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Looking to Build an Approvable TK


Tilheyra

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My name is Brian, and I live in the U.S. state of Indiana. Some of you may know me from my FEM7 build thread in the non-approved costumes section of the forum. I really appreciate the help that has been provided, and as I mentioned in my thread, I certainly have been 'bitten by the bug,' so I am planning an approvable build!

 

As such, I figure I would finally introduce myself here, so I can meet many of the others on this forum! 

 

I am aiming to buy a TK armor kit based on a style from the era of the original trilogy. I have mentioned the possibility of creating a shock trooper (and my understanding is that the armor can be made from ANH or ROTJ armor, but with different nuances), but I am still exploring other possibilities! I'll be exploring various threads across the forum, and welcome recommendations for threads to read!

 

 

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Hello there, Brian! Awesome to hear about another victim of the bug. Below is a resource thread that you may find useful.

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49412-all-in-one-tk-anh-stunt-index-of-resources-by-maskedvengeance/

Also here’s and ANH to Shock conversion thread, by Jorge.

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/52359-converting-anh-tk-to-shocktrooper/

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Hello and welcome Brian! You have an exciting journey ahead of you! :jc_doublethumbup: The shock trooper sure looks awesome so I really understand the pull towards that one!

 

Are you 50/50 on which one you want or do you have anything that weighs heavier on the other? Anything we could help you out with? :rolleyes:

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One question I had was answered by @MaskedVengeance linking that shock trooper thread! I was wondering if there have been any recent shock trooper approvals using ANH armor, and it appears so! I'm looking for Level 1 certification, so I don't really have a preference of ANH vs ROTJ, just an approvable kit I can buy to start my next build!

 

But I do have another set of questions: What is the suitability of ESB armor for a shock trooper build? My understanding is that, exempting the helmet and holster placement, the key differences between ANH and ESB armor are the different shaped handplates (it seems the ESB has the snowtrooper-style handplates called for on the shock trooper). Would ESB armor be suitable for a shock trooper in this case?

 

Bringing the helmet back into question, are the differences between the ANH and ESB helmets more than cosmetic (are they the same helmet, structurally)? Could an ESB helmet be modified for a shock trooper?

Edited by Tilheyra
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You’re spot on. The actual armor on ANH and ESB kits are the same, other than the differences you already mentioned. Therefor an ESB could be used for a Shock conversion. If I might pose a suggestion, you could start with an ANH Stunt, then convert to ESB (or even and ANH Hero), then finally to a Shock. And before the Shock you could even do a HWT!

And in regards to the helmet, ESB differences are purely cosmetic. Same bones. Basically just change the frown paint. For higher levels of ESB approval you’ll also need decals on the helmet rather than hand-painting.


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The issue with a Shock Trooper is the game is based of a ROTJ stormtrooper although the helmet is ANH, there are some differences between ANH/ESB and a Shock Trooper, it's mainly for EIB or Centurion but to build it correctly some changes should be noted from the start of the build. You may also want to check with your GML (garrison membership liaison) as some can be stricter on base approval. Here's just a few items

 

ANH/ESB is butt joined with covers strips, Shock Trooper is 

OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable):

  • Overlap construction must be used. Butt joints and cover strips are not allowed.

 

Butt joined ANH/ESB/HWT

4698580390_0ec2687566(1).jpg.302eaa9dc3c4894a328e81c5c9f78592.jpg

 

Overlapped - Shock Trooper/ROTJ

4697878025_854028a567(1).jpg.6b081d74b9d8c9f34c6b708fa0a339a1.jpg

 

Shoulder Armor

  • No elastic around the bicep is present.

 

Shoulder Straps

OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable):

  • Only 4 ridges of the shoulder straps overlap the chest plate.
  • The front of the shoulder straps do not have a wide flat area only small ridges.

300px-TK_shocktrooper_straps.jpg

 

Armor

  • A white flexible U shaped gasket or molded lip shall be present around all edges.
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Good to know I was understanding the similarities! 

 

I hadn't thought about converting over time. This opens up a lot of possibilities! Perhaps that is the direction to go...

 

3 hours ago, MaskedVengeance said:

You’re spot on. The actual armor on ANH and ESB kits are the same, other than the differences you already mentioned. Therefor an ESB could be used for a Shock conversion. If I might pose a suggestion, you could start with an ANH Stunt, then convert to ESB (or even and ANH Hero), then finally to a Shock. And before the Shock you could even do a HWT!

And in regards to the helmet, ESB differences are purely cosmetic. Same bones. Basically just change the frown paint. For higher levels of ESB approval you’ll also need decals on the helmet rather than hand-painting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

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This is super helpful! Although I am aiming for Level 1 certification, I did not think about the differences at this level of detail. Thank you!

 

I think it would be best for me to go ahead and contact the Bloodfin Garrison and ask their thoughts, especially given the discretion the GML has.

 

A good amount of my excitement over this today is that I have seen approvable ANH/ESB armor in my price range. The ROTJ armor seems harder to find. When it comes down to it, having an approved stormtrooper with the 501st is a little more important to me than that stormtrooper specifically being a shock trooper. Also, now that I know some folks convert their costumes over time opens up more possibilities! I thought my FEM7 would be the only stormtrooper costume I would make, but here I am taking about another build, so the future is full of new opportunities!

 

1 hour ago, gmrhodes13 said:

The issue with a Shock Trooper is the game is based of a ROTJ stormtrooper although the helmet is ANH, there are some differences between ANH/ESB and a Shock Trooper, it's mainly for EIB or Centurion but to build it correctly some changes should be noted from the start of the build. You may also want to check with your GML (garrison membership liaison) as some can be stricter on base approval. Here's just a few items

 

ANH/ESB is butt joined with covers strips, Shock Trooper is 

OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable):

  • Overlap construction must be used. Butt joints and cover strips are not allowed.

 

Butt joined ANH/ESB/HWT

4698580390_0ec2687566(1).jpg.302eaa9dc3c4894a328e81c5c9f78592.jpg

 

Overlapped - Shock Trooper/ROTJ

4697878025_854028a567(1).jpg.6b081d74b9d8c9f34c6b708fa0a339a1.jpg

 

Shoulder Armor

  • No elastic around the bicep is present.

 

Shoulder Straps

OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable):

  • Only 4 ridges of the shoulder straps overlap the chest plate.
  • The front of the shoulder straps do not have a wide flat area only small ridges.

300px-TK_shocktrooper_straps.jpg

 

Armor

  • A white flexible U shaped gasket or molded lip shall be present around all edges.

 

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The Bloodfin GML responded to my question on their forum. He said the same of what has been said here. ROTJ is preferred, but to be super diligent in getting the conversion right if I go with ANH/ESB armor.

 

Decisions...

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Alright, I've mulled over different kits and read the 501st databank guidance for both the shock trooper and ESB trooper. I'm going to go ahead and pull the trigger on the ESB kit I've been eyeing. I'd been thinking about this for a number of days before making this thread, so now that the pieces are coming together, I think it is time to commit!

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BBB day might come sooner than usual. I bought a completely untrimmed WTF kit that a long-time member of Walt's Facebook group offered for sale on that group (with Walt's permission). The package is already on its way!

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5 hours ago, Tilheyra said:

Looks like it is time to start the build thread!

 

B34GEpW.jpg

Yay, happy dance, then the panic when you realise you have to start cutting :lol: Remember the golden rules, measure twice and cut once, don't be afraid to ask questions, there is no silly questions only silly mistakes from not asking ;) 

 

Good luck with the build

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  • 3 weeks later...

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