gazmosis

Awesome armor! Making it look great!!

Those look like and assemble just like RS Props. Hmmmmm

note to self: black head, self tapping screws

Great looking build!!! That Kidney plate is tall! I've never seen one that tall....anyhooooo....... Three things I notice that you might want to address. If you are gonna keep the counter on your blaster, it needs to be moved forward. secondly, is the retaining strap location on the holster. It should be mounted in a central location rather than on the far edge. Third thing was the hardware you used to attach the clips to your Therm Det. I thought those needed to be nuts and bolts rather than rivets. Let's see what the boss has to say! Good luck my man!!!

awesome!! Pauls stuff is always top notch!

Keep in mind that you will not be wearing the armor as is. You will need to do significant trimming to all parts to get it to fit you. This will change the appearance of the parts as you have them now. The one pic that you have of the bicep curving in towards the middle, that may go away completely after you trim the parts to fit your arms. You can also trim away quite a bit of that return edge. This should be about 1/4 - 3/8 inch. I think you have the wrong thigh on the wrong leg thus the power pack is on the wrong thigh. Each thigh has a side that is higher side ( the outside of the thigh) and a side that swoops down in a curve to accommodate the cup of the cod.

In regard to your split rivets, just make sure you get 8MM heads and the rivet shaft itself is around 7/16 (just around 1/2" inch) Don't go too crazy on suspenders. You can buy cheap ones off ebay or even make a set from nylon webbing.

Well done, Barry. When you have pics of it installed, post them!!

15 MM on the arms, 20 MM on the leg fronts 25 ish MM on the rear of the legs. Have him also cut you a 7 MM and a 10MM. Use these as your straightedge cut line markers on the raised areas that the cover strips sit on. This way you will be assured that your raised area will be the same as your cover strip...no measuring necessary!!

You will need to knock the shine down and remove any waxes with acetone or paint thinner. Most hobby stores carry leather paint (Michael's in the Chicago area) and this dabbed with a sponge, will you the look you seek

I have done comparrisons with ATA next to RS Props and RS is a TAD bigger, but the RS in these shots looks like it could fit INTO the SDS. The SDS just looks wrong

People constantly ask me what they should use to keep their lenses from fogging up. Commercial "anti-fog" lens sprays for swimming goggles don't really seem to work too well. Hacking up a good loogie into your helmet like you would into swim goggles or a diving mask is impractical and well just gross.. I just read something on Facebook regarding the 3000 uses for WD-40 and one of them was "to keep your bathroom mirror from fogging". Has anyone tried if for "keeping the lenses in your Stormtrooper helmet from fogging"? I have always used a mixture of dishsoap diluted 1 part dishsoap to 10 parts water. just dip the tip of your finger, wipe on then buff with a tissue. What are you using???

It looks significantly different. Most all accurate helmets (AP, ATA, TE2, RS Props) are all 4 piece design (face, cap-n-back, 2 "ear" seam covers) These helmets are a 5 piece with the top cap being separate from the front and back. The ear situation with these helmets is a huge issue. The molds have yet to be adjusted to allow the ears to be installed to their proper height. Not only does this look incorrect, it could actually prevent a trooper from receiving EIB or Centurion.

http://www.weberspump.com/ go to "products" , then click where they tell you to enter, find themnu on the left and go to "window ad glass rubber" click on that R102 is the "s" trim it shows a pic

Well done! I agree with Echo on scaling back on the return edge on the biceps. Keep up the awesome work!

The t-shirt method is easy......a piece of heavy t-shirt soaked with superglue. Watch the fumes, though! This has stopped many a crack!

Use the same thinner as the brand of paint you are using. It won't harm the plastic. One other thing I noticed are the metal clips on you detonator should almost be touching the outer caps. Yours are a bit too centered. Just take your time painting the black outlines and details on your helmet. There is a big difference between the "hand painted look" and a total mess.

Truthfully, that is not really enough gap to affect status reports. Look at some of the centurion or rib submission pics to get an example of how other troopers trimmed up their thigh backs

You have a couple options. Leave it, or You can trim it up a bit to prevent pinching, or if there is any wiggle room, take a little more off the middle seam to bring that gap together.

Welcome to joys of armor building! First, have you fit them properly to you? If so, just trim the tall half to match the other. If you have the experience (or the confidence) you can create a return edge by gently heating just the edge with a hobby iron or if you are REALLY gutsy....a propane torch. Only do this, though if you have done something like this before or you have practiced on scrap plastic

*shudder*

Yes your biceps are paired up correctly. The shoulder bells seem a bit tall to me. You could probably stand to take a little off of those.

The 501st does not size discriminate. If you are a bigger trooper and want to be a TK , more than likely you are gonna have a side shim or a gap. Only the troopers that care about ultimate accuracy are really concerned about that. Most just want to get out there and TROOP!!!!!

Watch that right thigh....the outside half will be longer at both the top and the bottom. The bottom is hidden by the power pack but the top might need some attention if you so choose. Some leave it....I couldn't. Anyway, A lot of the finish strip ridges are not totally straight. Trace your cut lines with a straight edge. This is true on almost every clamshell piece. Watch for the front of the right bicep at the seam......the outside half will be considerable taller that the inside. IT's supposed to be like that. Here is the promo shot...look at the top of the right bicepGood luck and have fun!!