Echo

Build Update: I haven't had much time to post, but have made progress on the build. I've trimmed the edges of everything except for the shins. I'll post more images when I get a chance. One thing I wanted some opinions on is the right thigh piece. From looking at other images, LFL & RS builds included, I could see that the top front seam was misaligned due to the originals being that way. But since there was always the thigh battery pack fastened, I assumed the bottom seam edges were aligned. Well I found the image below yesterday on RS's facebook page and I'm now wondering if I should rip apart the front seam and reglue it so the bottom is misaligned too. The difference is about 10mm. Do you think I should redo it? Or will it be ok as I have it since it will be covered up. I wrapped the battery pack around the bottom & it looks like the alignment will not affect the end result..

Yea, looks like your mark cuts too much from the elbow side. I left about a 4-5mm return. The wrist side seems ok provided there is no return left at the edge

Thanks for the encouragement all. Last night I was trimming the thigh plates. I used a 10mm strip as a guide to cut along the front ridges and taped them for a test fit. The RS pieces are of different lengths. Hope this isn't to obvious of a question, but I aligned the bottom edge and let the difference occur at the top. Is this correct? There is about a 20-25mm difference at the top. I'm at work so can't post pics at the moment but will do so tonight if it is unclear.

Congrats

Good luck with the build

Oh, excellent! Just what I was looking for.. Can't believe I missed that thread in my search. Thx Sent using Tapatalk

Cool, thanks for the help. Also, I've been trying to figure out how wide to make the return where the brackets are bolted through. I've been following the lines in the RS pieces and its about 20-25mm. But I know the pieces have been made with some excess. Plus the original suit they have has a much smaller return. It seems to vary in the LFL images I am looking at too. So not sure if this is a personal preference matter. Also how close should the bolts be set from the edge? There is a slight indentation in the RS chest plate that looks like a hole mark. This mark is about 10mm from the edge. Some LFL images show these bolts practically right in the bend of the return. I wasn't sure if that was common or unique to some suits that they cobbled together during filming. Sent using Tapatalk

I've looked through many builds and pages, and apologize if these are redundant questions. A few minor details that are unclear to me. 1. I have the wire brackets for connecting the ab plate to chest plate, and the butt, kidney and back plates. How are the black elastic loops that go through the brackets fastened? Sewn? Glued? 2. What adhesive is best used to connect the white elastic shoulder straps to the back plate? E-6000? Anything special to do when using it on elastic? Am I correct in understanding the screen accurate approach would be to glue them directly to the back plate? I'm undecided on if I will do this with snap plates instead. I like the convenience and practicality of snap plates, but appreciate being as screen accurate as possible. 3. In several builds it looks like some people have snaps fastened to nylon webbing that is then attached to the back of the armor. Is that what I see in their photos? It's often hard to tell because of low res in that part of the images. Hope my questions aren't too confusing without example images. I'll add some if it is... Thx Sent using Tapatalk

I was watching the Big Bang Theory TV show and noticed this Han trooper figure on a shelf in Leonard and Sheldon's living room. Sent using Tapatalk

Gloves after was easy for me, so I kept the wrist end tight. Widening it enough to fit over hand plates would be too loose, but i have skinny arms. Thx for the input.

Heh, I can relate to worrying more than I should. I keep telling myself.. "It's only plastic, it's only plastic." Good luck on your build.

Ok, I'll test it with my gloves. I have the rubber gloves with latex hand guards. My hands just fit as it is, so I'll have to loosen the wrist end of the forearm so the guard can fit.

Oh, I can get my hand through, but I haven't tried with a glove on. I figured the gloves go on after... The back seam isn't trimmed so I can still adjust. Do you really fit the forearms over gloves?

Congrats

Cover strip question on the forearm shown below. Should I trim the butt edges of each side underneath the cover strip to make them more flush along the sides? Or is it ok as shown?

Congrats Sent using Tapatalk

Congrats

Ok update #1: I've started trimming the edges of the Biceps and Forearms. Admittedly I am being a bit timid about how much of a return to cut. I've looked at a lot of images and posts. Some threads I have read suggest about a 5mm return except for the wrists. But when I compare to LFL or other builds, the edges look thinner. I've been told the edges really come down to comfort, but as my first build its hard to know what that will be. Of course the fear is going too far and trimming too much. I have a feeling I can trim these further at least on the bottom edges. Should I trust my feelings Master? Also I haven't trimmed these to fit my arms yet, though I have taped them to test it. From other threads, I saw that cover strips should be about 15mm. Correct? Oh and the side of the strips should be flush with the raised edges along the forearms right?

Oh I seemed to have missed this discussion. I saw threads talking about the differences in Humbrol to Testors, but I didn't realize the current general opinion on the grey is that Testors is a closer color.

Oh it's there you just have to look closely...

RS Propmasters put this hard plastic adhesive in the kit I bought. I am planning to use E6000 from all of the builds and threads I've read, but I was wondering if anyone has use this one and if they recommend it. ----------

Maybe you could find a way to soften the connection of the fan to isolate its vibration. It might be easier than isolating the mic since that needs to be positioned accurately to your mouth. Is there a way to loosen the way your fan is attached?

Great post. You really earned that blaster with sweat and toil. Looks very nice. Thanks for the in depth description of your process.

Officially starting this thread for my build. Its my first venture into costuming and the mixture of excitement and sheer terror has fully set in. (A feeling I'm sure most have had at first). I want the process of crafting the armor to be big part of the experience so I plan to document every part I can. The forms and designs of the Star Wars Universe have always fascinated me. While making my Trooper armor, I thought it would be good to study each component through photographs in order to become aware of the nuances of its design. I chose to get my kit from RS Propmasters due to the accuracy to the films. RS does an ok job of letting newcomers know what are comprised in their kits, but to be honest I wasn't exactly sure what I was all getting until I opened the box. I figured including some of my study into this thread would be interesting to others like me who aren't familiar with the actual raw pieces that come in a kit. There are a lot of how-to's, in-progress and final photo's but not many photo's of the kits themselves. I also think these objects are beautiful in their own right. So, I'm photographing each piece from multiple angles and essentially cataloging my kit. Don't worry I won't put every image on this thread, but enough to show my progress. I'll set up a photobucket album with all shots for those interested. Basic Information on the Armor: RS Propmasters PVC kit Fully Loaded Strapping Pack (Includes Helmet Pack, Strapping Pack, Replica Belt and Latex Guards with Gloves) Here are initial photo's: Helmet Face, Cap and strapping pack pieces Hopefully not too annoying with all of the images. I'm just excited about the kit. I'll be editing my post as the build progresses. Thanks for your patience. -echo

Thanks all. I'm very excited. And there will be many questions.. Haha