sharkbait

A trick I picked up (I believe from Ingrid/LadyinWhite, but it's been a while, so I'm not positive) for the thighs: women's thighs are generally larger on the top and taper smaller towards the bottom/knee. Men's thighs are generally straight. To compensate, instead of trimming a straight line on your thighs to circumference, trim them at a slight "V" shape. Not exaggerated, just a little bit to taper the bottom of the thigh pieces slightly smaller than the tops. You'll take off a little bit more material at the bottom of the thigh than the top to create the effect. Once it's fully assembled and the cover strips are on, you can't tell the difference from the front or back. You can only see if when you look down through the thighs from the top, or the bottom, and then you can see that one end is smaller than the other. It helps especially when looking at the top of the shins, which on a woman are likely smaller- the proportions don't look "off." Obviously take your measurements and make sure you personally are this shape before you do the trimming- everyone is totally different, as we all know! That and I'd recommend wearing a sports bra because it flattens you out a bit, so the chest plate won't pop out awkwardly (not just for the larger busted TKs out there, though the larger the more difference it will make- the originals were made over a man's pretty much flat chest). Totally unflattering when wearing a t-shirt or the undersuit, but great for under a TK chest plate. The moisture-wicking ones are also a plus, especially in the summer.

I have AM armor, and I love it. I'm only 5' 11'' but it should fit you. I've always heard RT is a bit slow on the responding, but pretty much always has. He does also have pretty substantial wait times and it can be tough to get in on a run list. I was on his list originally, but things fell through, and then got lucky and snagged an AM kit on short notice. I'd still love to do a RT Mod someday, but honestly my two personal favorites would be RT and AM, especially for taller and/or larger troopers.

I just used plain ol' Rustoleum 2x glossy black spray paint. The 2x line sticks to plastic. I've heard it's prone to fading, but that won't be an issue inside the helmet (and I've personally never experienced fading on other stuff; but I'd keep things out of prolonged direct sunlight just in case). Whatever you do, it's far, far, easier to do it pre-assembly, or final assembly- like when the helmet is still in two pieces (dome and back and front).

I have had very good luck with mineral spirits- safe for ABS and when you let well-dried paint soak (cotton balls and/or cotton rounds, but makeup sponges also work well), it usually comes off pretty well. You could always remove the outer parts where decals will then cover where applicable. And yay, another ESB!

To elaborate on how to fix the sniper plate going under the thigh (I'm actually yet to see someone who didn't have at least a bit of this problem, so very, very common!)- Get a cheap washcloth (like from the dollar store), wrap it up in duct tape, tape it into the top of the shin. It gives it just enough punch out that it doesn't slip under the thigh, and problem solved. Provided your thighs aren't overly large for you, and therefore not helping the situation.

68. CHP Kids’ Christmas Party – 12/15 Got 'em! Felony vehicle stop with a little help from the Central Division CHP. Right corner behind the Niner. And a little bonus:

67. Zoo Lights at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Fresno - 12/8 Reindeer TK once again.

66. Tehipite Middle School Winter Fest, Fresno - 12/7

65. Clovis Children's Electric Christmas Parade, Clovis - 12/1 Reindeer TK is back again!

64. Valley Deaf Festival, Fresno - 11/17 On the right. Employees of the Month for finding the droids we were looking for!

63. Red Ribbon Week, Fowler - 10/26 Photo coming soon (gotta track them down...)

62. Yokomi Elementary Spring Concert, Fresno - 5/31 The school raised $300 in just two hours for their science program for photos with us!

61. Star Wars Fans Blood Drive III - Return of the Blood Drive, Fresno - 5/5 Anyone know what we're supposed to do with this droid we caught? On the left in between the TIEs. Bonus Tony Stark (also a 501st member) and Wolverine photobombs.

60. Family Fun Festival, - 4/13 Again, only TK in the photo.

59. Madera South High School Fashion Show, Madera - 2/9 Only TK in the photo.

Very nice job! Nice and tight as mentioned previously on the bells, and also on the thighs/cod. I see details obviously geared towards EIB/Centurion. My only thought would be, like others, is to clean up just a tiny bit, but generally looks pretty good.

Regardless of what you get, add an insole like Dr. Scholl's. Your feet (and knees and back) will thank you after a long troop! Last I heard TK Boots was shutting down (huge bummer), but had some stock left that it was bleeding off. Imperial Boots is good quality and a good price, but does the "wave" sales, taking orders in waves, like once a month, then shutting down until those are completed (but then they don't get the backlog some other vendors get). I'm going to have to check out Caboots myself- I want a second back up pair, since I troop so much. I'm usually a half-size in Men's, so I went up to the next full size, and it was perfect, and had just enough room for an insole comfortably. If they're just slightly snug, you can also get a boot stretcher and use that.

ESB!!! Yay, another one of us! Glad to hear you're going for Centurion, too! Quick responses to your questions that I know or sort of know the answer to: 1- This post has a list of TK supplies, and those for Centurion are marked in **: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31404-supply-list-for-your-tk-build/ As mentioned above, the brand does not matter- it's how it looks. So, so long as the rivets are the correct size, and painted white, you're Centurion-ready. I have no idea if the original brands are available, though if anyone would know, it would be this forum. I found my rivets at a local independent hardware store. Buy extras and save yourself a trip just in case. 2- The rivets are spaced as so: Three rivets, approximately 5/16"(8mm) diameter, are present on the left side of the abdomen armor. Note: The original rivets used for the TK armor were bifurcated rivets or split rivets. (Doesn't specify brand, but bifurcated or split rivets are best) Rivets are equally spaced along the depth of the armor and about 10mm from the edge. The heads are rounded or domed. (No paperclip brads) Due to slight variations in different armors, and mods for individual sizing, there's not set distance for the rivets to be apart, just evenly spaced. I measured the whole kidney piece, marked it out in three even pieces, 10mm in, and then matched those marks on the ab. A note about the RS bracket system- you really should reinforce it with nylon snap plates and connections. This will be entirely internal, and have no effect on the look or accuracy of the armor, but it will save you headache down the line. The RS brackets have a habit of pulling through the armor and cracking/snapping it, and requiring repair. By adding a secondary strapping system, you alleviate the stress on the chest return edge, but maintain the screen-accurate bracket, which you obviously want. Also I'd reinforce the chest in the lower arm/point area, as I've seen it crack on three different RS kits on three very different sized people- it's just a known weak spot. (All armors have their issues- they're just different issues from each other). 3- I used Testors in white, and it's held up well. You want a white that's close to your armor color, so it doesn't stand out. Exactly patching isn't required, but personally I think as long as it's close, the naked eye can't tell, let alone from a normal distance and the general public will never even notice the rivets in the first place. this post has the listings of the different colors for the different brands: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31404-supply-list-for-your-tk-build/ (#34 specifically) 4- The Centurion request posts have great close ups of all the parts in question for Centurion. Find the approved threads, and check out what they did. Hope that was helpful!

Congratulations and welcome to the Legion and white armor ranks!

First, as said above, I'd recommend reaching out to your local Garrison/Squad. Then, start a build thread on here. Check out others' build threads (does't have to be your same maker- they're all much the same during basic construction), and check out the approved EIB and Centurion threads for great close ups of parts.

The main thing I see is the gaps between the thighs and cod are pretty significant. From the front it looks like the shoulder bells should be pulled forward a bit, because the gap jumps out, but form the side they appear lined up. Could be the way you're standing/holding yourself, too. Bicep could be pulled up a tiny bit, like an inch- not a whole lot to spare there without making the elbow gap too big. Otherwise, looks pretty good to me!

A couple of common issues I've seen with RS commissions. I would highly recommend ditching those snaps all together and going for Tandy Line 24s- the ones from hobby and craft stores just don't hold up to our use and abuse. As to the holster, it looks like the rivet just failed. Per the CRL, the holster should be attached via rivets, snaps, or Chicago screws, so you really have options. A larger rivet might work, a snap would but because it's not really meant to come off I'd skip it, so I personally think Chicago screws would be your best bet. Another issue I've seen repeatedly with RS is their strapping system- it's the screen accurate brackets, which is cool if you're dead into total screen accurate, but they just end up ripping through the plastic and breaking. I recommend adding support strapping with nylon webbing and Tandy snaps, and you can leave the screen accurate brackets in place for looks (the support strapping is entirely internal). If that's all that needed to be fixed after your first troop, you're doing pretty good! It's really an ongoing thing- there's always going to be something you want to tweak or mess with or fix. It's part of the fun!

Welcome and congratulations on your Big Brown Box day! So exciting! Your first step would be go to over to the Build Threads section- you can go by those using your kit, but you can also use most of build threads from other kits, as a lot of the assembly is basically identical. Also check out the appropriate CRL- it will show you pictures of what the parts should ultimately end up looking like, such as return edges, etc. I would recommend leaving the thighs until last- they're kinda tricky and do best when done to be proportionate with the rest of the armor. Shins can also be tricky, depending on what kit you have. General rule, if the plastic is wonky and thin on the edges, it's probably part of the overreach from the mold and will likely be trimmed. But, always confirm via photos in the CRL or other build threads, or on screen, before you do so. So much easier to trim more than it is to add it back on!

A note on FOTKs from KB Props- they seem to be back in the swing, had some kits and sent them out as promised. A local prospect got his in about a week from payment (shocking, I know, I didn't believe it until I saw it). We've now seen two KB FO kits in person (a TK and a Phasma), and we came to the conclusion that it's far better to ask them for an untrimmed kit. They default to trimmed, but their cut lines are bit sloppy and too close in areas; it could save a lot of headache later if you just get untrimmed and deal with the extra work yourself. Otherwise, I still think it's a solid kit, and hopefully they'll continue on a good path after their issues.

Welcome and can't wait to see another ESB!