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Actionsdower

501st Stormtrooper[TK]
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Posts posted by Actionsdower

  1. Looking at that photo of the shoulder strap it looks like the male half has come off and is still in the female half sewn to the white elastic.
     
    For the holster remove the failed rivet then use a longer one but back it up with a washer to stop it pulling through again.
     
    Alternatively you can rivet on a snap, I did this for mine. There’s a post towards the end of my build thread in my signature.
    How do I remove the failed rivet? Despite the additional piece missing, it's in there pretty good. Obviously I can't just brute force it without tearing the belt

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

  2. Hi Folks:

     

    I'm a new 501st member with exactly one troop under my belt, and it went fantastic.  Except for the part where my armor broke.  Thankfully the handlers were on-point, and helped jury-rig a temporary fix (via copious amounts of tape)  It's an RS commission suit, so I didn't do the main assembly aside from adjusting a few straps to get approved.

     

    The way I have the arms assembled, everything (shoulder bell, bicep, forearm) is one piece that attaches to the shoulder strap via a snap.  One of these snaps became disconnected from the strap when I was re-donning the armor after a break.  I didn't see it come off, so the snap itself is lost to time.  I was hoping someone could point me towards where to get a replacement.  Here is the snap from the (still intact) other arm, for reference:

     

    XUiYjzJ.jpg

     

    And here's a shot of the female side of the snap; any replacement snap will need to be compatible with this.

     

    xcvoKky.jpg

     

    Additionally, the holster became disconnected from the belt.  It was held on with two of these rivets (is that the right term?); it seems the other piece that snaps on to hold the holster in place has gone missing.  Any ideas for a replacement?

     

    WFQr0Xm.jpg

     

    Thanks everyone!

  3. So here's what happened: I fixed the shoulder bell elastic and was able to get the wayward shoulder straps under control.  I also used the time to attach the biceps to the shoulder bells.

     

    Resubmitted the new photos, and was approved!  You're now talking to TK-10668, Golden Gate Garrison! I've had a lot of fun so far, but have a feeling I'm just scratching the surface.  Big ups to all of you here for your knowledge and patience!

     

    However, I started my new job literally yesterday, and will be out of town next week.  So, have to miss a few possible first troop opportunities. Oh well, there'll be plenty more.

    • Like 1
  4. On 9/18/2018 at 8:23 AM, TheSwede said:

    That small white elastic is supposed to go around both the shoulder bridge and the main elastic thus keeping the bell more in place and keeping the shoulder bridge nicely over the back tab so try that:salute:

     

     

    Want to know something funny?  When you pointed that out right there, that was the first time I'd noticed that little elastic band.  I'll try actually using it, lol.

    • Like 1
  5. 14 hours ago, giskard8 said:

    Jim,

     

    You might want to try replacing the white straps connecting the back and chest plate with something more sturdy. From the picture above it looks like the weight of your arm parts are pulling the strap out of shape, hence the uneven look (I think you have got your measurements right).

     

    If you can’t find a thicker material, maybe folding the strap into double layers would help.

    That's a good point.  I'd rather not have to re-do the stitching, so I might try just reinforcing the existing straps.  The elastic strapping I have is a bit heartier than what came on the armor, so that may help.  Only issue is mine is black, not white, but it shouldn't end up showing so it's likely not an issue.

  6. Alright, have a bit of an update.  I've been hitting the job search pretty hard these past couple months, which finally paid off last week!  So, once I get settled in the new digs, I'll have some more time, but I've been whittling away here and there.

     

    I slightly moved the straps that hold the shoulder bells onto the torso shoulder straps.  This looks good, but introduced a new issue.  The right-side shoulder strap (the one that has a snap closure to hold the chest and back plates together, gets pulled out to the side.

     

    You can kind of see it here:

     

    d7pjddS.jpg

     

    And it's much more visible up close:

     

    oMNVhe2.jpg

     

    The two shoulder-bell straps are of an identical length; I must have measured them four times before and after re-gluing.  Any suggestions on what I can do about this?  It ends up making the arms slightly uneven, and just looks weird.

     

    I'm also having a hell of a time attached the biceps to the shoulder bells; they're held on in the photos with tape.  I had thought the way to do this was by running a strap up the inside.  See a partially-glued version here; I haven't yet glued the strap onto the shoulder bell.

     

    JSwxCFb.jpg

     

    I'll get everything measured, and then tape up a test-fit, but just with gravity, everything ends up hanging differently.  So it's extremely hard to predict if it will look good and appear even.  Can anyone point me to part of a build thread or something that goes into some detail on this?

     

    I actually applied to my local garrison last month, and with this stuff sorted out I should be in good shape, so this is really all I have left to do.

  7. 42 minutes ago, Commander Gree said:

    If i might ask, why would you want them adjustable? once they are on at the right place, they dont need to move from there. Most people either put snaps with an elastic band running between the 2 parts, or glue the parts together. If you go look through the pre approval threads, or the WIP threads you should see tons of pictures of this.

    Mostly because I don't trust myself to get it in the right place, so want to keep my options open.  I'm also going to be messing with the shoulder bells, so I want to be able to accommodate a bit of a change if necessary.

     

    However, the more I think about it, the more I feel you're right.  If I get the shoulders all set first, it shouldn't be too much trouble.  Please prepare yourselves for a "Does this look right?" post in the coming days, haha.  Seriously though, you all have been great throughout this whole process. 

  8. Let me know if I'd get a better response in a different thread/forum, but I was hoping to get some advice.

     

    The RS suit didn't come with the biceps attached to the shoulders (though they are attached to the forearms).  This means just friction holds them in place, and it works about as well as you'd expect.  So I'd like to attach the biceps to the shoulder bells, but I would like to do it so that it's adjustable.

     

    What would be the best way to do this, and what materials would I need?  I'm picturing just some webbing with a triglide (is that the right term?), should be pretty straightforward but i'm 100% new to this.

  9. On 7/21/2018 at 10:50 AM, menschie said:

    Oh, and on the topic of belt...I just use a black leather dress belt. It's strong, it stays in place, and once I got the thighs straps in place the best I could, I was still able to micro adjust the position according to how tight or loose I made the belt--what notch I chose.

    I ended up going with something like this:

     

    https://www.amazon.com/Klik-Belts-Tactical-Release-Buckle/dp/B071GM3MDL

     

    It's much wider/thicker than the one that came with the armor, so it not only stays in place better, but it doesn't get folded over so easily.  The quick-release is also a nice touch.

  10. On 7/19/2018 at 4:43 AM, TheSwede said:

    It will be som much easier to just remove the elastic and reglue - but it’s your choice of course :salute:

    It's actually not a very complex stitch, I could probably do it.  That being said, I'd prefer to reglue it.

     

    Should I just try to rip the strap off, or do I need to soften the glue with a solvent?  The armor is PVC, would something like mineral spirits be safe for that?

     

    This page indicates yes:

     

    https://www.calpaclab.com/pvc-polyvinyl-chloride-chemical-compatibility-chart/

  11. 13 hours ago, CableGuy said:

    Hi Jim

    Looking good. emoji1303.png

    I’d agree with the others and just add that the shoulder bells could be brought closer to your chest plate. Not sure why but RS always seem to leave the shoulder strapping about an inch too long on both sides when they do commissions. Simply shortening the strapping could help bring those in a bit and reduce the Black gap.

    34ad504c9dfb1006293074a7a27dc2c4.png

    A couple of minor tweaks and you’ll be cleared in no time. :-)

    Dan

    Yeah this was bothering me as well. I spent probably 30 minutes in front of the mirror the other day trying to adjust the shoulders to minimize the gaps; if I fiddle with it it can look better, but as soon as I move my arms at all they migrate back to this position.

     

    The strap is attached to the inside of the bell like so, with an adhesive.  Forgive the noobness, but what would be the best way to shorten the strap?  Obviously re-gluing it would be ideal, but how do I remove it without damaging the strap or the plastic?

     

    p4OGOQF.jpg

  12. Thanks for taking a look, everyone!

     

    Those screws that have been mentioned are actually painted, I think it's just the bright sunlight on brilliant white armor that washes it out in the photos.

     

    Thanks for pointing out the dropboxes as well; I had a feeling they weren't in the right place, but wasn't sure exactly where the "right place" was.

     

    I've had ongoing issues with the thighs not hanging quite right; in the photos they're as high as they'll go (any higher and they overlap the codpiece).  The main issue I have with them is the belt that holds them; I get it strapped on and everything's A-OK.  But then as I walk around the belt gets rolled over, which drops one or both sides by an inch or so (this is actually visible here in my photos).  I can take care of this though with a new, wider belt.

     

    The writing on the TD I just don't get.  Obviously it's made from electrical conduit, which has writing on it, but I don't get why they didn't just rotate it so the writing isn't visible.  Oh well, not too hard to fix.  Can anyone recommend a paint to use for this?

     

    And finally, the way RS builds the arms these days, only the biceps and forearms are attached to each other; they do not attach to the shoulders.  So the arm pieces are just kind of "free floating", which makes it very easy for them to get misaligned.  This is one of the big things I want to fix after approval.

  13. I couldn't say that I am an expert in noticing little things, but yeah it seems one arm is too high or one is too low. Also you haven't painted your bracket screws yet. Other than those two things looks good for basic approval.

    Sent from my VK815 using Tapatalk


    I should mention that I didn't do the actual build; RS did all that. That said, I figured I'd have to make some minor tweaks. What are "bracket screws"?

    Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

  14. Hi folks:

     

    Finally had a moment to get some photos of my RS Propmasters ANH Stunt armor.  I'm definitely learning that once you get all suited up, it's really hard to ensure that everything is straight/symmetrical. I realize in hindsight that the bicep pieces are a bit uneven (not assembled that way, just the way they were resting), but that shouldn't be a big deal.  As requested:

     

    First/Last Name: Jim Raley

    Future Garrison: Golden Gate Garrison

    Armor Maker: RS Propmasters (full commission; they did the build)

    Height: 5'10"

    Weight: 160

    TK Type: ANH Stunt

     

    Front View (arms down)

     

    kwvOty0.jpg

     

    Back view (arms down)

     

    YoKFGAD.jpg

     

    Left side (arms raised)

     

    e4pLjJ6.jpg

     

    Right side (arms raised)

     

    HkRuQom.jpg

     

    Ab plate

     

    2Rarby9.jpg

     

    Helmet front

     

    oI4uIGO.jpg

     

    Left

     

    T98AWSz.jpg

     

    Right

     

    doSwsYv.jpg

     

    Thanks in advance, everyone, super pumped to be a part of this community!

  15. On 6/6/2018 at 9:18 PM, Harbinger said:

    I would still suggest attempting to build your kit. Great experience and if you ever decide to do a First Order, Deathtrooper or any myriad of other costumes a great way to get your sea legs as they are even more work to assemble.

    Yeah, I can totally see the benefits of that.  I just can't get over the thought that I'll mess something up get discouraged.  Also I live in a tiny house and lack a good workspace and most of the required tools.  So I think I'm gonna go the RS route.

     

    Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I have a feeling that this hobby is like most hobbies.  And by that I mean that as soon as you get one costume, you immediately start thinking of which one you want to get next.  So I have an inkling that there are opportunities to assemble armor in my future.  I also won't live in this tiny house forever.

  16. Hi folks:

     

    I'm getting to the age where I have some semblance of disposable income, and thus have been attempting to go down the list of "things I've always wanted."  One of these things is a suit of trooper armor, and around last Halloween I started looking into the various options.  I'd been pretty much set on getting a suit from https://www.stormtrooperstore.com/ , but thankfully decided to do some research here.  I haven't seen any mention of this vendor on this forum, but their About Us page does say:

     

    Quote

    We are proud to work in association with JediRobeAmerica. JediRobeAmerica.com is without question one of the most popular Star Wars Shops on our Planet.

    So, the search continued...

     

    I originally set out to just get something fun to have for Halloween and the like, but after all my research, it seems much more worthwhile to get some proper armor.  Joining the 501st is also something I've always wanted to do (I'd just figured I'd do it later), and reading this forum has gotten me even more interested.

     

    I'm gravitating towards an RS Propmasters pre-built (ANH, ABS), but admittedly I'm having a bit of a hard time justifying the cost.  What other options would people recommend?  I'm about 5'10, probably 160-165lb, so I'm generally pretty easy to fit.  I'm pretty hesitant to have to assemble a first suit; I'm not overly crafty and wouldn't want to spend the money only to mess up the trimming/assembly.  If it helps, I'm in the Bay Area, so the Golden Gate Garrison would be my local.  I follow their Facebook page, but all the Events are just their public events; I'm not sure how to go about finding armor parties and the like.

     

    Can anyone provide advice on how to find local armor parties?  Also, any suggestions for/against going the RS route would be appreciated.  Finally, is it realistic for me to, if I act now, get a suit by Halloween this year?  Thanks in advance everyone; such a great community.

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