Jedi106

Finished the thighs tonight. To date, aside from the helmet ears, was the thigh ammo/battery pack has been the WORST. Had to heat it up a few times and kind of mold it around the lower thigh section. Still has some spacing issues but its the best I could do. Got a slight tilt upward to cover the seam but not sure the angle is right. Something just doesn't look right. I have what may be an obvious question...again. I am going to trim and fit the ab to kidney plate connection. I have some pretty good overlap. Would I trim from the ab section only? It appears that if I started trimming the kidney it would lend to also trimming the butt plate. I looked through the treads but couldn't find anything on trimming. Just the placement of the riviets and the nylon webbing to the left side. Thanks, Joe

Ok....So one of the exteme/deep angles will be on the outside left leg and one on the inside right leg? Is that what im tracking? You the man! Thanks!

So my question is which side goes to the outside/inside. Thanks, Joe

This is the two sides next to each other. The one at which I am pointing is the side that points down more. In this photo the two sides are assembled. I am pointing at the one that is sits lower. Does that make sense or am I nuts?

Yep. Solid copy. I too have that in front. and am attempting the same. But I was reading some old treads where they talked about a built in overlap in the back for the velcro or clasps. If you look at the chunky trim around the top edge. On when you assemble the two sides there is one chunk of trim that kind of points more down (terrible English) than the other one which is pointed yet more flat. I will attempt to send picture. Or I may just be loosing my mind....

I'm jumping around a bit but want to get a good understanding of the overall build. I have AM armor. How do I tell the difference between the right and left calf/shin on AM armor? There is one angle on the upper side cuff that dips lower than the other. looks like a lot of the threads are old in the tutorials. My AM doesn't have the calve return edge built in. THanks!

Thanks everyone!

Side view

https://i.imgur.com/tfDNt5V.jpg[/img ] Here is first flight of the helmet. I have some concerns with the brow band termination point, Teeth (just in general), ear screw placement, and the ear gaps between the helmet. Also one of the HOVI tips looks a little boogered. I can replace the brow band fairly easily...I think. The mesh on the mouth is velcroed on in case I need to work the teeth more. Not sure if I can fix the HOI placement. And the ear screws might be a bridge too far. Any input is greatly appreciated!

Never mind. Found it in the tutorials.

Thanks everyone. So, I stared at the helmet pieces for about 3 hours before actually starting the build. How do I go about posting a photo? Keeps telling me the file is too large.

Guys, Thanks so much. Making more sense to me. Sorry for the bad questions.

Thanks! Looking at the picture are the split rivets actually holding anything together or is it to represent screen accuracy? It looks like they have snaps affixed to the inside that actually connect the clam shell. Is there some type of tutorial as to best way to cut the ab plate to size. Or just the standard measure 4 times then slice?

Hey thanks, Yep, I see how it goes together now. My initial thought was that it could just close however. But after looking at the reference pics I see now. Is that one snap on the right side enough to hold the side together? Does the belt help with securing it? T

Hello, First time attempt at building anything like this so please forgive the questions if they seem a bit naïve or uninformed. I'm getting a little ahead of myself but had a question regarding overlapping ab and kidney piece. If I have the room to do so could I overlap them. Secure one side with rivets (not sure of the induced stress on the armor that this would cause) and the other with a velcro strapping set up similar to actual body armor? Not sure how this would look as an endstate product but it is very neat and clean when it is tapped up. Instead of rivets on one side I could do both with a tac velco set up. I was shooting for basic 501st approval this go. Thanks in advance for any assistance and advice you can provide.

Sorry guys. More questions. I've seen a couple of different pictures with the forearms. Are the cuffs of the wrists flush or is there some curvature. Also not having any luck at the locale hobby shops finding French blue testors paint. You guys usually just order it on line. Great video of the cover strips! Thanks for the assistance I really appreciate it!

Man! You guys are all over it!!!! Kind of unrelated but I feel like I will never be ready to cut into this thing. It's so pristine right now my fear is the minute I touch it it's going to start to look bad.

Wow! Thanks so much for the quick and detailed response! I really appreciate it! Big help to know I don't have to be an artist to assemble this!

Hi, brand new here. Apologies if this is the wrong place to post for assistance . I really have no idea what I'm getting myself into building a storm trooper uniform. But please forgive my very basic questions. I bought a kit from Dave's Dark Side Depot.(he has been awesome answering my initial questions) with the intent of submitting to 501st for the most basic level for entry. Started assembly but I have, (and I can't stress this enough,) ZERO artistic ability and less than that when it comes to cutting straight lines. I kind of feel like I am doing this with spoons for finger and motor oil for glue... But I digress. Questions: 1. (A) Cover strips: should they be flush to the armour or do they stick out past the leading edge of the armour? (B) Do you use some type of caulk or filler if you have small gaps in between the armour and the strip that the magnets didn't push flat.? 2. Can you trim down the inside top part of the bicep so that it does not dig into your under arm? Same question for the forearm for crook of your elbow. 3. Same for the top leading edge of the thighs? Also can you trim some gap at the back of your knees to allow better mobility? 4. Is the overall goal to show as little black as necessary once the armour is put on? 5. About how far down should the chest piece ride over the ab section? 6. If I wanted to make a sandtrooper is the shoulder strap band white with no cover strap? 7. Why all the hate on Velcro as strapping? Could you use a combo of elastic sewed to Velcro tabs? 8. If the armour allows can you have a little overlap on the side closures of the ab section or do you have to see a thin slicer of black on the sides? Any advice would be appreciated. Again sorry if this is the wrong page for this. Thanks, Joe