Bone

So I think I lost on this bet ... Or are there any happy news?

Don't get me wrong, but is it possible, that it has nothing to do with your helmet but with the shape of your head? In my bucket for instance, I don't have any padding at all above my head, because I have a very long head and would not be able to look out of the eye openings, if there was any padding. Did you try switching the helmets with your fellow ATA trooper to see how that one fits and behaves?

@Michael Now let me see, if I got your meaning correctly: You want to know, if ordering the KIT is a good idea and if it is armor that will get you in the 501st, right? Nobody can give you an answer to those questions for the time being. But It is an educated guess, that Anovos will do a decent costume. They have too much at stake and can't afford to deliver rubbish! So, yes, it is a good idea to order that costume. Will it get you in the 501st? If you do your research, aim high and make sure the costume looks good on you, the answer is another yes. But, nobody can guarantee either of these points ...

LOL!

I called it the e-11-7 ...

That's what they say in their terms and conditions on their site ...

Thanks a lot, Tim. You (like so often) made my day!

Yes, that was some nice "leading your eyes through the scene" for a big reveal! Liked it a lot!

Ah, that's what I guessed! Exclusive to 501st members ... Yeah, I obviously waited too long. Thanks Germain for hinting me!

Now that's a smart idea!

Well, of course I know of the gentlemen's agreement with LFL. But I was always under the Impression that it was a direct order from the man himself. But he is out now. Now we are talking Disney and new designs here. And if LFL/Disney really will hold its feet still when fan made ep7 troopers pop up, I highly doubt Anovos will ... Promoting Star Wars and doing charity in its name may be reason enough for Disney to keep both eyes closed, but Anovos is a business with investments they need to regain. Fan made armor, sculpted by hand, with blood, sweat and tears, sold for the price of manufacturing (meaning no real monetary gain) also may be one thing, but think about the situation when the first vendor is accused of recasting an Anovos suit ...

If I'd only know where to spend it! :-) Get your own shoes? The troopers at celebration sported all the same shoes, so I thought Anovos would supply them, too ... To think how much time I spent online researching the correct gloves, scopes and ribbed cloth ... Wasted.

@nicky Yes, you are completely right. I signed my fare share of NDAs during my working life, so I know exactly what you are saying. I don't blame anyone, god forbid! Just feel like a kid who is not allowed to join the game of my friends in our playground ...

I wish that we could get any more info about Anovos, their strategy, the pricing and some details about the boots, the gloves and the blaster. Are the NDAs still valid, or can someone of the 75 lucky ones spill the beans about the new suits? I have to confess, that I am not only jealous as hell for the chance they got, but also slightly pissed off. We were scrutinizing every pixel of every screencapture, took guesses about what we saw, came up with theories and were hoping for just another blurry picture. And in the background our own members already held the real deal in their hands ... And then there is obviously already a waiting list for the first suits from Anovos with already about threehundred names on. Heard about that list yesterday, still couldn't find it. Sorry to rant, but this is how I feel at the moment. It will change, I'm sure ...

Karin is going to fill the mold with latex, so the mold has to be made out of plaster ... A silicone mold just simply wouldn't work, because it would take ages for the latex to dry. And the plaster mold also can't be sealed with silicone spray, because the plaster is supposed to absorb some of the water that is in the liquid latex and therefore has to be porous.

Any potential vendor of fan made armor has to be very careful now, imho. This is not George Lucas anymore holding his hands above us. This is Disney now and an officially licensed company delivering high priced merchandise. Big bucks. I expect them to protect their intellectual property with teeth and claws ... There is absolutely no arguing in creating and selling that armor like there was before with the OT TKs, like "there isn't anything else available" or "it is a thirty year old design" or whatever. It is a new design that will be trademarked and patented and anything else like nothing before and there is company who sells it. Period. It is either "buy this" or get out of the way. No greyzone, no different shades of grey.

Okay, let me just sum it up: 1. What we see, or have seen in the live stream are armors made by Anovos 2. Anovos has the license and is going to sell the armor. 3. Members of the 501st had the opportunity to be the first ones to receive and build this armor for trooping and showing off at the celebration. 4. Possibly Anovos even supplied the armor for the movie. 5. That would mean, that we could buy armor 100% identical to the screen used costumes. Do I see this correctly? Despite being jealous to no end about the opportunity our members had, my head is spinning. Can somebody confirm any of the above in Detail? Tim?

Whoa! Where does this come from? HiRes Pics, anyone?

Hi Karin! It is not necessarily a question of "how", but of "what". To use soft brushes is an excellent idea, but if the plaster is as thick as you would normally make it to just pour a mold, the bristles will clog up and will be of much use as a piece of wood. You have to make the plaster rather runny to brush it on. But then you are going to have a problem with your positive, as the plaster runs down and merely creates a puddle at the bottom. The best way, imho, is to tilt your positive and rotate it while brushing the plaster on. On the other hand, if you can find a really thick soft brush (like a cosmetic brush used for blushing) and clean it in water after every third or fourth stroke you could use plaster that is thicker ... I hope that made sense ...

Long time ago there was a post by someone who build a small box from white leftover abs and clipped it to his belt. Another was trying to modify his beltboxes to carry the cards. But I have never seen the results ...

Not being symetrical in itself or compared to each other? Hard to make out in the photos ... At first glance, they look fine.

Does it affect the outside color of the helmet? I don't know the material of an SDS, but the blackened inside didn't affect the outside of a1.5 mm Troopermaster helmet.

15 mm for the arms, 20 mm for front of legs, 25 mm for back of legs. Sorry, don't know the Inch measurements ...

What the ...? Where does that come from? A single guy doing all the animation? I am an animator myself and I can only guess how long that might have taken to accomplish. Speechless.

Guys stop it! We will get banned for horsing around!