Finished My Armor, Small Issues!

[Lukeskyrunner3]

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting here, but I've been using white armor a lot since I bought my armor moulds back in October, and I am finally finished! (Almost) So I bought my armor from eBay (yeah I know, not wise), but the armor is made from HIPS at the same thickness as the original ANH suits, and it was cast off of an original suit the seller said (which I think I believe. I've been very impressed). All of the moulded armor only cost me $305 shipped The eBay seller's name is MakerofThings! I believe. And he is only selling separate pieces right now it looks like, so I got lucky. Anyways, I have finally "finished" but I have a few 'kinks' to get out. So here are my questions if anyone can help 

 

- Its not easy to walk, especially up stairs, is this a normal Stormtrooper thing? Or should I be able to walk easier? Leg pieces are too big maybe.

 

- I can't figure out the calves, they just never seem to have a perfect way to put them on, theres always a gap somewhere in the back. Whats the best way to hook them together in the back? And should I just man-up and spend the $120 on real boots?

 

- The thermal detonator..... I can't find a 2.5in dia pipe to same my life. What are you guys using?

 

- Anything else look wrong?

 

 

Disregard the calves in this photo

 

 

Yeah the mic tips need to be aligned too I know haha

 

[I'm Batman[501st]]

There's plenty of threads about "makerofthings"

 

Yes, get some real boots. You don't need to spend $120 though. Painted cheaper ones are fine.

 

The first thing that jumps out of me is the different colors. Although, being HIPS, does that mean the whole lot needs to be painted?

[Lukeskyrunner3]

There's plenty of threads about "makerofthings"

 

Yes, get some real boots. You don't need to spend $120 though. Painted cheaper ones are fine.

 

The first thing that jumps out of me is the different colors. Although, being HIPS, does that mean the whole lot needs to be painted?

 

I wasn't aware, I can help give a full review on him I guess.

 

Okay cool, I'll have to look for some. The classifieds on here are probably the best place to get them I assume?

 

Being HIPS, yes, I painted the whole thing. I think really the only noticeably different color piece is the chest plate. Its weird, I painted all the pieces with the same paint, same primer, but I did do it (I'm a northerner) during this winter in my garage in a makeshift paint booth, so I'm thinking the difference in temperatures on different days when I painted might have messed that up a little. I plan on repainting that chest plate when warm weather comes back though

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Looks strongly like a RS recast to me, so yes in a way you can say it's molded from the original.

 

Overall it looks quite nice, congrats  . I think the points that could be improved is the strapping (if any) between the biceps and forearms. Basically, the bottom of the biceps should be touching the top of the forearms and thus having no gap between the two pieces. 

-------

 

You can also drop a little the biceps from under the shoulder bells to help close the elbow gaps. Right now they seem to sit too high.

 

It's normal to have difficulties taking the stairs in the stormtrooper armor though resizing the top of the thighs might ease the thing. From the back shot you seem to have a lot of room here.

For the shins, you can use velcro or the original hook system to close them. Here's a picture of the hook system:

--------

 

Lastly, the rivets for the ammo pack on the right thigh are mislocated. They should have been set in the top corner like that:

 

 

If you correct all these things, i think the armor will look even nicer.

Edited January 1, 2022 by gmrhodes13
link not working removed

[starsaber25[Admin]]

An issue that I see that popped out right away is the helmet frown.  It appears that you are trying for an ANH Stunt so you need to extend the frown a little further.  Look below.

 

 

I'm sure you will get a lot of information posted on your makerofthings armor.  But what is this armor actually recasted from?  Is it RS?

Edited February 16, 2015 by starsaber25

[Quadan[501st]]

I would say Trim your thighs just under your butt. Should help with some of your movement issues.

[Lukeskyrunner3]

Awesome, thanks for the replies guys! For the thighs, I do have to change the shape a little in the back and insides, and I think I need to slim the down. There is too much extra room in there I feel.

 

I don't actually have any strapping between the forearms, and biceps. I think I will put some in there. As for the biceps piece, I can move those down easily, so thats good. For the frown, I guess I've just never noticed, thanks for pointing that out!

 

I am going to work on these, and I will get some pics of the progress. Thanks for the help, and I am still very open to anymore feedback!

 

As far as the cast, the eBay post said "cast from a screen worn ANH Stormtrooper" If thats true or not, I'm not entirely sure. Either way, for the price, I am extremely impressed. I'm a senior in high school, so sadly I don't have the money for an ideal set of armor right now, but I'm content with this for the most part   

 

I'm very interested in knowing what others thought of makerofthings

[Darth Aloha[Admin]]

Please do not turn this thread into a war against makerofthings. Please?

 

Spencer: makerofthings has been know to take other people's hard work and try to turn a profit from it. He was famous for recasting TE2's armor which led directly to TE2 stopping production of his armor. Maybe he's moved on to RS? I'm not sure.

 

Either way we should be able to help you get your armor looking great.

 

-Eric

[sskunky]

As far as the cast, the eBay post said "cast from a screen worn ANH Stormtrooper" If thats true or not, I'm not entirely sure. Either way, for the price, I am extremely impressed. I'm a senior in high school, so sadly I don't have the money for an ideal set of armor right now, but I'm content with this for the most part

 

I'm very interested in knowing what others thought of makerofthings

I can tell you that he is a nice guy but with no morels when it comes to recasting other people's work. All he has ever done is recast other makers armour and helmets. Makerofthings translates to Makerofotherpeoesthings!

Yes your armour is cast from an original set a few generations removed. He used to recast TE then CAP now it looks like RS.

There are only two makers currently selling armour cast from original. That's myself of which is ROTJ and RS which is ANH. I'm the only one that currently sells "cast from original" ROTJ so no real confusion there. ANH is another story.

There is loads of history on here but most ANH armour apart from TM, RS and a few other fan sculpts derive from ROTJ armour re engineered to look ANH and started out as TE then recast by CAP who gave permission for all to recast which gave way for a multitude of offshoots. It's complicated.

So bottom line is that makerofthings sells recasts of other vendors armour and helmets.

[Quadan[501st]]

WEll maybe you can pop the seam on your thighs and slim them down more to make them tigher as well then reglue them back?

[gazmosis[501st]]

Your right calf should open towards the inside. Also if you trim off some of the return edge on the top of your shin armor, it might make it more comfortable to wear

[Lukeskyrunner3]

Hey guys, I fixed a bunch of stuff up and will have pictures soon! I wore the suit to my high school today and presented it with my brother as a project and everyone loved it! It was so much fun to see everyones reactions, everyone wanted pictures, I got lots of compliments, it was a fun experience! I'll share pictures and more on that when I get around to making a thread in the trooping events section. Trooping is fun!