Seth Hendrix

Tony - maybe I missed it somewhere in the thread - but how do you know exactly where to cut the openings for the shoulder bell straps & metal tab? Did you just put the back piece on and then eyeball center over your shoulder? Or is there a measurement guide to know where center of the shoulder is? Thanks!

Can you give us some more details: - Who is the kit from? - What part of the armor are you having issues with? What kind of issues (pinching, parts bumping, scale looks weird, etc). - What character (OT TK, FOTK, Clone, etc)? Most armor kits fit best on people around 5'10" because that was the average height of the original troopers. But I'm 5'8" as well, and I haven't had a problem with any of my kits. I do usually remove a small wedge from the back of the thighs where my knee bends though, to minimize armor bite. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Just FYI, stormtrooperundersuit.com's First Order undersuits run VERY small. And the sizes on their website are not correct at all. I went back and forth with them for weeks and had 3 suits shipped to me before I got a suit that fit. I'm 5'7", 155 lbs and I needed the XXL (their biggest suit). The XL would barely even zip up and the length was pulling very hiked up in the crotch, also pulling the collar part down to my chest almost - basically it was way too short and painful. They swore to me that the suit and sizing chart were correct. But even when I measured the two XL suits they sent me - they were both way smaller than advertised. So make sure you order bigger than normal. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Michael's has it at almost every location. I buy tons of it. Make sure to pull up a 40% off coupon on your phone to get the best price. E6000 will still work even through the adhesive. Just use clamps. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Snap settings pliers are garbage. And most won't work for heavy duty metal snaps like the ones you should be using on your armor kit. I bought a pro snap setter for $50 approx at kamsnaps.com. It's just as good as the one Tandy sells but WAY cheaper. And it was definitely worth buying. Hammering 100 snaps is a nightmare. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not flexible at all. It feels like a cross between plastic and really super thin wood. I haven't tried to cut/bend it yet either - so I'm not sure how easy that will be.

I can't remember off-hand what the stuff is called. But for the Iron Man films, a lot of the practical armor pieces they used were made of stiff urethane rubber. They combined that with fiberglass, plastic, and metal pieces to make the entire suit. So it's definitely possible that a couple pieces of the Stormtroopers' suits might have been the same kind of rigid urethane rubber for flexibility of the actors. If I can track down which material it was, I'll post it up.

I have an update on this. After going back and forth and having them tell me over and over that the XL is accurately sized - Stormtrooperundersuit.com finally offered to send me an XXL for free. I received that suit and it fits me perfectly. I'm glad I finally got the right suit, but XXL is their largest size and it's concerning that a 5'7" 160lbs guy needs the largest thing they have. But anyway, they did help me out eventually and I appreciate the customer service. BUT if you plan to purchase a FO suit from them, my advice is to buy the biggest one they have. It's spandex/lycra, so ultimately it will fit no matter what.

Hey guys, look what I found at Lowe's in the kitchen section! It's black textured formica and looks like a pretty close match to me. What does everyone think? They don't have any of it for purchase in the store, as you have to special order it. BUT they do have lots of free sample cards - of which I maybe took ... (cough) all of them (cough). I have about 10 on hand, so if anyone wants one, just PM me and I'll toss it in the mail to ya!

Honestly, I would avoid stormtrooperundersuit.com altogether, if I were you. I am currently going through a nightmare of an experience with a guy named Richard who works there. I have owned several of their original trooper undersuits and I've been fairly pleased with those - even though the sizing is off (much smaller than the sizing chart says) and the zipper does not go down far enough (meaning you gotta hike your business pretty high to use the bathroom (if you know what I mean). But anyway - I'm in the process of finishing my FOTK and last month I decided to order their FO undersuit. I'm 5'7", 160lbs, with a 38-40" chest - basically a pretty small, fit guy. But I ordered the size XL so I could have some extra room in there. When it showed up and I tried to put it on, the thing would hardly zip up it was so small. Now I know these things are supposed to be tight because they're lycra - but this one was unbelievably tight (like choke me out, painfully tight). So I assumed it was mislabeled. I contact the company and told them about the problem and Richard responded. His initial response was to tell me I was wrong - that it's supposed to be tight and that it will stretch out over time. So I took measurements to see if it was larger than my other suits (which are size Large - also from Extreme Racing / stormtrooperundersuit.com). And even though it was an XL, it was much smaller by several inches in multiple places. So I emailed him again and told him about the measurements and he basically responded to me and said to return it on my own dime and order a new suit one size up. I told him that it was clearly mislabeled and I don't need a size up (which would be their biggest size of XXL) - I needed the right XL size that matched their website's sizing chart, saying that it would fit a 6'2" guy with a 44" inch chest. I also said that I shouldn't have to pay for the return, since it's clearly a mistake on their (or the manufacturer's) part. He said if I shipped it back and bought a new one, he would refund my purchase price/shipping plus shipping to send it back. I have the email string to prove all of this. So I ordered a new suit, size XL, and sent the old back on my own dime ($20 to England). To make this long story short, he never refunded me the shipping costs - not from my original purchase and not the cost to send it back. He claimed that he tried the suit on and it fit him just fine. Again - I'm a reasonable person here and I worked for years in costumes in TV/film, so I'm not ignorant when it comes to this stuff. And the suit simply did not fit me, nor did it match the sizing description AT ALL. So I had to file a claim with PayPal to get my original shipping money back. And I'm out $20 for sending it back to him. And to make matters way worse - I got the replacement XL suit and it also is way too small. So small, I can't even zip this one up - I got pictures to verify this. Richard and I went back and forth via email (which I'm going to post in the forums later) and he basically blamed it on me and said that he tried the suits on and they fit fine and it's not his fault that I ordered the wrong size, etc. He was completely unwilling to help and now I'm out over $100 and still don't have a proper undersuit. I honestly think these FO undersuits that he's selling were either leftover, incorrectly sized stock that he is now trying to offload on us - or they were redesigned at some point to cheapen costs and someone didn't due their due diligence in checking the sizing. Anyway, I highly recommend everyone avoid buying from this place unless you absolutely have to. I'm in the middle of two PayPal disputes with them right now and even if I win both of them, I will lose $40 from having to ship the incorrect suits back to England. Richard has been unhelpful and condescending all along the way - and there's just no excuse for that. I'm a repeat customer of his for many years. I'm going to look into other options now, maybe possibly having a friend of mine make the suit.

Please enable me for 501st. Thank you! My profile link: http://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=17939

If you decide to go through with building a real Sterling blaster - or even an Airsoft version (what I ended up building) - you will probably want to use it for display purposes only. And maybeee high-profile Trooper events where you'll be on camera (assuming you are 501st... or joining). Taking it to conventions and normal events will not be a good idea. For multiple reasons - #1. It will be SUPER heavy, and carrying it around even for an hour will make you regret bringing it. Trust me. #2. You'll have issues at weapons check. Sometimes they approve it, sometimes they don't - depends on the con. And for any troops at schools, hospitals, or charity events - it's 100% not allowed. #3. This is the biggest one for me... it's dangerous. You're going to be posing for pictures with lots of kids and people who don't know how limited your field of vision is. Sometimes with kids, they run up right next to you and you may not even be aware of it. And if you're holding that solid metal gun at waist level (AKA face-level for a kid) - you are likely to smack a kid in the face/head with it. Or even bump/scrape it up against an adult's nice clothes or arms, etc. You don't want to be THAT guy - the Stormtrooper who hit a kid in the face with a metal gun, do you? 99% of 501st guys who troop often - we all carry rubber/hyperfirm/plastic blasters. It's just way safer and easier in the long run. And they still look great in pictures! That's my advice - good luck!

Thanks for the help, guys! I thought I had found the perfect one - but sadly it turned out to be a scam, apparently. The company is Shadow Dale Creations and the neck seal on their site looks amazing! So unknowingly, I sent in an order form and requested to purchase one. They got back to me pretty fast and said that I had to pay through American Express "Serve" or through some site called Payza. They do not accept Paypal. That was the first red flag... but people can be quirky sometimes. So I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and registered for a Serve account so I could pay. But that process kept failing for some reason. So I did some research on Shadow Dale and wow, did I find PLENTY of information! Tons and tons of reviews from people saying they never got their items or that their items didn't come for 7-8 months and were completely wrong. Many negative reviews and reports to the Better Business Bureau. So I opted to cancel my order and not pay. (sigh) At this point, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. I'm kinda thinking of just buying some material and hiring a seamstress to custom make one for me. I know the neck seal doesn't really show too much with the helmet on. But for me, I'm just really locked in to getting that rubber-like look - at least on the ribs. I'll probably only wear my helmet about 50% of the time, because I spend so much time talking to people at cons (I'm a YouTuber and gaming host). So I need the seal to be pretty nice. If anyone comes across any additional sources, please let me know! Thanks again!

Hey guys! Newbie here. This is actual my first post in the forums. But I have been scouring everything I can find on here (and the rest of the internet), looking for the perfect neck seal. And I just can't seem to find the right one. Maybe someone can help? I'm building ANH Stunt armor and am almost done - hoping for Centurion status. Fingers crossed. So here's what I've been finding: 1. TK-409 - I really liked the look of this neck seal, the fake rubber-like material on the ribs, etc. So I ordered it. But after 3 weeks, I still did not get a response from Dawn, the woman who makes them. I emailed her twice and finally she got back to me and said she was out of material and would refund my money on Paypal. I emailed back and said I would be willing to wait a little longer. But she never responded. So I requested a refund. No response. Finally, I had to dispute the transaction on Paypal and am now waiting to get refunded once the dispute closes. Ouch! What a hassle! 2. Trooperbay - This neck seal looks okaaaayyy to me. But does not have the rubber-like look that would match the originals, and I would prefer that. Also, for what it is... it takes 3-4 weeks to make?! AND costs almost 60 bucks?! Seems a little too long to wait and too expensive for something that's just black cloth and velcro. No offense to Trooperbay, but I think this would be my last resort purchase. 3. Jedi-Robe - Okay, this one I'm conflicted on. Their armor is garbage... BUT their neck seal looks like it might be decent. It has the rubber-like look I want on the ribs, and it's only $35. Ships in 14 days. I just know their reputation is not great for quality and/or accuracy, so it worries me to order from them. Does anyone have any experience with this neck seal? 4. Darman - His neck seals look really well-made and excellent quality/comfort. But I'm not seeing any that have that rubber-like look on the ribs. 5. Veedox - Love the way this neck seal looks! But I'm only seeing a Hero ANH seal and no Stunt seal. If Veedox offers a stunt seal, I would be inclined to purchase it over all others. But that purchase price is also going to hurt. $50-60 bucks was kind of my limit for the neck seal, as I've put so much money into everything else. So that's about all I've been able to find. Am I missing anything? Are there other awesome neck seal makers out there that I overlooked? If not, which seal do you guys recommend - knowing what I'm looking for? Thanks in advance, everybody!