dougefresh

Now *that's* what I'm talking about. I had Peter's Flickr set open the whole time I was puttin' my kit together. Enormously helpful-- can't say enough good stuff about it. For the snap tabs, I used styrene scraps I cut from sheets bought at a model railroading store-- they were pretty flexible, so slapping some clamps on 'em was enough pressure to get them to flex right into the curves of the armor. I didn't use a heat gun on anything except the bottom of one my ear pieces that wanted to fly away. The heat gun scares me.

I used the setter/anvil thing that came with the snaps. There's something gratifying about smashing the crap out of stuff with a hammer. Typically you want to use a heat gun, but you could probably substitute a hair dyer. Just be *careful*. I would recommend heating the scraps well away from your armor and then press 'em into the armor once they're heated. It's not super difficult to use a heat gun, but it can have pretty catastrophic results if you get too aggressive with it.

I really shouldn't be beating you to anything while I'm at the office But I've hit the wall with a Flash project I'm workin' on, so I'm takin' a breather. Lemme know if my answer made sense, Ray. If not, I can squander some more valuable company time and find ya' some pictures.

Drill a hole in the little ABS/Styrene scraps, put your male snaps in and above the hole, then use the pliers or hammer/anvil to join the snap. This is true for the Tandy line 24 snaps, anyway. Both the male and female portion of the snap will begin as two separate pieces... you have to use the pliers/hammer to close 'em.

Thanks Smitty, thanks Clay! I'll post more pics this week, or over the weekend, after I've fixed some more stuff. It never ends, does it?

I gotta agree with Smitty -- I'm 5'11" and 150lbs, soaking wet, with shoes on, and a roll of quarters in my pocket. My GF/AP fits me great... in fact, I need to trim it just a bit. You're lucky enough to have the same dimensions as most of the troopers in the films, so any of the suits Smitty mentioned will have you lookin' like the real deal. TM would fit you too.

People who do know me are certain of it. (or something very similar)

You can also get 'em direct from the Tandy website, and I found some vendors on eBay who had them in bulk for really reasonable prices.

I know I'm just ridiculously, embarrassingly behind on this one, but this truly is the OMG thread. Mike-- as always, your work makes me wish I could transplant your brain into my head whenever I work on my stuff. You are THE MAN. I think it's so cool that you, Tony, Smitty, Chris and Kevin all pitched in like ya' did. What a great buch of guys! And Kevin-- you are spoiled ROTTEN, my friend. That's an AWESOME lookin' bucket you have now, with an even better story behind it!

I just returned from being MIA myself, Josh. I think you'll find everyone really eager to welcome you back. Good to see ya!

Thanks, Paul! Cheers! Cheers to you as well, Kevin! I went for Elite mostly because I wanted a kit that didn't feel like it was going to fall off at any given moment. Yeah, I wanted to look more like the guys in the movies I loved so much when I was a kid, but my deciding factor on going Elite was getting a decent strapping system. A year and a half ago, I went as a TK to a Make-A-Wish event in a set of fleaBay FX that was literally held together with duct-tape in places. I had a blast, but I remember having to be pretty paranoid all night, constantly looking behind me to see if a body part had fallen off. As it turns out, I was droppin' plastic like little breadcrumbs all over the city . I think the event hall, the sidewalk, and a bar in downtown Denver inherited a drop box, an ear rank cap, and a hand-plate. Afterwards, the crew I was with made the genius decision to hit the bars in full SW finery, and inside of 5 minutes, I had about a dozen people clammoring to buy me shots... "let's get the stormtrooper wasted!" It was pretty hilarious... until it dawned on me that all the booze meant I was gonna' need to hit the head. Let's just say it was a race against the clock in the men's room. I could hear the theme from "Jeopardy!" playing in my skull at 6,000 decibels. I squeaked in just under the wire, but I'm not gonna lie to ya'-- it was a tense couple of minutes. So this time around, my main goal was to prevent having ABS leprosy again, and to make everything solid and comfortable to wear, so I could troop and not worry about it. If for no other reason, I would encourage everyone to go the Elite route just to get their strapping like the film suits. It's SO much easier to put on, take off, and move around in now. It's still virtually impossible to bend at the waist, but you can run around and go up stairs and stuff like that, no problem. And trust me, the anxiety you'll be spared during bathroom visits alone is more than worth it. But I gotta admit, all practicality aside -- seeing the little "ANH Elite" tag by my name is pretty bitchin'... and it's cool to hear my friends say, "Dude! You look just like the movie!" and know they're not completely full of it.

Thanks, Thayne and Terrell! I'm just followin' in the footsteps of the guys like you who did it before me. I'm not particularly gifted when it comes to hands-on stuff like armor building, so I leaned *really* heavily on all the great resources throughout the board. I had FISD threads running on my laptop the whole time I was hackin' away, constantly checking to make sure I wasn't screwing anything up. Hot corn, there's a lot of bass players in this place! I wonder what's goin' on with our collective psychological makeup that has us so disproportionately over-represented here. Don't drummers and singers and guitarists want to dress up in spandex and pretend like they live in outer space? C'mon now-- I've seen a Queen video. I've seen David Lee Roth. I know it's not just us. I do think it would be fun to line us all up in TK regalia with our basses. It would be awesome to see a column of white plug in and do some damage to some subs. Just a big 30hz rumble, shaking the lenses out of everybody's helmets.

Thanks, Tony! Are you goin' to the MHS MDA troop comin' up? I'm trying really hard to make it happen with my schedule... it'd be great to meet you!

Lord knows I've got a lot of love for Mr. Lucas, but that dude's the KING of revisionist history. But I suppose he's entitled to, being that everyone's opinions and memories change over time. I have trouble even conceptualizing Bea Arthur and singing in the same thought, let alone Bea Arthur singing Star Wars music. The mind reels. I can't imagine John Williams was too happy about having his composition bleated out by the frighteningly mannish Golden Girl either. Seriously -- I think I saw an Adam's Apple the size of a baseball. Who's that broad think "she's" kidding?

Once again, I'm floored by the ingenuity of the people on this board. "Don'tt have the part? No problem! I'll make my own, using pennies and a turkey baster." It's like the A-Team. Seriously, if we all quit messing around with plastic and put our heads together, we could build an artificial heart out of dishwasher parts or somethin'. There's a bunch of MacGuyver's here. We need to start a stormtrooper brain trust. Looks sweet, Colin!

Smitty, the old guy's Art Carney. He was Norton on "The Honeymooners". Oh man... I *vaguely* remember seeing this, and have "better" recollection of the equally unholy Ewok Adventure when I was a little kid. Sometimes, late at night, when I'm at my most lonely and vulnerable, I see these images dancing in front of my eyes, accompanied by the screeching, nightmarish strains of "What Can You Get A Wookie For Christmas (When He Already Owns A Comb?)" Even as a wee tyke, I knew I had just witnessed something deeply, profoundly WRONG. I felt like Anne Frank-- watching as my childhood was systematically ripped away and defiled under the jackboots of unmitigated, insensate evil. Why, George? Why? Yuck. I need a shower.

Holy Smokes!!! For real? I'm in?!? That's awesome! I was just hoping to get a decent looking kit together, and was honestly expecting to get about a zillion fixes, so this is fantastic!!! Thanks, guys!!!!!!! Now I can start vacuuming up plastic shavings, and trying to disguise the blob of CA glue that's congealing in the carpet of my extra bedroom! It looks like a bomb went off in my house-- bits of elastic, bent snaps, broken rivets, ABS strips... total carnage. DI-SAS-TER. But I'm sure my landlord will let it slide and gimme back my security deposit now that I'm a member of such a prestigious fighting force. Makin' a list: Sandeman-- Yup, you're on the money; I need to trim the back of the thigh, for sure. It usually lines up a little better (I velcro'd the backs) but re-examing the photos, I need to get those to line up nicer. I'm on it. And I also agree that my strapping could be tightened up-- I plan on lowering the biceps a touch, adding another snap to the connection between the chest and back to bring the back closer to my body, and another snap to the thigh garters as well; seems like they ride a little low. Garth: Do you think I can fix up the ammo belt on the thigh by rotating it downward on the rivet a bit, or do you think I should pry it off and drill new holes? Scott-- Again, re-looking at the photos, it does seem like my belt is butting up too closely to the ab buttons, huh? Hmm... this one might be a little more tricky since I have the male snaps hammered down in the ab plate already. Anyone know a good way to pry those things out, without scratching the bejeezus out of the plastic... or maybe just new female snaps in the canvas belt? That's probably the way to go, huh? Jeez.. I'm actually a little stunned I passed. But now that I did, I also think I'm going to take at least an inch out of the thigh diameter... I have *horrendously* stringy chicken legs, so I'm gonna take those babies in a ton. I'm swimming in those things, even with a couple strips of foam... and my drop-boxes keep getting snagged on 'em when I walk around. Nothing inspires fear in the rebellion like constantly fishing around for fallen items near your crotch. I'll fix those things up shortly, and post new pics. Ah yes, another evening of looking like an idiot-- hitting the timer on the camera, running to the corner, and then frantically trying to straighten everything out like a moron before the flash goes off. Aww yeah. "What's up, ladies?" Now, I'm off to the lower hanger to pistol-whip some desert sissy with feathered hair and a weird karate gei thing that makes him look like he just got fired from the renaissance festival. Punk. The pirate and the big, hairy monkey-bear thing might be trouble though. Who's got my back? Scott?

I read that same article a while back, Mike. It prompted to me to post a topic about using Clear Coat on ABS. I've been thinkin' about setting my armor up on a Mannequin at work for a while now, but I read this kinda thing, and I get all paranoid and put it back in the nice, dark rubbermaid tub when I'm not wearin' it. Then again, I doubt the fluorescent lighting in the office gives off a whole lot of UV Rays... hence my chalky, pasty, computer tan. I believe the technical term is "Fish Belly White".

I thought ya' might dig the bass, being that it's gemacht im Deutschland. I'm not 100% postive about the armor & bucket's background, to be honest-- I bought it a little more than a year ago, when I didn't know the different armor makes very well -- but I'm inclined to believe it's a GF, or at least has some lineage to GF... the narrower, "pin-head" cap and the goofy right calf leads me to think so, anyway. To be totally truthful, I really like the armor, but I'm not the biggest fan of the bucket. I have an AP lid, which I like better, but the ABS is a lot bluer, so I can't mix n' match. All in all, I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out, but I think I'll be saving my pennies for a full AP, TE2, or TM suit. (Depending on how much Uncle Sam gives me for a tax return. ) The pointy-head cap kinda' bugs me. Don't mean to step on anybody's toes, it's just not my favorite. Plus, now that I have a little more experience, I'd like to try the butt-and-strip method instead of using the ROTJ overlaps... and every time I see a TM suit, I just flat-out, straight-up covet the thing. So cool!

Hey, Robert. The Elite Requirements are listed on their own page on the board and list quite a few (if not all) of the differences between the three versions. I'm certainly not as knowledgeable as some of the guys on the board, but here are some of the things I pick out: ANH-- Holster on the left, attached behind the belt. Troopers are all left handed. Gray frown or teeth, with the gray paint not coming in contact with the "lips". "Swoops" in the shoulder bells. (mirrored on both arms) Hengstler counter attached to the blaster. (the little funky box on the side, by the magazine) "T" handplates -- usually. ANH Hero-- Lower brow trim on the helmet. Gray bubble lenses. Three teeth on each side of the frown, with narrower gray paint. Luke -- has a grappling hook instead of a TD/O2 cannister. (the little St. Bernard barrel thing on the back of the belt. ) Helmet made from ABS in the films. ANH Stunt-- Higher brow trim (typically) Green, flat lenses Helmet made from khaki HDPE, painted white, in the films. Four teeth on either side of the frown -- on most helmets. Mike will beat me up if I don't mention the ultra cool "funky" tooth on some of them. Paint on the frown extends a little wider. Typically, there's more "flash" around the eyes. ESB- Frown is painted black, Eyes trimmed out more than ANH helmets. Troopers mysteriously become right-handed. Holster on right side of belt, attached by visible loops. Some blasters lack the Hengstler counter. Different "clamshell" handplates. Slightly different decals on helmet. ROTJ- Helmet is much thinner... looks "squished" compared to ANH/ESB helmets. (they recast an old helmet, and I think it partially collapsed.) Thinner "ears". Black frown, covers entire "mouth" area. Green bubble lenses. Troopers switch back to being left-handed, but holster is hung from loops off the belt. Shoulder bells look much more pinched. Extruded "trim" has been added to most of the edges of the armor. Abdomen buttons are flipped vertically, and have a different paint scheme. Smaller ab buttons aren't painted at all. Clamshell handplates. The blaster has a different scope, I think, as well as "greeblies" glues on the side-- hammers from other guns... right? Blasters also have a different sight on the front, and another D-Ring, at the front of the barrel. I'm sure I missed a TON of the more nuanced stuff, but that's what I've learned from the other troopers here. The really hard-core guys will add a bunch, I'm sure. There's an awesome comparison section on StarWarsHelmets.com that does a great job of illustrating the subtleties. I highly recommend it.

Looking good, Tim! Stukatrooper knows what he's talkin' about. Check out his AP build thread on Flickr. I referenced it *constantly* when I was building my armor. So if he says no one will notice, no one will notice. Thanks for posting your progress -- it's really fun to watch these things come together.

After seeing so many of the great Elite trooper threads recently, I got inspired to get my gear in order and take a shot at it. I just got accepted to the 501st a week or so ago, so please feel free to let me know anything I missed, or items that could be improved upon. Thanks in advance for your help and consideration, guys! I really appreciate it! Front: Back: (oops! my right shoulder strap got caught on the back plate!-- proves they're free-floating, though! ) Right: Left: Right Side (no gap): (if you listen carefully, you can hear me wheezing as I suck in my gut) Left Side (no gap): (nothin' sadder than a skinny dude with a pooch. Ugh-- built like Andy Dick. It's a curse, I tell ya'. ) Blaster: (thanks, Chris!) D-Ring: Hengstler: Holster, Belt and Detonator: (featuring Bernard's awesome holster, and firebladejedi's equally rockin' belt) Green Lenses: (using little LED flashlight) Hovi's: Helmet Interior: Neck Seal: Frown: Ab Buttons: Action Shot: Gratuitous Action Shot: (only cuz R2Dan made it look so fun! ) Whattaya think, fellas? or Thanks to everyone on the board for posting so many helpful pics, build threads, and tutorials! HUGE thanks to Scott, Cal and Tray in the Mighty Mountain Garrison for all the ace advice! You guys are the BOMB!!!

Nice goin', Brian!

Workin' on it. Watching all the recent Elite threads has gotten me inspired to make a run at it too, hopefully next week... although, unlike Dan I won't have a BAD A** R2-D2 in the background of my photos. That thing is AMAZING!

Yay! Another bass player! I dig the Rick too! I'm a Warwick guy myself, but I'd love to have one of those. The armor is lookin' outstanding-- definitely has me motivated to get mine into Elite shape as well!