snoberg

Off topic, but when are you gonna start pumping out clips again? I am just about done with my first build and would love some.

Well, I have some rubber gloves already that are flocked on the inside, they are good, but they have texture on the palm and fingertip. There HAS to be a smooth glove out there somewhere that isn't some big heavy duty chem glove. I guess by smooth I mean no grippy texture anywhere.

Any word on the gloves? I am interested in buying a pair if they are smooth and rubbery.

Okay I have run into a small issue. Here is the deal. I have been sanding my edges with 80, then with 180 grit sandpaper. This has left them smooth but when these roughened edges rub against my bodysuit, they have started to discolor the edges. I have found that it is doing this with just about anything it rubs against so I am guessing that the edges are still too porous or rough to be picking up fabric coloration like that. How high should I take the grain on the edges to polish them off, and would wet sanding them to a finish help? Thanks in advance!

I can get rare earths at Ace? I have one just up the street.

Browsing around there are a ton of options, what size works best for our applications? I am guessing we don't need anything terribly big. And 10 should do the trick eh? ----- Will these do the trick?

Thanks man, will do!

I am about to get the last part of my kit together (legs) and I saw some awesome rare earth magnet discs people have been using for the finishing strips. Where might I purchase these locally? I can always amazon them, but if I can get them here in town that would be ideal. I have lowes, home depot, menards, ace hardware and the whole gamut of regular stores around here at my disposal. (Minnesota)

I guess with great accuracy comes great... pain, or something, haha. After I finish squeezing a few last bubbles out of my decals I will post some painted pics.

Here is a bit of an update, I have it pieced together, painted my screws white and sprayed the interior with plasti-dip. Troopertim you are a hero with that suggestion, I love the feel of the inside now, I will hand paint more dip around the vents and eyes later. My only concerns are these: 1.) The right ear has a bit of a gap, but I think I just need to get over it, haha. 2.) My brow ended up pretty low. I wanted a low brow but this one is approaching a dangerous level. 3.) Vents, a little wider maybe? they look good to me but I don't have an eye for it quite yet. 4.) My head struggles to get in this thing, I don't know if this is cause I have a massive melon or what, but after i put a face mask on and trim the bottom lip its gonna be a chore every time put it on. Maybe trim the bottom a bit? Let me know what you think, I will be painting for while

You got it. Is there a way for me to order the padding you have in your helmet? After lots of searching I think your setup for pads looks the best for me.

I kinda want to coat the inside for a more finished look, and give the thinner parts a little extra strength. The mic tip wells in particular. Thanks for the advice on the lips, I will finish cutting out the eyes and teeth tonight and hopefully have something workable for tomorrow. I know there are a ton of build threads, I am just showing people what I am doing so if I mess something up they can stop me before its too late.

I have started cutting the eyes out, do I have them about right? they need a light sanding still, and the lenses are not secure at all, they were just there for reference. I will start on the teeth in the meantime. (I am really really loving building this... by the way )

Oohh plasti-dip, thats a freaking awesome idea, I didn't know it came in a spray, I am guessing you sprayed prior to trimming the eyes and teeth?

My last thread was getting a little long, if I am spamming the forum please stop me at any point, I wanted to dedicate a separate thread for my stormtrooper hat since my body armor is nearing completion, and this is going to require a bit more attention. My first questions involve trimming, I am wondering if I am supposed to be cutting down the wavy line that follows the ear as seen in this pic And also the edges that flare out here... I am off to the hobby store to get my paint and pinstriping tape, and I am also planning to line the inside with headlining cover. Would it be wise to line the insides after trimming, but prior to assembly? I thought it might get tricky once its all together. Thanks in advance, seeya guys soon.

I am very much a fan of using three rechargeable 3.7v AA sized lithium ion batteries. From what I hear they last even longer and are reusable.

I am at the same stage in my AP kit too, I have accepted that I will need to get a heat gun to give some bend to the belt, knee ammo belt and shoulder straps. I think it is just the fact that these pieces were not initially molded with a curve that makes them difficult to form. I will hopefully be using velcro to attach them to the chest and back pieces, but the actual force of the chest and back will be on the webbing beneath the straps holding them together. Hope that helps.

How loud is the ROM/FX through the hovis with a 9v battery? I am looking at a ROM/FX myself but I was planning on taking it to 12v with a chest speaker, I would freaking love to have it all in the helmet like yours though. I also really love your padding, it is very clean, where did you get it?

I just finished cutting up my upper torso, and I have some questions on the return of these two pieces. Here are some pictures of the upper and lower torso, I just want to make sure I have it right before I attach my webbing and elastic. I have NOT done a final sanding on the edges yet so there may be minor imperfections still, I am just wondering if there is any major trimming to be done still. Thanks! FRONT: BACK:

Well, sorry for even opening my mouth I guess. Back to building my armor...

So I recently ordered some items from: http://www.stormtrooper-costumes.com/ I have heard a lot of talk about how they are a little pricey compared to other vendors with the same item, but I just had a very positive experience with Wayne Bower from the website concerning an order I just made. I only ordered some gloves and without me even having to ask him, he threw in a couple extra pairs for FREE because of the high shipping costs between the UK and USA. I can't speak for everyone, but I was pretty impressed. I just thought this positive light could be shared with you all concerning the operations of this particular website, that is all!

Thanks for the info guys, I have a while til I get my non-latex handguards so I can shop around for a bit.

I am ordering a set of the fancy non-latex Sonnenschein handguards, but I wanted to find a good glove to go with them. I wanted a completely smooth glove with no grippers on the fingers and I stumbled across these... -------- They appear to be lined, and completely smooth and not glossy. Anyone have experience with these? They are only 10 bucks but I thought I would ask anyways,

If I may ask, what is the difference between the dark and light blue ab buttons? Additionally I was planning on getting a set of ab decals from TK4510 here: ---------- Does anyone have experience with these, and do they generally match up with the testors grey for the ears? I am building AP and I am hoping to only have to paint the ears and face grill. I am just really scared to paint perfect circles, haha.

My arms are on hold right now, I had a little trouble getting my last bracer together (came apart at the seam) so while that is resetting I thought I would show you my lower torso, I hope its pretty! Tools of the trade, 3M scratch remover, lighter fluid (for when I am a n00b with epoxy :/), glossy white sealant caulk, 7 minute plastic epoxy, e-6000, CLAMPS!!!, blue tape for everything, knives, sandpaper, pliers, dremel, foam brush Ready for chopping up SNAP Front, all shaped and ready to go, I will do the button panels later Chopping up the back Oh noes, I need a butt! Whew... The start of my connecting system consisting of industrial velcro sewn to 2" elastic You can see where this is going All done, minus the crotch connector. That is it for a couple days, I need a break, haha. I have a heavy duty suspender harness to work into the system, but it has locking claws on the end, not sure how nice that is going to play with the ABS, maybe clip them off and sew velcro onto them? FYI I am opposed to snaps, with the exception of the ones I may add later on for an EIB. Any input would be lovely!