pandatrooper

I stand corrected! Thanks Paul. The RT armor is a good choice too, but it's scaled up for bigger troopers. You're just a hair taller than some of the people that use TE2 and AP and other ROTJ tour suit derived armor, but people have done it. In terms of sizing, I think AM would be bigger in size, and RT one step bigger.

Is AM a good kit for a beginner like me? Yes. One of the best aspects is that it comes fully trimmed, no other kit comes trimmed. It still needs to be fitted to your body size, but it sounds like you’re the right size for one. What is a good helmet to compliment this suit? I would say TE2, AP or ATA (painted to match) or TM. If AM is not the best what would you recommend instead? You shouldn’t really refer to it as the “best†kit. The best kit is the one that suits your needs. What things is AM not good for? Some parts are very big (hand plates, shoulder bells, etc.), and not very screen accurate. The chest and back still really bug me, they are much bigger and the shape and proportions could be tuned to better match the screen look. The helmet is still the FX helmet with a new dome. The armor is also an off-white color. Where as AP and others are "white". That other materials do I need to finish the armor kit other then tools, undersuit, gloves, neckseal, etc...? Undersuit Gloves Neck seal Boots (TKboots.com or caboots) Canvas belt Tandy line 24 snaps 1/8†rivets Industrial Velcro Sandpaper 1.5†elastic for suspenders, harness, connecting armor bits Drill Dremel would be handy Curved Lexan scissors (for trimming RC car bodies, found at hobby stores) Exacto knife Long metal ruler for cutting cover strips E-6000 adhesive (Michaels has it) Paint for the helmet details Mesh for the teeth Foam for the helmet Green lens for the eyes (if the helmet doesn’t come with them) Any other advice? We really need to hook up, you know I live in Vancouver, right? I have an AM kit and an ATA, and an AP helmet you can check out. Here’s a couple of my builds AM build -------- ATA build -------- Try to come out to our next troop in late Sept. and you can check things out. Please don't rush into buying anything. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

It's on the Star wars.com site, and it's a quicktime VR 360 view http://www.starwars.com/fans/events/celebration_v/pano/sljabba/index.html

Fantastic work as always Pete! Truly amazing work, I can't say enough. The details are staggering. Many kudos to you!!!

The back shouldn't have much "wingage". As suggested, the screen used look had very little sticking out. For the sides, I would say start with where the seam is for the kidney / ab section (which is sort of a vertical line separating the ab and kidney 50 / 50). In most pics, I have found that the chest "wing" is almost touching that seam, or about an inch short of it. It's somewhat inconsistent as it was sized differently for different people, but I think most troopers in the film have it approx. there.

The custom garters for the thighs I made for the build and offered for sale look like this: More details here, but I don't have a run going currently. Feel free to make your like this if you wish. - Adjustable belt can fit waist sizes up to 42 inches (*note: those that need suspenders can use low cost "clip on elastic" suspenders for dress pants. Super easy to find at a dollar store.) - Fastex secure buckle closure - The garters are "V" style, the thigh armor will stay in place very nicely (no floppage!). One end of the V is permanently sewn / bar tacked, the other end is adjustable. - The garters are fully adjustable for length (waist to thigh), and also adjustable for position on the belt (put them as close or far apart as you like, make the V as narrow or wide as you like, whatever fits your body / armor). - The webbing end tabs that go inside the thigh armor are triple thick where the snap is, the ends are bar tacked and the entire tab is box stitched for strength. These are strong. The end tab comes with 1 snap already mounted, using a Tandy Line 24 female snaps (as most people use these). I've simplified the design to 1 snap since most people don't use 2 positions anyways.

Happy birthday Aaron!

Happy Birthday on your very special day, Paul! Thanks for all your contributions!

Hi Alex, I assume you've already read the info here? Getting Started I have since built 2 sets of armor from ABS, I have an AP helmet and I have completed an ATA build but not trooped it (lots of test fittings though). Styrene is definitely softer than ABS, it has different properties. I think it will stand up fine to trooping, take a look at how many people have ATA, TE2, etc. Personally, I think unless you are stressing the plastic in very specific areas (eg: trying to sit down all the time, or if one area like the inner thigh or knee areas are tight and keep "binding" with other pieces when you're wearing it or if you're compressing it a lot) I think styrene will handle trooping just fine. I do tend to be more careful with it when handling it, but I have no problems bumping into things (my basement entry is small and I've been going in and out of my garage and I bump into stuff all the time during test fittings). There's also tips on the forum on ho to repair cracks or even prevent them (by adding material glued underneath). Keep in mind that with styrene, if you want it shiny you'll either need to paint it or polish it to get it glossy. It's an extra step, and I think that's where you may find more wear and tear on your armor. It's natural and WILL happen. Many people like the slightly worn look as it's what would happen in real life, and was seen in the movies. Most people live with scuffs and dings and it provides character. On the other hand, my ABS (AM) kit is quite glossy without being painted and I'm not afraid of throwing it into my storage bin with no padding (yet) and it's survived troops just fine. Any marks or scuffs I get from painted blasters, etc. I can leave on, or simply wipe / buff away with a cloth and some alcohol (I tend to get a lot of thin black streaks on my left side from my arms rubbing up against my painted blaster). Personally, I think if you want to just build a kit and have it stay looking glossy without much maintenance, go for the AP kit. Keep in mind there is more work with aligning the thighs and shins, and the inner left shin is the same as the outer right. The arms are also the same (there's no left and rights). The mic tips are also faucet aerators which won't pass for EIB should you want to. If you don't mind painting your kit, can live with some dings and wear your scratches with pride (you could always polish / touch them up / re-paint a part), and don't mind the odd repair due to cost savings, then go ATA.

Personally, I have some have arches (my feet) and I like extra support. The TK boots don't have much in the way of arch support, so I stuck in some supportive insoles. I have worn them all day in troops with no problems, just as comfortable as my other shoes.

I'd say AP as well, but understand you may want to upgrade a few things that come with the kit if you intend to go for EIB badge (mic tips, eye lens, etc.). There's also a bit more trimming / fitting / heat molding with AP in the thighs / shins if you want a perfect look. It's a good kit, just good to know what to expect and to plan the work ahead. There's lots of great AP builds on here. Good luck!

Looking great, nice work trooper! Agreed on the fine tuning comments. Just a few small fixes and you're all set! Nice blaster too!

Don't worry about the extra rivets, I know what you mean. The cap and back was a bit "wider" than the face (or the face was skinnier?) regardless, I popped a couple extra rivets in the well above the cheek tubes on my ATA, to keep it compressed and holding the shape I wanted. Once the ears are on, no one will notice.

You’re probably using too much glue. Sand both sides, and apply the E6000. Spread it out so that the surface is covered, but it doesn’t need to be thick. Also avoid spreading it too thin (to the point where the plastic shows through because you’re spread / scraped away too much). Spread some on the other surface. Let both parts sit for 2 mins or so to let the adhesive set up. The whole idea with contact adhesives if that you’re spreading it into the small scratches from sanding the surface, imbedding the glue. Then when both glued surfaces contact each other, you get a bond. Clamp the parts together, you don’t need to crank it down like a vice, just make sure there is good solid contact and constant pressure for 24 hours.

Hi Clint. The harness / suspender straps are 1.5" webbing. Some people like to use elastic for a little more give and that's what they used for the screen suits, it's up to you. The back end of the suspenders connect to the top of the kidney section (via industrial Velcro. I still like to use Velcro here, as it allows for adjustments in length / comfort), then move up to the back section, and attach to the back at the top of the shoulders via snaps / snap plates. The suspenders pass under the ribbed shoulder straps, and continue down to the AB section, and terminates with suspender fastex clips for easy on / off. I have short sections of elastic sewn to one of the fastex clip, and the bottom is attached to the top of the ab section via industrial Velcro. I have done this on 2 suits with great results during long troops. I sewed a short sternum strap across the chest. This keeps the shoulder bells from swing out. The shoulder bells attach via 1" elastic to the top of the suspenders. The garters for the thighs I custom make myself. I have done a few runs in the past but don't have any going right now. They are V shaped and center the thigh nicely. This isn't screen accurate, I think in the films they used 1 single wide elastic connecting each thigh to the cod armor, but I find that mine work well for trooping purposes. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions.

I assembled most of my ATA styrene kit with E6000 with no problems. As described, sand both surfaces, spread E6000 on both surfaces - don't over apply it in a thick bead, it doesn't work that way. Don't apply it to the metal on snap plates, just use it on plastic to plastic, or for snap plates use Plastic Weld instead, again avoid applying it to the metal backing of snaps, it seems to cause a bad reaction. I applied covers strips with E6000, and assembled most of my joins with it, and it works fine.

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but I use 3/4" x 1/8" thick rare earth magnets, 2 stacked together (2 on top, 2 on the bottom). Each one pulls 22 lbs. I know some other troopers use big square ones but I couldn't find them locally so I used these: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=32065&cat=1,42363,42348

You should always glue plastic to plastic, never onto paint. It's not going to stick. E6000 works great for styrene or ABS, sand both sides, spread glue on both sides, join and clamp for 24 hours. Use a metal ruler and exacto blade to score straight lines in the plastic sheet to make cover strips. Then snap them and sand the edges if necessary.

I'm kind of shocked I didn't make one of these before, these are so awesome! I would love to make one for every costume I own! A duct tape mannequin is a great way to: - create a form that is a very close replication of your body shape - awesome way to display your armor - a great way to test sizing for parts, armor mods, etc. This is nothing super new, people have made duct tape mannequins for years. They started off in the seamstress / dress making hobby (people would use duct tape to create a torso dress form for tailoring their own outfits), and there's been many Legion members who have made these for their costumes. It's not that hard, it just takes time and some simple materials. Materials: 2 large rolls of duct tape (don't get the foil kind, just the regular silver kind PVC pipe (I used 3/4" pipe) 1 PVC cross connector 4 PVC "T" junctions 4 PVC 90 degree elbows PVC cement fiberfill / foam / pillow stuffing Scissors with round tips Old long sleeve top, pants (sweats will do) and socks A friend to help you 1. Get dressed in your old clothes. They should be somewhat thin / not too bulky 2. Go to the bathroom before proceeding (important!) 3. Stand in whatever pose you want. I chose to keep it neutral. If you want to bend the elbows for shooting / blaster poses, it's possible - just keep in mind it may be harder to dress the mannequin. Also, you (as the model) will get hot. Try not to move too much, and don't do this outside / in the sun. 4. Have your friend / helper start wrapping you in duct tape! Star from the bottom and work up. Avoid wrapping the tape "off the roll" if you do this, the tape will be very tight / uncomfortable and the mannequin will be smaller than you. Tear off sections of tape about 12" long and make sure to overlap half the previous strip as you work up. I chose to wrap the bottoms of my heels so that I can insert the mannequins legs into the boots. This is why you need to wear socks. Don't bother making the feet, it won't likely stand on it's own anyways. You can add a post / stand for it later, or simply lean it against a wall. 5. Continue wrapping the upper body. I found that I was slouching / leaning forward, so try to stand straight. Make sure to press the tape down evenly and smooth it out. 6. Make sure that the tape overlaps all the way around the back. I'm bringing sexy back! Yeah! 7. After you have wrapped one layer of tape, it should be good to cut the tape and extract your self. If you're bigger / taller, I would recommend 2 layers of tape - again, overlap the seams. Use scissors with round tips, or if you have some - medical safety scissors also work great (the ones for cutting bandages off patients). Cut a vertical seam down the back, across the back of both arms, and down the back of the legs. You should be able to step out easily. Here's my "body wrap" laid out on the floor. I have laid the skeleton / support frame on it. 8. Go get a drink of water to rehydrate. 9. Make your skeleton support. I used 3/4" PVC pipe. Copy the joints here or make your own. Use your own body as a guide for how long each should be. Notice that I bent the legs of the skeleton outwards to match the pose I was in. I didn't bother making bones / supports for the arms, as I wanted my arms to lay at the sides anyways, and it's just extra weight. Use PVC glue to attach each section of pipe. 10. Tape over the seams starting at the feet, and do about 12"-16" at a time. Tape one section, then stuff it with the fiberfill / foam, etc. You can buy it at fabric stores and even Walmart, it's used for stuffing pillows and such (my wife and I joked about how we should walk into one of those "Build a Bear" shops with my empty mannequin and say "I need this stuffed". Here's mine after stuffing. I threw some old worn out bike shorts on it since I want the under suit areas to show through as black (*TIP: simply cover the elbow, armpit, and knee areas with black gaffer tape or hockey tape! It will look like an undersuit without the cost! 11. Dress your new action figure! Many thanks to my wife for helping me out for a few hours. She thought this was pretty funny, but said it was very cool and turned out great!

Crazy ridonkulous!!! That is beautiful!! Great job Pete and Paul!!

No problem, Matt. If you need any help / guidance on silicones, mother molds, prepping, etc. Let me know. I have a good amount of experience with molding and casting. Cost wise, good quality silicone is expensive, but saves you headaches if you intend to do more copies down the road. I live 5 mins from a high quality retailer for casting materials, etc. I'd love to get maybe even 2 or 3, so that I can have some on hand for out of town troopers (saves them from having to pack their blasters and travel with them). You might also want to post this on Badlands, Canadian Garrison, etc. T.

I'd be very interested, especially as seeing as you're in my back yard! I have always wanted a Hyperfirm, but they don't ship internationally. You have to be careful with exporting them though. I have seen people "flagged" within Canada by customs for shipping replicas / airsoft, etc. as in some circles they are still illegal to own and ship. That's a concern too: if you cast them in black, and customs opens them - you're in for a lot of trouble seeing you're shipping out from Canada. That being said, if they are resin colored (grey, beige) maybe that makes it easier to ship? I believe that's why Sci Fire does not ship internationally. I know there's one seller in BC that makes resin blasters and sells them on Ebay. Materials wise, I have always really liked the Sci Fire approach to the E-11 blaster. I got to handle one and see it up close at a cross border troop. A hard rubber outer shell, with a foam filled interior and sometimes a fiberglass or carbon rod running inside for rigidity. They cast them in a black rubber, so that only weathering paint is required. Really light, durable for trooping.

Caboots is pretty much the only other choice, but they cost as much or more than TK boots. The other option is to find riding / jodhpur boots and dye or paint them. Thats what they did in the films.

How to identify the arm parts ----------

If you use elastic that's too thin, you'll get shoulder bell "floppage". Make sure to use slightly wider elastic. I use 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" thicker elastic, and it works good. Also, make sure you have the elastic that wraps around the shoulder bell around your bicep. Adjust the length so that it hugs your bicep a little more, that prevents rotation too.