pandatrooper

Here's a couple of good threads on tools required. An AM kit will also come with instructions that describes their method of assembly and tools used. Of course, you can use other tools to make the process easier, more detailed, etc. http://whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=11760&st=0&p=145584&hl=tools&fromsearch=1entry145584 http://whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=9809&st=0&p=124652&hl=tools&fromsearch=1entry124652 I use a heat gun (from any hardware store) and a heat sealing iron (for heating RC model airplane wings).

Hey Kirby, it’s not really a big deal. The area you circled is the notch I was referring to. It doesn’t matter too much what that looks like since the bicep covers most of it up. Regardless, your other bicep looks fine. One thing you can do if you want to fix the first one is just cut the “notch†at an angle to make the transition from the inner bicep to outer bicep a little smoother. Again, it’s not a big deal IMO. A lot of people tend to have their cover strips extend beyond the edge of the armor slightly, so that at a glance, you can’t see how it’s joined or any potential imperfections. Also, something that might add a nice touch is rounding the corners slightly more on your cover strips. Just take the sharp corner off and smooth it with sand paper, don’t make it round like a popsicle stick. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the update Jim. I think you’re providing a great service by making these amps available, and at a very reasonable cost. I don’t really understand why people would want to undermine that. You also provide great service, support and communication with your products. I hope that these other members can see the light and understand that what they are doing isn’t right. T.

I used midnight blue for the buttons, check this thread here for more info ----- Either color is fine for EIB The AM ab button plates are attached with the metal buttons included in the kit, they are threaded and bolt / nut inside. There are instructions included with the kit on how to install the plate. Some advice going forward: most of your questions are addressed in various build threads on the forum and in the instructions that come with the AM kit. There’s several AM specific build threads that have yielded great results, make sure to review them for reference during your build. My AM build thread is here and has many photos. -----

The screen used armor rarely if ever had return edges on the wrist area. Just cut it off. For the lower legs (do you mean shins?) you can just leave the backs open with cover strips attached to one side, and close them with Velcro if you want to. You flex them open to slide over your shin, you don’t need to cram your foot through them. Put them on like soccer shin guards Check the Academy site for info on thighs / shins ----- To remove excess E6000 on ABS or HIPS, I score the glue gently with a sharp xacto blade, then run a popsicle stick with a V shaped end to "rub" the glue off.

I say leave them as-is too. If you're super picky, you can use an Xacto blade and cut the glue under strip, and run it along underneath, then redo them, but that's a lot of work. BTW: there's a detailed tutorial here that describes how the thighs are assembled and the exact same issue you encountered and suggestions on strip sizes. -----

So... they proudly outfit people around the world and use the 501st name frequently, yet they sell 2 types of boots, neither of which would even be 501st approved? I'd also like to know what "501st original replica" means.

You actually don't need a backpack to be 501st approved for a sandy. It's optional, since not all sandtroopers wore backpacks. It would be required however for MEPD deployed.

You don't really need that notch at the top, but it's covered by the shoulder bells anyways so it doesn't matter too much. I would join the halves, then put the cover strip on top to hide the transition. Take a look at other builds on the forum and copy their approach. Just a tip going forward: a lot of people ask for feedback on the forum and we're here to help. But to help you get things right - if you're not sure about where to cut or glue something, post pictures with drawn lines of "where" you think you want to cut, and ask for help before cutting. Same with gluing. If you say "should I glue this like so?", we can help. If you've already glued it, it's going to be hard to fix or potentially not fixable at all. Remember the old adage: Measure twice, cut once!

The snaps are not must haves for EIB, they are "should have'". You can use rivets that are approx. the size suggested buy the EIB guidelines, or use snap heads approx the same size. Some people use jean rivets too. I'm confused as to why you cut the Ab plate at an angle like that? All you need to do with the AM kit put the ab / kidney section on, find out where they overlap, and make a vertical cut on both the Ab and kidney where you want the seam to be (it should be on your "side"), and they should match up just fine. Judging by what I see, the front Ab section is the right "depth" if you didn't cut it already. I can just see a little bit peeking out the bottom. If you haven't cut the side of the Ab yet, use that as your vertical seam on the ab, and just cut the kidney to meet up with it. Then do your snaps on both sections. However, I can't see what's going on with that angled cut you made. If you cut it at that angle all the way along that line - sorry to say, but you made a big mistake. You would either glue it back on and patch it from behind or something and maybe try and hide the glue seam, or buy another Ab piece.

nice work! Is that PVC pipe? How on earth did you get that hinge to work?

I don't think a non-refundable deposit is unreasonable. Your stuff is always great and takes a lot of time and effort and materials, and you shouldn't be out of pocket for them. I say ask for a 30% non refundable deposit when ordering, and the balance when it's completed.

The face plate would be really easy to make from foamcore / pink insulating foam. For the cap, start with a large plastic "witches cauldron" for Halloween. http://www.displaycostume.com/Cauldron-p-54729.html Make a sloped edge using sheet plastic / styrene, then transition the join with bondo. Spray it black. "Your schwartz is almost as big as mine!"

Very nice progress, this is coming along nicely. I also agree about the chest and back, they're the only pieces I'm not 100% happy with in terms of shape and proportions. Not sure about you, but I find the AM belt armor rather big too (obviously to accommodate bigger troopers). The drop boxes end up on my sides almost!

Since it's styrene, you can also apply some Plastic Weld glue to the crack to seal it. Then patch it from behind as described above. Then sand the front with progressively smoother sandpaper, then wet sand, then polish it. You won't even know the crack was there. If you're going to paint it or the kit was already painted, just sand and top coat it.

Glad to hear Steve. Hope you can get your TK or TX done and troop with us!

Great job Tiffanie, glad its working out for you! You took the challenge and got great results, you should be very proud of your accomplishment!

This thread here describes the arms. ----- The shins should be more curvy on the insides (like a scoop in where your calves would be) and the outer shins are smoother. Might also help to know what kit you have.

This is a step by step guide for thighs, but the construction methods are exactly the same for other limbs. You can use this as a guide if you wish. -----

Great progress and nice comparison pics Brian! Very nice work. Is the RT mod ABS the same color as the AM? The AM still looks more "beige" or warm white than the RT, but it's hard to tell.

I discovered a bunch of different paints, so I sprayed sample "color chips" for each one. Stay tuned for an analysis / breakdown.

BTW: Stukatrooper has one of the best AP builds here There's lots of AP build threads in this forum as well--------- Hope that helps!

Yes, that's normal for the AP armor. The AP arms are the same for both sides. I think they took the TE / ROTJ tour suit style mold, and used the right arm on both sides. I think the notches on both biceps indicate this. The AP thighs halves are also misaligned. You either need to trim the top or bottom and potentially do some heating if you want them to match up. The inner left shin is also the same piece as the outer right shin.

Looking great Brian! Awesome progress. Nice to see another AM kit coming along nicely!

My biceps and forearms are glued front and back. Never really need to use Velcro for the forearms unless your hands are huge and you want slimmer looking forearms, and you need to open them to get your hands in. For the biceps, I bent my arm at the elbow and flexed my bicep, so that there was enough room inside for my “huge guns”. You just want them big enough that you have room to bend your arm / flex, but not overly big. I prefer to not have any padding in there if possible. The screen look is very “fitted”. For the forearms, I assembled them so that the front hand opening has little or no return edge (screen used didn’t have any if I recall) and leave enough room so that you can squeeze your hand through, and assemble the forearm at that size. The area near your elbow should again have enough room for flexing, but be snug. Since AM doesn’t have the ridges molded in, you can make them any size you want. Definitely check out the screen caps from the films for reference, but make them fitted to your body.