CableGuy

Hello troopers, Some more work done before the paint process. I decided to make the mag release a bit more realistic. So, rather than just sand the part down and glue it to the top surface of the mag well, I drilled out a suitable hole to mount the real ease button into; I fitted the magazine end can to the mag. For the little “release button” on the end, I decided to use the fat end of a rivet. This was just the right size and looks good in situ; A bit like this example below; Then moved on to adding the resin, but very detailed, hex bolts to the front muzzle. These don’t have the knurling pattern to them, so not 100% accurate, but still rather nice; I started drilling the relevant holes for the selector switch, free/lock screw (also resin) and the hex bolt underneath. I won’t fully affix these until the different paint types are done (gloss black for main grip, metallic finish for the other parts). And finally, here’s a look at the folding stock in action. :-)

Exceptional work, Tino. The overall look is excellent, but the way it looks aged really gets my attention. Sehr, sehr gut!! :-)

Good spot on the muzzle, Tino. Comparing with the reference pictures, I’d agree that this could have been cut down by perhaps 3-5mm. I’m not actually sure what that ring is - it is not all the way around the barrel so I think it might be a slight machining issue. Thanks for the feedback, Tino. There’s certainly a lot of potential with this kit, especially as it’s in its very early stages. :-)

Hey troopers, Time for another update on this excellent kit. Let’s start with the latest video update, then move on to the photos: Part 3: So, the folding stock was a little bent/wonky on one side. To correct this, I decided to use wood and a clamp to sandwich the resin, then heat the resin over the steam from the kettle. This actually worked really well, allowing just enough “flex” to correct the part (probably to about 95%) I started gluing some of the parts to the main barrel - parts that would be of the same material on the original weapon. So, I attached the front and rear sights, mag well and flash guards. Front sight and rear sight needed sanding on the underside to fit the curvature of the barrel. The rear end cap is nicely detailed. Although, to take it up a notch, I used a Dremel to carve a dip into the central area. This is to fit the attachment for the D-ring. A quick test fit of a few parts, just for fun. (The pictured scope and Hengstler counter are from my old build) Quite a few parts are now ready to spray paint, which is rather exciting. :-) I’ll post more updates when I can. Thanks for reading. [emoji7]

Hey troopers, Another update on the build. In this video, and the ensuing photos, we take a closer look at the following; Power cylinders Hengstler Counter Folding stock Scope Power cylinders. They came in a few parts with minimal cleaning up required. I simply sanded off some excess resin from the moulds, then used a file to open up the two main holes on the central section to fit the cylinders. The Hengstler counter; This comes in two main parts - very useful for the spray painting process due to the original parts being half metal and half plastic. Great detailing and very sharp. The Magazine; This is a nice sized mag. The end cap does not have the “OFF—>” markings (but I might add these myself. Update from TroopaCoola - due to the fragility of the folding stock and the slight damage in transport, Marc at TroopaCoola has already said that future orders will ship with the folding stock barrel attached moulded as one. This is very quick action and should avoid the same thing happening to others. Nice work, Marc [emoji1303] More to come. Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. :-)

Hi Tino, Thanks for stopping by. :-) The mag end cap is in the box, I just didn’t show it very clearly. I’ll take some pictures a little later and post up here. Also, I was missing the cocking handle which has now been sent to me. :-)

Hi folks, It’s been a few years since my last blaster build, ( https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/42658-cableguys-doopydoos-feat-t-jay-kit-anh-e-11-wip/ ) but I’m BACK!! This time, I’m building a new kit to the market from Marc at TroopaCoola. Marc has sourced most of the original parts from the Sterling L2A3 and is now making high quality resin moulds. As per the following video, the barrel is a nicely machined metal barrel, with the other parts made from resin. Unboxing video; Making the unboxing video: As the video explains, the parts included were very well presented and relevant parts were bagged together. For example, the mag, mag well, mag release button etc were all in a small bag. The various parts of the Hengstler counter were in a separate bag, etc etc. Compared with “another” popular resin kit, many parts are much better presented, meaning that there are more separated parts and many that are already hollowed out, for example. I’ve now started with sanding and preparing the parts. Here’s an update on the progress so far; Here’s a random selection of photos that accompanied the videos; More to come soon. :-)

This is a superb project, Tino. An, as always, brilliantly documented. :-)

Aw - many thanks, Jesse. I'm too deep into the rabbit hole to get out now!

Great stuff, Rodney. Must feel great to get those too significant parts ready. [emoji1303][emoji1303][emoji1303]

I’ve trooped my RWA armour many times. It’s an excellent kit for the price point. As above, excellent service from Ross. I also know many other troopers with RWA and the feeling is positive all around. :-) RWA armour (with another make of helmet). :-)

Thanks Tony. I’ve pinned it in this section.

Honestly Rodney, there is nothing wrong with what you have. The ones on set were all slightly different, so there is not “one style” that you have aim for. As per the photos I posted above, those were all a little different. Here’s my own sniper knee compared with originals. The sniper knee does not 100% line up with the shin ridge, however, neither do many of the originals. Don’t sweat it just over this part. You’re doing a fantastic job - keep it up. :-). Also, regarding the thigh elastics at the top, just go with the method you prefer. For my first suit, I actually folded over and use some snaps / poppers to allow adjustments if needed. For my latest suit, I glued the loops, like Rob does. As long as you don’t have visible fixings, any of these methods would be okay. :-)

Personally, I can’t see that your GML would have a problem with your sniper knee plate. Given the inconsistency of the screen used ones, many of which did not align with the shin ridge, I’d find it very harsh if they did.

Haha. Sign me up. ;-) Loads more on my channel discussing the finer details. :-)

Hey troopers, I think we all know that this very forum is a hot bed of experienced troopers and helpful information. Years of experience and TK knowledge. To that end, here are some of the key features, (sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious), that I feel really make an iconic ANH Stunt Stormtrooper, all in a simple, easy to digest video. Topics include; -brow height -eye trimming -ear trimming -vocoder painting styles -hovi tips ...and more Enjoy the video, and please feel to ask any questions or comment. :-)

Hey Brady, Great start! And some super advice above. :-) Depending on how “deep” you want to go into the finer details (I’m a bit obsessive over the little touches), there are a couple of things you could consider for that out and out ANH Stunt feel. Firstly, you could consider squaring off the eyes a little. Example below; The mesh on your Hovi tips could sit at the front, rather than recessed; If your helmet kit came with two sets of ears, you could consider trimming one set down a little more. As it stands, yours are a little thicker than screen used which makes the helmet appear wider. Trimming the ears, as suggested below, would require the whole ear cap to drop down a little, so new holes would need to be drilled; The lower ridge on the chest is where you might leave up to 10mm, for example, as that’s where the originals have the bracket system. The sides, highlighted below, could be trimmed to perhaps 3-5mm return edge; Reference of a screen used suit and that lower chest return edge; If it’s helpful, I covered many of these areas in a recent video along with reference photos and descriptions. Here’s the link; ALL of the above are just suggestions, or things to consider. None of these is mandatory. :-)

Hehe. Yes, we do tend to aim for more troop-ability with our kits rather than a few weeks being thrown around on set. ;-) I’m sure you already know, but, the reason they are opening when the troopers run is because the original screen used calves were using elastics and bra hooks. The elastic gave a nice amount of “give” at the rear of the calves, making it easier to move. This is why I did a hybrid in that video. Velcro top and middle (adhered direct to the armour), then elastics with the Velcro attached to the elastics for the bottom one. Made walking so much easier for my as you have a little give at the ankle, so the inner and outer parts can move and open, then the elastic pulls them back together. :-)

Hi Rodney, For the Velcro fixings, personally, I don’t find it necessary to have Velcro all the way from top to bottom. One at the top, one in the middle and one at the bottom is enough. I also have an elastic tab with snaps/poppers attached to the rear of the boot (attached to inside of shin) to stop the shins from twisting. However, Velcro has no give. So, I found that when I tried to navigate stairs, for example, the lack of flex at ankle could cause the snap to undo, which was a pain. So, I went for a hybrid method, using Velcro at the top and middle, then Velcro on elastic tabs at the bottom to allow some give. This is a half way house between the Velcro method and the original elastic and bra hooks method. Skip to around 3:00 to see thighs and shins with a visual look at the hybrid method;

Hi Rodney, Do you have any photos? The black elastic on the bells does indeed “cup” them inwards. This is correct. I would certainly consider adding some elastic inside the bell to the bicep. Here’s how I did mine: The bicep hooks were not very common on stunt stormtroopers. Han had them but they were not commonly seen elsewhere. Personally, that’s why I prefer to have some discrete internal strapping. :-)

Thighs are looking good, Rodney. :-) The RS shins don’t normally meet at the rear top ridge until the rear fixings are in place. It seems that their parts are a little wonky. You can also see the offset in the RS Tutorials. However, they do have flex so you can use your rear fixings to help twist them back to help with alignment (either Velcro or elastic and bra hooks). [emoji1303]

Are you following Rob’s sizes? Like I mentioned before, they built their suit to original sizes. I’m a pretty slim guy and the original sizes (for the knee) were to small for me. I had to size it up.

Hi Rodney, Charlie is right. That’s the untrimmed part I mentioned in post #388. This will make it quite hard to get a nice fit around your lower leg as that’s a pretty big return edge. Id also consider something like this. Once you’ve trimmed this down a little, you can try test fitting again. Hopefully this will be more comfortable and allow you to get a good size. :-)

Hi Rodney, Firstly, HANG IN THERE, TROOPER!! I know it can be tough, and rather daunting. Especially when you are trying to measure the fitment around the back of your own legs. But, you are doing the right thing by taking your time and asking great questions. Can I ask, have you trimmed out the lower part of the thighs? In this photo, is this un-trimmed? If that is un-trimmed, I’d suggest starting here. Unless you have trimmed that area, you won’t be able to get a good fit around your knee. As below, a few millimetres is usually enough. Once you have that trimmed, you can wrap is around your leg again and start measuring up. As below, a big part of fitting the thighs is working out the sizes of the “lower ridge”. (Shown in green). As you’ll see, the ridge on the inner and outer is not ‘exactly’ the same, however, it’s pretty close. Many builders aim for approximately the same width of ridge on the inner and outer, and the same on both thighs. (If you’ve watched the RS video for this part, they share the exact sizes of their specific screen used suit. However, I looked at using those sizes but they were too small for my thighs). So, if it were me, I’d test fit the parts, as you did below, and measure the total width of the lower ridge (across both inner and outer parts, shown with horizontal green line). Once you have that total width, you can halve that measurement and apply evenly to inner and outer pieces. Now, to be safe, if (for example) you measure up and you think you need a 60mm ridge on the inner and 60mm ridge on the outer, maybe do your initial trim to 70mm and 70mm. Then tape the pieces to yourself and see how it fits. If it’s too baggy, you then have up to a further 10mm on both pieces to trim. I hope that all makes sense. Just take your time, keep sharing your updates here and we’ll do our best to help you though it. #troopershelpingtroopers

Hi Mario, Many thanks for taking the time to review my suit. Good points raised - I’ll be sure to have a look over these. I’m proud to reach EIB level with this suit. :-) Thank you (and Glen ;-)) for the tips on the rear traps. I’d followed a Sandy with the rounder lower corners, but, you are quite right that many TKs have the sharper corners. I’ll give that a little tweak. :-) Those 6mm shoulder elastics keep sliding down so I’ll add a fixing under the back plate to jeep them a little lower, thus the bridges floating a bit higher. Good shout on the thermal Detonator. I’ll take a look at some additional references and check the alignment. Regarding the sniper knee, I’m pretty comfortable with the position of it for now. If you are happy to mark up what you guys feel would be “ideal”, I’ll double check it. I’ll have a check over the strapping as you’re quite right regarding the side rivets and butt plate, for example. I’ll do a fresh set of photos for Centurion. Many thanks again to you and the team. Best wishes and stay safe, Dan :-)