Nino's ANH Stunt Build [MTK]

[yo_its_nino[TK]]

Hello everybody. My name is Nino. I'm from SoCal. I've always wanted to dress as a legit stormtrooper from the classic Star Wars Films as a kid. I knew about the 501st and Socal Garrison before but never thought of joining it until now. First time builder. Planning on costuming as the ANH Stunt TK in the Centurion Tier.  Finally got around to post on this forum about my build. I had my BBB day this past Wednesday. The journey begins. I'm really impressed as to what came with the Armor kit from MTK. Everything from decals, rivets, mic tips, S-trim, neoprene gloves, dark green lenses etc. Although I wished "Left & Right" parts were labeled, I'm pretty sure there is enough information on this forum to figure that out. Anyways, I can't wait to start on the build. I've got plenty of trimming to do. I'm hoping I don't mess up trimming so much. I'm hoping I could make this a great fit considering I'm 5'4" which is below the average height of a Storm Trooper. Lol. I've already been watching all the Trooperbay videos on armor building over and over again. He makes it look way to easy. I've also attended an Armor party of the LA Squad prior to acquiring my own armor. I wanted to get a feel of how the camaraderie is and so far I met some wonderful people. LA Squad are really down-to-earth genuine people of the Empire I must say. May the Force be with me! I'll definitely need it.

[yo_its_nino[TK]]

Yesterday I went to a local Nordstrom Rack and got my neck measured for Darman's neck seal. I can't decided on whether I should go velcro or zipper? Any input on that would be appreciated. I also went to the shoe section to use their Brannock measurement device to get my TK boot properly fitted for measurements. Hehe. I also finally started on trimming and went for the forearms first. I must say it's really easy to have a freak accident cutting plastic with the xacto knife. Safety first! I've been wearing polyurethane gloves while cutting. I also find it difficult to score the plastic with the facto knife as well. I find the scissors very easy to work with rather than using the xacto knife. You guys have any suggestions?

[starsaber25[Admin]]

Hi Nino. Congrats on the arrival of your armor!  BBB day is a day you never forget. The excitement and fear is a unique feeling. I just love looking at the photos of fresh armor laid out. MTK is a great kit and I've been very happy with mine for the last few years. 

 

Anyway, I have a Darman neckseal and I have Velcro. No real reason why I chose it but it has served me very well. 

 

When i I first started trimming my armor I tried an xacto knife once and realized real quick that wasn't the way to go. I did most of my build using a shop knife and scored and snapped like Mike does in the trooperbay videos. Scissors are also ver effective and used them as well. 

 

Make sure you have your undersuit when you do your test fitting for your armor pieces. You may think it won't effect the fit that much, but it can. Have fun with your build. It's an amazing time!

[CptCasey[TK]]

Congrats on the kit! I found some pieces do better with scissors and some do better with score and snap. Might want to look into cut proof gloves. As far as neck seals...I have the zipper version and really like it. Both are probably great.


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[magni[TK]]

Welcome Nino! Great set you have there! You'll be Trooping before ypu know it. I like to use tin snips for trimming. I too have a Darman with the zipper. 

Good Luck and keep up the good work!

[yo_its_nino[TK]]

Short update!

Still working on the forearms. Although more TK accessories were delivered from Trooperbay the past few days..





I got the Centurion kit from Trooperbay as well as the black undersuit, and E-11 holster



My TK boots arrived last night so I did a test fit with the black undersuit. The undersuit feels tight and it's thick like material. I can just imagine sweating like crazy with the armor on. There has to be something better than this. Any thoughts or advice?





I have a collectible EFX ANH Helmet that I wore while I test fitted my gear. Just trying to see how it might all look with armor. Lol. I still got a lot of work ahead of me! Let's do this!



I'll keep you guys posted!


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Things are coming together nicely, looking forward to the progress, good luck

[yo_its_nino[TK]]

I got around to do some helmet trimming today. I was able to trim a little bit of the ears but not fully trimmed yet. I can use your guys professional feedback. Do you think I should trim the eyes or teeth more? They still need to be sanded down. Let me know!




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[yo_its_nino[TK]]

I'm looking into different alternatives for the black undersuit. The undersuit I have from TrooperBay seems to be too thick to wear. I wanted to find something more comfortable. I found these at Uniqlo. It's not one whole suit but sure is more comfortable to wear than the thicker material. However it's a two-piece. Can these be 501st approvable?






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[yo_its_nino[TK]]

Made some progress last night. Finished trimming the forearms, biceps and shoulder bells. I put them together with blue painters tape to do a test fit. So far the right forearm is good to go. My left forearm will need more trimming. Biceps still need more trimming too. I put the helmet together with rare magnets and blue painters tape for now.



Looking into E-11 blasters. I already know about Hyperfirm Weaponry's E-11. Any reviews on Praetorian E-11 blasters? Can't decide between the two companies.




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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking good, you could take a little more out of the corners of the teeth ;).

 

I've heard some good comments about  the Praetorian E-11. Do a search for Praetorian a few threads pop up

[yo_its_nino[TK]]

Been awhile since I was able to update this. I had great progress the past week. I met with Teri and her husband Bill Moore of the Inland Empire Squad of Southern California. Wonderful folks! If you guys ever troop in California with the IE Squad, look out for these people. Definitely down to earth and genuine. They assisted me with my armor build and I'm so grateful for their assistance. I was able to fit the upper chest and cod piece without having to cut the bottom cod piece in half. A lot of trimming was involved to get the fitment right for my vertically challenged size. Sucks to be short. We worked on the kidney and butt plate as well. Did a whole lot of sanding and lucky me, Bill had a sanding machine that made things more easier to trim. I was able to start gluing with E6000 starting with the biceps. Cut my first 15mm cover strips for the biceps. Felt surreal. So far upper chest, back, straps, butt, kidney, cod piece, shoulder bells, and biceps are done with trimming and sanding. Test fitment is done with the torso and is ready for strapping. Anyway here's a few pictures from last week. Let me know what you guys think about the fitment.














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