[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

Closing on a full year since my last update and not much has changed. Personal issues with house moving got in the way.
Slowly getting back on this track however.

I have ordered my boots from here, on a recommendation:
https://keeptrooping.com/product/421-classic-white/

And I have the following shopping cart ready to go from trooperbay:

 

Not sure if their guide will help with my RS helmet or not, and I would get 2 of their ABS strips, just be super safe, since I have none of my own, and would need the full shins/bracer strips + a little big boy extra on the sides. I am not particularly big, but it seems the armor was made for rather thin dudes

If anyone has any input or advice before I go ahead with the purchase, please let me know. I'll leave the basket open for a day or two before I go through with it.

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

What with the house moving and an event in neighboring Bulgaria, I had to pull away from the project for a little bit.

That said, with a little help from Michael, I've checked out Trooperbay and found they might have the perfect solutions for my missing parts.

Most notably, my missing spare ABS:
 https://www.trooperbay.com/products/star-wars-stormtrooper-white-abs-plastic-extension-strips-armor-abs-cosplay-costume-501st-1-pair

And my missing helmet decals (ANH Hand painted):
https://www.trooperbay.com/products/rs-props-replacement-stormtrooper-helmet-decal-set-star-wars-stunt-sandtrooper-or-empire-strikes-back-cosplay?variant=41798212157590

They have so many awesome things in here, I'm thinking of placing a bigger order, for gloves (with latext handguards), velcro, snaps, rivets, tools, glues...

Would anyone possibly be available to help me with what I should grab from them?
I got the lists, just gotta pair what I need in the lists with what TB has for sale.

In the meantime, I should probably grab my E6000 and get back to work on the helmet.

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

In this source, from starwarshelmets.com, I see a few helmets with 5 nose holes. Should I consider doing this, or nah?

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

Cut out the eyes and the nose holes, also got imgur on my phone so I can upload directly

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

5 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

It can be hit and miss with color matching but it's definitely worth a try.

 

You can have either 3 or 4 holes trimmed, most have 4 for Stunt and only 3 for Hero version.

 

Some references

 

 

 

 

A great wegsite for references http://www.starwarshelmets.com/original-ANH-Stunt-Stormtrooper-armor-helmets.htm

That was all awesome, thank you!
So, I can clear cut my eye sockets, or not, it should be fine either way.
Since this is Stunt, it would seem to be more accurate most of the time, to leave it a little rough... but as personal preference, I'd go with the clean edge.
Please advise if you think this would affect clearance levels.

Also, I was wrong in my initial statement, RS do in fact do 4 cuts on each side, so that's what I'll go for, this also being stunt, it would make more sense, now that I've also gone through the provided refferences.
Will hopefully post an update tomorrow, with my cutout progress.

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

20 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Be very careful using a heat gun, can take some practice, I normally have a few pieces of wood handy, flat and curved depending what I want to shape, one pieces on either side, it helps to hold and smooth areas while they cool. If you just heat you may find the plastic begins to sag as it's loosing the tension of the heat vacforming.

 

Some use a hot water bath which is a little less heat. 

 

Here's a couple of color comparisons, and note these colors can change even with the same maker, they are affected by color change from manufacturer.

 

 

 

Do you think there will be a nasty difference if I try some random white ABS? Maybe give it some sun exposure, 1-2 days (probably not going to do much but still)

TM SEEMS like a somewhat decent match to RS... might try that...

In the mean time, I have started to cut the helmet holes. Not sure if I should be cutting right up to the edge on the eyes... I see in your helmet comparison that there are still some bits visible over the lens, would the absence of those prove a problem?

Also, on the nose holes, in the RS video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYtykuA24wY I have seen they only cut out 3 holes on each side. Should I go for 4, or just paint the last tiny ones on the sides in black?

 

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

Ok, here is my TK kit, through imgur, hopefully it works this time








The film provided is dark green tint:


I have a bit of dent on one of my shoulder bells, probably packing. Solvable with a heatgun?

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

1 hour ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Pretty much has all the info you would need

 

 

As for ABS well.color may be an issue, I have found RD a little off whiye compared to other makers, you may need to check around with ant local ABS plastic suppliers, I found a few here but they were very white.

Resources are good, I'll sort through them. Ty!

As for the ABS > I would like to see if anyone has RS ABS specifically. I think it's a shot, especially maybe someone from UKG or maybe even the German Garrison.
Or if anyone decides to order another TK, maybe they can also ask for an extra ABS sheet and I'll pay them for it + shipping to ro?

My only other shot, would be to ask one of my UK buddies to either show up at their door one day, or just buy/request an extra ABS sheet, and pay them to ship it to me.

It's all borderline shady stuff, I know, but I'm not going to MacGyver another abs sheet. I don't know what I am doing, and I really don't want to mess up this armor.

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

With a rather crowded work schedule so far, I've been slacking on photos.
In the mean time, does anyone have:
1. The list of tools and extras I would need to buy?
2. Possibly a 1 stop shop for these? Whatever country it might be in. Otherwise, I'd have to source from a load of different places, and wonder if I got the right items in the right sizes (inches>mm)
3. A source for extra abs from RS Props, OTHER than RS Props, as for above mentioned reasons, they have my whole country on ignore it seems.

In lieu of a single shop option, some links to the exact items in multiple stores would also work. It would take longer, but at least the sizes on things would work, and I wouldn't get stuck with off-brand knock-offs like the E6000 problems.  

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

6 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Same here.  I would definitely try imgur.com  It's free, and you can edit/store as many photos as you want to (I have over 11,000 so far).  

 

That is just sad :))

Guess I'll have to try imgur...

 

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

3 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

No requirements there.

 

Unfortunately you can't post Google images into the forums, most use Imgur or Flickr

Can't do it from Google Drive, but you can do it from Google Photos. As posted above, all those are just links from gp
Just copy & paste the image url in the post, and the forum auto-adds the bb code to make it a photo.

Will use this system going forward.

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

1 hour ago, TK6682 said:

Welcome in Brother!!! 

 

Hey Michael, thanks for the welcome man! Great to finally be here

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

4 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

You are better off having your photos in your thread, many won't follow your link elsewhere, plus it's hard to go back and forth to provide any feedback to your references  

 

 

I will repost the images in the thread. Any specific resolutions that people prefer?

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

3 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

The piece with the blue paint on it looks like cardboard and was probably for packing and not part of the kit.  The piece you need is a sheet of ABS which would be cut down into the cover strips.  Below is a photo showing how RS includes this (with a faceplate for size comparison).

 

 

If I were you, I would get in touch with RS (link here).  They have fantastic customer service and would probably be willing to sell you a replacement sheet.  One of RS' trademarks is the bumpy cap (just like the originals) so I do believe you have one of their kits.

 

Sadly, they are ignoring any messages from pretty much anyone in my country.

 

They are probably great guys, but they've decided to completely embargo my country, on account of this one nasty recaster guy, somewhere in the west.

Some of his helmets ended up on our stand at a con, for display, before we even knew what recasting was, and we've collectively been branded as supporters ever since.

A sad affair, but as we are not allowed to defend ourselves in any way, there's nothing we can do about it.

 

So my only chance for that sheet now, is to try to purchase it from someone else, or THROUGH someone else.

Which still feels sort of shady. I'd rather pay RS directly, obvs.

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

2 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

GREAT to have you here, Andrei!  Does the kit come with all the necessary cover strips for the arms and legs?  If so, can I ask what the need for the "extra" ABS is for?  The reason being is that if your kit does indeed include the strips. unless you need to shim out the ab/kidney connection you should be fine.  

 

Many of us install "inner" cover strips on certain parts for added strength (especially inside the front of the calves), but since they are not seen you can use any shade of white.

 

As Glen mentioned, posting up some photos of your kit would be really helpful so that we can give you some more precise info.  It would be especially good if you can also include some detailed photos of the entire kit (all parts).  This will allow us to determine what you will/will not need.

 

Know that we are here for every step of the way, future Trooper.  No question is too small, so always feel free to ask for advice (especially before cutting or gluing) .

 

We LOVE photos, so feel free to post as many as you like.  If you need help doing that, I have a thread here that will help.

 

Aștept cu nerăbdare să văd progresul!  

 

Awesome! I REALLY need the help, and do appreciate it!

 

I've checked out the image posting thread, and understand the hosting limitations of the forum. That said, I DO use Google Drive a lot, so this should work...

 

Here is my first image dump for now. Pulling the kit out of the box, and trying to understand things.

 

Links here should work:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fNN-letczZV9_wtEKt9XOezDopwJPWby

 

I think I see what you mean by the "strips". I thought there would be an ABS sheet for me to cut the strips out of. I have no clean strips in my kit.

 

Searching the kit box ... I found something rather distressing. A badly paint spilled ... cardboard-y sheet, with the same white base as the kit...

 

I suspect this might have been the sheet for my strips.

 

I got a couple of photos printed in the box as well, which might have been the initial kit this other guy probably put together (or just an example, to inventory everything).

UPDATE: They are inventory photos indeed, not my kit. The kit in the prints has some snaps installed, mine does not. Previous owner had printed them just for orientation.

 

In one of them, on the side of the kit, a white sheet/board can be seen. That's what gave me the thought of a board...

 

There are some detailed close-ups of imperfections in the armor, and the certificate, that I hope might prove wether this is an actual RS kit or not.

Not knowing what I should look for, I've just lopped it in.

 

Hopefully you guys can tell if this is legit or not.

More piece by piece images soon

 

 

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

53 minutes ago, fragarock said:

It can be daunting but you just have to dive in and go. Slowly you'll gain the confidence needed and after you've built a few pieces you'll be just fine.

Hand guards are a good place to start. Simple trimming and gluing. After that I'd work on the forearms then biceps.

I have a very detailed build thread from several years ago. It was tailored to shorter folks and thr trimming needed to make a kit fit us better but the techniques are universal for anyone. Mine was also a RS stunt kit.

Post questions and you'll get lots of good advice.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

 

Thank you very much sir!

I think I can search through your posts and locate it.

 

I have to see what I can assemble, without the extra ABS sheet, to start.

 

If anyone around here has an extra RS ABS sheet, or even usable strips at this point, I would be most interested in purchasing them off you!

[Toran's RS ANH Stunt build]

Hello all!

 

In my welcome message, a year ago, I had mentioned my plan to start a TK build, and the confusion it all presented me with, at the time.

 

Since then, I have made some progress.

 

Despite the country-wide ban from RS, due to some situation with an apparent recaster, I was able to procure what I THINK is a genuine RS Stunt kit, from an individual.

 

It seems to be in good order, has the certificate of authenticity with a proper reflective sticker and a confirmable signature on it...

 

So far so good.

 

It is missing two items though:

1. The extra ABS sheet. I have ABS sheets around, but the kit is slightly off-white, and from what I understand, that is how it's supposed to be. So I will need an RS ABS sheet for assembly.

 

2. The various armor stickers. Not a big deal, these I should be able to resolve.

 

That said, I will return with pictures of the armor, and am looking to Imperialboots for boots, undersuit, and other accessories.

 

I would love to get some help with my process, as I am a noob, and the build itself is something of a daunting ritual

 

I also hope that the pictures may help me understand if the armor is genuine RS, or a sneaky recast. I do not believe it is the latter, but I will defer to you guys on the matter.

 

[Hello from Romania]

Hey all!
ID-28589 here, XO from the Romanian Outpost, nice to meet you all!

I've been trooping for about 3 years now, in my Line and Staff officer uniforms, and figured it was about time I invested some energy into moving forward on my life-long dream, of getting a working TK setup.

I'll probably be buying in bits, as my paycheck doesn't exactly allow much room for "splurging" on a full TK set. Anovos is completely out of my mind as is

So, that said, I'll be looking for some EU based vendors, but more importantly, hopefully, I can find a "guide"? To help me through this rather daunting process?

I know times are rather rough with the virus and all, but as I am locked up in my house, I can at least get started.

Thanks in advance,
Andrei

[501st Trooper Status Requests (Include link to your 501st profile in your request!)]

Hello all!
ID-28589 Romanian Outpost, requesting 501st access, please!

http://501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=23353

Thank you,
Andrei Constantinescu