BAZINGA

Yes I know they are too high. That is the problem I'm currently trying to correct. I'm going to try and drop the bicep about an inch then replace the snap/elastic that is there between the bicep and the forearm with just elastic and add about an inch to and inch and a half to the existing measurement to move it down my arm. Does this all seem like a logical plan? Reminder. I didn't build this and I'm not going to rip everything apart to try and change how it was done for the cover strips. I sanded off the sharp edges the best I could so they feel fairly smooth when I run my finger along the edge. Currently I don't care about the drop boxes, those are the least of my worries. I'm just working on getting the arms to fit correctly then I will move onto the next round of problems. If I try and address all the problems at once it will never get finished as I'll give up on it. It's "Ready to wear" commission. I'm doing what I can do. I am not an armor builder. Didn't want to be. Just trying to do the best I can do with a non-existent armor building skill set. Bart

I am all about Halloween and watched this today too. Didn't consider it for armor application but then again I'm still trying to get mine fitted so very far away from figuring out any electronics. Bart

I'm back to fitting the arms as they seem the closest to getting acceptable. I added the hooks on the biceps as it seemed to be the thing to do from what I have observed on two sets of armor in person. The moving of the strap up in the bell and the hook seems to set the bicep correctly in the shoulder from photos I've looked at. The strap between the bicep and the forearm though looks to be too short. The forearm is not centred on my arm as it should be. That is an elastic snap system and there isn't enough room to move the snaps to create, by the looks of things, a good 2 inches so I am going to go with a permanent elastic glued in which I understand from others is not uncommon. Trying to tape the forearm to get an idea of space the gap seems large but maybe it really isn't compared to everyone else and the CRL photo. Is there a calculation to figure out how this should be or just centre the forearm and go from there? I do believe there will need to be some padding in the forearm to centre it on the girth of my forearm but I am just trying to get the total arm length correct then worry about the padding. I also feel the shoulder will need to rotate a bit more forward but, again, I want to get the length correct then have a second set of eyes on me when I am fitting to figure out the shoulder adjustment if required. One step at a time. So, am I on track for doing the forearm or is there something else I am missing that needs to be done? Bart

I'll see if I can find someone who can cut it straight. Thanks. Bart

Moving onto something I can probably safely cut myself. What is the best for these pokey strip parts on the thighs? I'm assuming they should be trimmed down but as you can see from front to back the cut path maybe isn't so simple.

I'll see if I can find someone who knows what they are doing to remove it. I do not have the fine motor skills to use a dremel and expect to have something usable at the end of it all. I didn't intend to do this kind of work that's why I bought ready-to-wear. If I had those skills I'd have just built the armor myself. Thanks for letting me know that it can't remain this way though. Bart

Oh boy. I can see that going sideways for me pretty quick when I start cutting. Bart

Here are a couple photos. For comfort I want to heat the tab and bend it a bit upwards, but it has snaps in it so if boiling it is going to cause a problem then I will need to leave it and just live with it digging into my legs. It may require some adjusting for butt flare too, but I won't know for a bit yet on that. Bart

I have the foam at the ready. I have already added strips to the ab area to keep anything from squishing in too far. Can I safely boil the "butt crack" piece with the 2 snaps to bend it a bit more upwards to match the cod piece? It kind of digs into my legs as it is now but if I move it a bit by hand it seems to fit better. It might need to bend 1/2 but I don't want to do it if there will be a issue or danger with those two snaps as they'd be going in the pot too. Bart

Yes it has that already. I will need to reposition it though as the bicep drops way to low out of the bell (right out of it actually) I also added the hooks on the biceps tonight. I'm feeling more comfortable now about ungluing snaps and reposition things and general stuff that you experts do without giving a second thought to it I think I have conquered the right side overlap and the small top gap now too. With any luck the arms are fitting nice by Wednesday then I can start to work on the legs if required. Test fit on those seems good as it for inside diameter. I'll know this week what the next steps have to be. I sent an unofficial goal of January to have it fitting correctly for basic so crossing my fingers. Bart

So does it all make sense you ask? Yes and no. I had the unexpected chance today to check out the arms of another TK and my thoughts on the elastic in the bells in relation to the bicep seems correct as does my estimation on how much elastic needs to come out of that bell that straps around the bicep. I am not feeling that much, if any, foam is needed in the forearm. The bicep might need a minimal amount, but the jury is still out on that one. I did have her look at it on my arm and she made similar adjustments to what I had guessed. She thought the proportions seemed correct a the elbow and the wrist. Remember I've proposed no forearm strap correction yet so I have wiggle room in that regard for some up/down. The top of the bell, IMO does mate up nice with the shoulder strap. Right against I'd say. I didn't think it sat high or low too forward or too back and if that could be the stable piece in this three piece adjust that would certainly be the ideal piece for that. The drop boxes some days are correct, other days not. Seems to depend on how I'm standing on my head while trying to get a photo, but if they aren't right by the end of all of this adjusting that seems like the easy fix. Taping it onto me then trying to get out of it and duplicate it. Yeah, maybe if I were 30 years younger. haha. I'm lucky to get into it and out of it as it is without the help of a wall to balance myself with. I think I am on the right track, just more fiddle that I don't enjoy doing, but I think I can do it. I'm going to start with the elastic tomorrow night as that is the easy one then figure out the new position of the strap to bring up the bicep. I also think I am going to add the hooks to the bicep as another straight-forward tweak. Keep in mind I'm not making straps. It's pre-built. I am moving strap points and regluing not starting from scratch. The cod piece feels about right for position. It's up in there, but no so up in there that is uncomfortable. The under-part on the butt plate could stand to bend up just a tad as it seems to dig into my legs as is. That is just going to be hot water fix. Hopefully that is possible with the snaps in place??? Doing one type of fix at a time keeps me from getting in over my head. The back plate is currently drying from the snap move on it to bring it down as is the right side strap to close up that gap. That means tonight nothing more happens until tomorrow when I start work on the arms. I look at pictures tonight until I'm blurry eyed of arms to prep for tomorrow. It's not fast. Bart

That brought me to the arms. How on earth anyone can get into this without help is currently beyond me. It took a lot of creative movement to snap in the arm to the shoulder. I couldn't do the other side by myself. So no adjustments and this is what we have (oh God, ignore the gut): I can't bend my arm much as is: Once I start trying to fit it to where the bicep, I think, should go, I see these things: Elastic that goes around the bicep is too loose and the strap holding the bicep up needs to move WAY up on the bell. When I make that move it lets me bend my arm and it looks better tucked under the bell: But far too much elastic. I think I need to cut off about 2 inches: So my plan of attack here, after doing more looking and figuring, is to shorten the elastic on the bell that goes around the bicep and make it look like it is straight across with no droop. Then raise up the snap in the bell so better position the bicep. I think the bicep inner top should be at the top of the elastic strap. The forearm seems to ride fine. Does this seem like a logical course of action? Bart

This was the first hurtle. I had a chest that was way high and a right side overlap. So the first thing I did was make the tongue and groove thing for the right side as that was all internal and I did get to see an example in person so it seemed like a good place to start with the least amount of nerves in the way. With the right side "fix" in I then got up the nerve to deal with the chest straps and that also turned out with minimal stress figuring it out. Now the chest seems decently positioned, it isn't digging into the front of my neck and I think a bit of adjustment on the right side strap will remove the rest of the gap. I will adjust the snaps on the back plate now to remove a good portion of this gap (hopefully). Seems they would need to move about 3/4 of an inch to an inch. I haven't started this yet. I also think I might need to bend the bottom part of the butt plate up just a bit for comfort. The corner edges seem to dig into my legs a bit right now. The torso, though, is very close to fitting correctly I think. Bart

I really hesitated to do this as I'm not actually doing the build. AP did the commission building and I'm just in the stage of fitting now. I knew there would need to be fitting/strapping adjustments going in but as I'm not an armor builder expert that worried me quite a bit. A LOT. I've now made a few modifications and got past the initial rush of anxiety it brought so I feel more confident I can tackle the next round. Please be gentle and remember that I get easily overwhelmed if I try to tackle multiple parts at the same time. I'm just worried about the basics now. No confusion with L2 and L3 please unless something I am doing for basic also improves it for higher levels. I'll start posting up photos of my progress in the next few hours along with my questions. Also note that I have been sharing pics with some other TKs in Badlands Garrison but due to December being such a busy month it hasn't been possible yet to get together for a good fitting and photos. Basically I've been at this myself contorting to get things on and photos at awkward angles. And DON'T MIND THE BUBBLE WRAP. That chest piece got handled a lot and I figured no point in taking it off just to scuff it all up. Pretend it is a new TK actionn figure still in the box. New. Collectable. OK, stay tuned. Bart

Could you point to this tutorial on the abs/butt fixes? I think I will need to adjust my armor too as I am not getting the correct overlaps/spacing on my commissioned AP armor and I want to get my ducks in a row before doing something wrong to correct it. Thanks. Bart

Please allow me to piggyback on your thread and ask something similar. Is there any place to buy a rubber E11 in Canada for those times I'm going to want to let kids hold it? Bart

I prefer not to be a solo act, but I unlocked the next level today and made contact with a TK IN MY CITY (so not the same one from a number of years ago that didn't want to show me anything) and she said she will bring over her kit when mine arrives and help me get fitted up! That is a huge weight off my mind. And, we're already chatting about what we can work on going forward now that their could be two of us locally. That unlocks another level because I wanted to be all in for promotion and recruitment and trooping so looking like more fun hour by hour now! Bart

Found out a couple days ago that I know someone else who is building a ANH Hero armor. Unfortunately, they are still more than three hours away from me. He's got mad skills when it comes to building anything. Still would only be three of us where I am but one is an hour away. Bart

I'm told that by next Friday or so my armor will be in my possession. The question is, do I open the box Friday night when I get home from an exhausting work day or wait until the Saturday when I've had some sleep or try to auction it right away as it seems it can go for big bucks if handled properly! It is arriving at least a month sooner than I had anticipated so it probably will still be a while until I can get help to get the fitting right and photos taken. I had a vague date in January to meet up with another TK to help me out so likely more waiting (although I am sure I will have the helmet on my head right away). Bart

I'm in the same boat as you regarding distances to any density of 501st members. I hope to spark so local interest too once I get my armor and start the approval process. Bart

Since I am not building my armor I won't have a building thread to share, but I thought I'd show you how I'm coming along in other areas. The boots are a bit of a problem with sizing. I really needed an 8.5 but that's not an option so they are a 9 and I haven't found a combination of insoles and socks that take out the heel slop when I walk. I may need to see if there is something I can stuff in the toes that won't drive my toes crazy while fixing the heel. They aren't comfortable as they are with the heel flopping up and down. I have the fans and the icomm/amp from Ukswrath and TK Products respectively. Must admit I had to play with the icomm. "These aren't the droids we're looking for." I can see the mic will require some fiddling once it gets in a helmet as it seems super sensitive in some positions and not so much in others. The blaster I just opened up today even though I've had it for quite some time. I just wanted to keep it safe through my busy Halloween building season. It's from Quest Design. I didn't do the "pew-pew" with it. They are smaller than I pictured in my head and it's been 15 years since I've seen one in person so the memory of it was off I guess. There is nice weight to it. I'm not a "gun" guy in my day to day life so it does feel a bit strange to handle it. Couldn't seem to hit anything with it at all though. I have the undersuit, but still on the hunt for pants with the appropriate placed pocket. I also picked up cotton gloves to wear under the rubber gloves, a balaclava and an MP3 player for the trooper chatter. I built a kit of tools and emergency stuff (not that I will have much clue on how to repair most thing) based on the recommendations here. Other than very basic things I had to order most of the contents as they just were not available locally. That is a frustrating part of where I live, but I did eventually obtain everything on the list plus a couple other things I through in just to keep it all in one place. My armor is under construction by Mark at AP right now and Geeky Pink is doing up the neck seal and a harness for me as opposed to a belt which I think is the last of the items I will need. I will, hopefully, be part of Badlands Garrison which is the same one as Geeky Pink is part of so that is cool (although she is no where near me). I'm hoping to meet others from Badlands on the 26th this month when they are doing a membership drive/show-and-tell type event 3 hours from me. I've met some of them in the past, but never as a potential recruit so that is different. Shouldn't be too long now until I can start the final steps of the process. Bart

Getting to the point now that I want to have a good storage and transportation bin. I see on this thread that this bin "does not" fit the helmet but then "does" fit the helmet so can anyone clarify 100% that it would fit everything? I can get this locally which is about the first thing in this journey that I can. I want to fit everything though even if the helmet ends up on display in the house when not being worn. I would eventually put some decals and ID on it of course. 31244837 | Walmart Canada

Well just got word that my commissioned armor build has started. It's been a couple months I guess since I did the deposit on it and I STILL am nervous about it all. I've certainly enjoyed reading and seeing all the posts of all the troops people have been doing and it is hard to wrap my head around the idea that I might be doing the same very soon. Weird. Bart

In an ideal world I would build it myself but I have no skills in that area and no local help so it would just end up sitting unfinished in a box somewhere. I have about another 2 months to wait for the AP ready to wear commission to arrive. I realize I will need to do some adjusting for the final fit and have reached out to the nearest 501st member to me to help with that. He's 2.5 hours away but none closer are interested in even letting me see their armor so this is the alternative plan. Bart

He has a "few" items. haha.