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Viper

501st Stormtrooper[TK]
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Posts posted by Viper

  1. Thank you everyone! I wore the armor at Celebration VI and I had a great time! I applied for 501st membership a few weeks ago but have yet to hear back from the GML. I want to get my application in for EIB as well, but I am being held up by even getting into the 501st. I will also apply for Centurion once I replace my gloves.

     

    There are a few things I need to improve:

    1. After lengthening the shoulder straps, the shoulder pieces pull the elastic out to the side. Gotta figure out how to secure that.

    2. Add a second snap to my suspender straps at each end (one kept popping off).

    3. As mentioned above, heat the butt piece up and remove the flare, both on the sides and underneath.

    4. Glue down the black trim across the top front of the helmet. It kept falling off.

     

    I've found several troop events coming up in my area, so that is very exciting!

  2. Yeah that gap is pretty bad. But looking at the shoulders, I have a lot of room to move the back piece down and still have the shoulder straps overlap the back piece. I should at least be able to halve the gap doing that. I am really pushing the height limit on this armor I think. But the rest of the gaps don't seem too bad, right?

     

    Guess I gotta go buy some more snaps and 2" elastic. Ugh I've spent so much money on snaps. I wish I could go a month back in time and tell myself to just go to Tandy and get a 100 pack of snaps. I would probably tell myself more things too.

  3. Well I've been working hard trying to get this ready for CVI. The helmet is complete, inside and out. I finished my padding and got my fan installed. I had to put it behind the vocoder because it wouldn't fit behind the teeth. I guess my head is kinda big.

     

    IMG_20120811_160102.jpg

     

    IMG_20120811_160124.jpg

     

    I got the arms done. One forearm is tighter than the other, but I will fix that later.

     

    IMG_20120811_160256.jpg

     

    The torso is painted and strapped.

     

    IMG_20120811_160321.jpg

     

    IMG_20120811_160346.jpg

     

    The belt is done. I made the belt and the holster from scratch. I even had to dye the leather! The drop boxes are missing because I decided to close the backs now rather than later.

     

    IMG_20120811_160437.jpg

     

    IMG_20120811_160446.jpg

     

    The way things are going, everything but the gloves should be up to Centurion quality. I am using nomex gloves with the ABS hand guards at the moment, and I know both will have to be changed before applying. I have to replace the straps over the shoulder with white elastic, but I'm going to remeasure them first before I make them. I tried the torso on and when I move, the chest piece keeps pulling above the ab piece and won't stay down and over it.

     

    All in all, this is what I have left to do:

     

    1. Close the thighs and add finishing strips on back.

    2. Add velcro to back of shins.

    3. Add knee guard.

    4. Add ammo belt.

    5. Strap thighs to cod piece.

    6. Glue drop boxes to belt.

    7. Clean up leg joints.

    8. Mount the Aker and iComm to the inside of the chest, figure out best way to wire them.

    9. Replace shoulder straps with white elastic.

    10. Get a case and helmet bag.

     

    This should all be doable by the 20th, right? I won't have a blaster with me, but oh well.

  4. Wow, this is all confusing. So who has actually sculpted a set of armor without recasting from a movie used suit? Do those selling kits on here have permission to do so? Everything i read said don't buy from Ebay but some are saying put it on Ebay and get rid of it, why would you do that? It really sounds like a few people have a monopoly on here who don't have permission to sell armor sets from anyone.

     

    I think you are misunderstanding what they are saying.

     

    A recast is often done off a suit that they bought themselves. So let's say I buy an ATA suit. If I made molds of those parts and then started making my own parts, that would be what they are referring to. And often the recast parts are from cheaper, lower quality materials. It's the equivalent of buying an iPhone from China. It may look like an iPhone, but you know darn well it has GameBoy parts inside it.

     

    And they are saying sell it on eBay AFTER building it. The biggest problem with current eBay sellers is that they are selling poor quality, recast, unassembled kits in high volume. This would be one person selling an assembled kit for cheap and I assume the listing would explain everything that has occured with the suit so as to not mislead the potential buyer.

  5. Have gotten some more done.

     

    Got all my parts trimmed and ready for assembly for the thermal detonator. Had to buy a 10' condiut just for a 7 1/4" long piece lol

    IMG_20120725_194014.jpg

     

    After test fitting and then having a nightmare of a time removing the endcaps, I cut notches into the pipe for easier removal. They are still tight and won't need to be glued though.

    IMG_20120725_202453.jpg

     

    All done!

    IMG_20120725_213130.jpg

     

    Also got the belt assembled. Haven't closed the backs of the ammo boxes yet, but when I try for EIB I will.

    IMG_20120724_224534.jpg

     

    Still need to rivet the sides of the ab and kidney plates and make & mount a holster but once I do that, the head and torso are done!

  6. Thanks for the info about the shoes!

     

    I like the idea with the rear vents but I was wondering if that is ok for 501st requirements and how are you going to make sure it stays black and doesn't show your hair through the hole?

     

    I have short black hair so it shouldn't be an issue. Also I believe requirements allow it. When I painted the inside I made sure to get between the fins so they are nice and dark.

  7. I am waiting for my ata suit to come in but I have my helmet completed. I had to do the same thing with the blue stripes. I am glad to see that I am not the only one who had to do that.

     

    Where did you go for the shoes? That's the one thing that I am not sure where to get them. I am playing the waiting game for for just about everything else.

     

    tkboots.com. Excellent quality and great price! They run slightly big. I wear a 10 or a 10.5 shoe and I ordered a 10 (they only do full sizes) and they fit very well with insoles.

     

    Nice work! You're getting a lot done quickly! I'm working on an ATA build too and at the rate I can get on it it's taking me months! Great job Trooper!

     

    :jc_doublethumbup:

     

    Thanks! I am hoping to have it done for Celebration VI. I am hoping to join the 501st and get inspected while I'm down there.

     

    Nice work! What was your process for cutting out the rear vents on your bucket? I had that on my FX and it was indeed a lifesaver. However, how I cut them they ended up bigger and fewer; absolutely not close to screen accurate. :)

     

    I masked the area with tape and then drew the outline of the trap and then drew slots on the tape. That way I could correct it if necessary. After that, I took my dremel with the cutting wheel and went straight down from above until the cut was almost the length of the diameter of the disc.

  8. Well I received my armor last week and have been obsessively working on it. Here are some progress pics:

     

    Just like a kid at Christmas:

    IMG_20120713_170803.jpg

     

    This was a little overwhelming to look at

    IMG_20120713_172112.jpg

     

    Here is my trusty dremel mounted to a metal shelf

    IMG_20120715_135222.jpg

     

    I started getting my feet wet by trimming some of the larger pieces

    IMG_20120714_170908.jpg

     

    IMG_20120715_135230.jpg

     

    Then some smaller pieces

    IMG_20120715_135215.jpg

     

    Then I got to work on my bucket

    IMG_20120714_144028.jpg

     

    bath time!

    IMG_20120715_160454.jpg

     

    Did some strapping

    IMG_20120718_081404.jpg

     

    After that I started painting the helmet. I did the inside flat black. I didn't do the sides yet in this pic b/c I put E-6000 over the cut bolts to cover any sharp ends and it had to dry. Notice I made the rear vents functional. I have a feeling I will be happy with that decision.

    IMG_20120718_081425.jpg

     

    Then I got to work on the outside. I decided to paint everything. After the traps, I hand cut some templates for the blue vents

    IMG_20120718_164815.jpg

     

    Here it is after painting

    IMG_20120718_164823.jpg

     

    The painter's tape didn't leave clean lines and a lot bled through the edges so I had to sit for a couple hours with an exacto knife and carefully scrape away the excess.

     

    Here is the mostly finished helmet

    IMG_20120718_181559.jpg

     

    The ear pieces aren't trimmed perfectly, but hey it is my first time :)

     

    Since then I have added velcro strips inside for mounting fans and padding. I bought industrial velcro. I like it a lot because the hook side isn't scratchy to the feel. The glue on the back is extremely strong too! I used headliner material to make my neck seal and had a ton left over so I started making padding out of that. I am an extremely picky person and I want the inside of my helmet to look really professional. I also got a couple squirrel fans and 9 volt switched battery holders. I was very heavily inspired by James' post in the "What's in the bucket?" thread. His helmet is so nice inside. I just need to get a couple of those Imperial stickers for the fans lol.

     

    As for the progress on the rest so far, I made my cloth belt and have all parts trimmed except for the arm and leg pieces. Will post more pictures as time goes on!

     

    I got my TK boots in the mail this week and they fit so well! I am gellin' in them and loving it!

  9. Hi Dave Welcome!!

     

    Here is your local 501st Garrison's website link: http://www.centralgarrison.com/ pop in there and say hi and get to know your future brothers and sisters.

     

    As for TK you have come to the best place info and where to get you kits/add-ons. Start here; http://forum.whitear...showtopic=11538

     

    At 6'2" you might want to look into a RT-mod (best for big and tall) if you are slim an ATA.

     

    Have fun with your journey to the darkside. Don't hesitate to ask questions.

     

    Awesome! Thank you so much for the info!

     

    Hey Dave

     

    I am new to this as well I have placed an order for a RT-MOD. Good Luck with your build!

     

    I just may do the same. Thanks!

     

    Welcome, Dave! Have a dark side cookie!

     

    Don't mind if I do :)

     

    Welcome Dave! I'm originally from Bemidji Minnesota so was not to far from you, been to Fargo many times. I'm fairly new here myself, been with this community and hobby for 6 months and it's absolutely addicting, I love it! I'm 6'2" and 180lbs. I went with an ATA kit, being as tall as we are you will have to work a bit to get the back plate and kidney plate to sit correctly. Not sure on your build but as Tom suggested RT-Mod is also very nice. A garrison mate has that kit and it looks great. Bucket came built and pieces were trimmed. Just take your time and research, ask questions, measure twice cut once. Most importantly have fun.

     

    I am about 195 (though I look like closer to 180. Looking at me you would swear I was lying). I think I will look into the RT-Mod. I put my name in for an ATA but in the meantime I will check my options. Thanks for the help!

  10. Hello! Just wanted to introduce myself! My name is Dave and I am from Fargo, ND. I am planning on building a stormtrooper armor set and have just started digging around. I want to make sure I do it right the first time and don't get ripped off. There was an article in our local paper yesterday about the local members of the 501st. I was able to find the email address of one of the guys and sent him a message asking for some advice and am waiting to hear back.

     

    I am hoping to have it done for Celebration VI. I road tripped to CV and really enjoyed seeing all the 501st members in costume and their display room. I was able to score Jedi Knight passes this time around, so I really want to make the best of it. If anyone knows of a good source to get good armor pieces to begin building, please pm me! I haven't decided on which version I will be going for though (ANH, ROTJ, hero, stunt, etc.). It will probably be based on what I find my first time around. I am 6' 2" and as I understand it, this may make things slightly more difficult to find (maybe not).

     

    My wife gave me the option of getting a new iPad or getting armor. I am getting armor.

     

    Thanks for reading!

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