dashrazor

you can get the marine grade trim HERE if anyone is wondering

i noticed since the new imperial academy site was updated that my google trick no longer works as good either . it is trying to search the new site as well as the forums (since they share a domain). also it searches old outated sale threads... im no expert but would think it is a indexing issue, but from what i remember those can be very hard to fix

i started fitting the pvc trim before i start painting.. this stuff looks nice and for 75 cents a foot it was a great deal tip: leave the trim out in the sun for a bit...it makes it easier to work with

that's what i was thinking would be most practical and functional myself, as i would imagine it would allow for more freedom of movement. i think the game animators took this into account when creating the computer models, if the parts were one piece (in the game) the troopers movements would look more stiff and robotic than human, thus taking away from the realism and fluid human mobility. i am hoping to achieve EIB status (im a bit of a perfectionist ), but i have always had (and will always have) a tendency to put functional/practical before "screen" accuracy. i think Daetrin hit it spot on by saying it is the intent of the design rather than it's implementation. take for instance the E11-blaster, it was not intended to be a 9mm sub machine gun made by sterling arms. it was intended to be a imperial laser blaster made by Blastech.... so then a deactivated sterling with original markings would be less accurate than a blaster with the blastech logo or no markings at all? well IMHO yes! but then again in the case of the E11 functionality won out over artistic rendition or intention. it was far more practical to take a "real" functional weapon and cosmetically modify it on the outside while retaining its blank firing ability for realism and special effects, rather than scratch building a completely fantasy laser blaster from an artists imagination ... in a perfect world the artists ideas would overtake the practical application of a studio prop. in science the word accuracy has great meaning, but in any form of art the word accuracy is relative..... sorry to ramble on so much but i got some alcohol for my birthday lol it tends to make me over-think things.....

measure twice and cut once that's why i ask the experts when i am unsure about something..thanks for the input

i have no doubt that a 12v fan would run on a 9v battery.. but suggesting you use cheap batteries to prevent overheating is laughable. i am no expert on helmet fans by any means.. heck my helmet doesn't even have one yet... but i have been working with diy electronics since i was about 10 yrs old.. and i know for a fact that running any DC motor at lower than specified voltages will cause it to run slower and burn out faster than normal. there are several applications that correct voltages are not critical, say for instance some audio amplifiers that runs on 5 or6 volts will function perfect with a 9v battery.. but many circuits of this kind have integrated voltage regulation, a motor or fan does not have this.. like i said before this is only my opinion, but i think of it like this. i have invested a lot of time and money into my armor, and i am trying to save as much money as i can (my budget is almost gone ) but if you or someone you know has kids you know how much batteries cost. i would rather spend a bit more on higher quality fans and run them off the specified voltages. not only for more efficient power usage, i think i would cry if battery acid melted my helmet and i were to make a tutorial on helmet fans that use 12v fans with 9v batteries i would put up a disclaimer stating that running fans with lower than specified voltages "MAY" cause adverse effects.. there are probably 10s of thousands of different types of 12v fans but the amount of amperage they require can differ greatly from fan to fan some may be fine while others could cause an explosion in time. and someone inexperienced with electronics may just grab any 12v fan without taking this into account. i think ill put up a video of a high amperage 12v fan hooked a 9v battery if i have time, i think it would be a good deterrent from anyone doing this also i like to blow stuff up lol

i took out the foam lining from an old hokey mask i got at a yard sale and glued it into the helmet with plumbers goop (i also may use the helmet strap from this also) fits perfect and is really comfortable... then i installed Smittys awesome mic tips doing the final sanding and trimming was taking forever with a dremel and the dremel (no matter how good your skills are) is prone to kickback and slipping.. so i decided to take a gamble and try my bench belt sander i was a but reluctant at first, but using the drum end it was super easy to trim/sand in one easy step, i used an extremely worn out belt so it removes the excess plastic slowly and precisely. i am in a bit of a time crunch on this build because my cousins 10yr old son son having a birthday soon and him and his brother are super crazy about Star Wars .. i sure to give them one big surprise since they have never seen a real life star wars character before.. enough rambling on... i hope to start priming and painting some parts today if all goes well here is a video of me trimming with a craftman belt sander (my daughter filmed it so the camera work is a bit wonky)

i agree, and it was my intention to go 100% RTOJ style, but i only have my ps3 and wii versions of the game for reference, so when i noticed the armor was splitting when in action i was afraid if i joined the back/but plates it would be incorrect. on another note, i noticed the ROTJ style edge trim/molding is visible around the upper armor sections (back and chest plates) but it doesn't appear on the cod or but/kidney sections. just thought that was strange its like an ESB/ANH+ROTJ hybrid armor a artist render would be awsome!!!

yes that is why i was a bit confused

if i follow the rtoj style for the armor minus the arms/legs should i join the back/butt piece? or keep them split? in the screen caps the cod and but pieces appear to be split along the belt line, but if i follow the crl for ROTJ "should haves" i should join them... i was planning on joining them, as i think it will look better with the white trim molding.... just want to be sure before i continue

is that a lightsaber in his pocket? or is he just happy to see me?

at one point i was actually thinking of lining my entire kit with stainless sheet metal idk i may still do it...

i got my custom red pauldron from TK boots and i have to say it is very nice.. but unfortunately i have to hack it up to make it look more like the pauldron in the game bending it without modding is nearly imposable i tried everything i could think of... so i traced the pauldron onto a piece of sheet metal i was then able to figure out the ideal places to make my cuts without them being noticeable... first i removed the velcro straps by drilling out the rivets, then i made 2 cuts on each side whre the old rivet holes were (i cut about 1/4 inch beyond the old holes) then i bent the pauldron down and hot glued it in place after i drilled new rivet holes and put screws in to hold on the velcro straps (this also covers up the cuts ) after that i made a slit in the fabric on the back side of the pauldron (it is glued a bit but soaking in hot water will fix that). i took an old yogurt container and cut a piece out and inserted it between the layers to give the curved look. then i just put black duct tape over the cut and done

hey, they may tell you it will work fine. but there is no way i would put that in my helmet. nor would i ever use a 9v battery for any high current application. i would consider using a 9v for a sound circuit, but never a motor or fan. 9v batteries are quite pricey and wear out quickly witch is why most childrens toys (like cars and such) or cameras run on AA or AAA batteries... there just more efficient. also remember "you get what you pay for"

ive noticed that also, i find my self sifting through the posts one by one to find what i am looking for but i use this method sometimes and it works better for me most of the time i use google advanced search, just type whitearmor.net into the "Search within a site or domain"box http://www.google.co...ed_search?hl=en i tested with the terms you were searching for and it had a few results ( don't know if its exactly what your looking for though) you can narrow it down by using exact phrases also this is what do anyway it gets much better results imho, you can also use the exact phrase box to search for genral topics like just ATA,TM,AP ect... i know its a pain but hey,, it works and search spellchecker is a bonus

good price, but if i were you i would use 2x 5v fans wired in parallel run of some AA batteries, the fan draws 70ma at 12v to achieve full power. The 12v motor will draw more current than the 9v battery can supply and the undervoltage will cause the motor to run hotter than normal thus shorting its usefull life a typical brand new 9v battery has 500 mah so it should run a few hours tops 10 (in theory) if you use really good industrial batteries also bear in mind that under heavy loads 9V batteries usually drop there voltage to about 7.5 volts and After a while, the battery will heat up and eventually may explode. i recommend against doing this! unless you use a 12v rechargeable battery to bring the voltage up to the proper 12v DC just my opinion

ive sold a few blasters and i have to say there is not a whole lot of profit to be made (at least the way i build) after various purchasing dremel bits, sanding belts, disks,paint,primer,electronics,scopes,metal,and other bits (not to mention a giant electric bill) even using a lot of recycled materials, on average i figured i am building for between 2-3$ an hour. not to mention i offer a lifetime of service and support on everything i make. if i had a way to make them faster/cheaper and mass produce, i could probably make a good profit, but i enjoy scratch building so it would take away the fun i guess it depends on the maker and there methods/product on what they charge. i know ive seen some things on fleabay that are way overpriced and poor quality. and i am always looking for cheaper trooper supplies so if you know something, let it out im broke lol

im in the process of putting together an ATA, im a smaller guy (5'6" 150 lbs) it seems to fit quite well so far, and the quality and price are both great... i am no expert, just my honest opinion

thanks

when trimming ROTJ style armor should i leave a return edge on parts that will have the white rubber trim applied? like the chest armor?

ha the melting hips actually smells quite nice, but i haven't tested on abs yet. i cant remember exactly where i got the schematics (i made it a few years ago for cutting foam insulation sheets) but if you google hot wire foam cutting, you can find plans to make one or buy a premade foam cutter pretty cheap

thanks guys iv actually done a lot since those photos, i have almost the whole set trimmed and ready to assemble, i also touched up the helmet decal areas some, it has been a good learning experience i did learn a few do's and donts i used rustolium appliance epoxy for the white finish (great stuff) but be carful when applying painted details, fortunately i tested on scraps first, testors model paints are ok but if you thin them too much you will get orange peel (cracked finish) i ended up using acrylic craft paints from wal mart (they can be thinned with water or windex so there is no chance of a bad reaction) but then the deatails need to be sealed, i tested several clear coats before i found one that didnt react badly with the rustolium finish. the only one that worked was krylon matte finish even the rustolim clear finish reacted badly with the appliance epoxy to do the cracked battle damaged areas i applied hot glue to the area then ripped it off slowly, this removed the epoxy finish to expose the bare primer, then i filled the cracks with khaki colored craft paint and sealed with clearcoat, oh and a other helpful hint... if you live in a buggy area like me burn a couplel citronella candles nearby when painting it helps keep bugs from getting in your paint also the hot wire trimming is insanely easy and quick i recommended it to anyone doing an ATA it cut the hips like butter enough ramblings lol.. installing lenses i put 2 part epoxy around the eyes and inserted female threaded hex nuts (from an old pc card) into the epoxy then i cut the lenses and warped them slightly with my propane heat gun i drilled out holes and bolted in the lenses with the same PC card hex screws almost done

send me your money and i will build one in my laboratory mwahahaha!! but i will not be held responsible when you die an instantaneous death, i have played with a few high voltage experiments from nikola tesla and they are quite awsome (but very dangerous) if one accidentally touched (or even got too close to) the primary coil you would most likely die. i learned this the hard way by taking a 10,000 volt arc from a tesla experiment many years ago, fortunately it only knocked me back and cooked my finger tip

thats the idea

i have been looking everywhere for a affordable white trim.. i found this at 00.75$ a foot it looks to me to be very close, but any advice would be helpful http://greatlakesskipper.com/product/791_793-rub-rail-rub-rail-and-gunnel-molding/11770--barbour-plastics-white-18-inch-boat-u-molding-ft.html