toddo

the reason I suggest E6000 to connect the shoulder straps to the chest plate is because if the straps crack or break at any point, they can be replaced. Over time, the shoulder straps can be one of the first things to crack.

congratulations on the DL position at BlizzardForce. I haven't seen anything regarding the election on those boards. Am I missing something?

Sometimes a Sharpie will do that trick.

ooh, that's creepy. Nice paint choice IMHO.

it really isn't necessary and would probably look better absent as it currently stretches over the kidney plate. I agree about affixing the shoulder straps in the front. It tends to look better and is less likely to pop off without you realizing it when your helmet is on. Once you have everything fit the way you want, I'd glue the forearms on both sides, glue the front of the calves, glue the thighs shut, and seal the biceps with glue. It's coming along though. Keep rocking.

not at all. I had one on my first helmet, but I fumbled all the time with it. I took it out after my first troop and now have just padding in all of my TK-style buckets. Keep in mind that the ROTJ troopers were stunt troopers intended to be upended by Ewoks.

The bicep straps are hidden within the shoulder bells as there should be overlap. The forearm straps are on the inner arm and are black, so they match your undersuit.

Here is a diagram CFO posted on FISD that was designed by one of the ROTJ actors complete with a revised version from Troopermaster: I have used the suspender system on my Shadow/Novas as well as my Sandtrooper. It works fine. For my Incinerator and my TK I used this system. I have to say the whole suit seems to hold together better this way. It feels like it's all connected. I would recommend using elastic under the shoulder straps though. In ROTJ they likely didn't do that, but in ANH they did. It works much better and allows you to keep the tension off the plastic straps.

That's great news Ty. I was feeling your angst there for a second.

Pandatrooper's return edge tutorial is great, and Terry is an amazing armorer, but I agree with Dizzy. You likely will compromise the shiny in the areas that you manipulate. I've used just about everything in learning to trim armor, but eventually a sharp Exacto to score and the good snap seems to be the least work and best result for me personally. As far as buckets go, there are a couple available at an amazing price here: http://forum.specops501st.com/index.php?/topic/2077-for-sale-3-tx-cap-lids/page__p__31342__hl__scootch__fromsearch__1&do=findComment&comment=31342

As for the detonator, if the AM TD caps are the size of the FX, then they are pretty large compared to screen used. I know a fellow who could get you some accurate-sized caps that will fit over a standard pvc pipe. Let me know if you want in contact with him.

Looking pretty good. I think your thigh ammo belt is titling upward. A tiny strip of velcro might fix that into position and keep it nice and straight.

I love the photo. That looks like an absolute blast. As for the ammo belts, Woodchuck's look top-notch! I can't wait to see you with them on.

You have a couple of things to try before starting over. First, you could try using a heat-gun to reshape the halves so that they are more round. Second you mentioned Velcro in an earlier post, but the forearms really should be glued on both sides. Having said that, if you use cover strips, you could glue the two halves together with some For Sale sign inside then glue the cover strips on the outside. Of course, if you're not using cover strips on the rest of the armor, then it would be inconsistent to use them on the forearms. Let me know if you need new forearms and I'll send you a PM.

A photo would help to assess this. Let me know if you need forearms. I know just the guy.

No problem at all. Besides, who am I to argue with a Kiwi sporting oversized arm cannons?

Nevermind your son's friends. I'm green with envy!

cover strips need to be as big as they need to be. There's plenty of guys who have achieved top-notch Centurion status on FISD who have had to employ larger cover strips. In other words, those pythons should not affect basic approval.

unlike the traditional TK belt, these aren't long enough to mount all t he way around. You'll have to cut the belt into two sections and E6000 them to the belt edges. It works great and it is nice and strong. You won't have any belt sag if you ever have a heavier blaster either.

I thought I should clarify what I'm talking about. I'm not sure if the straps are glued down or if they are secured with velcro. If it's velcro, then use some E6000 and clamp those rascals down. If you wanted to shorten the distance between the chest and back at the shoulder, I was suggesting that you cut off the back rectangle from each of the ribbed strap. Here's an example from Acima's FISD Centurion submission that illustrates what I'm talking about: As for the zip ties holding down the straps, that's clever. ANH screen used costumes accomplished the same thing using thin elastic (see Acima's photo again). You could use black elastic to keep yours down and be super-accurate. I personally prefer mine free-floating during troops.

I used this for two of my belts: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Red-Navy-White-Purple-PATENT-LEATHER-WIDE-CINCH-HIGH-WAIST-BELT-3-Wide-/390542380694?pt=US_Women_s_Belts&var=&hash=item5aee23ce96

I think you look fantastic. I think it should be approved as it stands. I have three suggestions that will help your armor be the best it can be: 1. The ribbed shoulder straps seem to not be fully secured on the chest plate. This could be because of the angle of the AM chest where you have it attached. Maybe some of the guys with AM armor can chime-in here about that. If you can't get the straps to sit flat on t he chest armor in that position, maybe try cutting the back rectangles off the backs of the straps and position the front of the straps a tad higher-up where they sit flat. 2. The back plate should have no to minimal overlap with the kidney plate. Should you shorten the canvas shoulders straps between the chest and back just a bit, you would achieve this pretty easily. This could work well in conjunction with suggestion number one. 3. While the canvas belt is acceptable, gloss black is preferred for TX. A lot of folks use ABS for this. I use a vinyl ladie's belt that I scored from Ebay. Keep in mind that these are merely suggestions. I think you should be approved as is and should be proud!

that chest piece is nicely done in my opinion.

this is the best Hasbro conversion I've seen since Quebectrooper rocked his on FISD. Furthermore, the tutorial is even better. Stick around Special Ops bro. We're in love with you.

this totally beats my Vinz Clortho hat.