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Actually, it might help to just take a photo of the bell and post here. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Small upgrade- got the clearing strip on the exposed bolt on. I trimmed the width a little bit of a large zap strap I cut to length. The underside of the strap has ridges so j used this side to take in the e-6000 glue. Also sanded the aluminum on the exposed bolt for better adhesion. Sent from my SM-G390W using Tapatalk

Hey Luis sorry for the late congrats. Great job and welcome to Centurion

Cool stuff! Keep on going the great work! Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk

Hey Pam! Looking great! You totally look like a stormtrooper! Thebiggest issue I can see is the back/kidney overlap, but it could also be that the back is sort of just sticking out a bit. How is the back strapped to the kidney? I wonder if you could tighten the strapping some to bring the back closer to your body. On my kit I did bend the shoulder tabs at the top of the back more so that it sat a bit higher and didn't overlap the kidney, so that's also an option. Looking back at @Cricket's comments it could be that the chest and back are both a bit on the larger side - I wonder if both could be brought up a bit. I also think that some of it is just your body proportions - you seem to have a relatively short torso and relatively long limbs. Ultimately approval is up to your GML, but I'm not seeing much here that would block basic approval. Great job with the build!

Looking AWESOME! Test fits are so exciting. :-D Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Boring update... first inner strip on the right shin is down. Will glue inner strip of left shin tonight.

I agree with you Sean, take off more of the lower return edge and let's see where this take them John. John regarding the vercro, I would hold off on it for the time being. Also, you still may have to extend the lower elastic. I'm suspecting once the bell clears the bicep the elastic may still suck the sides in, something we're trying to avoid.

I’m think I’m getting close to fishing. Cover strip on back of one shin to do, then Velcro to add. Sniper knee to glue on (Blu tac used for test fit). Thigh ammo pack to secure in place (screwed in for test fit) couple other bits and pieces. Just waiting for gloves to arrive. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was trying to sort out the strapping and thought maybe it needed to be addressed first. I'll put in the snaps reasonably close with neutral tension on the elastics and see how it looks when cured and worn.

Try to see how the gap looks when the two parts fit the contour of your back. The gap should be less visible when you try this. If you still have a fairly visible gap when you mock it up to your back, then you might want to re-adjust the straps to reduce that.

Hey Robert, that gap will close a bit when you are wearing your armour. Especially if you stand very straight - it is just the way the pieces are shaped to conform to the curve of ones back.

I’d start with removing all of the return edge. The elastic looks right as do the loops. I’d start with the edge, see how it helps and then go from there. Tony can pipe in though... he’s the pro Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Updated

Tony is right. I have no return edge on mine whatsoever. Also, on mine at least, the elastic is very taught. It makes the bells close a little bit which on mine ensures they close as Tony states they should. Are you using Han loops? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's hard to tell in your photos but are you using elastic at the lower edge of the bells? If so it's possible they're too tight, they maybe causing the bells to callapse instead of expand. You want them to go around your muscles.WTF bells is generally shaped correctly out of the box, in other words they shouldn't need to be reshaped. I'm suspecting something is else is the cause. Also, if need be remove any lower return edge preventing them from laying flat against your biceps.

It still looks as if they are too tight and may have more of a U shaped opening and should have more of a C shape. You might consider a hot water bath to re-shape them. This is what I would do: Get a large pot of water, heat it to near boiling and grab one of your biceps. Place one shoulder bell in the water for a minute or so, remove it (use tongs, trust me) and press it down onto the bicep quickly using a dish towel and "mold" it around the bicep. (Keep it in place while it cools, or it can revert back to the original shape). This should widen the bottom/sides and help them conform better. It may take some experimenting for the amount of time you keep the bell in the water to get it to the right temperature for bending it.

Though not 100% movie accurate I use 3/8" #6 pan head/slotted sheet metal screws. Close enough for government work.

Hey Sean welcome back lol

Dip a toothpick in the thinner and pick away!

Nice work, Lou. Well done. :-)

Congratulations trooper!

Looks amazing, wear it with pride! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So as I'm sure happens with all armor there is wear and fixing that will be needed. I'm going to continue detailing this in this build going forward. My hopes are to help others see that it is okay to have to fix armor up regularly, and to give some good detail on what and how. I'm holding off until I finish my scout kit, but it will probably happen soon.

New screws: Thanks at my friend TK-55550 for the new screws

I've never tried this, but it seems to me that the butt plate will want to push backwards and stick out (assuming you are going to use elastics under some amount of tension). I find that just attaching strapping via the shortest route gives the best stability. I'm interested to see how this works. Good luck!

Blown away by the details! I was expecting to be scouring the forums for all of this. Thanks for putting it all together!

While I second asking on the Clone forums, as they would know best, I would be cautious because EVA foam is not an allowed material for 501st approval. So I'm not sure if that would mean that it could be used at all, even if as a base.

Here's a possible workaround that would be pretty easy. For my build, I added weight to the Drop Boxes my cutting a piece of plywood and gluing it inside. Here's what that looked like: The piece of plywood I used was a bit smaller than the box it's going into in the photo and I didn't care about how it looked, but keep in mind I just put it there for weight and it would be hidden. However, if you were to cut a wooden rectangle that would fit more snuggly than I needed it to, round the corners, sand it nice and smooth, and then paint it white and glue in into place, you'd never be able to tell it wasn't plastic. Just a thought. A.J.

Round 2! I have ordered a new brow piece. How's it look? Took more off the teeth and eyes. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk