Firedog

Name: Shawn Williams Future Garrison/Squad: Florida Garrison/Parjai Squad Armor Maker: AM 4.5 (Dave's Darkside Depot) Helmet Maker: AM 4.5 (Dave's Darkside Depot) Cloth Belt Maker: Self made Neck Seal Maker: Darman's Props Boot Maker: Imperial Boots Blaster Maker: Awaiting blaster from Quest Design Canada Height: 6' 3" Weight: 205 lbs TK Type: ANH Stunt Received Help From: TKSpartan, Gmrhodes13, LTM Front: Back: I realized after the fact that it needed to be arms down. Also, my handler didn't have the shins completely closed. They will close with no gap. I am having difficulty with the TD brackets I purchased from Dave at DDD. They will not allow the TD to go any further down on the belt. Is it acceptable to place the TD bracket between the belt velcro? Left Side: Right Side: AB Plates: Helmet: Interior Strapping:

An update on progress. Yesterday my 3" elastic and velcro arrived, so I was able to get the belts for myself and my son sewn together. Here's the final on my belt. I finished the strapping on my arms prior to that. I also used ABS paste and filled in the thigh gaps. And with that....I feel like I'm pretty much done with the first set of armor, with the exception of a couple of minor things. Here, I had my wife helping me and hadn't realized that the shin pieces were not completely closed in the back. They will close to no gap at the top. Also, the TD brackets I received from Dave will not allow the TD to go any further down, I actually broke a bracket trying to adjust it to work, so I'll either have to find a way to make my own or dish out more $$ for new ones.

I am sooooooooo close. I’m submitting for basic this weekend hopefully and then EIB first part of next week. I’ve got a few minor things to finish and my E-11 should arrive Monday if it doesn’t get delayed by US Customs.

Joe’s is AM as well, as is mine.

I understand the confusion as I was puzzled by it as well when starting on mine. The side that angles lower is always on the left side with this AM armor, although I am not sure about other makers. So, even though the top angles down more on the left side, they are still shaped differently in the calf area. Here is a photo from @David G's build thread that should help.

As you can see here, the inside of the shin has a curvature that begins higher than the outside, which is similar to the profile of the calf muscles. Also, I am building an AM kit as well from Dave and the front does have the flat profile for the cover strips. I cut each side down to 10mm from the edge of the profile to allow for a 20mm cover strip. This is the inside of the right shin.

The helmet looks good. With the AM helmets, it’s difficult to get the ears back to where the screws are directly in line with the back of the traps. I ended up taking mine apart and trimming some more to move them further back, but still not as far back as other kits. I believe this is a suggestion but not a disqualification at any level l, as I’ve seen in some ANH screen helmets, the ears were a little more forward. Also, I think the angle of your ears, brow height, and teeth trim look good.

I recommend picking up some vinyl masking ribbon and tape that is used for modeling or automotive. This should help your bleed problem and the smaller size will help in those contours. Something like this https://www.amazon.com/High-Temp-Fineline-Masking-Automotive-Curves/dp/B088D1SD49/ref=sr_1_17?dchild=1&keywords=vinyl+fine+line+tape&qid=1597781792&sr=8-17 is available in many different widths.

Trooper Bay sells it https://trooperbay.com/costuming-supplies/hardware/trooper-helmet-s-neck-trim

I have some black EVA foam that is around 2/8" thick that I purchased to pad my shins. I'll try using this to bring the edge of the thighs away from the skin in that area and see if that helps. On another note, I've made progress strapping the arms and shoulders and attaching the shoulder bridges. I'll post photos of these later. I did run into a minor setback over the weekend as I sewed my belt and inserted a 2 3/4" strip of lexan plastic to help it maintain it shape. All was well and good until I used my punch to make the holes to attach the TK belt and it cracked the plastic inside. I should have known that the lexan would be brittle, even though it is very flexible. I ordered some 3" elastic from Amazon and I'm going to double that up inside as seen in @firebladejedi's tutorial. I hope to have the belt completed by Thurs and then on to basic approval. My E-11 is scheduled to arrive on 8/24, so I still have a decent chance of making it into the first 1k EIB.

I'm definitely down to answer any questions I can. I am building two kits and decided to get the learning out of the way on mine so hopefully I can build my son's more efficiently without having to second guess and re-tweak as much as I have on mine. These other threads, especially the AM builds, have been a wealth of knowledge as well.

I utilized this hinge and tab system in my torso and really love how it keeps everything lined up perfectly!

I believe on the bottom of the forearms, it’s more important that they have no return edge. With my AM 4.5 kits, when I trim them down, it’s not perfectly flat at the wrist. I highly recommend starting a build thread to share your progress and post photos with any questions you have regarding your build and specific concerns as each armor make has subtle differences. Also, check out the gallery section of this site to reference screen accuracy. I look forward to following your build!

If I try to bring that up any more, I’ll have to trim some things I am quite partial to that aren’t a part of the armor.

The first cut was the toughest, for sure. Measure 2, 3, 4 times and then cut. I don't know how many times I have measured, remeasured, taped, re-taped, remeasured...lol.

It's been a few days since my last update, but the work continues. I end up staying up late at night working on my armor after the Mrs. turns in and am too exhausted to post anything when I am done for the night. Here's what I've been up to... Regarding the thighs, I cut very little from the top per Mario's suggestion and used a heat sealing iron to round out the top for a small return edge. Once this was done, I also trimmed a bit more of the return edge so as just to have the slight finish curve at top. Heat sealing iron I purchased through Walmart.com for less than $30. This baby works wonders. Thighs cut with mark for return. Result of using the sealing iron on the edge. Then, it was a happy Monday as these items arrived! Ok, back to the build... Here's a shot after torso strapping was added. Thigh strapping had not yet been done. Here are some shots of the strapping. I used the hinge method on the left side and the slot connection on the right side of the kidney/ab connection to keep things in line. I've seen this on a few builds, but I followed AJ's 2.0 build thread for implementation. Added snaps and cod rivet. Finished thigh strips and added ammo belt Added sniper knee Here I have my thighs strapped and am working on getting the strapping started for the arms and shoulder bells. I had to trim about 1/2" off the bell and created a very slight curve, but I can stand to take a little bit off the top again and make a bit more defined curve. The forearms right a little high on my wrists, but I almost prefer this rather than having a larger gap between the bicep and forearm. Any suggestions on that are appreciated. Also, I get pinched a bit between the cod and the thigh if I don't walk carefully. Can the edges of the cod piece be trimmed back slightly to alleviate this?

Looks really good, Avery! You took a less expensive Ebay bucket kit and made it look amazing! Kudos!

Dave is a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend him from my experience. Congratulations and good luck with your build!

I plan to get basic ASAP prior to getting the blaster and then taking all required photos to post to EIB application and adding the blaster once it arrives.

Getting so close to finishing my TK build. E-11 is supposed to ship by the weekend. It’s getting down to the wire and my fingers are crossed and anxiety level on high...lol

Welcome Paul! I enjoy meeting more people in my age range range ( I’m 44 ) that haven’t lost the love for Star Wars that we had as bright eyed kids. Your extensive research on these boards will pay dividends when you start your build. I’m in Panama City, FL and just started my build along with my son, who is a Sophomore at FSU this fall. GO NOLES!!!

Received my book today! #happydance

Nice! I loved Olga's. There is a lot of great immersion there that I was nerding out over.

Welcome to the forums, Jason. Sounds like your love for Star Wars started close to the same age as I was. I was born in 75 and only 2 when ANH was released. I grew up with the original Hasbro figures and vehicles. It consumed me along side GI Joe and Transformers, but it definitely led the other two by a large margin. I too was able to spend some time at Galaxies Edge in Orlando last year around Thanksgiving and I didn't want to leave. Walking into the entrance for the first time, my heart sank to my feet and I was on a natural high. We had a vacation planned to go back this spring, the exact week that they closed for Covid. This time, I had a reservation to Savi's Workshop and was chomping at the bits to create my own lightsaber for my WIP Star Wars man cave, but I digress. Anyway, pleasure to meet you and good luck on your build!

Hey all. In my build, I have used 2" webbing for the butt to kidney connection and kidney to back connections as I did not want there to be too much flexibility that would allow for inaccurate gaps between the pieces. I plan on using 2" black elastic for my ab to chest connection, thigh straps, and bicep/forearm, 1" black elastic or my Hans snap, and 2" white elastic in the shoulders. My question to those of you who have been trooping for some time, will the rigidity of the webbing on the back pieces cause issues down the road?