TheRascalKing

Thank you! No polish (yet?), just the gloss white and 2K clear. I may try to cut and polish some of the dust, but... later. They're not bad enough to prevent approval forsure and I just wanna get this thing submitted. Yea I'm curious what it could have been and why it ONLY happened there... but oh well. Thanks! Just self-adhesive EVA craft foam sheets - they weigh like nothing, much less than all that metal hardware (which still isn't bad) and definitely help with the rubbing.

I still don't think it would be an ergonomic or efficient method for the volume I'd potentially be looking to do, even if that did help I think @Dielotski is closer to the mark of what I'm looking for here, but I'm open to stuff I haven't seen or tried before as well!

I was tempted, but the price held me back... Yeaaaaaaa, the ONE time my apartment neighbors finally complained about my costuming was after setting about 60 snaps with a hammer. Apparently the shared floor transmits banging too well for this to be a realistic option for volume, even IF it was efficient. Yup, the purple Dritz ones I referenced are very similar, and these definitely aren't the worst... but I think we can find better! This is much closer to what I'm looking for! But yea, I don't see Line 24 snaps listed under the available dies, and that would be key to ensuring this works... Maybe y'all can help me find something similar?!

Update time! Made some decent progress over the winter break (despite only taking the actual Christmas and New Years holidays off)! FINALLY finished painting ALL of the pieces in white and clear! The shoulder bridges had a weird paint reaction and had to be sanded down again... then reacted AGAIN in the same spot. Unsure what was going on, but I couldn't leave it like this, so after sanding a third time, I just powered through and decided it was good enough. To mask the helmet, I used one of my sheets of self-adhesive craft foam with a hole cut in the center, then slid the masked-off helmet onto an old cat scratching post on top of a turntable for paint. The second attempt was pretty successful and other than a handful of small dust nibs, the paint and 2K clear went on well - got good coverage and great gloss without any runs or crazy orange peel. I may be able to buff some of the dust out, but it's only visible if you're up close and looking for it. A blast with compressed air probably would have been a good idea. Here's the squint I added, after final paint. And the whole helmet, glossy... Just needs color detail paint and assembly! Now that the shoulder bridges were done (good enough after an extra round of sanding), I went ahead and epoxied them onto the chest plate. Will this hold up? I don't know, but we'll find out! It's super easy to put on and seems to be hold together well, but I may explore adding some velcro just for a positive physical connection at the back of the bridges in addition to the embedded magnets. I didn't really document this process, honestly, because I was pretty frustrated when doing it and was having my fiancé help, so I didn't want to take too much time taking photos, but I did complete the belts after they got final clear. I scuffed up the (perfect lol) surface under each belt box, as well as the back of each box, added some E6000 and then screwed straight into pilot holes I drilled in them in using screws with built-in washers. I made the holes in the belt slightly oversize so I had some adjustment room in case my measurements were slightly off (oops, they were, but I mostly fixed it). I also installed the drop boxes (which have also been backed with self-adhesive craft foam to help keep them from scratching) with 2" black elastic, and just sandwiched them under the large boxes after making holes in the elastic where the screws came through to help hold them. They don't sit perfectly flush, but good enough. Also added some ultra-thin Velcro where the back belt overlaps to hold it to the front belt, and it sits very nice and flush. Speaking of craft foam, I added some to the back of the sniper knee as well, after adding a 3/4" or so block to help shim it out. I'm not sure I'm happy with it still, as it is still tipped too far back and hits the thigh - just not as aggressively as before. I'll probably trim the thighs down and see if it improves before messing with it again though. Aaaaaaand another couple of shots suited up! Obviously not fully-adjusted submission photos, but should give me a good idea of what needs to be noodled with still... The back panel keeps wanting to sag down, but I think once I add electronics behind the chest panel, that will help add some weight and keep the distribution a little more forward. What's left?! - Helmet paint details - Helmet assembly - padding, electronics, lens, frown mesh, tube stripe backing, mic tips (ordered another set from Tony since my last spare pair went on my Hero helmet after the interior paint debacle ) - I have all the bits, just gotta actually install em after paint. - Thermal detonator paint details (I'll do the grey at the same time as the helmet grey) - Thermal detonator assembly - I'll use the same method as the belt boxes, then cover with foam as well - I'll almost certainly need to cut the thighs down, which becomes more evident with each time I actually wear the suit. It may look okay enough for submission, but it's very clunky to move around in currently. I just need to gather as much reference for the shape as I can and maybe draw it out so I can reproduce it symmetrically with a template. We'll see. I don't want to. But I probably will. haha - Final adjustment and photos! Thanks again for stopping by! Hopefully my next post will be over in the Pre-Approval sub

Hey all, Figured I'd try to help put the hive mind to work and benefit from your knowledge of you're willing! I'm looking for the optimal solution for setting snaps at a high volume, in an ergonomic method. I've found a few things but am unsure if they'd serve my purpose of setting a large amount of Line 24, specifically, but hopefully many types of snaps and grommets. I've been using a pair of the purple-handled Dritz ones for a while, and honestly they're the best consistently so far, but the plastic bits at the ends are a weak point and do wear out and crack pretty quick. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BB5GYS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_saw8FbWDGSABA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 I got a pair of the snap-lock plier type, but mine tend to smash the head of the cap flat a bit and they don't snap crisply. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WZ7SR8S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_abw8FbKNC4BTM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Something with an overhead pull, like a bottle corker/capper and/or bench mounted could be cool. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N48S9DJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_fcw8Fb7BH6N5Z Anyone have suggestions or have a product or tool that they like? Let me know!

Imo, in short, it won't. A wheeled, hard-sided container is absolutely more advantageous than a soft one - especially while lifting and carrying. You don't want your armor bending or rubbing if you can help it. I drive a Honda S2000 (so about as small as you can get) and have been using this $17 Sterilite rolling footlocker these last several years - it's a tight fit in my front seat, but prevents things from moving around much. I can get everything but my helmet in it nicely with a little work - the front and back clamshells I separate and stack flat in a pillowcase, then put the forearms into the shins, shins into the thighs, and thighs into a pillowcase as well. I use a padded helmet bag, and small packing cube for my soft goods and another for electronics/acceessories/etc. I don't recommend it necessarily, but if space is an issue, it may work better than a soft sided container. Take good care of your armor and it will last for years.

Will the Testors 1139 semi-gloss black on the vocoder pass L3 muster? I've always used semi, the Model Master Semi-Gloss Black FS27038 specifically. Would maintaining the shown height on my 2nd and 6th vocoder ridges hold me back from L3 approval for this STUNT build? I doubt it. Any tips for getting a smooth, consistent surface finish on your vocoder? I paint top to bottom and do 2-3 coats. Getting the top arched curves right is the hard part and yours look really good, with the separation and thickness very consistent. I'm wondering if I should keep the vocoder ridge curve as-is, or narrow it a bit (see second photos above) to match the profile of the overall vocoder curve. I would paint to the curve. How should I handle sanding and painting (on the teeth) the edges between each tooth (from the ABS depth/thickness)? I'd take a little more off the teeth. I usually do one pass for base color and then another pass with a finer brush to fill it in/smooth any brush lines and get all the edges where I want em. Hope that helps too. Coming along nicely and I love all the documentation!

Okay guys, another update. Been working away slowly, and figuring things out as I go. Pretty happy with all of my V1 solutions! I promised you magnets... Another test fit! I identified a couple of critical problems, and have spent the last several weeks trying to remedy them. I definitely noticed a few things: 1. The forearms were way too tight at the wrist with the velcro shut, and it was veryvery difficult to get the velcro to line up (and be hidden) while suiting up on my own, with one hand and gloves on, so I gave up. So of course, I ridiculously overengineered them to solve this problem, and they work great now and are very easy to put on alone. I started by cutting channels in the coverstrips on each half of the forearms. They're plenty thick to allow for these 60 x 10 x 3mm neodymium bar magnets to be epoxied into them. And of course, I'm neurotic so I took the time to sand and use some filler to flatten them out a bit, spray them flat white, then put a piece of fuzzy ultra-thin velcro over them to make for a smooth and easy connection (and you barely notice they're there). I used some adhesive strips to attach corresponding magnets to the under/back side of each piece (keeping all the polarities the same, so they can only go on ONE way). The gaps look good and the magnets are just the right strength. Finally, a piece of elastic velcro'ed on one side keeps the pieces from separating entirely, and allows them to hinge open enough for me to get them on, then snap shut nicely. Once they're on, they're comfortable now and they line up fine on their own without help. Took some inspiration from Boba gauntlets on this one. As you can see, the magnets hold them snugly and make the gaps very smooth. I'll have em on in the next test fit. 2. I needed a cod strap. So I made one - velcro on one side for adjustability, and a snap on the cod. You can see most of the barrel strapping setup here, and where I installed the new suspenders, with slightly lower mounting points than the originals to allow for their length better. The key was finding where the "X" in the back wanted to sit flush on my back, then marking and gluing the mounting tabs in accordingly. 3. The thighs wouldn't stay shut in the back on their own. You can see how my right thigh was obviously bigger than the left in the original photo from opening up by accident. So, time to overengineer again! The coverstrips on the rear of the thighs weren't thick like the forerarms or shins, but actually are slightly concave and allowed for the same bar magnets to be mounted under them, then I used a stronger (slightly thicker) 5mm bar magnet to hold the thighs shut in the back. Gaps looking pretty good again and magnets are just the right strength again. They are pretty well motivated to stay in place, but are absolutely able to flex and slide open in the back to allow for greater mobility, and I added elastic similar to the forearms to help pull them back shut when not flexed. Finally, I finished the mounting points for my garter belt strapping - one down the front (idc if canon or no), and the characterstic ones down the sides as well. The double strap helps them hang nicely and I'll adjust them as I go. The drops come down from a duty belt and snap in easily. I had a bit of excess strap that will need to get trimmed, but you get the idea. Some final adjustment needed, but it's easy to put on and plenty comfortable. The thighs may still be a bit too tall, and I may end up cutting them down more in the future, especially after seeing how deep the inside of the leg is cut on this one... probably more comfortable as well. I don't want to cut parts that are already painted, and it's tough to get stuff symmetrical... but if it bothers me when I wear it, I'll cut em down more. (PS, I don't consider this a spoiler because it's been more than a week since this episode, and his Black Series leaked months ago). 4. The back/chest armor was rubbing/transferring onto the barrel where it overlaps. So I started lining the bottom lip of the pieces with sheets of adhesive craft foam to cut down on the rubbing! 5. I still need to finalize the shoulder bridge mounting... I ended up cutting a few extra ridges off after confirming the number visible from some reference photos. I also put a bit of a step into the area where I'll epoxy them in (after paint and clear again), so that they sit pretty nicely. They should be better now and bring the back panel up a bit. They're due for paint with the helmet and belts soon... soon... I also removed one of the aluminum shoulder supports that was slightly crooked, re-epoxied it in, added some extra epoxy around the mounts, then sprayed them white again. I also decided to change the color of the support tabs to black so that they're less noticeable. Painting the shoulder bridges and gluing them in the front should be all that's left in this area. 6. I still need to finish gloss white and clear on a couple of items... but the big one is the helmet. I've been putting it off, honestly out of fear of messing it up again, but I've been researching and trying to perfect my painting technique. Or at least make it passable haha Before I do my final coat of paint, I wanted to address two remaining issues... First is the bump in the (wearer's) right eye, a detail I'll blame @Parquette for confirming and having find its way into the CRL at L3. If I'm gonna do it, now's the time, so I started trying to add it in with a little Bondo. I don't love it (I dig the cleaned up symmetrical style) and don't want it to be super noticeable, but don't anyone say it's not there. I also noticed an extremely slight low spot that I wanted to fix (now or never), so we'll see how it looks after more wet sanding. I think that's about it for now. Stuff I have left? - The helmet... just a lot of stuff with the helmet. - The shins - with the success of the forearms, I may set them up with magnetic closures as well, or probably half magnet, half velcro. I also need to reinstall the sniper knee that I removed and add a spacer to lean it forward - it was tipped too far back and was hitting the thigh too aggressively. Will also likely add some craft foam to the back of it (and the belts). - The belts - need paint and to have the belt boxes, drop boxes, and thermal detonator mounted. I did purchase hardware for them tho - some cool screws that have washers built in. The plan is to use a little E6000 in addition to screwing directly into them, then cover the screws with some more craft foam. Whole thing mounts with magnets and a little velcro. - The thermal detonator - I'll probably paint the gray at the same time as the helmet details, then mount it. - The shoulder bridges - still need to be painted and glued on, but otherwise the chest/back is done, as are the arms and most of the legs. I'm getting there! More updates soon. I'm legit trying to have this submitted by the end of the year. Then on to other projects next year

Heyhey! There aren't too many approved out there just yet, but with the cheap ABS kits hitting the market, I expect to see the numbers jump up. There's a ton of great reasons to go Rogue One/Anthology style - the more ergonomic (more FO than ANH) style design, the level of detail in the parts, the fact that that is likely the standard depiction of TKs we'll see moving forward in LFL productions... Oh yea, and pauldrons The suits are strictly Rogue One style (and veryvery likely production suits from that film being reused for Solo... and Mando...), with zero parts overlapping from the OT suits - save maybe a few scenes where Anovos ANH helmets were used with RO armor in Mando S1, but they take design cues from the OT and sort of updated them obviously. The construction of the suits was in flexible injection molded polyurethane, so the Jimmi fiberglass is likely the closest we'll get to the accurate material (not ABS, which you just can't pull the proper detail in, and ends up being a mixmash of ABS and resin parts). As you mentioned, the boots and gloves (but in black) carry over from the FO's, and the suits share a lot of elements with other Anthology costumes (like the Shoretrooper). It will absolutely be more difficult in general, since there are way fewer makers and fewer resources... but Jeff and I tried to document our builds and there are a few other great threads to get you started if you go that route. The actual assembly is pretty easy compared to OT, but stuff like paint and strapping are a unique challenge. Another update is coming soon, I swear! Figured some stuff out lately and am almost done implementing. And yea, I got to go play Star Wars for a couple days and saw some cool stuff

Clipping the bottom (red) has helped things sit a little nicer on helmets for me, and worst case, many folks will put an extra rivet or screw near the top of the tube stripe (blue) to pull this area tighter together. Just ensure your ear will cover both (it should).

Ah gotcha - yea, I've been using that resource, but was previously like, "3D printed? Nope."... being resin and largely without cleanup makes a BIG difference. I'm gonna take a look, thanks! Lucky guy! Will do, thank you!

Just organizing my thoughts and links a bit... Shopping List (for approval) $400 Undersuit with cloth gaskets, neck seal, & rigging Sheev's Emporium $40 Shiny shorts Geeky Pink's Upgrades Metal thigh holster R2Dan Rear zipper closure Sheev's Emporium $38 Shoulder Bell and Yoke Brackets Ukswrath's Specialty + $4 Chest Pill Box Fabric Mesh Ukswrath's Specialty $55 Gloves EndorFinders $180 F-11D Blaster + $130 Se44-C Pistol The Imperial Factory Task List For Approval - repaint knee armor - repaint posterior - repair spat/greeblie - repair belt separation - replace all strapping Upgrades - install shoulder bell support brackets ~ strengthen/repair cracks in yoke shoulders - repair cracks ~ ab boxes - simulate separate pieces ~ ab boxes ~ wrist boxes - add magnetic attachments for chest panel - smooth and repaint all panel interiors flat white - remove and repaint thigh holster to match (need Torx security drivers - ordered) - repaint and clear any panels with severe paint issues ~ chest ~ ab - paint helmet interior black

Yup - use it as a very thin skin or to fill pinholes, nothing more. The thicker your bondo is, the more likely it is to crack under your paint (especially if the part flexes). Keep flex in mind when selecting pretty much all of your materials. Yea the shoulder straps in general are a challenge to nail down. Jeff/@11b30b4 does make a set of flexible ones if it may help. I ended up using the ones from Jim and cutting several ridges off them to fit, as I elected not to move the mounting points. I would definitely at least have your strapping in mind and planned out - it will help. The ones I used in my thread were these guys if it helps. Or yea, you could make a set relatively easily. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000644BOQ I would get overzealous and sand in between coats, and honestly it just wasn't worth it. Build up a solid base with primer to sand into, and alternating (compatible) colors so you know when you've gone through a layer definitely helps. And sanding the raw fiberglass definitely just opens up more pinholes that you then have to prime and fill if you're neurotic like me and want to get closer to perfect. I also sprayed my interior with several coats of flat white primer/paint on top of the additional resin for a nice look and more sealing. It's not itchy anymore, but boy was it. I don't think I'd do the 2K again, but definitely clear coat whatever you go with for the shine and protection. Perfect paint is about a bunch of tiny details... I'd recommend taking your time masking, wiping with a pre-paint prep, making sure your temp and humidity are in spec (don't paint outside if you can help it), ensure your paints are compatible, use new nozzles almost every time, do multiple light coats with proper distance and speed, and ensure your dry times are proper in between... and at the end of the day, don't drive yourself crazy haha I would stick with the Testors/Model Masters or rattle can - the brighter blue is preferable over the darker Humbrol, imo. Also, keep in mind that any colored details should not appear to be hand painted, so I personally would either air brush if you have it, or mask and rattle can em if not so that you don't have visible brush marks. I used the 2X on mine and it's a little brighter of a white than the High Performance that's on my FO, but both should work fine. If I use velcro, I always try to have the fuzzy side facing me (usually meaning applied to the armor) to help with this problem. I just happened to have a universal strapping kit laying around that I used, and liked the idea of velcro adjustability while I got the suit dialed in, but will likely switch to snaps once I'm happy with the fit after wearing it around several times. I agree that getting your barrel right is the best foundation. Watchin the guys struggle with the GIANT ABS cod pieces from other makers is admittedly a little entertaining for me. Jim's undersuit is pretty excellent since the gaskets are incorporated into the shirt/pants, so you don't technically need an additional spandex-y undersuit. But since it shouldn't really be visible anywhere, totally your call on what to wear. I've been a fan of my Nike Pro suit and UnderArmor is nice too - to me, it's about comfort and how it will hold up to many washes after sweaty trooping. Praetorian all day (unless Hellhounds makes one - I like the separate, metal scope rail, but he hasn't responded). I believe you need one for L2+, which is a bummer, but basic. The one it comes with or that style is just fine - not bubble lenses, and not literally flat pieces of material. A long, curved strip should be cool. LOVE IT! I've been campaigning for pauldrons as an optional accessory for all TKs, backpacks or not, for a while. It just indicates rank and has been in many properties accordingly, but I know, iT wAsN't In A nEw HoPe, so it's no go for ANH-S officially... you bet I'm gonna rock one with my ROTK tho Mortar? DO ITTTTT! Should be a cool option to add to the Incinerator. His toy (black series?) leaked a while back, so it's only barely a spoiler... maybe remove where you saw it for our friends who aren't up to date? haha

That Rascal guy is just the worst. Surprised his head still fits in his bucket ;P

Oh snap, I love it! I'm eventually going to do a whole "what I learned if I had to do it again" post on my thread, but I'll try to cobble together the Lite version to help you out. So much trial and error, but I think it would go WAY smoother if I had to do one of these again, knowing what I now know. Way excited for you though, man - congrats! And yea, Jim's shipping ain't cheap but it's freaky fast and he's a pleasure to work with. I've heard he's actually like an optometrist in real life and just does this for fun? Pretty cool. The most important (and time sensitive) advice I have is to measure, trim, and test (maybe even strap, at least temporarily) fit everything before you do ANY paint. Start with a soapy water bath and a maroon scuff pad to get any stray fiberglass or mold release off, but resist actually sanding any bare fiberglass if you can - it just opens up tiny bubbles. After cleaning and trimming, I would spray the whole thing with at least two "layers" (a layer typically being 2-3 light coats... Or about 2-3 cans for each layer to do the entire suit) of different color primer, then go with spot putty for any defects still visible, THEN sand... But never all the way down to the fiberglass. It also would not hurt to do an additional THIN coat or two of resin on the inside to help seal the glass strands. It sounds obvious, but you need to REALLY think about and plan out the order of the steps of your build to maximize efficiency... It's hard to go back and correct the previous step once you move on. Food for thought. I probably would have been better off paying someone to paint it, my first time around... but after what I've learned, I'm less afraid. I'm around if you have any questions!

Love this idea and it's awesome to hear more about you guys! I guess I'll give it a go as well: Justin "TheRascalKing" R., reporting in! I've been a member of the 501st since October of 2017, after the Orange County Squad of the Southern California Garrison began regularly visiting my work - the Children's Hospital of Orange County, where I was in Hospitality Management for many years. I distinctly remember being in our clinic, waiting for the elevator, when the doors slid open to reveal Lord Vader standing there, flanked by a stormtrooper and officer - it was like something straight out of a movie scene. I was blown away - I've been a Star Wars fan since childhood, but had never seen costumes like that in real life. After their visit, and seeing countless kids and staff members absolutely light up when interacting with them, I spoke to the wranglers about joining, knowing I had to get involved. I saw Episode One at a young age and was hooked, eventually reading my way through the Expanded Universe novels (which I credit with helping me learn to read well), but never really went to a convention or knew there was a 501st unit near me. My new friends suggested an Imperial Officer costume to get me started, and a few months later, I had submitted and was approved as ID-61490 (6/14/90 being my birthday!). I have since taken that costume and gone all the way to the IOC's Level 3 approval "Imperator" status, and added some cool accessories, like one of @gmrhodes13/Q's MS-P5's, and a Rogue One style poncho, which I LOVE. I almost immediately started looking into an Original Trilogy Stormtrooper, and ended up purchasing an Anovos kit from a Garrison mate not long after. I completed the kit (with a LOT of help from @ukswrath/Tony's guide) in December of that year and was approved! I have had some truly amazing opportunities as part of the 501st, including trooping several times at CHOC Children's Hospital, in a 100+ member parade down Main Street USA at Disneyland, on Fox Sports in the announcer's booth at an Angels baseball game, in the Hollywood Christmas Parade (including marching the 3 miles last year with full blown cancer), on stage with Weird Al, and in a little project called "Huckleberry" to name a few... If you would have told me as a kid (or even a year or two ago) that I would get to be IN STAR WARS and to actually BE A REAL STORMTROOPER, I never would have believed it. This club made it happen and I am forever grateful for the incredible opportunities I have had. Some things have changed since then - I took that same set of armor up to Level 3 "Centurion", not once, but 4 times now - as a ANH-Stunt, Hero, ESB, and HWT Stormtrooper, before finally retiring it recently after 50+ events. I was diagnosed last year with stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma after finding a lump in my neck, and underwent several surgeries and months of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and am waiting for another scan in the new year that will hopefully show me cancer free. I got engaged to the amazing DZ-71490 (her birthday wouldn't fit, but 714 is our area code and she was born in '90 as well, so her TKID is one number off of mine) who deserves full credit for all of my Centurion photos and tolerating my living room almost constantly being full of white armor projects. I also left CHOC and now work in the biotech sphere, specifically with connecting patients to clinical trials, to help improve their lives and help get new treatments to patients faster. We've been working on a LOT of COVID-19 studies and I've been pretty busy lately, even working safely from home, so armor has taken a bit of a back seat. (My fiance and I at The Mandalorian Season One red carpet premier) I am in the home stretch on my Rogue One armor, and will be starting a First Order TK overhaul in the new year as well. The only thing I love more than trooping myself, is being able to mentor new members and share that passion with others, so I have been pretty active with my Garrison both in person at armor parties and such (before treatment and the pandemic), and online answering questions - more recently as an Imperial Attaché here on the boards. Outside of Star Wars, I enjoy surfing, skateboarding (downhill longboard racing specifically), beer and homebrewing, working on cars and autocross racing, watching movies, playing bass guitar, and playing with our two cats, Jack and Zero. Well, there's my whole life story, thanks for reading! haha (big thanks to @MaskedVengeance for showing how to make the photos smaller and a little more manageable... sorrynotsorry for the huge photo dump! )

Hey @shashachu - I'm in contact with Michael and I know he's still intent on getting this resubmitted - it's just been difficult to assist him (and others) in person with their builds due to the rising Covid numbers out here in CA (/the US). We'll definitely get him squared away as soon as we safely can!

No worries, and I appreciate even the consideration. I was just getting a little down on the shape of things yesterday as my state began shutting back down due to rising Covid numbers, and unfortunately, I don't know when things will be safe to mentor in person again, so I figured it would be worth asking if a change could be considered. We would obviously still need a clear differentiation between casual forum posting and the folks who go out of their way to answer specific questions and mentor outside the forums as well, but I would encourage the team to keep this in mind and on the backburner as we continue to see how the pandemic plays out.

I hate to stir up trouble, wait no I love to stir up trouble... But I'd encourage a revisitation of this program, especially in a COVID-era world where "in-person" mentorship has become a safety concern for many of us. I'd love to see more deserving people wearing this badge for their efforts in assisting others, and perhaps the number of wins can be adjusted if it gets out of hand. Of course I'd love another little badge myself, but in general, I think it's important to recognize those who go above and beyond in assisting troopers on an individual basis with their armor for an extended period of time, and it's a brave new world for many of us with the global pandemic. Anyone else have thoughts on the "in-person" requirement for this award? I see folks thanked and recognized for their assistance on threads regularly, but not many of these badges...

Hey Swede, I hope all is well in your real life and that there wasn't anything too negative that prompted this decision. I know we can all get a little salty on here at times due to our passion... I appreciate your work here on the boards and always value your input, and we all deserve a well-earned break from time to time. I'm sure we'll see you around and wish you the best!

Welcome back! With the cheap ABS kits coming out, ROTKs are getting popular and finally getting some additional support behind them! Definitely a cool suit and good choice. Let us know how we can help!

WOOOOOOOOOO! Great job, Ken!

Aight here it is, guys... took some time to lay it all out and triage the good, the bad, and well, the ugly! So if you don't already know, I'm in the final stages of wrapping up my ROTK build (I know, I know, I'll finish that before I begin any work in earnest on this one!) and I really like the way Jim's armor is made and was keeping an eye open for sales or discounts on perhaps picking up a set. I actually had purchased a B-grade set of KB Props armor super cheap, but wasn't too stoked on an ABS build in general and decided to give it up (and a few other things) in a little yard sale to go towards an FO. And wouldn't you know it, a fully painted and assembled suit popped up for sale here on FISD that was only about an hour's drive away to go get! I hit @Dynamic1 up and ended up driving down to swoop up his kit. I got what I felt was a pretty darn good deal, but there is of course a good deal of work to do to bring the kit both up to being in good repair, and further to my generally high standards. I'll go through all the things I'm stoked about, and the stuff that concerns me below (with some pics!) So strap in, here's another Rascal build (rebuild? upgrade?) comin' your way. The GOOD: - The kit is fully assembled, and Brian is about the same height and weight as me (though much more muscular, but FO's are kind of top-heavy anyways, and the biceps fit fine). - The kit was available locally and didn't need to be shipped (Orange County to north San Diego county isn't close, but definitely not far!). - The kit is fully painted!!! And pretty darn well, with almost all the pinholes and imperfections filled, and with a easily available Krylon rattle-can white... but there are some issues (see further below). - It included a set of boots (too small, but I can sell em and recoup some cost since I have a pair from Imperial Boots for my ROTK already), gloves (TrooperBay ones I may replace with EndorFinders), and even a blaster (3D-printed that I may replace as well). The Hengstler counter bit fell off but I have it somewhere, no worries. It has pretty bad print lines and I juuuuuust don't want to sand it, so it will likely be replaced, but is great for now! - It included a metal R2Dan holster already! It wasn't paint-matched very well, but I can respray it. - I stopped by @Oztrooper 's house to drop off some stuff for @equuspolo and he happened to have a fresh Anovos ABS FO helmet up for grabs and offered it to me at a reasonable price, so I grabbed it! Wasn't expecting to purchase it just yet, but it worked out. He had already done some of the mods I'd want to do anyways, including reshaping the duckbill a bit with heat, adding a rubber neckseal trim, and a metal aerator tip from VaderPainter (now no longer made?). Big thanks to him for the convenient hookup. I actually had an Anovos Premier that I got an incredible (eBay) deal on, but it was just too dang heavy. The BAD and the UGLY: - The kit did not come with much in the way of strapping and what's in it, I will likely replace anyways. Step one will probably be stripping the interior and hitting it with a quick coat of flat white touchup. It looks like it was a mix of velcro and snaps, but I've been messing with magnets a lot lately, hmmm.... - Severalll pieces of the kit will need to be sanded and repainted due to scuffs (like this knee that I already started sanding). Some other pieces may clean up with a polish. I would prefer not to have to repaint the whole kit, but I learned a lot from my last rodeo and will see how much it bugs me. - Jim's kit in general does not have a couple features that may hold me up for Centurion if I choose to go there (have you met me before tho? haha) - the forearm wrist boxes are molded in, as are the ab belt boxes. Perhaps I can add a small groove to simulate them being separate pieces? ( @shashachu @justjoseph63 @TKSpartan would that fly?) - All the small accent details are stickers - I will likely paint most them on and replace the chest/shin/bicep bits with the proper cutout/gaff tape combo. - The back yoke is cracked at the shoulders pretty bad, which scares me, but also makes it a prime candidate for @ukswrath 's shoulder bell bracket/reinforcement/support thing. I probably will NOT run the strapping THROUGH the yoke like you're supposed to, but fiberglassing the bracket in may be a good way to both repair and update its accuracy. - The ab boxes have some pretty bad cracks, likely from being flexed up while suiting up/down. These and the shoulders are the worst of it, but there are a few small stress cracks in other places that I MAY address... these I will for SURE. - At least one little greebly fell off, but they'd probably benefit from switching out the velcro with the new Ultra-Thin stuff I came across in my other build thread! - The belt is the proper sandwich of three materials, but needs to be reglued, as it has largely separated. Brian said the belt was a giant pain in the butt, like my RO, so I'm glad it's already pretty much done. I think that's all for now... just wanted to do some triage and get some pics up to show you (and myself) what I'm up against. I may be able to rig up some strapping and try it on in the next couple weeks, but this will likely be 2021's project. I'll post more once I've finished my RO (updates on that coming soon) and work on this begins! Thanks for stopping by and joining in on the madness once again!

Psh, even I didn't necessarily know it was coming! hahaha I told myself I never wanted to mess with gaskets and that I wouldn't, but I was starting to run out of white armor to noodle with and I don't think people want to see an ROTJ as much as they do an FOTK! I came across this great deal when I wasn't even really looking and it was too hard to pass up. Hey, it's white and shiny... but I don't want you guys drawing colored lines on it and I think some of the paint is outside the lines :P