XYDIU's TFA FOTK Build Thread (KB Props 2021)

[XYDIU]

Hello all, I'm Jacob, or XYDIU, I've been interested in the 501st and all for a while now, but I have finally been able to aquire my own armor and all, specifically a kit from KB Props, for the FOTK (TFA) stormtrooper. 

I've had the armor for about 2 weeks now, but I just started working on it. This is my first build of any sort, so I do have a lot of questions, and hopefully will be able to post my progress here. Currently I am in the process of also ordering various soft goods, and will do so over the next few weeks, so I probably will wait on properly fitting the armor until I get the gaskets and boots, and whatnot. 

One thing I would want to mention, which I believe could be quite important to note for future help, is that I am a smaller guy. I am 5' 4" and weigh around 135 lbs. Just from looking at the armor, a lot, especially the biceps, and thighs are quite big and don't fit really well, at least without some major trimming. So my question is, has anyone else, around my size, been able to manage it? I have seen a thread around here about someone who was similarly sized and was able to manage, but still I would appreciate some advice. 

BBB (Opened prior to make sure everything was in order)
 

Armor laid one pic 1

 

Armor laid one pic 2

 

Abdomen pieces

 

Thigh pieces

 

Currently I have not made really any progress, just marked a bit where I think I should trim off any excess plastic with pencil. I plan to try to make some more progress tomorrow, and will keep updated with my progress. 

 

Thank you in advance for any help.
~Jacob.

Edited July 2, 2021 by XYDIU
Added year to build thread title for future reference

[Sly11[Admin]]

Hi Jacob, very excited for you, and can't wait to see this build get underway.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Hello and welcome, looking forward to seeing your progress. Your images aren't showing for me, perhaps use an online image host such as Imgur, a how to thread is here 

Good luck with the build

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Welcome to FISD Jacob and congratulations for your BBB day.!!   

 

Looking forward for your advances

[ukswrath[Staff]]

BBB day , looking forward to your build

[XYDIU]

Thank you all, I will post here later today with any updates and/or questions. 


As for the photos, that is odd. I did see this thread prior to posting, as I do use imgur, and I did use the direct link to the images, so that is quite odd. I tried to redoing it, so maybe it works now? I'll keep an eye on it for future posts.

10 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Hello and welcome, looking forward to seeing your progress. Your images aren't showing for me, perhaps use an online image host such as Imgur, a how to thread is here 

Good luck with the build

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Hi, all the BBB day photos are showing clearly .  

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

26 minutes ago, XYDIU said:

As for the photos, that is odd. I did see this thread prior to posting, as I do use imgur, and I did use the direct link to the images, so that is quite odd. I tried to redoing it, so maybe it works now? I'll keep an eye on it for future posts.

 

Working now, must have been only affecting mobile as working on computer

[XYDIU]

58 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Working now, must have been only affecting mobile as working on computer

 

1 hour ago, TKSpartan said:

Hi, all the BBB day photos are showing clearly .  

Ok good to know, thank you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Made a bit of progress with the forearms, (right now just rough trimmed them a bit, no sanding yet):

 

(Really rough mock up, not perfect, just wanted to see how it comes together.) 

 

Inside of one of the forearms.

 

One thing I have noticed is that, compared to my forearms, that they are pretty big, and unlike other versions of this armor I have seen, the forearm is 2 pieces, so there is not much I could do to trim any overlap, without actually cutting off pieces on the side:

Forearm piece, with my arm for reference. 

I'm unsure if I should trim it down a bit, on the outside edge, or if I should leave it. Regardless I won't trim it until I get my gaskets, but still any advice would be appreciated.

~Jacob. 
 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I have some room in mine and I added some foam as my forearms are pretty thin.

 

You will hopefully find once you have gloves on and your gaskets the gaps will reduce. 

 

If you do want to downsize I have seen a few cut the sides, reduce the width, add strip of ABS behind then fill the seam with bondo (automotive filler) but I would definitely wait until you have other parts assembled and check the full look for sizing.

[XYDIU]

59 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

I have some room in mine and I added some foam as my forearms are pretty thin.

 

You will hopefully find once you have gloves on and your gaskets the gaps will reduce. 

 

If you do want to downsize I have seen a few cut the sides, reduce the width, add strip of ABS behind then fill the seam with bondo (automotive filler) but I would definitely wait until you have other parts assembled and check the full look for sizing.

Thank you, 

I will wait until I have those items to fully fit it, but this is good to know for future reference. I do have excess ABS included with the kit, so I could do that, but I will wait on that. 

 

~Jacob.

[XYDIU]

Update:

Made a bit of progress on some items, mainly trimming and sanding on the forearms as well as the abdomen/belt boxes:

Trimmed down and sanded the forearms

As seen a little big on me. But will see with gaskets and possibly foam, as suggested. 

 

Boxes sanded and trimmed (needs a little more fine sanding)

 

I also trimmed down and sanded the forearm boxes but there was something I noticed with mine and just wanted to make sure: 

 

Mine seem a bit big as compared to the ones I've seen in the references and CRL, but I do see this sort of faint line where it kind of "curves out." It's kind of hard to see in the photo, but I do believe I should cut there, but am unsure. It seems right, but I wanted to clarify, as follows:

 

Again, I appreciate any advice and responses, and will update further tomorrow.
~Jacob.

[TheSwede[TK]]

14 hours ago, XYDIU said:

One thing I have noticed is that, compared to my forearms, that they are pretty big, and unlike other versions of this armor I have seen, the forearm is 2 pieces, so there is not much I could do to trim any overlap, without actually cutting off pieces on the side:

Hey Jacob

My Kb kit also had the 2 pieces and If you wan’t you can see what I did here: disclaimer that KB might have updated the molds but maybe you will find something usefull

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

8 hours ago, XYDIU said:

Again, I appreciate any advice and responses, and will update further tomorrow.
~Jacob.

 

 

Hi Jacob, I'm in the same boat building a KB props FOTK, what I have been done is to check over and over again the FO Build Threads to be sure of the trimming.

 

Keep up the great work ! 

 

 

[XYDIU]

15 hours ago, TheSwede said:

Hey Jacob

My Kb kit also had the 2 pieces and If you wan’t you can see what I did here: disclaimer that KB might have updated the molds but maybe you will find something usefull

 

 

Thank you for linking me that, I checked it out, and compared against mine; I saw what you did with taking out that strip, although I do think KB updated the mold since. I checked it against mine, the space between the greeblie indent and the ridge, and it seemed to already be about the same, post-modification. Regardless I appreciate it, as it still can help me figure out any further adjustments. 

 

 

15 hours ago, TKSpartan said:

 

 

Hi Jacob, I'm in the same boat building a KB props FOTK, what I have been done is to check over and over again the FO Build Threads to be sure of the trimming.

 

Keep up the great work ! 

 

 

Thank you, I have basically had like 10 separate tabs open while working on it, browsing back and forth while trimming to make sure. 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Updates: 

 

Finished up most of the forearms, including most trimming on them as well as a little more sanding. (Which I forgot to get a picture of, but will tomorrow.) Cut down the edges at the top to make it curve more into the inner plates, as well as cut down the boxes:

 

Line showing where I cut, forgot to take photo of after.

 

 

One thing I noticed in the CRL and the reference photos, as well as in other people's builds, is there tends to be, for what I can see, small squares cut out in the back of the forearm, in the little divot on the outside, but I cannot tell if it is indeed cut out, because in some photos it seems like it is, but in others it isn't. As well as on the top plate, the line (circled in the following picture) also seems to but cut out in some photos but in others it isn't. For instance in the CRL photos it doesn't seem to be, but in the reference photos it looks like it, but then in some it doesn't. So any clarification would be helpful, as many other build threads didn't seem to focus on that, so it was unclear. *I will double-check though later. 

Line circled above that I am unsure if cut.

 

Before on the left and after on the right; after cutting forearm boxes.

Mocked up the biceps, and rough trimmed/sanded them:

 

There is a slight thing about them that concerns me: 

 

When the outside is lined up, the interior side doesn't want to overlap properly, as pictured. If I slightly force it and tape it properly, then the "circular" shape of them becomes more ovular (which I also forgot to take a photo of. I know that the proper construction of the biceps overlap on the inner edge, either fixed or functional, but these don't seem to want to overlap without deforming the shape. I do have a heat gun which I could use possibly to reshape them, so that they fit better, but I am unsure how to go about that, and if that is necessary. 

 

Outer edge/side (edge is rough, but it should fill out once I bondo the seam)

 

I also mocked both the bicep, and forearm on my arm to see how it fit: 

Bicep and forearm on my arm. 

The bicep, as I said earlier, was weirdly shaped, and kind of hard to keep proper when I was mocking it up with just tape, but it was not as big as I thought it was, or at least compared to previous versions of this kit. Both were kind of loose, but not as much as I expected. With the gasket on there, and the undersuit, it will probably be a bit more snug. 

 

More to come tomorrow

~Jacob.

Edited June 10, 2021 by XYDIU
Forgot to add question regarding part.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

With TFA this area is recessed (as it currently is) with a decal.

 

 

Most, if not all seam imperfections will be remedied with the inner cover strip and exterior filler. That said, unless you want to see cracks begin to form at the seam areas later on I can't express how important it is to use some type of plastic welder epoxy to connect sections. My armor is over 5 years old with absolutely no cracks. 

 

Keep up the good work.   

[LTM[TK]]

1 hour ago, ukswrath said:

With TFA this area is recessed (as it currently is) with a decal.

 

 

 

Most, if not all seam imperfections will be remedied with the inner cover strip and exterior filler. That said, unless you want to see cracks begin to form at the seam areas later on I can't express how important it is to use some type of plastic welder epoxy to connect sections. My armor is over 5 years old with absolutely no cracks. 

 

Keep up the good work.   

Recommendations on plastic welder (I am sure all are not created the same)

[ukswrath[Staff]]

6 minutes ago, LTM said:

Recommendations on plastic welder (I am sure all are not created the same)

 

You are correct, they are not. 

 

I used Plexus MA310 (or equivalent) with my kit and still use it today. 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I used JB weld, held up great over the years, it is also sandable.

 

[XYDIU]

I appreciate everyone's advice, and will use said advice when getting the glues and such. As for today I made a bit of progress: 

 

Worked primarily on the chest today: 

 

Cut out the pill holes and trimmed off the excess on the sides.

 

Rough mocked up with the yoke. Still need to trim the edges of the front chest where the yoke appears a little. 

 

I check the fit on myself and it's a bit wide, so I may curve the sides in a little with a heat gun. (Couldn't get a good photo due to the size of the mirror) 

 

I also trimmed down the shoulder bells and thermal detonator today: 

 

 

I was able to cut off the excess from casting on the TD and then sand down the top to a very smooth surface, but the center, where there was expanding foam, still is rough and I can't seem to get it smooth. I've seen some others cut out a piece of ABS and then glue it on top, but has anyone else done something else? Just curious. 

 

~Jacob. 

 

[XYDIU]

Today I was not able to make much progress, mainly trimmed down the abdomen front and back. I also trimmed down the thermal detonator's "back piece" (I forget what it's called.) I also made a little modification to the forearm plates to make them thinner so it can be more accurate when it is glued. (As to which @TKSpartan's thread was very useful, as well as where you trimmed, appreciate it.) 

One other thing I noticed was that my chest piece seems to fit kind of odd, leaving a gap, on top of the yoke. I trimmed it down some, and it fits a little better, but it still seems a bit odd. (Pictures below) I'm not sure if it is just how it is sitting right now, or that if it needs more trimming, but it is quite trimmed and even from what I know and did. 

 

Forearms: 

Trimmed them down to lay on top of return edge when gluing. 

 

Abdomen front and back:

Front after trimming (a little more was done after this on the sides)

 

Back after trimming

 

Pictures showing gap in the chest and yoke:

 

 

 

As I said before, I am unsure if it's just how it is sitting or what. On me it looks a bit better, but I am still unsure. 

 

More to come tomorrow. 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Could be how you have positioned and may need some more trimming, @TheSwede has a nice KB build, his appears to conform quite well to the yoke and looks like it has a lot less return edge

 

A couple of references

[XYDIU]

5 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Could be how you have positioned and may need some more trimming, @TheSwede has a nice KB build, his appears to conform quite well to the yoke and looks like it has a lot less return edge

 

I looked at mine a bit more, and I believe you to be right. It seems that I may have left a bit too much edge on the chest. I'll try to get it down more tomorrow and check the fit again. Appreciate it. 

[XYDIU]

So didn't get too much done today. Just trimmed down the posterior armor and the cod piece, as well as the "lips" that go under the shoulder bells. 

 

Cod Piece

"Posterior Piece"

(Upon looking at it now, I see I forgot to trim down the sides of the very top, so that it is similar to "Anovos's style")
 

Shoulder bell lips

(Forgot to take a picture of the trimmed and sanded TD plate.) 

 

Tomorrow I am planning on working on the thighs and possibly the shins as well, maybe the spats too. (I have to fight against the sun going down and work, lol; the reason for my slow progress) Once that is done, I plan on doing a bit more finer sanding as well as detail trimming, and then I will start gluing parts (that do not need proper fitment w/gaskets.)

Also, my boots from IB should be coming sometime this upcoming week, UPS somehow got my and another trooper's address mixed up, so it is now on it's way to me properly. As for the gaskets, I have inquired them from Geeky Pinks on FB (I forget who's handle it is here and don't want to bother them) but I understand the delay's currently. I plan on getting the undersuit and gloves sometime next week as well, and will inquire about the belt and other soft goods quite soon. 

 

More to come tomorrow. 

[XYDIU]

Not much done today, worked on the spats, knees and the shins some: 

 

Shins trimmed and sanded

 

Spats 1

 

Spats 2

 

Knees

 

All I have left to trim is the thighs and then the main trimming is all done.  I will probably start moving onto gluing what I can (the stuff that doesn't need to be sized down a bit) and the sort sometime this upcoming week. I still am trying to figure out how I should go about heating the abdomen and chest a bit to make it conform a bit more with my body. Right now it's really blocky. I am thinking about trimming the rear section of the abdomen a bit on the sides, and then curving in the front section of the abdomen. I have yet to attach the abdomen boxes and also contour them, so I believe this should be fine.