bluebantha[TK] Posted November 1, 2022 Author Report Posted November 1, 2022 Hi everyone, I'm really sorry for my lack of posts over the past week or so, life has been so hectic, but I'm getting back into the swing of things! I have a few verbal updates for you all, and I will hopefully be able to provide some photos to support that this evening! - I received my 2 sets of replacement ears from Trooper Bay, which I will use to practice fitment on my helmet - I have fixed the paint on my vocoder and mic tips to hopefully increase the accuracy of the helmet - Both of my biceps have been completed - I cut out both thighs, and have glued one. It seems to fit nicely! I'm very happy and grateful that this armor kit seems to be bigger than Walt's, which helps me a lot. The abdomen and kidney meet without shims, the chest is wider, and the thighs are bigger. With all that said however, I do still need length in the shins and forearms, so I'm just waiting to hear back from Walt on when hes able to ship the extended ones! Thank you all for you help and support thus far, and I cant wait to continue this build! 3 Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted November 1, 2022 Report Posted November 1, 2022 Looking forward to seeing your updates Very helpful ear tutorial, it's all about the top step to help the ears come in more at the base Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted November 5, 2022 Author Report Posted November 5, 2022 Here’s some photos of my progress! Tips would be appreciated!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted November 13, 2022 Author Report Posted November 13, 2022 Spent a little bit making these quick snaps to attach to the inside of my armor today:Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted November 13, 2022 Report Posted November 13, 2022 Just a couple of tips, try seal the ends of the elastic with some heat. Another good tip is to recess the snaps so the plates sit flush Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted November 15, 2022 Author Report Posted November 15, 2022 Just a couple of tips, try seal the ends of the elastic with some heat. Another good tip is to recess the snaps so the plates sit flush [/url] Thank you for this! I did use a lighter to seal the elastic, but haven’t thought about recesses. Nothing seems to be getting in the way at this point Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted November 15, 2022 Author Report Posted November 15, 2022 Little update, I’ve began to glue the snaps into the armor, and I’ve put the split rivers into the left side:Also, I’d love some input on my helmet. I know I need to paint the ears, and screws, as well as add the frown mesh, but I’d like to hear your opinions otherwise! I’m pretty happy with it!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted July 26 Author Report Posted July 26 Well... It has certainly been a while. As it often does, life has gotten in the way of my personal projects, and I have only really had time to complete orders, school work, etc. Thankfully, with it being summer, I have been able to chug away at this kit, and it is in a good place currently. Unfortunately, I haven't really taken any photos of the work that went on since last post, but I will post the ones I have in the hopes of receiving some feedback. While working on the kit, it was evident that I was going to need larger pieces, as I mentioned in my initial post. I ordered some lengthened shins and forearms from Walt, and after a few months, they finally arrived. I sewed together a boat load of elastic and velcro for strapping, and kitted up. Here are the photos: All things considered, Im pretty happy with the way things are looking. I have boots on order from Keep Trooping, I ordered them on the 19th, which was the final day of this wave. From anyone else's experience, how long can I expect to wait for them? Just curious. Im hoping for a bit of feedback if anyone is willing to help. The angle of the photos could be better, next time I will ask to get them more straight on. To my knowledge, all the pieces seem to be on ok. The belt is a bit bunched in the back, and Im feeling that maybe some of the black gaps are a bit too big? Im not sure. I can lower the butt plate to close the gap between the thighs and posterior armor. Im a tad worried about the shoulders, as I don't think I can get them to sit any closer to the chest. Are gaps allowed at all in the back, whether that be between the chest and kidney or kidney and posterior? Any guidance is welcome! Thank you guys! 2 Quote
Tilheyra[IPM] Posted July 26 Report Posted July 26 I am glad you are happy with your progress, because you should be! This looks great so far! I think Keep Trooping says you can expect up to 2 waves (2 months) to get your order. However, I received my boots after about 1 month. Mind you, I am a shock trooper, so I ordered different boots than you (red boots of the shock trooper versus the white boots for the ANH TK). As for feedback, I will leave most of that to others here who have built an ANH Stunt. However, one thing that catches my eye are your belt boxes. Are you planning on submitting this for Centurion? If so, the outer edges of your belt boxes will need to be aligned with the edges of the plastic belt face (the CRL notes that as a Centurion requirement). I should not go too much further with feedback at this point, but others should be here soon to provide feedback! 1 Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted July 26 Report Posted July 26 Looking good, a few things you may wish to consider if going all the way to Centurion: See if you can bring your shoulders in a little more at the top to reduce the black showing. There should be a minimal gap between the shoulder armor and the chest/back plates. You may notice in this image below that your brow trim is on a slight angle. Belt could come up just a little Looks like you may have over trimmed your large ab plate, should be material left around it's base The top of the ABS belt shall sit at or just above the bottom of the central and vertical ab button panels. A slight overlap is suggested, but not required. You may need tighter strapping between your backplate and kidney, you have a small gap. Back plate shall have no, or minimal overlap of the kidney plate. Try to centralize the shoulder strap on your right side back, note it's almost slipping off the backplate. You could trim the excess off your belt, they normally would sit just under or at the end of the TD Tops of the ab / kidney should be at the same level On the sides you have a bap between your posterior and kidney at the front, V tabs can help this With a oven or heat gun you bend strips of ABS plastic into the shape of a V, only glue one side and the other remains free to allow movement when you bend. Just helps stop the butt plate from pushing back from the back plate. Corners of the plastic belt look a little big The corners of the plastic ammo belt shall be trimmed at a 45 degree angle that that meets the outer edge of the cloth belt. Angle of your left ear is a little further backwards than the ideal position The "ideal" ear placement is as seen below, where the screws line up with the rear angle of the trap right above it. Because some armorers design their helmets differently or send them pre-assembled this is not always possible to achieve, but it is suggested that you try to get as close as you can. Note: Top ear screws should ideally be located directly below the rear of the trap. Also note your GWL will appreciate if you use a blank background, contrasting color works best to edit images (al so for EIB) Like I say all of these are just for higher levels, you should be ok for basic approval, depending on your GML Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted July 27 Author Report Posted July 27 20 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said: Looking good, a few things you may wish to consider if going all the way to Centurion: See if you can bring your shoulders in a little more at the top to reduce the black showing. There should be a minimal gap between the shoulder armor and the chest/back plates. You may notice in this image below that your brow trim is on a slight angle. Belt could come up just a little Looks like you may have over trimmed your large ab plate, should be material left around it's base The top of the ABS belt shall sit at or just above the bottom of the central and vertical ab button panels. A slight overlap is suggested, but not required. You may need tighter strapping between your backplate and kidney, you have a small gap. Back plate shall have no, or minimal overlap of the kidney plate. Try to centralize the shoulder strap on your right side back, note it's almost slipping off the backplate. You could trim the excess off your belt, they normally would sit just under or at the end of the TD Tops of the ab / kidney should be at the same level On the sides you have a bap between your posterior and kidney at the front, V tabs can help this With a oven or heat gun you bend strips of ABS plastic into the shape of a V, only glue one side and the other remains free to allow movement when you bend. Just helps stop the butt plate from pushing back from the back plate. Corners of the plastic belt look a little big The corners of the plastic ammo belt shall be trimmed at a 45 degree angle that that meets the outer edge of the cloth belt. Angle of your left ear is a little further backwards than the ideal position The "ideal" ear placement is as seen below, where the screws line up with the rear angle of the trap right above it. Because some armorers design their helmets differently or send them pre-assembled this is not always possible to achieve, but it is suggested that you try to get as close as you can. Note: Top ear screws should ideally be located directly below the rear of the trap. Also note your GWL will appreciate if you use a blank background, contrasting color works best to edit images (al so for EIB) Like I say all of these are just for higher levels, you should be ok for basic approval, depending on your GML Thank you SO much for all of this helpful information! In the coming week Im going to take the notes you gave me and make the changes in hopes of straightening some things out. Quick question about the back torso armor: Is there any specification in regard to the gap between the back and the kidney armor? I only ask because I worry that when I add the v tabs to the posterior and kidney, it will make the gap between the kidney and back larger, as I am relatively tall. There doesn't seem to be anything defining it in the CRL, but when taking a look at the pre approval posts, the smaller the gaps, the better. Thanks! Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted July 27 Report Posted July 27 1 hour ago, bluebantha said: Quick question about the back torso armor: Is there any specification in regard to the gap between the back and the kidney armor? I only ask because I worry that when I add the v tabs to the posterior and kidney, it will make the gap between the kidney and back larger, as I am relatively tall. There doesn't seem to be anything defining it in the CRL, but when taking a look at the pre approval posts, the smaller the gaps, the better. Thanks! Only this for L3, so you should be ok: Back plate shall have no, or minimal overlap of the kidney plate. I don't think it's going to change too much if you add the V tabs on the sides, you could even try slightly tighter strapping before trying the V tabs mod. Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted August 1 Author Report Posted August 1 On 7/26/2024 at 6:54 PM, gmrhodes13 said: Looking good, a few things you may wish to consider if going all the way to Centurion: See if you can bring your shoulders in a little more at the top to reduce the black showing. There should be a minimal gap between the shoulder armor and the chest/back plates. You may notice in this image below that your brow trim is on a slight angle. Belt could come up just a little Looks like you may have over trimmed your large ab plate, should be material left around it's base The top of the ABS belt shall sit at or just above the bottom of the central and vertical ab button panels. A slight overlap is suggested, but not required. You may need tighter strapping between your backplate and kidney, you have a small gap. Back plate shall have no, or minimal overlap of the kidney plate. Try to centralize the shoulder strap on your right side back, note it's almost slipping off the backplate. You could trim the excess off your belt, they normally would sit just under or at the end of the TD Tops of the ab / kidney should be at the same level On the sides you have a bap between your posterior and kidney at the front, V tabs can help this With a oven or heat gun you bend strips of ABS plastic into the shape of a V, only glue one side and the other remains free to allow movement when you bend. Just helps stop the butt plate from pushing back from the back plate. Corners of the plastic belt look a little big The corners of the plastic ammo belt shall be trimmed at a 45 degree angle that that meets the outer edge of the cloth belt. Angle of your left ear is a little further backwards than the ideal position The "ideal" ear placement is as seen below, where the screws line up with the rear angle of the trap right above it. Because some armorers design their helmets differently or send them pre-assembled this is not always possible to achieve, but it is suggested that you try to get as close as you can. Note: Top ear screws should ideally be located directly below the rear of the trap. Also note your GWL will appreciate if you use a blank background, contrasting color works best to edit images (al so for EIB) Like I say all of these are just for higher levels, you should be ok for basic approval, depending on your GML Hi Glen! I took all of your notes into account, and I THINK I made all of the edits. Let me know what you think. FIrst, here is the helmet. I moved the left ear forward slightly so that the screws are in line wit the back of the trap: I fixed the brow trip so that it is now level. Next, here are my updated full body photos. I still have yet to set up the backdrop, but plan on doing that once I get my actual boots and can take proper submission photos. Like I said, you will see that I am wearing sneakers for the time being. One or two of the photos have the very top of my helmet cut off, but it shouldn't affect the parts of the armor that I was asked to fix. Here are the photos: Just to clarify some of the changes I made- - The belt was trimmed (May need to be trimmed more) - Shoulders were brought inward, although I may purchase a pair from Trooper Master, as his are larger - Shoulder straps were held down with white elastic - Ab and kidney were velcroed "straighter" to keep top edges aligned -V tabs were added to keep kidney and posterior touching - Back was lowered as to not create a gap between the back and kidney plates I am seeing that the belt drop boxes do not look aligned, although I am positive they are. Perhaps it is the angle of the photo. I am wondering if any of the black clothing gaps on my body are too large, soecufucakky the gaps between the thigh armor and posterior armor. If they are, I am considering ordering a new pair from Trooper Master. In addition, I also have a new abdominal button plate on order, as I trimmed the first one too close. Let me know what you think, and if anything else jumps out at you. I appreciate the insight and help thus far! Thanks! Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted August 1 Author Report Posted August 1 Another question for all of those with more knowledge than me! I dont believe there are, but besides the helmet, are there any explicit differences between stunt and hero kits? Im interested in getting a hero kit approved as well, so I figured id ask before diving in. Quote
JBar[TK] Posted August 1 Report Posted August 1 (edited) 55 minutes ago, bluebantha said: Another question for all of those with more knowledge than me! I dont believe there are, but besides the helmet, are there any explicit differences between stunt and hero kits? Im interested in getting a hero kit approved as well, so I figured id ask before diving in. Wow seriously looking great. Looks like you had a hiatus and it's great to see you jumping back in. I'm impressed how quickly you made those changes. You definitely have the level 2/3 mindset and I'm very confident that you'll achieve that if that's what you hope to do. Also yeah besides the helmet you'd need to get a different belt as well. The hero has four rivets instead of two One super easy change I'd add is to wear a balaclava if you aren't already. I can just barely see your neck. I've heard kids/families in troops point out "I can see your neck!" to some troopers and it's funny but probably not something you want to happen Edited August 1 by JBar Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted August 1 Author Report Posted August 1 1 minute ago, JBar said: Wow seriously looking great. Looks like you had a hiatus and it's great to see you jumping back in. I'm impressed how quickly you made those changes. You definitely have the level 2/3 mindset and I'm very confident that you'll achieve that if that's what you hope to do. Also yeah besides the helmet you'd need to get a different belt as well. The hero has four rivets instead of two Thank you for the encouragement! I have yet to be in the legion, but I tried before with a shadow trooper. Whatever the opposite of passing with flying colors is, that's what happened with that kit. I felt that I was unable to do TK's, but im happy to hear that I might be on the right track. Thanks for the advice regarding the holster- completely forgot about that! 1 Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted August 1 Report Posted August 1 Looking better, ears look great, a couple of things you have to watch when wearing and taking photos is pieces moving, you may notice your shoulder straps are sitting on top of the elastic in this shot. Your right shoulder is sitting up over your shoulder, see the gap between. TK clips not completely down on belt, you could open them up at the top a little if they are too tight. Belt could be trimmed a little more You also have quite a bit of room between the helmet and your backplate, perhaps adjust the padding or tilt the helmet more backwards Comparisons helmet gaps Now in this photo you can see the belt is almost covering your bottom ab button Also here you see it is straight on the sides, they will normally angle upwards towards the back because of the kidney plate slope. And be careful when lifting your arms so the sides don't shift Brow trim is a little short but I would think you should pass base approval Comparisons Belt boxes are just a little off, not sure if I mentioned the belt corners before, for L3 The corners of the plastic ammo belt shall be trimmed at a 45 degree angle that that meets the outer edge of the cloth belt. Differences between ANH S, H and ESB, a helmet and a few other items and you can do all three https://drive.google.com/file/d/10tEVteIreh6AHMogW010cuH_Bf8TBfU6/view Overall looking pretty good for base approval and a few tweaks for L2 and L3 2 Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted August 2 Author Report Posted August 2 (edited) 22 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said: Looking better, ears look great, a couple of things you have to watch when wearing and taking photos is pieces moving, you may notice your shoulder straps are sitting on top of the elastic in this shot. Your right shoulder is sitting up over your shoulder, see the gap between. TK clips not completely down on belt, you could open them up at the top a little if they are too tight. Belt could be trimmed a little more You also have quite a bit of room between the helmet and your backplate, perhaps adjust the padding or tilt the helmet more backwards Comparisons helmet gaps Now in this photo you can see the belt is almost covering your bottom ab button Also here you see it is straight on the sides, they will normally angle upwards towards the back because of the kidney plate slope. And be careful when lifting your arms so the sides don't shift Brow trim is a little short but I would think you should pass base approval Comparisons Belt boxes are just a little off, not sure if I mentioned the belt corners before, for L3 The corners of the plastic ammo belt shall be trimmed at a 45 degree angle that that meets the outer edge of the cloth belt. Differences between ANH S, H and ESB, a helmet and a few other items and you can do all three https://drive.google.com/file/d/10tEVteIreh6AHMogW010cuH_Bf8TBfU6/view Overall looking pretty good for base approval and a few tweaks for L2 and L3 Thank you so much for all of this, I will certainly make the changes during my next round of photos! Before I go ahead purchasing new armor parts, I have two questions. Do you think the black gaps between my thighs and posterior armor are too large? and, less pertinent, but is there a list of vendors who sell Hero helmet kits? Edited August 2 by bluebantha unfinished post Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted August 2 Report Posted August 2 56 minutes ago, bluebantha said: Before I go ahead purchasing new armor parts, I have two questions. Do you think the black gaps between my thighs and posterior armor are too large? and, less pertinent, but is there a list of vendors who sell Hero helmet kits? I don't think you will have any issues with the black you have showing. Been a while since I've seen much on Hero helmets, RS Props, TM (Troopermaster) and SDS (Shepperton Design Studios) do kits, one thing to bare in mind is color match, there can be a big difference in color from maker to maker, even a makers own supply can change color from year to year depending on the supplier. You can find the makers contact info here 1 Quote
bluebantha[TK] Posted August 28 Author Report Posted August 28 On 8/1/2024 at 12:14 AM, gmrhodes13 said: Looking better, ears look great, a couple of things you have to watch when wearing and taking photos is pieces moving, you may notice your shoulder straps are sitting on top of the elastic in this shot. Your right shoulder is sitting up over your shoulder, see the gap between. TK clips not completely down on belt, you could open them up at the top a little if they are too tight. Belt could be trimmed a little more You also have quite a bit of room between the helmet and your backplate, perhaps adjust the padding or tilt the helmet more backwards Comparisons helmet gaps Now in this photo you can see the belt is almost covering your bottom ab button Also here you see it is straight on the sides, they will normally angle upwards towards the back because of the kidney plate slope. And be careful when lifting your arms so the sides don't shift Brow trim is a little short but I would think you should pass base approval Comparisons Belt boxes are just a little off, not sure if I mentioned the belt corners before, for L3 The corners of the plastic ammo belt shall be trimmed at a 45 degree angle that that meets the outer edge of the cloth belt. Differences between ANH S, H and ESB, a helmet and a few other items and you can do all three https://drive.google.com/file/d/10tEVteIreh6AHMogW010cuH_Bf8TBfU6/view Overall looking pretty good for base approval and a few tweaks for L2 and L3 Changes have been made, and I have taken some new photos!! I'm changing course ever so slightly, and will explain. While I was intiitlaly, and long term, still am, going for centurion, I will be going for basic/EIB at this moment. In an attempt to be smarter with money, as I am a student, some of the pieces that I'll need for centurion will need to be put off until later in the year. That said, I still want to be a member of the legion, and am hoping to start at basic, then work my way up! So, with that in mind, here are my new photos. My boots have come in from Keep Trooping, and they feel great! I have a solid background, and do realize that in one of the photos, my feet are cut off. When it comes time to actually submit for approval, those things will be addressed. Just want to show everyone where things currently stand! I did my very best to get the back plate as close as possible to the bottom of the helmet. I also do realize that my neck seal is popping out a bit in the side photos, but im curious to hear some input. Thanks to all who are following along, im having a lot of fun! Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted August 28 Report Posted August 28 Nice work, you've done well with most of your gaps, just a couple of thigs to watch, your ab plate is just popping out under your chest, you may need some tighter strapping there You can also see in the back image that your biceps are just starting to pop out under your shoulder bells Get those few things and the neck seal and I don't think you will have any issues for base approval, great job, hope to see you with some ID numbers soon 1 Quote
JBar[TK] Posted August 29 Report Posted August 29 Wow you're so close! That's great that you want to go for EIB and later centurion down the road. You've put in a lot of work and level 2/3 is definitely a rewarding process as well Quote
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