1226
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Posts posted by 1226
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Uh... Jester, the faceplate should go UNDER, not OVER the forehead. At least that's how it is in ANH helmets derived from the originals. If you install the faceplate properly, the gap should be close to nonexistent.
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As the shep is a recast of TE's ROTJ suit, I would also advise another maker.
Yeah... It's been proven several times over that it doesn't match the armors we see on screen in a number of areas. We were supposed to pay Ainsworth for original moulds, for accuracy. He gave us a DIFFERENT story of the armor moulds in each revision of the SDS booklet, and now we know we get neither original moulds or accuracy.
OF COURSE it's a beautiful armor that CLOSELY RESEMBLES what we see on screen, and comparing it to FX would be blasphemous, but it's not the original and paying such insane amounts of money for something that offers you essentially the same thing as a TE suit (most excellent, by the way) for the price of several of them just doesn't compute, now does it?
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Does anyone here own any of the shepperton armour?
is it good quality
Superb quality, comes fully assembled and ready to wear, together with an undersuit. But.... it's not really encouraged. Lucasfilm is pursuing them in court, and, IMHO, the manufacturer told us too many lies to tolerate, regardless how good his product is.
Regardless what mr. Ainsworth says, it's a recast. the choice is up to you, but I'd suggest TM armor from Paul ("Troopermaster"). I haven't seen it in person but it's definitely the most screen-accurate kit money can buy.
I don't own a Shepperton, but I had one over for reference in making my own armor. you can see me wearing a Shepperton on my avatar (except for the helmet)
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It was way over 24 hours. Wrong glue, that's all... No more two ingridient mixtures, I've found a dedicated glue for hard plastics such as ABS or Styrene - it melts and fuses them together much like superglue does soft plastics, for example those on plastic model kits. It should arrive tomorrow or the day after, and I'll have the packet from CABoots in about a week or two... then my trooper will be more or less complete
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Here's a little update - new legs and other misc. parts from TK-560 (IMHO, they're excellent!). Thanks a lot, Jim!
Even though they're a close fit with almost no gaps, I can move more freely than with my previous fiberglass attempt. I'm most happy with the new legs. The only problem I have is glueing. The velcros on the left shin, the shim on the left thigh, and the velcro on the right thigh all came off near the end of today's trooping session. I need a better glue
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Hehe , you went to a Motor show in armour ? Nice work ! And lets face it , we are always on duty
LOL! No no, we just happened to visit spontaneously while trooping casually... it's the "City Days" week here in Bialystok City, the city just... you know... celebrates - all sorts of fairs, happenings, art displays, sports and entertainment events. Meaning it's THE week for us to come out of hiding. And of course with all the stuff going on, we're bound to accidentally walk into the middle of some event
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It says "Imperial stormtroopers from Star Wars provided security for the event" - actually we just dropped in to oogle cars at a motorshow for a moment
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I got my Caboots and they stink like Bantha @%#& but they look good.
Thx
TK-6044
I've been wondering... is it a chemical smell, or something 'footy'? Or chemical at first, and then a blend of the two?
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Ah, great to hear that. My wife is generally afraid of using the card online and was getting pretty worried
Anyway, the order is placed now, and all that's left to do is to get a good supply of air refreshener
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It seems like everyone's buying from them so I guess they're okay, but one thing really, really bothers me.
Why the hell would they need to know the card's security number? It's not needed for any purchase... I'm worried.
Is CABoots safe to deal with?
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Actually the 'ammo belt' and the drop boxes are about to arrive bundled with my new legs and belt.
Why am I getting new legs?
I think fiberglass just doesn't realy work for legs... to be strong enough, it has to be thick, when its thick, it's highly uncomfortable, heavy, stiff, and it bites... I have 'armor bite' marks on the front of both my legs, and on the back of both my legs... 4 places in total, not counting those on the inner side of my elbows... That's after some 3 hours of trooping today ;(
When I get those parts, I'd say the armor will be pretty much complete. I won't get or build my backack yet, though - my wife and I are moving to Canada in about half a year, it would be rather silly to invest in one if we wouldn't really be able to take it with us. Once there - sure
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ooookay... I figured my "custom helmet sculpt" topic no longer reflects the content, as the project evolved into a full, themed armor project. As my bucket seems to have a ROTJ feel to it, and as my home-made fiberglass armor needed weathering to hide its less-than-perfect finish, I went for the Special Edition sandtrooper look...
Here's how it looks like so far:
Comments, anyone? I'm pondering turning the control panel on the abdomen upside down, but would there be anything else I should do?
I'm definitely replacing the legs, the belt and even the forearms. And ordering proper boots
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Ooookay... I think this is the right thread to ask my question.
Are the little PC fans (the kind found on removable harddrive drawers) safe for one's hair? My helmet is very tight. I wanted to put fans on the vents in the back of the dome, but I'm afraid of them winding my hair in... is that safe?
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I can definitely confirm that extra vents really do work. I made my custom sculpted helmet with real vents from the start - and they work just fine. I only did the back of the dome, not the cheeks, though. Hot air always goes up, and that means there's always air circulation inside my bucket.
I think the pics in my 'custom sculpt' thread should still be up...
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Excellent solution, although perhaps a bit complex.
Most of the Polish Outpost simply have the thighs strapped to the underside of the ab plate, that's also what I did to mine. The strap is elastic and already stretched, so that it keeps pulling the thighs up.
I didn't get to test if this will actually work over longer times and distances with my heavy fiberglass armor, though. I might just go for this idea eventually, too. Looks really good!
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Bought some.
Please remove this post
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ID-1226 of the Polish Outpost here... Open the blast doors, open the blast doors!
P.S. Not a TK yet but working on it... still, as a 501st member, I do qualify for full access, right?
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Allright, here's an update... Like you suggested, I altered the chin.
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Is it starting to look better?
BTW< sorry about the earphone covers, they're not finished yet
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Daetrin said:The distinction is between directly copying (recasting) or using one as a base then modifying it beyond where it can be recognized as the original, or has had so many changes that it's no longer considered a copy by the prop building community.
Well, then we're in a pinch since my goal is to make the thing as accurate as possible, so I can't exactly alter it too much in appearance, can I? However, there's a major difference: Mine will be all fiberglass, just like the helmet. It's a totally different technology, and part of my little quest to obtain an armor that woulr really be, well, an armor. Something that would stand up to the rigours of trooping.
At the last annual of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity foundation (Poland's largest charity organization) --------- we took one hell of a beating - our scout trooper literally fell apart, and the stormtroopers came out with a few cracks... outsch... The TV studio was crowded, chaotic, and totally out of control. Brutal security didn't help, either.
Hence my attempt at a fiberglass TK kit.
I can't deviate much from the ANH armor design, but it'll be made in fiberglass technology instead. Nobody would mistake it for an SDS, as even the shine is different (perfectly smooth plastic vs. sanded and painted fiberglass). Knowing my poor skill, lots of detail in the moulds will have to be fixed or reconstructed with filler anyway, so... I guess it's okay, right?
And like I said, it's definitely a one-off.
QuoteBack to your other question: it's a great start I'd revisit the chin though - it looks a bit wider than it should be though.
You migght be right... Thanks for pointing it out! I think it shouldn't be too difficult to fix - I'll just extend the edges a bit using automotive filler. It should also help the problem I noticed myself - that the chin frame is not vertical enough. Two problems solved by one fix
It'll have to wait till just before the final painting, though - right now I'm busy wth assembling the whole bucket, and I'm happy to say that I gave it full structural integrity just now. It's assembled (face, back, dome), laminated into one piece and very strong, tomorrow I'll fill and sand the gaps, install metal grilles in the back of the dome (cutouts from a PC power supply... in an attempt to counter sweating, I'm trying to make those real rather than painted) and hopefully cast the ears, or at least start working on them.
There's still a damn long way ahead of me, but I'm starting to be very happy with the results... I have to admit I was really worried at a point or two
Okay then, the chin is now marked on the list of things to do. Thanks!
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Hi Wojciech,
Welcome to the boards. Please be aware however that recasting of any kind is not condoned either by this detachment nor the 501st in general. There are numerous sites available that can guide you through making a body cast and your own armor molds if you don't like what's out there, but recasting off of someone's work is just plain stealing.
I'd really encourage you to sculpt your own molds if you feel that strongly about not buying armor.
Oooookay.... and what Andrew Ainsworth was doing, was not? SDS lost the trial against Lucas and was fined heavily, and besides, all the ANH helmets and armors available are re-casts of Ainsworth's originals, directly or indicrectly, so I don't know how mine would be different.
Keep in mind that the ANH helmets and armor available are either SDS (stolen intellectual property of Lucasfilm, as proven by the lost lawsuit) or recasts of Ainsworth's earlier works made by others, so, in fact, they're stolen Lucasfilm intellectual property, too.
However nobody sues their makers, as although they do sell a few copies, don't make a business out of it.
I'm not going to make a business out of it. I figured making ONE copy by myself, for my personal use, is exactly the way to go, as I'm not stealing from Lucasfilm or not paying someone who does.
Besides, my technique involves so much work on my part, correcting, altering and finishing at both the mold and the final product stage, that I guess it's okay to say the end result will be, in fact, mine...
Look, making my own sculpts based on dimensions taken off the ANH armor I'll be copying is fine with me, as long as you can explain what makes my original idea so inacceptable, while what other armor makers are doing (not only re-casting, but also selling copies!) is acceptable?
Please explain the difference and I'll just sculpt my own moulds, as I did with the helmet, no problem.By the way... in my original post I wanted some feedback whether my helmet looks okay or not... whether I should continue with my orginal sculpt or should I scrap it and wait for the SDS to pattern it after?
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Hey there,
I'm ID-1226 of the Polish Outpost... Actually, I was the 'founder' of the outpost back in 2002, the first Imperial cosplayer from Poland. Those were the days
My real name is Wojciech Sawicki, age 26, architect by profession, comic artist by heart.
Anyway... for a long time now I've been plotting to become a TK, but my evil schemes were always thwarted by harsh reality - no monies... Had a helmet promiesed here, had an armor arranged there... and there were always other expenses out of my control
So eventually I snapped and started doing the impossible... I'm going to copy an SDS ANH armor directly in fiberglass, thanks to a helpful friend who lent me his armor. As for the helmet, I can copy his if all else fails, but... call me a heretic, but I don't like the botched up, skewed props... I'd rather have a stormtrooper helmet replica, not a movie prop replica. Of course the FX bucket is a big NO, so I tried making a more symmetrical helmet with an ANH feel to it all by myself (original clay sculpt, plaster cast, and then fiberglass).
I'm more than halfway done now... here's a little preview: ----------
I patterned it after this one: ---------, of course with the eyes and the symmetry fixed.
The finished product will, obviously, be much smoother - I just sprayed it temporarily to have a better idea of the shape and of which areas still need work. Originally, it's green... much like the originals, heh heh.
Please tell me what you guys think... Is it worth finishing, or should I just copy the SDS bucket? I like mine more and more, but as the maker I might not be able to notice flaws... that's why I'd like your opinion!
Sculpting My Own Stormtrooper Helmet
in Hard Armor (General Discussion)
Posted · Edited by Sly11
Images not recoverable
Aww... I think you hurried way too much with the sculpt. You should have hundreds of photos of originals, or at least good replicas (AP, TE, TE2) printed out for constant reference. All possible angles. Then you should cast plaster over the clay model, remove the clay, spray some paint into the inside of the negative mould so that resin wouldn't stick, then brush resin in there, lay fiberglass, brush more resin, lay more fiberglass, brush even more resin...
That way you'll get an excellent positive mold made of rock-solid fiberglass. You'll be able to sand it, use putty on it, sand it more... And make it real smooth and nice.
Here's how I did my original sculpt:
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/5474/dsc41yh1.jpghttp://img183.imageshack.us/img183/9421/dsc0002lp5.jpghttp://img45.imageshack.us/img45/5263/dsc0209vz4.jpghttp://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2844/dsc0008ei0.jpghttp://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3928/dsc0001xv7.jpgAnd final result:
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3572/dsc2788.jpghttp://img190.imageshack.us/img190/4082/dsc2916.jpgnote however that I simply assembled a helmet out of the fiberglass parts, just for the heck of it. Ideally, these should be used for vacuforming over them - the resulting helmet wouldn't be so rough.
Well, it was a different technology, though...
Anyway, I'm most interested in your progress - I'm dying to see how the next stage of the sculpting goes. I'm sure you gen carve the right shape out of the plaster - good luck!