TriumphTrooper8

I am now 100% OFFICIAL........TK10114 reporting in! Sly I ended up not eating or drinking that morning or until later that day. I'm used to working with double and even triple layer clothing (even bubble suits or SCBA masks) in 130 plus degrees in nuclear and fossil power plants so this was a breeze! Now I did suffer a loss.....one sock wore through on the heal. I do need to get the biceps attached to the shoulder bells on the inside since the strap and hook are not working so well and a new neck seal with more material in the back has been ordered. Had to have someone tuck me in several times!

I survived my FIRST official 501st Troop! It was 5 hours in armor without a break. I enjoyed it and the work involved in the building of the armor paid off! It was a Toys for Tots event at a local mall. I was not alone there was one other TK. We actually were the same height and build so it was perfect. Yesterday I ended up changing the lens to the darker green, better belt for the thighs, mounted my icomm and headset, and polished out some scratches. I have to put some padding in the thighs and shins. I do have my AP helmet on its way so that may help with the helmet rubbing on the chest and be more proportional too. Now attached are more of the detail shots I submitted for 501st so if anyone has anything they see I could work on let me know for at least EIB.

Thanks fellow 501st's! I will post my other submittal pictures so I can get some insight for EIB.

Just got notification.......501st approved! Waiting for my TK ID assignment now!

Ok so I took pictures and submitted to my local garrison for approval and hope it goes well!

Ok I'm on "the list" of must have a set of this armor! At first I was hesitant but after the mini trailer.....its that question, Do I need this set of armor......HELL YEAH! I am sold! I just transferred money in the TFA fund.

I love how I can do a post and get perspectives that I would have overlooked and especially since I am in the cadet stage with a suite ready for approval but not submitted so I can troop. I got an AP bucket and want this one to be done right so I am looking into the various things I can do for my comfort and for trooping. The flocking application was done with a cup just sprinkling it on and shaking the extra off the piece. This is the same material used for water foul decoys. I will add it would be a pain to make sure ALL the extra is removed. Like a good hair cut you still have hair bits you find on your clothes afterward! I think this would be a great idea for lining of the inside of compartments like a sandy backpack though!

I used this process on a plastic dashboard that I scuffed/sanded and the sprayed with bulldog adhesion promoter. From there used 3M trim paint, satin black and when I sprayed it I would immediately apply the flock and after a few minutes shake off the extra. Touch up was easy.

Many talk about painting the inside of a helmet but has anyone "flocked" one? I just did a dashboard for my rally car and it looks great, cuts down on glare and is a sound deadener too. I have the material left over but curious if it's been done?

This was my first "public outing" at my kids after car Halloween party last Friday.

My reasoning behind the thought of another maker of said "Bucket" was and don't get me wrong I enjoyed building my helmet, but with it being a three piece and the ears not as tight fitting to the helmet I really want it to be more like the original. I looked up Gino, AP and RS and well RS is not cheap and buying from the UK is never a pleasant experience.....tons and thousands of $$$$$$ in Triumph car parts from the UK! I like the AP helmet so I guess I will get a price for their kit. Gino looked fine? Another thought I am running around in circles in my head is do I need a more accurate helmet or is this one fine? Still having the seam in the rear and those ears is lingering in my mind.......In the end I just love being a TK! --------------

I have an extra AM helmet kit and after building a full suit I see some considerable differences between it and what was used on the screen. Who provides the best and previously mentioned most accurate kit? I read some where that the AM bucket is a little bit bigger than the original?

Well back at it! Put a rivet for the cod. Opened up the two notches on the lower front portion on the kidney plate to 22mm x 22mm. Then because of that had to move the straps over. Plugged some holes in the kidney and ab plates. Need to touch up the ab buttons......scratched to of them. All that is left is the shoulder straps for the ab/butt/kidney plates, pull the chest plate down lower on the ab plate, trim the thighs and fasten the knee ammo belt in place.

It was a fun night out! I went to the Halloween night at my kids Celebree daycare. My youngest went as Elsa from Frozen and my Oldest went as Chewbacca. I went in almost full armor! I left the thermal detonator and blaster at home but had the rest on! Now I found out a few things.......... -Driving even without the helmet is not fun! -People in traffic told me I was not as hansom as those famous star wars fake stormtroopers! -I got the "may the force be with you" line......that's for those rebel scum! -I got a lot of pictures taken with kids and even parents! -My suspenders for the ab and kidney/butt plates need to be crossed so they don't fall off my shoulders. -I need to take some of the back of the thighs off so I can bend my knees more. -I have to get the chest plate pulled down more so its about an inch or a little more above the button plate and I can move my head (stumpy neck syndrome) -Ammo knee belt needs to be fixed on the front so it does not fall down! -Must get a set of gel inserts for the boots! That's about it! I was for the most part comfortable and had no issue walking, but seeing was another fun experience! I need to fine tune some things but in the mean time its the cod rivet and send in the pictures and application for approval for this and 501st! Damm it was a fun night!

Austin-If you plan on going centurion you will have to replace the chest and back plates.

Wow more than just a shot. Looks like I need to drill and fill that one in. Update......... Well my memory is shot! I actually put a male snap on the inside same was the one for the upper right side of the ab for the kidney strap. I have the brass colored split rivet I can paint silver like those on the left side of the ab.

Any "Crotch" shots of this rivet and does it get painted?

The arms are fixed! I have a question from the 501st CRL for the ANH stunt centurion requirement of the ab........ "A single split rivet or brad is present on the lower tab of the abdomen armor. Rivet does not need to be functional." Where is this rivet? Crotch?

Well I pulled the forearms off..... and need to swap them and notch the flat one (left) and that's it! You guys are good and killing me but it is for the best I suppose, fuumantroop!

Yeah at first I thought I did but from what I have seen the forearm with the notch is for the left arm. I assume its because the holster is on the left side. I also checked the number of dimples on the outer art of the forearm and they seem to match since they have a different count. Ok so going through pictures I see I have one arm that is not notched and one that is. I assume I can notch the other one so I can bend my arm more and that should be fine. I cant find anything outside of some ROTJ info on the forearms. One arm has 11 dimples and the other 12 so which is which and do they both have notches like the movie?

Some updates! I fixed the helmet stripes and it looks just like the decals. Put a taper on the ends of the mouth..... Here is the painted ab buttons and belt I was so worried about. The painted rivets..... The final assembly less the thermal detonator!

Ok so you have convinced me the belt is fine. I painted the 6 domed rivets, knee belt rivets, helmet ear screws and fixed the stripes on the rear of the helmet ( too short and wide). All I have left is the resin cast E-11 blaster to build and the thermal detonator. On another note I found one of my Stormtroopers from when I was 5 in a trunk from my childhood and after some searching his blaster too!

Here is a picture of the gory mess up! I still have the three extra buttons and the raised square ones with the ROJ belt so I can make something work if this is a done broke belt!

I did use the flat button strips and cut squares out of them and glued them over the recessed squares and I think they are too big. I will post a picture tonight. I am already braces for the possibility of using the other belt and shave the raised square buttons down

Thanks.....I will use the other belt and shave down the raised square buttons......just typical when you don't look over all those small details!