Addertime

You've done an amazing job! Keep the faith. I'm looking forward to seeing that completed masterpiece in April!

Yep. That was pretty awesome.

I give it a solid "B". -- SPOILER ALERT -- The lack of the scroll at the opening took the Star Wars feel away immediately. It was a long, slow burn to get to the good part but I liked the last half hour a lot. I felt bad for Krennic the whole time. Granted, he tried too hard but that's partially because he kept getting screwed over... and then he dies. I liked the tie-ins to ANH and the last two minutes had me squealing little a little kid. The one thing I didn't like was I just got tired of watching the Empire troops get trounced over and over. We were all excited about the shore troopers but they made a pretty poor showing. Geez, Luscasfilm, throw us a bone here, huh?

I would expect it to be exactly the same, right along the front edge of the trapezius. Put the body on and have someone hold and mark the location for you. I suppose you could run a single piece across the back but it will likely be hard to put on. Don't reinvent the wheel. Separate arms work really well and are easy to put on and take off, even when alone.

Photo with Pam Anderson at ComicCon, Dortmund, Germany. She asked, "So, what's it like wearing that?" "Warm," I replied. "Very warm."

Disregard the stretched out elastic and thread. It happens amazingly fast. Keep a needle and thread in your repair kit as well as extra snaps. The snap is sewn to the end of the shoulder bell elastic.

The shoulder bell elastic snaps to the white 2" should elastic. I'll take a photo for you right now.

Speed and cost are always prime considerations in the industry. The form they used was probably designed in 3dsMax or AutoCAD and then cut on a three-axis router. 3D printing is great for one-offs, detail pieces and prototypes but when it comes to a production run, it's way too slow. I used to build scenery and props professionally and I'd bet that a lot of the kit is still vacuum formed. It's fast and cheap especially using bucks made by CNCs.

Woohoo!

Yep. Looks good!

Go Go Go!

Well... there is only one correct answer when a woman asks that question. Right? And while it does look a bit like you have a load in your diaper, we all kind of look like that in white plastic. Believe me. My little chicken butt floats around in there! When my crotch snap is loose, my backside looks a lot like your pic. The front of your kit looks awesome so I'm sure you'll have a handle on it soon but know that you're getting very close.

Welcome back!

I bought one of these to make stencils for my builds also.

But... but... I have a life-sized Stormtrooper in my house... ME!

WOW!

Thanks to the contributors and editors alike for another fine monthly edition!

Hi Paul... you're well on the way. Now, I'm not an official reviewer for the EIB. I'm only here to offer some friendly advice... so... here comes some tough love... Kidney plate looks to be too wide for your body. The ab and kidney pieces should create a form-fitting circle around your middle. The rear standing shot shows a lot of air on the sides. Biceps hang too low and at an odd angle. Add a hook to hold the bicep to the elastic on the shoulders and reduce the circumference of the cylinders. Vambraces are quite voluminous. I think they also need to be reduced in circumference. The greaves sit a bit high. An elastic stirrup can pull them down into the proper location. The sniper knee shouldn't ever be under the thigh armor. If your thigh pieces are too big around, cut them down and/or add some foam across the rear to keep the front closer to you leg. This makes for less overlap with the shin pieces. The seams on the greaves (shins) should line up better. Check the strapping to make sure it is doing what it is supposed to do. And if you want to take it to the next level The crotch rivet and snaps should not be painted Drop boxes should have a rivet each on the back The overall fit needs work. It looks as if the armor was made for someone larger than yourself. Slip three fingers into each piece of armor. That is all the extra space you should have for a good fit. Make those adjustments and it will look really good. You've got a good stepping off point by having an RS kit. A little more finishing work will help make it awesome. Happy Trooping!

Great list Joseph! A handy tip suggested by my frau is to bring along a couple of pre-threaded needles, one black and one white. This makes shoulder snap repairs a lot faster.

The elastic is authentic and a lot of the reason we do this is to attempt to create something very similar to the screen-used suits. I have seen nylon strapping used on the ab/back plate shoulder connections but the others are pretty much essential, either for movement or accuracy at EIB or Centurion levels. I think it's common to come into this hobby thinking, "Why do all these people do it this way?!? I can so improve upon this! " I was right there myself on a few points... only to learn when I started trooping, that there really are reasons to listen to the way it's generally done. I had a few "a ha" moments on my first troop and 'fessed up to some of the guys after having an armor blowout and their knowing grins and nods told me that this is a common affliction.

3D printing is awesome... if used judiciously. My suggestion... Use the detail parts but build the rest from scratch. The barrel would look much better, be quicker to make and sturdier if made from a piece of PVC pipe. The pistol grip, rear cap, Hengstler and scope are the parts to print but in my opinion and experience, you'll get a much better product from scratch building the rest. The pistol grip in this model is overly simplistic. You can buy a real Sterling grip for 30 or 40 bucks, why spend 3 or 4 hours printing, filling, sanding, priming and painting? Bottom line, tech is cool but don't forget that low tech works too... and often better, quicker and cheaper. Jus' sayin'.

Kiitos paljon!

Thanks so much! You made my day!

Now everyone will want one!

Kind of takes the sport out of it doesn't it?