troopermaster

This helmet is not the one used in the carbon freezing chamber scene and it most definitely is not an ROTJ helmet. There were a bunch of these suits made for ESB but only one made it on screen and that can be identified more easily because it did not have any teeth cut out unlike the one in the auction. They used these MKII suits for promotional purposes for ESB. More info about them can be found here: http://www.starwarshelmets.com/Return-of-the-jedi-stormtrooper-comparison.htm

Worry about the length of your forearms after they have been assembled and strapped so you can get a feel of how much needs trimming off at the wrist end. If you feel they are already too long, try extending the trim line of the inner forearm curve at your elbow joint to allow the armour to move higher on your armour. That trim line is only a guide and you can extend the curve in 1/4" increments, but I wouldn't go more than 1/2" lower. Any further trimming should be done at the wrist. Also, trim the return edges on the arms so there is small edge remaining. No need to have a large return edge on the arms or legs

Not with a TM kit

I can help with a regular ANH Stormtrooper kit in chrome but not one of the new EP7 suits.

Follow the mould lines. The sides are not straight and have a slight curve to them.

Thank you I have sculpted several parts of the new armour already but I am struggling to like the design.

You are doing a fantastic job! Keep up the great work

It's not the law but five is preferred

Most of the armour makers are not sculpters, so I guess you won't see any of the 'vetted' makers on here selling the new armour.

I don't think ATA is acrylic capped ABS but it will still be very rigid. The plastic needs to be flexible and lightweight for the original strapping. You can use it on thicker plastics but you will not feel the full benefit of it and the risk of cracking your armour is greatly increased.

.080" is 2mm so I would not recommend it. Also, it's not just the thickness but the material needs to be considered too. 1.5mm PVC cracks just as badly as 2mm acrylic capped ABS because it is just as rigid. 1.5mm gloss ABS is the best plastic for the original strapping.

It's not for sale but I do plan to make them available. I can only offer the largest ones at the moment.

Yes I do.

Here's a photo of a suit I made for my son when he was 4. And another one I made when he was 8.

Starting with the helmet first is not a great idea if you have never worked on a kit before. That is the main focal point of the suit and you do not want to mess it up. Like other have said, start with the arms to get a feel for working with ABS, then work on the helmet after you have some experience

The size of the shin looks good but it's how it feels that's more important. The back seam also looks very good. The joint is central at the back of your knee and central to the seam on your boot. You can't get much better than that! I went with 22mm strips on my armour since I am not skinny and I think they just fine. 20mm, 22mm or 25mm wide strips are perfectly acceptable on the legs. Go even wider if you must but keep them all the same for shins and thighs (no need for the shin backs to be any wider than what you are using if over 25mm).

Awesome work on the build! I love all the quirks that would drive most people nuts. Great job

Don't worry about covering the mismatch up with the joining strip. The original arms did not match up and the joining strips were as long as the shortest side. It's a feature of the original armour and perfectly acceptable, but you can try and cover them if you want

But the colour is not off. It's the other plastics that are too white in comparison to the original ANH armour. Check out this photo of an original ANH bell in 1.5mm gloss ABS (right) compared to an ANH SDS bell in 2mm acrylic capped ABS (left) and you will see what I mean. The difference in daylight is not so dramatic.

Biceps and thighs should be kept loose. Those are the two main muscles that will be flexing you need to leave room inside. Forearms and shins can be more snug, but best to leave a bit of wiggle room. When you glue your biceps together, line them up from the bottom and leave any mismatch at the top. Nice job so far. Steady as she goes

That was a good few years ago when the only 1.5mm ABS I could get was dull and bluish. All that has changed now and I can offer a beautiful white gloss ABS in 1.5mm that is virtually identical to the original ANH plastic

I think it would make it worse. The acrylic capping is like a glass coating so any drilling on the edges will crack when the plastic is flexed. From my standpoint, I don't see the attraction of adding the brackets to this plastic. It's too nice and clean to try and make it look authentic. Personally I would stick to snaps and elastic straps inside and keep the squeaky clean look of an idealised Stormtrooper. Leave the brackets for a hard core ANH replica in 1.5mm gloss ABS.

There is a big difference. I have a 1.5mm PVC suit I made years ago and it's very rigid. I also have a 1mm PVC suit and that is more rigid than my 1.5mm ABS. That is why I recommend my 1.5mm gloss ABS for the original strapping. It really is a fantastic plastic

Your RS PVC plastic has about the same flexural strength as my 2mm acrylic capped ABS so it's very rigid in comparison to my 1.5mm gloss ABS. Some people have used the bracket system in their 2mm A/C ABS and not had any problems, but you do it at your own risk. Any cracks can easily be repaired by reinforcing the hole with strips of ABS glued inside the return edge. The cracks usually go from the screw hole to the outside of the armour so the damage really is minimal, but it's there nonetheless.

I use #5 for my buttons.