Brew12

I just downloaded the TK Chatter from YouTube and after listening to it, I think I need to do some editing. Nothing too bad on them. With my luck some little kid would walk up right when Han Solo says "See you in Hell" or I'd be taking a picture with a family when the "that's what she said" line was played. Funny, but not appropriate imo when they can pop up at random moments.

My heart goes out to their son. Does anyone know if the family has requested any assistance?

Looks fantastic! Those small changes make a world of difference!

It is ANH Stunt. Easily modified to go back to how it was. I know that RS also puts the top right ear screw in a location that matches their helmet (so low it touches the paint of the rank bar) but it is considered a one off based on the majority of ANH helmet photos from the movie. It's hard to know if this strapping is another Mr No Stripes or if it is preferred.

I have a question about what the best way to align the cover strips on the forearms and biceps. It made sense to me that the cover strips should line up similar to the legs. Then I saw a video someone had done saying that it was more film accurate to not have them aligned. My RS Propmaster commissioned build was exactly like he showed in the video which do not allow the cover strips to be aligned. He did post some screen shots of ANH which seemed to show the RS Propmaster to be correct. For me, it is hard to tell because of the angles involved with the arm bend in relation to the angle the filming was done. Is there a consensus on what is most screen accurate? Should the line up when the arms are straight as I have modified mine to, or was it more screen accurate before I modified it?

Here are the before and after on the forearms. I may need to redo it. With the forearms rotated I may have needed to lengthen then elastic. I'll try to dress out this weekend and confirm if it needs adjusting. Before: After:

Since my last update, I have my TK number and am now an official member of the 501st. I've already done a troop at a local zoo which was a blast. In a few weeks I'll be doing one at a local minor league hockey game for their Star Wars night. Going after my Expert Infantry is on hold until the new helmet arrives, but I am getting some of the other fixes done. The easiest was shortening the shoulder to chest straps. The only difficulty there was that the snap is now so close to the shoulder bell it was hard to hold the snap while hammering it against the anvil. I still need to trim a little return edge, but once that is done I'm hoping to get the gap I am looking for. I also removed and reattached the forearm to bicep strap. The length was great, but it forced the forearm to twist. I reattached it in a way that should keep the cover strips lined up much better. And finally, I'd like to say I installed some v-tabs for the butt/kidney armor... I'm going to call them u-tabs instead. First time using a heat gun to bend PVC and it was a learning experience. Fortunately, I managed to do it without any burns on the fingers. Calling that a win. I'll post pictures once I get them uploaded into imgur.

I hope you don't mind my chiming in with a few comments. I also very recently received a fully commissioned RS Propmaster ANH stunt and love it. I got through basic approval with only some minor strapping issues but I have plenty of more things I am addressing. I notice from your pictures that your kit has some of the exact same issues mine did/does. Thigh strapping was much too long. I had to shorten mine by several inches. I used a stapler to temporarily close off the loop (easy to remove the staple) while I sized it up to see exactly what length was best for where the belt was comfortable. Shoulder bell to chest straps were too long. I shortened mine so that unstretched it comes out to just under the bell. Sew in snaps for the shoulder bells had issues. One popped off the 2nd time I suited up. I've replaced them with hammer in snaps, much easier since I needed to shorten the shoulder bell straps. Left shoulder bell to bicep strap was too long. This makes it harder for the bicep to stay under the shoulder bell band and also messes up the bicep to forearm spacing. Looks like you have the same issue. Right arm was fine as delivered. Belt sag at the waist. Easily fixed with a small piece of velcro under the button panel connected to the belt. Makes dressing out easier, also. Forearm band could use rotating. Might not bother you too much, but I think it looks very sharp when the cover strips on the bicep and forearm line up. With the way the band connecting the forearms to biceps is placed, it forces the cover strip on the forearm to rotate to the outside. I've made a few other adjustments to mine, also, but these are the ones I think would benefit you based on your pictures. Hopefully this helps and good luck! The armor really is beautiful!

TK-91106 respectfully requesting access! https://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=34305

I haven't made any of these improvements yet, but I do have an update. Because of the ear screw and paint issues, RS Propmasters is sending an entire new helmet. Gotta love that kind of customer service, well above and beyond what I had asked for.

Wanted to post a follow up on this here. I asked RS Propmaster for either a new ear or some scrap PVC so I could get a proper repair making a paste the correct color. I also asked what brand and number of paint they use so I could do the touchup work. They have opted not to go that route and have chosen to send me an entire new helmet. Can't complain about that customer service!

In hindsight, I probably should have created a new build thread for the RS Propmaster commissioned set. Being fully commissioned I thought it would only take some very minor adjustments and I was wrong. If anyone does see this and wondering what changes I have made..... Snaps replaced on shoulder straps. (came with sew in snaps which quickly came off) Straps connecting shoulder to chest replaced with shorter straps. Then shortened again. Both straps connecting bicep to shoulder bell shortened, one by 3 inches. Thigh straps shortened by 2 inches. Stirrups added to shins to hold them down better. Lots of fabric glue on canvas belt and some elastic to stop fraying. Helmet padding replaced. Ear screws cut short inside helmet and covered with putty to smooth them. Velcro added to front of belt to hold it up to the lower button on chest plate better. Added fans and iComm unit to helmet. And on the to-do list. Both helmet traps need repainting. One doesn't go to the edges, the other is completely missing the black outline. One screw on an ear is in the wrong place and needs moving. Hoping RS sends me a new ear so I can replace instead of repair it. Going to replace the lens material. It is a very flimsy sheet and I don't expect it to hold up. I have better material from my ATA helmet build. Snaps on kidney/abs plates need repainting already. Not sure if it rubbed off with such limited wear or if they weren't properly painted. Straps connecting forearm to bicep need replacing. The length is good but they aren't connected in the correct spot and cause the forearms to twist by around 2 inches. Return edges on shoulder bells need further reduction to try and get a closer fit. Shoulder to chest straps will be shortened for a 3rd time. Straps connecting abs to kidney plate need shortening. V tabs need adding to kidney/butt plate. Thighs likely need some trimming to improve comfort/mobility Consider this fair warning to anyone who thinks a fully commissioned build will be plug and play, even from someone as reputable as RS Propmasters.

To say this has been helpful is an understatement. It is incredible how much I missed with the excitement of having the commissioned build delivered. For the first time I've really looked at my armor with a critical eye. I've found numerous other improvements I will make in addition to these that were pointed out. But, most importantly, I was informed this weekend I was approved for membership so I should have a TK number soon!

I'll definitely be adding the V tabs. I looked at some other photos taken and this issue shows up in all of them, some worse than others. I'm thinking for what I am seeing they will be best glued to the butt plate and left free on the top plate. I was a bit surprised how loose all of the strapping was on the sides of the armor. The belt does almost all of the work holding it together. Without the belt the gap is very large. Getting that tightened up will be easy. Thanks for the suggestions!

Excellent! I'm not sure how I didn't notice that the ear screw was so low. That one will be a little challenging to fix since the scrap pieces I have for making the paste are a slightly different color. I've shortened the arm to shoulder straps a bit already but I still have a little more room I can bring them in with. Removing more of the return edges might help allow them to pull in more, also. Unstretched, the center of the snap is only around 3/4 of an inch outside the shoulder bell. When I add straps to keep the forearms from twisting I'll make sure to check that they are symmetrical and adjust them as necessary. I have the paint for the traps, so that should be a fairly simple fix. I also have fabric glue being delivered today to help with fraying, especially on the belt. Random thought... the scrap from removing the return edges from the shoulder should work perfect to patch the hole from moving the ear screw, so easy day there. I appreciate the feedback!