Shinyarmour1

All 4 section of the forearm are trimmed and sanded to the 15mm ridge size. Have I removed enough on the wrists? Do I need to take off some more? They do not align as easily as the biceps, so a lot of tape, magnets and persuasion will be used for the forearms. I have made the inner cover strips so I can glue the 2 halves and leave them for 24 hours to cure. If there are any issues that require me to remove the forearms, at least I can remove the inner strips and not risk damaging the armour face or even the outer cover strips. Please let me know if everything so far looks to be correct. Thanks

Moving onto the forearm now. From what I have read in other build threads, the forearm can be difficult and awkward. So I hope I get it done right. Same as the biceps, using the score and snap method, I measured 7.5mm on both sides and left an extra 2mm just in case I went off the marked lines.

Thanks Mario

Although the biceps fit better than before, they are still a little big on me, so I'll just do what other troopers have recommended and add some padding. I've cut a 15mm outer coverstip so I can see how the ridges look before continuing. Does it look like it would sit correctly on the bicep ridges evenly? I don't want to have the ridges showing underneath the coverstrip, nor do I want to accidently trim off too much. Please let me know what you guys think. Here is the right bicep Here is the left bicep Test fit

Made a start on the biceps, I measured 15mm on both halfs and even added an extra 2mm so that I woudn't cut too close to the trim line and just in case I needed more fitting room. After looking at other build threads, I found in Mayo's build, he trimmed the highest side of the biceps off so both sides were level and even. By making a comparison between those that left the higher piece and Mayo's trimmed one, I decided to do the same and trim the top part off. I like how both side match, they give an even look to the biceps. Here is the result. Very pleased with my progress so far, it's great to see things start to come together. I did a test fit and found them quite big on me (I'm such a skinny fellow). Taking the advice from more experienced builders (measure twice and cut once), I measured so many time before cutting/sanding the armour to make sure everything would line up correctly. So I double checked the measurments, sanded down the ridges 1mm, checked again and sanded some more to 15mm (screen accurate measurments). That seems to be the size that best fits me best so I'm going to make my bicep and forearm coverstips 15mm. Made the inner cover strips from scrap bicep pieces and started on the gluing.

I've researched build threads and seen many reference pictures about the return edges on different armour parts. As long as the forearm wrist and bottom of shins have no return edges, everywhere else is optional. I like the thick armour look, so I am going to keep a little return edge on some of my pieces. However the illusion of thick armour can also be prone to stress cracks/splits, so I will also keep that in mind.

Thanks Guys After looking at the different pieces, I decided to start with the plastic hard guards instead. Because I'm going Centurion, I'll be using the silicon hand guards, so it won't matter if I make a mistake on the plastic ones. This was a good opportunity for me to get to know the ABS strength for cutting and sanding with various grits. I'm using the score and snap method, followed by sanding with 120g, 240g and smoothing out with 400g. After getting used to the plastic strength, cutting and sanding method, I then moved onto the Shoulder bells.

Hello everyone The time has finally come for me. I have recieved my AP Stormtrooper kit and am all ready and excited (a little nervous too) to begin my build for what I am hoping to achieve is ANH Stunt TK Centurion. I chose to have my kit untrimmed because I can use the extra ABS plastic to make inner coverstrips, ABS paste and plenty of tests and experiments on scrap pieces before apply to the armour itself. 　 I have done months of research, looked into tips and tricks and have carefully read other AP build threads. Since this is my first build (and I'm a perfectionist), I'm going to take things slow and start with some simple parts. I'll start with the Shoulder bells first, beacuse there's no gluing involved and not much to cut/sand either. As I am aiming for Centurion, I want to be as accurate from the start as possible. Any comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated. 　 Thanks guys...lets get building.

Thanks for the reply guys, this really helped. My kit is AP stunt and although I was given decals, I'm planning on hand painting the tube stripes. The stencils I'm using are from PandaTroopers Idealised version, not the screen used version. I just need to print them out, trim them and paint over the stencils before applying to the face. This is why I asked about the individual stripe measurements and spacing between them. His stripes appear to be thinner and more spaced out than the AP decals, will they still be centurion accurate?

Hello Everyone Just wanted to know if there's any specific measurements for the tube stripes? Apart from the pencil width spacing from the cheek, I can't find anything else. Are there any exact measurement details regarding:- The length and height of the stripes across the cheek The spacing in-between each stipe The length and height of each individual stripe I want to prevent the tube stripes from looking too thick/thin or too close/far apart from each other. Any info would be great, thanks.

I've been looking at battery packs and 5v fans for my bucket, but I am not sure with battery pack would provide the best performance. I don't have a great knowledge of tech, so I need some advice. I don't want to overcharge my fans and risk damaging them, or undercharging the fans by draining the battery life faster causing me to buy more batteries. I am definitely going for 2 fans to install, so which option should I go for:- One pack that contains 4AA batteries (6v) and connect it to 1 fan. One pack that contains 4AA batteries (6v) and connect it as a split system to 2 fans. Two packs that contain 3AA batteries (4.5v) and connect it to 1 fan. I'm leaning more towards 2 battery packs that contain 3AA per fan. But how long would a 5v fan last powered by a 3AA battery pack (4.5v)? I'm thinking that it would be too bulky in my helmet and expensive down the road to buy 2 battery packs that contain 4AA batteries each and connect them separately to the fans. Any advice would be great.

I managed to find these 5v fans and battery holders that I can put together and would be better suited for the job instead of the Amazon ones. What do you guys think about this? https://aus3d.com.au/5v-50mm-blower-fan https://core-electronics.com.au/4-x-aa-battery-holder-with-on-off-switch.html or https://core-electronics.com.au/battery-holder-4xaa-with-cover-and-switch.html Also, would I be able to connect 2 fans to 1 battery holder, or would the best result be 1 fan connected to 1 battery holder?

Hi all It's been a really challenge trying to find 5v fans here in Australia. Everything is located overseas in the US mostly, but I'm trying to find some fans and power banks here in Australia. I know that Trooperbay and UKswrath are popular choices, but I would like to get something that's here down under and not cost a fortune with things like exchange rate, shipping, VAT, etc. I came across these on Amazon and was wondering if they would do the job? Fans:- https://www.amazon.com.au/Bearing-Brushless-Cooling-Blower-AV-F7530MB/dp/B072HJ38PS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 https://www.amazon.com.au/ANVISION-Bearing-Brushless-Cooling-YDM4010B05/dp/B074YJH3P9/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=dc+brushless+cooling+fans&qid=1584246702&sr=8-5 I've seen videos on how to convert fan leads into a usb fan, so purchasing both fans with leads and a usb pack will not be an issue. And for the pc fans, I have an idea on how to angle them using spare ABS to direct them towards the lenses and not at my face. This power pack looks like it would work for either 5v or 12v fans:- https://www.amazon.com.au/imuto-Portable-10000mAh-External-Nintendo/dp/B07KMRCM6Y/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YXWJQB3MXSQNABWXRV82 Other options:- https://www.jaycar.com.au/5vdc-30mm-thin-2-wire-fan/p/YX2500 https://www.jaycar.com.au/5-200mah-usb-portable-power-bank/p/MB3800 https://3dprintersuperstore.com.au/search?q=dc+brushless+cooling+fans I've looked over the specs between some 5v fans that most troopers use and 12v fans I have found here. The specs like Air flow and dB(A) look pretty similar. Please let me know if I have over looked anything (I'm not a tech guy by any means). Thanks

Some people go with foam padding and others choose hard hat liners. I personally am going with hard hat liners because of the following reasons (just my opinion):- 1. The hard hat allows more airflow, which is crucial when we all get hot in our buckets (especially for those that live in a hot country). Having padding will make your head hotter. 2. I tested a hard hat from my local hardware store and its comfortable and adjustable. 3. I looked at padding online and it can sometimes be misleading with mixed reviews. Some people say their soft and comfortable, others might say they are hard and too firm. I bought a tradesman's hard hat for $10, will remove the liner and install it into my helmet. Its going to be tricky trying to install the line so everything is aligned correctly, but that's a small price to pay for airflow on may hot days trooping. Having a chin strap also keeps the helmet in place so when you turn your head, the helmet won't just stay straight. This is also recommended. For the elastic to shoulder bells, you could either:- 1. Cut some nylon webbing, use a soldering iron to stop the edges from fraying, install a heavy duty snap and glue the nylon to the shoulder bell. Be sure not to get any E6000 glue onto the snap as the glue reacts to metal creating heat and could damage the plastic. 2. Use scrap ABS plastic to create plastic plates, cut a hole for the snaps and glue into shoulder bell. This approach is harder because the ABS is not flexible like nylon. 3. This is probably overkill but I will mention it anyway. You could create a plastic plate, glue it into the bells, the go to the 1st option and glue the nylon webbing onto the plate. This would stop any possible damage to your armour affected by the glue and metal melting. I hope this helps you in some way. Keep asking lots of questions and look into the HOW TO section for creating and installing snaps. Keep refereeing the UKSWRATH tutorials, especially for strapping, they help a lot.

Hi Thomas I too am in Australia and have seen those exact boots that you painted, not sure if they are leather or man made material. Did you use acetone to remove the top coat so the paint would stay on, or some other product? What paint did you use for your boots? Armour is looking amazing, keep up the awesome work.

Hi all I am planning on going for centurion with my kit and am doing all the research into making that possible. Most of these products are in the US, but I am in Australia. Fortunately I have been doing the research and have found similar items that I can buy here, instead of purchasing through the US and having to pay exchange rate and extortionate shipping fees. But the S trim is extremely hard to find anywhere except for Trooperbay.com. I did have one inexpensive idea that might work, I just wanted to ask first. https://www.clarkrubber.com.au/collections/door-window-weather-seals/products/31661-u-section-5mm-x-5mm If I purchased a rubber seal similar to this one, measure and cut to length (this would give me 2 seals trims), remove the flat side on one trim, glue the other trim (the flat side still attached) onto the side that was just removed and glue into place. I hope I have explained myself clear enough. If this works, it would save me a lot in the exchange rate and shipping cost which is too expensive for just a rubber trim. Any thoughts as to whether this would be acceptable or not would be great. I am will to experiment with the idea if this acceptable.

Hi all I've been looking for a blaster for my ANH stunt kit and found this. I know that Doopy doos is the first choice for most troopers. But because I live in Australia, I thought this might be a good alternative (if it is 501st accurate) so I would not be paying a fortune in exchange rates and shipping fees. Here are the links:- etsy ------------ I don't know why their esty site charges more than their website?

Excellent advice guys, thanks. I will be making a start on my build soon (with sandpaper and E6000).

Hi everyone I am about to start my build soon and just wanted to ask this before I make a start. After I trim all the parts and get ready to attach the coverstrips, what would be the best thing to do for gluing? Is it best to sand the back of the coverstrip surface and the front part of the armour surface that it would be glued on? Or should I just glue the coverstrips onto the armour without sanding the surface at all? If I need to sand the surfaces, what grit/method should I use? I have heard about some troopers sanding the surface so the parts stick better, but others have strongly advised not to sand the surface at all. Any advice would be great before I make a start, thanks.

That's a great idea Cricket, especially for easy removal. I'm going to look further into that. Thanks everyone

Thanks for the info guys. These are all helpful tips and suggestions. Will be sure to do the double over method with High Density elastic. Although I don't own a soldering gun, so could I just cut a hole for the snaps and then carefully use a lighter to stop the hole from fraying?

I need some help deciding on what type of elastic to purchase for my inner strapping. I am going to go with the double snap method over the bracket system for my armour. I went to my local craft store to buy some elastic to get started, but there were several different types to chose from. I ended up walking away without buying elastic because I was afraid of purchasing the wrong type of elastic. This is the description of the options to chose from:- High Density Elastic - Stiff, strong and durable. Resists rolling or twisting. Shrink resistant and machine washable. For waistbands in skirts, shorts and pants. Belting Elastic - Strong and durable. Resists rolling or twisting. Can be sewn directly onto a garment to create a waistband. Braided Elastic - Rows of rubber with polyester cover. Narrows when stretched. Lightweight and thin. Use to thread through casing in garments. Knitted Elastic - Soft and comfortable. Resists curling. Retains original width when stretched. Shrink resistant. Used in waistlines for sleepwear and sportswear. I'm not sure whether to go with strong elastic for durability, or stretchy elastic for moveability? I'm leaning towards the strong durable elastic. That should last a long time and prevent the armour weight from stretching out of place. Any thoughts on this?

Just wanted to know if there are any other kinds of polishing products out there for a wet sand and polish job? I know everyone's first response is Novus plastic polish kit, but I would like to know if there is another kind of polish that can do the same as Novus and is still safe to use on our armour. Maybe something that I could pick up in an automotive store?

I only ask because I live in Australia and these snaps are in my local fabric store. These would be an alternative to purchasing Tandy snaps from their website or on Amazon and paying USA currency conversion, pricey shipping fees etc. These snaps I found are easy to get when I need them, but only if you guys think that they might be acceptable.

Hey everyone I was wondering about the snaps for my inner strapping. I know that the go to choice is Tandy 24 line snaps, but I was thinking that these might be a good alternative. https://www.lincraft.com.au/heavy-duty-press-stud-size-15mm-silver-20pk Any help would be great., thanks.