Firedog

Absolutely clear. After viewing my photos, that was my judgement as well. I’m happy to have confirmation on that.

I did get rid of almost all of the return from the butt plate. I will need to move some snap plates to get the notch. I read that it was no longer a requirement, so I didn’t anticipate needing it. If it increases mobility, maybe I should pull those plates and get to cutting.

I've been running through a dry fit of the torso. I trimmed the ab, kidney, and butt plates on the sides about 3/8" to bring it in closer as this suit is quite large. Here are the photos. In this photo, I realized that I need to bring the chest down over the ab a bit more. I am unsure about the posterior and feel like it may need to come up a little, but tbh I wasn't sure how the butt plate is supposed to sit in correlation to my butt cheeks...lol. I feel like I have too much room at the neck, but if I go much higher, I get a little cheeky in the bottom. This may be the intended fit, I just need someone to weigh in. Side view Another concern I have, albeit probably unwarranted and just the inherent nature of the AM armor, is the looseness on the sides. I have very little room in the front and back but a generous amount on the sides. I'd like to avoid getting into trying to reshape these pieces, but I am shooting for higher levels, so will do what must be done. This may not even be noticeable with my black top and my arm and shoulder pieces on. Thoughts?

While the the leather looks more authentic, I would think not much of it would be seen when in costume. Additionally, I feel that the leather would be hot in comparison to the fabric ones. Just my 2 cents. Bobby (Darman's) is currently working on two neck seals for me. I ordered a couple of holsters from him on Etsy, but reached out with a DM to get the neck seals.

Thanks for the input. I have been following your build and have done essentially the same thing. I haven’t posted photos yet, but I picked up a black EVA Foam mat At Harbor Freight and cut some strips and affixed them inside the shin using double sided tape. I originally had too much padding, which definitely cleared the knee, but made me look like Puss in Boots. Yesterday, I removed a layer of padding and removed the rear cover strips and trimmed the shins a little more. I like the look now and the sniper knee barely touches my knee cap. By the time I trim the sniper knee a little, I think I’ll be in good shape.

If you don’t hear back by tomorrow, send him a message via FB messenger. If you don’t have FB, send me a PM and I can give you his cell #. He prefers to communicate via text.

I can agree with that sentiment. There are a lot of ppl out there that have a tendency to ruin it for others.

Another quick question...I have seen some shim behind the sniper knee to bring it forward a tad. If I keep the angle in line with the top of the shin, how much shimming would be acceptable? This would, of course, bring the bottom center of the knee off the front surface of the shin a bit.

There is definitely room, which is why I left the top as large as it is. I was concerned about the top of the shin pieces being way too large in comparison to my leg circumference, but I suppose it’s going to have to be a trade off to get the sniper knee to sit right. I just hope when it’s all together, tt won’t look silly with the space around my legs.

I'm having difficulty sizing the shin pieces. The problem I seem to be running into is due to the shape of my legs. I've spent years crawling around on floors as a firefighter and then crawling around floors on my days off as a tile contractor. My knees show it. I'm not sure how to fit the shin pieces so that I can get the sniper plate on correctly. I am a tall fellow, but ordered AM armor to hopefully compensate for that, but it seems I have to pull the shin pieces up near the top of my boot to get the calf curvature to mirror my own. Even then, my knee becomes an issue. My only thought is to size them a little large and put some foam in the front to pull the piece out a bit. However, when I push forward on the shin piece, it still seems like I am going to run into issues, especially with the angle of the sniper knee, which I want to be correct for lvl 2 & 3. I may even be looking at this fitting all wrong as well. I'd appreciate any input on this.

I am not familiar with them, but I know Dave at Dave’s Darkside Depot is quick to respond and provides a great AM kit. I’m about 6’3” 205 as well and the suit is plenty big enough with a lot of extra to trim.

Thanks Mario! It is difficult to tell from the photo I provided, but indeed the return edge on the cuff had been removed. Here's an update on my progress over the last couple of days. I next moved on to trimming the calves after glueing inner strips to one side of the forearms and biceps. The AM pieces are quite large, and while I am 6'3" and sit around 200lbs, there is still plenty of room to trim, so I proceeded to cut the front reveals to 11mm, allowing for some sanding to get to the 10mm on each side. I glued inner strips on the front of the calves from the waste I trimmed. After sitting almost 24 hrs, I then cut 20mm cover strips from the extra ABS provided in the AM kit. I cut them to length and chamfered the corners. I lightly sanded the back of the strips and the surface of the calf where they are to be glued. There was only one thing left to do, stick em on. This part made me a little nervous as it was the first part I've glued that would be visible. I know ES6000 is easy to clean up, but still...lol. And just when you think Diet DrPepper can't get any better....They give us Diet DrPepper with Cream Soda. I have to quit drinking these things, but dang they are so good! Next stop...thigh work. Again, these pieces are HUGE! I had no qualms about doing what I did with the calves and cutting the reveals down to 11mm on each side. I started out using an aluminum yard stick for my straight edge, but quickly realized that it wasn't as flexible as I wanted it to be for the contour of the thigh. I decided to use a slab of the extra ABS to use as a straight edge. By this time, I had seen another technique (I apologize for not giving credit as I can't recall where I saw it.) where blue painter's tape is placed on the line and the trimming is made just outside, allowing for final sanding up to the tape line. This worked really well and gave me great alignment when I put the pieces together. And that's where it got a little late and I had to turn in. I'll likely get some interior strips on the thighs tonight and work on sizing and trimming the backs of the calves. I'll also work on applying cover strips to the other pieces as long as I have enough magnets. I bought 24 of those babies thinking that surely it would be enough, but dang there are a lot of cover strips!

Did you have issues with your previous method that included the plastic insert? I purchased materials to make belts for our two kits, which included a sheet of thin, clear plastic for the insert.

Hi Domenic, and welcome from another new guy. It's great that you and your dad are working together on this. My son and I are both building ANH TKs at the moment and are having a great time, so it's definitely something that you will remember and tell stories about for a lifetime. I look forward to following your build and there is probably no better community to build with!

Thanks for the input Steve! Fortunately, Dave provides rubber gloves as well as @justjoseph63's flexible hand guards with his kits, so we're good there. I'm steady chugging along with the builds and could have one completed for basic and EIB submission within a few weeks (I’m likely overly optimistic here). As it stands, I think what will keep me out of making the 1k is my E-11, which I may not receive until the end of August or first week of September, unless he happens to get it out to me sooner. I like to set lofty goals for myself, but I also have to balance that with reasonable expectations. We're looking forward to joining you in the Florida Garrison soon!

That's unfortunate. I look at camping as the ideal method of social distancing.

I made a bit more progress this evening. I fitted the biceps and forearms and glued 15mm inner strips on each piece. Here is a photo of the fitting before glueing. Here's a shot of the left bicep before gluing. I sanded the joints as well as the back of the cover strips and glued using the fan favorite ES-6000. And here's the four arm pieces after gluing the cover strips. It's going to take some getting used to the "hurry up and wait" aspect of building with ES-6000, but fortunately there are other pieces I can work on in the meantime. As I mentioned earlier, My son, @McNuggies worked hard on his helmet paint job and I am ready to post it for critique. We are both shooting for Centurion, so please be candid with your critiques and suggestions. And, alas, two heads are better than one!

Hi Terry! Welcome to FISD. Tie pilot is one costume that I have wanted to own for as long as I can remember, and will likely do so one day. I recently started a TK build...well...more like two TK builds, as I am helping my 19 yo son build his as well. For me, the Stormtrooper is the OG of the Star Wars costumes and is unmistakable in its own right, which is why it had to be my first kit. This is an amazing group of people to be associated with, who are more than willing to help us new guys and gals out. Good luck on your build!

I picked up one from Harbor Freight with multiple bits and a wand attachment for about $25 after coupon and it has a 90 day free replacement warranty. I don't generally care for their tools as they don't usually last very long, but with their 90 day return policy and optional extended free replacement warranty, you an easily get your money's worth out of it.

Ok, the right forearm is cut and ready for sanding and glueing; however, when I started working on sizing the left forearm, I noticed quite a difference in the inner forearm in regards to curvature at the top. Is this something that is common and, if so, should I consider rounding it out to match the right forearm?

Although I have mixed feelings regarding the sequel trilogy, I really like the look of the FO troopers. Once I finish my ANH TK and recuperate from the expense of it, I had considered this build next. May I ask which vendor you chose? It's never too early to start researching...

Congratulations! Great looking build!

I cleaned up the frown and finished painting the ears and added the screen behind the frown, held in place by a few drops of CA glue on the back of each tooth, which was also done after I took this photo. Here is a photo of inside the bucket. What I did here for mounting the lenses was cut down and angle some dowel rods and pre-drill for mounting posts, attached in four points around the eye with CA glue. Thinking that a good idea, it was difficult to see where to mark the lens and I probably missed the predrilled holes anyway, but it appears to have worked out. I will likely touch the bottom posts up with a little black paint. Ears painted... I began some fitting of the forearms late yesterday evening. I cut away all of the return on the bottom but forgot to cut out the return on the rectangular portion, which I will do this evening. I cut out nearly all of the return edge on the upper forearm and biceps as well. I hope to have these fitted and one inner strip glued on each tonight. Here is a photo of the right forearm. The bottom is barely large enough for me to squeeze my hand through and the top should have maybe finger thickness of play when I get it glued up and shaped. I tried to mark where my arm is in relation to the armor, since the under suit didn't help the photo much. What is the general consensus on the snugness of these pieces? My son's helmet is pretty much complete as well. He really wanted to handle the painting on his bucket, which involved some trial and error, but I believe he's in good shape now. I will try to post some pictures of that progress tonight.

Placed my order today as well! Can’t wait!

Are you sold out on this run?