ObiHahn

Sounds like the best middle ground then, if it looks the part and is suitable for medium to heavy trooping. Why was the 1mm not an option for you if I might ask? Screen accurate strapping is really, really great...

I call major BS on this one: that auction pic clearly shows a fanmade helmet from TE lineage, extremely soft pull on this one, and for a wonky stunt configuration with the tell-tale bump in the left eye (looking at it). Neither did the MR limited edition fiberglass "hero" production helmet have stunt teeth nor did the symmetrical plastic helmet (the MR CE as it is mostly called) any eye bump. Also, the ears on that auction lid do neither resemble the LE "hero" ears nor the strange ears on the MR CE bucket. Both production helmets also had sharper details than the one in that ebay pic... so I'm 100% positive this can in no way be a final prototype. I guess some lowlight is trying to make a profit out of some gullible people here. Stay away, I say!

Humbrol takes ages to really dry, huh? The helmet's looking good. What about internal strapping? 100% accuracy or some solution of your own?

Hengstler height is perfect IMHO. Leave it as is. Vern, what are your sources for the 16mm rail? Any pics (nothing fanmade, of course)?

This must be the first female TM build thread, right? I call AWESOME! Maybe even double or triple AWESOME. Looking great so far, I see we are using the exact same method for hand painting helmet details.

1mm TM holds up to trooping just fine if you ask me. But ymmv.

Here's a pic of mine, I closely followed the archive pics that are awesome for ANH strapping: The side facing the camera has the one snap, that is attached to a piece of material in the inside kidney part and is the only closure on the right side. The left should be clear in that pic I guess.

Bluey's buttons (ha, how fun is his name in the context) looks to be "Midnight blue". The blue on the original suits seems to have been somewhere between the Humbrol "Midnight" and "French" blues... somebody should try mixing those!

1) Gaffa wasn't used to hide the thumb print, they instead made a loop out of it to hold the shoulder elastics (the black strip wrapping around the biceps) instead of the plastic hooks some bicep parts had installed. 2) Only Hero suits had 4 holster rivets, probably because Luke and Han holstered their E-11s more than any background trooper did in the movie. 3) Shoulder bridge pieces: glued on the chest armor and free floating in the back, held down there by white elastic. Under that, a piece of white material is glued to the chest and back plates on both sides. 4) I don't understand your question... are you talking about torso side closure? 5) The "battery pack" on (your right) thigh piece was affixed via brads or split rivets (there's some debate over what exactly was used). The left knee sniper plate was glued only.

Well... with my 1mm TM ANH armor, I am pretty much done. All that's left is more natural waethering and wear from trooping. The rest I am completely happy with!

Ha, now I have you all obsessed. Mission completed!

They were a little bit neater on the close up archive pics of the original suits I have, here's some of those: That's why I was bringing this up. Yours seem to have fuzzier outlines, but maybe I'm being picky. To each his own, I guess.

That's a nice lookin' ESB trooper you have there, Mr. Bluey! The only detail I'd consider redoing are the ab buttons, those look a little too "free-handed" if you don't mind me saying so.

Thanks. That's what I thought, so he spraypainted that suit himself. That's where the rumors of painted suits for ANH came from a while ago, right?

This is the only image of a screen used blaster from the front/top that I found in my stormtrooper reference pic archive: It shows that the scope rail is about as wide as the inner diameter of the "front" lens of the scope... it is a bad quality scan, granted - but might give some general idea of scope rail measurements.

Have fun freeze framing guys' crotches and B-hinds then!

I think that all the paint on the SiMan suit is more like "special case" and maybe not really in 1976 production state... But yeah, it sure is painted on that. Paul, didn't you have the chance to check the SiMan suit out up close, can you shed any more light on that matter regarding this particular suit?

This already looks like a very awesome project, all original parts - my jaw dropped a little. Here's some advice regarding your questions: That Han Solo pic (in stormtrooper disguise, if that is what you mean) only shows that the scope is mounted with visible screws or rivets on the underside of the rail. No real assumptions can be made on how wide the rail should be based on that pic since it is a side view only... My guess is that it should be about as wide as the rear sight (in a top view, I mean). The Hengstler counter was probably glued directly to the barrel on the prop guns AFAIK (there's some pics where glue residue can be seen on guns that have no counter), so no gap here. It should sit flush on the gun itself. The rail is probably simply bent back under and slid into the barrel hole, but I have no conclusive photo evidence of that. The height of the scope rail can be seen in the Han Solo pic you referred to, it sits exactly in a line that leads to the top of the rear sight joint visible in the outer walls (those half circles) of the rear sight. Let me see if I can upload said "Han Solo stormtrooper" picture.

Maybe the crotch/right side torso fittings were installed in a second construction/strapping re-work before filming and there was no time left for painting them too? A little strange indeed, never thought of that... I left mine unpainted as per the archive pictures of the remaining ANH suits, anyways.

All the archive reference photos of the remaining suits show them unpainted, like the single closure snap on the right side torso also. Since those are the best photos of the brads/snaps, I guess most (if not all) weren't painted. I was wondering myself where the option in the CRLs was coming from...

Depends on what kind of a display you're thinking of. ANH, ESB, ROTJ? TM for ANH/ESB, CfO for ROTJ. And later, RSProps/SiMan armor (when they are ready for the market), that will hopefully be a great display choice for ANH/ESB troopers.

So when do I get my Centurion profile logo?

Absolutely brilliant, perfectly troopable. Much more rugged than one would expect. Other Garrison mates were impressed by the flex and lightness of the material and so am I still, it is so much better than 2 or even 1,5mm: seeing is believing though. It is the perfect suit, so once more thanks to Paul/Troopermaster for making this concentrated sweetness!

Thanks guys, that was fast. Yay! One more pic to celebrate Centurion! I will see if I can adjust the forearm placement a little, but I had loads of reference with placement like mine on the promo shots and some movie stills - but you are right, the undersuit might have been bunched up and pushing the forearm up on my right arm, it usually sits just like the left arm. But all constructive criticism is much appreciated!

Thanks! I knew I missed something. Let me also add a pic of the boots and the detonator: