kevster

Some of ya'll have probably already seen this, but its just so awesome, though i might share if others haven't seen it before..... if only it were true, we could be immediately joined with the forces

lol well i've probably put about 40 hours into my suit in the 2 weeks since i've had it, and i've got plenty of snacks... and lots of that sweet wonderful mountain dew

Ya, i heard about that trick, and i dont plan on taking it off completely, just half of it, so one side would be glued, then the other would be velcroed on

OK, I answered my own question there Smitty, I'll take a set

This is just absolutely amazing man, I might have to drive over to Abilene just so I can see it with my own eyes, wish there was a way i could help lol

Lol, that is just too good. I'm going to have to show my friend this, he has a vader costume and is in marching band.

Ya, thats my sexy trooper pic lol and thanks Gos, but ya I will most likely end up taking an exacto knife to the inside half of it and stick velcro on it, thing is it has so much pull on it i'm worried if it really will be able to hold it.

Yes, I did actually, and as you can see i can still fit into them somehow lol, I really have to squeeze the size in and shove my foot through... but i can do it lol

OK, great, because even though i'm completely new to this and this is my first build ever and have made a few mistakes, i'm still shooting for EIB

I am making my snaps today, and was looking at the sides, what size does the rivet need to be that hold the ab plate and kidney plate together? Is there any specific size or is it just eyeballed? http://www.flickr.com/photos/stukatrooper/...57603721766632/

It can be white nylon too right?

and the straps underneath should be white right?

Most use this. It's called high performance enamel in a gloss white ----- primers can vary, but the big thing is get the same brand primer and paint and a light color. As long as you stick with same brand and same color, it should turn out fine. Or check out this guys thread about the krylon brand if you have that over there too -----

Ya, I didn't really know that either, but when i took a look at them, the left had junk plastic down to the very edge while there was a clear return on the right bicep, on my ATA armor anyway.

Awesome, what store did you get it from?

I saw this on a poser at my college, pretty cool idea too and not too difficult, just looks a little time consuming though since there aren't really any specifics to it besides the ring around the middle and the divot for the main cannon. Everything else is just how you want to design it really. ------------

Got some more pics, been working really hard on this, everything is glued, even the back of the shins, its very tough but i can still get in them Skinny actually turned out to be a good thing, how about that lol, but if i decide to, i could still velcro it couldn't I? It just didn't seem like velcro could hold it,the shins were the pieces with the most resistance. Here is a nifty little tool i invented to sand the teeth with, I just took a paper clip, unfolded it and super glued a strip of sand paper around the unfolded end. I know, i messed up on the front shin strips, i glued the left leg and cut it short because it would be covered by the knee plate and then when i went to glue the other shin, i looked at the first as a reference and ended up cutting the other too shot.... thats what you get for working on it for hours on end and are up at 3 in the morning trying to do it lol Lastly there are some small gaps in the end parts at one end or another, is there a way to fix this?

Oh, well thanks but i'm already taken care of rogue. I went with some ATA armor

lol, this is just too awesome.

Well, I can't see it too much in the your pics, but i think on the pics I put up, it seems like it made it look a little better than it did. I like the look of the strip in a tier pattern on the ridge instead of the strip covering the whole ridge exactly, but to me it just seemed too wide.

Well, after a good 30 some odd hours of work so far on this project..... I am very disappointed in myself, but i feel I must show my failure. This is the result of my very first gluing, thankfully it is also the only one i have done so far, I have already ripped it down before it cured any more. While it may look ok to the average Joe, I do plan on going after EIB as well and this will just not do, I know that much. I had used a template and measured from the outside of the ride instead of putting it inside. I used very capable tools, i had 2 strong clamps at each end and 4 sets of magnets holding it down, so it wasn't because of lack of clamping ability. I guess its back to getting it right this time.... hopefully or am I just over reacting to this? lol, I just think the gabs on the sides are a little too wide, what do ya'll think?

Thanks Gos, you're really helping me out a lot, and you have yours done, so you're still more experienced than me, and i'll take all i can get lol and that fit i did just to show how much my back piece overlaps, i got on thin shorts and a work out shirt, so its fairly close, just isn't a compression suit or anything.

Ok, and is it ok to glue and or heat on top of the paint, or do i need to do that before the paint? and here's a few more pics of the final trimming, but in the last pic, you'll see how much the ab plate and the back piece overlap, so is it ok to cut down the back and ab sides that much, or do I need to just leave it like it is and pack it with foam to shim it out? lol

Ok, I'll work on it, but now i have another problem lol, for sizing the calfs and thighs, I made a paper template and made some lines on the outside and just did a close trim to it and it doesn't fit all that well, but if i squeeze the front and the back in, then they line up better, is this how it should be? or should they just fit together just by putting them side by side?

Well, i'm skinny so it might not even rub on the inside of the bicep until i lift my arm up lol, but I'll see how it goes, can always do minor sanding later, and what do y'all think of the lines on the back of the helmet as a finished line, not just a trim line. Think it should be a little more? and also, it looks like I need to trim about 2 1/2 inches off each side of the lower back piece to make it a bit more snug.... is that ok? I have about a 30 inch waist.