Rich330

Ta, mate. Loving being just a good size and shape for one-size-fits all LFL style.

Well done, man. What perseverance!

Shiny! http://youtu.be/HyxWfXNvQPc

I liked Mr. No Stripes too alas but for 501st troops you need them tube stripes. Maybe I should do a full replica of Mr No Stripes for display one day.

Absolutely. I secretly think that's the sole reason the rebels won. Forget Ewoks, forget flipping Jedis .... the rebels just knoew they could always escape by running upstairs!

Farewell, Mr. No Stripes ...

Thin HIPS parts TE lineage. Only any good to anyone with a specific requirement for spare parts and realistically these parts would need some serious reinforcement work before you could really wear them.

Had some spare time this afternoon, so I suited up ANH style for a few quick photos and videos. Still waiting on tube stripe stencils and don't want to risk it free hand so I'm Mr. No. Stripes style at the moment. Also got my holster attached with Chicago screws for the time being as I haven't yet got a full separate belt assembyl for each costume. As soon as I do, I'll attach this with rivets. Armour/costume functioning pretty well though. Mobility is great. Copying the skinny legs from the LFL archives has worked out really well in that respect. No parts clanking around. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXGj_pVHdpY&feature=youtu.be

There is a link to an album with all the LFL stuff on this forum .... here you go, just found the link ... http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=10786 The screen caps are listed there too. Also really useful.

Aber sicher! Long-suffering, loyal fan

I'm glad you can pull the hero helmet in the new plain ABS. It's that little bit more authentic.

Oh no it isn't! The forearms are attached to the biceps at the front. When you lay the two parts out flat or have your arm straight (like the guy in your screen grab), there is no gap because the eleastic strap keeps the parts at the same relative distance (touching / flush / end-to-end). Any time you see any real amount of black it's when the elbow is bent and it's at the back where the elastic is not attached. Obviously you need this gap to open otherwise you wouldn't be able to bend your arms. Other than that you can just only flashes of black at the front/inside the elbow where the forearm is scooped out. A genuine gap is impossible Noah has his beiceps armour and forearm parts separated constantly because they are not attached to each other like they should be. And his biceps (seemingly) are attached to his biceps and are constantly too high. This video should explain what I mean. My bicep and forearm armour parts are connected correctly like the originals ...

Getting the AM chest plate and back armour to look like the originals is going to be very difficult. They are both much too large. Which is why I understand why you use braces.

I don't see it. On the suits which have the strapping intact, the positioning is the same. Compare: The only thing you are seeing I think is the chest plate on some ESB suits flying up due to movement. It looks like some chest plates in ESB were only taped in place or floating free due to damage to the strapping at the front. Either way you look at it, I think the height of the chest and back armour on Noah's is consistent with original suits and he has no need to change that. Both do seem to be floating free though. I would advise attaching them to the respective armour part below to replicate the original connections better. Another thing you could do, Noah ... 1. Connect the forearm armour and the biceps armour with black elastic. 2. Detach any connection you may have between the shoulders and biceps (you seem to have the biceps suspended in a high position) The original suits were connected this way. As a result you don't see any gap between the forearm and biceps as they are held in the same positione relative to each other. The biceps armour either hands on a hook system (see Han ref photos) or drops down to nestle in the inside of your elbow. It shouldn't prevent you from bending your arm because the biceps should be too snug to slip over the elbow. I always leave this free-floating because I don't believe all TKs had the hook system. This assembly covers all the black and gives you a more authentic TK look. Some pictures ... 50mm elastic connecting biceps and forearm armour (replica): Han's hooks (original): Overall stormtrooper arm assembly appearance (original, low biceps/no gaps!): You (biceps held too high, gappy arms! ): Pictures of the original suits are the only visual reference you need! Don't copy other people's mistakes.

I don't understand. These are the same suits, fastened in the same way (apart from those which were damaged and taped). So the positioning of the chest and back is the same. Anyway, the broader point is that the original suits are the only visual reference you need.

Before you take any advice about makign your back and kidney overlap or lowering your chest, take a look at screen grabs of original suits and then decide whether the advice is correct.

Screen accurate is fun to replicate and a lot of the system works really well with the light gauge plastic. I'd even say it was the only way to make sure your armour "behaves" (i.e. flexes and bends) the same way as the originals on the outside. As most of the strapping itself isn't visible though, you can use a more practical/sturdy snaps system. It can make it easier to dismantle your armour and pack it away / travel with it. I'd argue that the most important thing to do is make sure that your internal strapping fastens in the right places. Make sure your connections are positioned in the same areas as the original strapping so that the suit connects in the same way. One important example: connect your back armour to your kidney armour so that these parts align flush and do not overlap. "Here's one (well two) I made earlier ..." Screen accurate ---------

I trooped a 2mm acrylic capped suit many times and loved it. The material has that really nice idealised shiny pure white look that a lot of our audience actually expect a stormtrooper to look like. It's really not that susceptible to cracking, it's just less flexible than the 1.5mm stuff. My suit is still going strong (just now belongs to another member of my Garrison). Durability shouldn't be a factor in your decision. It's all about what it looks like and feels like. The 1.5mm ABS is better for an accurate replica, is lighter-weight and flexible. I find it more comfortable to wear. The current plastic is almost just as shiny too. It is a more ivory colour, more a match for the original suits. Here are some comparison photos ... Handplate with stitching = acrylic capped Handplate without = plain 1.5mm ABS ----- ----

Hi Torben, A couple of useful links ... --------

Another part of the very authentic approach. White solvent-base glue. Be careful with this stuff if you're going to try and copy this method. The solvent will melt your plastic if you're too liberal with it. I haven't got the cojones to risk it so I stuck with E6000 and a thin brushing of white paint over the top to imitate the look of the glue.

Because if your back plate is not connected to the kidney plate and the chest isn't connected to your abdomen armour in the correct places, your armour won't be positioned correctly and you risk various wardrobe malfunctions, e.g. having your back plate overlapping the kidney, which will prevent you from replicating the stormtrooper look properly.

Yours look just like the ones on the RS suit (as I'm sure you know). No doubt Newey is the correct brand for those too. I was quite pleased with the ones I found as a decent looking match. Mine are 15mm (backs) / 16mm (fronts), made by 151 Products Ltd. of Manchester ... Pardon the hijack!

Is this the Luke replica for a certain friend of ours? If so, I'm really looking forward to seeing how you resolve the chest plate strapping issue. Nice to hear that my laziness is screen-accurate! I don't have original Newey sew-in snaps myself but it looks like mine are a very good match visually, so that's cool too. I have it on reasonably good authority that the size is correct too.

Plenty of other tells already.

Thanks for posting this here, Paul. Sadly it's probably inevitable that the best available armour is going to be recast. All you can do is post on the key forums and keep potential buyers informed. Meanwhile here are some great comparison photos. The first shows a genuine TM suit, the second shows a real troopermaster replica costume and the third shows authentic armour created by Paul ....