hollowbodies' first build : ANH Stunt TK (AP)

[hollowbodies[501st]]

Hi all, so here I am with my BBB already and ready to start building my ANH TK Stunt armor. I've had my AP armor for a little time now, but I've never had the time to start working on it yet because of my peculiar and so busy Schedule. However, right now feels like a good time and I so much can't wait to work on it (and finish it, hopefully!), so I am starting this build thread - and with it, my very first build of course!

 

I have had time to look around these forums for a while and I have gathered so many information I'm prettu sure I can't even keep it all inside my mind haha - I looked at various build threads (AP and not AP), I've watched videos, I've ready threads about tips and tricks and technics, etc. And even with all of that, I am not sure how or where to start!

 

I think I will be tackling the forearms first, as it looks like a good way to start. And as I am a complete newbie at this for now, I am really looking forward to receiving any kind of information/suggestions/help/opinions/advice from you all, so go ahead and feel free to post anything that you think could be useful!

 

Also, I'd like to aim for Centurion as much as possible with my build!

 

So, to start, here are a few pictures of that BBB !!!  

Edited January 22, 2018 by hollowbodies

[Frank75139[501st]]

Get ready for some fun. Enjoy and congrats, welcome!


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[hollowbodies[501st]]

Here are a few pictures of the armor out of the box. Everything seems to be there. I ordered the kit fully trimmed, and I took the soft goods kit as well directly from Mark (hand guards, TD mounting clips, holster, rubber gloves, canvas belt).

 

I also have an E-11 blaster and an undersuit (I'll post pictures soon), and I am currently looking for a pair of boots (taking my time because I want to be sure I order something that fits as perfectly as possible).

[hollowbodies[501st]]

1 minute ago, Frank1769 said:

Get ready for some fun. Enjoy and congrats, welcome!


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Thanks! It's already fun, and I'm sur it's gonne be even more fun as time goes on and I become a bit more used to all that stuff! ^^

 

I did not mention, but I'd like to aim for Centurion as much as I can!

[wook1138[TK]]

I have the exact same kit. Getting started was hard. I too started with the forearms. That and the biceps were a good place to figure out the basics. And... congrats on starting the build!


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[hollowbodies[501st]]

18 minutes ago, wook1138 said:

I have the exact same kit. Getting started was hard. I too started with the forearms. That and the biceps were a good place to figure out the basics. And... congrats on starting the build!


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Even if I'm repeating myself right now, any advice is more than appreciated! What did you find hard when you started? What were the specific challenges and how did you manage/overcome them? Also, anything particular about that kit!

 

And thanks for the warm welcomes!

Edited January 22, 2018 by hollowbodies

[wook1138[TK]]

1 hour ago, hollowbodies said:

Even if I'm repeating myself right now, any advice is more than appreciated! What did you find hard when you started? What were the specific challenges and how did you manage/overcome them? Also, anything particular about that kit!

 

And thanks for the warm welcomes!

The hardest part was getting over how uneven the armor is and how things don't really line up or appear symmetrical.  It was hard for my OCD to process.  I did a lot of research before I started, and it all flew out the window when I went to fit and glue the first piece (forearm).  So far, the most troublesome parts have been the right thigh (the front seam is curved a bit), the sniper knee plate (still working on that - I'll post what I did in my thread), and the fitting of the torso (the ab and kidney pieces are a bit big for me, so I had to improvise to make it look good).  check out my build - It is a bit of a mess (I work on things when I can - I don't have much time so I always do a little here and a little there) but I have tried to include a lot of info (some good, some not so much ).

 

If you have any questions, just ask!  Enjoy the build - it can be frustrating at times, but when things start to come together (and they will) you won't be able to wipe the smile from your face.

 

[CableGuy[TK]]

Welcome aboard, Dave. 

 

Starting a thread here is a great start. As others have said, ask plenty of questions as you go along - you’ll get lots of useful feedback on here. :-)

 

Regarding where to start, I’m another one that started with the arms pieces. Seems like a good starting point. :-)

 

Do you have a tutorial or specific build thread that you’re following? Thankfully for me, my armour maker has created step by step tutorials on YouTube - if you have something similar it can be very handy to see the processes in video form. 

 

Best wishes, 

Dan

[hollowbodies[501st]]

10 hours ago, wook1138 said:

The hardest part was getting over how uneven the armor is and how things don't really line up or appear symmetrical.  It was hard for my OCD to process.  I did a lot of research before I started, and it all flew out the window when I went to fit and glue the first piece (forearm).  So far, the most troublesome parts have been the right thigh (the front seam is curved a bit), the sniper knee plate (still working on that - I'll post what I did in my thread), and the fitting of the torso (the ab and kidney pieces are a bit big for me, so I had to improvise to make it look good).  check out my build - It is a bit of a mess (I work on things when I can - I don't have much time so I always do a little here and a little there) but I have tried to include a lot of info (some good, some not so much ).

 

If you have any questions, just ask!  Enjoy the build - it can be frustrating at times, but when things start to come together (and they will) you won't be able to wipe the smile from your face.

 

 

I know really... I find it so uneven, too!! I could "hardly" believe that all the pieces were correct at some point haha. I too have looked around a lot and checked many builds and "tutorials" and it's so true that, right now, I am really unsure about how asymmetrical it is and about how things don't line up. I will post some forearms pictures - along with some interrogations (already haha!) - soon to show you what I mean! 

 

And sure thing, I'll keep following your thread my friend. I have already been looking at it for a while and I find all the info you put into it really useful and helpful!

 

8 hours ago, CableGuy said:

Welcome aboard, Dave. 

 

Starting a thread here is a great start. As others have said, ask plenty of questions as you go along - you’ll get lots of useful feedback on here. :-)

 

Regarding where to start, I’m another one that started with the arms pieces. Seems like a good starting point. :-)

 

Do you have a tutorial or specific build thread that you’re following? Thankfully for me, my armour maker has created step by step tutorials on YouTube - if you have something similar it can be very handy to see the processes in video form. 

 

Best wishes, 

Dan

 

Thanks, Dan! As I said above, yeah, I am following a few threads at the moment, including wook's one which is for an AP armor, too. Other than that, I am also looking at the video build present on the TrooperBay website : https://trooperbay.com/assemble-accurate-stromtrooper-armor/ . I guess that can do it too, right? 8-)

[TheSwede[TK]]

Happy BBB-day and welcome to the World of Stormtroopers 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Good luck with the build, nothing better than getting some new BBB's.

[hollowbodies[501st]]

18 hours ago, CableGuy said:

Welcome aboard, Dave. 

 

Starting a thread here is a great start. As others have said, ask plenty of questions as you go along - you’ll get lots of useful feedback on here. :-)

 

Regarding where to start, I’m another one that started with the arms pieces. Seems like a good starting point. :-)

 

Do you have a tutorial or specific build thread that you’re following? Thankfully for me, my armour maker has created step by step tutorials on YouTube - if you have something similar it can be very handy to see the processes in video form. 

 

Best wishes, 

Dan

 

That is true, and you're really lucky to have some video tutorials for you specific armor build! I know that the TrooperBay video tutorial is not done using an AP, but I guess that it can be pretty similar to an AP, isn't it? And that makes me think : is there an "official" - or at least a very reference one - video build for the AP armor models? (I am not aware of any, so if there is one, feel free to point it to me and thanks!)

 

On another note, I started to tackle very roughly some "fit" tests for the forearms. I have a few questions, obviously, and I'll let you know, but I'll post some pictures with them... Some should be coming shortly! ^^

[CableGuy[TK]]

 
That is true, and you're really lucky to have some video tutorials for you specific armor build! I know that the TrooperBay video tutorial is not done using an AP, but I guess that it can be pretty similar to an AP, isn't it? And that makes me think : is there an "official" - or at least a very reference one - video build for the AP armor models? (I am not aware of any, so if there is one, feel free to point it to me and thanks!)
 
On another note, I started to tackle very roughly some "fit" tests for the forearms. I have a few questions, obviously, and I'll let you know, but I'll post some pictures with them... Some should be coming shortly! ^^

Yes, I was very pleased to have those videos to study. :-)

Certainly sounds like you’re on the right track by studying other AP builds. And, as you said, just ask lots of questions and the folks here will point you in the right direction. :-)


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[hollowbodies[501st]]

So I started by doing some very rough fit tests for the forearms. At first, I found that both side pieces were the same, so I thought there was some kind of error with my parts, but Mark told me that there is no "side" on this armor; that both sides are exactly the same... So I kept going and tried to make all that fit together.

 

Honestly, the inner and outer parts did not line up as much as I thought they would (but hey, what do I know, I've never tried this before!). It was a little bit hard to make them hold properly in place with just some tape on the outside, but I managed to put them on and see how it fits.

 

I think that they are aleady trimmed to a good level as, even though I initially thought that I could make them a bit more slim, the hole my hand is passing through it a little bit tight...

 

Here is how I could align them with some tape...

 

Right forearm :

 

 

 

And the left one:

 

 

 

I know that it's really rough and with just some tape, but what about the overall alignement? What can be better , what should be changed before I can put some cover strips on the butt joints and make them stay together firmly? 

 

By the way, I know I have no pics of them on me right now, and that is because all the pics I took of me wearing were not good enough (some bad lighting and a bit blurry sometimes). I will take some better ones and upload some later.

 

Until then, any thoughts and comments are appreciated! 

 

Edited January 24, 2018 by hollowbodies

[wook1138[TK]]

Looks good. With the forearms you want the wrist lined up nice. The top is offset like you have. How wide are you cover strips going to be. Screen accurate is 15mm. You don’t have to do that exactly, I went with a little more than 15 and I had to trim some off the seams (from what Mark had trimmed).


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[wook1138[TK]]

By the way, it is normal to have the pieces not line up. You’ll get used to forcing pieces to where you want them.


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[hollowbodies[501st]]

5 minutes ago, wook1138 said:

Looks good. With the forearms you want the wrist lined up nice. The top is offset like you have. How wide are you cover strips going to be. Screen accurate is 15mm. You don’t have to do that exactly, I went with a little more than 15 and I had to trim some off the seams (from what Mark had trimmed).


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I wanted to make the strips 15mm or 16mm, but I need my hand to be able to get through, so I'll try to go as close to that as it is possible. I did measure it but I don't have the info with me right now... I'll post it later when I get home.

 

I guess the width of the cover strips do not affect the requirements for L2 and L3 if they need to be wider for it to fit well sometimes, right? 

 

3 minutes ago, wook1138 said:

By the way, it is normal to have the pieces not line up. You’ll get used to forcing pieces to where you want them.


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Haha yes, this is what I understood from reading your build thread (and others as well)! 

[wook1138[TK]]

I had the same issue.  My hand barely makes it through the wrist opening and I don't have big meat hooks by any means.  I have to put my gloves on after and feed the cuffs back into the armor.  Anyways... you can make the cover-strips larger - from what I understand, it is about relative size - between the strips and the guy wearing the armor, and from cover-strip on one part to another.  So if you make slightly larger strips for your arms - lets say 17 or 18mm, your thighs would be 24mm or so.  Some people will make the back cover-strip a little larger than the front, so the front still looks more screen accurate.  I believe that within reason, all this is approved at higher levels - no one breaks out a ruler on your armor.  Maybe one of the pros (I'm looking at you, Daniel) can chime in.

[hollowbodies[501st]]

That sounds good! Anyways, I was planning on doing it as close to the screen accurate size as possible, as I do not have such big forearms either... it was really just for my hand. I'll keep it tight - as long as I can pass it through.

Edited January 24, 2018 by hollowbodies

[hollowbodies[501st]]

I've got some neck seal questions for some of you who have experienced it... I am looking to buy a Darman neck seal, but I don't know what to chose between one that closes with a velcro or with a zipper. What's the best? I think that I'd like to get the zipper one, but I would like to hear from you what you think about both? Any pros and cons for one or the other? Do you see the zipper a lot more than velcro? Are they both okay for Centurion (I guess so)? 

 

Thanks ! 

Edited January 24, 2018 by hollowbodies

[Harbinger[IPM]]

Either should do for Centurion.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

With the cover strips most try to keep the fronts at a standard size and if needing to size up do so on the back side as the public doesn't see that side as much. If you really have to size up and the backs are going to look huge I would make the fronts slightly larger.

[Tolo[TK]]

I will second Q. 

As for achieving higher levels, when you start from scratch, it's not more work, maybe a couple of holes for the spit rivets, but, that's it.

[hollowbodies[501st]]

About those cover strips widths, is there a place that lists all the screen accurate cover strip widths as a reference? I've found those from a resource post, but I do not know if they are all exact and/or if some are missing :

 

Forearms and biceps : 15mm

Front of legs : 20mm

Back of thighs : 20mm

Back of shins : 25mm

 

Are there some front/back info missing or some parts that are not mentioned here? Or is there a go-to place for that specific information? I thought I had seen one in the past, but it seems I can't find it back... so many things to look at and keep track of!  

 

Thanks for your help!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Have a look in the gallery under RS and you will see a whole pile of measured coverstrips  

 

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/gallery/album/59-the-rs-suit/?page=3
 

Correct sizing is:

Arms front and back 15mm (forearm & bicep)

Thighs front and back 20mm

Shins front 20mm, rear 25mm

 

These are canon measurements and are for screen accuracy. Neither Sly or Tony will ask you to pull out a ruler during L2 or L3. What they do ask however is that the areas look uniform.