Commander Gree

Also, this should be flat and should come off. That's too much material at the bottom. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Dont. Your gonna end up messing up the ears. Just my two cents. But if you really must, you need to take some off the top circle part to get it to sit closer to the helmet. It's a slippery slop your on. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

really? was that part of the original kits? learn something new every day

did you ever get your shins figured out? most times this is something people get wrong, and think they have 2 of the same shin, but they don't. there should be 4 parts, and 2 similar, and the other 2 similar, on of each to each leg if that makes since. one side of the shin will have more curve to it than the other side (same leg)(inside will have more of a curve than the outside of the leg). Posting a pic of what you have exactly would help to pin point better what goes where.

you need a bigger amp, also you can put foam "door trim" insulation in the helmet. you can get it in rolls from home depot and it has a sticky back. basically the entire interior of my helmet is lined with it to help with feedback

You have to be super careful. You could actually make a blemish more apparent by painting it. I cant remember whos kit I was looking at a few months ago that tried painting it after they used ABS plastic and it looked bad. I think they ended up ordering more parts. I cant wait to see how it turns out though. Might even be able to show us some of these issues and we can tell you if its something needing fixing. Some things just add to the character of the armor, and wont keep you from approval

Awesome, I think a lot of us have done the same thing so its an easy spot for us when someone else posts it. and im so happy I got a shiny ABS from AM armor, no painting needed

Most will trim their cover stripes before ever putting them on the armor. Those thigh overs need to be fixed. and if you are worried at all about the security of the stripe, you can place another stripe on the inside of the armor, sandwiching the two pieces together. Looking at your shins, I want to say that you have them wrong, and are not missing anything. one side of the shin should have a long swoop to the bottom, and the other a more direct swoop inward. they are side specific. so the way you have them sitting in the photo (and thinking of it as 4 pieces), take the 2 inner pieces and put them together, and take the 2 outer and put them together. That should give you 2 correct shins.

So just a heads up, I had my snap almost completely pull out of the elastic on my first troop. What I did is went back and with a small snap plate, put it between the snap and the elastic to give it something to bite onto. Havent had any issues since. I have also seen others run the elastic over itself to add a second layer.

Looks like a good start to me! Also, Head over to our new member section and introduce yourself!

I have an extra set of TK Boots size 12 (I think) that I could sell. They are just sitting in my closet. But they are "Pre-weathered" if that makes sense

Keep up the good work!

Don't trim anymore unless you have your boots. Need to test fit these with your boots!

Well luckily you had the first kit to practice on. You already know there seems to be a technique to putting everything together, and don't have to worry about your first few pieces being odd since the learning curve has already been taken. I used Amazing Goop on my build and found it works great. Setup time is about a few hours or so to be able to work with it again, and it rubs off the exposed areas very easy. If I were you I wouldn't use an accelerator like Zip kicker on your first build, but that's just me. Take your time with this. You should feel rushed as your goal is months away. But like I said use those around you that are 501st approved TKs. or that have approved costumes. Also, Get to know whoever your GML is, that is the person that will have final say on your approval after all. This place is so great for finding ways to fix things, or getting the "pre-approval", but that GML has the last word for basic.

So my advice would be this, The only thing with the CRL that has anything to do with return edge is the wrist end of the forearms, there should not be any. Every other return edge on your costume is up to you and fitment. Take as little off as possible until you find the right fit. you can always take more off, cant always put more on (or if you can its a lot of work). Your forearm armor looks fine to me to be honest. both mine are different, on more round than the other. But if its something that really bothers you, you can do a hot water bath (I strongly advise staying away from the heat gun unless your a pro with it). One thing I would suggest before setting anything though, is that when testing for fitment, first figure out how you are going to put you gloves on. Are you going to put the arms on first, then try and slide your gloves down the armor, or are you going to put your gloves on first and squeeze them through the forearm. Are you going level 3 where the hand guard has to be affixed to the glove? all these answers will help with what you want the fit to look like. Also, when working on fitment, never try and find fitment without your body suit on (whether that be under armor or an off brand) because that will also change the sizing. Good luck, welcome again, and keep the questions coming. I have no doubt you will hit your goal. Also, you stated a friend was in the 501st, get with them and find out when the next armor party is. Take your kit with you and there should be several people that with a lot of experience that can help you with hands on stuff.

Yep like frank said, few fitment issues but all in all it looks good. Keep it up!

Good luck!

Great way to start. Just some "to watch out for" advice, you will start to get the hang of the build, one thing I can suggest right now is to stay humble to the armor, if you get too cocky with it you can get ahead of yourself and make a costly mistake. Take you time. measure twice and cut a little as needed till you get the right fit. you can always take more off, cant always put it back on.

Just so you know, this is normal from them. Have a buddy here working on a kit, and HAD ordered from AP, and was given the same thing, but this was months ago. seems they are still using the same excuse. kinda a bummer

Hey, Kinda feel like we haven't gotten a straight answer from you yet. Are you trying to use this bucket for a complete costume, or purely a WIP to learn from? installing electronics in the bucket is kinda expensive (Hearing system will most likely be permanent, batteries installed, fans fixed). The reason im asking (and I don't know your financial situation) but I would hate to see you put all this work and effort, plus money, into this build only to not be approved in it. you wont get approved as an OT TK with that bucket. If this is your hope, I am begging you to contact your GML and talk to them. If your doing it just because then carry on. But again I am just concerned because I see this as a build that you are hoping to get approved, and we have seen tons of people drop out of builds due to unforeseen cost. The AM bucket is huge and will fit great. Really hope this doesn't come off the wrong way. I think the work your doing is cool, just hoping that I can save you some money in the long run if your end game is 501st approval in that bucket

hmm. but the build process is nothing the same as what your doing. but hey, have fun...Good thing the boots got there safely. Keep us posted!

I have never seen this before...Is it to keep you shoulders tight? curious how actually trooping with this set up works. Only thing I really noticed that wasn't mentioned already is it looks like you have several straps on the back of your shoulder bridges. I believe it should only be 1

This is from the CRL on basic level approval: *Note: The Helmet is accurate in detail and proportion to official reference. *Many Commercially available helmets or those considered Disproportionate in size or shape are ineligible To me the "Shape" of the R1 helmet is what would keep you from being approved, even at the basic level for ANH TK or any OT TK. Again, and I cant stress this enough, before you get too deep, contact you GML and pick his brain. as far as your question about paint I cant tell you. Fortunately for me I went with AM armor (Maker of TK boots) and their armor is absolutely amazing and doesn't need paint.

Yeah this was my thought, Wait, @James Whitley, are you not doing a Rogue 1 TK? if not, I don't think the R1/BS helmet will work for ANH TK. It needs to have a asymmetrical style in the front, the "eyes" on the R1 helmet are symmetrical...Im kinda confused now, I didn't know anyone could use (even with Modifications) the BS helmet for the 501st. Ill for sure be following along for this. Also, if I may, you could get a AM armor helmet, they are pretty big and look way better than the BS helmet. AM is armor built for bigger guys. Had tons of room in my bucket and was able to put all kinds of things in there. If I were you James, I would definitely reach out to your Garrison GML and make sure what you are doing is proper. They are the ones that will give you to OK on what your armor looks like. The last thing you want to do is all that work and not get approved. Also, the pricing doesn't seem good. The BS helmet plus all the work needing done vrs. the AM helmet that comes with EVERYTHING needed for approval (even L3) and just put it together are too close. Please let us know exactly what your doing if you can. Trying to figure out where your going with the BS helmet

Also, because your going to have to paint the helmet, might be worth it to just paint the armor to match. Last thing you want is crazy off helmet and Armor color. As far as TK boots goes, you better contact them now. they have shut down and are only selling what they have in stock. So better jump on that right away to ensure they have your size. Email them first to be sure, then place the order