Diana's RS Props Build- ANH Stunt

[Tolo[TK]]

Congrats, now get these EIB and Centurion pictures in

 

 

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[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Congrats and welcome to the the GGG. I hope to troop with you soon!

Thank you.  Looking forward to getting to know everyone in the GGG. 

[TK Keith[TK]]

Thank you.  Looking forward to getting to know everyone in the GGG. 

 

You bet!  We're a good group of troopers. 

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Congrats Diana. Your bold decisions to trim, heat bend and mod the armour to make it fit you better paid off! And you look amazing.

 

Have fun with your upcoming troops; it's gonna be exciting!

Thank you, Evan.  We certainly did a lot of all three.   When you see the sideview, you get an appreciate of how MUCH we sized everything down.  

 

Right up until the night before we took the pics, we still had the heat gun out and we were still bending and reshaping AGAIN.  (In this case, we decided the sniper plate wasn't working with the thigh.)  I think we've used the heat gun more than the stove and the oven over the past four months.

Edited December 4, 2014 by AsBlondeAsLuke

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Congrats Diana and Co.!

 

You're gone a long to make armor that was obviously to big, to fit much better. You guys surely went above and beyond in terms of how much you did to the armor to make it just right!

 

Well done.

I got inspired pretty quickly by the folks on here who were Centurion.  At first, I thought just getting through basic approval would be enough.  But, then everybody on FISD was so supportive they made me want to build better.

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Congratulations Diana!

Thanks, Francisco.  Now that I'm done painting my helmet, I'm going to install those awesome fans.  I'll think of you fondly as I keep my cool on all those troops to come.

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

I got your text message this morning!  CONGRATS COUSIN DIANA!!!      

 

#okay....... back to my build after my honeymoon is over.    

Hope I didn't wake you up too early.  I was a wee bit overexcited.  

 

Like getting married is an excuse to slack on the armor building?  I guess we'll give you a while longer on this honeymoon business, and then get your beautiful new wife a proper pair of Lexan scissors.

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Congrats! Been following along. Very informative and inspirational.

 

 

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Thanks, Jonathan.  The build thread was as much fun as the build itself.

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Congrats, now get these EIB and Centurion pictures in

 

 

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Mmmm... yes.  I have a few areas I want to work on again, because I think maybe I could get them just a little better.  Then, I'm going to take the pics.

 

My poor husband, though... whenever I look at myself in the mirror with the armor on he says: "Don't get that look.  I know that look."

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Thank you, Evan.  We certainly did a lot of all three.   When you see the sideview, you get an appreciate of how MUCH we sized everything down.  

Nice, is it a kid kit? 

 

More seriously though,looking at the picture i think you should lengthen a bit the three straps between the abdominal plate and the chest plate. Right now, because they're too short, they're pulling the abdominal plate down creating a shift at the side junctions and a gap at the crotch.

Unfortunately with your height you will have much difficulties keeping the abdominal buttons fully uncovered.

 

Once again, using Luke's reference, it doesn't look silly if the ab buttons are half covered

[Dday[501st]]

Aren't you a little skinny and short for a stormtrooper? 

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Nice, is it a kid kit? 

 

More seriously though,looking at the picture i think you should lengthen a bit the three straps between the abdominal plate and the chest plate. Right now, because they're too short, they're pulling the abdominal plate down creating a shift at the side junctions and a gap at the crotch.

Unfortunately with your height you will have much difficulties keeping the abdominal buttons fully uncovered.

 

Once again, using Luke's reference, it doesn't look silly if the ab buttons are half covered

Thank you!  The cod was one of the areas I wanted to work on.  Although, we weren't sure yet how to fix it.  The engineer and I were discussing it yesterday.  I was wondering if the crotch strap itself could be shortened so it will cinch tighter when snapped.  He was wondering about the purpose of that second snap under the butt.  Just to make our bottoms look pretty? 

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Aren't you a little skinny and short for a stormtrooper? 

Hah!  Says the person who is too tall for a stormtrooper.  Ah, shows there is no excuse for poorly fitting armor.

[Dday[501st]]

Us outsized people gotta stick together

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Looking forward to meeting you in person and doing a photo op. we could do an Imperial Recruitment poster.

[Dday[501st]]

Sounds like a plan! The best thing to do as a TK is to find a vader and stick on him!

[kathgruben[TK]]

First off, LOVE LOVE LOVE this thread!!! For all of us ladies out there who have the challenge of fitting our amour builds to our smaller size, THANK YOU!

 

I'm not building a TK, but I am building a clonetrooper and I'm having similar issues with getting bits to fit properly. I've found lots of great tips here that I can transfer to my own build, so this is much appreciated! Now I need a label maker, some wood so I can rebuild my returns, and I totally agree - you can never have too many clamps

 

Congrats on your approval!!

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Thanks, Katherine.  I'm heading out on my first troop tomorrow, so I will be sure to take some pictures of my first attempts at "officially" suiting up and report on how it goes.  I am also working on a list of "Top Ten Things I Learned from my Build."  I first wanted to do clone armor, too, and when I went to purchase clone armor, I was advised: "Mmmm... maybe you might be better off doing a scout trooper.  The costume is a bit more accommodating for different body types."  I seriously considered it, too, because who doesn't love a scout?  But, I kept researching and found I could just squeak into RS armor because it was more fitted.  Granted, it still required a lot of work, but it was worth it.  And, even now that I am approved, I still work on my armor everyday.  It has just become habit.  Looking forward to seeing your progress on your clone trooper.  

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Hello All-

 

Promised to give an update on my first troop which was this past Sunday.  Everything went smoothly and no major problems.  Armor held together very well and no pieces fell off or pinched or anything.  Here's a picture with a young Jango.  (My sniper plate looks a bit twisted in this pic, which is funny because it is straight in the other pics, but I still like this picture because I look tall in this picture.  Maybe we were standing on an upslope.)  Since my approval pics, I repainted my ab buttons and worked on my cod strapping, although I am still playing with my cod.  Uh, wait.  I could have worded that better.  (Those were the two things I was told to work on when I was approved.  Apparently, I have a big cod.  Who knew?  I mean, I'm not bragging or anything.)

 

 

My armor was flexible and comfortable, so much so that I played carnival games.  I can't say I won, but the kids thought it was very funny.

 

This peel my gloves up a bit, though, so I should have tugged 'em back down.  My bad.  My sightline looking down was not very good with my helmet.  Actually, the whole helmet in general was sliding all over and driving me crazy, but I just dealt with it and figured I'd fix it for the next troop.  I learned if I conked my head forward I could get it to sort of rest on my nose and I could kinda' sort of see enough to not run over children.

 

My other favorite pic was this one with the SFFD.  

These guys were so much fun.  Awesome photo op.  Shiny firetruck.  Good looking firemen.  What's not to love?

 

OK, things that went great with the troop:

- I'd made a checklist the night before and double-checked everything was in my bin so no armor pieces were missing. (OK, actually I tripled checked it.  And, then woke up early and checked it again in the morning.)

- I carpooled with Kyle so I didn't have to worry about "trooping alone."  Made it easy to have a second person to share the driving up to the city, navigate directions, etc. 

- I'd printed out the ops orders and had them with me so I knew who the point of contact was and we asked for her as soon as we arrived.  (Since the theme was "SuperHero Saturday," she was the one dressed as "BatWoman.")  We found her right away and easily followed the schedule of events for the day.  Made for a very organized day.

- I wore my Under Armor under my clothes so I could easily change once I got there. Stripped out of my jeans, and voila, I was in my undersuit and ready to don my armor.  Somehow, this feels like it is going to turn into a cod discussion again.  I'll move on.

- As per Kyle's insistence, I didn't drink too much liquids.  Do I need to explain this one?  Probably not.  Once you are in the armor, you're committed.  It was funny, though, because on the way up, I started drinking a VitaminWater and eating an energy bar.  He looked at me and said: "Don't drink too much."  I started laughing and put the drink away.  It was good advice.  

 

Cons:

 

- I have a snap on my shoulder strapping that still needs replacing.  I have replaced it once already and it still does not snap properly.  The first snap popped off. (Held it too loosely.)  The replacement snap holds it too tightly.  Can't be removed without using a tiny screwdriver to pry it apart.  So, I am waiting on a third replacement and then will need to redo the strapping again.  Makes it hard to get in and out of my shoulders.  I can suit up, but it is a bit of a struggle and when I put my armor away, I have to leave the bell attached on that side.  Not a big deal. Just annoying since it's not perfect.  My armor is new and I want it to be perfect.

 

- My helmet slid around like a pumpkin on my head. Sorry, I'm from Sleepy Hollow and that's what the oversized thing felt like.  Ugggh.  These helmets are not designed with women in mind.  (Not that men have big fat melonheads or anything.)  So, I get out there and I can't see these little munchkins around out feet at all.  I was trying to see out through the mesh of the mouthpiece so I didn't step on any kids.  Is it bad when you step on them?  I would assume so.

 

I bumped into Kyle a few times, and thankfully he was patient enough not to get mad.  (Or maybe he was and didn't say so.)  But, then I noticed he kept adjusting his helmet.  Turns out he was having helmet issues, too, which was a relief.  I didn't want to say anything, but I was glad it wasn't just me.  So, we both headed back to the staging room, and it gave me a chance to tug off my helmet and try again.  I was able to get it on a little better the second time so I could see a little better.  Plus, I learned the trick with conking the thing down my nose to get it at a better angle.  

 

Helmet padding has been my big project this week.  I went to the motorcycle shop here in town, and while I discovered they were huge fans of the movies, they didn't have what I needed.  I've been combining thick white foam with military padding to try to create what I need.  It is not the spacing at the top that is the issue, but the extra space at the sides that is causing the sliding.  

 

- Audio.  Uggh.  Can I say how much I dislike my Aker system so far?  Not impressed with at all.  Maybe we will become better friends down the road, but so we far we are NOT getting along.  I turn it up and I get feedback, and I turn it down and you can't hear me.  "Can you hear me now?"  No.  I ended up being the silent TK for the most part on Sunday and not answering the kids' questions because I figured they couldn't hear me anyway.  My audio wasn't loud enough.

 

Conclusion:

 

All in all, it was an easy day and a good first troop.  Been working on my armor this week to try to improve things more.  Kyle said that part of the process never ends.  I believe it.

[Dday[501st]]

Awesome!

 

As far as the helmet goes. I have heard of some people buying a baseball helmet and stripping the padding from that to place in the helmet. Also there is the military spec stick in padding. I know some people on the legion forums sell it, and maybe someone here as well. Cheaper way, just get some sofa foam and cut a few blocks and glue them in to get it to sit snug.

 

I put on the undergear before I leave the house as well. Much easier once you hit the troop to change and it's good stuff so doesn't add any heat under all the clothes.

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Hey Diana, thank for keeping us updated. Congratulation on your first troop, and despite the fact your armor is not perfect yet, that's still crazy how good you look! Did anyone notice it was a woman under the helmet?

 

And don't forget to add a D-ring to your Hyperfirm in order to be able to obtain EIB and so on Centurion

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Hey Diana, thank for keeping us updated. Congratulation on your first troop, and despite the fact your armor is not perfect yet, that's still crazy how good you look! Did anyone notice it was a woman under the helmet?

 

And don't forget to add a D-ring to your Hyperfirm in order to be able to obtain EIB and so on Centurion

Aw, thanks for the compliment.  The armor felt great, too.  I was surprised how well I could move.  Everything is really comfortable.  

 

Hmmm... did anyone notice I was a woman?  If they did, they didn't say anything.  I only had one person comment: "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"  It was annoying, like I thought it would be. I politely laughed like they were actually funny.  I'll get used to it, because I'm sure there will be plenty of funny people in the future.  All part of trooping.  Like not stepping on the kids.

 

I don't even know what a D-ring is, so I will have to look that one up. Thank you for letting me know.   I love noodling around with the armor, and I'm always happy when I have something to add to the To-Do list.

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Ha ha, the good thing is you can scowl (i'm absolutely not sure about this word ) under your helmet unnoticed when people get "funny". I'm lucky to be 6' 1" in armor so i'm not bothered with that question

 

And here's a picture of a D-ring i was talking about, it's a ring with a "D" shape that goes on the end cap of the blaster:

[aicire]

Great looking trooper you are! and I am glad you had fun!

 

I had the same issue with my cod. I cut an inch off and scooted it up. Fits great now. Also, I added motocycle helmet padding to my lid. I didnt add too much to the top, but a good bulk on the side, around the ears. Covers the screws, and fits snug on my head. I can easily do the Roxbury Europop nod with precision and accuracy lol

 

Ill post pictures when I get home tonight.

[AsBlondeAsLuke[TK]]

Great looking trooper you are! and I am glad you had fun!

 

I had the same issue with my cod. I cut an inch off and scooted it up. Fits great now. Also, I added motocycle helmet padding to my lid. I didnt add too much to the top, but a good bulk on the side, around the ears. Covers the screws, and fits snug on my head. I can easily do the Roxbury Europop nod with precision and accuracy lol

 

Ill post pictures when I get home tonight.

Yes, thank you.  I would love to see the pictures.  That would be very helpful.  My cousin, Walter, has motorcycle padding in his helmet and I remember when I tried it on, I loved the extra cushiony feel of it.  Although, the padding he bought was a size extra large.  So, you were to find smaller padding that still fit into the helmet?  Or, you used larger padding and then filled in the rest with something else?

 

This week, I tried using existing materials around the house to correct the helmet (because for some reason my engineer was opposed to the motorcycle padding idea.  Although, I think he is just going to get overruled on this one.  I'll simply give him the look.)  I actually ended up using up the exact same "couch foam/military padding" approach that Derrek describes above.  I still had plenty of foam leftover from when I'd padded out other areas of my armor.  The helmet fits better, but I'm still not happy with it.  Not confident I can do a Roxbury Europop nod, and I think that will have to be the gold standard.

This is the same thick white foam that pads out other areas of my armor.  I found it at the craft store.  The dark grey pads are military padding.  Everything is held in my velcro at the moment so it can be moved around.  There is a velcro pad at the top because I wasn't sure if I needed more padding at the top, but like you, I discovered the top didn't need much extra padding.

 

More padding and foam for trying different options, but like Goldilocks, I haven't found anything that is just right.

 

Probably hard to see this detail, but I used my extra piece of brow trim to create a nose guard.  Keeps it from cutting into my skin, and also makes it sit in the correct position on the bridge of my nose.  

 

How do I clean the lenses?  They already have some smudges on them.