Rich330

A bit like this original hemlet, you mean?

Yeah, that'd do it!

Makes sense.

Very nice, mate! This PVC should come with a glare warning: do not look directly at the shiny PVC without sun glasses!

Is the new ab button plate standard issue on current and open orders?

It's not even AP armour. The thread is tagged wrong.

Out of all the 4 different types of armour (AP, TM, RS & CfO) I have built it is by far the most difficult to build - thick plastic and parts which do not match up well. The end result is also the least pleasing and farthest removed from the on-screen armour it is meant to replicate. The moulds seem to have been reworked quite drastically, presumably to make the limb parts more roomy and cater for larger builds. As a result, the leg parts are far removed from the original shape. Compare AP to other armour with the same lineage (TE, TE2, ATA, SDS) and you will notice that the tops of the thighs look oddly wide and rounded, far removed from the sharp lines of the original suits. --------

Ah yes, Paul commented in another thread that he's developed a way of shaping them so that you can still see OK. The dog's danglies!

Sorry, mate. They looked flat in the photos. How's the vision? Did Paul make them?

The parts will probably have been shortened to allow the performers to dance I should think. So, have you got all the moves down yet, Mark?

On thinner parts I have had good results with a normal hair dryer. Needs a bit of patience but it makes sure that you heat gently and slowly. Better than melting stuff out of all recognition.

Congratulations on a cool score, Mark. My first impression is that the shoulder bells might be a good option for casting additional parts. I'm not convinced that the other limb parts will be of much use. In the photos, they all look as if they have been radically shortened. I hope I'm wrong, it would be nice if you could add some parts from it. I suppose you could always cast and re-sculpt to the correct length if need be. Good luck.

Very nice project, well done. Although it's a slight sacrifice on accuracy, it was sensible to put flat lenses in for trooping.

Please don't do this! You've got a highly accurate replica suit in your hands. In my opinion this kind of thing will ruin the armour. It's the most practical and easy design I have come across to date. Velcro is pants. Look at as many reference pictures of original suits as you can and recreate the look. Look for the Lucasfilm archive pictures on this site. Joey's suit was built by TM and is also a good reference but there's no substitute for the real thing. Arms 15mm, legs 20mm - these measurements are a good rough guide. The originals varied and you can vary yours as you see fit. The strips on original suits often weren't particularly straight and were noticeably wider at one end. Neatness will not necessarily get you the most authentic look. Look at as many reference pictures of original suits as you can and recreate the look. Look for the Lucasfilm archive pictures on this site. You will probably find evidence and combinations of all of the above, sometimes within one suit. In my experience (2 TM builds) no. It is a perfectly engineered scratch-designed suit which has all the curves in the right places and fits together perfectly.

Saw this on facebook. No doubt it will be very useful for many. I didn't have any problems with my build. The natural lines of the thighs of the original suit all seemed pretty clear to me.

I see the first photo of the original only, then the photobucket logo.

Sounds like you might have to offer two versions! I'm no expert but having seen pictures of Joe's old helmet, I tend to think the helmets were all super smooth and the bumpiness is some kind of wear on the moulds. ANH helmets certainly had their bumps but I think the ROTJ cast looks like it turned out smooth.

Cool. I just wasn't sure whether we were looking at a cast of a bumpy original helmet.

Helmet and material look great. Is the uneven texture on the tubes in the moulds or is it a rough pull? Joe's helmet is super smooth in comparison.

I tried to follow the natural line as much as possible. With these I find that they need to be cut with a steep arc. The U-shaped bits at the sides which cover the ankles swoop down low, but at the front and the back the cut goes quite high, so they look long but fit nice and low over your boots. If you don't cut the steep swoop, they'll be left too long I think. I know you always trimmed a bit off the bottoms on your TM so you might have to do the same on these for comfort. From memory they are pretty much the same length along the finishing strips.

Cheers, mate. It was a lot of fun to build. No need for adjustments. If you build the RS the same way as the originals, it simply is a stormtrooper!

Thanks, man. It will. And I'm sure we'll find a good home for this lovely set of armour too.

Thank you, Mathias. I enjoyed the build and I think I did a good job. I'm having a total clear out and am selling all my stormtrooper armour.

... and this little lot if now for sale (details here: http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=18252&hl=&fromsearch=1)

With the excpetion of the thermal detonator, my build is complete ...