TrooperTim

This is a great tutorial: ----

In the film, the shins weren't always closed. It's perfectly fine to keep them open if you like. Don't know how it was setup in the films. I'm sure there are some who use fasteners to close them together but I haven't seen that setup personally. The most common way is to use velcro to close the back together. It works great: ----- My forearm seam facing inward is velcro shut. It opens up just enough to slide it on and off my arm. The seam facing outward is glued.

I have an 8 oz of Novus #1 and 8 oz of Novus #2. They have a #3 for scratch removal, which I haven't tried. I use the #2 to buff and shine the plastic; it's sort of like a mini abrasive. #1 seals the finish and is used for fingerprint/smudge removal. I've polished my armor several times and have plenty left over. 64 oz is a lot. I use a very thin strip on an area. Takes a little time and elbow grease but it's enough to super shine.

Good progress. I troop with my sr props regularly. I'm sure you already noticed, as I noticed in your first pic, the folding stock piece very easily bends and warps. Best to reinforce or replace it. The scope rail can sometimes bend slightly also. It'll be fantastic when you get the electronics rocking.

Weird songs. How about Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip "I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper"? Odd sci-fi disco combining Star Wars and Trek.

Looks great! I almost decided to build an animated clone. The armor design is fantastic. I'll post comparison of my Ep3 Shock and ANH trooper when it's finished. Yeah, that's a Sandtrooper. The armor is similar so to most people they're all Stormtroopers. That mindset of looks like a duck, quacks like a duck.

Davis, Most of the pinned topics in this section will give you what you need to know. Getting Started For a very tight budget, I'd recommend just keep reading and researching. It can be done if you're smart with your finances and scratch build some of your accessories. If you're fully committed to this, you can periodically buy the inexpensive stuff like gloves, boots, undersuit, and wait on the big armor purchase until you saved up. I didn't get into this hobby until years after college when I had some spending money. You can contact armor makers for info and prices. Depends on which one you choose but you'll spend at minimum a few hundred on the armor. A TE derived/ANH derived armor works best for smaller individuals, but any can be modified to work. Choosing which option can be incredibly difficult; was for me. I'm a skinny dude too. Say no to ebay and rubies.

Rustoleum Ocean Blue is an accurate shade of blue for the TKC. Not sure if that brand is available in the UK though. Check out the images posted at the bottom of the ----- and view some of the ----- You can go with a gloss if you want to keep a mostly clean look, or go matte if you want to weather your armor. As far as the rotj trim, ----- with great results.

I sweat just thinking about putting on my armor. It's normal.

Awesome! My elastic is just tight enough to hold the front/back against my body. On some people's gear, the back piece hangs over the kidney and that's where you'd see the black elastic connecting the front/back; otherwise it just blends into the undersuit. Yep, connect the butt to cod. I also have my edges of the butt velcroed to the kidney to keep it straight. My biceps are at the same position yours are and I kept them high for mobility. Grab some gloves and your back O2 canister and you're good to go!

ANH style is a butt joint; ROTJ is overlap; not sure what ESB style is actually. I butted both ends and slapped a strip over it. My thighs just slide on - everything is glued. Some overlap the edges and velcro them shut. Whatever is most comfortable/easier. The thighs didn't line up right for me in the back so minor trimming was necessary. I cut equal distance on each side in the back to keep the front/back strips aligned. I can post up an image of mine later today if you'd like. -----------

I too say nay. I doubt it would affect temperature. No one will see much of the inside parts of the pieces anyway so it won't add anything visually. Plus it's not screen accurate. I painted the inside of my helmet but not the armor. People CAN see the inside of you helmet... sorta, in the right angle, sometimes.

Looks fantastic! You can get the ears close to flush but most everyone has a slight gap there. For a hero, the brow is fine. Just above the eyes is where it should be. As said above, accurate helmets you twist on and I always struggle with mine a bit too. You can trim the bottom opening to make it easier to slip on. A larger opening won't be that noticeable. The only way to work with enamel paints is when it's wet. Once dried, you have to use enamel thinner to get it off and try again. Mine aren't perfect, you can see brush strokes. No one really notices. Here's how my eyes are (stunt). Yours looks good; could trim a bit more if you wanted. I sanded the bump way down but that's a personal choice.

As long as people know to buy from you and not anyone else, it will discourage these new entrepreneurs. Sounds like someone spread misinformation. You have my support.

Jan 2010. New blood meat shield!

Plasti-dip was very last, after everything was done. I used the brush on type. It was easier for me to control and you don't have to mask out parts of the helmet like you would with a spray.

I've always hated wearing costumes, cosplay, dressing up, and Halloween is my least favorite holiday. But when you wear armor you represent film history, a movie icon, a generation, hopes, dreams, another universe. You meet people and do things that you maybe never would have before. It's fun!

I trimmed to the ear line. Cut off the flare out on the front. The ear will cover this area. After I was assembled everything and it looked good I disassembled it and coated the inside with plasti-dip.

Fantastic. If I ever get to SoCal, I wanna troop with you guys and gals!

Hmm, the head office intelligence network is down and we've lost communication with the bounty hunters. Aww man it's a coup! Quickly, get the squads in route to Vader and the Emperor. Joking aside, I hope it gets sorted out.

Going ROTJ with it? It'll look killer. There were little "bumps" on my mic tip area also but those are reference points, if I'm not mistaken, and that's where I drilled holes for the aerators. Any imperfections in the mold won't be very noticeable in that area. That's the weakest part of the helmet but can be easily reinforced - Pandatrooper has a good tutorial or you can use superglue and t-shirt. Keep going on the body armor (I did the easy parts first). Rock on.

Fantastic job on the weathering! If I went to the dirt side, that's how I'd weather it - enough to be dirty but not ridiculous grime. Only thing I notice is the thigh straps. Shouldn't they be black or is that ok for sandtroopers?

Great armor! Liquid Cooling Ventilation Garments are used by NASA but not sure if you can buy them. Perhaps this calls for a DIY project. ... and we all need some sort of compact portable ac unit for helmets. Until then, this vest looks interesting.

My undersuit has a turtleneck, which I tuck under into the neckseal. It's velcroed together. Might make a bib or sew the neckseal to it.

You could trim out the eyes a bit more, but overall fantastic work. Nice work on the ears. Man, wish I could have drove to pick up mine. Lucky. I live about 1,800 miles away. That would make for an awesome road trip though.