TrooperVenger

Well here's 2 pics of my boots. I don't really have the armor sitting low on the boots. Any higher and they won't be on the boot at all. Maybe I will have to get the TK boots afterall. Well, join the huge waiting list at least. I can have a go at making the bottoms wider and then bring them in towards the top so they at least fit and I don't look like some sort of weird shined freak.

I was doing some test fitting before I begin the cutting and gluing process, so I tried the shins with my boots on. They don't seem to fit properly. They've already scratched my lovely painted jodhpurs. I mean WTF! Shouldn't they fit lose-ishly around the boot tops, rather than really, really tightly and end up scratching the paint? Should I really have to squeeze the tops of the boots to get the shin armor around? Also I need to take the shins in a little bit, which gives me even less room. Maybe the boots have too wide an ankle fitting. If I measure around the ankle part of the boot it's 12.5 inch approx. The shin armor at the ankle is 13 inch approx. Are TK boots narrower at the ankle than regular johdpurs? Maybe it's just me. Sadly taking pictures is nigh on impossible.

I don't have my Rom/FX yet. But after hearing and reading nothing but good things about it, I had to get one. I'm sure there are actual ownere here that'll chime in and answer your questions in more detail, but I can't wait to get mine.

I the others have already beat me to it. If you want to make a list of things to get, you'll need...Well this is what I have and have been using. Glue (E-6000). Needle files. Sandpaper (Various grades). Clamps. Peg clamps. Earth magnets. Masking tape. Elastic. Webbing. Snaps. Rivet gun and rivets. Steel ruler. Utility knife. Drill. Industrial velcro. Heat gun (Not essential)

I'll do that. This is a great forum with some wonderful tutorials and the most friendly members I've met in a good long while. It's so refreshing to see ACTUAL help other than "Use the search function noob!" Hey we all gotta start at the begining, right? I remember when I bought my very first Jason Voorhees hockey mask. Then my first latex mask. Ahh those were the days. Helpful forum members that would point you in the right direction every time. Then...then the dark times came, everyone left. I was one of the only ones left. Then came in the elitists. ...But enough about that. I'm using masking tape, so I'll draw a line on that with blue or black pen. Should show up better then. Pointing out the obvious, I'm in the U.K so...GMT rest of the world time etc... I kinda had an idea where to cut, but wasn't 100% possitive on other areas. Bicep looked pretty easy compared to the shins and thighs which have the 'bump/strip' on the front. I'll have to get hold of some of those spring clamps and remove the velcro which the seller decided to use on the front connection instead of glue.

Pandatroopers build and attention to detail will prove very valuable. Thanks for the point in the right direction.

Cheers for the replies and advice. Yeah I was looking at cutting the excess off that's on the inside, leaving about 2 inches for the glue or velcro to go. Once it's cut, I'll re-stick with the masking tape and re-measure and go from there. Just wanted some clarification before I did anything. I'll have a look around the forum for the info on heating. I do have a heat gun here, but I've never used it before, so I'll test it out first on some spare plastic I have that I took off the belt. Will update once I begin the cutting and trimming process. Probably at the weekend when I have more time. Once the arm and leg pieces are done, I can begin looking at the body parts. Gotta wait for my canvas belt to come back first though I think.

Here are some new pics taken of the outside of the armor. I've also added a link to my photobucket 'trooper armour' folder.

I'll get some better pics up tomorrow. Anything in particular needed? Angle, brightness etc? As for the armor make. I've no idea. I've been told it's the updated FX armor, but I'm not sure. Bought off ebay.

So I've temporaraly fitted my armour to my size. As you can see from the pics I need to possibly trim alot off it. I've stuck the outside with masking tape for now, just to get a size reference. Now should I cut it from the inside that overlaps? Should I remove the velcro that's currently there and glue the front parts first, then re-measure again and then cut? I'm obviously a total noob, so I'm seeking the thoughts of the experts here. I also need to bend the upper portion of the armour and the lower. I can't really tape that into position. SHIN

Humbrol #5 for the grey ears. Use a small brush.

Ah ok cheers for the replies. I've already ordered a canvas belt from a member here, so should get that soon to replace the 2 ugly lengths of plastic that are currently on the belt.

Browsing the forums and looking at various pics, I've noticed that all the costume belts have white 'buttons' on them. One in the middle and one on each side. As you can see from a pic of my belt, I don't have any and the armor didn't come with any to glue on either. Is this a 'must have'? Or can I get away with having the belt blank? If I DO need to have 'buttons' what are they actualy called? I can post a WTB then. Thanks guys.

What's the weather like? If it's anything like it is here in the U.K it's a bit cold. That will effect drying time. If it's still tacky by the morning, then maybe add a coat of clearcoat? Mine was tacky after 24 hours of drying, so I put a clear coat on and it was fine after that. Just an idea.

Yeah they are on the right way. I did one ear at a time, so I know it's not that they're on the wrong sides. I'm utterly convinced now that it's just it's a daft helmet and ears that just won't fit properly no matter what else I personaly do to it. Nothing to do with your work or moulds or anything. If it's a question of failing to meet the UKG requirements, I'll get them done by Troopermaster. But for the time being I'll just leave them as they are. I have the old ears and I can always put them back on.

Bit of an update for you. I worked on the ears some more today. Hurray for a day off work! So I've now 'fitted' both ears and they don't look too bad...from the front. Not so hot from behind. I still think I should replace the screws for longer ones with a better head. Also still need to drill and screw in the bottom circle ear part which I'll do later on. Oh and of course I need to paint the grey on the bumps. Any thoughts? ------

Good luck with the build.. I look foward to seeing your progress. I'm sure it will be of great interest to me and a good resource of help for my build...Although my armour isn't an ATA kit.

Thanks for the offer, much apreciated. I'll see how it goes tomorrow with the ear and if I reach the point where I want to tear my hair out, I'll get back to you. As for the recast SDS helmet, it really wouldn't suprise me now. After the other issues I've had with the armour and looking at it over closely, the lines are not clean in some areas, especialy the 'O II' on the back. There are a few other dodgy areas on the armour, but as I was a noob going in to it I didn't really know for sure what I was getting and that's my fault for not doing more research before I bought it. I'm a full advocate for not believing what anyone on ebay says. Next time, I'll get my armour from a trused member of the FISD. But that won't be for a long while yet.

Really? Glued on? Well I'm learning more and more every day I'm here. Tomorrow I'll start work on the other ear and wait patiently for all my other stuff to turn up; Snaps, webbing, elastic and belt. Then on to the armor fitting!

Ahh yeah looks bang on. Thanks eagle eyed private eyes. Awesome stuff. Looking at the ears they have the bumps, mine didn't come with them...Wonder why the seller opted for the bumpless ears.

Ok here's a pic of the helmet. The ears were made by John Danter. Top bloke. I've managed to get one of the ears to fit a bit better now, thanks to the advice from you awesome lot. Once I get the 3 screws on (Only 2 on at the moment as I need to drill a new hole for the bottom circle screw), I think it'll be alright. Here's 2 pics of the new ear on.

Follow up question. Does anyone know the size (Diameter) the screws are or are they all different? If they ARE different, anyone know a good place I can buy 6 screws with nuts to go on the end? Preferably UK sellers. Cheers for the help guys, much apreciated.

Thanks for the link and the advice. At the moment I can't screw it down because of the different position of the bottom circle screw hole. Also as this set of ears is a slightly different shape and lie, I'll need some new longer screws, so I'll get those first before I even start on the other ear. As for heating, will a hair dryer be hot enough or will I have to use a heat gun?

One side fits better than the other, but it just won't fit right. I don't want to take much more off it as I'd be left with a huge gap at the front AND the back. Also examining the ears side-by-side. The circular part on the new ears are smaller than the ones that were on it previously, so the screw holes are also in a different place. I'm still not sure what make the bucket is.

So I got a nice new set of 4 bumped stunt ANH ears for my lid which came with flat bumps (No idea why it came like that). I've tried for the past 3 days to get these suckers to sit right, but they just won't go on properly. I'm almost ready to give up. So a quick question regarding them. If I can't get them to fit despite cutting, trimming, sanding, filing etc. Would I be able to just cut off the ring with the bumps and glue them to my old ears? Or would this STILL = FAIL for 501st UK garisson exceptance? Obviously before I take any drastic measure and hack off the bumps, I'll seek the opinion of the seller. But I'm open to suggestions from other more experienced armor helmet makers. PLEASE NOTE this is in NO way the fault of the seller, he is a top bloke, it's more to do with my lack of experience and skill with this sort of thing and possibly the weirdness of my TK helmet.