The Snake

Well, I figured out why the left forearm never seemed to fit/look right. Take a look! The "ridged" left piece is considerably larger than the right one: This causes the combined forearm to sort of arch vertically, whereas the right one has a nice round shape. I have two choices as far as I can see: I can just size the left as normal and adjust it later, or try trimming some of it ahead of time. I'm not really sure what I want to do. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

So I plan to attempt the actual cutting tonight! I apologize if I'm taking this very slowly; I'm just trying to be super cautious, especially because as I mentioned, my kit doesn't perfectly resemble any other builds I've seen. This is what I came up with after sizing. Don't worry about the return edges; I'll be sanding those. I drew a pencil line along the outer piece edge onto the inner piece and I plan to cut along that line. Final check, though: does that top need to be lined up better? EDIT: I realigned the right forearm and re-sized. I'm really happy with how it turned out! The left one, not so sure. It's a very different--and odd shape, and I never really felt like I was fitting it correctly. It could be that it's very "oblong" and not round... You can see in the following photo how much the overlap comes off of the other piece. What do you think?

Pictured are the forearms pieces lined up evenly. Is it normal for there to be such a large overhang on the inner piece? Also pictured: the overlap method I'll use to mark where excess material is to be cut, after fitting. Again, the uneven-ness. Does this look correct? I realize these may be stupid questions, but I want to make 100% of everything before I bust out the scissors, and also give future AM Troopers the answers they may be seeking! Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Thanks! Yes, I will be butting the parts. But they're very large and the overlapping is just for trimming purposes. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

So I've got everything, kinda all over the place. I don't really know where to begin, so I'll start with the forearms. Now I've seen some conflicting info, and my kit is fairly different than others I've seen (previous AM kits seem to have some sort of overlap), so excuse my ignorance... is this the correct way to size/trim the forearms-- with the "inside" piece overlapping? The outside piece seems awful small to cut, so I figured I'd make sure. Also: should I remove/reduce those return edges first? Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Yup, the ab and kidney. Just a liiitle gap there. Though I have been losing weight rapidly lately (I've made a complete lifestyle change so I can get back down to my pre-girlfriend weight) so honestly it shouldn't be a problem in the near future. For now, tight strapping might work, maybe. But I may just do a shim, which shouldn't be too hard.

BBB Day! (This photo was taken by my girlfriend, who sent it to me before I got home to find the box) Tried the armor pieces on last night, kinda (felt like I didn't know what I was doing). The torso armor aaaaaalmost fits me perfectly---there's a small gap. So, I'll have to cut a small shim to close if off, but we'll see. For now, I don't even know where to start. I'm terrified of cutting anything. In better news, my helmet is completed and has shipped to me. Here are some pics from the fine gentleman who did it for me: I should have plenty of time to crack into the suit this weekend, since I won't be buying Battlefront 2 anymore Will have more pics soon--I'm sure I'll need help!

What guide(s) are you following? I'll be following yours!

I swapped out the WTF kit for an AM one, which will fit me better. It was also cheaper and readily available, so it will arrive on Thursday

I spoke with Rocky today and he told me that they've begun doing longer cods and larger thighs. He said that he himself required a kit bigger than the standard WTF kit, and that's when the decision was made. He assured me that the kit would fit me just fine (I'm 6'1 and 250lbs) and even shared photos of a fellow WTF trooper who is bigger than I am, and he looked fantastic. Just an FYI for anyone who's wondering about that!

Well, despite all my research I made a big mistake. Someone told me WTF was doing large kits and I ordered from them--turns out this might not be true (waiting to hear back from them). I did get a response from Rob at RT who says kits are shipping in early 2018. I'm gonna email about AM as well. I feel kinda dumb and a little sad today

Here's a GIF of me with my TK Boots while I wait for my kit: Argh! Someone on Facebook is selling an Anovos kit for almost half what I paid, and with soft goods! I need to learn to be more patient.

Thanks for the replies and encouragement everyone! I know about the rubber gloves-- I intend to, in the future, purchase the rubber glove/rubber hand guard combo from Trooperbay, but I'm for sure not really worried about Centurion right now. Maybe someday. Gotta jump this hurdle first I have to say that I discovered ukswrath's build topic today--I cannot believe I missed it before (and it's PINNED so I have no excuse)-- but after reading it I'm seriously way more comfortable with the build. Wotta great topic! Shashachu, that would be amazing. I would be so happy to receive those! I'll have to draw you a nice picture or something. The wait continues! Hopefully it comes sooner than another armor vendor who estimated mid-2018

So after hours (read: still not enough) research and connecting with some very helpful people from various Facebook groups (as well as some not-so-helpful people), I was turned onto Walt's kit. The kit is now ordered and I'm currently awaiting my BBB. In the meantime, I'm doing some shopping, as well as a ton more research. Honestly, the research has kind of become my hobby lately. I will tell you right now that I am purely terrified. I'm extremely worried about accurately fitting and cutting, especially because I'm certain I will need to shim, at the very least, the sides and thighs (I have a wide/bulky frame). Reading through the blood & tears of others, as well as the large amount of incomplete build threads, terrifies me more everyday, and I'm hoping the trimming/sizing process is easier than my head is telling me so I can just get through it and have a nice completed, 501st-approvable suit of armor. I will note that I am not shooting for Centurion. Honestly, I'm probably too big to make it work anyway, plus I'm one of those jerks who prefers Empire-accurate rather than screen-accurate. With that being said, I will be skipping the bracket system in favor of a snap system, though I will, at some point, be adding the small screws/nuts to the armor to "simulate" the system. With the helmet, I was fortunate enough to have a very kind gentleman offer to construct it for me, and I plan on doing whatever I can to repay him in spades. So I guess this is my build thread, and I'll keep it updated with photos as I go along. Honestly, my hope is that by documenting all of this, I can help some other poor sap who's trying to learn how to do this. There are far too many broken images and unanswered questions--it's time to change that! Supplies List (Updated Regularly) TK Kit (Walt's Trooper Factory) Neck Seal (Steph's Imperial Outfitters) Canvas Belt (Steph's Imperial Outfitters) E-11 Kit (Doopydoos) Undersuit (Target) Boots (TKBoots.com) Nomex Gloves (Amazon) Rubber Centurion Gloves (Will be purchasing from Trooperbay) Curved Lexan Scissors (Amazon) Snap Setter (Amazon) 100pk Tandy Line 24 Snaps (eBay) Rivets (Graciously donated by Shashachu) 1" Elastic (BLACK) (JoAnn's Fabrics) 3" Elastic (BLACK) (Currently Shopping) ¾" Elastic (WHITE) (Currently Shopping) 2" Elastic (WHITE) (JoAnn's Fabrics) ⅛" Elastic (WHITE) (Currently Shopping) 1" Nylon Webbing (BLACK) (Currently Shopping) E6000 (Target) Plastic Clamps (Home Depot) Rare Earth Magnets (Home Depot) Painter's Tape (I already have a ton) Metal Ruler (Got it!) As you can see, I have a whole lotta shopping to do. At the moment, I'm still kinda shopping around in between research. But I did receive my boots & gloves today: The boots are fantastic, and even came with some extra goodies. I'm really surprised; I wasn't really sure what to expect as I bought these in extreme haste (but with a trusted recommendation). Waiting for the armor suuuuuucks UPDATE: After some deliberation I have switched to an AM kit, which was offered to me at both a lower cost, better fit, and immediate availability. Sorry to anybody who was stoked to see a WTF thread-- but the AM kit will both be sooner and fit way better.