DarthDadio's AM 2.0 ANH Stunt (EIB)

[DarthDadio[TK]]

Received my box today and I am overwhelmed to say the least.  My son and I had a great time unpacking and sorting all the pieces.  Now I am taking a deep breath and contemplating the road ahead of me.  Hoping that all of my research in the forums kicks my brain loose and gets me off he starting line.

 

 

 

 

[Dougal[501st]]

Exciting days for you sir!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Starfox2010]

Enjoy the build.

[DarthDadio[TK]]

After unpacking my box and going through all of the pieces I began to realize that I had questions and doubts about what to do despite all of my time researching the process.  This is the first time I have done anything of this nature.  The rest of the evening was spent working with the biceps and trying to make them fit without poking my arms.  I haven't removed any return edges or trimmed anything yet.  The length of the biceps is good, I just need to trim down to size.

 

On my second day/night with my armor I spend most of the day researching and answering questions that popped into my head now that I can actually touch everything.  This lead to my sorting the pieces, marking everything left and right, and matching up the tops and bottoms.  I was also able to consolidate all of my piles of stuff I've been collecting getting ready for the build.  This made my wife very happy.

 

Also played with fitting the three pieces of the bucket and seeing how everything lines up.  Looks to be pretty simple to this point.  I even got the E6000 tube out but decided I would wait until tonight.  What I am planning is:

1. Using a low grade sandpaper to rough up the edges where it will be glued
2. Apply the E6000 in all the right places and then letting the E6000 cure for 2 - 5 minutes
3. Fit the cap to the back by lining up the front trapezoid to the edge of the back
4. Secure the two pieces tightly with magnets and tape
5. Let the glue set for 24 hours

From this point I am going to paint the inside of the two bucket pieces and then move onto working on cutting out the frown.

 

Because of our busy family life (I have three kids: college, high school, and elementary school) I only get a couple of hours a night to play.  I also spend my lunch hour on the computer looking through the forums for more tidbits of information.  Overall I am satisfied with my progress.  Slow and deliberate will win out in the end.

 

If anyone cares to chime in and offer advice I will gladly take it.  Part of the fun I've been looking forward to also includes the interaction with the community.

 

Edited October 29, 2014 by DarthDadio

[Polar]

ha, sound like my life just add one more kid to the mix! 

[Rystan]

Also played with fitting the three pieces of the bucket and seeing how everything lines up.  Looks to be pretty simple to this point.  I even got the E6000 tube out but decided I would wait until tonight.  What I am planning is:

1. Using a low grade sandpaper to rough up the edges where it will be glued
2. Apply the E6000 in all the right places and then letting the E6000 cure for 2 - 5 minutes
3. Fit the cap to the back by lining up the front trapezoid to the edge of the back
4. Secure the two pieces tightly with magnets and tape
5. Let the glue set for 24 hour

 

 

This all looks good and exactly how I did it as well.  Matching the back using the corners of the front traps is exactly how I got it to look the best IMHO.

 

I suggest letting the glue set for longer than 24 hours in this case.  And focus a lot of glue & pressure during the drying/curing time to the front corners.  When you attach the face plate to the cap and back, you'll be putting a lot of stress along the ear seam.  My front right corner came unglued and left a slight gap after I installed the ears as the back pulled inward but the cap part did not.  

 

I must not have uploaded pictures of it to photobucket yet, but if you have questions about what I'm saying, let me know.

 

 

Some general advice:

• The overwhelming anxiousness does subside eventually.  Just plan everything out as carefully as you can and don't cut until you're ready to.  The build is going to take a long time for your first time around.
• The armor is pretty forgiving of "misglues" as long as you're using E6000.  When in doubt, cut less.  You can always cut more later.  
• The cover strips help cover up a lot of "mistakes", ie jagged cuts, even overcuts as you can leave a gap that gets covered up.
• My original plan was to work on the torso (to build confidence, to make it seem like I was making progress, and afford better fitting), and wait on the arms/legs.  And I ended up lemming-ing everyone else working on the arms first.  Although conquering the forearms was a big hurdle in terms of confidence and skill building.
• This might be controversial, but be willing to ignore some of what you read on the forums.   No two builds are the exact same and no two armors are the same either.  Build your armor to fit you and so that it looks how it is supposed to look according to the CRL.  Matching screen accurate armor measurements to AM armor isn't going to always look right.
• Buy more magnets and clamps than you think you'll need.   Eventually you'll get on a roll and have to stop working because you've run out of clamps/magnets as the glue is drying from previous steps.
• And for the Emperor's sake, have fun with the build.  Include your kids if they're interested.  My 6-year-old gets the credit for keeping me to task.  I get asked all the time "When are you going to work on your stormtrooper armor again?"

 

Good luck, you've got this.

[DarthDadio[TK]]

Day 3:  Glued the cap and back of the bucket together and now its sitting waiting for the E6000 to set up.

 

Played around with getting the left bicep the fitted.  I believe I am ready to trim it down but I wanted to check to see if anyone has any feedback.  I have not remove any of the return edges.  Thinking that I would trip down the edges to get the bicep up a bit further.  I am also having a hard time getting the bicep over my forearms.

 

 

Edited October 30, 2014 by DarthDadio

[DarthDadio[TK]]

Day 4: Woke up this morning with some extra time and a little bravery.  Decided it was time to make my first cuts.  Before cutting I increased the size a fraction (I could always trim down later).  I  rechecked the size after trimming and it seemed really good.  I took the two pieces I trimmed off and turned them into finishing strips for the inside of the bicep.  No need to waste the pieces.

 

 

I will probably still go back and trim down the return edges a bit.

Edited October 30, 2014 by DarthDadio

[batninja]

Looking good!   I think I'm going to start cracking on my kit this weekend.  That's a good approach, saving the cast-off pieces for finishing strips.

 

Is there a difference in the outer pieces of the bicep, in regards to left/right?   Or are they identical?   Same question for shoulder bells and forearms..

[cm325i]

Looking good! I think I'm going to start cracking on my kit this weekend. That's a good approach, saving the cast-off pieces for finishing strips.

 

Is there a difference in the outer pieces of the bicep, in regards to left/right? Or are they identical? Same question for shoulder bells and forearms..

Outer biceps are identical, inners are different. Forearm parts are all unique with this kit. I'd have to double check the shoulders.

 

*yes the shoulders are identical in this kit

Edited October 30, 2014 by cm325i

[cm325i]

• This might be controversial, but be willing to ignore some of what you read on the forums.   No two builds are the exact same and no two armors are the same either. 

 

This is great advice. Looks like you're off to a great start James!

[DarthDadio[TK]]

This is great advice. Looks like you're off to a great start James!

I agree.  Just like to make informed decisions.

[DarthDadio[TK]]

Finished my boots.

 

 

This is what I went with:

• Bass Men's Amsterdam Ankle Boot,Black,10 M US
• Tandy Leather Fiebings Deglazer 4 oz. 2105-01
• Angelus Acrylic Paints 4oz White
• Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint 4oz Slick White

I originally wanted TKboots but the current wait got me looking at other options.  So I followed what others have done on FISD.  (Palpetine1977)

[DarthDadio[TK]]

To finish off Day 4 I trimmed and glued my second bicep, removed the return edge from the wrist end of the forearms, and played with sizing the forearms.  I have the right arm good and comfortable but I need to adjust the left arm before I start thinking about cutting.  Also want to review the process a bit more before taking the next step.

 

 

[fuumantroop[TK]]

Looking good so far! With as many builds up in North Texas, yall should really get together to try to help each other out

[DarthDadio[TK]]

Day 5: Friday night football in Texas.  The only armor related activity was the bit of time I got to spend considering how to size the forearms.

Day 6: Spent the morning trimming the forearms.  The sized the forearms where I can barely fit my bare hands through and tapered up towards the elbow.  How do they look?

 

 

I also taped and masked the bucket so the interior surfaces could be painted.  The results were fantastic.

 

 

 

I still need to cleanup the forearms before I get to gluing.  Hopefully I can get this done before bed tonight.  Tomorrow will be spent working on the rest of the helmet and watching football.

Edited November 2, 2014 by DarthDadio

[DarthDadio[TK]]

One of the things I read about painting the inside of the bucket black was the residual smell sticking around for a long time.  With the paint I used there was a strong smell at first but it quickly disappeared.  My wife, who has a super sensitive sniffer, said the smell was still there but was not bad for just having painted earlier in the day.

[DarthDadio[TK]]

Day 7: Football and working on my kit.  It's a good day.  So far I've glued the cover strips on the biceps and now I'm working on my bucket.  Drilled the screw holes and cut out the frown.  I put tape over the holes I shouldn't drill.  I didn't want to make a mistake.

 

[DarthDadio[TK]]

Ugh, the ears have been challenging.  The right ear has been far more challenging than the left.  Primarily trying to eliminate the gap. 

 

Right ear

 

Left ear

 

The other issue seems to be that my brow want to creep down.

[DarthDadio[TK]]

To finish the day I started a little bit of the painting.

 

[EJGreen]

Looking awesome, Dadio! Keep plugging away!

[Red_2[TK]]

Great job so far. Looking great!

[DarthDadio[TK]]

Day 8: Installed mic tips, glued some inside shims into the forearms, and worked on more painting on the bucket.

[Petros]

looking good James.. good to follow the diarised build

[Sly11[Admin]]

You are powering ahead James, well done Sir, it just gets easier and easier with every cut, sand, Dremmel and before you know it, Two shiny new TK's are born.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk