[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Also glued the shoulder straps on leaving about 4 ridges on the chest plate.

 

For the rear shin 25mm cover strips 1/2 of the cover strip should be glued onto the shin leaving the other half overlapped and not glued correct?  Should white velcro be put on the remaining 1/2 of the cover strip or just velcro on the shin pieces?

 

Also dry fitting the thigh pieces with little gap between thigh and armor  at  the knee looks good but doesn't allow me to walk up stairs etc.  Leaving the pieces as they came pre-trimmed is more comfortable but there is some gap between thigh and armor at knee  Is there a recommended gap there should be between the thigh/knee and armor?

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Spent some time last night working on the Thermal Detonator.  Are the end caps too big?  Should they be trimmed down some?

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Enough of the return edge removed on both forearms or should I try and remove more?

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

4 minutes ago, wook1138 said:

I think the arms look fine.     Centering the forearm so that the black showing at the elbow is proportional to the black showing at the wrist (between handguard and forearm) is the important thing.  The best advice now is to attach the hand guards and see if you have need to move your forearms up a touch.

 

The right thigh can be a bit tricky.  The raised return edge along the front seam is curved a bit.  I had to glue the coverstrip to the bottom half - let it dry - and then do the upper half so I could bend the coverstrip enough to allow for the curvature.  Also, using inner coverstrips helped as well. 

 

And... you will likely want to do inner coverstrips on the shins as they receive more stress than other parts due to the dressing process. 

 

Keep up the great work!  You are flying through this.

Got it thanks for the advice! 

 

2 minutes ago, TKSpartan said:

Hi, looking good. As a suggestion , for higher levels of accuracy the hovi tips the crl states:

 

• Correct 'Hovi mic' aerator tips are present. Screens used shall be of a wide type mesh, with the rim of the mic and the inside white or painted white.

This is  if you would like to have a better look on your helmet. below the reference photo

 

 

 

cheers

I still need to do that as well as remove a blue strip that is hidden under the ear piece and paint the screws/rivets white.

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Thanks for the advice and I will trim up the small ab buttons a little more.

 

Here is my initial test fit.  I have long arms and I feel like there is too much black at the elbow but maybe it is ok.  I tried to lower the biceps as far as I could and center the forearm piece the best I could.  Still some fine tuning needed but I think I will save that until the belt is finished.

 

And the side rivets aligned better:

 

On to the belt and leg pieces next.

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Also, I plan on using Chicago style screw posts to attach the canvas belt to ammo pack/drop boxes to elastic/holster to canvas belt.  Is there a recommend size on the Chicago screws?  1/4" or 3/16"?

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

I made some progress over the last few days.

 

Installed some snaps and rivets, I still need to paint the rivets white on the chest plate.

 

Added buttons to chest plate:

 

Added a hook to the back of the bicep plates to keep the elastic in place.  I assume this is ok?  The shoulder bells seem big but we'll see what the final fit looks like.  Also need to clean up/trim those cover strips on the biceps.

 

Fits seems fairly good but a little off centered/rivets don't line up and would like this to look a little cleaner.  I may need to lower the back piece a little by making the elastic in the shoulders a bit longer.

 

Suggestions and feedback?

 

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Are chicago screws or split rivets ok to attach ammo belt to canvas belt, white straps to drop boxes, holster to canvas belt?

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

I am not going to cut as I described above, a little more test fitting and it seems fine.

 

Should the bottom of the chest plate and the bottom of the back plate ideally line up?  I am assuming there should be some play with it once the strapping is installed.

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Spent the last few days reworking the biceps and forearms.  I trimmed them a little and they seem to have a better fit.

 

My next question is the ab plate and kidney plate seem a bit bulky and boxy when I dry fit them on.  It is pre-trimmed but can I cut the kidney plate back a bit as shown in the photos below?

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Thanks everyone for the advice!  I will look at this again this weekend.

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

I think I am going to redo the coverstrips,  too much of the raised edge showing on the biceps and forearms something I overlooked originally.  I plan to cut a few mm off of each of the raised edges, then cover with 15mm coverstrip.  Should still allow plenty of room for it to fit.  Agreed?  

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

22 minutes ago, wook1138 said:

Looks good to me. 

Can't tell for sure from the picture, but be sure the coverstrip covers the entire raised area.

Just in case you didn't notice - Mark's cover strip material has a "good" side and a "bad" side.  One side is more glossy than the other.  Also, be sure to rough up the gluing surfaces with some sandpaper - it helps the E6000 hold.

Keep up the good work!

I did notice the "good" and "bad" side to the cover strip material.

I do have a little raised edge remaining that is visible.  Should I redo this and make the cover strips 20cm?

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

I have been cleaning up my helmet a bit and started on the cover strips over the last few days.  When the ridges of the forearm are flush I am able to put my wrist through so I cut the cover strips to 15cm and glued them on the outside, let dry and will glue the inner piece on.  I cut the cover strip a bit long but made it flush with one end and will trim the other flush.  I forgot to round off the corners of the cover strips on the bicep pieces but it doesn't seem to rough.  The bicep cover strips still need to be trimmed flush.

Any red flags anyone sees?

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Ok so I got most of the parts painted.  Still need to paint the hovi tips white, install mesh behind mouth, install lens, counter sink ear screws and paint white.

I need to go back and touch up/clean up the paint a bit.  The ear screws don't really fall inline with the trapezoids but is this ok?

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Should I clean the surface of the face plate somehow before I apply the decals or do they stick pretty well?

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

Looking at the faceplate of the helmet from the outside which side does each decal go on?  I will position them pencil width from the check.

[mlarsen's ANH TK Build (AP trimmed kit)]

BBB Day is here for me!  Arrived this afternoon and I am excited to get started.  This will be my first build, I have been looking over the forums a lot lately in preparation for the arrival.  I am planning on starting on the helmet first, I will have lots of questions along the way.

 

So it begins...

 

Armor : Authentic Props

Soft Hand Guards : Authentic Props

TD Clips : Authentic Props

Holster : Authentic Props

Gloves : Authentic Props

Canvas Belt : Authentic Props

 

S-Trim : Trooperbay

Helmet Dark Lens : Trooperbay

 

Neck Seal : Darman's Prop's

Undersuit : Amazon

Boots : Imperial Boots

E-11 Blaster : Quest Design Canada - pending

Fans : banggod.com

Comms : Not sure yet

 

[Hello from Minnesota]

Thanks everyone.  I have the armor on order and will order boots from Imperial Boots on their next wave.  One size up from what I normally wear right?  I am planning on starting a build thread when I get the armor.

[Hello from Minnesota]

I am thinking about AP in Canada.

[Hello from Minnesota]

17 minutes ago, Commander Gree said:

Welcome!

 

I guess my question is who trimmed it? if its from the vendor then it should be fine. they do what we call a "pre-trim" which means all or most the Extra stuff has been cut away. But if its from a single person, I would use caution. They may have trimmed it to fit them, and some parts may not work for you, which can cause issues, shimming, or all together need for new parts.

Yes, it would be the vendor.

[Hello from Minnesota]

Hello,

I just joined the forum.  I first became familiar with the 501st while attending San Diego Comic Con several years ago.  This would be my first build.  I am hoping to build ANH Stormtrooper eventually to Centurion.  I have started to read the "Getting Started" section and started to read about the various types of armor and where to find them.  I am about 6'1" and about 175lbs so I am assuming any seller should be fine?  Any concerns about purchasing already trimmed armor and assemble myself?