Not a Jedi Yet's first build (RS ESB)

[Not a Jedi Yet]

Hello everyone

 

This is my first ever build, and whilst I'm excited about it, I'm definitely not a handy person, and would go as far as saying I am beyond useless when it comes to DIY - my wife even laughed with surprise when I told her I was buying a stormtrooper armour kit!

 

However, having discovered this forum and seen how helpful and supportive everyone is, it gives me confidence that I can do this - I have already seen some great tutorials and build threads on the site, and will be following the RS Propmasters YouTube series too.

 

I opened my BBB properly yesterday, so having read the Imgur thread, what hopefully follows below is a series of pictures from the unboxing...

There is an extra pair of ears (probably useful based on what I have read about how difficult ears can be!), and both sets are marked with cut lines and drill holes.

 

I have a RS neckseal on the way and I forgot to put the ESB decals in the photo - there are two sets of those.

 

So that's it - assuming the pictures are visible my next post will be of the first tentative cuts into the armour!

 

[Not a Jedi Yet]

The first cuts were to the bicep pieces.  I followed the RS Propmasters video and looked at the Return Edges 101 thread on this forum.

 

I used curved lexan scissors to make the cuts - I think I have a mild phobia of power tools, but after the trimming was complete I began thinking that I should probably face my fear.  It was quite tricky to cut accurately at the narrower curves, and I know a Dremel would make this much easier - so I ordered one and it should hopefully arrive today.

 

I only trimmed the return edges on all pieces, and not the long straight joining edges.  I tried to leave around 5mm return edge everywhere (just as a starter), but understand that I will need to remove the lower return edges to avoid armour bite.

 

In terms of sizing the bicep feels a little loose when on (not that I would know) - i.e. if my arm is straight down then it slides down.  I took measurements of the right bicep and compared them to the screen accurate measurements in the RS video.  The inner pieces are screen accurate at 170mm around for each piece, but the outer pieces must be where the extra material is.  The screen accurate size is 190mm around the outer pieces (top and bottom), but mine measures 220mm at the top and 200mm at the bottom.

 

I am happy to be a stormtrooper with huge guns, but not if it looks out of proportion.  With the bicep pieces on I can get a finger between my arm and the armour with my arm bent.  Does this seem okay?  I guess I am worried that if I take off more return edge the pieces will be even looser, so presumably I am better off reducing the size of the outer pieces slightly by trimming a little of each of the long joining edges?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Hello and welcome aboard, always best to try armor on with your undersuit, normal clothing can give a different result.

 

When in doubt you can check the gallery sections, many pieces have little to no return edge.

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Hi Adam, congratulations for your BBB Day !!  

 

About trimming and return edges, i would recommend to take a look to this ReturnEdgesPost  , It's very useful.

 

Good luck future Trooper  

 

[Not a Jedi Yet]

Thanks guys - the reference photos are great, I had seen a couple of them before on FISD but hadn't realised that there were so many of them, a truly valuable resource.  I will fire up the Dremel and start trimming!

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Hi Adam, and congrats on starting your build!  One thing first, though... the two sets of ears are different.  If you look closely, one set has 4 "bumps" on the ear bars and the others have 3.  While the ones with 3 bumps are acceptable at Basic level for ESB, for Level 2 (and for more screen accuracy) you should use the ones with 4.

 

 

 

Hopefully you will consider building to the higher levels (Expert Infantry and Centurion) but even if not we are here to assist you every step of the way!  I have a few tutorials under the bottom of my signature below that may be of help, especially during the trimming stage (return edges).  Always feel free to ask us anything, and keep up the great work!

[Not a Jedi Yet]

5 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

Hi Adam, and congrats on starting your build!  One thing first, though... the two sets of ears are different.  If you look closely, one set has 4 "bumps" on the ear bars and the others have 3.  While the ones with 3 bumps are acceptable at Basic level for ESB, for Level 2 (and for more screen accuracy) you should use the ones with 4.

 

 

 

Hopefully you will consider building to the higher levels (Expert Infantry and Centurion) but even if not we are here to assist you every step of the way!  I have a few tutorials under the bottom of my signature below that may be of help, especially during the trimming stage (return edges).  Always feel free to ask us anything, and keep up the great work!

Thanks Joseph - I'm grateful you pointed that out to me, as in my excitement I hadn't even noticed! And yes, I will be aiming for Centurion as I understand it's easier to do so from the start rather than later on.

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

AWESOME to hear that you are headed for Level 3, Adam!    You are correct, it's much easier to to during your build rather than later.  This thread (link below) will show you some of the details we look for when approving at higher levels that may not be mentioned in the CRLs and has lots of screen captures.

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/48335-quick-crl-reference-guide-for-your-ot-build-pics-notes-tips/

 

I will be following your build thread, so keep the questions (no matter how small) and photos coming but remember:  Take....... your..... time.  Consider your build a marathon and not a sprint and you will be fine.   Trust me.

 

[Rob .T .[TK]]

Adam, as you summised, , both sets of ears are identical, one left and one right in each set . 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Rob .T .

[Not a Jedi Yet]

38 minutes ago, Rob .T . said:

Adam, as you summised, , both sets of ears are identical, one left and one right in each set . 

Ah okay, thanks Rob - I realise looking back at my photos the light wasn't the greatest so I think perhaps it wasn't 100% clear.  And thanks for sending the second set, I think I will be grateful for them! 

[TheSwede[TK]]

On 5/31/2020 at 11:22 AM, Not a Jedi Yet said:

my wife even laughed with surprise when I told her I was buying a stormtrooper armour kit!

[TheSwede[TK]]

On 5/31/2020 at 11:47 AM, Not a Jedi Yet said:

 

I am happy to be a stormtrooper with huge guns,

In fact to stay true to the Movie-Troopers the biceps should be small

They should be loose enough to move freely up and down on the arm though. I would remove all the planned return edge before any final trimming, like you said it might be too loose if removing more later and possibly bigger than necessary. Keeping the bicep snug will also help in getting the shoulder bells closer to the chest/back. 

[Not a Jedi Yet]

1 hour ago, TheSwede said:

In fact to stay true to the Movie-Troopers the biceps should be small

They should be loose enough to move freely up and down on the arm though. I would remove all the planned return edge before any final trimming, like you said it might be too loose if removing more later and possibly bigger than necessary. Keeping the bicep snug will also help in getting the shoulder bells closer to the chest/back. 

Understood, thanks Daniel. A good point too about the shoulder bells, I hadn't considered that.

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Daniel is spot-on about the return edges.  Many like to keep them on in certain areas for that "thicker" armor look, but in fact in many places they were pretty much non-existent.  They can also cause "armor bite", where they cut into you if not trimmed enough as well as splits/cracks.  My overall disdain for them is pretty well known here, and I have a thread that may help:

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/48166-return-edges-101-ottk/?tab=comments#comment-670906

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I kept a lot of return edges, have very skinny arms and legs so it helps keep the armor in place, also use a little bit of foam in place to stop them flopping around

 

[Not a Jedi Yet]

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful. I will remove some more of the bicep return edges, then look to trim the long connecting edges to fit.

 

Given my power tool phobia I have never used a Dremel, but I plan to use it to remove some more return edge and then to sand those areas.

 

A couple of complete novice questions please if I may (apologies in advance!): 1) what grit on the sanding drum is recommended when you want to remove some return edge, and 2) what grit to smooth it afterwards?

 

Thanks

 

Adam

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

38 minutes ago, Not a Jedi Yet said:

A couple of complete novice questions please if I may (apologies in advance!): 1) what grit on the sanding drum is recommended when you want to remove some return edge, and 2) what grit to smooth it afterwards?

First, you never have to apologize for any question, Adam!  Each and every one of us had a million of em' during our builds, and that's what we are here for.  

 

The sanding drums usually come in 60 grit (coarse), 120 (medium) and 240 (fine).  The 60 grit will remove a lot of material fast, so until you get the hang of using a Dremel (and you will, believe me) I would go with the 120 to start and the 240 to tighten up any details.  To finish it off, I would use regular sandpaper (240), that way you can get a nice smooth finish.

[Not a Jedi Yet]

3 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

First, you never have to apologize for any question, Adam!  Each and every one of us had a million of em' during our builds, and that's what we are here for.  

 

The sanding drums usually come in 60 grit (coarse), 120 (medium) and 240 (fine).  The 60 grit will remove a lot of material fast, so until you get the hang of using a Dremel (and you will, believe me) I would go with the 120 to start and the 240 to tighten up any details.  To finish it off, I would use regular sandpaper (240), that way you can get a nice smooth finish.

Perfect, thanks Joseph!

[Not a Jedi Yet]

Hi everyone

 

So I used my Dremel for the first time ever - what a great invention!   I should say in all the photos below I still need to do a final sand to smooth off the rougher edges.

 

I decided to take some more return edge off the biceps - it's not pretty work, but at least the tops will be covered by the shoulder bells and hopefully I'll get better with practice!

 

When I wear the biceps over the undersuit, they feel snug when I bend my arms, but nothing digs in as such, so I guess I will leave them for now until final fitting.

 

Next I tackled the forearms, but I'm not sure if something's gone wrong! 

 

I tried to follow the RS Propmasters video tutorial for the right forearm as best I could.  The following photos show the results:

 

Hopefully not too dramatic so far...

For the scoop on the inner I only took it to the natural line of the part, though I have seen threads where it is recommended to remove more material here?

 

 

I then went to work on the return edges trying to leave some at the top outside edge, but trying to remove everything all around at the bottom.  I didn't really notice it at the time, but look how "flat" the piece looks, rather than round - does this look right?  I can get my arm in and bend it with no problem - again, it's snug, but feels okay.  It's as though the shape is that of a flexed forearm?

 

The view from the bottom is shown below - I tried to get as much of the return edge off as possible with the Dremel.  Is this sufficient, or do I need to do a bit more?  If so, is there a recommended method to get into the corners of the raised part (needle files)?  I have seen a video by Dan (Cable Guy) where he sands the whole wrist profile simultaneously until the return edge disappears, so I may try this method if required.

 

I then moved on to the left forearm - I followed the same approach as for the right, but noticed that the piece seems much rounder, rather than flatter:

 

The "swoop" of the raised cover strip edge seemed wider on the left arm (though it could be the way I cut it) than the right?  In the photo it's not quite lying flush, but you get the idea anyway.

 

A comparison of the two forearms below (right on top, left on bottom):

 

And another (left on left, right on the right):

 

And with the undersuit (left forearm not taped very well at the top).

 

I have measured the circumference of both forearms at both the tops and bottoms, and they are similar, I guess I am just worried that the shapes look different, so wondered if this was an issue?  I certainly would like to avoid the dreaded hot water bath this early in my armour building  career!! 

 

Looking forward to your comments.

 

Thanks

 

Adam

 

[PhilBobTheFish]

That's just how the RS forearms are. The originals were flatter, and their suit had two right arms, so they had to sculpt the left arm from scratch. That's why the left forearm is slightly different, and rounder. It's not a big deal, as long as it fits you and all looks good. On my armor, I did a hot water bath to get the edges to line up better on my forearms, and slightly flattened my left forearm, so that's always a way you could go. But, if you don't want to bathe them, that's fine too, and the arms will be good.

 

Tldr: that's just how the forearms be

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Looking great, Adam!  For someone who is (as you said) "...definitely not a handy person" you are going a fantastic job!  Now that you have mastered the Dremel, I would suggest taking the top joins of the forearms down for not only a sleeker look, but so that they don't poke into you.  It also looks as if you are aiming for Centurion down the line so you might want to remove all of the return edges (even in the "hump" area)  bit more, and keep those photos coming!

 

                                                                                                                        Reference image

         

[Not a Jedi Yet]

Thanks guys

 

I've done a bit of additional trimming on the biceps and forearms so I thought I would show you the latest pictures:

Left bicep:

 

 

 

Right bicep:

 

Forearms - I trimmed out the scoops to fit. I had to take more out of the left forearm as it is a different shape to the right. I can now bend both arms without them digging in at the joint. In the photos immediately below I know I still need to take a little more off the return edge at the wrists...
Left forearm:

 

Right forearm:

 

I then thought I would try the forearm wrist sanding technique I saw in @CableGuy's YouTube video - it looked much more appealing than the Dremel and seemed like an awesome idea! Results below:

 

How is it all looking - anything I should adjust before moving on?

Many thanks

Adam.

Edited June 11, 2020 by Not a Jedi Yet
pictures not showing

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

looking good. 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Nice work, looking forward to seeing the progress

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Looking fantastic, Adam!  If I could offer a few words of advice, they would be:

 

1.  Trim down the insides of the bicep some more before you glue on the cover strips.

 

2.  They may seem comfortable now, but after 3-4 hours with your arms bent holding an E-11 during a troop those lower return edges may cause you some serious discomfort by digging in to your inside arm (trust me).  No one sees the upper parts of the biceps as they are covered by the shoulder bells, so you can remove them all if you want to.

 

 

 

 

PERFECT job on trimming the wrist openings!!  You NAILED them!    Woo Hoo!