LadyInWhite

That's the spirit!

Kirstin did hers in a few weeks, including a full week off work... Now that I've done one I could do it in a few days to a week, given no other obligations. The prop houses had lots of free hands, but the quality of assembly suffered a bit from the abuse of being worn on set 18 hours a day; hence the gaffers tape and missing parts and mix-ups and what-not!

I started mid-November and was approved mid-February, so 3 months of an hour here, half hour there... lots of slow overnight e6000 curing and only 8 clamps so just a little bit at a time. I also had zero experience at this stuff, was scared poopless of doing something wrong, and did actually redo many parts several times, including the thighs. As confidence increases, so did productivity (doing more in less time), but it was still sometimes a week between things. Measure, tape, re-measure, cut, curse, drink beer, unglue, re-cut, re-glue, curse... Also, there came a point where I wanted to rush, but not the armor itself - I decided to buy the neck seal, blaster, etc. My sewing machine and I are mortal enemies, and I just couldn't wait to assemble a blaster when I could barely find time for the armor.

NICELY DONE, Nick! Glad you could help Derek out!

I used a light dusting of steel wool on my hyperfirm scope, though mine was already nicely weathered.

Wait, so you build the whole thing in paper then bondo it? Holy quick-hardening clean-up, Batman! Looks amazing, though.

Cool work, Cristian! I used to make stop motion Lego movies in 1988/89 on an 8mm (before Hi-8) video camera with a "flying erase head" that made frame-by-frame nearly impossible. LOL I am certain mine never came out as good as yours!

Testors is fine, but with any paint, it can occasionally chip off, so be prepared for the occasional touch-up.

GORGEOUS!

Everyone's different - I have a combination of apholstery foam and batting helmet in mine. Many guys like the original "star" design. Some manage to get hard-hat suspensions in their lids (not me!). Others use tactical helmet padding. No one sees it and likely no one is judging you by your padding, so I recommend you use whatever you find works to get your lid to fit your head well and optimize your visibility.

Intervention is right! You're going to start a rental program to make up for all the investment, right? Looking quite smashing, btw.

I understand the urge... and a lot of good advice here. I've been tempted to suit up on our family outing to the farmers market, or just to walk over to 7-11. I like the idea of what the Malaysia guys did with their own little stand for charity, and Morten's recruitment efforts. Two easy "excuses" without getting any store managers nervous. (Some places you're not even allowed to have your hoodie up in a store, much less face covered.) Visibility, hazards, theft... my biggest concern has become getting mobbed and not being able to escape. Also, on busy streets, even though you're on the sidewalk, you're a distraction and can be considered a hazard yourself! And don't forget, a lone TK is a rebel target... you need back-up! But if you're mostly just walking your own neighborhood, getting a feel for the armor and what-not, it should be good.

Many thanks and kudos for the work it must have taken to get this detachment rolling and build it into the awesome virtual home that it is!

Seems to be working for me. Maybe it was having a hiccup. On the far right is a button for forums, I suppose you can register as a non-member / prospective-member like here. Good luck, Lord Vader!

Roxxors! Thanks!

I have Karin's hand guard/glove combo. No hole, solid head... got it. You should be able to see my side seams in my Walk Like an EI-gyptian pose in the submission pics. In fact, if you see anything wrong with those, let me know... sometimes I wonder if you guys were just giddy that day! j/k Here's my final D-ring question, because I've seen it both ways and can't remember which is correct: The ring shaped like D (one side flat) or the ring shaped like an 0 (oval not circle, both sides kind of flat)? consider it fixed

Bump! I have a question about Centurion! Fixes I need: - S-trim - probably some better elastic bands for the shoulders - fill in or drill-n-fill my dang sniper rivets or replace sniper plate - reverse my side snap (it's facing out not in) CRL says the rivets in the thigh ammo belt need to be split rivets or brads. Does anyone have a picture of this? I'm pretty sure I didn't use split rivets but I'd like to see what they look like. Also, does "brads" mean the kind used for paper? (except the right color, or painted white?) The CRL says the ab & kidney are connected by a single seam. I had to shim so I technically have two seams. Do I need to fill in the seam? Someone suggested painting my screws & rivets white. Is this necessary or just because it looks better? For my E-11, I have the hyperfirm sci-fire... it needs a D-ring inserted. Other than that, does it qualify, or does it require some mods? I know this is separate from the armor but if the D-ring is the only thing I need then by george I'm going to do it.

YAY! You're trimmed and ready to put some suspension in and glue cover strips! Did you size it to you? I think the AP should fit you as-is pretty well, but you might have a few places to adjust.

Mine is all screws. No way am I making any thing that permanent! </chicken>

OMG I think your original looks fantastic!!! Don't obsess too much! At least you don't have girl hips to completely throw it all off whack. In your three side-by-side shots, I personally most definitely like the TM with no padding best, but honestly either way looks fine. Being tall is fine as long as you're not standing next to a short Vader!

Wow, stellar!

Gaps vary a little by personal preference and a little by helmet style. Can you post a pic for us and we'll be able to help further?

That totally rocks. And yeah, I would never be able to get my ego into that bucket! I can barely get it on with only one fan these days. I have so many problems with mic/speaker systems I'm about to give up and resell my iComm and just go amp-less. It can probably be salvaged (my system) but it's becoming more trouble than it's worth. (It's not the iComm's fault, that's the only thing that DOES work consistently!)

Brian! You rock it! Jenny! (He's like 300 miles north! but it could happen!)

That was in my 20s. I've acquired a taste for beer and maturity since then. I love jeeps! The old style ones, CJ-5s, old army jeeps...