Adianu

I have the same boots on order! Not because I'm a masochist but because I couldn't find them small enough in white. I have high hopes for the Angelus paint. (And I'm also looking at the extra authenticity as a nice benefit). Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

And done. I'll attach the straps later, I do have them cut and dyed as appropriate. ESB and ANH One note that differs from above- I thought the holes were not going to be large enough to sew through easily, but they were pretty decent. I kept some pliers on hand to pull the needle but for the most part it wasn't even needed. However, the tool did get a bit bent up, so I had to be really careful to make sure my stitching holes still looked like a straight line as I punched them. I got the cheapest one at Tandy- perhaps it's worth it to get the more expensive option? Heard back from Walt's today and my armor will be on its way as soon as possible. So in the meantime, I'll be perusing build threads and grabbing tips/tricks in my notes, planning out what to do when real BBB arrives

Thanks for the feedback! I went ahead and stitched it up and was pleasantly surprised at how painless it really was. I think it will only take me about 2 hours to recreate the holster in the correct configuration, so I will do that and consider the first one to be a good practice run

Well, I was feeling quite pleased with my holster progress until I put the wrong half of the snap on the main body, and subsequently realized that I've cut the whole thing out backwards. I thought I was being careful, but while I double checked what side was out when I folded it over, I had in my head that it was worn on the right side, with the seam facing the back- and I've got that reversed. The CRL doesn't specify which direction the stitching is, but I assume it matters... but that is a question I have. Does that detail matter for basic approval? I do plan to build to Centurion level if I can, but I'm not sure when I'll get a blaster, so if it would work for basic approval I could always update the holster later. Regardless, I think I will stitch this one up for practice and at a minimum it could serve to upgrade my truly slapped together holster for my non-canon Twi'lek X-wing pilot costume.

Yes, definite psychological trauma! To add to the comedy of errors that is me getting pieces for this build... The paints for my boots came, and so did the paints for my boots that got lost in the mail a couple of weeks ago! So, Angelus Direct was very good about sending out a new set when they saw the first one was lost... will call them up on Monday to let them know I did end up with both shipments. Now I'm really hoping the next order of boots I have en route fit

So, first the very disappointing thing to get it out of the way. Was out in the garage working on leather stuff when I got a text notification- omg, my BBB was just left on the front porch! I didn't think it would be here until Monday! Beautiful BBB: Inspection by Padme and Finn: DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN: That's right. There's a mix-up. Instead of a TIE and TK (TIE is for hubby), we have 2 TIEs. Oh, the humanity! I have messaged WTF and am hoping this can get straightened out soon Sooo disappointing. I had prepared myself for the possibility that it would just be a dumb TIE kit and mine would be coming later, but 2 TIE- salt in the wound! I know in reality this just buys me more time to get organized on my notes, read through more build threads, etc. and it will be ok... but bleh. And then back to less depressing things. I made a bit of holster progress before the delivery. Template made based off of a template in this thread. One tip I would add in addition to the thread above- I used an awl punch to help mark the snap/rivet placements. Punch through the template, then use a marker through the hole to capture the location on the leather. I tried using my rotary cutter, and it didn't result in lines that were clean or straight enough for my satisfaction. I ended up cleaning them all up with Exacto and metal ruler (and cut-resistant gloves). I used my handy leather punch for some of the holes. I have used this for many projects and love it, but found a fatal flaw here- it can't reach far enough interior for one of the rivets. I improvised and used an awl to punch in the proper location, wiggling it around a bit to widen the hole to fit a rivet. To mark where I want the stitches I placed painter's tape along a ruler, so I could just stay along that line as I went to keep it straight and consistent. Then punching along the line. The previous owners of our house left several nice little slabs of granite left over from kitchen remodels, so that works nicely for pounding holes in leather. That being said, I don't feel like this little tool created a big enough hole to nicely get a needle through, so I may use an awl to poke it a bit more. Next up: Dye the leather black! And go into a corner and cry until I get a new shipping notification

Thanks for all of the info on this. I will move forward with the heavier duty leather.

Omg omg omg! BBB is on the move. In Dallas! Having a glass of champagne with the husband to celebrate 15 yr anniversary and just spilled it all over myself in excitement

Glad to hear I wasn’t the only one! More paint errands today resulted in proper black and white, and a French blue in Model Masters brand. When I have my kit I plan to paint a little test circle and compare against colors of those with the “real” color. And then I had a productive afternoon! I LOOOOOOVE the snap press. I knocked out this big pile (cutting, burning, snapping) in about 2 hours. I only messed up 1 snap, and it was the one my 4 yr old “helped” with. And in in the meantime my BBB still shows as “label printed” for 6 days

Eek, not sure where I got the colors I was looking for but my notes do not match that one- which is what I think I thought I was following Thanks, updating my notes now and trading in my black and white while I check again for the blue.

OK. Hit Tandy, a model shop, and back to Hobby Lobby today. New questions! First, I made a foam template to mark hole locations for snap plates. I did 1.5" length on 2" strap, evenly spacing the hole locations for the snaps. Does this look OK? I don't want to make a huge pile of these things and realize there was a stupid mistake! Next, I keep going back and forth on what leather to use for the holster. I have this calf skin that is super soft and would be relatively easy to work with. It is all black so I would probably end up doing a frankenstein and doing straps out of other leather that I would dye black on only one side. But my concern is if it's going to actually function well given it doesn't have much structure. Here's my kid sort of cooperating in demonstrating holding up my husband's DH-17 as an example with the soft leather. Yay or nay? I do have veggie tan leather and black dye so not a huge deal either way. Finally, the paints. I have myself confused, I think. I got what I'm pretty sure is the correct gray: And I got Model Master gloss black, which has the same Testor part number as the template I saw (1747). Is this the right thing? And then I got what I swear was labeled as "Gloss white" on the shelf, but upon examination it says "classic white" on the bottle. Again, is this the right thing? Should I return it? (I never saw a specific part number called out for the gloss white to compare to either). And French Blue. Ha! I called I think every model shop in Houston. One train shop employee tried convincing me that Testors as a brand no longer exists. Found a place on the other side of town (1 hr if there's not traffic... but there's always traffic) that says they have French blue in stock. And then tonight it so happened someone else in my garrison was asking about where to find it, and a local TK said he found it at the Michael's 10 minutes from my house. So, I think I will check Michael's one more time to see if I'm crazy, then see if I have any other reason to the west side Hobby Town. I don't really need the paints immediately, just trying to gather what I can early. As the furlough continues my plan for tomorrow is laundry, holster work, and snap plates

@Pretzelthanks for the feedback, and the magnets link is very helpful! Going in on an order with a friend to get more bang for our buck on bulk discounts with the Total Element link in that thread. When I emailed asking about some shipping details the response was basically just that they are closing, so I did not pursue further... Luckily it looks like I do get a full refund on my cheapies that were too small, and the new pair is about $60 so not too bad. It seems like people have had really good luck with painting boots, so hopefully it will work well! Just have to wait for them to arrive (probably end of the month). Awesome, I may end up taking you up on this! I tried Hobby Lobby (I think they just had the black though selection was pretty picked over), and Michael's (their colors seemed to be a totally separate coding scheme). I'm planning to check a model shop tomorrow to see if I have better luck (I've been surprised that I can't even seem to find this stuff online). OMG yes I played with the press and I honestly thought I must have done it wrong because it seemed way too easy, but then I looked and it was a PERFECTLY SET SNAP! I am already in love with it. Good to know- there were some strong pro-nylon opinions at the armor party I attended, so it's good to hear the pro-elastic rationale too. Oh, I also realized that I got over-excited on holster leather purchasing and got some black leather that is not going to be heavy enough to be functional. Fortunately I have a ton of veg-tan leather leftover from Rey stuff, so once I pick up some black dye and the snaps/rivets for the holster I should be able to start working on that. I don't yet have an E11 but I'm not sure if I will prior to basic approval, so...

I've been not-so-patiently awaiting the arrival of my boots and paints so that I can ahead on that work. Paints were due to arrive on 12/29, boots on 12/31.This morning I confirmed that paints are lost in the mail. Angelus customer service was great, they're filing a claim with USPS and will re-send my order. Boots arrived today and they are way too small. I'm unsure of whether they're actually the wrong size, or if I ordered in US Men's size and they're labeled in UK sizes... I ordered a 6 and they are a 4. Whatever the case, while they can fit onto my feet they will NOT be workable for any length of time. Glad they were super cheap! But in better news... Walt's has a shipping label printed for my armor! Eeek! Meanwhile I've purchased a neck seal from Geeky Pink (should ship this week), bought canvas for the belt, and I think am now fully stocked up on elastic, nylon straps, and snaps. My snap setting tool came in the mail today, and I bought a belt sander and soldering iron. Oh! And I went to an armor party and got to observe some TK work first-hand. Extremely helpful! I'm a federal employee who is currently furloughed, so I'm looking for productive things to do (Yes, yes, plenty of things I should do around the house, but...) So, I was thinking of the following: Try again on boots order (probably another source such as this, though I'm really scared about sizing with a more expensive boot: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PI2SLJW?refRID=Y91DERAGT73KGMJ7E71W&ref_=pd_cart_vw_1_1_p&th=1&psc=1) Purchase Humbrol or Testors paints Purchase rare earth magnets Work on holster Put together a bunch of snap plates Watch a bunch of videos/read through a bunch of build threads A couple of questions: For snap plates- any recommendations on how many, what size, etc? I would rather over-engineer than skimp so was considering using 2" nylon and 2 snaps on each. Will that be a pain? Should I have some locations single snap? I've seen some great diagrams here. For rare earth magnets- what exactly should I be looking for? It seems like pricing is all over the place and I'm not sure exactly what I need. I intend to do little fabric satchels for them and would like to have a ton of them on hand, so cheap would be nice

Glad to know maybe my snap issues aren't just user error That is a good point about it being on sale...

Yeah, I've got a snap setting tool set from Tandy and I at least in theory know how to use it. But I have a lot of issues with getting things aligned properly and hammering hard enough to set without denting everything up. By far my least favorite part of making Jedi belts... I'll check out some tutorials and see if there's something basic I've been missing, but if it's still miserable I'd rather get a press and not have to hate snaps Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Ok. Trying to find options. https://goldstartool.com/heavy-duty-press-for-grommets-snaps-buttons-rivets-die-set.html does anyone know if this does the job for Tandy 24 snaps? Totally worth it if so, but don’t want to pay the return fee if it doesn’t!

A few updates: Did get 90% helmet (and short thighs) on my order with WTF Found out TK Boots is closing up shop, and my feet are too small for Imperial Boots. Decided to suck it up and paint some that fit my feet. Going to give these boots a try, currently taking notes on supplies and processes to airbrush them (looking at threads like this) Ordered straps and elastics based on the list linked above (https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31404-supply-list-for-your-tk-build/ ) Realized this won't cover me for the nylon snap plates I'm planning, so looking to order some more. Fortunately strapworks.com is fast and reasonable shipping! Also thrilled that me beginning this project pushed a good friend of mine over the edge to start a build too! She is another petite female who lives nearby, is extremely resourceful at costume building, excellent researcher, and will make this seem much more doable We're sharing notes and resources already. And this Saturday there's an armor party not too far away that will have several TK's in work, so I'll be going ready to watch and learn! Upcoming decision points: How badly do I hate setting snaps? (Pretty badly!) Ordering some TBD tool to make it easier Make vs buy on belt, holster Source for neck seal (have decided that is a "buy", not a "make")

Just heard back from TK Boots when I inquired that they’re basically out. Any advice for people with small feet? I wear 7.5 US women’s, so about 5.5 in men’s. Imperial Boots does not appear to work for me. I was considering getting these and painting them Park Lane Chelsea boot

Ok... Panic time. Just found out WTF had a 90 percent helmet size. Do I need to see if it's too late to ask for this??

Thanks for all of the input, this is very helpful. And Cricket, of course seeing your build is incredibly helpful! Hmm... I asked for short thighs, I hope that's not a mistake! I do have short legs though, I have to hem petite pants. I'm sure I will come up with more questions as I try to get organized while I wait on the armor

Thanks for all of the encouragement! - Received pants from Academy... they fit (other than being way too long, but assuming I can hide the extra length under my boots) (shirt still pending) - Asked WTF for short thighs. They reminded me that there are kids' kits... but I'm pretty sure those are too small for me. (I know a squad member with this kit and she's about 3" shorter than me... and I couldn't get the helmet over my head). So going with regular kit, short thighs, and lots of trimming! - LOTS of reading on the forums accomplished. Starting to feel more educated yet also glad I have awhile before I have a kit in hand to worry about A few questions I have so far: - Return edges. Where are they needed/desirable? I guess NOT on shins and forearms... and I intend to do snaps... so is it desirable other places? I will be trimming heavily so probably need to add in anyplace I want them. I did see a great tutorial on doing this with a hobby iron! But would not like to do them more than necessary. - Snap plates... I've seen several tutorials using ABS plates. I saw one using nylon strips that seems on the surface to be easier to me- nylon square, install snap, E6000 it to the ABS main piece. Is there some catch here? Any advice? - Suspenders vs garters vs belt for leg suspension- advice? - I plan to do butt joint and cover strip method. I've seen some who do the strip on the inside as well as outside- thoughts on this? Cost/benefit?

I'm not really building yet, but since I'm starting to order pieces I thought I'd start a build thread. A little intro- I am a total n00b to armor. I'm an intermediate seamstress, earning my stripes through drafting and sewing my staff officer and Rey costumes. I'm 5'2" petite build so I know I'm in for a lot of trimming... but yes, I have seen the threads from the ladies who have been here before me I will be leveraging heavily. I've been eying a TK build for years, but honestly have been scared due to my height and inexperience with armor. But last weekend while shopping for TIE armor for my husband I (drinking wine) also asked for a quote for TK armor, and pulled the trigger on both. So, status: Costume Armor: WTF ordered Undersuit: ordered from Academy, hoping it works- but it's like $20 total so if not, no giant loss https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/bcg-womens-turbo-long-sleeve-shirt#repChildCatSku=111076921 https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/bcg-womens-cold-weather-training-legging#repChildCatSku=111460350 Other stuff Cut-resistant gloves ordered, because I'm a walking disaster https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MXUHHGK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Scissors ordered https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KN0RQM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc= Up next: Lots of stuff saved in Evernote notes! Gloves, neck seals, etc. go measure my feet for good TK boots size Other tools Wait... worry that I won't be able to pull it off... remember that it took me 2 years to sew an officer uniform... worry that I am too short, etc. etc.

I've been looking everywhere for something like this- thanks!

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