Raintrooper

Thanks guys! I'm in the home-stretch! I finished all the arm straps & snaps, now all that's left are the shoulder bridges and the thigh ammo pack. More photos coming soon! I tried the boiling water method, but I don't think I left them in long enough.. I filled a 5 gallon bucket using big pots of boiling water, and tied the calves closed with webbing. They closed up a little, but not all the way. Also, I learned I was using the wrong velcro before, so I got the 'Industrial Strength' velcro and they now stay closed nicely! No, boiling water won't melt, soften, or affect E6000 at all. I wondered the same thing at first, but no problems. Cover strips and sniper plate in tact!

Torso and thigh fitting! Taped at the shoulders, now working on the white elastic at the shoulders. How's it looking so far? Is it common for the chin of the helmet to bump against the top of the chest quite a bit?

Looking great! I'm jealous of the backs of your thighs! HAHA! No raised ridges!

No problem! Amazing build!

HA!! Love this one! "...oopsie." There's a few other videos of this kid doing some hilarious stuff... Dad must work in the FX biz.

Looks awesome! Good luck!

Yeah, I'll definitely be going with the bra hook closure. But first, closing these calves!

My sincere apologies, Scott. You're right.. Shouldn't have jumped to conclusions based on one side of the story. I guess it's just that there are SO many more dishonest re-casters on ebay than there are legit armor makers.. So I assumed the worst. Again, my apologies.

Sounds like another unreliable eBay re-caster!

Yikes! That looks pretty bad. Looks like really thin HIPS that was damaged during shipping. Where did you find this kit?

Thanks Manny! Going screen accurate on all the strapping! FTW!

Thanks Ericia! I see your kit is coming along nicely as well! Yeah, I've been on IG quite a bit lately.. Ugh! I've run into a snag.. After gluing the front and inner cover strips on my calves, the backs are way too wide open, causing a lot of tension keeping the closed . I tried heavy duty velcro to close them, but they either popped open or tore the velcro off completely. Looks like I need to heat bend them closed with boiling water or a heat gun. I think I might try the hook and strap closure method once I've got them closing on their own.

1) Lexan scissors - straight and curved (craft store or Amazon.com) 2) X-acto blade / box cutter (any hardware or variety store) 3) Dremel with drill bits, cutting wheel, and sanding drum (hardware store) 4) 18" metal ruler (art/craft supply store) 5) Tons of sand paper! Rough and fine grit (any hardware or variety store) These are the tools I used most. Your list of tools will grow as you build, but I'd say these are the necessities to get you started. Good luck and have fun shopping!

More Progress!! I’ve been slowly chipping away at this build, and I’ve been slacking a little on taking pics as I go. I’m in the home stretch, with just the strapping and snapping left to finish. How does everything look so far? SO excited to get this done and start trooping!!

Those thigh pieces look great, Ron! So do the shins, I agree. I have the same issue with the bottom ridge of the thigh, but mine is a much bigger gap than yours. I guess we have to embrace the wonky molds! I know we have different kits, but it seems there are very few instances that the word ‘flush’ is used when putting these things together! Unless it’s “Why don’t any of these pieces line up flush?!â€

Hey Ron. I glued inner strips on all my pieces. First I glued both halves together with the outer strips. Then glued the inner strips using magnets.

That's a beauty!

I couldn't either. I got mine through trooperbay.. http://trooperbay.com/soft-stretch-elastic-14-x-3-yds-white/

Yeah, you're probably right Mathias. I'll most likely be in armor a few hours or maybe half a day, get some photos, then back into my comfy running shoes. I know what you mean about that magical skill! Thanks to all the research, I'm getting pretty good at telling who's who in the garrison based on armor makers and other details, but it might it take my wife a while to figure it all out.

Understanding that TK number decals are obviously not acceptable for EIB and centurion, how common are they used during large events with hundreds(?) of troopers and multiple garrisons? (Ex: Star Wars Celebrations or ComicCons). Maybe using a non-adhesive "window sticker" type of decal? My wife was wondering how she would know which trooper I was during Celebration Ananheim..

Hola Cesar! The thread you're looking for...

Awesome job, Chris! I hope mine turns out looking as good!

ATA sends two sets of whichever ears you request, stunt or hero, just in case you screw up on your first try. They are the trickiest part of the helmet by far. I followed this thread to the letter. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/14806-how-to-assembling-ata-abs-helmet-1/ Good luck!

Yeah, time to get a heat gun. The clamp in the bottom photo barely has enough force to hold that corner down. The warped edge at the other end would need a C-clamp. But, I dont think any magnets would hold it down flush in the middle. Has anyone else experienced this with the ATA left bicep? or is this maybe just a bad vacu-form pull...??

Glued the shim/inner strip on the right bicep, no problem. I'll be gluing the 5/8" outer cover strip once this dries. My left bicep is looking to be a bit more difficult (3rd & 4th photos). The raised flat section on one of the bicep pieces is not flat, warping upward at the elbow, making in difficult to hold down with clams or magnets. Would a heat gun be the best solution to flatten/bend this area downward so the cover strip can be glued easier?