gazmosis

I am I wrong to say that it is mostly ROTJ armor?

Diana...just to let you know. If you are going for accuracy, there should not be any gray paint between the teeth on the helmet. Nice job otherwise!!! keep the pics coming!!

ATA all the way!!! You won't be sorry. TK-4510 Mike at trooperbay has an awsome helmet as well.

Well done, Diana. It did pay off.

I would just be afraid to sit and hear..."CRACK!"

If you build it right...it will always be in question. If there is any question about whether or not weapons are allowed at a particular event, it can be brought up before hand to whoever is coordinating the event. It also lies with how the weapoin is handled and displayed. Use your head, use your weapon as it was intended...AS A PROP...and if it ever comes into question, be prepared to explain how it IS ONLY A PROP.

A few scuffs are rights of passage. It will give a little character to the blaster. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

NEGATIVE!!!! NEGATIVE!!! Don't heat shape the ears!! The ears should be trimmed/shaped with care and time. They CAN be trimmed to the point of fitting onto the helmet without pushing them down. A rotary tool with a sanding drum attachment works wonders for this process! It usually takes time to do this right. 1/2-1 mm at a time in different areas. If the ear is touching the helmet in one area but not another, mark with a pencil the area it's touching and slightly trim that away. You will see the gaps in the other areas get smaller. Trimming the front will have an effect on how the back fits as well so constantly looking at both sides is necessary. Here is an example. I made the lines a bit thin so if it's hard to see I am sorry but it shows where I trimmed at the top of the tube and at the bottom. The bottom trimmed away actuall brings the ear closer to the temple area closing that gap.

Depending on where you live will depend on wheather or not you will need cold gear. You really can't touch the stuff for under $50 per piece. It's available at any sports authority or dick's. If you need cold gear, take into consideration your armor build and make your arms with a tad bit more room...especially your biceps. Not much but a little. just make sure to fit your armor with the underclothes on.

What Mathias said

Skater, in your side shot, it almost seems like the kidney has slid under the butt plate. Now, the belt will cover this gap ultimately. Give a little there and you should gain a little up top. In the same shot, it also seems like the back is falling away at the shoulders. Pull that in and I'm sure you'll gain something there as well.

Really...guys? Buttock spillage?

Eib can never just go away. I speak of this because I am in this boat. I worked my butt off(literlaly) for a year just to fit into my armor. I still have just under an inch gap on my sides. I may not get centurion because of this and would understand why. But do I think that I deserve EIB....yes. If EIB was eliminated then I think there would be a lot of disappointed people who worked very hard to acheive what they did.

Ugh!!! I can't in good faith let a brother trooper walk around with something that.....ugh!! Better send it to me...let me deal with it.

Does it offer options?

I think if you compare the overall amount of stormtrooper fans who wear TK and TD just to be part of the 501st to the ones whos attention to detail leads them to EIB and ultimately Centurion, I think you will find that the number of "regular" troopers far outweighs the ones that choose to be "elite". There are those who choose EIB but say "oh, Centurion, shmenturion. This is good enough." I always ask myself at every troop why I see so much FX armor I do because that is what those people chose to do and good for them for doing it!!! If that is what they want out of this experience...so be it. Then there are those who take it to the next level...spending the extra time and $$$ to look like they just came off the set. For that, I think that level of dedication deserves some kind of recognition. Bottom line is that we are all on the same team. If you have incredible armor, believe me, others take notice. The fact that more and more troopers want others to take notice of them says something of their level of dedication. They should be rewarded.

You will have no issues when it comes to accuracy with either armor maker when it comes to the parts themselves. The final level of accuracy is in the details and that is up to the builder. Both armors will require a bit of modeling skills and a LOT of patience. With both armors, any two part pieces (forearms, biceps, thighs, shins) are butt joined meaning the parts meet together and are sealed together with an overlapping strip covering the joint line. "ease" of assembly is not really applicable it's just how comfortable you are with your skills. ALL armor is a challenge. But asking a lot of questions, taking your time, and setting a goal as to how you want your final product to look will yield you something you can be proud of.

reply to quote above.

My blaster is a pvc pipe build and weighs almost nothing. The holster weighs nothing on its own. Really the only time I have EVER holstered my blaster is to carry the DLT-19. Did that once. Not too worried about it.

Both are AWSOME armor. AP tends to run a bit smaller, though. Definately NOT for the larger trooper. If you are a thinner build, then you can choose from both. Both offer ABS but if your desire is to paint your own armor, then ATA offers in styrene as well.

Everyone on these boards should get trooper of the month for enduring my whining about my paint woes as of late. But for all those who chimed in and gave their suggestions...we had success!!! The parts came out beautiful!! In two weeks I will be able to polish them out for even more beauty. A thousand thanks to all!!! I could not have done it without you!

Looks fantastic!!!! All I can say is wow!!!

I would try to remove(carefully) the extra material inside the front sight. Most people do this with a small Dremel bit and it really adds to the realism.

With so many curves and dips I don't know if a decal SHOULD be made.

I mixed equal parts of flat and gloss black testors model paints to acheive the matte finish