MakeNoiseMan

Huh! I never noticed that difference in the shins before. Maybe its an Anovos vs AP thing. Or maybe my shins are backwards. Either way, Ukswrath is the guy to listen to!

Looking gooood! Wrist return edges (or more specifically, lack thereof) are perfect. Those shins are right! Admittedly I did second guess myself and went to check my own shins, but yes, you hve them lined up properly. As far as those little thigh gaps/cracks, as far as I know you don't have to do anything to them and you'll still be fine for all levels of approval. If you want to tidy them up, I hear ABS paste is a popular choice. Personally, I used PlasticWeld, let it dry, sanded and painted it enamel white. I'm also considering making mobility cuts in the back of my shins and thighs, which renders the back gaps non existent anyway. Something to think about!

Looks great!! Nice work on those cover strips. I found the thighs to be one of the harder parts, yours turned out beautifully! Looks like you've still got some return edge left on your biceps and forearms, at least on the elbow-side—you may find that uncomfortable, return edges can dig into the skin something nasty. Ultimately it is your call—the "thicker armour" does look cool—but many troopers elect to remove most, or even all, of those edges for the sake of mobility and comfort. You certainly don't need any return edge on the "outer" biceps, because the shoulder bells will be covering them anyway. The only return edge that needs to come off for accuracy's sake is the wrist-end of the forearms, which from earlier posts it looks like you have taken care of. I can't quite tell in these recent photos but I'm sure your next round will show em off. Keep it up, trooper!!

Troop #9: July 1st, 2019—Canada Day Parade, Windsor, ON Happy Canada Day! Parades are so much fun. We got the go-ahead to decorate ourselves for the occasion, so here's my take on the Canadian TK. I love this photo. High-fives are half the reason we do this, right? :-) And some great shots of the parade and of my fellow troopers! And lastly, here's us all squished into an elevator after leaving our change room. Imperial ... efficiency!

Troop #8: June 23rd, 2019—Toronto Pride Parade 2019, Toronto, Ontario HOLY COW this was a fun troop. It was my first time attending a Pride event, and I can't wait to go back next year. We were guests of FanExpo, who also had the Rebel Legion, Ghostbusters group and other Ontario cosplayers represented in our section. The weather was sunny and dry but hot. We were waiting outdoors and in-suit for upwards of two hours before our section of the parade started moving, but it was well worth it. The handlers were incredible, keeping us hydrated and getting us from place to place (which was no easy task—it was PACKED). Once we stepped into the parade route, though, it was 50 minutes of pure excitement and enjoyment. The crowds were so pumped to see Star Wars characters in the parade. Water guns were rampant (and appreciated by sweaty troopers). 10/10 experience. I'm so glad to have gotten to participate. Here is the FanExpo entourage from the front. These two are of me, I'm the one with the lei and the flag. SUCH a good time! Some great shots of the rest of the garrison! Now more than ever, I feel really lucky to be a part of this Legion. When I started my build last summer, I never thought I'd get to participate in events like this. This is all seriously a dream come true. And it just keeps coming—next month, I get to go onstage with Weird Al. Pinch me! Rock on, troopers!!

Troop #6: June 2nd, 2019—Autism Speaks Canada Walk, H. B. Beal Secondary School, London, Ontario No pictures for this troop, sadly. A great cause and a great afternoon, though! The weather was perfect for the teams to walk around the school track. Troop #7: June 19th, 2019—Teddy Bear Picnic, London Children's Hospital, Ontario Another good visit to the London Children's Hospital. I'm the one on the right. On the left this time. Aaaand some Imperial fun with a photo booth!

Nice work, future squad-mate! I don't have anything to contribute that hasn't already been said. Slide the dropboxes outwards a little, maybe shorten your forearms a bit (cut away from the elbow end, if needed). I'm also seeing some overlap with your buttplate and your thigh—you may want to trim the buttplate back, or the thigh edge down, to prevent pinching. The backplate does look elongated - maybe you could trim some off of the top/shoulder section and bring the whole piece up a little. It shouldn't overlap with your kidney plate—which, speaking of, is also much taller than necessary. I can't see from your photos - how does it align with your ab plate? The two should line up, ideally. Trimming some off of the ab plate will also probably help mobility and prevent armour bites! Here is a photo of mine for reference. Good luck! I look forward to trooping with you.

Troop #5: May 26th, 2019—Family Fun Day, Carling Heights Community Centre, London, Ontario A fun afternoon at the community centre for kids and their families to come and spend the day. There was face-painting, a bouncy castle and of course some Star Wars folks to take photos with!

Hi there! Sorry I never saw your post, I must have missed the notification. I used spray-on Plasti-Dip to darken the helmet interior. it was four coats if I recall correctly. As for the lenses, mine screw in and out with chicago screws, so I was able to remove them entirely—if your lenses are mounted in permanently, though, I'm sure you can cover them with painter's tape or something similar! Plasti-Dip peels off really easily once dried, so even if some did get on your lenses I don't believe it would be a big deal. You may have already found these answers but I figured I'd pipe up anyway!

Welcome to FISD and congrats on placing the order! Now comes the hard part... waiting. There's a wealth of great threads and build advice to read on here in the mean time. You could also start collecting your soft pieces like neck seal, undersuit, etc. I'm not sure what all the RS kit comes with, but there's a great supply list here: Have a GREAT time!! Keep us posted and ask plenty of questions, even before BBB day. It'll be here before you know it!

Yep, I too screwed the AP clips on the TD just as they are, and added the little bend like Wook suggested. They’ll do just fine! Keep it up!! Glad your forearms are feeling more comfortable. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congratulations, you look AWESOME!! Small nitpick - looks like your undersuit may be bunching out a little between your shoulder bells and chest plate. Not a biggie, but a tighter shirt would resolve this Rock on, trooper!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Troop #4: April 27th, 2019—CK Expo, John D Bradley Centre, Chatham, Ontario My second convention. Met new faces and had a fantastic time! It has been great getting to know my squadmates. I also got to do two shifts of Blast-A-Trooper, which is probably my new favourite thing in the world. I'm the one on the right. My first time seeing a Royal Guard, which was kickass. Still on the right. Also present is R2-BOO from the R2 Builders' Club. A Chewie that came to visit—not a Rebel Legion member, but impressive work nonetheless! And TALL. A photo with a representative from Big Brothers Big Sisters, the charity we were raising money for at this event. I'm on the far left this time. Great bunch of people right there!

Hi Jared, welcome to FISD! You're off to a great start. The research ahead of time is invaluable and keeping an up-to-date build thread will let all these fine folks guide you and your kit to screen-accurate greatness. Post lots of pictures!! Your lid looks real good. Rat is correct—as an ANH TK you'll want to remove the paint from the edges around the frown and leave only the teeth painted. Additionally, the black paint trim around your ear squares could probably be a little thicker, and I for higher levels of approval you'll want to paint one of the ear bumps black (either the first or last one). Here's mine for reference: Have a great time with your build!!

Exciting stuff!! Post lots of pictures. We’ll be here! Have fun! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Helmet tweaks look fantastic! Nice nice work. :-D Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Rob, welcome to FISD! Yeah the frown looks like it could use some more paint. Not a biggie! Enjoy the build!! We'll be here.

Hi Chris, welcome to FISD!! You're totally right about all the support and encouragement to be found here. I recently finished my first build and it was all thanks to these fine folks. You're in good hands! Some great points already made about L3 qualifications. The only one I have to add is that the blue tube stripes may be a bit too far away from the "cheek" line. Ideally, the should be a pencil's width away. I know this because I painted mine exactly how yours look now! :-) Don't go spending time to change this yet, though! Last I heard, this is not currently an L3 requirement, but may soon be added to the CRL. Nothing needs to be changed now, but you (and I) might need to redo those tube stripes down the road on our way to L3. Just something to keep in mind! Have a great time with your build. Looking forward to following along!

Hi James! Congrats on an awesome start!! Your bucket and paint job look great. I had quite the struggle with trimming my ears into shape. It took me three tries! Definitely worth it in the end, though—they look much better when they aren't sticking out quite so far. Also, I note that you're using Ukswrath's Hovi-Mic speakers - which are awesome. Did your kit also come with regular Hovi-Mic tips? If so, you'll want to hang on to those since you're planning on building for L3. I'm working on my L3 application and I've been counselled that Ukswrath's Hovi-Mics aren't L3-approvable (because of the white plastic behind the mesh). Simple fix if you still have the originals—just swap them out for the application photos and then re-install afterwards them for trooping. Again, that is only to do with L3 approval. The Ukswrath mic tips are perfectly fine for basic and even for L2. Keep up the great work!

Thanks, Aaron!! I'm having a blast. :-D

Congrats!! Well-deserved! :-)

Looking AWESOME! Test fits are so exciting. :-D Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking good! And lots of great advice Only other thing I'd add is that a small amount of e6000 behind the thigh ammo pack will keep it secure against the thigh and stop it from rotating out of position. Keep it up!!

Weighing the drop boxes down by inserting something inside is brilliant. Thanks for the tip! :-D Keep it up, Linz! That sniper knee is a pain in the rear. *Please* don't just take my word on this, since I don't have an AM, but to me it does look like your knee has a return edge that was trimmed off in those AM Centurion photos.