tkrestonva

I've always had good success with boiling water, especially if I needed even heating. Basically heat the plastic in boiling water until it softens enough to be bendable (which should not take 30 minutes), bend it to the shape you need, then quickly cool it by dipping it in cold water so that it retains its new shape. Heat guns, on the other hand, can lead to warping unless you are very careful with the heat settings and keep the heat gun moving at all times. Is there anyone in the Denver area with more experience that can help you out?

Mounted inside the upper chest: Left: Aker MR1506 Center (not shown): iComm Right: old-school iPod Magnets were there only as long as needed to hold down the straps while the E6000 cured.

Your level of detailing is simply stunning.

At a minimum and for basic trooping safety, you should have enough mobility to do the following unassisted: (1) put on and take off your helmet, (2) drink from a bottle of water, (3) feed yourself a light snack such as a powerbar or a piece of fruit, and (4) draw and holster your blaster. If you don't at least have that, you probably need to make some adjustments. But yes, pictures would help.

I used E6000 as well.

The premium helmet is what the TFA TKs all got with our kits, although it looks like Anovos has since made a couple of upgrades. Even if this upgraded helmet doesn't have quality control issues (as most of ours did), I'd say for ~$600 it's not worth it. If you insist on a preassembled helmet, you might as well get one of the standard line versions. But if you're going for accuracy, you are better off with one of the fan-made helmet kits from DDay or mitcheg.

Looked here yet? http://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:TK_commander

I made one for my 16 year old using one of Fierfek's v1 helmets. She is now a member of the Galactic Academy, and I plan on having her march with me during this year's DragonCon parade. There is a great thread (including a draft CRL) over at IOC - you'll need to establish an account in order to see it. http://www.imperialofficer.com/forum/index.php?/topic/5087-star-wars-rebels-imperial-cadet

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/14832-fs-imperial-communication-system-icomm/

All it needs is a D-ring.

I found a couple of light up toy Nerf guns and ripped them apart to get at the LEDs (which were already pre-soldered to their own circuit boards). The LED itself is a single lamp, but I cut up a white translucent plastic drink cup and glued appropriately-sized pieces of plastic across the vent holes in the mag well and ammo counter to act as light diffusers. From there, I serially-connected a 4xAAA battery holder (hidden in the rear barrel of the F-11D and accessible by removing the end cap) and ran the wires through the hollow barrel and to the LED circuit boards mounted in the mag well and ammo counter. As for the single light on the SE-44C, I haven't figured that part out yet. But I imagine you'll need to find a rectangular red LED of the right size, glue it in place, and mount the power source inside the pistol itself.

Mine stay on all the time as long as the battery is connected. Others have a hidden switch built into their blasters. I've yet to hear of anyone who has rigged their blaster up with sound effects, or lighting effects activated by the trigger.

The reality of this hobby is that cheap armor =/= film-quality armor, especially when it comes to First Order stormtrooper gear. Even the baseline Anovos injection-molded plastic helmet will set you back about $300 a copy once you include taxes and shipping. Cheap or (relatively) good - you'll have to choose one or the other.

DO NOT use PVC pipe cement. It is made for PVC - not ABS. Different type of plastic. Having said that, you can't go wrong with E6000. All it requires is a well-ventilated work area and patience.

My entire kit fits in here (minus the helmet). Takes some packing skills, but it works. It also fits inside the available trunk space of a small car - in my case a 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Contico-Storage-Locker/2476189

Unless you know of a super-strength, "industrial grade" hot glue, it will not stand up to rigorous trooping - especially in hot weather environments. It's simply not strong enough.

The ANOVOS helmets have a hard-hat interior liner. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/34541-anovos-tfa-fn-stormtrooper-helmet-thoughts/page-2 There are two very good fan sculpts (along with the ANOVOS offering) listed here. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/34166-first-order-stormtrooper-resource-guide/

Tony, I can't help you with the bells - but I *do* happen to have an ATA chestplate and backplate in my spare parts bin. It might work better for you. PM me (here, on the GT board, or on FB) if you want to come by some time and try them on for fit.

The only place you really *should* take off the entire return edge is at the wrists and ankles. Everyplace else, you leave as much or as little as you want depending on both your desired comfort level and aesthetic.

The return edges at the tops of the thighs are optional. You'll lose the illusion of depth, but it's certainly not a dealbreaker.

Got the following email from Extreme Racing this morning. Ask, and ye shall receive ...

You could also just wear the chest piece a bit lower such that you have a slight overlap (maybe 1 inch?) between the ab and chest as you are standing upright. It means you'll have extra room at the neck, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Nicely done.

What I've noticed most in my builds for women is that you have to taper the thighs more to account for the much larger shift inwidth from the hips to the knees. Getting that right is usually the biggest challenge. Boobs haven't been much of a problem - those can be held tight by a solid sports bra.

Yeah, this! Congratulations!