TheRascalKing

Thanks man! Yea it's infuriating if you're a perfectionist. Shame, I'll eventually weather everything and no one will even be able to tell, but it'll make it easier to repaint down the line. Yea, I mostly used my Dremel with a cutoff wheel. The sheers were only good in a straight line and made me worry it would crack. Hard to get in corners with the Dremel, but it went okay. Smoothing things out with a sanding drum is actually where things got wave-y and bad. Cutting the barrel top took forever. Hopefully! I'll know more early next month.

Not a lot happening this past... month? Jeez, where does the time go... Between chemo, COVID, and just a particularly rainy last few weekends, things have been moving slowly, but I try to put time in each day into some aspect of the suit. Many of my updates either don't photograph well, or I just forget to take photos in my fervor. Apologies! Also, the convention (WonderCon) that I wanted to debut this suit at ended up being postponed/cancelled, so... oh well... Hopefully Celebration still? Anyways, I went back and filled any pinholes that materialized from my last round of primer (particularly around the edges of panels), then resprayed primer on top. Most of the main body panels are now FULLY prepared for final paint - the insides are reinforced with resin and sprayed flat white with all noticeable pinholes filled, and the outsides have been primered and wet-block-sanded to 1000 grit to level any dust nibs, small insects (ha), etc. that would prevent a (hopefully) excellent final spray of gloss white once the rain stops (this weekend?). I also was able to finally psych myself up, bite the bullet, and trim several of the panels. I'm about 6ft, 160lbs, so on the slightly tall and slightly slim side - I got Jim's regular height kit, (not the Tall version) and ended up taking 1" off the top of the cod, 1" off the top of the barrel and added the underarm cutouts, and 3" or so off the black side connectors. This kit really would fit a pretty big range of people! Arms and legs are also still in their first coat of primer and will probably get their second soon. I know it's not exciting, but I can't tell you how much time I've spent in paint prep on this suit, sanding and priming - really hoping it pays off! (I totally should have paid someone to do it, but I guess I get the pride of knowing it was my work when all is said and done!). Attempted my first round of glossy white on my first (easy) panel, but got a weird paint reaction already. Unsure what caused it, but I'll sand it out with like 1500 and try again. Everything will likely get at least two coats anyways. My rear zipper closure, ultra thin velcro, and flexible shoulder straps also all arrived, here's some photos IRL! Doing more sanding and priming, spraying final gloss on some panels, and figuring out strapping/test fitting things in the next go around! Belt assembly soon and also gonna try to get my HWT submitted for EIB. On the health front, had my (hopefully) LAST chemo infusion last week and am nearly fully recovered from it. The hospital keeps trying to push out my next PET scan, but my doctor and I have been pushing back to get me in next week - the scan will let me know where I stand, and where to go from here (even if I delay radiation while the world settles down). Fingers continue to be crossed for good results!

White is almost impossible to match exactly... It depends on what ABS they used, sometimes down to what batch. Unfortunately there's no one right answer - likely just trial and error. If you want it to match perfect, you're going to have to paint the whole suit. An auto shop or paint store may be able to scan or and mix something, but it may be pricey and not exact even then... Also, in your test fit, make sure the rear belt sits on TOP of the trauma plate. Looking good tho, great progress!

I have no idea what brand mine are, but having a pair or straight and a pair of curved-blade lexan scissors definitely helps get in all the tight spots. Plus maybe a large pair of like tin-snips for the straight-aways/long cuts. A plastic cutting wheel in your Dremel works wonders too. I usually rough cut with the cutoff wheel or tin snips, tighten my cuts on the belt sander if it's available (or Dremel sanding wheel/lexan scissors if not), then final shape using an aggressive sandpaper (or sanding block/sponge - they work GREAT for ensuring straight, smooth lines - like a 80 grit for actually removing material and a 200 or so for smoothing out gauge lines). Brand isn't important and you can get way cheaper sandpaper/blocks off Amazon than the 3M brand... they're essentially disposable after a while anyways. Magnets are your best friend, just be SUPER careful with them. You want the extremely high-pull neodymium ones, in about the 18mmx3mm size - just right for coverstrips. They can JUMP almost 18" to clatter together and explode, as well as pinch and give you gnarly blood blisters. Be careful. Slide them apart and clean any excess E6000 off before stacking them again. The more you have though, the more you can build at once! I usually use spring clamps on the ends, and magnets every 2" or so (try to alternate the polarities as you place them so they aren't tempted to jump together. Lay them out spaced apart and add them slowly). Use blue tape or additional stacked magnets for areas that don't want to stay. I also recommend an 18" metal ruler - you can lay it against the cut line you want to make, then use magnets on the backside of the armor to hold it in place! This will give you super straight cuts to shoot for, and will make all your pieces line up better during assembly. Darman is top notch stuff, I'm sure you'll be happy with them! Hope some of those thoughts help!

Tricky - there is still some debate about whether or not they will be counting SE-14R-wielding "Remnant Stormtroopers" as part of regular ANH TKs, Anthology TK's (optional weathering), or a new CRL (possibly even over at MEPD?). Now that the rest of the world has access to D+, maybe we'll find out? @Daetrin @justjoseph63 @shashachu

None of us had experience with any of this at one point! Research, trial and error, and just a gung-ho attitude goes a long way. I'm particular about my paint finish, but you could probably spend a lot less prep time and still get a decent finish (or have an auto body shop paint it, as many others have). My biggest beef with 850AW is that despite the lower price, it is less accurate to the screen used materials and since you can't pull the details needed with vacuforming, they 3D print things like the back panel O II, which you then have to color match to the ABS and paint. I haven't seen anyone get it 100% spot on, so some guys end up painting the whole suit. At that point, just get a Jimmi. Shipping is the worst thing about buying from him, but if you can find anyone else interested in a kit and split the cost, that helps. Group buys, ftw. Hope that info helps tho, always around for questions. Do all the research and make whatever choice is best for you. And I appreciate your kind words, just resting up this weekend after my LAST chemo, so not a lot of work happening over on my thread for now.

Yes trimming isn't bad at all. I just have been using a Dremel cut off wheel. I added extra resin to the inside of my suit but you don't have to. And yes, the entire suit needs to be primed, sanded, and painted. It is more of an off-white gel coat from the mold and has plenty of surface imperfections to fix, pending how anal you are. Yep, keep researching and asking questions man. Know what you're getting into either way.

Jimmi's fiberglass suit requires MUCH less modification and assembly than the 850AW suit, if you have no costuming experience. It was my first fiberglass suit too and is coming along fine. Jimmi's material is also much closer to the screen used materials - R1 suits are not made of ABS like the OT ones. Jimmi does not offer an ABS option. Correct - a Black Series would require modification for approval. Jimmi offers a standalone fiberglass helmet that is a very cleaned up cast of the BS from my understanding. It should not need any mods for approval. The whole kit just needs mild trimming to fit, paint, and assembly with Velcro/strapping. Let us know if you have a more questions we can help with.

Absolutely. Well, my official answer is to check your Garrison rules - for example, ours is supposed to be cleared with an SL, GML, or at least POC depending on what type of CRL variation you're talking about. Wanna wear binders? Just make sure the POC doesn't care. A pauldron or like seasonal decor like a Santa hat? Maybe clear it with an SL. Wearing a whole costume before having it officially approved and added to your profile? A GML needs to give you permission. Different black gloves? I honestly don't even ask. As long as the gloves you wear are all black and don't detract from the costume, almost no one is ever going to care. Some events that are higher profile (think sporting events where you might be on TV, etc.) are strictly CRL enforced. Most... aren't - and your comfort is more important. I wear my chemical gloves for Centurion photos and HPEs and I wear a pair of light Amazon running gloves for everything else. Official answers may vary. And if you're going to get R1 gloves, get Endor Finders

Was delightfully mischievous in my youth and was called a rascal (at best) often, so I kinda just owned it and it became a nickname. When this song came out, it cemented that as my username on pretty much everything since I started using computers.

I highly recommend a hardware kit from @justjoseph63 (it's the right amount of all the hardest to find accurate stuff, cheap) and almost everything else you can get from Tandy. Or generic Amazon stuff if you're like me and don't like that they have their logo on everything now.

Pretty much, at present. Or heavily modify an ANH suit yourself and hope for basic approval. Both suits have their positives and negatives but I much prefer my Jimmi suit personally.

I'm not a prolific collector by any means, but I've snagged a few in my 2ish years in the Legion and FISD.

HA! You have no idea how many times things like that have happened (it's worse trying to keep everyone straight between IRL in/out of costume, FB, and on forums hahaha). So far I'm thinking about trying to shave/file down the brow trim on the Jimmi, but maybe a DO will have something to say if it's necessary or not...

Fascinating thread and excellent info! Funny this was bumped recently, as I just posted a somewhat relevant pondering on the FISD FB group, but about R1/Anthology style helmets and the brow height/thickness. If you get bored, @CableGuy, or if anyone else has knowledge/reference material to drop regarding R1/Anthology helmet brows, I sure would love to hear it! Centurion Anovos ANH-S on the left, Hasbro Black Series (being modified) in the middle, and a Jimmiroquai fiberglass helmet on the right. If you (especially DO's @shashachu and @justjoseph63) have thoughts on which is most correct or needs to be modified for Centurion approval, post up!