Rich330

I have observed something interesting on my latex handguards (Karin's version 2). I have painted them with what I presume is acrylic based fabric paint. In the spots where the paint is chipping away, the latex underneath has turned black. Has anyone else experienced this? Anyone know why this is happening? Some kind of chemical reaction? Interesting phenomenon! ----------- "It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black."

OK, nice one, mate. Photos saved to my file of reference pics!

Yeah, I understood that, Joe. I just wanted to make sure that all the other helmets were indeed what I thought they were, i.e. screen used helmets. In each case, the one with the water mark is the original poster's replica and the other three are screen-used helmets, right?

Thanks for the reference shots, Joe. All good material for my TIE project. Just to make sure I know what I'm looking at; all three helmets which are pictured without a water mark are original screen-used helmets, right?

I've no idea what the KW helmet is but it seems Mike sells decals especially for it: http://members.cox.net/appstronaut/kw_anh.html Looks like an FX face plate with a smaller, more rounded dome.

Great photos. You even managed to comb your hair for the helmt-off shot!

Cheers, mate. Yeah, there's loads of allowance on the TM biceps. They look nicer trimmed down as far as you can get them though, with a nice little taper.

When I asked about them, those in the know referred to them as "tour suits".

Karin, Don't worry. I believe that's Steve's own abbreviation for referring to Obi Wan Kenobi. I don't think he's talking about female hygiene products! Why one earth he'd want to number them, I don't know ....

Absolutely. That's the first thing that got my attention. The shins/calves on my 1mm stuff, in combination with my new chelsea boots, do exactly that. I cut these pieces on my 2mm armour with a big overlap (no closure system) and I find they sit nicely over my ankles. It's probably because of the extra weight too. On my 1mm armour, because I was installing the hooks and elastic, I cut backs of the armour more to the "correct" circumference, i.e. with no extra overlap. Now, if I close them, they ride up just like those in the photo.

You'll always learn a lot from my build threads because A. I'm a boring sod who documents every single step and B. I make so many mistakes along the way! Yes. It's the same set of armour for both versions and the bells are exactly the same with the same elastic. It is a loop of strong black elastic (about 1" in width) which is closed at one end by a female snap. There is a male snap at the top of the thigh armour, on the inside of the seam, to which it connects. The elastic loops over a leather belt I wear over my undersuit. The elastic you can see in the pictures has since been replaced with some more heavy duty stuff. It was a little too flimsy and had started to fray. I learned the method from other people's builds on this forum. One question though: are you building a 2mm or 1mm set of TM armour? If it's 1mm, why not talk to TM about getting a full original style strapping kit? The thigh strapping is largely the same except the elastic loop is thicker, it is sewn closed and is glued into the armour. If it's 2mm armour - with it being a lot heavier - I'd recommend a moe robust system with elastic and snaps.

Karin is great. As are your handguards. Well done, mate!

Sorry, it wasn't the time or the place. Your armour really looks great.

Fair enough. Excuse the off-topic, but nice avatar! Is that the Sotheby's helmet with the patch on the back?

Looks like really nice armour anyway. Whenever I see TE/TE2 armour, I think to myself "AP is the same lineage right? So, what the flipping heck happened to the AP thigh tops?"

Ha ha! My old boss would be proud!

Go as Vader! Seriously, I would just wear underwear underneath, e.g. vest, long johns. If you're making your own undersuit from scratch, you could also start off with a heavier grade of material. But layering is good for keeping warm in general.

It's pretty much all in this picture ...

Cotton is a great naturally occurring material which is soft and comfortable against the skin. However, the breathability of a cloth depends more on the structure of the weave/knit than the base material (yarn). Nowadays there are a lot of high-tech fabrics which are knitted to help convey moisture away from the skin and keep you cool and dry. You will also find that very few of them use cotton. The problem with cotton is that it absorbs moisture. That's why most performance sportswear uses fabrics made of synthetic materials. If you think you are going to get very hot and sweat a lot on a troop, there are better materials available than cotton-based fabrics as these will attract and absorb your sweat.

Just want to chip in here to help avoid a lot of confusion when sourcing fabrics. I hear the name "lycra" tossed around over and over again in reference to a fabric/cloth and unfortunately this is misnomer. A couple of facts: - Lycra is not a fabric or cloth. - The brand name "Lycra" refers to the elastic yarn or "elastane" made by the company DuPont. - You cannot buy "lycra material" (a cloth made up solely of lycra); it does not exist. Lycra is a yarn; no more, no less. Many other chemical companies/yarn producers make eleastic yarn, e.g. Bayer has a product named "Dorlastan". I'm sure most of you in the USA will be also familair with the name "Spandex". Essentialy, it's the same thing. Elastic yarns/elastanes are typically rubber-based. They are combined with other non-elastic yarns (typically cotton, polyamides (nylons) or polyesters etc.) and woven or knitted to form a cloth or fabric with stretch properties. These are typically used in underwear, swimwear and sportswear. And, of course, it's this type of thing you will need for your TK undersuit. The elastic yarn almost always makes up the smallest part of the cloth, typically around 2 - 20%. My undersuit, for example, is made up of 92% cotton and 8% elastane (which just happens to be branded Lycra). So, when sourcing fabric, it's important to know ... - which type of yarn you want to make up the bullk of the fabric (cotton or synthetic fibre yarns or a blend). Don't ask for "lycra material" - that the elastic yarn does not necessarily need to be Lycra. Yes, it is the best known elastic yarn but it is also relatively expensive. Other elastic yarns will do the same job. Happy fabric hunting!

Yes, for example: ----------

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We've got an obsessive, perfectionist tinkerer on our hands .... a man after my own heart!

Oh my!

Coolness in a mould!