Tim’s first time build (RS Prop Masters ESB TK)

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Great work
 
No issues with mobility cuts all the way up to L3, just don't cut through the top ridge.
 
Thigh trimming no issues either, just make sure you aren't leaving a large open/black area.

Hi Glenn, thanks for this. Sorry if this is obvious but, if you can, are you able to mark on the image what you mean by the top ridge?


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

3 minutes ago, TrickyT81 said:

Hi Glenn, thanks for this. Sorry if this is obvious but, if you can, are you able to mark on the image what you mean by the top ridge?

Here you go

 

Any mobility cuts on the back do not extend beyond the top of the raised ridge.

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Brill. Thank you, sir.


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[TrickyT81[TK]]

Hi all,
I’m about to move onto, from my point of view, the most crucial part of my build; the shins. To give some context, here are the reasons for this:

1. My height. I’m rather “short for a stormtrooper” so I will need adequate clearance between the between the thigh and shin to avoid clicking or overlap of the sniper knee

2. I have chunky calves. I have already tried to compensate for this in my measuring and may need to think about additional steps to help them fit comfortably without putting strain on the joints.

3. This is an RS kit who provide 2 right shin moulds (or 2 left) so I will need to compensate for this as I’m aware that the outside of the shin (above the ankle) drops lower than the inside.

4. Also because of the RS kit, the back of the shins don’t align at the top too well (see picture below of my commission build).





With that said, and I know I need to add the cover strips and elastic, my first question is around getting both shins to the right height by trimming the bottom into shape. Below is a picture of my starting point with no trimming in place and where I think the top of the shin should be (yellow line) plus a picture of the back. Should I aim for getting both shins the same height so when the sniper knee is added, there is a sufficient gap, or should I treat each shin separately?



Thanks all,
Tim


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[FN1313[TK]]

Hi all,
I’m about to move onto, from my point of view, the most crucial part of my build; the shins. To give some context, here are the reasons for this:

1. My height. I’m rather “short for a stormtrooper” so I will need adequate clearance between the between the thigh and shin to avoid clicking or overlap of the sniper knee

2. I have chunky calves. I have already tried to compensate for this in my measuring and may need to think about additional steps to help them fit comfortably without putting strain on the joints.

3. This is an RS kit who provide 2 right shin moulds (or 2 left) so I will need to compensate for this as I’m aware that the outside of the shin (above the ankle) drops lower than the inside.

4. Also because of the RS kit, the back of the shins don’t align at the top too well (see picture below of my commission build).





With that said, and I know I need to add the cover strips and elastic, my first question is around getting both shins to the right height by trimming the bottom into shape. Below is a picture of my starting point with no trimming in place and where I think the top of the shin should be (yellow line) plus a picture of the back. Should I aim for getting both shins the same height so when the sniper knee is added, there is a sufficient gap, or should I treat each shin separately?



Thanks all,
Tim


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Hey Tim,

First to answer your question. I’d say the height of shins matters and you’ll want them fairly equal, but I’d also in a sense treat them separate. The big thing I mean here is don’t necessarily measure one and then measure the other off it. Definitely size them up to your proportions. Some people surprisingly don’t have the same length of both legs.

That being said as you size things remember for shins, trim from the bottom up and not top down (when making them shorter) and thighs trim from top down not bottom up.

Second thing, you may need to do some shimming of the armor

You can see an extreme example of shimming thighs here
https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/47405-thigh-super-shimming-opinions/

It seems a little daunting and takes some work, but it’s not too bad actually and a great process for learning how to work with ABS paste which is also how you can fix cracks later.


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[TrickyT81[TK]]

Thanks, FN. Do you think the height I marked on the picture in yellow is ok or too low?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I found some people have different calves too, I had to add an extra 15mm to a recruits armor I was building.

 

Always compare how you look to references, here you can see very little gaps between some troopers armor pieces, you don't want to take too much off

 

I would thread the height of the shins the same, with removing small amounts at time, it's easy to take more off but hard to put more back on.

 

A little heat on the base can also help spread the opening allowing the shins to come down over your boots and ankles, may be worth have a look at.

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Thanks, Glen. Judging by the images, it looks like I won’t need to take off too much. I’ll start by tidying up the front bottom part of the shin and go slow from there. 

[FN1313[TK]]

Thanks, FN. Do you think the height I marked on the picture in yellow is ok or too low?

Your marks look decent, but I’d go less on those and more on feel of how you move in them. You want some gap but not as much so I’d do as Glen mentioned with little bits at a time.


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[FN1313[TK]]

Thanks, FN. Do you think the height I marked on the picture in yellow is ok or too low?

Your marks look decent, but I’d go less on those and more on feel of how you move in them. You want some gap but not as much so I’d do as Glen mentioned with little bits at a time.


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[FN1313[TK]]

Thanks, FN. Do you think the height I marked on the picture in yellow is ok or too low?

Your marks look decent, but I’d go less on those and more on feel of how you move in them. You want some gap but not as much so I’d do as Glen mentioned with little bits at a time.


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[TrickyT81[TK]]

Hi all,
Shins are coming along nicely. I have a couple of questions regarding the back of the shins and some trimming to make sure these would be accepted at Centurion level.

1. Instead of the hook and elastic method, is Velcro ok?

2. I was looking to make the below cut for mobility. Is this correct?




Thanks all,
Tim


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Velcro can be used for Centurion

 

You can go all the way down to the ridge on the trim line

 

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Hi all,
Just a quick sidestep to my helmet lenses while I’m waiting for glue to dry on my shins.

I bought some hard plastic lenses to replace the acetate I currently have on there. As you’ll see from the pictures below, it’s a different green to what I currently have so before I installed these I thought I’d check if this would affect clearance or Centurion?

Thanks,
Tim





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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looks green to me, shouldn't be an issue

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Thanks, Glen. Just to clarify, as it may not have come across in my initial question, the picture of the helmet is what I currently have, not with the lenses installed which appear darker.


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

13 minutes ago, TrickyT81 said:

Thanks, Glen. Just to clarify, as it may not have come across in my initial question, the picture of the helmet is what I currently have, not with the lenses installed which appear darker.

Roger that, the new ones look a little darker grey than green but according to the CRL: 

• Lenses are a flat smoke or green sufficiently dark enough to obscure the costumer's eyes.

So you should be fine

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Hi folks,
So I have a few questions at this point in my build. Deadline with the easiest ones first:

1. My canvass belt is due to arrive, are there any decent tutorials on building the ammo belt, that also includes how to set the snaps so they align correctly to the armour.

2. When connecting my shoulder bells, the elastic lifts from my shoulders. Is this ok, or should the elastic be longer? Conscious this will make the gap between shoulder bridges and bells wider.


3. Now for the challenging one; the sniper knee. I won’t lie, I found this really difficult and have glued, detached and re-glued a number of times to get the alignment right. Just to remind you all, this is RS armour who provide 2 right shins. Because of this, aligning the sniper knee to the shins does prove difficult (as Joseph pointed out earlier in my thread).
I feel I have lined this up as best as possible but at a cost. As you’ll see from the images below, the clamps have left a dint in the plastic (sigh). Depending on the light, it can look better/worse.
Before I get despondent, or start reordering a new shin, are there any solutions to fix this? The sniper knee can be removed if needed.



Thanks,
Tim


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[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Hi Tim

 

The Sniper knee looks ok the dint is almost not noticeable  , What I just would suggest to trim the edges a little to match the Shin line

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

 

About the canvas belt take a look to the bottom section of the building thread bellow link  and check the videos  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnJc9t4KQlo

 

 

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Thanks, Mario. I’m just doing some additional glueing on the sniper knee and will send some more photos once the clamps are off. 
 

What are your thoughts on the shoulder bell elastics? 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

15 hours ago, TrickyT81 said:

What are your thoughts on the shoulder bell elastics? 

What I would do is shorten the elastic a little more ti allow the bell to be closer to the shoulder and be sure to push them to the shoulder every time I suit up. 

 

 

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Hi all,
So I’ve trimmed out the ammo belt, drilled out the holes and aligned this to the canvass belt (the centre hole placement aligns to the centre of the canvass belt). As this is RS, it’s not completely symmetrical.
My intended approach is to fix the ammo belt in place first and then cut off the corners so they line up to the canvass belt correctly. How does that sound?



Thanks.


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[justjoseph63[Staff]]

What you have there should be just fine and dandy, Tim.  Just cut the corners as seen below and you are golden. 

 

 

When you get around to the screw covers, I highly suggest trimming off ALL the return edges.  The sides should lay flat against the ABS belt with no raised edges.

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

You can also bend your plastic belt section so it follows the armor better 

 

 

Although I use a heat gun not a gas torch  

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Thanks as always, fellas. Good to see you back, Jospeh.


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