ELP

Looks fantastic! Good Work - Can't wait to see more pics!

Also before you go too far on the trimming it's a good idea to try on the forearms with your gloves on ... Especially if you plan on tucking the cuffs of your gloves under your forearms (which is the way things go generally). It's not of huge importance but on a long troop every little bit of extra comfort / mobility helps. And good tape lines (very straight) ... Nice attention to detail! EDIT - And if I were to guess I'd say that's an AM kit ( the forearms look rather similar to the ones I unpacked a few months ago).

That's a pretty nice family! And just a note - If you're heading to comic con make sure your TD is FIRMLY attached to the back ... I've heard tales of troopers having their TDs vanish.

Great looking kit! Thanks for sharing.

That really depends on your ability to paint - not just skill but patience, available room and added cost. There are a few troopers on here that have painted their kits - from white to black, and also from a matte black finish to a gloss black - hopefully they'll chime in but my personal feeling is spend the extra few bucks on the black ABS and then you can just concentrate on the build. PS - I suck at painting , so I'm more than a tad biased

Good looking kit! As far as Finishing strips - I have them and my wife doesn't - I like the look of them, I don't miss them on my wife's kit. I don't think they are a requirment.

A glue that I've had fantastic results with is E6000 - It's a crafting glue and so it can be found at Micheal's (in Canada) or the crafting area of Wally World (Wal-Mart) or at Home Depot in the US (or so I've heard). If you are looking for a few pointers then, if possible, try to post a few pics (front, back, sides) - similar to your eventual submission pictures.

Man I love getting the big brown boxes ... Hurray! And just so you know there may be a few people around here that can set you up with a Helmet if you're looking for one ... have a look around the "for sale area".

Yea it looks good - try the whole kit on and take a few pics. That'll give you a better idea. Also good thinking ahead about the needed holster support! If it works hopefully you can post a tutorial.

LOL ... "walk softly but carry a big Izzi". Myself I speak normally but sprinkle in the terms "citizen" & “move along". Also Every once and a while as someone is walking past make a point to move my whole head and follow them across my field of view, and then keep watching them as they walk away (most of the time they look back - the guilty always will ) - My wife said she overheard two people say "I think the guy in the black is a cop in real life" - mission accomplished.

Nice pics and a good start. And just a heads up - If you need to cover any of the "silver Tape" on your TD at a later date spray paint will work with a bit of taping, or electricians tape (black) does a very good job).

Tori - Well done. The thighs are going to look amazing. Good call on re-using the back trim for the front. I did the same thing that you are doing - trimming the inside lip of the thigh so I had more room / less scratches. I also used a dremmel but I usde the sander attachment. It went a bit slower but ended with the same result (I didn't trust myself to use the cutter in case I slipped). Good job and thanks for the pics!

Hi All, I've spoken to Tigger68 about a few of my bits of info and she's said sure. I should also mention that I have my Industrial First Aid (OFA Level 3), am a certified PADI Rescue Diver with PADI first Aid, and am a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine - 3 years of med School and 3 years of Chinese Med, and have worked in 2 hospitals in China. I don't want to toot my own horn but just so you know this isn't just some info I gathered off Wikipedia. This is basically aimed at the troopers out in the sun for a few hours, not hanging out inside at an air conditioned con. Don't get me wrong it's important to drink and pay attention to your body, but for someone who isn't actively sweating Gatorade/power aid/vitamin water provide nothing but extra calories and minerals your body will only urinate away. A bit of this will be repetition of the info Tigger has posted but some info is new: - Make sure to hydrate before the troop, especially if there was any drinking at all the night or afternoon before. You'll be dehydrated from the fun of the previous night (booze is a diueretic) so you've gotta get the fluid back in before you start sweating during the troop. - Try not to drink too much coffee the morning of the troop – also a diuretic (makes you loose water). - Have a banana with breakfast – contains a good bit of potassium. And will help ward off any potential issues. - Really try not to use Gatorade or Powerade or Vitamin water to rehydrate, in my professional opinion these products are mearly soda pop dressed in a white lab coat. Personally I use Pedialite (an infant rehydration formula). It comes in a powder or liquid so it can be used at any strength. During a long sweaty hike I'll drink it instead of water (50% strength solution), after a hike or a dive I drink 1 liter of 100% strength solution. In Canada we need to ask the pharmacist for it. And as an added bonus it tastes like crap so you're not going to drink more than you need, nor does it get abused like Gatorade/Poweraid/vitamin Water which is sold beside Milk, Juice and Pop. - If you even feel the slightest headache or hot sweat/flush try to get some shade, a breeze and some fluids … Even if you don't feel thirsty or overly hot. These can be early signs of a pretty bad result. - If it's been a hot day and a long troop have a few glasses of water with dinner and drinks afterward. Trust me you'll feel a tonne better the next morning. And as an added bonus for reading this far – Hang Over Cure: Right before bed: 500 mls. OJ, 2 tylenol, and one vile of Po Chai (bǎo jì wán, pronounced Bow G Wan) – A chinese herbal med. For the flu but works like a charm for Hangovers. Then in the morning, more OJ and 1 more vile of Po Chai. You should be feeling great! The pellets are avalible in all Chinese herbal dispensories. Troop Safe, Troop Healthy!

Wow ... you're moving along. If I don't get here daily you're on to something else - Good For You. The screening on the inside of the helmet just under your nose, covered by the grey area with holes in it on the front of the helmet (referred to as the frown). The screening that comes with the helmet isn't bad but it's a bit delicate when it gets moist and it doesn't allow a lot of airflow. I replaced it, just my personal pref. Wear the lid for a while and you can decide.

Same one I use (the seam on the tube stripes is a dead give away): You might want to replace the screening on the frown. The material that comes with the helmet does not enjoy getting wet (read: breathed on).

Hey, that's Awesome. Just a thought, would you also post in the "For Sale" area as I'm sure with the recent run of AM kits there are going to be a lot of new TX troopers looking for something to sling their weapon around in, and they may not know to look in here.

Nice looking holster - I like the shine! A note about the holster - I think the belt loops might be too short. The belts are about 3 inches wide so I don't think there is enough room. Troopermaster's template (as that is what this looks like) is made to have the holster hang. Not to worry, if the straps are to short you can add a bit of material on the back of the loops to loop your holster or cut them and attach to the belt for a hang ... problem (if there is one) solved. And I just got one of these suits - Works really well and it's nice and warm (A consideration for a good chunk of the year here in Canada). The logo just scratched off ... And it's got a zipper - Hurray! house of Scuba - lycra dive suit The neck line isn't that low and the feet have a bit more material on them but overall it's pretty good. Also my neck seal has a large Dickie (that's what the bib like material around the neck seal is called - seriously).

Wow - Awesome project. Have fun and keep us posted.

I just finished mine. I didn't do the butt joint. I overlaped the front edges and then put the strip on top. Looks like the "butt joint" effect and it's a bit more forgiving if you happen to trim a little bit extra off. Just what I did, personal preferance I guess and I'm pretty happy with the results. hope that helps.

Welcome aboard ... Wow you're really moving along on this. Well done! I recognize that Helmet. Hope you manage to take more pics of your build then I did ... That would be zero. Have fun! RE: Foam to make the helmet snug - I use weather stripping. About 1/2 thich and an inch wide with adhesive on the back. In Canada there is a whole "weather stripping" isle at home Depot.

There are a number of really good ideas here with my final mod on the bottom. I`m not saying mine was the best, but it`s the one that I did and works for me: My Shins Rotate when I walk Turns out my shin issue was because my boots were lifting and twisting them... Not at all good. Sorry to de-rail the thread.

I think they look great ... but that's just me. Also I used to polish my footware almost daily so a quick polish every now and again is no big deal: Please ignore the "what the @#$" expression. As izzi said the Amsterdams do tend to pop out, but with out a quick tweak or two - specifically doing something to keep the shins down, they are great and rather comfortable. The mod took me 10 minutes and now I can jog in the kit with no problems.