starsaber25's MTK ANH Stunt Build

[maxsteele[TK]]

I wouldn't worry about trying to live up to other people's build threads.  This thread is all about your build.  We're all here to help you get it to look as best as we can!  Pics are invaluable in letting us see what your build looks like and make suggestions for fit and placement.

 

For your thighs, don't worry about trimming the tops until you get the entire upper half of your armor fit properly.  Once that's all in place and strapped up, you can then wearing you your thigh pieces with the garter and see how they fit along with your cod.  You may find you can pull your thighs up high enough so they don't interfere with the tops of your shins.

 

And finally - there's no rush.  I took a year to complete my set.  Take your time and before you know it you'll have a great-looking set of armor and your TK ID!

[starsaber25[Admin]]

Yeah Ron you are right.  So here is one picture that I have to show you where I'm at.  I already received a new package of shoulder elastic because i know I have to make them longer.

 

 

I know there isn't a rush to finish it but man there is just that urge you know?

[Dday[501st]]

When you redo the shoulder elastic, I suggest you attach your shoulder snaps (on the white elastic) more forward. This will move/tilt the shoulder bells forward and help close the gaps there.

 

I think the way the straps are too short on the top is the cause of the torso problems I see there (separation of chest/ab, warping of the ab plate which makes the kidney stick out on the left side).

 

With new shoulder elastic I think you're going to be doing very nice.

[starsaber25[Admin]]

Hey Derrek thanks for the help.  I actually think you are 100% right about the shoulder elastic and I'm going to get on that.  Meanwhile I want to show a couple of photos of where i'm at with my boots and shins.  I don't think its as horrible as I thought they would be but I'll see what some of you think about them.

 

 

 

I know they aren't the best pictures right now but the black is just a little bit of the elastic showing which I have seen on other builds before. 

 

Thanks for looking!

[Dday[501st]]

The original shins used white elastic, to avoid exactly that problem of it showing, if it was white elastic, you probably wouldn't even know it was peeking out at a distance.

 

At first, I would say the gaps on the ends, under the coverstrips are too large.... BUT I have a problem most times with looking things at too much of a micro view. When you zoom out into the macro, it's not really noticeable.

 

The only thing I would do personally (which is a bit of a pain) is replace the black elastic with white.

[maxsteele[TK]]

Yeah, I agree with Derrek...  I think you could make the cover strips wider, to completely span the raised edge on the back of the shins, and replace the black elastic with white.

 

The front cover strips on the shins look like the right width, but they are a different size (smaller) when compared to the front cover strips of the thighs.  What are the widths of the front shin and thigh cover strips?

 

With the thigh cover strips specifically, The front strips seem wider than the back strips.  We normally see the thinner cover strips in the front and the larger strips in the back.  I'm not sure how your fit is on the thighs and if the current cuts would allow this or not.

[starsaber25[Admin]]

Hey guys again thanks for the input.  Yeah I know about the shin elastic.  When I was building it I only had black elastic and of course I was thinking, "whats the worst that can happen?"  Well now you can see what happened.  I will eventually change it.

 

As far as the coverstrips are concerned Ron.  The thigh coverstrips are an inch in the front and the back.  The shins are the more accurate 7/8 of an inch.  If you feel that the thigh coverstrips are different, they are not.  One inch in the back and front.  Unfortunately I could not do 7/8 inch on the thighs because they are the biggest part of my body.

 

I finally submitted pictures to my local GML to get my 501st approval.  Hopefully everything goes smoothly and I will get my number soon.

 

I am currently working on making some of the adjustments that have been brought up in the previous posts.  Once I do, I will post more pictures of the armor.

 

Again I just want to thank all of the guys that have contributed to my build thread.  It is amazing how much just a small suggestion can help you through your build.  Your head is going around in circles and its so hard to think of everything and your advice has made that much easier.

[toybiz[TK]]

Good luck Steve with your approval! We will be ready to help with any fine tuning.

 

Adam

[Dday[501st]]

Hey guys again thanks for the input.  Yeah I know about the shin elastic.  When I was building it I only had black elastic and of course I was thinking, "whats the worst that can happen?"  Well now you can see what happened.  I will eventually change it.

 

As far as the coverstrips are concerned Ron.  The thigh coverstrips are an inch in the front and the back.  The shins are the more accurate 7/8 of an inch.  If you feel that the thigh coverstrips are different, they are not.  One inch in the back and front.  Unfortunately I could not do 7/8 inch on the thighs because they are the biggest part of my body.

 

I finally submitted pictures to my local GML to get my 501st approval.  Hopefully everything goes smoothly and I will get my number soon.

 

I am currently working on making some of the adjustments that have been brought up in the previous posts.  Once I do, I will post more pictures of the armor.

 

Again I just want to thank all of the guys that have contributed to my build thread.  It is amazing how much just a small suggestion can help you through your build.  Your head is going around in circles and its so hard to think of everything and your advice has made that much easier.

 

I think the coverstrip sizes are ok. The important part of the coverstrip is that they are similar size, but mostly that they cover the majority of the raised area.

 

The originals used larger strips on the back of the shins because of the way they were strapped.

 

All in all, it looks good and these things we're talking about with coverstrips and elastics won't even be noticed when trooping. The only time things like this are noticed is when we look at the costume with a microscope.

 

If you are working for a screen accurate suit, then you're welcome to look through a microscope, but if you just want to get trooping, fix the big stuff (like the shoulder elastics) and the rest, let it fly.

[maxsteele[TK]]

Yes, I'd like to repeat the point that Derrek is making.  Your suit is looking good!  95% of the people that see you will think:  "Wow!  A real Stormtrooper!" .  They won't say:  "That cover strip could probably be a little wider".

 

I don't think there will be any issue with base approval.  Looking forward to your trooping pics!

[starsaber25[Admin]]

Thanks Derrek and Ron for the help.  My goal since the beginning was that this suit will eventually be put on a mannequin and put on display in my basement.  So I was originally aiming for it to be as screen accurate as I can get it.  However, along the way the goal has been modified a little.  Of course I want it to look great and be accurate.  But I have realized that since I have built it to fit my non screen actor stormtrooper body then it may never look completely screen accurate.  I am roughly an inch shorter and about 25-30 pounds heavier then those guys unfortunately.  

 

Anyway, I made up my thigh garter today.  It isn't complete because there is no question that I need to trim the tops of my thighs to bring them up a little.  That task is scaring me to death because this will be the biggest modification I have done to the armor and of course I don't want to screw anything up.  I'm am so close and I don't need that.  But here is my garter:

 

 

 

Basically my plan is to glue those elastic double snaps inside of my thigh and then put the two female snaps on the thigh straps and snap in.  It sounds great in theory so I hope it works out.

 

So after I was done with that and the kids got in bed, I decided to take out a pencil and draw up on one thigh and this is where I'm at right now.  I have two questions.  1.  How does this look? and 2.  Do I HAVE to put back on a return edge?  If I don't will I not be able to get any approvals for EIB or Centurion?

 

 

 

 

 

The reason why I didn't go all of the way around the back is because I feel that the back of the thighs fit fine.  Its just the front that I can't get pulled up high enough.

 

So here we are.  When I can finally get these thighs done I should be pretty much done with my armor.  I did finally change out the shoulder elastic and that certainly solved the trick for keeping the chest plate down and to keep in from choking me.

 

I'll leave you guys with a picture of my and my youngest son who just saw me like this for the first time tonight.  Don't pay of no mind to my iComm wire which I forgot to put in my undersuit and my thighs which are just floating free.

 

[maxsteele[TK]]

Trimming the tops of your thighs will not affect EIB or Centurion.  Not having a return edge on your thighs will not affect EIB or Centurion.  It's all about the look.  If the look is right, then you're good.

 

I trimmed the inside of both my thighs, removing the return edge and trimming it down so it wouldn't rub against my cod piece.  I kept the return edge and the length on the outside parts, as I did not need to trim those parts.

 

However, I will stress that I wouldn't cut anything from the tops of your thighs until you get the snaps and the harness installed.  You cannot know how the thighs will look and fit until you have that in place.  If after you do the thigh garter and still feel the thighs need to be trimmed, then that's what you'll need to do.  But don't do it before then.

[Dday[501st]]

Thanks Derrek and Ron for the help.  My goal since the beginning was that this suit will eventually be put on a mannequin and put on display in my basement.  So I was originally aiming for it to be as screen accurate as I can get it.  However, along the way the goal has been modified a little.  Of course I want it to look great and be accurate.  But I have realized that since I have built it to fit my non screen actor stormtrooper body then it may never look completely screen accurate.  I am roughly an inch shorter and about 25-30 pounds heavier then those guys unfortunately.  

 

Anyway, I made up my thigh garter today.  It isn't complete because there is no question that I need to trim the tops of my thighs to bring them up a little.  That task is scaring me to death because this will be the biggest modification I have done to the armor and of course I don't want to screw anything up.  I'm am so close and I don't need that.  But here is my garter:

 

 

 

Basically my plan is to glue those elastic double snaps inside of my thigh and then put the two female snaps on the thigh straps and snap in.  It sounds great in theory so I hope it works out.

 

So after I was done with that and the kids got in bed, I decided to take out a pencil and draw up on one thigh and this is where I'm at right now.  I have two questions.  1.  How does this look? and 2.  Do I HAVE to put back on a return edge?  If I don't will I not be able to get any approvals for EIB or Centurion?

 

 

 

 

 

The reason why I didn't go all of the way around the back is because I feel that the back of the thighs fit fine.  Its just the front that I can't get pulled up high enough.

 

So here we are.  When I can finally get these thighs done I should be pretty much done with my armor.  I did finally change out the shoulder elastic and that certainly solved the trick for keeping the chest plate down and to keep in from choking me.

 

I'll leave you guys with a picture of my and my youngest son who just saw me like this for the first time tonight.  Don't pay of no mind to my iComm wire which I forgot to put in my undersuit and my thighs which are just floating free.

 

 

 

The way I see it, your left thigh is in a good position and the right is a little low. Trimming the tops of these will only make this worse. If they are too tight and not coming up, just remove the return edge from the thighs vs cutting the thighs themselves. If you remove the return edge you will give yourself like 5-10mm more clearance to get around the tops of your thighs.

 

Try trimming the return edge before cutting the tops, thats a change you will regret if it's not absolutely necessary.

[I'm Batman[501st]]

Looking good Steve. As Derrek says, try getting rid of the return edge before you do anything with the overall length. Return edges on all the limb parts are optional so do what you want or need to with them.

[starsaber25[Admin]]

Ok so I ended up getting rid of the return edge on the thigh and you guys were right, its not as bad as it was.  Now there is a follow up question that came up with all of this.  What is the best way to keep the sniper plate from getting stuck under the thigh?  I know its been asked before but I cannot find an answer to this one.  My first thought is to glue a bunch of pieces of ABS scrap together and then glue it to the shin.  Then reglue the sniper plate on.  This would keep the sniper plate out and away from the shin. 

 

Thoughts?

[Dday[501st]]

Ok so I ended up getting rid of the return edge on the thigh and you guys were right, its not as bad as it was.  Now there is a follow up question that came up with all of this.  What is the best way to keep the sniper plate from getting stuck under the thigh?  I know its been asked before but I cannot find an answer to this one.  My first thought is to glue a bunch of pieces of ABS scrap together and then glue it to the shin.  Then reglue the sniper plate on.  This would keep the sniper plate out and away from the shin. 

 

Thoughts?

 

If your thighs are up high enough, as you move, the shins will naturally settle down a low as they can go. Most times it will be able to clear the knee and not get trapped.

 

If you look at some of the screen caps in the film, you can see the sniper regularly will look like it's caught under the thigh.

 

If yours is regularly getting caught as you walk, look at the places where it is getting caught and see if you can trim the edges down a little so they will not bind up.

 

In the bottom of the thigh, where the 2 halves come together and are not connected, you can put a piece of ABS behind there and glue it in to help reinforce it, so it doesn't get broken from a catching sniper.

 

The only problem with regluing the sniper is you want to be careful you don't tip it out of the way too much, as it will change the look of how it sits on the shin.

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

It might also be caused by the fact you have too much extra room at the bottom of your thigh (around the knee). Then the solution would be to unglue the back cover stripe, taper more the thigh than it was at the bottom, but without changing the fit at the top, and reglue the cover stripe. 

The sniper knee plate shouldn't be able to get stuck under your thigh anymore because there simply won't be enough space for it.

 

[starsaber25[Admin]]

In the bottom of the thigh, where the 2 halves come together and are not connected, you can put a piece of ABS behind there and glue it in to help reinforce it, so it doesn't get broken from a catching sniper.

 

Hey Derrek Thanks.  Yeah this is kind of what I'm worried about.  It keeps catching on the bottom lip of the thigh and I'm worried it will break.  So I'll have to figure something out.

 

And Germain that is something I haven't thought of yet.  Maybe I will look into that. 

 

I'm going to do some more work on that tonight.

[starsaber25[Admin]]

Oh and one more thing.  I GOT MY APPROVAL this morning!!!  TK-10466 reporting for duty!  I'm excited because its another milestone down in this journey!  First was actually researching, picking out an armor, and receiving an armor.  Second was building the armor to the point I'm at now.  Then third is getting your first approval!  Its awesome!

 

Well its time to keep on truckin.

[Rhino76076[501st]]

congrats TK-10466 excellent job mate

[Jaren[TK]]

Congratulations!

[Dday[501st]]

Oh and one more thing.  I GOT MY APPROVAL this morning!!!  TK-10466 reporting for duty!  I'm excited because its another milestone down in this journey!  First was actually researching, picking out an armor, and receiving an armor.  Second was building the armor to the point I'm at now.  Then third is getting your first approval!  Its awesome!

 

Well its time to keep on truckin.

 

Ohhh, awesome!

 

 

Make sure you request your permissions/status be updated here.

 

Well done, congrats.

[Dday[501st]]

Ohhh, awesome!

 

 

Make sure you request your permissions/status be updated here.

 

Well done, congrats.

 

oops... just noticed you already did!

[toybiz[TK]]

Well done Trooper TK-10446! Now on to some fine tuning and you will be ready for EIB and beyond...

 

Adam

[Darth Aloha[Admin]]

Oh and one more thing.  I GOT MY APPROVAL this morning!!!  TK-10466 reporting for duty!  I'm excited because its another milestone down in this journey!  First was actually researching, picking out an armor, and receiving an armor.  Second was building the armor to the point I'm at now.  Then third is getting your first approval!  Its awesome!

 

Well its time to keep on truckin.

 

Congrats! Now go west young man and troop. 

 

Also... you forgot the 4th milestone... EIB. 

 

-Eric