Ensi

I used the snap setting pliers, made everything sooooo easy! Good idea to vary everything up so you don't lose your mind.

So basically the strips of stuff you can use to seal up windows/doors/whatever? That's genius!!

Right now I have velcro on the knee plates too, but added the string for extra security. Where did you add the foam? I'm thinking of adding it around the entire upper torso (chest + yoke) as the ab seems to get a lot of beating from it. Also maybe under the shoulder bells.

So one mod I knew I needed to do was the kneeplates, pretty common and pretty easy to do. Elastic string around it to keep the kneeplates in place and keep them from falling off. These are just hairbands stapled to a piece of nylon webbing, which is glued to the kneeplates with 60sec. Also smothered some glue on the band/staple itself. One thing I experienced from my first troop was that single-stage paint (= no clearcoat) is NOT durable. At least not the one I used: During a break I noticed it and it kept me from trooping more on my first troop.. Poodoo happens but hey there's always another troop! My solution for this is to clearcoat the entire armor for durability and add a buttload of padding... And I thought I was done with spray paint and sandpaper... Current method goes like this: Wetsand with 800 grit to promote paint adhesion on the cured paint. Put on 2 color coats to make up for the paint removed during sanding, and also to provide a chemical bond for the clearcoat to adhere to. As in I wait 30 mins-2hours before I put the clear on. Before it completely cures. Put on 4 layers of clearcoat, making sure to cover every area and also inspecting for dust/lint/hairs before each coat. A tack cloth is really nice for this (for my Scandinavian people, here is where I got mine). It is a tacky cloth designed exactly for this purpose, which picks up dust/lint/whatever. Let the clearcoat cure for 24-48hours. You should end up with something like this: See that it looks like the skin of an orange? That's orange peel. Caused by using rattlecans, bad technique, used under non-optimal conditions, etc. Many variables. As I do some car detailing in my spare time I already had the tools to "fix" this. The goal being flattening the clearcoat as much as I can for better shine. This is what I did: Wetsand the paint with 1000-1500 grit, not yet exactly established the perfect grit here for my paintjob. This is to level out the texture, you should end up with a dull finish like this, make sure everything looks uniformly dull, this is the most important step. It is also the most dangerous step as you can sand through the clear and into the color coat which i've done a few times already.. Then wetsand with 2500-3000 grit to level out the 1000-1500 scratches. And finally, knock down the 2500-3000 scratches with polishing compound and a polishing pad. This is my first result: Still a lot of sanding marks but soooo much better, just need to experiment on this a bit. If you're interested in how paint and clearcoat go together to create gloss, watch this video from the 06:10 to 07:02 mark, it's for cars but it applies to armor as well. The orange peel is not a flat surface, so I flattened it to get more shine, makes sense? Just remember that all these steps are abrasive and will remove clearcoat (this is how polishing works), be careful And I still haven't gotten my blaster... Sigh Also did the elastic string mod to my big belt box.

That does NOT look right Is this from the same can? Maybe you got a lemon?

That's awesome dude, are you gonna start a build thread? My snaps are from a store in Oslo that sells fabric, sewing machine supplies and the likes (Sømsenteret). I used Prym brand snaps, model "Sport & Camping": Also used the snap setting pliers they have, makes the entire process a breeze: Maybe you can get them in Ireland too? Doesn't really matter which types you use as long as they are high quality "heavy duty" ones.

Good luck! It might seem daunting at first but you just gotta work at it, hope my build thread is of help Thanks mate! Thanks! Ok so i've participated in my first troop and the single-stage paint just got absolutely wrecked in some places. Since the paint has cured I need to sand the paint lightly, apply some more color coats, then clear coat everything... Guess i'm not done yet..

Get used to sandpaper

TK-61514 reporting for duty! This has definitely been a journey, I went from not having any experience in costume making to assembling and getting a TFA Stormtrooper 501st approved! I must say this is a big dream come true for me as i've wanted to join for the longest time. I want to thank the great people in my garrison and the people here on FISD, you know who you are! Even though I am approved this thread is not finished, I will update it later with mods done to the armor after I get to use it a bit. Already done some slight modifications to it. Thanks man! Was just finishing work for the day when I got the message about the fixes, drove home and jumped straight into the armor haha.

TK-61514 requesting higher access. http://www.501st.com/members/displaymember.php?userID=25720&costumeID=326

Thanks! This was my first ever costume too and I had no experience in prop making, so I can't compare it to anything. Personal rating from 1-10 would be maybe 5 or 6. It just takes a lot of research and time (also a bit of money..). Jim's kit is really easy to work with as you don't have to glue and trim 500000000000 parts like on the ABS kits. I had to do quite a bit of trimming because I wanted the armor to fit me well, and i'm kinda skinny. Jim's armor is a bit more "heavy friendly". Don't get me wrong, it is challenging, but there are so many great resources and build threads here so if you are a bit handy it should be no problem. As it wasn't for me!

And i'm approved!!! Wooo! Big dream come true, just waiting for my TKID now! Had to fix poking yoke and askew cod, no biggie!

Fired off some approval photos last night!! Late at night so had to make due with indoor lighting which wasn't the best. Luckily TK-50501 knows what he is doing so they came out aight! Here are a few of the ones sent:

Thanks man! Feels so awesome! I will make Kylo super proud. Driving over to TK-50501's place to take pictures later today, he takes great pictures.

WHEW! WHAT A RIDE! Well I am happy to say that I am now finished with my kit: Here are some test fit pictures, what do you think? Would be lovely to get feedback from fresh eyes. Planning to take approval photos tomorrow so any improvements/faults you notice are very much appreciated! There are 6 things that come to mind before I take the photos: 1. Belt is off-centre, need to rotate it 2. Thighs and knees need to come up 3. Forearms to be rotated (thanks, Darren!) 4. Right spat down to show shin pill/decal 5. Shoulders sitting a bit low, maybe add padding 6. Knee plates are not secure enough, add elastic string around knee

Did you know Jim uses wooden sticks when he casts the holsters? I sure do now, dangit My plan was to fill all the screwholes with 4hour epoxy, coat the screws in silicone, jam them in, let cure, then screw them out. Worked pretty OK but some of them were in there pretty good so I had to use some pliers, and well... Pliers gives you great leverage, need I say more? Slobbed on some 5min Epoxy and put the 2 halves back together, filled the crack with filler, no problem! I've been hauling impolite persons this week because I had this week free from work. Done a LOT of sanding, priming, filling, painting, gluing, cutting, everything. So not many progress pictures here sorry, been so focused. Here is the holster completed: Used 4hour epoxy to glue the holster to the thigh. 2 of the holes were shot, so I redrilled them so the screws just sit loosely in there, and put some 60sec on the threads, pushed them in and called it a day. You could also probably use M6 screws for the big ones. Also in the CRL pictures the screws are painted over, they are not in the movie: My slight belt mishap meant that the 2 chicago screws that were to seal all layers at the male buckle were on the glued-on part. I didn't trust it to hold so I decided to glue the inner polyester layer to the rest of the belt. Would have used E6000 here but that takes forever so I just used the 60sec Loctite (really come to like this glue). Note that I glued the belt in a circular pattern this time. This gets rid of the crinkles (is that even a word? oh ok, just Googled it, it is!). Downside is that it stays that way, you can't lay it flat for storage. Also here is how I attached the wobbly belt box, and how it moves: My TD, completed. I absolutely hate decals, it wrinkles up and it's just terrible but they look so good. Attachment for TD was just 2 long strips of industrial velcro (that I had to order from the states). Note that on the right side of the TD, the entire circle is filled in, and not just the inner circle (The decal set from Trooperbay only comes with a decal for the inner circle). The entire circle should be filled as that is how it is in the movie (see picture below). I know one guy on the Jim Facebook Build Group who was told to do this by his GML. For any Swedes or Norwegians doing this, the snus lid of a G3 Portion is 105% the size of the Jim right TD circle, lol. I just traced it out on a piece of vinyl car wrap from eBay. Man I love eBay. For the backing material on all of the holes I used this tape from TESA because I really like the texture it has over regular gaffers tape. More matte. Also covered the insides of the forearms with this as you can see the fibreglass real easy from behind when bending your arms. Ab section done: When supporting a bit for TK-20240 (only other FOTK in Norway.. for now!) he mentioned his shoulders hurt after the troop. I've also read this on various groups and FISD that it can be a problem with this heavy fibreglass kit. So I decided to add some padding to the yoke. But Ensi, what are you going to use?? Foam?? Yes! I do auto detailing as a hobby and I have several polishing pads laying around, so I grabbed a black one meant for applying waxes/sealants and glaze (no abrasion). Cut it up and applied some hook-side velcro to the yoke, this is neat as the polishing pad already comes with the loop side on it for attaching to polishers. Also an accuracy update I don't think I mentioned. On the outside of the forearms (opposite side of greeblies) there is a seam on the Jim kit. When I resized them I decided to do it in a way so that it became seamless on that side. See pictures: Going to post test-fitting pictures in the next post as this one is getting big enough..

Hey man, i'd recommend checking out the build-threads subforum of this forum. Many great builds, you'll find a lot of inspiration in there!

You're too right! Thanks Thanks! Thanks man. Yeah I know there are some in Denmark and some in Sweden, but not sure. I'll be the second one in Norway if I keep up this pace Will definitely contact one of them if I run into any trouble! So I knolled all my my kit to get a sense of where I am in the build and also to take an awesome picture. Got a lot of painting done today in my camping tent (lol..). Not much left now, I can feel it!!

Got this week off work so i'm trying to get it finished by the end of the weekend! FULL THROTTLE Filled some more parts, ugh. Decided I didn't want to lose my mind and I now only go after the biggest culprits. Primed some more parts. Started painting some too because why not? From raw to paint this is what I do: Lightly sand outside, 320 grit or similar, wash. Prime, just enough to get like 80-90% coverage Fill Sand back filler with 320-400 grit Re-prime Get annoyed by rain Sand everything lightly with 600 grit Paint Get annoyed by wind and bugs Go buy a tent (yes, I actually did this) Paint some more inside tent but wear a proper respirator.. All sanding done wet. What do you think of the color? Looks pretty good to me. Also I tried clear-coating some parts but the gloss white is already kind of glossy enough. If I wanted to I could lay down several coats of clear, wetsand with 1500, then 2000 and then polish it up, but honestly that's too much for me right now. Then on to the belt! This beast of a kit is from JAFO, Belts of the First Order on Facebook. First step for me was measuring the inner layer of polyester webbing. For this I put on the belt that suspends my thighs along with the ab, cod, and butt-piece to get an accurate measurement. With a white textile marker I marked the spot on the male end of the buckle where it should be, and I also marked where the belt touches the cod and buttpiece. Sewed on some velcro to the belt where it contacts the cod and buttpiece to prevent sagging. Don't think I really needed to add it to the butt but hey why not. Also the polyester is REALLY thick/sturdy, it totally owned my sewing machine. JAFO 1, Singer 0. Cut the 2 top layers then glued with 60 sec Loctite. Spread it around after applying. When cutting the middle (foam) and top (rubber) layer, I messed up. I laid the 2 top layers flat down on the table, and then my polyester inner layer on top, marked, and cut. When I went to try it on the 2 top layers were a bit too short, sure they were kinda hidden by the pouches, but try to measure it around your actual body with everything on before you cut. Measure once, cut twice? This parts looks a bit wonky but it is hidden by the pouches, it's the area between the two. Finished painting the belt boxes as well, inside my tent. Ghetto paint shack. Lookin' sharp! Also added chicago screws to all of the belt boxes except for one where I added elastic string: The reason for the string is that if you watch the movie at any scene where the FOTK's move, this belt box waddles about. Do it, go look. It's loosely hanging on there and I can see why, it comes into contact with the thigh when moving. Since the belt-kit is 3 thick layers and not 2 it would protrude over the thigh and not be a hassle, but I decided to do it this way, we'll see how it works out! I wanted to assemble the holster but I found out the ebay seller forgot to include my pan-headed anti-tamper torx in the shipment so i'm waiting for a new one now. I'm letting such a small detail hold me up, is this normal??

Awesome, thanks!

I'm going to do this to my helmet as well. Have any of you had any problems adhering velcro/whatever to the plastidipped surface? I'm thinking electronics, fans, mics, padding etc.

I guess it'll all be worth it in the end. Have you heard about people using spray filler for these? Seems like an easy way but I doubt it'll fill the smallest ones. Doh! Why didn't I think of the gaskets haha. Padding under the bells is a great idea, thanks!

Thanks for the kind words! I need it lol, seem to run into small problems all the time, but nothing is impossible! Totally uncooperative weather and working shifts make it really difficult to paint outside, I wish I had a garage!! Primed some parts to show all the beautiful pinholes and surface imperfections. This is the part where I go crazy isn't it? I am starting to hate sandpaper. Before priming I wetsanded the parts with 320 grit along with an IPA wipedown. Reason for wetsanding is mainly residue control, makes the sandpaper last way longer and dust doesn't fly everywhere. Filled some parts with Gelcoat Filler The right thigh I got was very thin, and I didn't feel confident it would hold up (this is where the cracks on the thighs were) so I went out and got a repair kit for boats. This kit includes polyester resin, hardener, fibreglass mats, some applicators, and a cup. Cut up the mats to fit the thigh Here it is applied I really gooped it on there, you need to completely soak the mats and the surface below. What I SHOULD have done is lay down a layer of resin on the thigh itself, put mat on, then soak the top, to ensure full coverage. As I put so much on there i'm pretty confident I got it pretty soaked. Cut off the excess with a cutting wheel on my dremel and then sanded all the insides with 60grit then 120grit. And wow did it harden up, feels way more sturdy now! PS: It gets hot when curing, be careful! Sanded the insides of the holster a bit to fit the screws i'm planning to use to secure the weapons to the holster. Made the bicep details and glued them on I've been researching the bicep detail a bit, inspecting the movie and pictures of screen used armor, and reading posts from the wonderful people here at FISD. Using that information (super thank you guys!!) this is what I believe to be the screen used method, not to scale: Do not cut up your biceps and velcro them together as the CRL states them to be seamless (yet to be changed I guess?) Oh and here is an older testfit of the armor when I had done all the strapping. Without gaskets, belt, or knees. Shoulders are sitting a bit low, wonder how i'll fix that. Not too pumped on drilling those support holes that other people do. Next up is a whole lot of priming, filling, sanding, sanding, cursing, priming, sanding, filling, and more cursing.

Ouch! I'd definitely try reinforcing with the fibreglass and sand/fill the cracks as you said. It should kill most of the flex, which should be good considering you are going to fill quite a bit. Just try to get all the cracks to prevent further cracking.

The build continues! This build is a lot of work, but I have no reference to other costumes so awesome! This is how the ab section turned out, I just glued the nylon webbing in the back with E6000 Attached all the greeblies. Now this one was a bit of a nut to crack for me. My initial plan was to try to heat-bend the greeblies to shape, then epoxy or E6K them into place. Being super cautious I tried heat-bending a piece of scrap with a heat gun and the flexible fibreglass did not like it. It started cracking almost immediately, maybe I heated it too much, but I just think the material doesn't like being heated and bent. Ok Ensi, how about superglue? Well superglue would be easy to do, as I could just apply and bend the greeblie until it cured, but I don't like the fact that it's hard and brittle. After talking to JAFO and him recommending the Loctite 60sec Universal Glue for his belt kit (it's a great kit), I researched a bit into it and we also carry it where I work. This stuff is a CA (Cyanoacrylate = Superglue) based glue, but with some kind of added flex agent. It also sets in 60 seconds and not 2. Prep consisted of roughing up both surfaces with 60 grit sandpaper, etched some cross patterns with a file, and cleaned the mating surfaces with some Isopropanol (Rubbing Alcohol). I then put on gloves, applied the glue to the greeblie, and held/bent it into place for 60ish seconds. How durable this is only time will tell but they are really on there, in theory it should be perfect. I didn't use E6000 here because my clamps couldn't reach most of them and i'm not pressing them in place for 24 hours with my hands, 60 seconds was enough I also had to sand off quite a bit of material to make them sit flush with the designated holes. In other news, my hardware screw kit + decals for the F-11D and SE-44C from user MaxSW arrived, woo! Screws for my holster also arrived, eBay: For the 2 big screws I used M5 Anti-Tamper/Security Torx screws. These 2 are threaded in but sloppily. To countersink the holster, use a drill-bit as large or just a bit larger as the screw head, and turn gently by hand. For the smaller screws I used M3 ones. I didn't have a small enough drill bit to thread these, so they just sit kinda loosely in there. I plan to just epoxy these into place. With the plate on, this I also cleaned up with the sanding drum attachment on my Dremel. Note that the middle screw (the lonely one without a buddy on the side), will actually be a pan-head anti-tamper torx screw (yet to arrive), with a bearing or some washers in between it and the holster. Went outside again and cut off the ABS strips used to join the 2 parts of the forearms, cleaned them up with a sanding drum and some sandpaper. Also sanded off the filler on the TD, the walls on the TD where I filled were pretty thin, so some of it just popped out, I epoxied this shut and plan to sand it down again when it cures. Attached the shin boxes, using the Loctite 4 hour Power Epoxy. Prep was same as greeblies: 60 grit, etch cross patterns with a file, clean with IPA, apply. I tried to use enough epoxy so that it squished out on all sides. I spent a lot of time on this and cleaning up in the hopes that I don't have to do a lot of filling on them later (they are to be seamless). Also tried out the paint we carry at work on the handplates. Super worried about the color not matching up to the helmet but I think it looks pretty darn close, what do you think? This is without clear. Man this S8 takes some great pictures! Next up is attaching the holster to the thigh, sewing some more velcro onto gaskets, applying velcro to thigh, shins, and forearms. Then.. ? Man, paint and decals. This build has flown by!! Oh yeah and I also have to make the bicep step details.