pandatrooper

Ah ha! I remember reading that somewhere, I forgot it was you!

Nice work Tom. Congratulations!!

Nice find Joey! I knew I read that somewhere

As Stuka mentioned, the rivets can be functional or not at all. For example, my ab / kidney has the rivets but they are "for show". As is the exposed back of the male rivet on the right side of the armor. I placed loop velcro on the inside of the ab / kidney, and them made some "connector tabs" (simple styrene sheets and curved them slightly with a heat gun), and then attached loop velcro to them. They act as extra support / backing for the velcro. Once I suit up, the entire torso is nice and strong, and there's no way it's going to come apart unless I want it to. You can just barely see some black between the ab and kidney in this pic. That's where the styrene / velcro "connector tabs" tabs are. -------- You can see the undersides of the connector tabs in this pic (the translucent plastic has black velcro on it, connecting to white velcro on either side of the torso) ---------- So you could do the following options: 1. Rivet the left side so that there's elastic straps permanently riveted to connect the ab / kidney, thus creating a "clamshell" hinge. The right side would close via another elastic and attach to the exposed male snap under the armor (I believe this is the most "screen accurate" way to close the torso, even though you don't see it. 2. Create some elastic connectors with female snaps on them. These snap into the male snaps which have been riveted on the left side. Both looks and function! Stukatrooper does this and you can see this on his wonderful build images: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stukatrooper/...57603721766632/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/stukatrooper/...57603721766632/</a> 3. Attach the ab and kidney with Velcro as described above. The rivets are just for looks. I'm sure there's other ways to do it too, but there's a few options for you.

Most excellent, congratulations indeed Paul! The work you guys have done is awesome. I wish every club forum I visit was like FISD!

Wow, awesome pics! Congratulations, looking very sharp there trooper!

I use a hockey gear bag. Fits everything in it, including the lid. A good way to save space. 1. Put your shins inside the thighs 2. put the thighs into the "torso from the bottom, until they touch the neck opening 3. put the lid (in a soft bag of your liking) and I put it inside the cod / butt area. This keeps it really protected. I then stick this giant unit of parts in the bag, and put mar arms (disconnected from the torso, but shoulder / bicep / forearm and handplates as on complete section) on either side of the torso. Then pack the other stuff around it like the boots, neck seal, belt and blaster, etc. I keep all my electronics like the voice amp / mic, spare batteries, in another bag. This keeps everything organized in sections, and if you're smart - pack them in the order you wear them. I pull the stuff out, put the thighs and shins on, then boots, then torso / belt, and work my way up. Works like a charm. *ps: for more info, I think there was already another thread started with this topic, like "how do you haul your armor" or something like that

Welcome aboard. Please take your time, don't rush your decisions or your build. And avoid Ebay, you can find and contact the best sellers directly.

Congratulations on your TK number! Now, why aren't you at your post?

Me too, no contest. Mine came just before I got my TK number, it was the last thing I needed. Great service and great quality!

I don't know of any direct suppliers, but one place you might want to look is "airsoft stockists" (as I believe that's what they're called!) Airsoft is pretty big in the UK, and many of them would carry genuine $$ and replica $ Nomex or fake Nomex gloves. I got mine off an online airsoft store in Asia (Ehobbyasia) and they were super cheap. But they look real.

Great diagram Rogue. Ironically, I did the exact same with mine because the undercut was rather shallow.

Ideally, I would use a washer designed for the back of the rivet so that it pulls the 2 parts together. In a punch, another piece of plastic works but if the hole is even slightly too big, the rivet could pop out under pressure.

I say ask him where he bought it from, that would be an interesting story. The helmets they used in the 90s for the Special edition scenes were refurbished ROTJ suits I believe. So it's highly unlikely this is one of those. In terms of promotion, I don't recall seeing LFL promo troopers in 1997 in theatres.

I used E6000. Sand and wash the parts first before assembly. Sanding both surfaces will provide more tooth for the glue to adhere to.

Yes, I believe they are. Some people choose to upgrade them to replica decals that look hand painted. Some people choose to hand paint the details. The decals that come with the kit are more than enough to meet 501st CRL guidelines.

I stand corrected! Great job.

Awesome, that's exactly what i was looking for. Thanks everyone! As an asides, what's with the "cheese grater" hand plates for Sandys? I don't recall seeing those in the films, are they canon?

That diagram is much better than mine! I never even knew it existed! That looks like the work of the great Stukatrooper no doubt.

Just out of curiosity, how is a TD sniper knee installed? All I see is the diamond itself, just wondering how it attaches to the shin. Thanks!

Just thought I’d write this up as a tip, a bunch of people have asked me for info on this. It’s not really a pet peeve of mine, I just think it looks better and it’s easy to do if you’re building your armor up for the first time. If you’re building up your shin armor “over lap” style” (one side of the shin overlaps the other, and attaches with Velcro). This applies whether the armor has built in ridges built in, or if you’re doing your build ANH style and using cover strips – and still utilizing Velcro to close the shins. The shins will look more seamless to someone looking at you (from the “outside”), if the open side of the overlap with Velcro faces to the “inside”. That way, the outside view is seamless, you just see the armor or cover strip glued to the back of the shin with no gaps. The inside will have the overlap and the Velcro slightly visible. This isn’t a big deal, but when you use Velcro – no matter how hard you press it down the hook and loop sides of the Velcro have a certain thickness to them, and increases the overlap of the armor. Positioning it to the inside makes it slightly hidden, that way you’re always facing your “best side” outwards. Enjoy. ----------

No problem. Size / width of those strips may vary depending on your build / body type, but those sizes are the most common. Leg strips are also sometimes 25mm. Really, you just cut them to suit your needs.

Do you mean A New hope style cover strips? The go on the front and back of the biceps, forearms, thighs and shins. Arms are usually 15mm wide, legs are 20mm.

Have a great time Brian! The fans are in for a special treat indeed.

No problem, always glad to help. Looks good so far! Make sure to post some bigger pics (host them on Photobucket or something) so that we can see the progress and provide feedback along the way. All these AM builds makes me want to get one!