R2trooper

Ok, I guess I can start being called TK Paranoid. I look at the photos of the movie stills and other builds, but when I get ready to cut, I am just not sure... So any advice for the forearms would be nice. Do they look right to you?I have marked out the cut lines with pencil, do they look correct, what do you guys think? Thanks.

Awesome man!! I am building my PVC suit now too. Could you please post pics of your biceps. I am having some trouble trying to figure out how much return edge I should have on them. Also, do plan on heating and warping the butt plate to line up with the cod piece better?

Hello everybody!! Well as I am starting the dreaded cuting of the parts now. I have looked at a ton of the build threads, and other pictures, and I think I have an exact idea of what should be trimmed, but when i put shears or blade to it, I keep doubting myself Man, this sucks... So anyway. I am working on the left Biecp pieces now. Please let me know what you guys think about the inner curve trim, and the trim for the top and bottom. Thanks.

AND NOW, BACK TO OUR PROGRAM! Ok, well, it's not like I don't have enough to do in my life, working full time, about 11-12 hours a day Having a wife, two animals, and now to builds going!! I might need a padded room here soon. So anyway, I am now working on the paint job for my MFX lid. I could to the stickers, but hey, that would be too easy now. So looking at a few different tutorials out there and some you tube videos. I decided I would go with the black first, then put the grey over top. The cheeks were already painted grey when I got the new lid, so I did a black outline on those. I also finifshed up the frown too. I did get some paint on my fingers, and of course on the lid, but like you guys said, paint thinnner worked great. Now on with the show: First up: HAPPY FROWN Some early work: Thats not pin striping, thats the Death Star Trench!!! So some more touch up work. I have a feeling the original lids did not take this long to paint Please let me know what you guys think. In some of the pics, it looks like there are runs in the paint, I cannot see them with the naked eye. I think it is just how the camera is cathing the light. Tomorrw, I will go back and one final thin coat to try to even everything out and get rid of the few bruch hairs that were left behind.

Dude, your photos and editing are awesome. Great build too! Look forward to learning a lot from you. Keep up the great work, and good luck with everything!! Can't wait to see more.

Heh heh. Thanks for relating, but the problem is, "it's not only plastic" is not quite true. It is also a lot of paper...money. Man, if I screw this up, it will cost a lot to fix, and a lot of time too. Perhaps we all worry too much, but it shows we care. Thanks Echo, I hope this does go good.

I will have to put up some different photos of the biceps, when you look at both sets, you can clearly see they are not alike. They way they curve, the "thumb imprint", the entire thing is totally different, even how they go together.

Ah, apparently you pay more attention to my crotch, than I do. ok I agree with you, I just didn't understand... But yes you are correct, really thick, then thins out quickly...kind of like my hairline

Quick question, TD caps, how tall should they be. Both of mine are a little different in hight, one is about 1 1/4" and the other is about an inch. Also the TD cover how long is it. I am starting to cut and trim, but my god, I think I want to quit already I want to enjoy the build, but I am really worried about over cutting. I quit smoking two years ago, and I want to start up again. No I am over exaggerating, but it is kind of stressful. One last thing, my TD caps are lop sided, is they an easy ways to get the cut ends straight? Thanks everyone for holding my hand.

Between the all three types of material, HIPS is by the most fragile and stiff of the three. There is not a lot of "play" in it, and with out much stress, will break. It also has a dull white finish to it, and will not shine even with novus. ABS is a lot more flexible, and seems more durable, with a decent shine, and a little off white. PVC is pretty flexible, and seems pretty rugged, and is straight up white, and very shiny. After looking at all three types of material, HIPS is by far the "cheapest" of the three. Also, the quality and look of the HIPS seem to change a lot in one suit. the plastic must be from different batches, but on one set, it looks kind of weird. It may be the hardest and most "armor feeling" of three, but one good impact and it is broke. I can't even begin to imagine sitting down with the butt plate on. So while Dday says the TM is the best, it is only because he is like 14 feet tall, I can't really compare PVC to ABS yet, HIPS is defiantly grade "F" in my book. As to the sets, it may not be fair to compare Hero to Stunt helmets, but so be it. Still my all time favorite is the eFX fiberglass Hero helmet, but anyway. Like I said, TM is built for a Goliath, the shins are like 4 feet long and look like an elephant thigh bone! no, TM is the largest of the three sets, but was made to be an extra large. The MFX suit is rather small, but I was told the biggest they had and could make. The helmet alone is about 5% smaller than the other two. The TM is wide and kind of squished in my opinion. But fits my big melon much better than the MFX, which with my gargantuan sphere of a head, leaves no room for fans or anything. The overall size of RS and TM lids seem about even. Why the MFX is a mix of ANH and MFX armor is beyond me, but all three suits look vastly different from each other. No part of the MFX and RS begin to match up at all except for the left shoulder bell and AB plate. I can not speculate on what these parts of the MFX (ANH, MFX) were cast from, but the RS and MFX are not related at all. The left shoulder and AB plate look almost identical to each other, these two parts are without a doubt in my mind related. I think the true test will be when the RS is finished up, to see how the three look together. But, if anyone out there has an untrimmed MFX, or any other kit, lets get together and have a photo shoot! This is the first thread that I know of that has such a complete and comparative look at three distinct makes. In conclusion, all three sets are very well done, but the material is what sets them apart, and it was great to see, not only the different makes, but plastics, the HIPS is by far the worst material of the three, and I am guessing the cheapest to get ahold of too. The ABS is good and robust, and very flexible, but to me, the PVC is the winner here, from the look, to the durability to the evenness of it throughout the suit, I proclaim the winner. ------DDay, edit your post, you say "the crotch area is super thick" I think you meant super thin. It is like an eggshell. Good day everyone.

This is a sad day in the Empire. Yesterday I noticed a small crease in my new faceplate. Most people would probably not notice it on a finished helmet, but it really bugs me!! So I contacted RS props about it, and like any other Mega-corparation out there, couldn't care about the little guy. No, i'm kidding, they were really helpful, and have agreed to exchange it for me!! So, while not progress on the build, just wanted to share another awesome experiance with everyone, and give a public thanks to RS Prop Masters, can't wait to have a beer with you at CE II.

OK, NOBODY MOVE, THIS IS A HIJACK!! no, really to everyone out there, thank you for all the input, help and advice. But Dday is right, this has turned into a recast discussion now. I am interested in learning more about all this, and even throwing my own opinions about it all, but that is for another topic. I will continue to update this post with pictures of the build as I finish it up, and will want advice and critique especially as I finish up the paint job, since I have to be difficult and don't want stickers. Well, if they were scratch and sniff that would be ok. again, thanks everyone, please do not take this as anything hostile, it is not, just time to move to another thread, and I can continue on with this topic. Please follow along as I work on my RS PVC suit as well, I will be asking for all kinds of thoughts, opinions, and critique all the way on that one too. Again, thanks everyone!! And to you Dday for all the support and help!

TK12421!! Looks great man! Could we please get some pictures of the inside of the helmet and armor? I am just about to finish up my MFX armor, then start on my RS kit. Let us know about any mods you do. It's great to see how happy you are! That is what this hobby is all about, and I'm right there with you man, since I was a kid I dreamed of being in the TK armor!! Most Excellent!

Zag, you are correct, the middle one is the eFX limited edition hero fiberglass helmet. I also have the eFX Phase one clonetrooper helmet, and the MR Phase two clonetrooper helmet. As display pieces they are awesome, and having all three lined up, it is really cool looking to see the evelution of them. The helmet on the far right is the Movie FX lid. I guess I owe you a can or Natural Light, or a cookie.

RS props only does stunt helmets, so this one will be the stunt version. My other armor will be a Hero version. Dday, bring another holster by if you have one this Friday. i need to get my first suit up as quick as I can, then get this one up. Thanks.

Howdy everyone!! Well, as you can see from my other topic, I'm am still working on that build, but I am super crazy and thought, hey, I can never have enough armor so I will buy another set (and the wife said ok),and truly build this one up! So, for your viewing (and sadistic) enjoyment, please follow me on this new adventure. ++LIMIETED TIME ONLY++ One free can of Natural Light to who can guess the helmet manufacturer in the middle...or maybe a cookie, because on the dark side, we have cookies. No really, I am of the ilk that enjoys the replica side of the hobby, not only the fan built stuff. I have to say the one in the middle is awesome, and I think it looks great. Well, I think all my helmets look great, I might be like the dad with the ugly kid, it is still beautiful to me. So please follow along as I finish my armor up on the other topic, and please provide any insights, advice, wisdom, and criticism to this build. I am not here to judge these armors, only provide a photographic journey into my little hobby of madness, and let you guys judge for yourself. A personal thanks to those I have bought from on this forum, TK Boots, TKittell; and Veedox. Also a special thanks to Dday for the awesome holster, and personnel advice and quick friendship. It is great to have someone whom you can personally share the passion with, and to be there to guide you along in person. And an advance thanks to everyone on this forum for all the help and advice. Bulldog44, I haven't seen you around, I will need your help and advice too!!!! So now, without further ado, let me introduce Germany's newest addition straight from the UK, the RS Props PVC fully loaded unfinished suit and helmet!! DDay, I think I'm gonna' need another holster, TKBoots, I will need a size 10. Now to the photos: the coveted brown boxes: The helmet-isses: [

It wasn't specified if this was cast by MFX or if it was a kit he is reselling. I had never seen a doopydo up close, so I didn't even think to ask about it. I was just told if was cast from A New Hope prop. The kit is nice though, but I can't say for sure about the linage, but the serial number does match up to a doopydo.

OK, so here is my Movie FX E-11 kit so far. I do have the other parts, just forgot to lay them on the table... And no iPad pictures this time. Please let me know what you guys know about this kit, I am not exactly sure what it is derived from. Enjoy. Dan

So how has the progress been going? Have you met anyone there yet to help you out? I have met a fellow TK here in Germany, and is a great guy. Full of insight and tips. Hope everything is going good with your build, I am so jealous!! Well here is the lid and crossbones design for a little shirt you should have made for Luke. See ya 'round. Dan

Is there any good way to remove the paint? I am using the Humbrol set from Trooperbay. Just normal paint thinner?

Not really any advice on how to keep the grey paint straight over the black?

Hey everyone!! Been super busy, and super lazy lately. Well, I have a geek room that houses some of my collection, and I have finally cleaned it up and making it into my "work Shop". I just got in some supplies from trooperbay, and so now I am starting to paint my MFX bucket. Holy crap don't touch that Humbrol paint!!! Here is a little pic of my room. I will have more progress later. Ciao. Dan

Brian, I have had a lot of luck with my TK, but still envious of what you have! I am still really debating hard on picking one of these up. My wife has given me the OK, but $1400+\- is still hard to let go, especially since I still don't have one complete TK yet. but man... I take it your armor didn't come with a cloth/canvas belt or holster? Also would it be possible to some pics of the inside of your bucket? I can only equate this to having a red Lamborghini, and now wanting a black one...you get the idea. Stoopid hobby! You need to get Luke a little shirt with a stormtrooper helmet on it!!!! Have you seen the helmet with crossbones design? That would rock for him.

Hey everyone. Well Guidon was very cool about helping me out, not only fixing the things that were wrong, but I now have 90% new armor. I got an all new chest piece, AB, kidney, butt, back, helmet, belt and both upper arms and both forearms. He did charge me a small amount for the strapping system, but did not include labor, or new parts. I feel the price was more than fair! To be honest, I feel he got cheated a little. But I did buy my thermal detonator and E-11 kit from him as well. Once again I thought he was easy to work with and I am very happy with my product! I do have photos of his work shop, I will ask him before I post, but I have photos of the armor as it is being worked on. I should have no problem getting Centurion certified. I have a small amount of work left on it, then I will hand paint the helmet, which is full hero now, with correct grill, ears, and green bubble lenses. I just need to get the s strips for the bottom of the helmet, gloves with latex hand guards, and a holster, then I'm done! Oh, and a new undersuit, I have a one piece that zips in the back... I will get pictures posted up tomorrow. If any one has holster recommendtaions, please let me know. prices vary wildly out there. All in all I am very happy with the work, the product, and Movie FX. Like I said earlier, I never had a problem with the company, just the product, but Movie FX stands by their work and merchandise, and will make sure the customer is happy. And thanks to everyone out there for replying, giving advice and feed back, and being petty! Please keep it coming, I want to have one epic suit, and it is just about there I think! Dan

You reading that correctly Patrick. I have contacted Movie FX about this and it seems I can get most, if not everything corrected. I expect people here to be petty, and I appreciate it. We don't spend hundreds to thousands of dollars, and countless hours on a hobby not to be petty. I do not think it is a bad thing. I have read and re-read as much as I can about this all this, and consider myself pretty knowledgable about it all, but that is why we share it with a community, to get opinions and feedback, and expert advice. Guidion has seemed agreeable to help me out in getting the flaws fixed, as to a Centurion build, we will see. So far my dealings with the company have been really good, now I want the product as good as the relations. I guess my expectation going into this was something really epic, and when it was less than that, I was disappointed. If we can work together to make this epic, both in the experience and in the product, what a business card that could be to hand out at Celebration Europe II!! I have every confidence that Movie FX and I can get this armor where it needs to be, and where I would like it to be. It does seem like it could be hard to get ahold of bubble lenses, so I am thinking of just having a stunt helmet. I will have to see what all it will entail for that as well. Again, thanks everyone for looking and helping out with facts, thoughts, and opinions. Please keep them coming. Dan