James

Ok, I'm planning on getting new canvas, or updating my current canvas later this year (second hand armor, so I'm working with what I have) so I'll cut the corners to fit 3" and update the rest then, thanks!

My canvas may be too wide then as it's nearly even with the ABS ammo portion. Just checked it's just under 4". The Easily remedied later (after halloween etc) The correct width is what, about 3.5"?

I know they are at a 45 degree angle, but how much do you measure in from the side (or top) to make the cut? Looks like 1/2" but want to be sure.

Love that pic with the TD twisted around. I've got a soft-spot for the "screw-up troopers." I swear when I'm approved I want my card image to be me as the trooper bumping his head on the pipe in ANH.

Jesse's clips are inbound, but I may have screwed the pooch with my removable cap solution. I might be able to remove one rubber ring and sand the inner tube down though. The other option is to glue the clip on the left with false screws. Not sure if I trust any adhesive to hold up on ABS and Aluminum though. Lastly I can move the clips in but then I'm moving away from screen accurate using screen accurate clips. Methinks I'll be using the stand-offs at least for Halloween then re-thinking my approach. Luckily I can attach them and the outer plate in a reversible fashion.

I have some clips coming that will allow me to ditch the standoffs, but I need this ready in case they don't get here in time. Also not sure the other clips will work with my removable cap solution, I think the inner tube is going to be in the way of the screws.

Where is the TD top white plate supposed to be positioned? Should the back of that plate be more or less touching the clips? My kit has standoffs that seem to force the plate forward a bit. See images at the bottom of the post under the photos.

Done and attached. Then I bled on my canvas belt. arrrrg. Shout and hot water saved the day. Break time.

Now I need to do some bending on the ammo belt. Attached it to the canvas last night w/ drop boxes buy found that it flares out a bit from my waist. Is a hairdryer enough to make it give a little?

I've looked at your solution and I am intrigued, but I am taking baby steps on mine. Basically what can I try that is reversible, rinse and repeat.

I like the sound of that, I'll be on the lookout for it.

I am planning on adding some inserts though at least initially I'm not putting them inside. I'll use one about 3- 4" in width and the height of the belt or just under for the holster. It's styrene from the hardware store (beware of dog). I'll drill holes in the corners and one or two on the flat sides. Put that behind the belt and hand sew some loops through the holes and the belt. Nothing too invasive. Then I'll use snaps with rivets through the belt and styrene with adjoining snaps on the holster. Same basic setup for the O2 canister. I have banker's clips for the O2 canister. That plate will be a little longer maybe? 4-5 maybe 6"? On both I'll put a couple of velcro strips to hold them snug to the armor, or at least help in that regard. Also should keep them from rubbing on the armor. I do not think the belt I currently have will support those accessories without the plates, but the way I'm doing it I can play around with different setups, later get a new/better belt.

Re-purposing a second hand belt, two layers thick.

Great insight thanks! Do all of you place some sort of plastic insert behind the holster or in the belt for support? Also, what do you use to secure the end of the belt? Velcro? Hidden snaps or hooks?

Where should the belt terminate? I've seen a few images where it seems to terminate just under the left side of the O2 canister. Is that correct? Does it matter? BTW this is for ANH stunt. On the holster, How high up are the two rivets from the bottom of the belt? How far should the holster be from the ammo belt in front? Thanks!

Do you have an image of this? I too have the strap over my shoulders from one bell to the other and am having the same problem.

Got the armor and am steady working on it to get it ready for Halloween. Good news is the torso is all but done and I've completed a re-work of the inside of the helmet with new pads, updated the whole interior look and feel and added the electronics and fans. Also I found that the thighs and calves were only glued on the front with e6000 and not very well. I'm confident I can get them apart to adjust for my size, but could use any tips on making that easier. Can I use rubbing alcohol? Heat? Cold? Unfortunately the arms and biceps were put together with ABS. I can deal with them for a bit with some padding but will need to plot a way to cut them down and re-glue, maybe with strips added though I'm not sure how that can work as the armor has overlaps built into it already. It will be a trick to downsize those. Only other thing I've yet to tackle and won't right away is a small patch of ripples just below the right shoulder strap in the front. Again, ABS glue and too much of it caused some melting. After halloween I'm going to do some tests with the acetone and abs shavings trick to see if I can sand, fill, and polish to a degree that will blend with the rest of the armor .. but that's down the line as it's not too noticeable (took me over a week to spot it)

Hey thanks for that! This looks promising!

Snaps! Ok, so I picked up some snaps from Home Depot and tried them out last night on my first snap-plates. I found that the back of the snap leaves a protrusion behind the snap plate that is over 2 mm deep. The snap plate then rocks back and forth on this protrusion. I'm not really satisfied with this and was wondering if any of you have found snaps that are big enough to do the job, but also leave a minimal protrusion on the back of the snap-plate allowing for a better fit and seal when attaching them to armor?

Have you tried this? I'm wondering how close to "factory" gloss one can get with the novus treatment after sanding etc.

I have some second-hand armor and need to implement some repairs. One situation is filling a couple of holes made for snaps that I no longer want that may be visible. What is the best method for filling holes then sanding, blending and polishing to make the impressions disappear? Secondly, I found one unfortunate blemish right below the shoulder straps on the chest plate. The previous owner used (too much) ABS glue to attach the shoulder strap and there is some distortion in that area from melting. Not brutally noticeable at all .. it took me a week to spot it, but I would like to fix it if possible. I think I can sand most of the lumps away, but I think I might want to add a little to the surface as well to get it back in order. - What can I use to add plastic to the surface? - Once I sand it to the correct shape, how can I finish it with matching polish? On a related note, what makes the ABS glossy on one side and not the other? Is it possible to sand and polish the non-glossy to match the rest? Thanks for any tips!

Awesome thread, thanks! Do you have any images from the sides? Id' like to see how your chest, kidney, ab, back, cod and rear plates line up along the side. An image from the back would be helpful too. Thanks again!

Good news, the previous owner used velcro on the legs, no un-gluing needed! This is my first time trying it on, clearly some adjusting is needed. I had the thighs way too high and the calves kept falling down. Also the kidney and butt plate needs attention but it's all do-able I think.

This is the posting from the GA 501st forum, "1 full set of AM(new FX) Stormtrooper Armor. This set includes: Helmet, armor, canvas belt, size 11 CAboots, gloves, neckseal, under suit, 1 white shoulder pauldron, 1 black shoulder pauldron, hasbro E11 blaster." It's all ABS. Here's a pic.

Not sure on the glue type, I'll find out when I pick it up on Sat (can't freaking wait btw!) Once I know what glue was used and try it on I'll report back. I'm happy to hear it sounds as if there are options if needed, thanks!