troopermaster

This strapping is simple and very effective.

Thanks, Mark The screws are M3 x 8mm. Be careful if you plan to use them on your armour because drilling so close to the ends of the armour can cause it to crack if you have a HIPS or acrylic capped ABS suit.

If you pause the vidoe clip at 0.23 you get a fantastic pose that remnds me of the classic photo of the three Stormtroopers in the Death Star hall way chasing Luke and Leia. The armour covers your perfectly with no gaps between the part. Simply awesome!

Thanks for the tip, Karin. I think I will give some spray adhesive a try and see how it works. I have enough material to make a few more belts and hope I get them perfect every time. And thank you too, Rich. You know me, such a perfectionist I will keep persisting until I crack the belt build up. I am using three different materials (well four if you count the interfacing) and it's the fine silk/satin lining that's the tricky bit at the moment

That helmet is one of the TE fibreglass SFS recasts made from resin. I recognise it easily because I have one that I bought a few years ago on the RPF believing it to be a geniune piece. It is definitely NOT an AP. This particular one looks a bit more squashed than mine and may even be a recast of a recast? They are very heavy and more of a display piece than to wear for trooping.

I got the belt made up and I am pretty happy with the result. The multi layering makes it hard for me to sew but I have managed it. It's been slow going since my last update as I have been suffering from man flu, but I have managed to do some more work and will get some photos tonight.

Thank you everyone. It's good to know that you guys appreciate my efforts. As most of you already know, I am always happy to help whenever I can. Cheers

I believe all the originals have this same pattern on them but as you say, some less bumpy. No doubt that if all the helmets were pulled from the same mould then they must have all the same bumps. This ESB helmet is without a doubt the bumpiest I have seen so far. I don't think these bumps were anything to do with dirt on the moulds. If AA was pulling fishponds and garden ornaments he would have had is own forming tools made from resin or fibreglass and not used dirty garden pots. Professional vacuum formers use high performance machinery and AA was no different. I believe the bumps are cause by the metal filings or whatever was used in the forming tools to keep them warm. The hotter the tool, the more pronounced the bumps or the more it was used, the more pronounced the bumps - that's my theory.

The bumps are part of the mould and therefore part of the helmet - not paint. --------------- Thanks to DarthKaro for these awesome photos

Looking super cool there Rich!

Get your brow trim fitted and fit the face plate before you trim anymore from the forehead. Don't worry if the trim looks wonky - wonky is good! A quick wipe with white spirit or tupentine will bring that trim back to life. Trim out the eyes a lot more. Just leave 1/4" flashing and see how that looks, then trim more if you want. The bigger you make the eyes look, the better.

Take a look at this ESB helmet and see there is a slight bump there. Here are a few more of the same helmet to show just how bumpy some of the originals were.

RTA has copied my armour to make their own. They either filled the parts with plaster or cast it from the outside then filled these moulds which could explain why the parts are bigger. Just because some of the areas are different doesn't mean they didn't use my armour as a base. They have changed some of the areas to look different and to cast doubt in peoples mind, just like it seems they have done to you. Using anyone elses armour (or whatever you are casting) as a base and changing a few areas is still recasting. The changes they have made are very minor and the RTA still screams out TM to me and everyone else who is familiar with my work. If you want to learn more about reasting then click one of the links above.

Cheers mate Some more from last night.

Wise words Rich! Just quickly looking at your suit I would advise you make your bicep touch the top of your forearm when your arms are by your side. It looks as though you have over trimmed the inner curve, probably because your biceps are too high and cause them to pinch. Having the biceps and forearms touching reduces the gap at the inner elbow which reduces pinching. I see this over trimming a lot and it is not needed. Once you have the arms strapped correctly you will see what I mean.

Looks good. I hope it comes to the UK.

Got a bit more done tonight.

My photos of sculpting were on my Yahoo site for all to see before it was closed down. I never got the opportunity to save them and what I did have was on my old computer which has long since died. I have shown how I sculpt my moulds in my mini TM suit thread and nowadays I just keep on tweaking them. To come into the game with anything new in this day and age you really should show proof of how you do things, especially when whatever it is looks identicle to something already available.

Yes. You don't need to heat any of this 1.5mm ABS to bend it. That is why it is suitable for the original strapping because of the flexable nature of this plastic. You can fold it double over itself and it won't crack, it's that good!

You're right. This glue is serious stuff and will melt your plastic if you are not careful. Any over-spill or drops onto your armour will leave a nasty scar. The good thing about this glue is it dries very quickly, it's white, and will warp the plastic just as it can be seen on the original suits

Are you trying to say RS cast me or I cast RS?

Stelmax 1985

It sure is mate, and flexible too

A few more photos of todays progress.

Thanks guys I will be using standard hand plates Karin. I haven't even thought about making the alternative style yet, and after the amount of time it took me finally casting the standard ones it could be a few years away before I try