Ryan

Aight, I'm reactivated. I've improved my bucket, and am working on a screen accurate belt now. I've even started work on a pipe blaster, too. So I'm making some progress.

TK-4427 Requesting 501st access, please. http://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=6920

You know, you're right... These things don't seem to be movable , sooooo I'm guessing I'll have to order new ones and scrape these off?

Just thought I'd share some pics. You know, just because. *shrug* Cheers, -Ryan

Awesome. Thanks, guys.

Hey, all - This is probably a "Well, duh!" question, but since I really don't wanna screw up *another* helmet I figured I'd ask anyway. Anywho, I ordered a VT helmet recently and I'm wondering how the paint sticks to the ABS. Was sanding/priming the frown/ears necessary, or did it go on easily without? Thanks, -Ryan

Well, in the event I can get my butt reactivated, I'd be down for giving this a shot. heh. -Ryan

They're standard PC fans... I currently have them mounted on the frown. I'm thinking I might dremel out the lines in the traps on the back of the helmet and move them up there, as I'm afraid to put a live mic next to these things.

I bought them pre-wired from got armor. They're the same voltage as yours so they should sound the same. At least they do keep everything nice and cool. But the scary thing is that I wasn't using my voice amp at the time... They should be nice and annoying once I hook that up.

So, I just installed these fans I bought from Got Armor and I'm kinda taken aback by how *loud* these things are. When I have them running, I can't hear anything at all while they're running... and people can hear them, as well. I had my wife try my bucket on, and I could hear the high-pitched hum of the fans as far as 10 feet away. Is this normal? Are you supposed to be able to hear these things outside of the helmet?

Wheels of death aren't too bad, that's where I got my lunch today, and I'm fine! *thud*

Eh, microwave "Big AZ" chicken sammich. Ghettolicious! I was too tired and lazy to go over to the cafeteria in the other building. -Ryan

Thankee! I just got the email today. I'm sure Mike will announce it when he gets a chance.

Hi, I'd like 501st access, please.

Sweet! Isn't that going to be starting up again soon? I'm sorry I didn't get the reference (the turd thing was a joke). I haven't watched that show in too long.

Thank! "Nugget"... that's like a turd, right? j/k -Ryan

I'll no doubt tweak a few more things... the shoes need some more paint, and I'm thinking I'll take another inch off the thighs soon... but the big stuff is done. So, here it is! I'll just include the links, as the pics are a bit big. -Ryan

Yeah, it does stay squishy after it dries but it's still quite strong. I used some on the face/visor of my TB helmet, and then realized I hadn't sanded the side of the face enough, so I was able to pull the two pieces apart but it still took some effort to do it. So unless you put some extreme stress on it, it should hold. ... *sigh* if only it had the harsh chemical funk of plastic welder -Ryan

Whoops! Someone posted it as I was typing. Nevermind.

Hey, did anyone else order these? I haven't received mine yet, and my PMs to the guy have, so far, gone unanswered... Just curious. Thanks, -Ryan

Yeah, that's similar to what I wound up doing. I had to do several "mistings" of paint, and then after a few days I was able to lay down some normal coats and finally got it back to normal. Still, though, I am never painting that helmet again!

Hey, all - I'm about to get started on thee belt, as I picked up some fabric over the weekend. But first, I thought I'd ask you folks for your opinions, as all of the tutorials I've found online involve plastic or leather for the belt. It seems pretty much obvious, but still.... Has anyone made one of these yet? Would I just rivet it to the plastic belt piece like I would ABS? Would you recommend I use snaps or velco on the back? Any insight would be awesome. Thanks, -Ryan

Yeah, it's odd... I sanded it down and tested a small area, and got the same result... so I did a test on a small patch of ABS (my helmet is HIPS) and it dried just fine. Could the sanding have screwed up the styrene? I mean, the paint worked fine on the other material, soo... Well, Sandtrooper it is.

Ok, this is a weird one... I figured I'd ask you guys to see if this has happened to anyone else. I did some more work on my helmet last night, and decided to add a couple more coats of paint. So, I give it a light sanding, dust it off, and spray it with the ole Krylon and it looks fine. I go a safe distance away to have a smoke and when I come back, the paint has cracked/rippled in some places. It looks like the surface of a sponge. Neither I, nor anyone else I've mentioned it to, have never seen paint do that before. Any ideas as to what might have caused it? The area was smooth, there was no dust, there were no other chemicals on the helmet that the paint could have been reacting to... The crappy thing is, it looked ok before... I should have just left well enough alone

That's not me in the pic. I found it on someone's livejournal, and made an icon out of it. Sorry about that. -Ryan