received most of my TFA kit last week. I was hopeful to suit up for the Ep 8 premier as a member of the First Order, but that just isn't realistically going to happen. I say "most" as there are few little pieces missing, namely the hand guards and the TD "holder" (the 3 ridged piece), which KB will send soon. Also coming from KB is an executioner "upgrade" kit with a black yoke, second back piece and black shoulder bells. I already have a TFA FOTK helmet from Anovos and have the Executioner helmet on order from them too, for now. Surprising to nobody, it has been delayed to next quarter. Goal: Basic approval for TFA FOTK and TLJ Executioner. The builds are similar enough that I hope to get two costumes out of only a little extra effort. By documenting my build and efforts to achieve that goal, I hope and seek your input as I progress on how to best accomplish this goal. Quick Links for my own convenience: Inspiration Build Threads: The great and always thorough Ukswrath's thread. Ruthar's Fabulous KB Build TFA FOTK CRL TLJ Executioner CRL Previous Build Experience: Anovos ANH-S, Centurion certification. Body Stats: Since this matters to some people considering a build, I am providing my body composition at time of build. Ht - 6 ft 0 in (1.83 meters) Wt - 205 lbs (93 kg) Somewhere between Mesomorph and Endomorph body type (I'm muscular but I also like ice cream ) Parts Origin: Buckets: Anovos Standard Line TFA and Anovos TLJ FOTK Helmet from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Kit: KB Props FOTK + Executioner add-on Helmet Fans - Henry's Helmet Fans Helmet Audio - Ukswrath's FO Audio kit Gaskets: Geeky Pink's Phantastic Gaskets - Cloth Boots/Gloves: Imperial Boots Belt: Belts of the First Order Blasters - Hestonkent's F-11D blaster with shoulder stock. Laser Axe from Stormtrooper on Weekends Supplies/Tools: Belt Sander - Others have sworn by this and I am now one of them. Great for quick sanding and creating a nice clean straight edge for seams. Contour Gauge - great for trimming the Ab boxes! Gaffer's Tape Heat Gun Industrial Strength Velcro - white, low profile, 3'x1" Lexan Scissors - curved and straight Neodymium 1.26" x 1/8" disc magnets x 6 Needle File Set - for pill holes and general filing needs Rotary Tool Tungsten Carbide Dremel Tip - for the pill holes. Weld-On ABS Cement - 1 Quart (1 Pint would probably be enough) Build Chapters: 1. Trimming (Admittedly, I do not go into great detail on how to trim most of KB's armor outside of the below links, you are better served looking elsewhere for this info) Miscellaneous Trimming Stuff Shin Accuracy Ab Boxes Chest Hole Filing Pill Hole Drilling (Chest, Biceps, Shins) 2. Assembly Ab/Kidney (bottom of linked post) Ab Box bolting to Ab piece Biceps Pt 1 Biceps Pt 2 Forearms Greeblie Sanding and Shaping Seam Filling (Forearms, Shin Boxes, Ab Kidney) Seam Filling (Yoke) Shoulder Bells (towards the middle of the linked post) Shin Boxes Shin Closure Overlap Spats Pt 1 (middle of the post) Spats Pt 2 Thermal Detonator Pt 1 Thermal Detonator Pt 2 Thighs Thigh Holster Yoke 3. Painting My FOTK was pro painted by a friend so this is mostly about preparation for that. I will be painting the black pieces of the Executioner Yoke and Bells and will update when I do that) Paint Prep Paint Progress 4. Strapping Ab/Kidney Magnetic Closures Belt Butt Plate to Back Chest to Back Cod to Ab Decal Application Gaffers Tape (Shins, Biceps, Chest) Gaskets Velcro Hand Plates Knee Plates Posterior Prep (towards the bottom of the linked post) Shins Shoulder Bell to Yoke Spats Thigh Supports 5. Progress Checks First Test Fitting Second Test Fitting (upper body mostly) Submission Photos Epilogue: 18 months later... Finishing up the Executioner costume.

Thanks for the reply. Yes I'm aware that only the TLJ -E has the all black tip on the TD. To clarify my question...I have a TFA FOTK helmet already and was planning on building a TFA FOTK. I also have an extra yoke, back, shoulder bells coming in order to do a TLJ -E outfit as well. Obviously doing a different helmet for the E. My concern is that I will have to get another set of biceps for the Exec suit. I suppose I'll just wait until the kit arrives from KB and decide then. Just didn't expect that difference to pop up.

So the Biceps are for sure not transferable from standard FOTK to Executioner? I was hoping to have one less group of pieces to buy as I'm trying to dual build FOTK and Executioner. Also, the wording on the TD in the CRL is unclear. The lefthand end cap extends from the detonator assembly and is black all around the cylinder as well as the end surface. A white stripe is present around the end of the cylinder that extends slightly onto the circular surface. The left-hand end cap extends from the detonator assembly and is all black. The first bullet seems to be a carry over from the FOTK TD.

You just have to keep at it with Anovos for the refund. They say 15 business days but after 2 refunds through them, it is 15 at a minimum.

I’m shocked, SHOCKED I tell you that they got delayed! PS- I’m not shocked. Anovos is becoming increasingly better at shipping helmets in a somewhat timely fashion but they suck at shipping full costumes.

You can contact Imperial Gaskets on the forum here for rubber or cloth gaskets. I've heard nothing but good things about them. Personally, I used Geeky Pink's Phantastic Gaskets via FB at the recommendation of a garrison mate and am very pleased with them. She made me a harness to fit it all together as well as a neck seal. Just PM her for details. She is very quick on response and in her turnaround time. https://www.facebook.com/GeekyPinksPhantasticGaskets/ EDIT: Gah! Jayben Kenobi Ninja'd me!

I had the Anovos Premier kit on order since last June but decided to cancel after so many shipping delays. It was originally promised in Sept 2016, now maybe Q2 2017 due to a defect in their helmet manufacturing process. I got my original TK kit from them and am quite happy with it, but again it was 4-5 months after their original expected ship date. So while the standard kit available now for pre-order looks nice, I have zero confidence that it will ship in Q3. If you are willing to wait though, that is probably your best option. After cancelling with Anovos I ordered a kit from KB Props, which should be arriving in the next few weeks. I bought an Anovos FOTK helmet (pictured in my avatar) in early 2016 which I will be using with the KB armor. If Anovos could get their shipping estimates accurate I'm not sure I would buy from anyone else. KB has good history and customer feedback though from my research.

I had the premier line kit on order and received an email from them today that they are delaying it yet again (originally said to ship in Q3 2016) due to manufacturing defects with the helmet. I've decided to get a kit from another maker and cancelled today.

Looking good trooper! It will be nice to have another Centurion in CCG.

Good points. Thanks for the input!

Hey all, I'm looking for opinions on cloth vs rubber gaskets for FOTK kits. I have an Anovos Premier line on order that keeps getting delayed (surprise, surprise). That will include latex gaskets. Perhaps all these delays will be for the best though as I'm thinking that cloth gaskets might be better for me while trooping. Breathability and all that. If so then I can cancel this kit and go with KB Props/Jim and piece meal the soft parts from other sources. So I'd appreciate input from current troopers on their day to day experience with rubber gaskets or cloth ones. Thanks in advance!

Fingers crossed! Thanks for the updates.

Do you have his email because you are a friend or does he give it out? In other words, are you free to share that with me?

I'm not optimistic about Q1 shipping anymore for the premier kit. Nothing to back that. Just a feeling.

Congrats! Looks great.

Congrats and welcome!

Tagging for later reference. Helping a friend with his build and need to shim the kidney plate.

Hey Heston please check your PM's if you haven't already.