LadyInWhite

Okee dokee!

Four eons later... This is what it looks like if you inspect it closely. My eyebone cut looks pretty straight, so it's something about the bulging INSIDE the helmet that's warping it. ----------- And here's what it looks like from a frontal, "untrained eye" point of view (aka someone wanting a photo)... --------- So maybe you can't really tell and I should let it go?

Well then, I guess I'll be buyin! Unless they're available at hardware stores...

FABULOUS! Where were you in October!!! Seeing the side-by-side is especially great and goes to show you build to fit the wearer, one size does not fit all. If I consolidate only the ladies' tips from my build ramble and post them here, the "women's build" instructions will be complete.

I am so killing myself for a camera right now - cuz do I have the upgrade ones or not!? I'll repost with a pic. Thanks for all the info. I might be able to mod these to look correct in any case.

Can anyone enlighten me as to the definition of Correct 'Hovi mic' aerator tips. ? Mine came with the AP kit but I thought I read somewhere when i started that those are not EIB acceptable? If not, I'll need to replace those before I submit for EIB

TK 6818 requesting status upgrade. And special thanks to everyone here who helped! oops http://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=14146

BOMBS AWAY! I dunno if I can stomach a "girlie" pose though I was thinking about doing something "different" somehow. We'll see!!! Thanks for all your support, Jenny! And thanks to everyone on this forum, and all the guys & gals who make/sell things to make our lives easier. It's been fun. I just want to get troopin'.

Excellent, thanks! I was just looking at the photos my hub took and the lighting is horrible - one of those things your eyes see one way and the camera sees differently. Guess we'll try new photos tomorrow. Good luck to me! Woo!

Hi, Before I submit for 501st and all that, I just wanted to clarify what the procedure is. I see "Request for EIB status" on this forum but submission to 501st is on the 501st web site (well, email...)... So I just wanted to clarify. Would greatly appreciate if someone would confirm or correct! 1. I email my local garrison GML for admission to the 501st with photos etc. (Do I request EIB during this process or is it separate?) 2. After acceptance/approval, and designation of a TK#, I apply for EIB status in the forums here... ? Thanks... Sorry for the confusing question! Ingrid

Don't even know who she is but I'm curious to find out more.

One more, not so girlie... -------

OK BOYS & GIRLS... This is my first time trying on EVERYTHING together. And boy do I have a lot of adjusting to do! So don't laugh, esp. at how nice and fat these photos make me look, k? I'm just wearing tights and a t-shirt, no neck seal or anything proper... Any suggestions or thoughts are welcomed. I can list most of the things I immediately need to adjust, but certainly if you see anything, chime in! --------- Cod piece not hanging right. Belt too big! I'm not as fat as I thought! Needs to be refitted. I think the drop boxes might be too forward? Thighs won't stay up, even with the nifty garter I made... darn giant hockey skating legs! Shoulder bells too far back. Forearms too long - easy to trim bottom. Hand plates too big. Shoulder straps seem too far forward? --------- This angle makes my legs look short... Butt plate too high. O2 might be slightly wrong, turned too high? Holster not far enough back? Or is that okay? It might move when I adjust belt length. Too much overlap of back plate onto kidney? Helmet fell forward (though I could see!) Haven't painted rivets yet... -------- GIRL POSE!

OMG I am sooooo close now.... --------

haha, thanks!

Is this black rubber thing supposed to go around like this, or ? If so, do people generally glue it on, or does it stay on its own, or ? --------

------ I do like my hand painting skills if I do say so. (If this image isn't big, just click to see bigger) Tube stripes are decals but I might paint those some day as well. I used to not like the painted look but now I kind of prefer it!

Try as I might, my green lenses will not lay flat in my helmet. The eye bone area is not flat or flush to the curve. It ripples or has gaps or looks a bit warped. Should I try making it a little more flush? Or is there some nice technique for getting cellophane to have a nice "flat" appearance? I'm trying to avoid having gaps between the cellophane and the eye bone. And trying not to trim too closely. Or maybe nobody is perfect and I shouldn't worry too much about it? Thanks!

End of year project: The Bucket! I followed these directions almost to the letter, and it has been turning out awesome. ------- The main exception is that I did not use the dremel tool on the face. I used the hobby knife (Exacto) exclusively and it worked excellently for both eyes and teeth. Amazingly I did the whole thing without a scratch last night. Then this morning I used the exacto on the ear pieces and got two major cuts within 10 minutes. I think I need stitches in one of them! ---------- One thing I discovered, to my dismay, is that although I placed my brow ridge higher than the top of the eyes, I was not paying enough attention to that detail when fitting my ear pieces. After I screwed in the ear pieces I found that my brow had dropped all the way to the top of the eyes. I personally don’t like this furrowed look, but I’m not sure I can do anything about it now. I might try fiddling with it all later, but for now this will do. -------- I had painted my ear pieces with the gray base before assembling, just because I happened to have the gray out for the ab buttons. Everything else I waited until after assembly and polishing. ------- I am considering slits in the back “vents†as suggested by another trooper. For now I will just finish them with black stripes and add my tube stripes as decals. I can update later. Lastly, the innards... and voila! I will say this: getting this thing on and off is entirely non-functional. I can see why the guys call it “a bucket†because, well, it’s essentially just a bucket on your head. It would be groovy to make some kind of hinge for the front or back to open it a bit. As it is, I have to turn it 90-degrees to get it on, and then twist it into place once my head is in it. I’m wondering if it’s possible to enlarge the back bottom or something for a little more space. I think I royally screwed up my belt, but cest la vie at this point. I can make it work with velcro or something for now. I'll figure it out later. This is something that happens when your rivet tool is faulty. I had to get creative to get it out without destroying my poor plastic. At one point I was thinking of marching straight to Lowes and chewing them out about their faulty tool... while it was still attached to the thigh piece. ---------- Hopefully I can finish the helmet tomorrow (and a couple additional snaps and adjustments) and start the new year by submitting! Woot!

Thansk, Corey! You're right, can't rush it. Somehow I ended up with about half the snaps I need... seems like I'm hammering snap plates together and snaps into stretchy all night long (with a 5yo sleeping in the next room)... I'm going to tackle belt tonight, provided I don't have to hammer anything...

Just an update, I feel like this is taking forever. My own fault, too much going on. I have the rest of the week off... let's see if I can get this done! All that's really left is belt, bucket, and a few more snaps on the body. The rest is looking good. Though it's just a pile of plastic on the guest bed, not very photogenic. Then I'll be ready to submit... and afterward a little more detailing. I'm hoping it'll be EIB from the start but if not it'll be close. I am able to keep most of the return edges that are in the pulls but a few that don't have it like the shoulders and my neckline. However, I've tried and tried to use the sealing iron technique and either get warping or no effect at all. Any other thoughts on that would be appreciated. My husband said I should use the heat gun first but it also tends to warp. I can't wait to get out there and see a few others up close now that I'm looking from a whole new perspective. Thanks to everyone for all the amazing info posted all over the place and all the questions answered.

Next Question! Is the left shin's ankle area slightly narrower than the right area? I am guessing this is either a pull discrepancy, or it's because the right inner and left outer are different. So all things cut "along the lines" so far, the right ankle is fat or has a little flare at the inner bottom and the left ankle is a little less fat. I just want to make sure that's okay! You can't really tell from pictures. Thanks!

Awesome helmet build thread, thanks, Terry!

Hey, all. I'm getting along fine so far, just slooooow going, hour here and there. Will post pics and full build thread soon when i get organized. (This isn't my build thread. What a horrible title! Okay maybe it could be. ANYWAY, question of the day is: Helmet - paint or decals? My helmet came with stickers but I fear they may look a little glossy-cheapo. Is paint preferred or does it really not matter? Also, what do you guys usually use to punch out the holes for the teeth? Drill + dremmel? Something like that?

Forearms... MAJOR FITTING PAIN IN THE BUTT PLATE! Especially with my "girly" forearms. Had to do a little tapering and a lot of trimming. Thank goodness for shims...and padding... let's hope I don't blow it when I fix my edges up. It's already causing bite so I have a lot of edge work to do. Bottom edge of forearm has NO return, correct? Only on top?