EJGreen

I apologize for not keeping on top of my own buil thread. BAD MEMBER!! BAD!!!! Anyway, after a lot of consideration regarding the edges on my forearms, I think I'm feeling comfortable enough to trim them back to be more screen accurate. I looked at the forearms and realized the amount I would trim isn't as much as I was perceiving. When I look inside the forearm piece, there's are some pretty obvious ridges that tell me where I would cut. I actually measured them and if I were to cut the excess off BOTH edges it's only about 22 mm... Which DOES add two more questions now... 1) Do I trim the edges back at the elbow end to match the wrist edges? What I find interesting is that when I stand both pieces on end, the outter piece is slightly longer then the inner piece. I was worried that if I trim the outter edge that I would have to trim the inner piece as well but I don't know if that would be the case... 2) I have one forearm already built with the cover strips (and inside strips). Am I still able to cut those edges? I'm kinda scared to dismantle it since it's already been cured for a couple of weeks now.

Finished forearm after curing...

I appreciate your feedback, Rod. My dilemma doesn't so much pertain to the return edges at the wrists. As a matter of fact, I've already trimmed them off so they're nice and smooth. On the RT armor, the forearms don't have the "ladder tracks" extending all the way to the edges like so... It's much more screen accurate to shorten the forearms so the tracks end at the edges. If you look at the picture above, I'd have to trim off that pale blue area which would shorten the lengths of my forearms quite a bit which would result in a bad fit.

Here's one of the forearms with the glue curing. Reinforcement strips on the inside and screen accurate 15mm cover strips on the outside with butt joint edges...

Due to an exhausting work week, I've been a bit absent from the forums. I'm back and working on my build, once again! I'm still working on the arm pieces and I'm still not sure what to do with the wrist edges on my forearms. I'm familiar with the screen accurate edges but I'm worried that if I trim them down, my forearms are going to be too short. At the same time, however, I'm not sure whether leaving them intact will jeopardize Centurian approval. I'm fitting the biceps together for measurements and I wanted to know if there should be any return edges. Same for the shoulder bells. The CRL doesn't specify return edges for these parts but I wanted to know if it's common to trim the return edges for the shoulder bells and the biceps.

As of right now, my forearms still have the square indent ridge on them. Is it a Centurian requirement to trim that off? I think I may have managed to get the outside/inside edges down to 15 mm with cover strips.

Thanks, guys for the feedback. Fortunately, Rob didn't leave much of a return edge on the arm pieces. I did, however, run some 220 grit paper over the edges to remove what little return edges there were. I gotta say that helps quite a bit on minimizing palm scraping on my hands. I've not cut any material from the joint edges but I managed to tape the forearms up to what it should look like with the 15 mm cover strips. It's a lot tighter fit--no sloppiness and although the wrist is a lot smaller in dimension I can still get my hand through it. After looking at a couple of RT Centurians, I can see where some have left the length of the forearms untrimmed and still got approved. I do need to cut one more cover strips and then I'll start work on trimming down the butt edges before I begin gluing them together.

Bump. Anybody?

So I've basically started the preliminary fitting stages with the bicep and forearm. Using untrimmed pieces, I've simply taped a butt joint to get an idea of how the "out of the box" measurements will look and feel. It's difficult taking pics when I'm doing it by myself but here are my initial thoughts so far... Untrimmed and butt-joined, there's approximately a 35 mm distance where the cover strips would lay. It's also the same width on the forearm pieces as well... If I were to follow the standard 15 mm coverstrip widths for the arms, I'd have to trim 20 mm off the butting edges (10 mm on each edge). Thanks to Anheuser Busch, I maintain most of my size in my upper body which leaves my arms and legs slightly out of proportion. Looking carefully at the forearm I can see it's quite loose at this point. Granted, I may not be properly fitting myself the way I should--I'm not using any strapping at this point. If I let my arm down, gravity takes over and the forearm drops down to my wrist like so... My preliminary fear is that the length of the forearm is too short. Perhaps you can offer your opinions. I was kinda looking forward to cutting off some of the return edge at the wrist to make it more screen accurate. If, however, my forearms are all the way at the wrist, untrimmed, there's a gap between the bend in my elbow and top edge of the forearm. Something tells me I might have to trim just the return edges and leave the length alone. Speaking of return edges, the Centurian guidelines say that no return edge on the inside of the front of the forearm is allowed. Does that mean that a return edge on the outside of the forearm IS required? Seems to me like it would look much better to trim the return edges on BOTH the inside and the outside of the forearms. Anyway, feedback is welcome. I'm not trimming anything until I get some input from the group!

Once again, it's Saturday morning and I've come to the conclusion that this suit isn't going to build itself. With the wife at work, I was free to enjoy a bit of "me time" and start off my day with a bit of retail therapy. Here's my undersuit which I found at Kohl's using my wife's employee discount. It's a two-piece set and works more like cold weather garments than anything else. The material has moisture management, flat seams, UV protection, tag free, and also keeps the odors down. I'm not going to post images of me in the undersuit because of my Budweiser-toned physique that would just be... well, totally gross. Anyhoo. I also managed to make a stop at Wally Mart where I found a really nice cordless, two-speed Dremel, some sandpapers, the infamous blue masking tape and my very own tube of e6000. I then stopped off at Lowe's where I found the clamps I was looking for... With that in mind, I'm thinking about starting some prefiting with the arms. Will post more later.

If I were to go with the screen accurate bracket system, would I still require a lot of snaps? I see Mr. No stripes has the brackets I've been looking for!

I'm looking for those brackets. Where'd ya get 'em?

Looking awesome, Dadio! Keep plugging away!

So it's Saturday morning and I'm sitting here debating where I'm going to start with my kit. I gotta be honest, I'm not really sure where to begin. I've had my brown box for less than a week and since it's arrival, I've spent countless hours poring over hundreds of threads and yet I still feel a bit lost. The good thing is that I'm not forcing myself to complete my build by any deadlines. My biggest downfall, however, is that I'm an art major and I spend way too much time over-analyzing the smallest, itty-bitty detail to the point where I've rendered myself indecisive. My wife is at work this morning and I had plans to do some shopping. Yeah, I've got a LOT of that to do still. Aside from my armor, the only pieces I have are my undersuit, earth magnets (thanks, Dark CMF, for the Amazon link), and my belt from ! Right now, my local shopping list consists of e6000, clamps, and a roll of painters tape. I've added and crossed out, added and crossed out--not really sure which way is the best way to go with certain materials. Like I've said, I've read through dozens and dozens of threads and there's a lot of great tips out there but there's also a lot of differences in opinion. What works for some doesn't always work for all. I feel really confident that I can aim for Centurian. As I've stated, I've got the patience, time, and the attention to detail in order to get there. I'm just having a God awful time making decisions. Snaps: Dritz or Tandy? Again, I've heard some say both have worked for them but I know that it depends on the tools you use (pliers vs. setting tools/anvil). Snap Plates: I've read countless threads where some are using spare plastic to make snap plates, some are using nylon webbing (for better fit against contours), and some are going with elastic (doubled over at the snap for more durability). Elastic: Braided? Knit? Non-Roll? How wide, 3/4", 1"? White? Black? I really don't want to waste time, materials, and techniques that aren't really proven to work? I'd rather try to get it right fairly close to the first time. If anyone wants to weigh in with their opinions, my mind is wide open!

I really didn't have to wait long to get on his list but once I got on it, it was close to 7 months of waiting.

Brother, you can't imagine how stoked I am that you're here. I gotta be totally honest, I'm extremely inspired by your build and I'm going to be refering to it A LOT! But with that helmet on, I still can't see my toes unless I'm bent over 90 degrees at the waist! As for the apron, that's one I don't think I know about.

I can honestly say the rumors are true. My time on the waitlist was suppose to end in early July but he received a bad shipment of ABS from his supplier and that pushed everyone back a bit. But I have heard others say that they expect to be waiting till Spring 2015 or longer.

I was actually in your position not very long ago. The investment is huge and the wait can feel like forever but you've taken the first steps by actually making the decision to follow your passion. Your brown box will arrive some day and we're all going to be there to help you celebrate.

Actually Eric, I didn't know that Rob provided requests like that but I am definitely going with butt joints and strips. Still not sure about the strapping system but always looking for anyone's opinion.

I bid $1325... wait, that's "Price is Right." Congratulations, Walt, on your new addition to the clan. I'm gonna go with June 13th. You do realize that admission for Star Wars Weekends is only going to keep getting more expensive?

This definitely looks like it was a great time for everyone. Congratulations on making your first troop! Just got my armor today and I'm now one step closer to my first troop.

Another great read! I always love the monthly newsletters!

Finally! After sitting on the waiting list for several months, the eagerly anticipated brown box finally arrived safe and sound! I had been tracking it's migration from the time Rob sent me the tracking information for FedEx. Words cannot begin to express what I feel right now! This is the moment that I've always dreamed of. Ever since I discovered the 501st's existence, I knew that I would some day be a a part of it. To finally have the opportunity to build my own suit and join the ranks of some amazing people is, in my opinion, a tremendous honor. I was seven-years old when my dad took me to a drive-in theater during the summer of '77 and I saw Star Wars for the very first time! I'll never forget that memorable scene when dozens of Soldiers in white armor stormed the Tantive V and took the Princess Leia prisoner. Now, I have a whole new reason for watching those shots but from a totally different perspective, lol. But enough of my rambling. Here's some of the "obligatgory" pics that everyone likes to see... Last year, my wife taught our dog how to open Christmas presents. Now, anytime a box arrives in the house, he automatically thinks it has his name on it. I have to say that the box was a lot lighter than I imagined it would be. The shipping label had it listed as being just under 14 lbs. Rob definitely does a great job at packing his suits for shipment. Everything was neat and tidy and wrapped in LOTS of Saran Wrap. I couldn't wait to see the bucket. The dog, on the other hand, was more interested in my belt. Rob ships his suits with the helmet already built. I couldn't believe the level of craftsmanship that he puts into them. There's even a foam headliner inside that adds to the comfort level. Upon trying the helmet on for the first time, I was amazed at how snug it fit. I don't know if my head is really big but I have to turn the helmet sideways in order to fit it over my face. But once it's on--its on! I've read about some helmets that act like bobbleheads; but not this one! I can tell it's going to take some time to get used to looking out with it. There's not much room to exercise your peripheral vision and I have to turn my head in the direction of where I want to look. Still, I give it a big "thumbs up!" I spent some time carefully peeling off plastic wrap and inspecting all the parts and pieces. After finally getting everything unwrapped and laid out, I began to wonder if something was missing. I've poured through several RT builds and noticed that everyone has something I don't: an O2 canister! Yes, the control panel arrived as did the end caps but I've noticed from everyone else's pics that I didn't get the PVC tube that everything gets mounted to. Not sure if I should email Rob and ask about it or if I should just run to Home Depot and get a piece of PVC and cut it to the proper length. I will say that I'm quite pleased with the quality of craftsmanship that Rob puts into these suits. The ABS is durable but it's also really light. For whatever reason, I was expecting everything to be a LOT heavier that what it really is. I guess that's a good thing when it comes to trooping. I'm willing to admit that this is really just the beginning. I (think I) know what lies ahead but the good thing is that I have lots of patience on my side. As excited as I am to start trooping and doing all the great things that we do, I'm not under any time crunch. I'm willing to take my time--slooowly--and build a suit that I can be proud of. I've already made the decision to go straight for Centurian. I know that means that I'm going to have pay close attention to the details. As an artist, I can get easily distracted by the details. I know that there are going to be some modifications that will mean going as far as removing Rob's decals from the helmet and applying a "hand-painted" look. I gotta say that the only thing I have at this point are my earth magnets which happened to arrive shortly after my armor and I think I've got an undersuit that will meet the necessary requirements. But I still need to invest in boots, rivets, snaps, tubes of e6000, painters tape, and whatever else it's going to take to get this thing done. I'm hoping to start work as early as the weekend, doing my first fittings and so forth. But I'm also feeling quite comfortable at this point. I know that I have access to an amazing group of talented people who are eager to help and answer whatever questions I might have.

How is the quality? Sometimes those costume pieces are made with cheap materials Peace, Eric G. Fayetteville, NC

It's going to be several months before I get my RT-Mod suit but I've been researching a lot of information for building my E11. I'm familiar with the Doopy kits but I have questions about them... Aside from tools, paint, glue, etc., what other parts or components are required to complete a Doopy build? How difficult is it to put one of these kits together? Part of me would like to find a finished build but prices on those things are way too high compared to a Doopy kit. I'm simply trying to decide if this kind of project is going to be a headache or it's something I can tackle. Thanks for your feedback Eric G.