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NICE! Love your username! I'll be following your build as I'm slowly building an AP kit right now. There don't seem to be many AP build threads, so this is invaluable to me. Thanks!

HOT!!! You're getting there! I'd like to see a full blown disco trooper to match your other helmet! I know it's a test fitting, so everything is just hanging loosely, but I'm wondering are the shoulder straps attached? The back needs to be much higher and the chest needs to drop a little. I know someone suggested shims for the thighs - maybe ask for expert opinions on tapered shims? Wider at the top of the thigh to almost nothing at the bottom - otherwise you're going to end up with a ton of gap around your knees. I think Panda trooper coined the phrase "church bell thighs" for trooper thighs that swing around the knees while walking. There's got to be a way you can get a nice fit and achieve a tapered look. I know you're 5'2", so cutting the cod was probably a great move for getting a better fit. I'm considering the same modification. I'm 5'4" and expect to be making EXTENSIVE modifications. So far, I have the shoulders, biceps and forearms finished and haven't run into a single issue. My wife says it's because I'm stocky and "solid". Wha? I'm taking it as a compliment. I'll start the torso next, where I expect to be trimming every piece and forming new return edges. I'm DREADING the thighs - my wife says I have "superhero" thighs and if she had her way, I'd be walking around all day, every day, in Spandex bicycle shorts (I climb several thousand feet worth of ladders every week at work). As far as my armor thighs are concerned, I think they'll fit without shims, but I already know I'll be trimming quite a bit from the length. When I initially tried them on, my knees were pretty much INSIDE the thighs. Not good. And now for something completely random...I've even considered starting a thread about this...Armor building time is my escape from the world and decompression time from the rest of the day. As such, I disappear into the shop and crank my Bose with either new music or old favorites. Tonight, I discovered a great band and a really nice track when I started reading your post. In my mind, you're now forever associated with Porcupine Tree "Flicker". Any inspiration music while you're building? Looking forward to more updates, especially the final thigh solution!

I didn't know there was a difference - I thought Bapty was just the gun shop that made the original E11's. The pictures look like a solid casting? Aluminum?

I'm almost hesitating to post since you got replies from the "major league" blaster builders in less than a day. I'm not worthy!!! If I could ever get off work for more than 8 hours, I would start my steel pipe build - I've got everything for the build (and more) just laying on the workbench. Aside from the weight difference you mentioned already, attaching resin components securely might be an issue. I plan to TIG weld a new receiver tube to a real Sterling parts set, then use silver solder to attach the remainder of the components. Then there's the legal issue of physically ensuring this new weapon CANNOT be fired. My steel tube matches the original parts EXACTLY. 1.5" OD X 0.065" WALL X 1.37" ID. If it weren't for my ability to TIG weld, I'd probably go for the DVH pipe build. Good luck with your decision and can't wait to watch your build!

I'll concede the iPhone analogy isn't the best. I think MTK is acceptable because the molds were purchased or authorized by the original sculptor. A recaster has no authorization. A recaster is making money from someone else's hard work. That's my understanding. I lived in Korea for a year - almost everything I bought there was a knockoff. I bought a pair of Nike Air Max running shoes and the thread used to sew the shoes together literally disintegrated after about a month, but I could buy about 4 pairs for the price of 1 real pair.

If you buy a stolen iPhone you might get a good price, but it's STILL a stolen iPhone. That's bad. If you buy recast armor, you might get a good price, but it's STILL recast. That's bad. Even if the armorer reworks the molds, they're still partially stolen work from someone else. Adam Savage did an interesting interview on 'Tested' about recasting - he basically said a recast was ONLY acceptable for PERSONAL use (if you must have something that's rare for your own collection), but if it would be used in public or intended for resale, then it is NOT acceptable. Why even tempt that line when you can get perfectly acceptable armor from a vetted supplier at a similar price?

FREAKIN' AWESOME!!! NICE WORK! <fist pumps> This guy has unbelievable skills with power tools! You're the man, Tim!

Great build and good luck with your application. I'm pretty sure you've inspired more than one person. I STILL laugh every time I think of the engineer asking if you want to "touch the helmet". And I think messed up hair at the end of a troop just makes it look like you've spent a long day battling rebel scum. Can't wait to see your application thread!!!

Power cylinder nuts and bolts are a 10BA British thread which you likely won't find in the U.S. I tried the 2-56 nuts I saw suggested elsewhere on the FISD, but now that I have the correct nuts and bolts, I can assure you 2-56 nuts are about twice as big as 10BA nuts. If you MUST have the correct nuts and bolts, I suggest contacting Andy (PlayfulWolfCub) - he might be willing to sell you a set. Scope: All I could think while scrolling down through your pictures is: He's going to do it, he's going to drill all the way through! But, you stopped. I know there's an offset and you'll have to keep reducing bit size, but it would drive me nuts not to be able to AT LEAST see light through the lenses you worked so hard to install. I know the resin must be really thin in some places, so the risk is big, but I think the reward of seeing light through the scope would be huge. Charging bolt handle: For some reason, I can't wrap my head around how you intend to install the charging bolt into the receiver with the handle installed - that seems like an impossible problem to me. I'm wondering why you don't drill an access hole the size of your screwdriver tip in the gun, opposite the screw? This hole could be drilled anywhere along the length of the receiver opposite the charging handle slot (assuming the bolt will slide forward). Install the bolt, line it up with the hole, insert the screw and tighten. Then fill the access hole and paint. Perhaps this presents other issues I'm not considering... Trust me, I'm not criticizing - This is probably my favorite build - no offense to Tino or Steve, because those are great too. Just offering suggestions. Looking forward to seeing the finished product!!!

Congratulations!!!!

Before cutting, I'd wait for responses from some of the veteran armor guys or maybe shoot a PM to Lady in White? Maybe they've got another trick...

It took a time or two to realize your username is Ericia spelled backwards... Maybe a third option besides shims or gym? By trimming the inner thigh slightly lower, you might be able to make up the gap. Also maybe lower the rear slightly to cover more black. If nothing else, I enjoyed drawing the picture!

Hoooo - ahhhh! Glad you're finally able to post again, I was having withdrawls! Nice Dremel...but it's nice to have the smaller rotary tool too. Each has it's merits. Very interested to see your counter come together!

Nice helmet! Thanks again, Manny. Those are going straight into my hero pictures folder.

Thanks Mathias, Tim, Germain and Manny! I will likely upgrade to a TM helmet someday - then I can enjoy "unmodding" my AP back to Stunt! It would be cool for AP to offer hero ears as an option, but I would certainly want to refine them more before sending samples to Mark - they still require a considerable amount of hand work. "You definitely have skills to pay the bills lol..." Manny, believe it or not, I'm in the midst of an incredibly difficult decision right now and your previously unheard quote is REALLY beneficial. I've been blessed with many gifts, but many go untapped because of my career in corporate America. I've worked at my company for the last 15 years and things are incredibly BAD right now. Double the hours for the same pay (salary), less benefits, extreme stress and no end in sight... From talking to friends, I know it's the same story at a lot of companies and it's not going to change unless I take the initiative to make a change for myself. I've been tossing around quitting to work someplace else or even working for myself. My wife stands behind me and I've got a great network of friends. Your timely quote serves as one more cog in the gears of change because I know I've been blessed with "skills to pay the bills". So, many, many thanks!!! Aaron

After digging through probably 50 screen shots, I finally found one that shows the "point". I agree, this probably happened when the cap back was pulled off the mold when still too hot. After looking at all the screen shots, LFL photos and reference photos from different exhibits, I'm pretty convinced the pointed back was on ONE hero helmet. I'm not worried about it anymore, but it was a lively discussion. Maybe I'll do it someday, but I'm going to proceed without the point for now. Thanks again Mathias and Germain!!!

OK, baking is finished, molds cooled. I used my cork "heat shields" and the heat gun to get the ear bump area really hot, then popped the ear onto the mold and sandwiched the other mold on top. Held together for a minute and pulled it apart. Pretty decent. Did some sandpaper cleanup and bumped up a few low spots around the edges with the hobby iron (ABS probably wasn't hot enough near the edges). And here you have it, world's first AP hero ear? AP hero on the left, ATA hero in the middle, original AP stunt on the right. Bad news is, I still have to make another one to match... And finally, while I was waiting for the oven, I decided to proceed with my bicep modification. I figure if it doesn't look right or I catch too much flak for not being screen accurate, I can always cut on the original line. I just like things to have a good fit and finish. You veteran guys are probably chuckling right now... I'll do my best. So here's how my bicep ended up in the misalignment area I talked about in the beginning of the thread. You can barely see it, but there's a slight impression for the original cut line about 1/2" from the top on the inside piece. This will allow a full length cover strip because it provides a place for the cover strip to "land" instead of being cut short to avoid the "misalignment area. With a shorter cover strip, the edge of the outside part is visible and it looks unfinished to me. Again, most of this will probably be hidden by the shoulder bell and will likely never be seen - but I'LL know it's there. Anyway, fun is over for today. Dinner time and the wife wants to go see Divergent tonight. Till next time, Aaron

Thanks, Vern. I appreciate your vote of confidence, but I seriously doubt I'm anywhere near the best work in the legion. I'm just screwing around trying to figure out how to do things to end up with a passable result. I AM HAVING FUN though!

Thanks, Mathias. You're absolutely right. I just want to be sure I don't invest a mountain of time into something that doesn't meet the standard from the beginning. There's definitely a shape difference beyond just the neck trim positioning, but it does line up perfectly with the S-trim joint. I never noticed it until Vern "pointed" it out. I suppose you notice these things when you're a veteran and you see different helmets frequently. Here's a screen shot showing the pointy shape...

Honestly, I got COMPLETELY DEMOTIVATED by the whole "point on the cap back" thing... For what it's worth, too much ABS to move without a form, and too much work to make a form for such a small detail. At one point, after researching screen shots for an hour or two, I was ready to GIVE UP and just make a Stunt. But that means I would have to use the iron to add the 4th tooth back into the frown on both sides...AND I HATE REWORK. To get the cap back "point", it just seemed to make more sense to BUY a hero helmet - my free time is RARE and worth far more than the cost of a different helmet. So I looked at a TM hero helmet...and didn't really see much of a point there...WTF? I experienced MASSIVE frustration over a very trivial difference and then I found out the TM hero helmet doesn't have it either. Moving on. Almost over it. I looked at some hero EIB applications and found those didn't really have a cap back "point" either. Does RS make a hero helmet? Does it have the cap back point? I know Vern's position, but what do the rest of you think? Is it worth it? Anyway, I got home from work last night and felt like doing some work, but I'm still MIFFED about the helmet thing. Moving on to the ears... I have a pair of ATA hero ears and the original AP ears that came with my armor. Three bumps on ATA, four bumps on AP. There's also a significant size difference and the color is slightly off. The AP ears are larger and pure white. The ATA ears are smaller and kind of an off-white. You can also see I'm going to have some slight forming work to do where the back meets the cheek tube - mine don't have very much curve and the fit with the cheek tube on the faceplate is bad. Granted, this area will be covered by the ear, but I'd like it to fit better. What I'd REALLY like are AP ears with three bumps, so that's what I decided to do. First step was to flatten the 4 bumps on the AP ear. I wanted an even surface to work with. I tried the hobby iron, but couldn't get enough heat into the whole area to get rid of the bumps. I decided to switch to a heat gun, but didn't want to warp the entire ear. I made some "heat shields" from a roll of cork gasket material. This allowed me to focus the heat from the heat gun without melting the whole ear. That worked pretty well and I managed to flatten the AP ear bumps to my satisfaction. Now I need a 3 bump form. I considered different materials and ultimately ended up deciding to use an oven-bake clay because I need something much hard enough to push against. I bought some white Primo! polymer clay at a Michael's craft store. I was concerned about possible color transfer onto the ABS, so white seemed like a good choice. I've never used polymer clay, but I've always been curious. I watched a few Youtube videos and conditioned my clay as suggested. I've convinced myself that what I'm about to do doesn't count as "recasting" - it's really more like "reshaping". I'm only using the ATA bumps to get the correct spacing. I think I'll probably need to build up the form because I won't be able to get enough heat into the ABS for a really good transfer. My form will need to be a little "taller" to achieve the same shape while using less heat. Hope that makes sense. With less heat in the ABS, the form will need to "push harder" to get the same shape. I pressed the clay into the ATA ear to get the 3 bump spacing. The clay deformed every time I removed it, so I couldn't get a really good impression. I tried wax and mold release on the ear, but the clay is really sticky. I made the best impression I could, then started sculpting to refine and clean up the shape. I made an inside and outside mold so I would be able to sandwich the ABS between them. Molds are sculpted, so now they go into to the oven to harden. The package says 275 degF for 30 min for each 1/4" of thickness. The molds are 1" thick, so I'll be baking for 2 hours. Then I'll try them out... Empire Bake Sale?

No press on the outside with the iron. Essentially, I didn't want anything touching the outside. I heat the ABS until it starts to "move", work it a little beyond where I want it, then quickly remove the heat and blow on it so it cools and stops moving. Teeth marks are cut "barriers". Think - DO NOT cut past these lines. I'll finesse the teeth the rest of the way open using a needle file (a lot more control!). And after searching and reading about EFX for an hour or two, I think I finally understand your comment about the "point" on the center of the cap and back. I'll really have to think about how to approach forming a point...at least long enough to build up the courage to try it. That's a HUGE area of ABS to move. I would only try that with a large form or buck to press from the inside. Potentially worth it though, because the sides of the AP cap and back need more curvature to meet up with the faceplate cheeks. One side of my cap and back has very little curvature and does not match up to the cheek very well. Just in case, how much is a replacement cap and back? Risky, but potentially worth the reward...

Thanks, Steve. It's more patience than talent, but thanks! I'll take it!

Thanks, Vern. That's the kind of feedback I was looking for. Can you define or direct me to a picture of the "point at the center of the cap n back"?

Looks like the real deal! Your thumb also looks about 71 years old with weathering . EXCELLENT WORK! Unbelievable realism. FINALLY, a great use for a white crayon! And I assume you can at least see light through the scope? On one hand, you're pushing the limits of what is possible with a resin build, but on the other, you're making me think twice about posting my build... We're not worthy!!!

Hi all, I started building and taking pictures for a possible future AP build thread. I woud really like to make Hero armor, but my AP kit doesn't offer that helmet option, so... Straight out of the box, I thought I'd attempt to modify the faceplate to give it a Hero frown. I don't know if this is "frowned" upon, but I was told AP armor could be made into Hero as long as it meets the visual requirements. I've built half a dozen RC airplanes, so I'm pretty comfortable with a hobby iron, or in my case a "Monokote Sealing Iron" (it's used to heat and shrink the plastic film covering on RC airplanes). If I don't succeed, then I will change the remainder of the build to Stunt. Better to know what I'm building from the start. While I was inside the faceplate with the hobby iron, I straightened out some of the 'lip ripples' caused by the teeth impressions. I don't want it to be perfect (retain some 'wonkiness'), but I did want to provide a little more definition by straightening the edge of the lip. Very subtle, but I think it makes a difference. BEFORE: AFTER: BICEPS: Next, it seems like I've heard it's a good idea to build the biceps first. Not sure why - maybe because they're small and help you get a feel for the process before moving on to larger parts. Anyway, I researched lots of builds and looked at lots of pictures. From what I can tell, each type of armor has a SLIGHTY different shape bicep. Some line up well, others do not. Since I don't want to buy replacement parts, I figured it would be a good idea to check everything multiple times before cutting. I noticed with my AP biceps, if I cut on the pre-marked 'lines', I'll end up with some of the aforementioned 'mis-alignment'. I cut wide and left extra material in the misalignment areas. I thought maybe I could 'reform' the edges with the hobby iron to 'cheat' them back into alignment. I'm looking for opinions on whether this matters or not (I realize these particular edges will be mostly hidden by the shoulder bells, so while not a big deal, probably one of the better places to experiment). Will the proposed modification detract from what's expected of AP armor? Or will the modification improve the armor with my own personal 'fit and finish'? What do you think? Thanks in advance for the collective wisdom of the FISD!!! Aaron