hdtheater

I have had it happen to me only once. I knew they were very brittle and it happens when not careful. Here is a couple things I do to keep them from breaking: For my work bench, I have a sheet of cardboard taped down in case I drop them I use the rubber washers when I am stacking them back together. I keep a metal ruler near my work area and as I peel off the magnets I put them on that to keep the magnets form slamming into each other or flying all over the place. -Eric

I spent a little more time on my build today and moved him into my office to keep R2 company. The only real differences are things you really can't see. In order to get his boots on, I had to cut his feet and he then leaned forward too much. In order to straighten him up, I riveted on a metal plate to his foot to keep him from leaning. The other change is that I stuffed his body suit with some padding to help fill out the armor a little better. If the Troopers were built like my mannequin, the rebellion would have crushed them rather quickly. The build is mostly done. I still need to get a neck seal, a holster, and a blaster. When I get the blaster, I am going to redo his hands so he can hold the blaster. Other than that, I am considering him done! Thanks for looking! -Eric

I forgot to take pictures of the biceps being made, but we have seen plenty of that before. Here are the forearms. and then on the mannequin. I just need to adjust a few things and he will be all good. Thanks for looking. -Eric

I have been working hard on getting this guy done. I was able to get my thighs finished the other day. I got the shoulder bells done too. Currently working on biceps and forearms. Should have some progress to post on those tomorrow. -Eric

You can get the pin striping tape at any auto supplier. I used it on mine. I am sure a sharpie could work, but I would be concerned that it would not cover to well and you would need to make multiple passes to get the coverage you need. I have seen others paint the black on first and then cover with gray. -Eric

More assembly and rare earth magnet goodness! Thanks for looking! -Eric

I am making some good progress on my build. I got all the snaps installed on my ab, back, and butt plates. And started on my shoulder bells. I have to admit I am a rare earth magnet nerd. I use them everywhere I can. Thanks for looking. -Eric

It may not look like much, but I did get a lot done this weekend. I worked on my straps to hold the ab, back and butt plates together. After the e6000 sets up, I will get the other side done as well. Also, as I waited for e6000 to set, I drilled a hole in the bottom of my TKBoots for the rod of the mannequin to fit through. While I had it all apart, I went ahead and drilled the holes in my Imperial Logo Base Plate and mounted him to it as well.

My garage has been taking all my attention. I need to clean it all up before I break my neck out there. I was able to get some pants for my trooper tonight. These are thermal pants from Dick's Sporting Goods. My TK Boots came in too. Also, I ordered some snaps from Tandy to hold everything together. I had velcro, but decided to go with snaps. I think the glue on the velcro will eventually give out. I got the front of the shins done too. I still need to fit them in the back and mark for a cut before I finish them. I should be able to get that done while I wait for my snaps to get here. Thanks for looking. -Eric

I am going to place my order for the snaps from Tandy. I'll have to see the difference in price before I decide on what tool to use. In the mean time, while I was browsing on their site I saw this: ---------- Anyone ever use one of these to secure the thermal detonator? -Eric

I saw the punch and anvil looking thing on the Tandy web site, and said there has to be an easier way. Do you know if the Vario Pliers come in different sizes and is there a rating or anything I need to look for? Thanks, -Eric

I am trying to find a good place to buy some snaps for my armor. My kit came with Velcro, but my fear is that the glue will fail. I checked my local Hobby Lobby and they wanted $7 for 5 snaps. I would like to think there are cheaper places to get them. Thanks Eric

I got my shoulder straps glued on nicely. I got a little e6000 on the finish pieces and got it cleaned off. Thanks to those that posted in my other thread for the advice to keep it clean. I did have to move them up a little higher than I had expected and some of the area that I sanded is now exposed. I have some polishing compound that I am going to use to try and get the shine back. Anybody have any pointers or different approaches to share? Thanks, Eric

Thanks for all the comments! I am really happy with how it turned out. I carved with a CNC router. This one measures about 24" in diameter. I can scale it down for helmet bases as well. Maybe I should inquire about the rules of making them available to other members. -Eric

I glued my shoulder straps to my chest plate today and to keep my mind off wanting to mess with it, I worked on a base for my mannequin to stand on. I carved it out of 3/4" MDF and then painted. I'll mount the rod that goes into the foot of my trooper to it and then he'll stand on top of it. I had seen it in numerous photos of others armor and wanted to do it for mine. Thanks for looking Eric

Thanks! I will use patience and wait for it to harden to the point where I can clean it off. I made the mistake and tried to wipe it up while it was still wet. It may require a little more work to get it off since it is thinner.

I will wait and trim my nails tomorrow. So no chemicals should be used to wipe it up while it is still wet? -Eric

Anyone have any tips about how to cleanup e6000? I have a little smeared in a visible space that I need to clean up. Thanks, Eric

It has been almost a year since I started my build thread, but its not that I have not been busy. I just finished building an R2 and am now ready to get back to my Trooper. I decided not to make my suit wearable. I am 6'5" and just didn't think I could make it work. After my Trooper, maybe I'll do a Vader. I picked up a mannequin for display. For an undersuit I picked up a cheap Under Armor knockoff. I decided to pick back up my build by starting with the chest plate. I marked where the should straps would go and and taped off the area so I can sand it without marring up the rest of the surface. Then I did a heat bend on the shoulder straps to conform to the shoulders on the mannequin. This being the first thing that I bent, I decided to practice on some of the large scrap pieces I had to gauge the time it took to get a proper bend. I found that laying the gun down and using my hands to shape the piece worked the best. I had read on some other build threads, about beefing up the tips of the straps by gluing in some inserts to flatten them so they don't get crushed when gluing them to the chest plate. I cut some scrap off my left over pieces and sanded them down too. Then, I glued them into my shoulder straps and taped them to stay at the right depth. After the glue sets up on those, I will glue them to the chest plate using E6000. Here is a picture of me and R2. Thanks, Eric

If you can wait 48 hours, you should be safe to not do any heavy handling. The rattle cans take much longer to cure than multi-stage paints that you have to mix. The rule of thumb, I always use is to find an inconspicuous place and push a finger nail into it. If it leaves a dent, be careful. What you really have to be careful about when handling is leaving finger prints in the paint if it is still soft.

I think it comes down to how serious the collector is. The prices you are quoting are out of my price range for what I was willing to spend on a mannequin, but I am just looking for something to sit my office with my R2D2. If I had a bigger room and a fatter wallet, I could afford to be more particular about the type of mannequin I want. For what I want the links that were posted here meet my needs and budget. Eric

Thanks for the responses! I can see that I am not going to find exactly what I am looking for at a price I can afford, but with a few mods it will do the job nicely. Thanks again, Eric

I like that one. Other than the elbows did you find that you needed to add padding anywhere else to fit the armor to it? Eric

I had researched the duct tape mannequin and like the idea, but got concerned about making hands and the fact that I have to find someone the right height! In addition to needing one for display, I would also be fitting the armor specific to that mannequin. I am hoping someone on the board can reccomend a particular one that works perfectly for a Stormtrooper. Eric

I picked up some armor about a year ago and am now getting to a place where I can actually put it altogether. To date, I have trimmed all the armor and assembled the helmet and the shins. However, I am 6'5" and 240 pounds and I just don't think this would ever look right on me. I want to get a mannequin and fit the armor for it so it looks right when on display. Can anyone recommend a mannequin that is well suited for a Stormtrooper? As far as something wearable, I think I am going to switch to a Vader or Chewbacca costume. Thanks, Eric