Ingrid...I have learned that you never stop tweaking your setup! I've seen your pics and EIB pics and your costume is awesome, don't doubt yourself. The biggest part I learned was to make sure it's comfortable to walk around. It looks like your thigh parts need to be raised a bit (not sure if you use a garter belt type system or have them hung from the ab/cod). As the fellas mentioned, it causes the rotation too.
I had a similar experience. I ended up scoring the under surface of the hand guard with a knife first. Then used Gorilla super glue gel...worked like a charm and set in 5 minutes.
Yes, i use a Hasbro mod and lots of others do as well. It really comes down to the look of the blaster and how you do the mod. For pics, I use a resin kit blaster since it's bigger and closer to size, shape, and accuracy. My 2 cents...
In the end go with what you have dreamed about! It took some time but I have both TX Shadow and traditional TK Stormtrooper gear. Obviously, the white TK is more recognized and people really love him. However, there is something about a black shiny Stormtrooper.
Feel your pain...I grabbed a bucket from overseas a few months back. It had a horrible cigarette smell, like the guy smoked while wearing it or something. Basically had to wipe the inside down w/an antibacterial wipe (i work at a hospital) and swap out the lens and padding.