Firedog

Hi Gaz! Welcome to the boards and good luck on your build! I’ll be starting on two builds hopefully this weekend or by the first part of next week, depending on shipping time. Although mine and my son’s kits aren’t from RS, their build videos on YouTube are as great resource and I’ve been watching those as well as CableGuy’s videos in preparation for our BBB arrival. I hope you will start a build thread, as I look forward to following your progress.

What do you mean by submissions being up? I’m not sure I follow. Does this mean that the first 1k have been filled? Edit: Nevermind, Caleb. I just say your post in your build thread. I’m so sorry to hear the news as I know how tough it is to have your sights on something and get so close to the finish line to have life interrupt everything. I hope something comes along quickly for you that may prevent you from having to sell your kit, but if not, I hope you get what you need for it.

Oh, the Gundam models I used to ogle over back in the day when I was a young lad. I was never obsessed, but had such an admiration for the concept and style and the shear craftsmanship that went into every one.

I have two things on my list to do when my son and I finish our armor. The first is to make a surprise visit to my brother, who loves SW as much as I do, with a set of binders to arrest him for being a rebel sympathizer. He has no idea of our projects and I think it would be a good memory for us to share over a beer years down the road. The other thing we would like to do is show up unannounced at my nephew's birthday party. What are some of your best memories when it comes to making random appearances?

I’ve ordered a couple of kits from Dave, hoping to have them within a couple of weeks to start the builds. I’m excited to start this project!

Thanks Caleb! I’ll be checking that out.

Just an update... I received an email from Victor this morning and the requested change has been made. Great customer service!

That’s awesome! His look fits that role awesomely! I’m about to begin a duel TK build with my son. I know you have to be a proud dad.

I can imagine so. From what I hear, they provide a high quality product. I’m excited to get my hands on them and feet in them.

I just realized that the wrong color was selected on the order. I guess I was overexcited to get my order in. I immediately emailed Victor to request a color change from black to white. I’ll be nervous until I hear back and hopefully this won’t be an issue since my sale status is still pending. I feel like quite the idiot. I would hate to have to paint two brand new pairs of IB boots.

I just placed my order and they do offer a size 13 US. While the site was in catalog mode, their size chart did not show this; however, now that they are open, size 13 is available in the drop down menu. My concerns appear to have been unwarranted.

I’m very interested in following your progress on this, as well as what your setup looks like. Good luck on your build!

I appreciate you taking the time to make these vids. I watched the series and grabbed the last Testor’s color I needed today as well as some brushes from Hobby Lobby. I’ve learned a lot and can’t wait for my kit to arrive to try these techniques.

That’s a good point. I would think the nickel plated might not be as durable as the stainless, but given the minimum amount of snapping and unsnapping that would occur over the lifetime of the armor, they should hold up. Aesthetically, they may be inferior, but as you said, who’s going to be seeing them other than the photos I place here on the boards in my build thread and myself. Harbinger also made a good point regarding the softness of the metal, which may benefit me since I’m looking at having to set at least 60-70 of these snaps for both kits.

I have seen where some builds have used the Tandy line 24 snaps in stainless steel and others have used the nickel plated. Since my son and I are both building, is there a disadvantage to using the more cost effective nickel plated snaps?

Thanks for the tips Jay. I guess my concern on gluing around the snap was whether they would be able to withstand the pressure of unsnapping.

I apologize for asking a question that has likely already been answered on the boards, but I am having difficulty finding it using the search. I will likely be installing nylon snap plates and have read about reaction between the E-6000 and the stainless snap backs that could cause some warping issues in the ABS. What are the best practices when applying these to ensure a good bond but also not damage the armor? Would painting the back of the snaps with something like Plasti Dip help avoid a potential disaster? Also, what is be the best way to clamp these without glue seeping through the nylon and adhering to the clamps?

Good point.

With Imperial Boots opening up in a few days, I have set my reminder to get my order in. These appear to be the gold standard for many on these boards and the price is hard to beat. I want to order a pair for myself and my son, but I have a bit of a conundrum. I typically range between 12 US and 13 US depending on the make of shoe. Its weird because it seems to be all over the place with different types of shoes. I would say that ideally, a 12.5 would be perfect as often a 12 is a bit short and a 13 sometimes leaves nearly 3/4" between my big toe and the toe of the shoe and its almost impossible for me to find a 12.5 when I shop for shoes locally. That being said, their sizing chart only shows up to a 12.5 US and it is recommended to order a half size larger. Are there any of you that have the same size range and have had success with that size?

Thanks Joseph! I will be creating a thread shortly as I begin to gather some things for the build preemptively. I've been checking out a few of the existing build threads as well as the Centurion requirements. I really like to go for gold when I do things. I just hope my skill level will live up to my expectation of what I perceive it to be...lol. I'm very meticulous, which I hope will aid me to some degree in this process. I am hoping to have these completed by Halloween so my son and I can escort my 7y.o. Princess Leia around and gather the Imperial Candy Tax. This is my goal, but I'm more concerned about the finished product and the process than I am the timeframe. p.s. It was nice to see a set of your flexible hand guards included in our kits!

Thanks Leonardo! I have been scouring over the boards incessantly in anticipation of our kits’ arrival. There are so many great resources here and I appreciate all the hard work that has gone into teaching us new guys the way.

Aside from my wife and kids, this may be the most beautiful thing I have seen. The level of detail brings tears to my eyes.

Oh, wow! Congratulations! I'm hoping to make a similar announcement within a couple of months.

Thanks Shane! We ordered the AM 4.5 ANH Stunt TK kits from Dave at Dave's Darkside Depot. I'm 6'3" and around 205lbs and my son is 6' and around 150lbs. From what I have read, these kits work well for larger/taller troopers and can be cut down for most anyone.

Hi everyone. I've been following the forums off and on for some time now with hopes to eventually start my own build. I've wanted to have my own TK armor and join the 501st since I was in my 20s. I'm 44 now. My son started college last year and we began discussing building armor and joining 501st as a way to share a hobby, stay close, and make even more friends and lasting memories together. Well, that being said, we just put in our order for our kits and are about to start this exciting journey. I look forward to meeting you all and learning from the seasoned vets.