Evilboy

The ones I use in my fan kits are 50mm x 50mm x 15mm, and I order them in bulk from China...

I would recommend the THG Blasters E-11. The finished version are good for Centurion out-of-the-box with the addition of the wires from the counter to the power cylinders.. You can look at those HERE, and that is a pic of one below. He also offers them as an unfinished kit HERE. Ron at THG also offers them in "unbreakable" rubber for a little bit more. They are truly beautiful. Also, Ron is based in Oregon, so his shipping within the US is FAR less expensive. For full disclosure, I make all of the metal Scope rails for Ron. But he buys them from me in bulk, and I do not get any additional monies for the sales of the blasters.

Would you be kind enough to post a pic of the bottom of the TD, showing the metal clips please? I have a customer that wants them exact to a ROTJ suit. THANKS!

Which for 'Murica is 2.6 inches, give or take

I LOVE the size of the NE helmet, and the face sculpt is a vast improvement over the AM, but the three part helmet still irks me, and the ears killed me. I ruined a pair and had to order another. They were far trickier than the standard ATA or AT3 ears...

MAN I wish those were easier to get in the US.

If you bought it from Jim at Voicebooster/TK Products LLC., let him know and he will take care of you. His customer service has always been excellent!

Pinning is the way to go. Then Dday...

I posted above right before I saw this picture here on the third page of the thread. I had a long and well-thought-out comment but then hit the back button before hitting post by mistake. FRAK! So here is a brief reconstruction of my long-winded statement. I stand behind what I said above, in principle at the very least. The helmet in this photo looks great to me and is clearly not exactly the same as the one in the digital rendering seen previously. For the purposes of us and of costuming I will need to see an entire suit of the armor before I get too crazy excited. I'm going to want to see what notes to bring over from the original Stormtrooper armor to the newer, updated, version that says "Stormtrooper". From a practical point of view, for our purposes of costuming and for the purposes of the film, I am willing to place a bet that the armor will be much more wearable in the new iteration, as they have the advantage of modern design tools, 3-D printing, and any number of advances that we've seen in the last 40 years since the original armor was produced. They will of had to be able to produce dozens of helmets and suits for the film(s) and even with the vast budget this film is receiving they would still want to keep it practical, cost-effective, and RELATIVELY easy to assemble. They're also going to want it to allow a reasonable amount of movement for the actors. What this means for us, In my humble opinion, is the helmet will probably be assembled, Looking at the picture, in 4 to 6 pieces plus the visor and black under material. It also means that once some of the really talented and amazing sculptors amongst us get a good look at these things, probably around Star Wars Celebration VII or SDCC, in the form of toys, children's play costumes, maquettes and statues, and stills from the film, we will see some really stunning renditions of these. I hope they take a page from the original productions and used found items for a lot of things. For the blasters, I hope they find some obscure military weapon, or at least a futuristic one, like the P90, and dress those up instead of going with the prequels design ideas.

You have to figure that in a galaxy where they have interstellar travel that there would be significant advances and upgrades in materials and styles over the course of 30 years, which is the time Between episode six and episode seven. Hell, just look at the clones armor over the course of two films and the clone wars series. How many different iterations did we see in that short time? 30 years in that galaxy, at that stage of advanced technological progression, would most likely be like a century or more on our world. Just think about all the improbable changes we've seen in technology in the last 30 years. Think about how cell phones went from a huge, suitcase sized, brick to the smallest phones literally able to fit on your wrist in the next year. And that's just one example. The point of these images specifically; Am I a huge fan of the look of the Stormtrooper in that picture? Not really. Will I come to like it? I have not decided yet. It might grow on me. I have to see the whole suit, see what notes they've kept from the original armor that would say"Stormtrooper". That being said, somehow I am not entirely convinced that these images are fully what they are described to be. For one, they are clearly digital renderings and not fully realized costumes. Secondly, JJ Abrams is famous for his use of misdirection and subterfuge. For all we know, these may very well be early design renderings that bear little or no resemblance to the final design. They could've been released to distract the fans to appease our need for visual "spoilers" for a while, as we are certainly discussing them, and reduce some of the tension. He has used that technique before with other films he's done.... Remember, there were some early design images that "Leaked out" from the first Star Trek film he did that turned out to be nothing like what actually made it to the screen, and which he ultimately admitted had been put out there, through online media, for the exact purpose I have described. So I would recommend taking a deep breath, enjoying this for what it may be, and just be excited that we have someone who is truly passionate about subject, and respectful of the source, making this film. And thank the maker that it's not Michael Bay...

I have no words for the brilliance of this build. your eye for detail and dedication to accurizing is inspiring. Bravo sir!

For a helmet there is also AT3 in Poland. Sand Props is the name of the company I believe. ARAKYEL on the Spec Ops board. SDS is crap, IMHO.

Interesting if true... "Due to the high level of secrecy surrounding the Star Wars development process, it is unclear which spinoff Edwards will tackle. Speculation has focused on characters such as bounty hunter Boba Fett and Jedi master Yoda as those who might be getting their own movies. There are also rumors of a potential Han Solo origin story or at least something on the Solo clan, and untold adventures of Luke Skywalker." http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-spinoff-hires-godzilla-706636

do you have a link?

I have a set of the NE, and my friend has a set of RS. I spent several hours recently comparing the two suits point by point. I measured with calipers the relative distances between specific points. The NE is definitively NOT recast from RS. For one thing the scale is completely different. You could not simply recast off of a set of RS armor and get the significantly larger proportions of the NE suit. For another thing, while there are a vast number of the details that are very similar in accuracy due to a lot of time spent apparently researching screenshots and fine tuning the bucks, the actual relative spacing between certain points, as well as the relative size in relation to certain points simply does not match up. It is easy to understand why people who have not seen the two together up close, or taken the time to measure things, could easily make the assumption that one came from the other but it is simply not true. I hope that someone else will take the time to do the measurements I have done and take pictures as they do it. That is the one thing I forgot to do at the time. If we can get a second person to verify this we can put this to bed once and for all and finally have A truly screaming accurate armor that can fit us larger troopers.

And, for the sake of accuracy, you will need an inner barrel, bolt and spring, and a tiny flat head screwdriver that you can cut down for the front sight...

You broke the 14th Commandment: Thou Shalt NOT Buy Armour on ebay!

Cool!

I found these boots at Target of all places...I think they could be made to work... -----------

I got my first Tattoo at CVI in Tattoo Ally. It ended up in Star Wars Insider #139!

yes indeed. your build is both an inspiration AND a challenge. I have a Doopys kit that has been sitting here for most of the year, and I will get on that after Dragon*Con...

Yes. fill and sand the surface. Then go to a craft store and buy a small metal stamping kit of the alphabet similar to THIS. Heat the metal dies you need ("O" and "F") and press/stamp them in to the resin surface. You can also use a scribing tool to scribe the letters in but it will not be as accurate. EDIT: Aaaaand that is why you read all the way through before posting! HAH! You figured out my suggestion before I could say it! Great job!

My ONLY criticism is the lettering on the end of the Magazine...other than that, OUTSTANDING job!

This: http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-EZ541GR-Lock-Grinding-Wheel/dp/B003NSBG8G And PM replied! I also make the Scope rails and counter brackets for the E-11 Blasters as well as the TD clips for your armor if you should need them!