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Wow ... that's a heck of a project! And great call on the "thermochromic paint" - I can't wait to see that. can't wait to see the final results. There is a Darth Talon in the Badlands garrison ... and she ... uhm ... well... she gets a lot of attention .

"Get the popcorn ... there's gonna be a show" Thanks for doing this scootch. I may be building a helmet in the near future and any pointers / help / tutorials are very welcome!

Awesome! This place is getting busy! Good to see. Let's see those pics Apok

Sorry I'm late to the Party ... Congrats! Good Going on the approval! Now Get the power cylinders and go for your specialist!

Sounds like you're on the last legs ... Can't wait to see the complete kit. And as Blackhole mentioned ... you're never completely done ... So get the application pics done and then you tweak your "501st approved Costume" ...

Yep - TK is an RT. My wife got it last summer. I think you're right, as the eFX really doesn't give me much room front to back. My eye lashes actually touched the "padding" around the lenses every time I blinked, before I removed it - All The Rt is a bit longer front to back but the nose has a steeper slope so overall it looks about the same size, but has more room in it. I've tried on an FX, the eFX and my wife's Rt and by far the Rt is my favorite ... Right out of the box it's comfortable, there is no 'bobble head' effect, and it's got great visibility. The only downside is the lenses that come with it can be seen through up close (under 2 feet) if a flash is used.

Iz - My wife has an RT kit and her helmet (with the included padding) fits like a dream! It actually looks smaller but it really fits me well. I asked the guy who makes RT (he lives a few hours away) if he'd ever consider pulling a black helmet ... He said a polite but firm "no". On Topic - I pulled all the "padding" out of my eFX - It's useless, and abrasive. Here's a few shots I hope no one minds (just for reference - I don't want to make this a general Helmet Post): How it arrives (inside):

I'd wait for Izzi to chime in before you make your mind up - as he owns them all, but I was under the understanding that if the eFX is a little snug then you should head on over to the FX / AM lid as that is the one that would be noticeably larger. Don't get me wrong I love Scootch's work but if the eFX is snug then you're probably looking at needing more space, and from my understanding Scootch (CAP-W / CAP) is smaller than the eFX. And if you like let us know where the helmet is tight front to back, side to side, or a specific area. Also maybe, if possible, include your heard diameter as we can then let you know where we sit, diameter wise, and what fit's us. Myself - 24" around and the eFX is tight front to back but I've got room on the sides - not much mind you, but some.

Wow - that's going to look amazing. And although I hope she never scratches her kit too baddly I'd like to see the effect!

Awesome! I'm looking forward to watching your build - Canada Customs is crazy strict on importing weapons / weapon like props / kids toys that look like weapons but we can get those types of pieces. I'd love to upgrade my hasbro so watching your build may finally give me the kick in the pants to get going. Can't wait to see the updates!

I can't say anything from personal experience about Cushman's Radio but there are a number of concerns voiced about a few of his other products. Over on Mos Eisley you'll find a number of posts regarding DLT-19s showing up cracked - some small cracks some not so small cracks. Again I'm not saying to avoid Cushman, as there are a lot of very happy troopers, but just be aware of their track record. Also I think there is someone around here that does a great looking Sonix

Well done! Nice work on the helmet touch up.

You could look in the "for sale" area as there were a few posts for helmets and chat with one of the posters about the possibility of getting a helmet. I say this for 2 reasons - 1) the eFx is a good helmet (I wear one) but it has a pretty noticeable seam running under the frown, and 2) the helmet you could get off one of the board members doesn't have the seam and might even save you a few bucks. Again I say might - don't quote me on that.

Be safe - Look forward to your return and more pics.

Nicely done sir ... Nicely done.

Nice bit of work. Can't wait to see the pics. It'll take a bit to read through this ... Nicely done. PM sent.

If you're going to go for patent leather you'll still need something to make the belt rigid. My wife (TK) has a canvas belt and it looks great but the weight of the holster and blaster cause it to sag and bind-up. I've got the ABS and it works fine and looks good ( in my opinion ). I thought that someone had posted pics of a DIY patent leather belt ... EDIT: found the post ... under TX Belt: Here

Well it ... uhm ... it's very blue. I hope someone doesn't buy it and come knocking on the department's door saying "here's my kit let me in".

Wolf mentioned a good point I totally forgot - My wife's amp has a line in function that allows her to play the radio chatter loop (or music) and then when she speaks her voice talks over the other audio. It's pretty neat ... Especially for the price. Also I think the seller now has a wireless set-up - no wires between the headset and the amp !

My wife has on in her TK and I don't use one in my TX. She likes it for a little while but then finds she gets tired of hearing herself "yell" all the time. Myself I've rigged up my Ipod inside my chest piece and it plays a radio chatter loop (available from the 501st boards). I like the iPod set up. Mind you people really react when my wife tells them to "move along". Personally I've wait until you've got a troop under your belt - see how it went, if you'd like a voice amp, etc. And if memory serves the Rom FX is up there as far as price goes. My wife uses the one that's got a post in the for sale items here - She loves it, and it can go CRAZY loud.

Sorry does that mean you have a TK? If so are you in the 501st? Even if you're just a TK you can get access to the 501st portion on these boards.

When I first joined up there was a 'parts' order made within the detachment. I asked if I could have the drop boxes as I was looking for a way to rig up my Ipod for easy access / sound effects and tunes (long story short it's a silly idea) so I used them to put a back on the ones with my kit. The ones that sometimes go up for sale on FISD are custom sized to slip into the drop boxes from a number of kits (I believe) so they might be an easy option if you're looking at doing this.

first let me say that filling in the drop boxes with bondo, or expanding foam and then sanding them down and coating with with a Rustolium primer, High Gloss Black and then a few coats of a gloss finish would probably be easier if you like painting - If you don't like paining (like me), and have the extra parts then here's a pretty easy mod. EDIT: Please don't fill your drop boxes in with bondo or foam - they'll look like crap and bondo is heavy and how are you going to attach them? What Was I Thinking?!!? Instead grab some extra ABS trim from your kit, or some Sintra and trace out the shape of your drop box, cut it out, glue it to the back, paint if needed and you're done. Sorry for the idiot suggestion ... Easier still might be buying the white ones that go on sale on the FISD every once and a while. They are $6 each - $12 for a pair (I think) and would probably be simple to paint and install. But here is what I did: Materials: 4 drop boxes (2 on my kit and 2 extra) for your kit (I have an AM kit) e6000 sandpaper weights scissors Outline: Basically we're going to trim one drop box to fit as the back portion of the drop box on my kit. Sounds easy ... One big point to think through is how to attach your new drop boxes. I continued to use the same strap system and placed the back over it (this means I left a gap at the top of the backing to let the strap out without affecting the fit of the back). It would be just as easy to cut a hole, or attach the strapping to the out side of the new back. Step 1) Trim 2 of the 4 drop boxes. here's what I ended up with: Rough Trim Fit after rough trim: 2) Sand down and level the edges of the newly trimmed back pieces 3) TRICKY! Sand both edges of the current drop box and newly trimmed back piece, apply E6000 and pressure. - This step is tricky due to a slight curve on the face of the drop box. basically any weight or pressure is not evenly distributed and the parts have a tendency to shift slightly if too much pressure or weight is applied. All the clamps I had applied too much pressure 4) Basically Done. Everything needs a slight clean (E6000 pulls off surfaces similar to silicon caulking) but I now have 2 black drop boxes with a back on them. Overall it's pretty easy, Took maybe 1.5 hours ... And best of all I didn't have to paint a thing! Yippee!!! Hope that helps. Any ideas or comments are welcome. Thanks.

Yak - yea the biceps don't really line up too well. I left a but extra material on them just to make sure there was enough material for a good overlap and a good bond. And regarding the "straight tape lines" comment - I didn't cut at an angle. My tape jobs never looked that perfect - well done! can't wait to see more pics.