Hello everyone! I just got 501 approved and detachment access. I originally bought my ANH Stunt TK kit back in 2020 right before I made a huge move in the US. My BBB showed up and it sat unopened for over a year. I moved it across the states, even! In 2021, amongst a pile of moving boxes and take-out food, I decided to open it and start building. I built a few pieces, promptly became intimidated, and put it all away. Come 2024, I decided to list it for sale on the internet. I hadn't touched it in years, and I had long given up on building the kit. I unsubscribed from the FISD newsletter and resigned myself to defeat. So, the listing sat....and sat.......and sat some more.
Then, in 2025, a member of the New England Garrison reached out to me with the intent to buy my kit. GREAT! I could finally unload this pile of shame. Lets go!
We chatted a bit, and he eventually convinced me that I could, in fact, build the kit, he and his fellow 501 members would help me. So instead of selling to him, I should build it......what?? Who does that? Anyway...
"Sure," I thought, why not? So he talked me out of selling my own TK to him, and then added me to his little group chat. I looked at my TK sitting in my garage, and once again, it sat....... for 9 months. I accidentally found "Dad of Xander" on YouTube around this time. He had this incredible in-depth tutorial series. His approach to the kit finally shook me from my paralysis, and I started attacking the build. His series was filmed in a way that you could clearly see what he was doing while he was doing it. He also explained it in a very simple manner, and then showed you why you should do it. "I got this" I thought...... A lot of mistakes were made.
A LOT of mistakes......some lessons I learned are:
1: Make the snap plates. It looks tedious. That's because it is. Do it anyway. Don't be lazy.
2: Don't do Super Glue. I know you can slam out a bunch of work really quickly. That's the problem......If you know, you know.
3: Measure Twice, Cut once. This goes without saying. But measure again before that cut. Seriously, and don't push the gap in on the tape measure. Its there for a reason....
4: No Super Glue. Please......
5: Did I mention don't do the Super Glue?
6: Carefully watch/read the entire tutorial, and then watch/read it again before you proceed. (Case and point, my thermal detonator)
7: Seriously, throw the superglue in the trash. The slow process of E6000 is so you have time to reflect on your mistakes and why you are doing this.
Anyway, a little humor, but thank you again for all the help I received from here. I spent a lot of time lurking. I disappeared for so long that my account went inactive on here, even. Heck, I even unsubbed from the emails (I gotta turn that back on....ooops). A massive, MASSIVE shoutout to the New England Garrison fellas (I'm not sure if they want named or not), and Dad of Xander on YouTube. I would never have completed this kit if it weren't for those resources.
With unquestioned Loyalty.
-TK 12325
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