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Assistance/advice sought


Jedi106

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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

 

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7 hours ago, Jedi106 said:

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

 

The good thing is, you don't need to be too artistic to make a stormtrooper. Just perseverance and patience, and asking any questions you have so that you are sure of what you're going to do.

 

1. (A) The cover strip shouldn't go past the edge of the armor on any pieces. For the biceps and forearms, the cover strip just goes from edge to edge. For the Thighs, the cover strip goes from the top edge to above the raised area at the bottom of the thigh. The shins cover strips go from top to bottom on the front, and from under the raised area to the bottom on the back (only the outer half of the shin, so that it can still open).

 

(B) It's not really expected that the cover strips will sit perfectly flush to the armor after glueing, and from most angles the tiny gaps will be unnoticeable. So unless you are really peeved by these gaps, or they are abnormally large, then you should be fine to leave them be.

 

2. The inside part of the armor is known as the return edge, and it's where the armor cuts in in the moulding process. Some people leave a bit of return edge on their armor for a sense of thickness, but others take it off for comfort. In the case of the biceps and forearms, you can take out the return edge at the top of the biceps and elbow, and this is perfectly fine.

 

3. Same thing for return edge on the thighs. You can partially or completely remove it if you need to. Also, for the back of the knee, do you mean cutting into the raised area of the armor? This was done on certain screen used armor, to allow for more mobility, and it's allowed here. As long as the cuts don't extend past the raised area of the armor. Check references for this, and measure twice before you cut, because it's always harder to put back plastic.

 

4. Yessir.

 

5. This depends on how your armor is assembled, and what strapping method you use. The main factor is how tall you are. If you're a bit shorter, you don't want the chest plate choking you out, so it'll be lower over the ab. If you're taller, it'll be stretched out a bit to accommodate the height. And if you use the original strapping method, it'll be fairly standard for how much it overlaps, but you can still change it from there.

 

6. For this, you can check the Sandtrooper CRL to see what they require for approval, or ask over on the MEPD forums. But yes, I'm pretty sure that for anything past basic approval as a Sandtrooper, you can't have the hard plastic shoulder bridges.

 

7. Velcro is good, but some people may not prefer it for rigorous movement. As for elastic and Velcro, this is about the only way to strap up armor using Velcro. Without elastic, nothing will stretch and flex and you move, so you will be fine will standing still, but will not be able to move and probably disconnect velcro. So elastic is the best thing to strap, as it supports the armor, and gives you the lenience to move easier. People have also used a combination of snaps and velcro sewed on to elastic for their armor, just for extra security.

 

8. The main thing with the side of the ab and kidney plates is not having a gap. So if you're a bit smaller and overlap a bit, this is better than having a small gap. So unless I'm wrong, avoid a gap, or ask your gml.

Edited by PhilBobTheFish
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Welcome aboard, Joe,

Excellent answers above, so I won’t delve too much into that.

Personally, I’d recommend a couple of things.

1: look at screen used suits (screen grabs) to get a feel of how the originals were.

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/gallery/


2: look at other builds here on FISD with AM kits (Dave’s Darkside Depot). This is because, as with many replica armours, AM is a little different to the originals so it’s a good idea to see how others have built and made the most of their armour.

Before you start cutting, carry on as you are - asking questions and doing you research. You’re on the right path, trooper. :-)

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13 minutes ago, Jedi106 said:

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. 

The first cut was the toughest, for sure. Measure 2, 3, 4 times and then cut. I don't know how many times I have measured, remeasured, taped, re-taped, remeasured...lol.

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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! 

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I believe on the bottom of the forearms, it’s more important that they have no return edge. With my AM 4.5 kits, when I trim them down, it’s not perfectly flat at the wrist. I highly recommend starting a build thread to share your progress and post photos with any questions you have regarding your build and specific concerns as each armor make has subtle differences. Also, check out the gallery section of this site to reference screen accuracy. I look forward to following your build!

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3 hours ago, Jedi106 said:

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! 

As stated, the most important thing is a lack of return edge. So after completely removing that, you can see how it looks, and if you need to sand it flatter, or if it's fine and the curve isn't noticeable. My own forearms curve in slightly on the inside, but it's barely noticeable, and easier to leave it.

 

I've ordered all my paints online, so you should be completely fine with that.

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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! 

Hiya,

Yes, I agree with Firedog - if you start your own build thread, you can track all of your questions and answers in one thread, then start sharing your build when you are ready to start cutting. Here’s the best section for that;

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/80-anh-build-threads/


Regarding the wrist ends, here’s some screen used suits for reference.

9abecbd1a1558cd4816e5cd7ea465be4.jpg

16b87be258d575f10c81aa3fc6b08c3b.png



And here’s how I, personally, get a nice, flat, return-edge-less wrist opening;

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Hi Joe!  As mentioned, starting your own build thread is a very wise move, and always ask and post up a photo before cutting if you have any doubts!  I have a few tutorials under my avatar below that may help, especially these two:

Return edges-  https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/48166-return-edges-101-ottk/?tab=comments#comment-670906

Quick CRL reference guide-  https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/48335-quick-crl-reference-guide-for-your-ot-build-pics-notes-tips/

 

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