NoVATie

I use a wheeled tupperware container I found at Target for about $11. Even though it has wheels on one end, it's awkward to pull it because unless you bend down really far the plastic bin drags on the ground. I just picked up a luggage cart from Walmart for about $20 and some bungee cords and that made it much easier to wheel the bin around.

Excellent work

I strap mine like the tutorial Tim posted - branched off a strap under the ribbed shoulder pieces.

I have seen a few child-sized stormtrooper costumes, but they seemed to be custom and not made-to-order. Craft foam can be an alternative for smaller troopers, though if your daughter is looking for plastic you may have to see what the makers above can do for you.

That link has been down for a while. Since you have an account here, try logging in on the MEPD with the email/password you use for FISD. Then I think you will be able to choose a display name for the MEPD.

People have also said it makes the inside look darker when you are looking in from the outside. Helps TKs keep up an imposing appearance

The pieces don't always line up perfectly and may take some "finesse-ing" to get right. I always lined up the sides that people could see the best, and the inner edges may have been less perfect. Some trimming or heat-gun work may get the edges to play nice, just take your time. The plastic does have some give so you may be able to get things to line up when you glue them, even though it doesn't seem like it just holding the pieces up.

I mounted the fans on little foam cubes to isolate them from vibration. I hot glued the foam to the fans and then hot glued to the helmet. I bought 12V computer fans (Evercool 40mm fans from NewEgg.com, the model number is EC4010M12CA, item # 35-119-049 - $2.99EA) Some people use squirrel cage style fans, and there are sellers for them here on the boards. For batteries I just wired 2 AA batteries in series with a 9V for each fan to give 12V. Little plastic battery holders I got from Radio shack are velcro'd into the helmet. I also wired a switch between the battery leads and the fans and I used a sliding switch. At some point I think I will replace them with rocker switches because it's really hard to work the slide with gloves on

There is also a how-to series on Youtube that shows construction of an FX kit. The pieces are slightly different, but in terms of prepping with the painters tape, marking and cutting the pieces, it's helpful. It's sometimes easier to see it done from A to B with video rather than see it in just pictures.

E6000 dries clear and you can cut off any excess, so I wouldn't worry about it. You can always practice gluing two pieces to get an idea of the squish/ooze of the glue so you don't use too much.

Pretty cool improvements

They ship from the UK. ------------

A lot of people use the welding material. It's definitely green from the inside but it looks dark on the outside and flash photography won't show your eyes which is a good thing.

Welcome to FISD Connor, if you haven't already, read this: Getting Started 1. Hero lenses are smoke-colored or green, but stunt helmets have green lenses. Most of the time people use either green plastic film (movie accurate) or welding shield. It looks darker than it is, but they are green. 2. All vendors sell helmets and you can buy one separately from the armor. 3. Look at www.starwarshelmets.com to get a feel for the different helmets: ANH, ESB, and ROTJ. Your helmet will also dictate how your armor turns out (or vice versa) if you are looking for 501st approval. 4. I don't have the skullworks set up but you should be able to find information by searching here. There are alternatives as far as installing fans on your own, and various members sell microphones and speakers, etc. If you have more questions, keep asking them.

I left mine intact. I wish they didn't make the screaming eagle/tie fighter sound and that they only made the blaster noise, but oh well.

Is there a list of articles we're missing for the academy Paul or do we just need to look over there and submit what we think needs to be submitted?

I think there's an add-on for some forums called Shoutster, where you can have a chat link open at the top of the page and talk but still be surfing the forum. I may be wrong on the name but I know I've used it before. EDIT: How about: http://www.shoutster.com/shoutster.php?url=http://forum.whitearmor.net/ You can register, sign in, and chat with the little orange word bubble icon.

Looks great

I just ordered one of Jim's amps and got it in yesterday and it's easy to use, and plenty loud. http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=11907 He's got a bunch of options, including one with a wireless headset.

Really soft, you can tell by the teeth. Are there any bumps on the back of the cap? Looks like it has the bump in the tear so that should be a clue.

With all the build threads here you don't really need the directions. I would use snaps and straps on the first go around. There are plenty of reference pictures to help you get everything set up and you'll save yourself from having to go back later. The snaps really come after the pieces have all been put together so you can figure out how to strap the armor to fit your body. *And excellent job, Terry

Well HIPS is a material (high impact polystyrene) not a vendor, but T/MC is a vendor. AP is the usual recommendation for smaller troopers because the parts are smaller than what you'd find in FX, AM, or RT-Mod. If you look around *carefully* many of the armor vendors are members on the forum. If all else fails, just send one of the staff members a PM and they will point you in the right direction. It's a little bit of a game trying to decipher all the information I know, but necessary to keep the sellers protected, and to make sure people that join up on FISD are really interested in trooping with the legion, not just blowing in from anywhere and finding contact info for these important people that make the armor. PM sent..

Interesting results, not a lot of votes on some of those :-/

That one looks like it will work just fine and the front zipper should come in handy...

Mine looks black to me, even after repeated washings. I'd imagine what you saw would be fine, but it's up to you. I'm sure it will look black against the white armor anyway