themaninthesuitcase

Imperial Supply Depot make them, UK based though so not ideal for you.

Congratulations!

SDS armour is generally not recommended. It can be made to clear but it's a lot more work than the armours on the vetted list. have a read of this forum: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/38-getting-started-read-this-first/ Specifically this post http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/

I have Anovos armour and was the first to clear it in the UKG, which is the Garrison you'd clear with. There's around 4-6 Anovos troopers in the Garrison I know of so yes it will clear. Also it's in the top 5 of armours for Centurion, not bad for 14 months on the market. Whilst it may clear all the way there's some issues: The armour is thin, I've yet to see this be a problem (8 troops) but others have. Flex in the armour for me is good but others don't like it. I suspect part of the problem is the factory trim lines mean you leave far too much return on the edges which stresses the parts so they crack. I reduced mine significantly from the lines and it's been fine. If you screw up you're not going to be able to get Anovos parts. You either have ot buy a whole 2nd kit, or buy from other sellers and it won't be a perfect colour match. The belt it comes with is junk and removing the plastics from it is hard with out causing damage. Dental floss seems to be a favorite tool at the moment. You don't get to build the helmet, some like this I didn't and felt I missed out on a right of passage. Also I'm not a fan of the factory decals and paint job. You'll need to address minor elements of this for level 2. The supplied eleastic kit works but won't last. Swap to a proper snap setup. Ultimately as much as I like my armour I have a hard time recommending it to a non-US trooper. The shipping and VAT, Duty aren't included in that $450 so you need to add around $150 for shipping and around £120 for VAT and duty, probably more given the current exchange rate. For UK troopers I'd recommend either RWA or DA for most, TM or RS if you have more money to spend. There's also CFO if you want a ROTJ suit. I see these armours again and again, some old some new and all will clear all the way to Centurion if you build them for it.

Congratulations!

Im sure TM will do you a matching back plate.

Oh and RS do them too don't they?

TM definitely does them: I have a set. CFO will do them too for his ROTJ (probably of the same heritage as his armour). Same part as ESB. Not sure RWA Creations (on Facebook) aka Ross above does them. I've not seen any from him but doesn't mean he doesn't. And being the chap he is if he doesn't and is asked it won't be long until he does.

Other armour suppliers, coincedently all based in the UK.

I meant to do it last week but forgot. If not I'll speak to him at MCM.

Reason #12275 to love Canada eh.

I'm hoping to remember to speak to our CO next time I see him if there's somewhere we can put a permanent notice about this to try reduce this issue for the DO team.

It's more you have to be slow and steady when drilling/grinding out the rivet. They can get very hot and then melt the plastic out. But even then probably around 5-10 mins each with a cold wet rag applied regularly to keep it cool. That said if they are actually fine, it's time and risk that's not needed.

The right brush is part of it. You want longer bristles that will hold a decent amount of paint. Paint needs to flow correctly, not too thick not too thin. You may need to thin the paint or do 2 coats if it's a bit too thin. Being steady is key, you want to brace your hands against the work and ideally your elbows onto something solid too. All that should be moving is your fingers and maybe a little wrist movement. But ultimately it's practice. I did a few tests on a bit of scrap and even then made plenty of mistakes. Have some thinners to hand and a cotton bud to wipe up mistakes before the paint can dry. I also used a pen (fine line sharpie) to mark out all my lines first with a flexible rule and then painted over the top. Made it far easier to get the spacing I wanted.

Paddy Did you ask RS what glue they used for the sniper plate?

This is the internation FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/248862279225/?ref=bookmarks This is the freshly minted forum: http://mousedroidbuilders.club/ The plans I'm using are available on both those. For the top greeblies and side stuff I'll probably use the 3D files TinyP has done. He also did some wheels but they are for hubs from the chassis he's using. I'd like to have got a vac shell but I'd have to import as the new UK source isn't quite 1:1 scale (22" long is 1:1 the RWA one is 20" long). The company most use is this one: http://www.graniteearth.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=One-BOX

I have that crack I fixed it using this method, seems to have held well so far where a strip popped right off. Armour - Repair Just don't use scissors on any excess or it might crack again and you'll have to fix it again. Sand the excess away.

Humbrol paint is supposed to be thin, the idea is 2 thin coats are better than 1 thick one for model painting. I needed 3 coats for my tube stripes and 2 for the grey areas.

I was recommended black rubber super glue, you can get it on eBay reasonably cheaply. I think my ISD ones are just superglued on at the moment and they seem to be holding okay.

Probably, I've kind of lost track of all of them now and whats stull available and what's not. edit; maybe it's time some one (ie me) did a full round up post of what's currently an option. Clearly I won't have used or even seen all of them but just a list of options and a basic summary pro/con of each would be helpful.

I've printed pages 1 and 2 of the plans. The taping process is INCREDIBLY tedious so I've only done one so far. Sheet 1 of the plans by Christopher Pearson, on Flickr I went with blue tape as it allows me to fix errors easily even though it's not the strongest option. I've not done page 2 or any cutting yet as I need to find time to do it with my daughter. I've also ordered some of the misc tat I'll need for the build. I'm have 500ml of Dichloromethane, so I'm probably on some terrorist watch list for ordring pure chemicals. Dichloromethane! by Christopher Pearson, on Flickr I've got some small LDPE bottles with needles to apply the glue accurately. LDPE bottles by Christopher Pearson, on Flickr This lot came to about £14 all in, much cheaper than standard styrene hobby glue. I've also got some bearings for the axels. I got 10 MR105ZZ which is a 5x10x4mm bearing. Small but they should be up to the task. Worst case they aren't and I'll make a new bracket for some bigger ones. MR105ZZ bearings by Christopher Pearson, on Flickr Next step will be to get the bottom shell cut and built so I can get the measurments I'll need to be able to order the axel and start to work on the mounts. I also still haven't ordered any electronics or the gears yet I have a good idea what I'll be using so I'll post here for any tips if I'm wrong about somthing: Radio: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201542489916?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Motor and ESC : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131673841737?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&var=431061949086&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Battery and charger: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331237158471?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT All pretty basic stuff and comes to about £85 shipped in from china or around £100 if I get UK based. I'm aiming to gear it at about 8:1 with either a 10 or 11 pinion and an 87 tooth gear. Should mean it's slow but torquey.

I wrote a pretty detailed post here http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/41510-microphone-for-helmet/?p=556283

I had this issue a few times. When you go to snap it just bends and sort of rips rather than snapped. Then you have to get the scissors on it and then sand the mess. I don't recall what parts though sadly.

Theres a heap of options depending on budget, features and how handy you are with a soldering iron. Basic, cheap but works Aker 1505 from eBay and you're done. Cons: no fancy effects or clicks. Comes with a mic, charger and a speaker. If you're the UK you also get a plug adapter that will make you look at it in horror. But I want fancy sounds! Take the aker then: I have an iPhone! Look at trooper talk. MAKE SURE YOU READ THE BIT ABOUT WHAT ADAPTERS WORK FOR THE LOVE OF THE EMPEROR. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/34939-troopertalk-voice-changer-w-static-burst-app-dev/ tl;dr; is mic goes into an adapter into the phone, phone does magic, sound comes out the adapter and the speaker lets you hear it I don't have one of those heathen devices! Look at iComm http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/14832-fs-imperial-communication-system-icomm/ tl;dr similar to TT but a box of magic not a phone of magic These two options add effects to an existing mic and speaker setup. Also an option here is RomFx. The biggest con of this class is more wires and connections = more things to go wrong, crackle and pop. There's also an amount of faff involved getting them up and running. But I just want one box/I just want it to work/I can afford to pay for this Get a Tramp. https://www.facebook.com/trooperamp/ tl;dr give Paul some credits and he gives you an all in one box of wonder. (ps Paul still waiting for that cheque). I have a soldering iron burning a hole in my pocket First turn that off, or take it out of your pocket. Second: TK Talkie - http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/41323-tktalkie-v3-released/

I love my Anovos kit. I like the look, the build was easy thanks to the cut lines and personanly haven't seen any durabilty issues yet. However when I inevitably need a new kit I'll be speaking to RS, TM or CFO even if Anovos works out cheaper (for me it probably won't due to shipping and tax).