[Interested in joining the hobby but requiring some advice]

6 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

I think any sort of Level 4 would need to focus on the helmet rather than the other components of the armor.  Unlike our brothers in the MEPD who's entire costumes were weathered by prop men so that each had a unique look, TKs were all pretty much the same (except for the odd Gaffa tape repairs ).  Also, we cannot be 100% sure that every actor used the same armor and helmet during the entire filming process.

 

While there were a limited number of Sandies, there were 50+ TKs.  Thanks to sites like Starwarshelmets we can see close-ups of some of the screen used ones, and boy are there differences in the scuffs/cracks/stains/paint chips.  Below are just four, so that means there are 46 others to choose from.  These things really got beat to heck, lol.

 

  

 

                                       

 

If someone wanted to replicate a particular helmet, detailed reference photos showing the front/back and both sides would of course be required, but it could potentially be a problem when submitting for approval.  What I mean by that is just how much detail would be enough to pass?  Just similar paint chips/scuffs in general, or down to the most intricate nuance?

 

Could someone be failed if they missed a tiny chip (1) or the paint finish wasn't worn down enough (2)?  What if the ears weren't trimmed the exact same as the reference image used? (etc.)

 

      

 

I honestly don't want to cause a controversy and I really don't have an issue with creating a Level 4 (I think it may be cool) but IMO any guidelines would need to be voted on and set in black and white in detail so that there is no room for subjectivity/ambiguity.  We all have opinions.  What I see as "Meh, it looks fine to me" could be seen by someone else as "Are you kidding, that's not even close"!  Nailing down the precise wording for a prospective CRL for this could be a drawn out affair.  Those have been around and participated in CRL change discussions know that they can get a bit heated at times and not everyone will be happy, but that's how it works.  Give and take.

 

 Apologies if this has already been pointed out... I'm barely through my first cup of coffee this morning... As an example of the "unique details" for a higher level of accuracy, if you dig into the MEPD SWAT CRLs, they even go as far as having things like the correct runs/drips in the paint, etc. It's truly amazing and mind-boggling at the same time.
 While I fully appreciate & applaud this level of commitment & detail, I'm much more of a fan of a build that has been done to a level of detail worthy of the armor, but still something that is more functional than it is a work of art.

[Season greetings to all]

Happy Holidays to all! 

 

[Where to start assembling?]

2 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

You are still welcome to ask questions here even if you will be a dirty boy 

Everybody over here's afraid of a little sand? Gonna have to start calling you all Anakin now. 

Seriously though, the new kit is a B pull, so I think sticking to the TD is a safe play so any B issues can be "fixed" with weathering.

[Where to start assembling?]

5 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

I would highly recommend starting a build thread here, Dan.  You will probably have a ton of questions (the more the better) and we are here to help with every issue you come across.  In your thread it's really important to include photos.  Lots of photos.  Not only to show off your progress, but it makes it SO much easier to assist you when we can see the issue in detail.

I have a tutorial here that will help.

Looking forward to following your thread and seeing the results!  

I have a WIP placeholder over on MEPD, since the 2nd-hand kit was already a TD, and the new one will be as well. I may most likely just keep the build over here, as there seems to be a more active base here vs in the sand. It's still going to be a TD. As iconic as the shiny whites are, the real-world scuffs & dings will just hide better on a TD. And we get to ride giant lizards!

[Where to start assembling?]

Thanks! Now, time to go further down the rabbit hole...

[Where to start assembling?]

Long story short, purchased a complete TD from an Old Line Carrison member. On paper, it was a difference of 1" and 20lbs. In reality, it's going to be more cost-effective to start a new build & find someone who's the same size to "move along" the Sandy to. 

Question: When starting a new TK/TD build, forgetting individual versions of kits for a moment, is there a preferred "keystone" piece to start the sizing with; i.e. ab & kidney sections properly sized first, then everything else keys from that? My thought was to start there, as the core, and continue outward - chest/back, legs, arms, etc. Would this make sense, or is there a better way? I will have the new kit just before the end of the year, so I'm making my notes now, with the goal of being finished and approved (at least basic) before April. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. 

This is also posted over at MEPD, so I apologize if you're reading this again.

[Remove attachments]

18 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

 

I was wrapping up my last few finals... analytical film critiques of style, genre, mise en scene & narrative for the 1974 film Chinatown, ugh. Oh, and 1500 word minimum. There was not enough coffee in the world for that! 

[Remove attachments]

14 minutes ago, Sly11 said:

Hi Dan, I can remove those for you.

Do you want them all gone, or only certain attachments?

It looks like they've been removed already, thanks.

[Sorting out a 2nd hand WTF kit]

20 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

There's quite a few things which look off, shins and thighs coverstrips are quite large, standard size are only 20mm wide, some garrisons will allow larger coverstrips and some won't you'll have to check with your GML (garrison membership liaison)

 

I see your shins are right on top of the shins, you would need to add some strapping inside to make sure the shins don't move any higher.

 

Tighter strapping between the chest and abdomen will stop the abdomen from coming out but you are right on the limits, I'd do away with any elastic and replace with nylon so there is no give. 

 

I don't think your gaps are too bad, it's just a case of tweaking. I don't think there is only an inch between you and the original wearer, you can see you have more boot showing as well as the amount of gap between the large ab plate and your chest, I'd say it was more like 3 to 4 inches. I also think they may have cut some material off the base of the shins or top of the thighs.

 

Don't give up just yet, I'd update your chest ab strapping and go from there. 

 

 

I appreciate the eyeball expertise! Yeah, after comparing my pic to his, and both to a MEPD Deployed level TD, I could see everything you've confirmed. I'm not writing it off as a total loss though, as I can still use it as a reference for how to/how not to assemble the new kit. I found an unassembled WTF kit that was a B pull - it's a TD, so I can hide B issues with weathering - from a local guy, still in the box, for an extremely fair price. I've already ordered a bunch of proper strapping hardware & materials that I was going to redo this one with, but they'll just get moved to the new build instead. Once the new one's finished, I can make a few minor corrections and offer this one to someone who might be a closer fit. 

[Remove attachments]

Right. I did the link method after I had completely spaced and uploaded the images, which is why I should not be online before I've had sufficient amounts of coffee.

[Remove attachments]

After a quick search, it looks like I need an admin to remove the attached images from my account. Yep, a whole whopping 2 pics. I suffered a moment of cerebral flatulence and did a direct upload of the images, instead of linking them via image address.  Any help is greatly appreciated! 

[Sorting out a 2nd hand WTF kit]

The complete kit is PO wearing it. The partial kit is me. You can see that the shins are already at the tops of the boots, and the thighs are too short overall. You can also see that the chest is just barely overlapping the edge of the abs, but it will be considerably above the abs once the kidney & butt are positioned on me correctly. The side shims were removed since they would need to be trimmed down for my sizing.

I didn't go much further in suiting up, as I could see there would be some issues to address before I could get things properly dialed in. Figured it was better to stop and refer to the greater hive mind here, before deciding if I should continue or start a fresh build.

 

 

[Sorting out a 2nd hand WTF kit]

Recently picked up a WTF ANH TD build (didn't find a definitive answer over at MEPD). The previous owner was 5'10" 215lbs, and I'm 5'11" 190lbs, so the maths of it was in the ballpark. Sadly, it looks like the 1" difference in our heights splits differently in our torso & inseam lengths. What's the generally accepted amount of overlap between the ab & chest plates? I've already identified length issues with the leg pieces, and it looks like the ab might be short as well. I know the back & kidney butt against each other, and looking at where things need to line up kidney to abs, it looks like the abs will be too short & the chest would be just above the top edge of the abs. 

Originally I thought I might just be able to get some new legs and go from there, but if the abs are already cut down, then it may be a wash & time to order a new kit. Hoping to avoid that.

[Rogue One Spacetrooper]

On 4/25/2023 at 5:28 AM, tuskentrooper said:

The Spacetrooper is very briefly seen in Rogue One outside (in space) walking on the Scarif shield gate.

That's just Carl. He was new there and was last seen looking for the vending machines.