Defiance7x13

I took the last 4 numbers from my Dog training Mentor's phone # that's been the same since the beginning of time itself. He has treated me like his own son (& sometimes better) since he first took me under his wing over 13 years ago... I thought it was a nice way to honor him & since its for life I will carry it, like his teachings until the end...

Great to have you back on the Job!

only if we can give it a few mods....

Hey Vern, you might have mentioned this before, but are you going to make this kit a nova or nova elite? Or are you sticking with the good old Blackhole Trooper?

That was really awesome! Thanks for sharing.

Good gods that this is sick! Great work, very impressive!

For utility, I say snaps all the way. They only place you will find velcro on or in my armor is to hold fans/battery packs inside my helmet & to help close the calm shell on the back of my shins so they do open when I walk. Though I was to bring together my sides with mod Velcro & elastic of my own design, but that is because I didn't use shims & made the ab and back meet together. But then again I built my suit for trooping not movie accuracy. I tried "velcro" everywhere else early on, and ignored the advice of many, but found it to be the devil. And that was before going on a troop. Btw, If you haven't already you should start yourself a build thread, so its easy to help us follow along and help out when needed. Just a suggestion. Hope this helps.

I can attest to this, I used to wear an under armor shirt under my suit for dog training, and after a couple hits It would always ride up my torso. But it had been longer, I could have just "tucked it in". ---------- Granted I move way more in that suit than I do my TK, limited mobility if a factor of wearing both. And a short under shirt will result in problems. Its not so much a question of if, but when. Sorry not try to de-rail, but most don't understand what I mean when I say "training suit". Please carry on

I picked up a One piece racing suit thinking it would be more convent than two piece under armor. Not so much. Don't get me wrong, having a one piece suit is great until it comes time for the bathroom. Having to take a potty break in armor is bad enough (especially if you been out drinking), but I wouldn't want the added pleasures of being a lady while doing it. I say two piece under-suit all the way. I guess that is unless you cut yourself a flap in the rear like a pair old-timey "prospector long johns". If you want something that will last, but will cost go under armor. You can even pick it up for the type of environment you expect to troop. (Heat gear & Cold gear) And it's so much better than cotton. If you want to get by on the cheap, walmart/k-mart/Big discount department stores should carry something similar to under armor though it might be branded Starter. Though you might have trouble finding if its out of season (football and baseball seasons are the best times to look) On a side note: That's so rad your husband is doing the Vault Dweller! One of my all time fav games! You guys should post those up too when hes done.

That looks so sweet! All this new armor is so impressive, you guys are majorly talented! And I love the choice of ABS.

Im about 6'2" and 200 lbs. I have two AM suits & RT-mod helmet/eFX lid for each build. I can say from experience, you should have room to trim away excess abs and not have need to use shims. It wont looks as movie accurate as some other suits out there, but that just one of the trade offs, and that's not saying you can't take the extra effort and make it look closer too what was scene on the screen if you so desire. The RT-mod is not 100% accurate either, but it not too far off, and looks good on larger troopers. You can also check out the reviews of the eFX(MRCE) helmets, but they do require a fair amount of work for 501st clearance, but it has a larger opening in the bottom than my RT-mod does. If you were order a "lite" AM kit and a RT-Mod helmet kit to assemble that should keep within your budget. Both parties are great to deal with and offer top notch customer service. Just remember to take your time and research until you are happy with your decision. This is just one avenue. In the end its your suit, and a can turn into sizable investment in the long run.

I filed down the return edge on bottom of my shins on both of my suits with some metal files, where the armor closes around my ankle over the boot. I did this after a troop with lots of down time and standing around, and the armor started to bite at my Achilles-tendent something fierce. Once I was finished, unless you turned the shin upside down or did a side by side with a unfinished shin you couldn't tell. That might help some.

Interesting to know that only females rock that costume currently , but its true that Boushh was suppose to be a male. Part of the reason it was an even better cover story for Leia. Thanks for the help everyone! In light of the facts at hand, this changes things a bit. Though now he might decided to stick with Jango.

The "Boushh Builders" And a few questions if anyone knows? My Boss, after seeing my build two suits and hearing about all the adventures ive been having has decided he wants to build his own, but was thinking along the lines of a bounty hunter. Orginally we thought of Jango Fett, but Boushh (he would be the perfect height) just jumped into my head right now and I wouldn't know where to begin. Also does the costume fall under the 501st, or does the RL lay claim to it? Thanks all

How are you storing/keeping your armor between uses? Did that big crack open up when you wore your suit on Halloween? I have 2 sets of AM and I have yet to see or have this problem with either set. And am not the kindest with them while trooping (not to mention, "attention" from the general public). I did get some stress cracks on the return edge on the top of shins of my first suit, but that was after riding a bike, 3 days of heavy use, lots of stairs and most of all before I trimmed the return edge almost completely away, to fit the armor better to my legs. I do however take great care in how the suit is stored, and take great care to make sure no pressure is being applied, too any of the pieces while they rest inside their case. I stated off with a 30 gallon box like this, I got at my local target for about $7. I does the job as far as keeping my armor safe and all my parts together. The only thing I am unable to place in here is my lid. During my first troop I discovered the joys of carry the box full of armor and helmet bag at the same time , to and from my car and the dressing room. I have since upgraded to this 50 gallon Stanley model. I got it at Home Depot for about $60. A little pricey I know, but I can now fit both my suits complete (no lids) into one box if I so chose. Or one complete suit with the Lid included. I guess it is possible you got a bad pull or something happened during shipping. But in the mean time, if you have any scrap abs, just take a few small strips and glue them to the inside of the edge that's cracking. It wont be visible to the public, and you wont have to worry about the crack opening further.

I got my approval today! The suit was cleared by my GML! Now to really get working on it.... But now that this is all done Im going to "Improve" the inside of the lid once my new padding shows up. And on the suggestion of a friend, I have shortened the Therm Det clips and have also blacked them out. I think it looks much better over all now.

Great Job fearless leader!

Well if Congress wants to rip of copy of the original theatrical release from my DVD, I will be willing to hook a brother up. But just for congress and in the name of the greater good of humanity.....

That's so sick man, great job! Maybe one day when I grow up I can have a Boba Fett too!

Im wearing my RT-Mod lid that I got from Rob back in October with my AM suit in that picture. I order the lid complete, so I have had to do very little work to it. I did change the lenses and screen, but that is because I preferred the ones that I had ordered while waiting for delivery, not out of necessity. And I have also added fans. But I was very Impressed with the quality of work and customer service Rob gives. Just be patient with him, as he can be slow to answer emails, but my order was right on time! The decals are a little smaller than you should receive. At my request Rob used a set of old decals from a previous version of his lid, as he was waiting on a order himself to complete mine. I do however hold the correct decals in my hand (that Rob provided to me at no additional charge ), and will apply them when I apply a custom finish to the inside of the lid in the near future. Nothing that is required, just something to reflex my personal style. I didnt have any problems passing clearance with my lid out of the box, and even got a 3 set of screws from Rob to make it FISD expert accepted. Hope this helps

Tweaks made, and final 501 suit Approval pics sent in to my GML, wish me luck....

Inner drop boxes provided by Kwdesigns

So after not being able to see out of my lid during my first troop due to the fog and heat I decided something had to be done! Luckily there is a electronic store near by that isn't Fry's. Behold.... I have hosted these pictures, and made this post all while wearing my helmet and I can still see out!

Living outside the U.K its hard find, let alone touch a Chelsea style boot for anything less than $100.00. And if you order overseas, by the time you figure in exchange and shipping you're almost up too 200 bones. These started out as blemished white TK boots. ----------- I was able to pull together the perfect pair of black "TX" boots for less than I paid for my brand new white TK boots.

Congrats Julie, That's awesome!