EVA foam stormtrooper armor build

Cheeseballs · May 1, 2021

So with May the Fourth just around the corner, I plan on trooping outside of my parents restaurant. Wish me luck guys

**gmrhodes13[Staff]** · May 1, 2021

7 hours ago, Cheeseballs said:

So with May the Fourth just around the corner, I plan on trooping outside of my parents restaurant. Wish me luck guys

Good luck, hope you have a great outing

Cheeseballs · June 3, 2021

Sorry for being a month late, I was kinda procrastinating on uploading it.

It was pretty fun walking around, everyone wanted pictures . I tried staying in character as often as possible, and even stopped a car and asked if they had seen a golden protocol droid and a blue astromech :laugh1:

I did learn a few things about the suit:

It wasn't as uncomfortable as i thought it would be. maybe cause it's foam and not plastic like all of your guys' armor.

It's HOT. when I was walking inside I was boiling, however it was a breezy day outside, so i was fine while outside.

after a few hours out there walking around, I was pooped. luckily I'm made of squishy flexible foam, so I could sit down (sorta) and take a rest. I was a bit sore the next day.

Its annoyingly loud. the plastidip coated surfaces rubbing together as I walked made a loud squeaky sound, and it sounds very dumb. we all know stormtroopers make a "clack clack clack" not a"squeak squeak squeak" when they walk :lol:

I'm thinking of painting the suit with plain old gloss white spray paint to reduce the squeaks and make the texture less rubbery.

every now and then one of the shins would ride up on the boots and there would be a gap above the boots and the shin would be all twisted. so I might put some velcro on the boot and inside of the shin to remedy this.

I also noticed That some plastidip on the caulk seams on the chest started peeling. I'm not too worried about it, I'll probably just clean that up before re painting with the gloss white spray paint.

I'm also contemplating making a new foam helmet or finishing that paper/pepakura one just for the heck of it, but I'm not sure yet. Do y'all think I should? If so, which option seems ideal?

Edited June 3, 2021 by Cheeseballs

**tat2trooper[TK]** · June 3, 2021

Looking great for what it is. If I was in Michigan I would have pulled up to show support young trooper. Keep up the good work.

Cheeseballs · June 25, 2021

i decided to upgrade my rubies e-11 with some more greeblies to make it more accurate. i made them out of polystyene, toothpicks and random stuff. im planning on sanding down the T-tracks some more. it did have the power cylinders, but they were 3d printed and kept breaking. Im getting new ones soon.

im gonna repaint it after sanding the t-tracks more.

**TheRascalKing[TK]** · June 28, 2021

I would advise VERY strongly against walking around in public with your blaster, outside of sanctioned events where your Star Wars costume has more context. Unfortunately in this day and age, we have had several occurrences of troopers being detained by law enforcement, or even SWAT, over having a 'gun' pointed at folks in public, and we don't need the bad press. Save it for the cons - otherwise, looking good.

Cheeseballs · June 28, 2021

1 hour ago, TheRascalKing said:

I would advise VERY strongly against walking around in public with your blaster, outside of sanctioned events where your Star Wars costume has more context. Unfortunately in this day and age, we have had several occurrences of troopers being detained by law enforcement, or even SWAT, over having a 'gun' pointed at folks in public, and we don't need the bad press. Save it for the cons - otherwise, looking good.

Thanks for the advice!

Cheeseballs · June 28, 2021

added a clip detail

a safety switch

the bolt stripe

sanded down the t-tracks

i sanded right through the top track, so I gotta fill that with bondo now.

and the new resin power cylinders came in

it's much more sturdy and durable than the previous 3d-printed one I had.

Edited June 28, 2021 by Cheeseballs

Cheeseballs · July 21, 2021

to combat the sqeakyness of the plastidip surface, I coated the armor in this silicone spray:

here's a test of the sprayed shoulders vs. the non-sprayed thighs

**gmrhodes13[Staff]** · July 21, 2021

WOW what a difference the spray made, nice fix

**CallMeMrTibbles[501st]** · July 23, 2021

One of the most fun builds to follow.

Great work and ingenuity, and awesome to see it being used :th_AnimatedBravoSmiley:

Cheeseballs · August 23, 2021

Sanded the bondo on the top t-track and screws

**TheDecisiveRaindrop[TK]** · August 23, 2021

It’s honestly awesome seeing what you’ve done with eva foam! One of the things that really stuck out to me was the fact that all the skills you learned from foamsmithing really does apply to working with hard kits as well! I’m still terrible at using bondo and sanding lol.

Not only that, but you strive for accuracy as well! This is what the 501st is all about and I hope to see you get a plastic kit some day, but no rush! I am super glad that you are sharing your journey with us here!

I look forward to your future posts!

Cheeseballs · August 24, 2021

On 8/23/2021 at 1:34 PM, TheDecisiveRaindrop said:

It’s honestly awesome seeing what you’ve done with eva foam! One of the things that really stuck out to me was the fact that all the skills you learned from foamsmithing really does apply to working with hard kits as well! I’m still terrible at using bondo and sanding lol.

Not only that, but you strive for accuracy as well! This is what the 501st is all about and I hope to see you get a plastic kit some day, but no rush! I am super glad that you are sharing your journey with us here!

I look forward to your future posts!

Thanks a ton for the kind words!

Cheeseballs · August 27, 2021

first coat of flat black on the blaster. i masked of the silver rivets and screws i added so they would show through

**TheDecisiveRaindrop[TK]** · August 27, 2021

5 hours ago, Cheeseballs said:

first coat of flat black on the blaster. i masked of the silver rivets and screws i added so they would show through

Something to keep in mind for further accuracy is that the scope is made of brass, with the handle being plastic.

That being said, it only really matters if you were planning on weathering your blaster at all. With the scope, learning to drybrush can allow you to achieve some realistic details.

Cheeseballs · September 14, 2021

Handle was a little sticky, so I sanded it down and repainted it and it was good.

Masked off the bolt and painted it silver

Masked off the t-tracks, scope, back cap and handle, then painted them semi-gloss black.

Then it was unmasked, and I glued on the power cylinders, and here's it now.

I'm currently debating on whether i should weather it lightly and make some sort of lenses for the scope. I think it's looking pretty good right now though, and I like it.

Edited September 14, 2021 by Cheeseballs
typo cause I can't type

**TheDecisiveRaindrop[TK]** · September 14, 2021

Wow! You got that together pretty quick lol. Missing some metal paint on the handle by where the selector switch is, not that anyone would notice.

image.jpeg.15068ea866a32ba9f0c14a3b3f982ebb.jpeg

If you do decide to weather it, be careful around the T tracks and handle. Those shouldn’t have “metal” showing.

Edited September 14, 2021 by TheDecisiveRaindrop

Cheeseballs · November 1, 2021

Happy day after Halloween everyone.

I replaced the window tint on the helmet cause I had ripped off the previous tint before the silicone spray. And I added a nylon strap under the shoulders to keep them in position better. Before the shoulders liked to fall towards the back.

here’s me and my sis on Halloween. Used a rebel pilot helmet as a candy bucket haha. And just stuffed an unmodified hasbro blaster in the holster.

Edited November 1, 2021 by Cheeseballs

**gmrhodes13[Staff]** · November 1, 2021

Amazing what can be made with foam, hope you had a great time

**tat2trooper[TK]** · November 2, 2021

Good job little brotha. Hope you got tons of goodies.

**CallMeMrTibbles[501st]** · November 2, 2021

Awesome, and the only legitimate use for a rebel helmet!!!
Hope you both had a great night

**Goggytalks[TK]** · November 3, 2021

Hi there,
First of all , amazing build you have achieved. I too started off building a whole TK suit out of Eva foam. Had the same experiences as you with plastidip paint too. The experience I gained led me to take the plunge and buy a vac formed 1.5mm abs kit and build it myself. I found all the previous skills learned actually made the abs kit build easier and built it in far less time than the Eva foam version. Can’t recommend it enough. You will also be able to join the 501st ranks and troop with your local squad or garrison. But until then enjoy what you’ve achieved. Well done.

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