Novadom

perfect, thank you!

Ok so, here goes: Calves, back armor, bucket! Also, on a somewhat related matter: how do you guys feel about a TX sporting a pair of electrobinoculars (painted high gloss black) ? and last but not least, a pic of my pouch... there's a huge rivet exactly where I would need to cut, if I want to get rid of the small compartment.. not sure what to do about that NovaDom

a HUGE thank you, sir thank you, thank you! There was indeed a bucket with the kit, but I prefered to buy a 'specialist ready' bucket from Arakyel. I'll assemble the bucket that came with the kit sometime in the future, and I think I'll paint it white (so that I also have a regular TK bucket to show off!) As per your suggestion, I'll take pictures of the bucket, back armor and calves, and post them back here... After thinking about it, I think there's a strong chance that my kit is ABS since a bottle of ABS cement was bundled with my kit (I had forgotten about it, but found it while cleaning up) NovaDom

Second try, for my first picture!

Greetings Troopers, This thread will serve as my build journal for my -Novatrooper Elite Specialist- suit of armor I'm getting ready to start by gathering all of what I'll need (that I think of) Still missing: Black decals for the helmet (I'll order from TrooperBay) Black rivets Heavy duty snaps (those I have aren't "long" enough, I think) Roadblock pouch Hyperfirm DLT-19 Undersuit (I far as I can tel, Eastbay doesn't sell the black leggings anymore) Optional: Helmet- Environmental Audio System Optional: Helmet- Voice amp + Static burst board Optional: Helmet- squirrel fans Already on hand: QuarterMaster Nova backpack Arakyel helmet Pauldron Neck Seal Glossy Vinyl belt 7/16" abs buttons Boots; Giorgio Brutini "Conner" Gloves; black chemical (rubber) Gloves; black Nomex (cloth) 1x MP40 pouch (4 compartments) Black armor (unknown origin, I don't even know if it's ABS or HIPS) 2 small pieces (about 10"x10") of extra material (for the side gaps, I hope it's going to be enough) Velcro, webbing, E6000, heat gun, rivet tool, dremmel, gold paint, rare earth magnets, clamps, etc Duct tape dummy So, here's my story: I purchased my armor on ebay in (or around) 2009 (I think). The "brown box" has been in my closet ever since (I moved 3 times since then). To be honest, I didn't know back then that there were different armorers, different materials, different quality, etc I learned a lot since then but anyway... When I saw it, I had to have it! It was an impulse buy, pure and simple When I received the package, I unwrapped everything and examined the pieces.. aaaand then I put everything back together in the box. Since that day, I must have unpacked everything at least half-a-dozen times... aaaand then put everything back in the box. It's really weird because it's not like I'm a lifelong procrastinator or anything like that, on the contrary! At first, I told myself I didn't have the space to work on it. After that, I told myself I didn't have the time to really commit to it, etc... Deep down, I know that the reason why I haven't started on it yet is simply because it is scaring the crap out of me. Since I'm a total rookie, I'm really worried I'll "FUBAR" something and miss my chance to get into the 501st Spec-Ops! Fast forward to last weekend: I was at my first con ever, being surrounded by Cosplay all day long... Coming back home, I realised that I finally had the inspiration to overcome my fears and jump into this project! My schedule is a bit hectic since I work shifts (day, evening, nights) plus I have two toddlers at home, so I know it's going to be a challenge! but I'll give it my best and hope it comes out as nice as others I've seen here... You guys have no idea how much I respect (and admire) your talents and skillsets If you could bear with me, I now have multiples questions; any help with these will be GREATLY appreciated!! QUESTIONS! 1) Since I'm aiming for the Nova Elite "Specialist" title, is there something special I should know BEFORE beginning to assemble the armor (like the need to use specific rivets, webbing, or whatever)? I've read the thread for the "Specialist' requirements (like closed side gaps, etc) but I was looking for more technical aspects, during the build itself 2) Should I paint the gold on the pieces that requires it BEFORE assembly or after? 3) What method or product should I use to get the BLACK parts of my armor to get ultra-shiny? Do people use clearcoat? 4) With my armor was bundled a bottle of 'Novus 2, fine scratches remover'. Is that the BEST product to get rid of scratches on plastic? I tried it on a small piece and I didn't see any difference! 5) With scratches in mind, would it be a good idea to mask or wrap every parts before handling them? 6) How deep of a scratch is 'Novus 2' supposed to be able to remove? Does this weaken the plastic? 7) Since 'Novus 2' was bundled with my kit, can I assume that my armor is ABS? or could it be HIPS regardless? Actually, if somebody could help me figure out who's the maker of my armor, that would be awesome 8) I read somewhere that the sniper plate and thigh ammo pack should NOT be attached with rivets for the "specialist". Is that true? If so, what is the right way to attach those? 9) The MP40 pouch I have has 4 compartments but all the 501st pictures I've seen shows only 3 compartments.. Do I need to modify my pouch? (I want to buy, for the second pouch, the Roadblock, so that I can carry wallet, cellphone etc) 10) Where do you guys get your snaps, for snap plates? it looks like the one I have aren't "long" enough to get a good crimp on my snap plates! Well, that's it for now! BTW, I FULLY understand if I get replies similar to TL;DR but I'd be really grateful if somebody could help me out with a couple of my questions! Bad guys with big hearts, and all that... NovaDoM P.S. for some reason, I get an error trying to upload a picture. I'll try again from home