RichArnold

If that's a rubies, It's a thing of beauty fella... as for the lense, I've gone and ordered meself one of e-bay. I know people rage about shade 5, but most of you have warmer climates than Britain, and work means I can barely have time off in "summer". If you can call it that over here. Anyhoo, it's only a shade 4. I imagine most troops (when I get to that stage) will either be indoors, or in the dull UK weather... Either way, I'm on minimum wage, so it is a case of "scraping" the money together to get the armour, but MC i shall have... (On a separate note, can any GB scouts advise on where they got their undersuits and what mods were needed? Ta..) TBH, I knew it wasn't goin to be cheap when I started out on this quest ( think I got lucky with the rubies), but then I wan't expecting petrol to go to £1.30 a litre.... Right, question no. 6 (19? I've lost count on this build)- - I've gone and confused myself with MC and MLC... so, 1) could somebody please PM me the difference, if there is one, and 2) stickers to fit a modded Rubies- is it MC or MLC? On a serious note, (if I may), do you think there's a chance of a "beginners guide" for this sort of dumb-ass question? It might sound a bit arrogant coming from a Newbie, but surely there's an easier way to get people into this "hobby" (your either empire or you ain't, I know!!) other than telling them to read ALL the forums (some of which are months, nay years old) and then contact Bluecyclone??? I Know the mods, etc, have a lot to do, but is it possible just to add an extra category to the home menu with something like "new to this? start here". Just chuck in everything that's been pinned, and then anything that might be useful to the "genuine" newb- I can't see the 501st pages because I'm not a member (yet) but could you not make a page that you can't see until you're a verified user of BSN? I apologise, I've realised I'm rambling on, and I know that the mods have a lot to do, and I do not wish to be dumping upon the excellent work you've done with this site... I was merely speculating aloud on how we could make this a bit easier for the people who genuinely want to be part of the 501st and the Pathfinders... I suddenly feel guilty because it looks like I've been yelling at the ONLY website that's been helpful to me.... Talk about going off topic... Where did that come from?? I apologise to the hard working mods, and at the same time, seek answers to my original queries... Your humble servant., Rich.

Sorry dude, just realised how rude it was of me not to thank you... Other than that, went and got the paint today, so I have a new question before I break the seal on it, and it's a simple one... What do you guys recommend for a good finish? and I'm not talking the "little and often" approach with the spray can, I mean the shiny, pre-weathering stage, when the bucket is showroom fresh... Is there as recommended polish? or do you guys still prefer the "non- deathstar, getting grubby on Endor" look.... Either way, I've still got to get the lense, so maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit... Cheers.

Okay, So I'm at the point where I'm just about ready to throw the bucket together, so there are the few finishing touches that need to be addresed: -Do the "comercially" available decals fit ok (I'm thinking MC?) I'm aware some trimming may be needed due to the slightly undersize nature of the rubies bucket, but will I have to cut great chunks out of them.... -Lense When and where... Ive seen the link in other threads, but a fiver for shipping seems a bit much... anybody in the UK found a cheaper alternative or willing to flog me a chunk suitable? Either way, I'm gonna try and get the bits for my boots this week (trying to build an R2 means I'm not scared of trying to build boots) and I might consider making a start on the undersuit... (Note: R2 made of wood, so maybe I'm suddenly not so confident... God bless Witness if I seriously screw up...) Other than that, this is my first costume build, and also (potentially) my first major online purchase.... it sounds a bit silly, but what exactly is the etiquette when dealing with somebody like MC? I don't want to blame where I'm from, but I am English...

It does put a grin on my face when I get something else done on it. As for Lancer, maybe if I get another dirt-cheap one I'll have a crack at it. Think I might just get this one finished to an acceptable level for now... Thanks for all the help and tips though guys- probably wouldn't be at the stage I'm at without you all. And to be fair, the occasional ego boost you guys offer is always welcome.

Well, I've had to add another reinforcing bar around the chin area. That'll be the last time I leave it by the radiator then... The flare wasn't too bad, just annoying. On the plus side, it's not painted yet, so a bit more work won't hurt the finish. That and the weather's got to change a bit before i crack out the rattle cans...

cool, soon as the money comes in the kit's ordered... ish on a slightly off topic note, is it greebles or greeblies? I think greeblies might be a warhammer thing............

Hmmm... looks like MC might get a bit of a rush soon then... seems to be the kit to go for- now all I've got to do is get the $$$ together... quick question about the MC kit- is the TD up to spec size-wise? I think it's mentioned elsewhere that the TD on one of the kits is off-spec, but can't recall if it's the MC or SC.. That and the greeblies, of course... Anyway, best start putting me pennies aside...

Frank is a Rubies modding legend! but even then, I don't think he's had any of his buckets accepted for lancer. I could be wrong, cos it might have been an older thread that I read it on... Nice to dream though...

I've resigned myself to the fact it'll never be up to Lancer spec (has any Rubies ever made lancer?) But knowing it might just be good enough for pathfinder/ 501st clearance makes it all worth the effort. And it puts a big grin on me face.

Cheers Ski... when they say it's a lot of work modding the Rubies, they don't joke. All that's left is the glosswork, decals and lense, but I think I might wait til the weather's a bit warmer before I go out to the shed. Don't want the finish ruined because it was too cold (oh to be in england, etc)

The primer seems to be okay- touch dry in about 15 minutes... I still leave it overnight to properly go off.. Which top coat did you use? I'm gonna end up going for a glossy "death-star" look for now- my weathering skills aren't brilliant, and I thought that if I wore the rest of my kit on my bike for a few trips it might weather up naturally.. Here's hoping, eh? There is one thing I needed clarified though- are there two shades of Grey on the bucket? The bolt covers and fish-hook look lighter on most of the finished ones I've seen, when compared to the other grey areas (snout, etc). If it's all the same colour, then it saves a bit of grief, but it's not a difficult thing to sort. cheers again.

Hi all... I've seen several armour "kits" on offer, but honestly, which would you guys say is the best "newbie" friendly armour set available? The SC looks good, and I've had people raging about the MC, but ultimately, which do you think is the most "Noob friendly". And not just from those two kits- if you think anything else is better, speak up... cheers, Rich.

This is how it was when i first got it. Not the worst Rubies bucket by any means, but even so...

Hurrah!! Not as easy as certain "social networking" sites, but easy enough when your told (cheers sgtski ) Anyway, back to the original point of this thread- if fits my noggin, but is it going to be enough for clearance? I've removed the logo off the back (slight repair was needed where I "punched through") and have the usual reinforcing bars (the tutorials are brilliant, and Frank is a mod god!!!) and some velcro should hold it all together at chin level. Forgot to add- this is only white primer, still plenty of room available for more adjustments, etc. Cheers though

Cheers guys. Lonewolf, when you say Frank, can i safely assume you mean Acrylikhan? His work is properly blinding. On another note, anybody know how the hell you add pics to these things? I've got all the stages of what I've done so far on Fb and my harddrive, but can't figure out how to add them to here. TBH, I'm probably just being thick... One, ever-so-slightly-off-topic question, but would you say that SC armour is best for a newbie? It looks good, and the price seems good too... Okay, so all I've got atm is the bucket, but I'm hoping to make my own boots using the tutorial, and probably gonna end up using Marcel for the bulk of the soft parts... any suggestions are welcome if this is either the wrong or right way to go about it... And yes, I know I should message Bluecyclone, but I thought I'd wait til I got some money put aside before I even think about definite purchases... note to Mods- feel free to move this topic if it shifts too far away from bucket talk... ta.

Hi all.. Purchsed a Rubies bucket for £20 (about $30) off a certain, well known, online auction site, and have been slowly modding it in my spare time. Had a few queries about it, and was hoping to pick your brains about it: 1) how much "flare" is needed to be taken out? my head's not huge, and I've managed to get it to a point where I can squeeze it over my noggin, but I'm concerned that if I need to take any more out of it, it'll never fit.. 2) apart from what's in the various tutorials, is there anything else I should worry about to make it Pathfinder/ 501st acceptable? As mentioned, i've taken as much flare as i dare out of it, and I've got a replacement Greeble (greeblie?) from DJ over here in the Uk, but I'm wondering if the decals should be made of a specific material, or if sign-quality vinyl is sufficient? From looking through the various topics, etc, is it safe to assume that I don't need any form of trim around the base of the helmet? Anyway, that's about all i can think of right now, hope to post a WIP photo shortly, and thanks for any help you can offer. Cheers all...