Stefan's KB build (TR-47111)

[Stefan_Eischet[TK]]

Fancy backstory: After the emperor's death, TR-47111 applied to the first order as a TK.

Over the last ~12 months, I have acquired these things:
- Anovos Standard Line helmet
- IB boots and gloves
- KB armor kit
- FN gaskets and metal holster
- and, of course various tools, paint, etc.

 

I've already started working on the kit, but I'll try to document the whole process here so other can learn from my mistakes.

This is only my second armor build -- I have built an Anovos "classic" TK last year, but I'm too big to wear it, so that wasn't really a success. I learned a lot, however. I hope to do better this time, we'll see how it works out.

 

I work very slowly, mainly because I spend most working days out of town. My goal is to be finished in time for Episode 8 troops.

 

Picture: beginning of April, unboxing the KB kit. There's also a KB helmet, but I'll build that later.

 

 

Picture: end of April, after some initial trimming.

The trimming process feels much more complicated than my TK build, partly because the ABS is much thicker, party because the cut lines are not easy to see (if they exist).

 

 

 

(to be continued soon)

Edited May 12, 2017 by Stefan_Eischet

[djrue[TK]]

Looking forward to your progress. I say tackle the thermal detonator and back/yoke first.

[BGeek]

Awesome stuff so far. I'm also looking forward to your progress.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Any progress lately Stefan? 

[Stefan_Eischet[TK]]

I just returned from Legoland Germany (as a TR), where I had a grrrreat time, and was going to update this thread, but then I found out the glue I used for the yoke/back has eaten the yoke's details. Great fun. "Learn from my mistakes" wasn't meant this literally, but stay away from "Tangit PVC-U" if you're building a KB kit.

 

This is how the yoke looks now. I glued it three weeks ago, and it was looking fine last weekend. I have no idea what happened, but all the details are gone. I don't blame the glue, I shouldn't have used it I guess.

 

 

Before this happened, I made some small progress on the arms and legs. I still need to cut the proper curve into the thigh, which was planned for tonight, and I still need to figure out how to curve the shin closure. The plan was to glue industrial strength velcro into the shins.

 

 

 

 

Also, I did some work on the arms. I've already prepared to follow Ukswrath's bicep detail upgrade, but haven't finished all the details yet. There's some leftover E-6000 I still need to clean up too.

 

All The holes aren't up to the proper sizes yet; I had a close look at some existing / approved FO TKs and their holes were much bigger than mine. Well, better than cutting too much away intitially, I guess.

 

 

 

 

I also glued the ab/back parts together. I cannot figure out how to do the thermal detonator; some cut lines would be incredibly helpful here. I envy smaller guys that can fit into Anovos stuff.

Edited June 17, 2017 by Stefan_Eischet

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Blame the glue. It looks to be PVC pipe glue which besides having the chemical composition (Solvent Cement)  to melt plastic that is 1/8" thick it obviously warped the surrounding areas. OUCH! 

[Stefan_Eischet[TK]]

Blame the glue. It looks to be PVC pipe glue which besides having the chemical composition (Solvent Cement)  to melt plastic that is 1/8" thick it obviously warped the surrounding areas. OUCH! 

 

Yes, it's pipe glue, and I shouldn't have used it at all. A friend from my Garrison told me it worked great with his biker helmet, but I should've checked this with a piece of scrap first.

I don't know if I can actually do this, but I might be able to fill the yoke with putty (which is already sitting in my work area, to fill in all the seams), and then cut back in the missing details with a dremel.

[Stefan_Eischet[TK]]

I'm lucky: KB has offered to send me a replacement part. This might take a while, as he's usually quite busy as far as I know, but when I have it, I'll cut out the destroyed part and put in the new one. Meanwhile, the rest of the build can proceed and I might still get it done this year.

 

I've also finally found a reasonably priced source for the glue Ukswrath used in his TFA build, so I'll switch to that in the future and reserve the evil stuff for when I actually need to glue PVC pipes. I.e. never, I guess.

In case you're wondering why I didn't use it right from the start: often, parts referenced in builds are hard to get here in Germany or they come with ridiculous prices. Which is why I asked around... which is why I ended up using the wrong glue. 

 

I'm also getting improved gaskets and a neck seal. I've got an Anovos neck seal on preorder, but they moved the delivery date yet again and I don't know if I'll ever see it.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Sounds like good news Stefan. 

[trond1138]

i didnt get a t-shirt and 5parts was missing not happy whit kb_props 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Bummer. Well give them a shout I'm sure they'll send the items they missed.

[Stefan_Eischet[TK]]

On 19.7.2017 at 2:12 AM, trond1138 said:

i didnt get a t-shirt and 5parts was missing not happy whit kb_props 

I think I got the shirt because it took much longer than anticipated to pull my kit, not as a standard item. KB said he‘d put in a riot shield kit to compensate, but this is what was in the box. Well, one less thing I can break while building it.

 

By the way, no news here. I spent a few fun days overseas in the US and didn’t get to do armor work lately. I was planning to work on the armor tonight, but I can‘t figure out what to do next.

 

I‘m also still waiting for the quote for the replacement yoke. Oh well.

 

Dullest build thread ever. Sorry guys.  

[Stefan_Eischet[TK]]

Oh, I forgot: I got a neck seal, harness and gaskets from Geeky Pink‘s Phantastic Gaskets today. Phantastic indeed, she did a great job. 

I‘ve now got the best collection of soft parts I can imagine, next to a total mess of ABS. 

Edited July 28, 2017 by Stefan_Eischet

[trond1138]

yes tfa-tk hardest work for me to . going crazy of detail work 

[Stefan_Eischet[TK]]

No good pictures yet, but I've started filling and sanding the seams of the biceps and arms. It was very scary at first, as this is a first for me, but I'm happy with the results so far: the seams are gone, it's all nice and smooth and there's only some minor spots that need to be re-filled. :-)

 

I made another mistake when assembling the legs, using inner cover strips. The CRL says there needs to be a seam, but I failed to create a *clean looking* seam in all places.

I basically did what would've worked for an ANH TK: do straight cuts, glue inner cover strip. Slap on an outer cover strip and everything looks great, however that's a different costume. ;-) I'm now thinking about creating a fake seam using thin ABS sheets, then filling/sanding to outsides so hopefully no one notices. Looking at the CRL, e.g. http://databank.501st.com/databank/File:TFA_TK_thighs.png, I've got a long way to go though.

Even in the CRL pics, the edges seem very slightly "wobbly" to me, but they look much cleaner than mine and seem to follow a curve that never existing in my kit.

Question for the pros: will straight seams do, or should I go for the curved look while I'm at it? When answering, please consider that I'm shooting for "get it done somehow, get basic approval" here, not for the 100% perfect look. I'm not against 100% screen accuracy, of course, but I'm afraid my skills aren't up to that yet, so if there's a more fool-proof alternative I'll gladly follow that. ;-)

 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

I would try to curve them, even ever so slightly. Personally I'd check with your GML and see what he says. 

[Stefan_Eischet[TK]]

On 8/4/2017 at 3:20 PM, ukswrath said:

I would try to curve them, even ever so slightly. Personally I'd check with your GML and see what he says. 

You're right, which isn't really unexpected. ;-) I've asked around, and everyone seems to agree that the curves are absolutely required. *sigh* Oh well, that was a costly adventure in armor building for me. Maybe I can recycle some of the parts I left intact and try again at a later time.

 

[darthmaul101079[TK]]

Are you having issues with the right spat? mine is a KB and I trimmed at the end creases and its not seeming to line up.

[Stefan_Eischet[TK]]

On 21.8.2017 at 9:25 PM, darthmaul101079 said:

Are you having issues with the right spat? mine is a KB and I trimmed at the end creases and its not seeming to line up.

Hi Todd, I‘m busy redoing many parts, so sorry for not seeing your question.

Yes, they don‘t line up very well. I cut away the excess.

 

Small status update: I haven‘t yet heard back from KB props about my replacement yoke. Whatever.  I‘ve added parts from another make to make up for this, and they are easier to work with and don‘t have the same trimming issues. Also, much cheaper, especially considering import taxes. So this is now more a Frankenstein build.

Most parts are close to finished, though the recent CRL update means I‘ll have to cut my biceps and redo them. Sadly the update doesn‘t include any pictures of how the seam should look.

The new spats are even worse, though, alignment wise. I now have two pairs to choose from, so it doesn‘t really stop me. I‘m mixing and matching parts as it suits me. I’ll decide waht to do with the remaining parts later. Maybe I can pull off a Cardinal, where the cape hides the ruined part of the yoke, next year or so.

I‘ve successfully added rounded seams to the leg parts by cutting fake seams out of ABS sheets, gluing them on and filling/sanding away the gaps. Only the rectangle indentions are left, and then more sanding to prepare for painting.

My main gripe right now is the rightmost box on the belly piece, as it does not line up nicely with the back. There‘s quite a large gap between box and armor, and I have no idea how to line them up.

I wish I had more than my 1 to 2 hours per week to work on this, but well, that‘s life. EP 8 is now out of reach for trooping, but maybe I‘ll make EP 9. If all goes well, I‘ll bring all my stuff to the paint shop in 3 to 4 weeks for a nice coat of automotive paint.