dday

Jims kit is the BOMB! I finished my build last weekend. 6'5" and it fits like a charm. easily will reach 6'7"-6'9" with no problem or deep modification.

Heya, if you're looking for belt buckles and helmets I've got them

It's a very hard detail to see on screen, if not invisible in most scenes. I'd vote that having a functional/non-functional LED be moved into a higher tier and L1 not having any optional LED, or in the case everything is L1, that the LED either way is optional.

CRL question. NSM scope, no language making the LED optional. Considering we never once saw LED's lit up, I'm sure it was a mistake and it was supposed to be optional. We should get that updated.

They forgot on all suits, disney parks suits and all launchbay costume expos to take off plastic in all the same spots? Thats almost tinfoil hat conspiracy level stuff there The color variations are consistent through many different suits in the the exact same location. I'll give that maybe they used a vinyl sticker or something like to accomplish the different colors, but most likely it's paint as you can see some places where the paint is chipping. There are so many photos where the different colors are right next to each other, at the same angle with the same lighting but they are clearly different colors. Maybe this is another black/blue, white/gold dress thing. We know 100% vader was different colors in order to highlight the details. This point was highly argued in the start and people would have completely guaranteed it was all black. It wasn't. This is the same, it's not all black. The words of an actor wearing the armor is hard to argue with but it's likely he just never got a good look at it? Not everyone has an eye for details. They are just doing a job, not dissecting the look/details of the suit.

The colors are 100% there. There are some photos Tom posted above that show clearly the different colors. Here is one that can not be argued against. In the big red circle, and the small red circle, the light is hitting these pieces almost at the exact same angle and intensity, yet they are clearly different shades. This is not a case of light hitting metal flakes at a different angle, this is a different color. Show it to any painter and he will say the same. This paint scheme was clearly done to make sure that the armor was fully visible in all lighting situations, and didn't "disappear" due to the black on black nature or it. Exactly like Vader.

We also need to be careful (in my opinion) and not leave it to much to the powers that be. The garrisons have the leeway to follow their own guidance. However some garrisons (German and some others) will follow the letter of the CRL, very tightly. If we don't explicitly state some variance is allowed in places it may block people with a perfectly decent costume from getting approved. The MM measurements, I don't think they should be removed, but given a little more room on either side. Words like approximately and so on give the room needed. There will be a lot of variance in some measurements in order to keep the suit within scale for different bodies.

Mold failed... but that was so long ago. Had a problem with layers of the silicone bonding for some reason... Tossed the silicone saved the shell. Just recently got the master back in silicone. I took the helmet and screwd it down on a board, positioned the shell in the right spot (saves some silicone scraps from the dead mold for spacing), then poured the silicone in directly instead of painting it on. New mold is a win. First casting is out and looks perfect, second casting is sitting in the mold now. I'll be getting helmets out to the folks on the early list this week and the next. The first helmet will go to my Painter (Sanotized Creations) to give you an idea of the finish that will be offered if you chose. Send me a PM if you want one. I'll be setting up a proper sales thread once the early orders are taken care of.

This is exactly what I'm hoping to hear. With such a detailed and intricate costume it's very easy to get sucked into the small details and we forget to sometimes take a step back and look at it like the public does. I'm not saying rubies, even the public can tee these are wrong. But in a lot of cases pinning down mm measurements in the basic level is way beyond what needs to be done. The same goes with some minor details. Like the quote above (and below) about the hidden (nearly) undercut in the helmets. Making this a requirement would not make sense, because it doesn't change the overall look of the helmet one bit. It changes the microscope view only. We want to be exclusive, but not so exclusive we're sitting alone at the table. I'd say nay on any LED's. In the theater cut of the film, no LED's were lit up at all. nope, this is much to nitpicky. It doesn't change the overall look of the helmet to have it or not. right on, this is good news

Ah yes, the photo was confusing the issue I think. The new photo you posted with the neck seal and the simple apron is what I consider standard. This bib goes under the upper body suit. Like Feliz mentions, some may want to reuse a appropriate styles neck seal from other costumes, as they are much the same between all troopers of this age in the series. My only concern was making the neck seal a fixed part of the upper body shirt. Stitching can be added around the neck opening to make it look like the neck seal is connected but in fact it's it's own piece resting under the overshirt. I think this should achieve an acceptable look while not being overly restrictive. I think there is no question about the gaskets being there in the shorts, but rather being able to achieve the gasket look very similar to the elbows and knees but with a different, more comfortable material. Still with ribs and so on, just a softer more breathable material that won't leave us with swamp jock. My intention is to not dumm things down, but still to make things a touch easier for people to join us. There are small things we can let slide for higher level 2 or 3 that won't change the overall look of the suit.

Hi, since this is the last moment to post notes here are mine: Balaclava: Is this really necessary as a requirement? As long as whats underneath isn't visible should be require that there be one? It's similar to requiring a specific strapping. As long as it's not visible and fills the function it's ok. I personally will wear one but I wonder about making it a requirement. Neck Seal: The CRL states that is connected to the chest/shoulder apron. I worry that if we are this specific on basic approval that we will be excluding alternative ways to achieve the same effect. There could be an apron, but the neck seal is not actually connected but goes under this apron. Same effect, different method. Shorts: Same material as the gaskets. Why not another material that achieves the same effect? Comfort aside, there are other materials that would be much better placed here and achieve the same look. I've run into similar issues with the Kylo Ren CRL. The SLD folks stated that they made the CRL in one way but that garrisons could pick if they followed it or not. There were exceptions for building the costume in different ways but they were implied. In my case specifically it was simulating the midcoat in the costume. My setup achieved the same visual effect as a midcoat without actually having one. My garrison would not accept it because there was no allowance in the CRL for simulation. Some garrisons will follow the CRL but still make their own decisions, some won't follow it at all. Then there are garrisons like my garrison who follow the CRL to the absolute letter. If for instance I had a neck seal as a separate piece to the apron, my costume would not be accepted. The goal should be to make sure we're visually accurate but allow for alternatives in the basic level 1 approval. Level 2 and 3 you can be more specific about exact ways. For instance Vader.. we know in the film he has a 3 piece under suit. However the CRL allows for a 1, 2 or 3 piece suit for basic approval. The same effect, different methods.

Looking good Jim! I think with the addition of the details Darman put you're going to be doing pretty awesome! One thing I've started to notice is the lower end isn't solid. See the red oval Darman drew. On the right side you can see how the under area is't solid but rather cut out. I'm going to have to see about modifying mine to allow for this as well, mins is solid and I think most peoples are solid. It will certainly allow to get the helmet on easier.

silicone is on, letting it cure tonight. Putting a shell on it tomorrow and silicone over the accesssories, crossing my fingers for first castings this weekend. I promised the first 5 folks on my pre order list a cheaper price in exchange for paying up front. In the end I decided against taking some money up front because I had my master produced in a different way and in trade for some services. This means I didn't have a lot of upfront expenses so I didn't need the start up cash. I will still honor the lower pricing for those first 5 folks though. Bonus!

I've modified this in a thread regarding armor details. There are coverstrips, but they are molded in. The armor in the film is fiberglass with overlap ridges molded and coverstrips for looks, not functionality.

Interesting theory about actually molding a rubber strip into the part. I'll have to talk to some fiberglass people to see what they say.

If you look at the outer section of thigh, this ribbed section isn't likely rubber. It's actually a part of the fiberglass thigh. There is no gaps at the bottom of the ribs like there should be if it was glued in rubber. There is also no distortion like there would be if it was pressed down so hard for gluing to remove the gaps. This is why I think the outer ribbed area is actually molded as a part of the thigh, whereas the inner section is actual rubber and underlaps, and as you mentioned is held closed with the velcro/rubber bands, depending on the scene.

Major update... Some have probably already seen this: These suits aren't vacuformed, they are fiberglass. Also on the left of the shin you can see the ribbing doesn't look like an additional piece, it looks like it's molded in. You can see how the ribbed area connects. It's not leaving a gap like it normally would if it was it's own piece of rubber. The inside of the thigh is however using real rubber and an overlap, held together with a rubberband.

Moving a previous topic to here, since it fits better here. In researching the current armor makers I've started to dig into details of the actual armor parts and will detail here what I have found. Initially the question I had was coverstrip or overlap, but as I looked this question doesn't hold up really. There is a very different answer for all parts of the armor. I'll break things down by parts on how they are connected/formed. Please keep in mind this is not an absolute, only how I see it. This should initiate the discussion on this topic and to kick start us to get to the bottom of the way these things were built. This will help builders create a more accurate offering as well make sure that we are troopers are also going out there with a level of detail that the 501st requires. Biceps: Left front: Right front: Bicep back: Conclusion: Biceps are a single piece. The ridges on the outside and “coverstrips†are part of the form. There is no real inner portion of the bicep and it is held on with a connecting rubber band. You can clearly see this on the biceps back photo on the left side. This can cause some issues with the thermoforming process, since there is an undercut as a part of the piece. Forearms: Left front: Right front: Left forearm back: Right back: No good photo I've seen. I'm going to assume here that the left back and the right back are similar. Conclusion: On the nice clear shot we have of the left back of the forearm, there is 100% 2 parts here. A top/bottom or front/back, however you'd like to call it. Based on where we see the back connection, it leads to the conclusion that the ridge on the front of the forearm is the second connection point. The connection method in the back looks to be an overlap. The top/front side has a ridge built into it and the back/bottom simply slides under this. In the back the ridge and coverstrip on the front side are purely superficial and do not hold things together. On the front, it's not clear how the 2 parts are connected. In the front photo of the right forearm, the line near the wrist looks like a single line. The front ridge looks like a single surface, which is confusing if the back is split. The parts look formed, and I know forming a single rounded part is basically impossible. Potentially an overlap situation here as well, but I can't say for sure. Thighs: Left front: Right front: Back: Conclusion: The thighs have a molded ribbing on the outside. On the inside is the rubber ribbing connected to the front of the thigh and it underlaps the backside. This allows for some level of adjust ability and ease in getting in and out of the piece. The thighs are held closed with a black rubberband about 3/4 of the way down in the film photos. The displays do not have these bands. This leads me to assume that the thighs are not glues shut. Shins: Left front: Right Front: Back: Conclusion: Tough to tell. The back of the shin seems to have an inward facing overlap, similar to the way the original TK's are. There is a coverstrip sitting on top of a formed ridge. The lower end of the shins (spats) seem to overlap the inside of the shin. Overall conclusion: Sometimes the parts look formed, sometimes they look molded. I'm certain that the parts are molded fiberglass. All cover strips are purely for visual effect. The shins and forearms are using an overlap on the inside for sizing purposes and on the outside or front edge they are a single piece. Thighs are vary similar with this overlap for sizing/easy of dressing with the overlap being on the inside utilizing rubber only on the inside. Bicpes are a single piece covering about 3/4 of the bicep. It is not a fully closed part. Held together with a rubberband. Discuss and I will update this post if we get any updates/new knowledge through research.

This is just me going off half cocked. Now that I'm getting deeper in I'm consuming more reference photos and found a lot of good shots in the reference photos section of all angles of the boots. Looks like a fairly simple rubber piece with a seamed edge. Maybe using velcro to attach or something like this.

So Looking over some photos I'm not sure what to think. Some photos I can see that the arms and legs seem to have a coverstrip, but under this it almost seems like a overlap. So overlapping with a coverstrip on it.

I'm more into a blaster with no weight to it Will likely stay in the holster all the time so lighter is better.

Hi Greg! I'm starting myself as well. The SE-14R, is it solid resin? I'm wondering about finding a rubber alternative but not sure. For the E11 mod, I'll use the E11 kits I make and fabricate some of the additional parts, and get some others printed. I'd really like to get the actual metal stock but the darn thing weighs a lot and I'm hoping to keep the weight down. So will look into a printed buttstock with steel/alu bars for the slide. What about selling some of the resin buckles? If you make a mold, making more is a snap.

Do we have any frontal/inside shots? I connected with a paid of Jered and will need to get the front cover made up.

The tubes are just loosely fitting on, so they aren't shown in the exact right location.

Got some small updates for you all who haven't seen on Facebook. The parts are all printed and clean up has been going for a bit. This thing will be really nice going into molding and castings are going to need some assembly like gluing in lenses, organizing a magnet attachment for the scope, an gluing down the tubes and mouth pieces. Being separate parts will make painting and weathering much easier when you're in the build phase.