TK4108

Congratulations!

I'm glad I'm not the only one with big calves.

I went back re-dyed everything with black. It came out a little darker than what I expected, but I like it. I took the photos in direct sunlight, but they still look a little different in person. (In person, the shirt and trousers match, even though they look a little different in the photos.) I think the Rit dark brown dye has a little bit of purple tint to it... I just picked up some tan / oatmeal-like suede for the riding patch. I'll probably shorten the legs (and maybe the arms), so that I'll have less material to bunch up under the shin armor and gloves. Please note that I did scale down the thigh pouches just a little bit, since I'm vertically challenged. I should have just enough room for the hanging pouches. I actually have been working on two uniforms at the same time. I'm going to use the second shirt for all my 501st patches.

I would like them a bit darker. I was using the washing machine method for dying. I left it unattended a little too long, so dye drained out before I wanted it to.

Hello! I just finished most of sewing and dying of my shirt and trousers. What do you guys think? Should I go for another round of dying? These photos were taken in full sun light, so the color is a little light.

I just finished dying my DPM's, so I'm ready to get the riding patch material. Would it be safe for me to go ahead and get tan?

Hi Everyone, I'm beginning my KST build. Ski has been bugging me to get my WIP post started, so here it is. At the moment, I'm working on collecting all the bits and parts. My armor just came in this week as did a great set of functional pouches from Grumpy. (Thanks Grumpy!!!) On da'bay I found a good deal on the boots. I've also picked a of the other little things, e.g. belts for the shins, sandpaper, bondo, primer, paint, monk's cloth for the cod piece, Velcro, brown dye, black dye, Dremel sanders, black tape for the tank, etc. I'm still waiting for my DPM's and few small Dremel sanding bits to come in. I think there are just a few more things I need to get: gloves (Grumpy is working on them for me.), camo paint, reflective film for the lenses, padding for inside the shoulders, and the cloth/straps for the cummerbund. Well, I need a few more hours in the day too... Once I get further along Ski has offered to help with the camo painting, so that we both match. I guess I need to get cutting on the armor now. That does scare me a bit. I'm worried about getting the helmet opening big enough for my big head. The shins are also making me a little nervous. I want to be sure that I don't cut too much off, so that my foot won't fit through the opening. ;-) Again, I wanted to thank everyone for all the help I've already received. I'll try not bug you with TOO many questions. Cheers! Matt

Thanks everyone! Welcome back Ski! I thought of using the boots from my deployment, but the soles split under the balls of my feet. That happened to two different pairs... They were Belleville's. I'll probably go with the Altama's as well. Thanks again!

Hello, I've been trying to research which boots to get for my KST. Here is a summary of what I've found. Desired Boot Characteristics: 1. CRL: Soles have curved shape in between the heel and sole (found item or modded shoes are acceptable). 2. CRL: Main body of boot is white. (Note: Can be painted.) 3. CRL: Khaki or tan soles. (Note: Can be painted.) 4. Large lugs on the outsole. 5. Rounded arches between lugs. 6. Smooth / simple midsoles. 7. Upper edge of midsole should follow the arch, but be flattened on the top/front edge. 8. The uppers need to be tall enough to be covered by armor. As mentioned, the same basic boot also works for the Galactic Marine and Jango Fett. Unfortunately, I've found boots with some of these characteristics, but not all of them. Here are some of the top picks from the forums. Favored Options: 1. Kenneth Cole Pit Crew (No longer in production.) 2. Bed Stu Boot (No longer in production.) 3. GBX Journeyman (No longer in production.) 4. Buffalino Sentinels (No longer in production.) Since these aren't available unless you get really lucky, I've compiled a list of more recent recommendations from the forums and by searching shoe stores online over the last few days. (I know. I don't have a life…) I focused mainly on boots with tan mid/outsoles, because I didn't want to deal with repainting them as they flex. Some thoughts (in no particular order): Crow62's reproductions (Look great, but the current "tan" out/midsoles are gray.) Danner Desert TFX Rough-Out Hot Military Boots Danner Rivot TFX Hot Military Boots Danner ICH Tan Military Boots (Super expensive!) Bates 8" M-8 Tactical Desert Boot Altama 9" Desert Boot Magnum Sidewinder Corcoran 8" JAC Desert Combat Boot Garmont T8 Tactical Boot Desert Sand Men's Guide Gear 8" Waterproof Side - zip Desert Boots Skechers Orsen Lugz Jam II Wolverine Guardian Ozark Trail - Men's Putty 2 Waterproof Hiking Boots Herman Survivors Men's Chris Workboots I've compiled images for all these boots, but I thought that including them would make a rather large post. ;-) So, based on all that, I have a few questions: 1. Does anyone think having a suede upper (vs. smooth) is a problem? Painting them may be a bit more challenging... 2. I'm leaning towards the Garmont T8 Tactical Boot Desert Sand. What do you guys think? It's out/midsole is tan, has a large curved arch already, and has large lugs. 3. I also like the Altama 9" Desert Boot. It has a tan out/midsole, large arch, and large lugs. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to put more of a curve in the arch due to the thickness of the midsole. Any thoughts? As always, thanks for your time and opinions!!!