troopermaster

I don't really use that much. I buy two large tins and that usually does me. The sculpts are around 1/2" thick and I am only adding to the existing tools so it's not like I am starting from scratch. Thanks for the link. I'll give it good read later when I have more time

It's just regular car body filler. I find it is great to work with and I can form directly over it so no need to make any extra forming tools once the sculpts are finished. I've only worked with POP and Hurculite plasters before and don't really care for either, but never tried the one you mention Mark. I always have a hard time when adding extra plater on top of plaster and it never want to blend in smoothly. Plus, it's always been too brittle to use as forming tools so I stay away from it these days. My Son is 8 now and is 55" tall and weighs around 85/90 lbs if that helps calculate the size for your Son? These suits will fit kids shorter or taller just as any adult suit would with a bit of modding. Here are a few pics of what I got done yesterday. I did do more work on other parts but nothing exciting and worth showing just yet.

Cheers fellas I've had another long day on these moulds again and got a fair bit done, though still lots to do. I must get back to my other work now but hope to do a bit more this week. I'll post a few more pics in the morning.

Thanks for the compliment and the tip

Okay, I am back working on the moulds again this weekend and hope to have a full suit ready for the end of the month so we can attend the Memorabilia event at the NEC. I have a lot of work ahead of me but hopefully I can find the time to finish the moulds and pull a suit in time. I am working on the right side of the suit first and then once they are done I will start on the left side. This will make it easier sizing everything up. The torso was a bit too rounded before so now I am widening it to make it more oval shaped and also extending it for his size. It has been over two years since I made one of these suits and my Son has grown a lot in that time as you will be able to see in the comparison photos below. New right thigh with old left thigh. New right shin with old left shin. Forearms in progress. Ab plate in progress - cod untouched. I will try and update this thread often to show my progress. Hope you enjoy the photos and can see how much work goes into making these moulds.

It's been a while since I added anything to this thread and now I am happy to show off a few sets of my latest version of latex hand plates. After making my original hand plates I soon realised they were too small after the latex had cured so I decided to have another go at making them. I was lucky enough to go vist the guys at RS props and I took a pair of Karins hand plates with me and compared them to the ABS hand plates that came with Simons suit which were bigger. I realise these may not have been the exact same size of the original hand plates but I am guessing they are, so I have based mine on these from Simon and made them slightly bigger to allow for the latex shrinking. Here are the photos of the first lot I have made. The last photo shows one of Karins for size comparison only. I will paint a pair soon and get them fixed to some rubber gloves to see how they look and post a few photos to show you

Mos Eisley locals?

Personally I would have painted it all white. I don't know why there is this fad about creamy ROTJ armour? Matt's armour was ESB MKII and was haircell ABS that probably just yellowed over time. I have seen no evidence to say ROTJ armour was anything other than white ABS.

Here is another one from the SE.

That's good to hear Steve. As you know, these mini suits have never been offered but that will change this year. Once I finish off improving the moulds I will be able to form on them again. This is not possible at the moment as the moulds are only half finished and not usable. Looking to get a suit made for Mem at the end of the month if I get the chance

You can buy kids amour on ebay which is the one on the left. Or, you can sculpt your own

Armour looks great next to your RS Steve. It's virtually identicle on a smaller scale For those who have not seen these mini suits before, here are a few photos of my Son in his TM Junior kit. With Brian Muir (Vader/Trooper sculptor) With Richard Bonehill (Nien Numb/ESB trooper) With Warwick Davies (Ewok) And finally a nice shot showing how the suits have grown over the years.

These may also be the same suits that I saw at Wembley in 1999 at the Kellogg's Power of Myth tour.

Yeah, I will post them. They are on my laptop and I will get thm uploaded tonight when I have some time.

Looks like the same troopers that I have photos from when they were in Germany. The thighs were held up by the main belt which tucks inside the butt plate for some strange reason. Nice photos though Rich. Always nice to see new ones

The easiest way to fix your thigh problem is to ditch the webbing and replace it with elastic. You really should not use webbing anywhere on a trooper kit because it is too restrictive. Having elastic straps holding your thighs up will allow them to move freely and they will always be pulling up if you have the straps slightly shorter than you want. Trust me, elastic is the way to go here Your torso issue is an easy fix too. Simply pull the back and chest plates together and have the tabs on top of each piece touch each other. This will bring your back plate and chest plate higher on your body and should solve the problem. If it doesn't, then simply trim a bit of ABS away on the tabs to make them shorter and close the gap again. This will raise the armour even more. If your chest starts to choke you, simply extend the curve of the neck line by trimming it away. If your abdomen plate is digging into your groin, simply adjust your strapping to raise it higher. It looks like you are really tighening your belt and this could be the problem. The main belt should be fastened snug and not too tight. Do not worry if there is a slight gap between the abdomen and kidney plates, this is quite normal. Whatever you do, do not start trimming away and heating anything until you have tried these suggestions. I think you will find these suggestions will cure your problems. But remember, these suits are somewhat restrictive by their very nature, so don't expect to do cartwheels and somersaults anytime soon

Nice one Steve! Great photos mate

They are not exact.

I'm glad the belt and holster have got to you in time to finish your build

Left thigh doesn't look bad at all. You could maybe reduce the front cover strip by 5mm and trim the back strip at an angle to follow the armour. The right thihg needs more work. Cut the trims to the red lines and just trim off where the green lines are (hope you can see them). The real thighs do not match up and you have to improvise here. Follow the red lines for the strips and just blend in the armour by cutting and smoothing away some of the return edge, or leave it ther and have a pointed edge as seen on some of the original armour.

I have made a new belt mould since Stuka's build which is shorter than before, so probably not the best reference to use anymore.

It's an Imperial Stormtrooper belt mate

Check out this real belt for reference.

Real shins for comparison.