Star Wars Oregon
Public Information => Imperial Armor => Stormtrooper Builds => Topic started by: DStep on March 10, 2018, 10:22:06 AM
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My BBB came yesterday and I'm super excited. Just got everything laid out. Life's been busy, so I won't be able to work on this often, but I plan on knocking a lot out when I do. I'll be sure to ask plenty of questions along the way.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180310/59034be85141fec33c298e71635fc9a2.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180310/dbbbabfd85933630b6824644b64458be.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180310/20d74587fb25ce1b6b5bc32d52364dcb.jpg)
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Awesome! Congrats on the new arrival! Looking forward to seeing your progress!
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OK I’m trying to identify the correct parts for the arms and legs. Can someone confirm that I’ve marked them correctly?
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180310/2ef354b07195454ad4fa1b7dce52d8a6.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180310/98c969996469ee65de96e26f9e92016b.jpg)
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Congrats and look forward to see your build.
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Congrats and look forward to see your build.
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Thanks and good to see that yours is coming along nicely!
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Congrats and look forward to see your build.
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Thanks and good to see that yours is coming along nicely!
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Slowly, mistakes were made. But I have no major issues with it so far.
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I’ve roughly trimmed and test fitted the arms and legs and I have a question on the thighs.
My first test fit leaves a 20mm cover strip in the back and is able to leave the same space on both sides of the cover strip, where the ridge of the thigh drops down, just like the front cover strip.
At this size, the bottom of the thigh is just below the top of my knee cap and there is some room around the knee. However, the meat of my thigh is real snug in the armor (I can still butt the center of the inner and outer thighs, so you can ignore the gap in the picture).
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180316/46a5bdb98218e116d37c6c17b04c63aa.jpg)
I also noticed that when I sit down, the top of the thighs already run against my hip bone.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180316/488d2ec3cd4eaea3f13c82d4e78530d5.jpg)
Does this sizing sound right? It feels like it should sit higher above my knee, so I would have to size it larger...but then I would need to trim the top of the thigh, so it wouldn’t bump into my hip when I sit.
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Don’t trim anything off the tops of your thighs. You won’t be sitting in your armor anyway.
You’ll be able to fine-tune the thighs up or down when you do the strapping with the garter belt.
I would go ahead and glue the front 20mm coverstrip on using E6000, then move onto the shins.
Make sure you are wearing your boots when you size the shins.
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what Daryl said about the sitting.. none of that going on as a TK :P
knee height actually looks ok. once you put the ammo pack on one theigh and the snipe plate on the other it will look right. im 5'11" with an AP kit and the thighs sit right at the top of my knee caps as well.
As for the snugness of the thighs- one thing that will help and is up to your preference is to remove some of that top return edge on the inside of your thigh. If you look through pics some people leave it some people take it all off and some go about half. I had to remove all of mine as I Cycle and that edge just was to tight. Once you get that front cover strip of the thighs glued on you will be able to somewhat shape the back of the thigh to meet up and fit what you need. I know the front cover strips are a specific width but with the backs you have a bit more leeway in width to accomadate a more comfortable fit.
the first cut and fit piece can be pretty daunting.. after that it gets alot easier!!
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Daryl and Mike pretty much said it all already! I'm just here to continue confirming it. :tongue:
I totally removed the return edge on my thigh pieces. Even with shims for my fatty legs, I found that they were digging in and cutting off circulation at times... Makes trooping even more uncomfortable! Leave 'em if you can but don't be afraid to do a little removal for your own comfort! All the comfort adjustments should pretty much come after you get things put together and fitting the best they can, though.
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Don’t trim anything off the tops of your thighs. You won’t be sitting in your armor anyway.
You’ll be able to fine-tune the thighs up or down when you do the strapping with the garter belt.
I would go ahead and glue the front 20mm coverstrip on using E6000, then move onto the shins.
Make sure you are wearing your boots when you size the shins.
Hey thanks for the help Daryl! Glad to know I can move on.
I started trimming the body and marked the holes for the bracket straps.
OK will do on the boots!
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what Daryl said about the sitting.. none of that going on as a TK :P
knee height actually looks ok. once you put the ammo pack on one theigh and the snipe plate on the other it will look right. im 5'11" with an AP kit and the thighs sit right at the top of my knee caps as well.
As for the snugness of the thighs- one thing that will help and is up to your preference is to remove some of that top return edge on the inside of your thigh. If you look through pics some people leave it some people take it all off and some go about half. I had to remove all of mine as I Cycle and that edge just was to tight. Once you get that front cover strip of the thighs glued on you will be able to somewhat shape the back of the thigh to meet up and fit what you need. I know the front cover strips are a specific width but with the backs you have a bit more leeway in width to accomadate a more comfortable fit.
the first cut and fit piece can be pretty daunting.. after that it gets alot easier!!
OK thanks for confirming the sizing by the knee and the note on the back cover strips.
Yeah I should’ve known about no sitting lol
Cool, now that I know the rough placement is right, I’ll clean up all return edges and get a better sizing.
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Daryl and Mike pretty much said it all already! I'm just here to continue confirming it. :tongue:
I totally removed the return edge on my thigh pieces. Even with shims for my fatty legs, I found that they were digging in and cutting off circulation at times... Makes trooping even more uncomfortable! Leave 'em if you can but don't be afraid to do a little removal for your own comfort! All the comfort adjustments should pretty much come after you get things put together and fitting the best they can, though.
Hey thanks for confirming, it helps me feel more confident to move to the next steps!
Oh yeah good point on being comfortable...I’ll test the fit by trying some walking and moving.
I appreciate all the help!
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Absolutely do your shins with your boots on.
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I made some progress on the forearms and thighs...got them trimmed & sanded and glued the front, inner cover strips. Let me know if you see anything to correct here.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180330/66a68e49a6af8abcb9ed122e2a3de70b.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180330/f09e557df80bbd5809650588ae823383.jpg)
I have the calves ready next. Also, I’m almost done trimming & sanding the chest, ab, back, kidney and posterior pieces. They should be ready for mounting the brackets soon.
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Like said over on your other thread looks good, but seem to be real cylindrical. I could be wrong but it looks that way to me.
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Made a little more progress...the biceps and shins are trimmed/cleaned up and the inner front cover strips are on.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180407/f5873f6b3d0fda93426ef8719f070e72.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180407/db3b88d3c028d598df056de85cab8c78.jpg)
I also have the body trimmed and ready for the brackets. I'll post pictures of that soon.
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Looking good D.
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Looking good D.
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Thanks Rat...yours is coming along nice too. Looks like you'll be done soon.
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Hoping to yeah. A couple of things left. Mostly my right leg, but I have that dry fitted right now about to slap the glue on and let it set until Monday afternoon when I wake up.
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I think I finally got that rear thigh cover strip flush.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180407/1863fbd05fde30d55950234a65760e45.jpg)
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I think I finally got that rear thigh cover strip flush.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180407/1863fbd05fde30d55950234a65760e45.jpg)
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OK sweet, glad ukswrath gave some good instructions!
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I think I finally got that rear thigh cover strip flush.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180407/1863fbd05fde30d55950234a65760e45.jpg)
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OK sweet, glad ukswrath gave some good instructions!
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He usually does.
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Here’s the front & back of the body with the brackets installed.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/34843e96257d16d0db3ed109ae9354ce.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/dffe81c9dfab98394c63663dc5fa6c1a.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/67ff6e45c989f174b5745ea211acd060.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/3b8fb1c3757bdb9724239879ec5210e4.jpg)
I noticed the return edges on the kidney and posterior flare out. Should I heat them and bend them to clean up the seams?
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/3941059687a25dbb406d29c0453c3dfa.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/9e4e63a3f678ec33915a779ec4bcf9af.jpg)
I’m also wondering about the snap that will go on the right side of the ab plate. Isn’t the chest supposed to cover the snap? I’m not sure about installing the snap.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/43a63c7e74ff1ea55a83d75f6efd9364.jpg)
Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
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Here's mine D. The snap is usually seen, but I've seen some that are slightly covered.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/d1bde2dddb79716eaa1eed539fce8c94.jpg)
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It was good meeting you yesterday, keep up the great work!
Once the weather is decent for more than one day a week we'll post up some armor party days too.
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It was good meeting you yesterday, keep up the great work!
Once the weather is decent for more than one day a week we'll post up some armor party days too.
Thanks and it was great to meet you all of you as well!
Yes, I'll be looking forward to an armor party...and in the meantime, I'll reach out if I run into any major questions.
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Give me a holler if you have any questions too since we're practically neighbors! Need more north 'Couve TKs!
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Give me a holler if you have any questions too since we're practically neighbors! Need more north 'Couve TKs!
Well there is a handful of us.
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Give me a holler if you have any questions too since we're practically neighbors! Need more north 'Couve TKs!
Yes, I definitely will...thanks again Mike!
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OK I’ve made more progress on the body. Here are pics of the body with a test fit. I think cleaning up the return edges came out nice.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180413/b378bce7f5d8a3dccf6058a5b39ba65f.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180413/631887f48a3be10f79cd18c3cba2b547.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180413/7433c672cf1c2d721910c983e7b8f72a.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180413/b0e7bb7bf68d26d95c84ae253f3656b7.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180413/40fca48098b6d3e6df6a085835e58497.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180413/9b89540c6a0ac923df9af2b174fb2010.jpg)
OK, so here are my questions:
1) This fit feels great at the bottom, but I notice the chest sits pretty high. The neck line is pretty snug against my throat, but it’s not uncomfortable. I’ve trimmed it back to about 1/8” return edge. I’m not sure if I should remove all off it.
2) I also noticed that there’s just a small gap between the shoulder tabs on the chest and back. Should I drop the front and back lower to allow more room for the length of the shoulder straps?
There’s also a formed crease across the shoulder tabs on the back piece (I’ll post a pic soon). I wasn’t sure if that was a trim line, so I left it and it makes the shoulder tab longer.
3) In general, the armor feels pretty big/roomy right now. I’m 5’7”, 165lbs...about a 32 waist. Should I trim more off on the kidney and the ab, where they connect? This would bring it in tighter, but I’m thinking it would throw off the notch that I still need to cut out at the bottom front of the kidney.
I think I’m at a point where this part of the build will help determine the placement of the shoulder bells and thighs, so I’ll wait until I get some feedback.
Thank you all for the help so far!
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Here are the shoulder tabs on the back. I guess it does look like I need to trim to those lines.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180415/23d6d352bc228479986cbc2857a67ace.jpg)
I think I’m going to remove all of the return edge on the neckline of the chest. I’ll try the next test fit with the neck seal and full undersuit on also. I adjusted the taller brackets on the chest. They were pointing towards the back of the armor (because of the angle of the return edge) and I ended up bending them until they were pointed up (up against the inside of the chest). It made a big difference in lowering the chest down to the ab.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180415/932e230d6ecffcc370d49e08959ecbbd.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180415/24f127fb7ab0b5e7496e8520f26961fe.jpg)
Time for a test fit and I think this will help bring the neckline on the back piece up higher.
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I’ve also got the knee plate trimmed and test fitted. I think it’s ready for some glue.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180415/aaea75b6cf2aaa72097fce56293ad724.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180415/d9549f1f29ff2068925f84c6eb31e989.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180415/55cc0c0135373b1a8af3ba148a8b8127.jpg)
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Here’s testing fitting #2. I’ve made these adjustments:
-on the chest piece, removed all the return edge on the neckline and trimmed more on the bottom by the ab
-trimmed the excess shoulder tabs on the back piece
-cut the notch on the bottom of the kidney
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180419/d051852334797994c48617ace2f97ce4.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180419/1086da6957a75aa27112b8b454c4470e.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180419/c52a536947e23e203841904cf7089603.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180419/f504db988a13f5aaf9c45d77cc67a596.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180419/86c1a8bf9855f527f32a432377166c95.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180419/48aa249aa9bac655c9aa9faad209af10.jpg)
Unfortunately, it’s pretty uncomfortable around the neck...on the verge of a choking feeling. I later tried stuffing the chest to pull it away from my neck and it helped a lot, so I can put foam in there if this fit looks right. I also tried widening the gap between the shoulder tabs on the chest and back, but I think it drops the back piece down a bit.
Any thoughts on any other adjustments that should be made?
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Just a small update while I wait for the strap buckles to arrive.
The gloves are done, made a few snap plates for the modified chest/ab connection and waiting for the paint to dry on the TD.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180427/31d62d03e52ff73123ee228e6eac90c3.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180427/3e1c0b5632fc523a9a692001c3914ac0.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180427/1f433240c46e7763be6da49e8c9214a0.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180427/4d342e3fdc91f800823efc4e06b0367e.jpg)
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Finally made some more progress. TD is all done!
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180520/64e36e1ded24e4cd16f9a24d6af4571f.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180520/dc5c305ef62ec24f98d54ac59404ab24.jpg)
On to wrapping up the torso. All the elastic, snaps and rivets are in. I started test fitting the shoulder straps and they come too far onto the back plate.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180520/1b43fcbf4c7a40071a552528f779ffcb.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180520/c6a87275608de575332be0a7556bfb6d.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180520/b9a78ec523c1d25a321cc8516d6faa8a.jpg)
I found a post that mentions that the CRL has been updated to allow cutting the back of the strap for L1 approval. If I’m going for Centurion, then is this acceptable too? I just wanted to confirm. I was planning to cut off the back tab and a few ridges to make it fit better.
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I recommend trimming more around the edges of those straps, so there’s only 1 or 2 mms of flat around the entire strap.
And I wouldn’t cutoff the back tab yet, I’d move them farther forward so 3 or 4 of the smaller ridges are on the chest straps.
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I recommend trimming more around the edges of those straps, so there’s only 1 or 2 mms of flat around the entire strap.
And I wouldn’t cutoff the back tab yet, I’d move them farther forward so 3 or 4 of the smaller ridges are on the chest straps.
Yeah I tried a test fit with a rough trim on the shoulder straps. I’ve got them trimmed and sanded now and tried moving them lower on the chest plate.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180522/63bc60a8ffcf309eec6bcd039e026037.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180522/642562b61121461440e4b1459865955f.jpg)
I noticed that they start going over the ridge on the chest and won’t mount flat. Is this ok?
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Been making a little progress here and there. Just need to paint the details on the body, finish the ab buttons, make some final adjustments and then work on the helmet.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180628/9130a75d151077b1e4a94bd58d030c10.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180628/51a214188b5e2f1a4fe08ca272a53e0a.jpg)
It feels nice to see it all coming together!
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Been real busy with life, so progress has been slow. Finally got the helmet together...just need to trim the neck, put the S trim and paint.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180829/bcfdb9c6790e1ebc81c73160e71a9a9a.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180829/f39bee2dd6b0293c2c6ce6337627a0bf.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180829/5489906877b417a008cb407389800d6c.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180829/3dbf64b709a4a749a2302cd6d87f59f3.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180829/33f17bcd2c10a7e78a107b66b747ff9f.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180829/1e88fcb6a8a6b6c0e4cb63015076b664.jpg)