LadyInWhite

Good to hear that this is normal, thanks everyone. Back to cutting

Abs, chest, cod, butt, kidney, back all sized & cut, just need edging. Shoulder bells & biceps cut, sized, taped. Getting better at cutting and trimming. Had to trim some of the bottom of the cod piece and top of the abs. Might need to trim abs more but seems okay for the moment. When I start the snaps I'll get it perfecto. Butt plate not currently lining up top to bottom of kidney, I think because my butt is bigger than most guys and it tilts it a bit. Guess I really need to work out! In that case, I should enlarge my bicep pieces a bit... The cat fell asleep among my pieces. So much for avoiding static cling, especially when sanding.

Awesome, thanks Jenny! I've made a few scratches with the scissors but so far nothing you could even see, but I saw on yours how you filled in some gaps like the ab plate edges so I am sure this will come in handy for all of it! And as tiring as it is, I've been cutting/trimming away... (no throwing up) Next question: I have AP armor. My ab plate seems a little warped, like it's not flush equally on left and right. Is that perhaps from shipping, or is that normal... and is it something I should heat and bend to be a little more balanced, or not worth it? It doesn't look bad in the mirror, far as I can tell, but it sure feels a little odd. Also the ab plate is pretty long. I have a long torso for a woman but it still (while attached to the cod piece) comes up to my breasts, not quite mid-chest where it looks like it lands on the guys. So I am thinking I need to shorten the cod piece so that the ab sits lower. It doesn't seem like the ab piece could be trimmed except maybe at the top (where it's under the chest piece)? Am I just over-thinking things? I just want to make sure it's going to fit and look right. Cheers!

James, thanks very much! As it happens I bought both those curved scissors and the industrial scissors today, thanks to other posts. I'm glad I did because scoring this stuff is tough. I can't get a ruler to stay straight while I'm cutting, even with all my weight on it. I must push too hard. I did resort to my dremmel, and that's been okay so far. I started with the O2/TD and hand plates because I figured it would be the easiest to make myself if I screwed up, and it gave me a good feel for the plastic and tools. It also leaves me a lot of empty/leftover edging to practice returns. It is hard to tell from the photos about the hand plates' exact edging. I left a little of the side curve so it has some depth, but I don't plan to do a return on that and I don't plan to trim it much more (it's a tiny bit big) as it would make it flat. If it's supposed to be flat (flush) at the edges, then I'll trim a tiny bit more. FUN! QUESTION about the canister: is the whole cylinder white, or just the bit with the controls and the rest is gray (i.e. the back side)? ------- I like the idea of using it as a wardrobe kit. I had a tough time at Dragon Con in my costumes between my friend and I falling apart. I carried a kit around in my bag. I was also thinking of making my Mara Jade harness a hidden backpack for such things. under the cloak no one sees it anyway; under the cowl it's half hidden (at least on mine). Smart thinking! I guess I will suck it up and go with snaps! :-) Thanks again!

Okay, thanks guys!

All right. If I keep watching videos and reading tutorials as a method of procrastination I will never join the ranks of the 501st. So here goes. I've built armor out of other, more forgiving materials; I've sculpted/cast/molded things (badly) and then sanded, detailed, painted, etc. I used to build model airplanes. I've probably got everything I need except a rivet gun. Yet I'm scared to death to ruin this "investment." (Mostly the eye holes and teeth. And any part that "shows.") What I've gathered is this: 1. Stop procrastinating. 2. Purchase the stuff you still need i.e. rivet gun and rivets, industrial strength velcro, etc. 3. Open the tutorial on the first thing you want to build as reference. (But don't read it AGAIN.) 4. Take out the piece you are going to build as well as the tools. 5. Trim off the plastic parts that come off: - Use a box cutter or exacto blade, leaving a little room to sand off - Throw up - Sand edges 6. Rinse, repeat on any connecting parts, minus the throwing up part 7. Use masking or painters tape to size pieces, measure, etc. 8. Repeat #5 to size the pieces together, repeat #7 until it's right 9. Glue, clamp, etc. let cure (patience!!!) 10. Continue with next piece, repeating #2-9 minus the throwing up part because supposedly it's getting easier and I'm getting more confident. Does that sound about right? One more quick question - it IS okay if I do this entirely in velcro to start, and then modify over time to include snaps and what-not for screen accuracy, right? And last but not least, if I want to do a return on my edge, I am assuming I do NOT sand down to the edge, but leave a little bit to fold over? Or is it folding over at all, or just flattening the edge (like a T) to make it a bit "thicker?" Thank you all in advance, and definitely hope to be trooping before year's end!

We must be twins! Except mine included a bawling 5-year-old watching the armor disintegrate (not caring one hoot about his mother being sander-dragged)! Thanks for all the tips, guys!

This is great, I didn't want to ask the question myself and I'm glad I found a post with the info! Time to go shopping...

I received a pair yesterday and wore them all evening at home. Very soft and comfy - way better than I expected. Look great, fit well. They are a bright matte white. So pretty I am afraid to scuff them up! I bought 8s... half a size bigger than I would normally get (whole sizes only) but they are spot on with a comfy sock and a little wiggle room for gel insoles (I just anticipate long troop days need as much padding as I can get). Just thought I'd share. ~ happy camper/trooper ~

Very enjoyable newsletter, thank you! The ladies in white are always inspiring, which is why I'm here as well.

Having done the totally un-breathe-able costume thing at Disneyland in 100-degree heat, I've been looking into cooling systems. One of the Vaders at SDCC last summer was talking about his battery-powered personal air conditioning shirt or something. I have been doing searches and there are many kinds: the expensive electronic kind all the way down to the frozen ice pack kind. I might try rigging up something of my own. Here -------- I'm also wondering if anyone's rigged some kind of sneaky camelback bladder... hooked into the back and up the neck into their bucket. It should be invisible. I guess I can experiment with all this fun stuff while I wait for my armor to arrive... there's no shortage of heat in So Cal.