Anzo's TFA FOTK/TLJ Executioner Builds (KB) aka the Terrible Twofer!

[Anzo[TK]]

Greetings and salutations fellow troopers. At long last I have received my FOTK kit. It has been a long road that started in June 2016. Anovos unveiled a Premier FOTK kit that was promised to ship in Sept 2016. Welllllllllll, that kit still hasn't shipped to the poor folks who purchased that. I jumped out back in March and ordered a kit from KB Props. Unfortunately, life got in the way for KB but at long last I received most of my TFA kit last week. I was hopeful to suit up for the Ep 8 premier as a member of the First Order, but that just isn't realistically going to happen. 

 

 

I say "most" as there are few little pieces missing, namely the hand guards and the TD "holder" (the 3 ridged piece), which KB will send soon. Also coming from KB is an executioner "upgrade" kit with a black yoke, second back piece and black shoulder bells. I already have a TFA FOTK helmet from Anovos and have the Executioner helmet on order from them too, for now. Surprising to nobody, it has been delayed to next quarter. 

 

Goal: Basic approval for TFA FOTK and TLJ Executioner. The builds are similar enough that I hope to get two costumes out of only a little extra effort. By documenting my build and efforts to achieve that goal, I hope and seek your input as I progress on how to best accomplish this goal. 

 

Quick Links for my own convenience:

Inspiration Build Threads: The great and always thorough Ukswrath's thread. Ruthar's Fabulous KB Build

TFA FOTK CRL

TLJ Executioner CRL

 

Previous Build Experience: Anovos ANH-S, Centurion certification.

 

Body Stats:

Since this matters to some people considering a build, I am providing my body composition at time of build.

 

Ht - 6 ft 0 in (1.83 meters)

Wt - 205 lbs (93 kg)

Somewhere between Mesomorph and Endomorph body type (I'm muscular but I also like ice cream )

 

Parts Origin:

 

Buckets: Anovos Standard Line TFA  and Anovos TLJ FOTK Helmet from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Kit: KB Props FOTK + Executioner add-on

Helmet Fans - Henry's Helmet Fans

Helmet Audio - Ukswrath's FO Audio kit

Gaskets: Geeky Pink's Phantastic Gaskets - Cloth

Boots/Gloves: Imperial Boots

Belt: Belts of the First Order

Blasters - Hestonkent's F-11D blaster with shoulder stock. 

                Laser Axe from Stormtrooper on Weekends

 

Supplies/Tools:

Belt Sander - Others have sworn by this and I am now one of them. Great for quick sanding and creating a nice clean straight edge for seams. 

Contour Gauge - great for trimming the Ab boxes!

Gaffer's Tape

Heat Gun

Industrial Strength Velcro - white, low profile, 3'x1"

Lexan Scissors - curved and straight

Neodymium 1.26" x 1/8" disc magnets x 6

Needle File Set - for pill holes and general filing needs

Rotary Tool

Tungsten Carbide Dremel Tip - for the pill holes.

Weld-On ABS Cement - 1 Quart (1 Pint would probably be enough)

 

Build Chapters:

 

1. Trimming (Admittedly, I do not go into great detail on how to trim most of KB's armor outside of the below links, you are better served looking elsewhere for this info)

Miscellaneous Trimming Stuff

Shin Accuracy

Ab Boxes

Chest Hole Filing

Pill Hole Drilling (Chest, Biceps, Shins)

 

2. Assembly

Ab/Kidney (bottom of linked post)

Ab Box bolting to Ab piece

Biceps Pt 1

Biceps Pt 2

Forearms

Greeblie Sanding and Shaping

Seam Filling (Forearms, Shin Boxes, Ab Kidney)

Seam Filling (Yoke)

Shoulder Bells (towards the middle of the linked post)

Shin Boxes

Shin Closure Overlap

Spats Pt 1 (middle of the post)

Spats Pt 2

Thermal Detonator Pt 1

Thermal Detonator Pt 2

Thighs

Thigh Holster

Yoke

 

3. Painting

My FOTK was pro painted by a friend so this is mostly about preparation for that. I will be painting the black pieces of the Executioner Yoke and Bells and will update when I do that)

Paint Prep

Paint Progress

 

4. Strapping

Ab/Kidney Magnetic Closures

Belt

Butt Plate to Back

Chest to Back

Cod to Ab

Decal Application

Gaffers Tape (Shins, Biceps, Chest)

Gaskets Velcro

Hand Plates

Knee Plates

Posterior Prep (towards the bottom of the linked post)

Shins

Shoulder Bell to Yoke

Spats

Thigh Supports

 

5. Progress Checks

First Test Fitting

Second Test Fitting (upper body mostly)

Submission Photos

 

Epilogue: 18 months later...

Finishing up the Executioner costume.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Anzo
Added Table of Contents

[JAFO[TK]]

Looking forward to your build!


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[Anzo[TK]]

Some of the cut lines are fairly easy to find/see on this armor. Others...not so much. I'm a little unclear how much return edge I'm supposed to have on the Yoke pieces. Input appreciated.

 

 

This is the Yoke proper. Looking at the photos in Tony's thread, it appears that there should be no return edge on the medial sides of the yoke. So should I cut these completely?

 

Right Distal Yoke (sorry, pharmacist here so I'm using medical terms). There appears like there should be some edge on this portions. How many mm's we talking here?

 

 I trimmed some of the excess on the Left Distal Yoke but realize that it should be more than this right?

 

 

Not sure of the proper term for this piece but it connects the yoke and the back. So the Bridge perhaps? At any rate it appears like there should be no return edge across where I have already cut, but how much on the outer edges needs to go?

 

Finally the back piece. I've roughly marked up what I think needs to go but just need affirmation.

 

[Anzo[TK]]

Trimming is coming along slowly but surely. Holidays, work and family stuff taking precedent right now but I'm getting a few pieces cut every other day or so. I was re-watching TFA in prep for next week and will go back to it for reference photos on the yoke and back piece return edges. 

[JAFO[TK]]

Great work in your progress. Every step is one in the right direction


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[Justin96039]

Can’t wait to get my KB Armor

[heartstopper85[TK]]

I'm working on my back and yoke from KB too, there is a good guide in the JRS Black Squadron group https://www.facebook.com/groups/921332044616608/files/

 

I've haven't quite figured out those parts either so hoping to watch progress on your armor. I moved to things that made sense like shoulder bells for the time being

[heartstopper85[TK]]

Also I think everyone has a gap where the yoke and back connect, you want to get the connector piece holes cut out and put the triangles from the yoke in there. Line it up as flush as possible than fill with ABS paste or bondo. Not an issue for me since my whole kit is being painted but can understand the worry and concern

[Anzo[TK]]

On 12/6/2017 at 4:36 AM, heartstopper85 said:

I'm working on my back and yoke from KB too, there is a good guide in the JRS Black Squadron group https://www.facebook.com/groups/921332044616608/files/

 

I've haven't quite figured out those parts either so hoping to watch progress on your armor. I moved to things that made sense like shoulder bells for the time being

Thanks for the link. Yeah that portion is causing me some anxiety as well. 

 

In other news, the rest of my parts came today. Hand guards that were missing from the initial box and the Executioner parts: shoulders, extra back portion and black yoke pieces. Holidays are a bad time of year to get started on a kit! Trying to get a piece or two cut per day.

 

 

For my ANH TK, I found score and snap to be the best method but I'm super glad I invested in a pair of straight and curved lexan scissors this time around. WAAAAY easier. 

 

Here's a link to what I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KN0RQM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Anzo[TK]]

I found the answer to my question proposed above on the return edges for the chest and yoke. Today is my birthday and my wife gave me...

 

 

As I perused the opening pages, I found my answer in John Boyega's foreword. There is a photo of him in UAE in his suit at a perfect angle to see the yoke an chest pieces.

 

 

If I had to estimate those are about 15 - 20mm thick. I'll pencil in those measurements soon and see how it looks before trimming. Not too far off from what I drew in my photos above. 

[Anzo[TK]]

17 minutes ago, Anzo said:

I found the answer to my question proposed above on the return edges for the chest, back and yoke. Today is my birthday and my wife gave me...

 

 

As I perused the opening pages, I found my answer in John Boyega's foreword. There is a photo of him in UAE in his suit at a perfect angle to see the yoke and chest pieces return edges.

 

 

If I had to estimate their thickness, I'd say they are about 15 - 20mm thick. I'll pencil in those measurements soon and see how it looks before trimming. Not too far off from what I drew in my photos above. 

The back seems to be much less based on another photo.

 

 

So maybe 5 mm if that. Can anybody else confirm?

 

And finally, I never really saw much of a difference in the cod pieces between TFA and TLJ. With this shot of the executioner though, it is pretty clear.

 

 

So I'm going to either have to procure a second, TLJ appropriate cod or modify my TFA one, so long as it is acceptable for both of my suits. That's for a later time though. 

Edited December 10, 2017 by Anzo

[Harbinger[IPM]]

Keep in mind those pieces are some kind of flexible urethane in the film, that much return edge on a stiffer plastic like ABS might not be feasible.

[Anzo[TK]]

1 hour ago, Harbinger said:

Keep in mind those pieces are some kind of flexible urethane in the film, that much return edge on a stiffer plastic like ABS might not be feasible.

Oh is that so? So if I left them too big, they would be more prone to cracking?

 

Good call so probably 5 mm or less is more appropriate you think?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

5 hours ago, Anzo said:

And finally, I never really saw much of a difference in the cod pieces between TFA and TLJ. With this shot of the executioner though, it is pretty clear

 

So I'm going to either have to procure a second, TLJ appropriate cod or modify my TFA one, so long as it is acceptable for both of my suits. That's for a later time though. 

You can use your TFA cod for basic approval but you do need a correct style TLJ for EIB and Centurion levels.

 

Here is a comparison I put together some time ago

 

 

 

[Anzo[TK]]

Thank you for that distinction Q. Something to consider then if I decide to go for higher certs.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

7 minutes ago, Anzo said:

Thank you for that distinction Q. Something to consider then if I decide to go for higher certs.

I would also suggest keeping an eye on the CRL (costume reference library) for the TLJ version as there may be some changes/additions made after we have all seen EPVIII  

[Anzo[TK]]

Small update time! Things got a little busy/crazy over the holidays and I am just finishing up on initial trimming. I'm down to the Ab boxes. 

 

 

So I have these boxes lined up where I think they should go on the Ab. Other than B and E does it really matter?

 

Also, KB's cut lines aren't very clear. I drew lines around where I think they should be, plus a hair more to account for carving out curvatures on the ab piece. Do these look right you think?

 

[Anzo[TK]]

For no reason in particular, I began shaping my shins to be more accurate to the CRL. I'm not going to go crazy trying to match it perfectly but I knew I could get a fair bit closer. 

 

Here they are for reference.

 

 

 

I noticed on my shins that well, the connecting edges are very straight. No curvature to them as seen above. Not only that but they do not have a downhill "shelf" on which the overlapping piece can rest upon to create an even connecting joint. Hrmmph this could be trouble. So I went to work on eye balling the curvature on the inner and outer edges and this is what I ended up with.

 

Outer Left:                                                                                               Inner Left:

 

This is what the overlap looks like right now on the inner seam that would open.

It looks okay-ish right now but I don't have any velcro between the plastic, which will bump it out. I may have to investigate using a heat gun to create a shelf on either side to get a more level connection. Would be curious to know what other KB builders have done to solve this conundrum. 

 

Update: Referencing Ruthar's build he used excess ABS strips to make the shelf. That seems easier and likely the route I will be taking. More to come. 

Edited January 22, 2018 by Anzo

[Ruthar[TK]]

On 1/21/2018 at 12:25 AM, Anzo said:

Small update time! Things got a little busy/crazy over the holidays and I am just finishing up on initial trimming. I'm down to the Ab boxes. 

 

 

So I have these boxes lined up where I think they should go on the Ab. Other than B and E does it really matter?

 

Also, KB's cut lines aren't very clear. I drew lines around where I think they should be, plus a hair more to account for carving out curvatures on the ab piece. Do these look right you think?

 

Yep! Boxes are correctly labeled.  The trim lines look good, too. I also left a bit of extra edge so that I had enough room for trimming/shaping. Good work!

 

For the shins, because there isn't a lowered region to join them (as the Anovos has), I overlapped them so that the seams are facing the back. This way, the build looks a bit cleaner from the front. It's not required, but just something to consider. I also sanded down the top overlapping edge so it curves slightly downward against the bottom piece, giving the illusion that it is connected with that shelf technique. Hopefully that makes sense to some degree!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

 

Looking good AJ

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Coming along nicely, great work on the details

[Anzo[TK]]

More Shin work:

 

Continuing on from last night, I set out to create faux shelfs to have a more even seam on either side. So I used some excess ABS and glued it with some overlap then glued the front piece onto that overlap. 

 

 

After removing magnets:

 

On the other side, I added a shelf onto the back portion of the shin so the overlap goes from front to back. This was per Ruthar's recommendation in his build to create a cleaner look from the front.

Down the line I will add velcro to the shelf and front half that overlaps to close it up. I'm a bit worried that I may have cut off too much ABS here so that when I close it, it won't create a good seam as there will be too much tension pulling outward. Test fitting it around my calf is totally fine but I won't know how it truly looks until much later after painting and such. I may just add some velcro to it as soon as it arrives from Amazon just to know for sure. I might replace this shelf with a slightly longer one too. That's still up in the air.

 

I then set out to do the right shin, leaving a little more ABS to allow for easier overlap on the open inner side this time around. For symmetry's sake, I measured the distance from the indent to the seam of my left shin and copied that on the right. I'm not sure what the exact measurement should be but I wanted to be consistent with mine and kept it about 10 mm.

 

 

I also added a slightly larger shelf to allow more velcro and adhesion. Maybe too much. I can always trim that piece down the road though.

 

 

 

Here are the differences in gaps on the open side for comparison. 

 

About 3 inches on the left and 2 inches on the right. 

 

All in all though I'm pleased with how the curves turned out on both shins and felt it was worth the trouble. 

 

[Anzo[TK]]

Ab Box Trimming and Shaping

 

To trim the Ab boxes to the desired shape I used a contour tool. I didn't know this even existed until earlier this week. It made this task a breeze!

 

 

I shaped the tops and bottoms of each box, making sure to keep the tools orientation correct (gotta be cautious of that or else you'll get the exact opposite contour that you desire!)

 

 

I then taped the boxes to the Ab to get a rough fit. Overall not too shabby! Box D has a bit of a gap up top from over trimming the curve but I can fill that in later upon assembly.

 

 

 

 

 

[sandtrooper[501st]]

That contour tool is very cool.  Didn't know it existed either.  Thanks for mentioning it.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Oh I have to get me one of those