snaketcher

ok. I know Gary jr. ill contact him today. im not as talented as he is. So everything else is good except for this issue? Thanks.

OK Sorry about the pics. Here are the close ups you requested. The hovi mics were painted by Dave Conklin as part of the helmet when he sent the kit (Dave's Darkside Depot). I think it was the position of the helmet when the picture was taken and the lighting. I'm posting left and right tips. Close up of the shim and kidney. They are inline and flush. As you thought, it was the angle of the pic. And last, the close up of the TD screws (single slot screws). I hope these help. Respectfully,

Trooper Info: Name: Steve McDaniel TK #: TK-11764 FISD Name: Trooperwarden Garrison: Florida Garrison Height: 5’11” Weight: 249 Costume Info: Armor: AM Helmet: AM Neck seal: Darman Belt: Trooperbay Boots: Jivana Holster: Darman Blaster: Hasbro with DH/FX conversion kit Hand Guards: Rubber Gloves and Latex hand guards from Trooperbay Thank you for your time. Respectfully.

TK11764 Requesting 501st access. https://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=32204 Sorry about that.

TK11764 Requesting 501 access sir.

Hello all. I was just approved for basic and I'm really excited to be here. My costume is ANH. I'm in Central Florida and looking forward to getting past this pandemic so I can join in on trooping. I've wanted to be a trooper for a while but didn't really know how or any of the background. The original trilogy came out in theaters when I was kid and I was hooked. The troopers were the coolest. Lately, I would see the TKs at various events or Disney and that was it. But I was kinda pushed over the edge to join by a photo I saw of 3 members ( Vader and 2 troopers) at a local courthouse during a big adoption event. The photo and story did it. I was on a mission. Making the costume was daunting but fun at the same time. It's better because of the effort put into it. Thanks yo everyone in on this site who helped me along the way! I'm 54 and feel like a kid again. Long live the Empire. TK11764 out.

Thanks CableGuy. I have a big butt so I think I’ll keep the butt plate as is. It keeps it all in and I Don’t want to scare anyone the thigh ammo belt will be trimmed today. I left it up to now as one of the reference photos I saw showed it sticking out past the rear edge so I thought I was good. I like to suggestion about the back plate. Will trim the sides of that down as well.

Thanks for all of the well wishes and support. I’ve submitted my request to my local GML for basic. While I’m waiting to hear back I have a question related to comfort and mobility. I’ve seen and read comments about cutting away part of the back of the thighs and or shins to cedar a better fit and ease of walking. What is the correct way to cut away the back of the shins and thighs So I can walk better? I know to keep the cut at or just above the ridge line but how do you measure so it even in both sides and not lopsided? TIA.

Thank you all very much. Cover strips cut down and TD clips shortened. Going to submit today for basic approval with my garrison. Wish me luck.

Adjustments completed. Thanks so much for the input. The trimming has been done and the armor fits better. Shoulders, etc. aligned much closer. Large ab plate flipped (can't believe I did that in the first place). Well now what do y'all think? Good enough for basic?

Ok so just so I’m clear and I don’t mess this up: I’m going to fill the back seam of the shim where it connects to the kidney plate with paste and fill in the 3 rivet holes next to the seam. Then make the 3 rivets on my chest plate and the shim that connects to the chest plate. OR do I make another shim and connect to the chest plate and have the 2 shims meet in the middle? Sorry for the questions, hope I’m explaining it right.

So can I leave the seam on the kidney plate that I have now (where the rivers are currently) or do i need to fill it with paste?

Justjoseph63, OK thanks for the input. Biceps shouldn't be an issue-I can trim those down. Arms maybe a little. I was following a tutorial on the kidney shim and I thought the rivets went on each side of the shim. So you're saying to put 3 rivets on the chest piece and the other 3 on the shim part that buts up to the chest? Thanks again.

Ukswrath- Thank you . I followed your tutorial! Major help to me.

Name: Steve McDaniel Unit: Florida Garrison/Makaze Squad Armor: AM Helmet: AM Belt: Trooper Bay Neck Seal: Darmans Props Boots; Jivana Blaster: JSCosplayArmory Hgt: 5' 11" Wgt: 247 TK Type: ANH Stunt Names: Dave Conklin, Gary Collins, FL GML (Tim Boyle)

Ok here are more photos of my build. It's actually starting to look like a stormtrooper. The ammo belt is almost done. I still need to attach the holster. The issue I found is that the plastic inside the belt to help stop the sagging is back further from the edge of the outer plastic ammo belt than I thought. The tutorial I'm following (UKwrath's) is saying to go 20mm or 40 mm from the edge of the plastic ammo belt for the first hole on the holster. The plastic inside the belt is like 70 mm back (seems to fit on the back part of my hip when I wear it). Is that a deal breaker on any level for approval? For some reason I cant upload any more pictures. Apparently I've already reached 81+ KB.

Thanks! Yes I met Gary Jr and Sr at the last armor party he had a few weeks ago. Both Gary's are "wizards" at this stuff. At the time I ddn't have my armor so it was more of a look and watch and ask questions for me. Thanks for the encouragement!

Thanks! Yes I met Gary Jr and Sr at the last armor party he had a few weeks ago. Both Gary's are "wizards" at this stuff. At the time I ddn't have my armor so it was more of a look and watch and ask questions for me. Thanks for the encouragement!

Forgot to add at the beginning, the armor is AM.

Finally got things arranged and fitting better. Due to some weight loss I've had to readjust the suspenders and now the ab and kidney parts fit tighter or more snug. The thighs concern me as do the shins. I think I may need to trim one or both. The sniper plate seems to be hitting the bottom of the thigh ridge and the ammo band seems to restrict my right leg movement. Pics to follow.

Here are some more pics after I started. I was following the builds and nobody said start with the core (torso) work outward and do the limbs last so its been a learning curve and became a little more work, but I learned a lot. Here is where I am. The chest and back plates have been taken off the kidney and Ab plate and are stand alone. I left the snaps in place in case I wanted/needed to go back to one whole front and back piece. But I can move better now. The suspender system for the ab and kidney is great and easier to put on.

Howdy. Here is the picture trip of my first adventure into this. The build has been daunting, frustrating and fun all at the same time. So I have posted some of this on my local garrison page in a thread and they have been good support. My GML has been really good. But I wanted to get opinions from a wider audience as I know there are a ton of tricks and tips out there. Some of what I've followed in this group seems to be "old" as I've been told different ways to change a lot of my build based other options such as ease of use or comfort over the years and others experiments. based on the info from others. So there has been some re-configuring and snaps/straps come and go. The tips really worked. So, that said, I'll post the pics and some comments and y'all fire away good, bad or constructive. What I though was going to be the hardest (boots) was really the easiest. I'm building a Stunt kit and shooting for EIB, hopefully Centurion. I'm getting there. Baby steps. LLTE (Long live the Empire).

I knew that…… Thanks I thought there was a separate message board for PM's. Sent him a message .already. Here we go. Jumping in with both feet.

How do I get to the message boards? Trying to contact sSkunky for an armor quote. TIA!