Lailaith

The police were nice about it. The biggest issue was the insurance company. They categorized it as clothing. They didn't want to count in all the labor I put into it and are only giving me $300 for it. I'm super pissed at that.

I had not yet been approved so I don't have a TK#. I'll definitely do that going forward if I can afford to make another one. So far insurance is only giving me $300 for it. With everything we had that was stolen rebuilding my suit is not high on the priority list. I put my name down for ordering a new kit but it will probably be a year before I can get started again. Right now I'm looking to see If I can just buy someones old one just because I'm set back so far. I waited a year for my parts, 2 years of building on and off. If I go at the same pace I'll be at 6+ years since I started this. I'm waiting to hear back from someone who's selling theirs an hour away from me but its a the original style, not first order. I at the point where I want to start trooping and I'm willing to compromise. If I go pre-built my biggest issue is how tiny I am 5'5" with a slim build. I had done so much modification on my build trying to get it to fit right and it still looked silly.

I actually just laid out the entire costume since I had it in multiple places throughout my garage. Total casualties include helmet, abdominal/ kidney, competed bicep and forearm pieces, and the lens to my riot shield. It sucks that they are gone, but at the same time I’m glad they didn’t take my completed thermal detonator (that was a slave Leia to put together). The rest has been moved to a more secure location for the time being. I’m still checking Craig’s list and Facebook marketplace regularly but so far no luck.

I also discovered they took the abdominal/ kidney section of the suit as well as all the rubber gaskets.

Hey guys, I know this is a long stretch but I figured I would post anyway. My garage was broken into this week and sadly my TFA stormtrooper helmet was one of the items stolen. Thankfully the rest of my suit was left behind. If anyone sees anything online about an unfinished one for purchase I'm trying to track mine down. So if anyone sees anything from the Sacramento CA area on Facebook Marketplace, Craigs List, or Ebay could you let me know? I know it was only $150 but it does have some sentimental value to it (my father was helping me with my build before I moved 3000 miles across country). The helmet was incomplete (no paint and the lenses were not glued in yet). But it does have some identifiable features. It made by KB Props (no logo inside the helmet sadly). The grill has holes drilled in it for breathing. There is remnants of a crack on the back of the helmet (mostly sanded down). The photos I have are too big to upload to this site but I do have some photos of it on my instagram off_duty_stormtrooper I know it's unlikely anything will pop up but if anyone sees anything that could be it, please reach out. Thank you.

So I've been away from the forums for a while but I've been busy working on my suit. Between preparing to move 3000 miles away and my mac dying I haven't had time to edit the videos I've been taking (over 100GB now). But I figured I'd post some photo updates of my progress. http://s345.photobucket.com/user/Lailaith/library/Stormtrooper%20build-%20First%20Order?sort=3&page=0

I'm looking for recommendations for glue and bonding materials. I see a lot of people use different things and I can't decide what types I should invest in. I know that each has its pros and cons but it's hard to find a good list of what each does, such as one is more flexible, some are more durable etc. I already picked up some E6000 (haven't used it yet). Just looking for other options. <br><br> The next segment I'm working on is the thermal detonator so I know that won't need flexibility as other items may need. So I'm looking for something that will be strong and hold its shape.

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31877-ukswraths-fotk-build-thread-tk-10116/

I haven't done any work since posting that video. I did get myself a dremel and sheers though. I feel like my next step should be warping the abdominal plate around so I can get that fit to my body. I haven't been able to find any resources or videos on how to do anything like that. I'm assuming that I would use a heat gun, but I am very worried on how that will effect the material. l also do not know how to achieve the shaping that I need to have done so I can get it to match my tiny physique. My only experience with a heat gun is from removing vinyl decals from trucks, and that was almost 10 years ago. Anyone here have suggestions for what I need to do?

I haven't done too much work yet but I started to document all the steps I am taking. I am open to all feedback and suggestions on my build and video.

Thanks for that link! I was looking for great clear shots from the side profile with no luck. This is going to be a great reference to have. THANK YOU!

I have already reached out to NEG for some more local expertise on the build. I have a mentor, but he has yet to do a TFA. Just wanted to open this up to a wider range and get all the advice I can before I dig myself into a hole. I know that there are only a handful of people out there that have built and modded a TFA kit like I may need to. I think the biggest thing I need to know is where is it ok to cut (places that wont be seen) as well as how to keep it looking normal proportionally as I trim it down. If I have to trim something that is outward facing (for example I may need to trim the chest plate down), what is the best method for that and how much is considered ok. Are there pieces that I should use as a standard reference or as a starting point as to not throw off proportions. Are there pieces I can get away with padding up as opposed to trimming. Are there pieces that I should avoid trimming entirely?

I'd post a couple of other photos on here if I could to show the size adjustments I'd need to make, but I can't seem to figure out how to do that. I'm mostly concerned with how much and where am I able to trim on the various parts. For example, the kidney and abdominal pieces go up to almost my arm pits. I don't want to cut off too much in the wrong area and then prevent that from approval.

So I finally got my kit for TFA stormtrooper. I have never built any sort of costume so I have been doing a lot of research on this site while anxiously awaiting for this to arrive. I understood that I would need to modify the armor on arrival as I am 5'5" and on the skinny side. Now that I see it in front of me, it seems that I will have to do much more modification than anticipated. As it is there are not too many guides for First Order armor construction. Just looking for a recommendation for where to start. So far I have my kit spread out and labeled everything that I could identify. There are still a good number of smaller pieces that I have not identified yet. The kit is from KB Props (full armor, helmet, and shield) and came pre-trimmed. I also have boots and gloves from imperial boots. I have not yet ordered any of the gaskets or under clothing. Should I wait to purchase the gaskets prior to trimming the armor or should I attempt to adjust the size of the armor first? If I jump into cutting the armor down to size is it easier/better to start with the torso or limbs? Any advice is much appreciated.