Ursus

So long as nobody is TASTING them to determine the difference... That would be bad... very bad... Only the Mass Spec should taste the glue. To tell us what the secret ingredient of GOOP really is. Thanks for the info. Anybody remember eating the construction/art paste in grade school? Hope nobody was a vegan...

Is E6000 the "standard" glue everyone has come to use for making the boots? Were other adhesives tried in the past? Some folks mentioned GOOP. Are these the big 2 for boot making? I'm about to start mine and I don't want to use something that will not hold well and end up having to reglue anything. Thanks

Yay fading... I will be doing up my own racing suit mods and have found a nice doe suede at our local Beverly's that is thin enough not to be too uncomfortable when applied to the inside of the thighs. I like the idea for velcroing the but flap onto the suit. Does it just hang down from the waistband and then get sinched by the bund strap? That is what some of thereference pics seem to show.

The racing suit looks like it's quilted, which would not work. The racing suits worn are single layer without quilting on the jumpsuit portion. The ribbing seen on the sleeves is from a vest worn over the racing suit and under the cumberbund and armor. The first undersuit would not work at all as it is mesh material. It might work under a flight suit if it is designed to wick away moisture. Those are probably worn under the fire retardant suits to help keep the driver/rider cooler. They would just add too many layers to a costume. The second one would work for a TK undersuit, a bit expensive, but probably long lasting. Keep looking, you'll find one. If not there, then find one here and see if shipping isn't too expensive. If it is see if someone from a garrison closer to you might be willing to pick one up from a local shop and mail it to you. It might be cheaper that way, since they can ship it at the cheapest rate. Many companies charge more for international shipping even though there are loser cost alternantives. Good luck.

I'd still have pay $90 for a racing suit. Wish I could try them on to see which would fit me better. I might have to see if any of the local shops carry them. We have quite a lot of uniform and surplus shops in then SF bay area. There are also some good racing, motorsport and motorcycle shops as well. Sometimes flight suits are baggy on me, sometimes not. Mostly what I'm looking for is something I won't have to replace later with somthing that fits better, as in more accurately. Call me lay in my old age... but if I don't have to make a mod, why do it? That would leave removing a couple pockets and adding the suede bits plus leg elastic. LSFU is making my bund, pouches and vest. I'd like to sew something on this.

Looks like a better choice to mod up. The fewer thigns to remove the better. The fewer additions the better. I like the Mandarin collar and the fact that there are fewer pockets to remove. Having to add the leather crotch with elastic straps and the butt flap will be enough work as it is. Not having to modify the collar to convert it to a Mandarin style saves time and effort. Thanks for posting this!

Attach the elastic band by gluing it at the back and velcroing in the front, that way after you velcro it to the shoulder strap you can reach behind and pull the elastic taught to keep the bottom attached to your upper bicep. Otherwise looks great!

We just glued the elastic from side to side but a piece of velcro on one end would make it easier to put on and take off. I also had another thought on straping for the biceps. If you ran a strip of reinfoircing cloth down the inside of each sleeve of the jumpsuit or vest so the velcro on the bicep could be kept from slipping down or moving around much. That way the armor stays put better: it moves with you and not against you. It's kind of like inside a uniform shirt where you wear a badge on your chest, i.e. Law Enforcement, Firefighters and Security Guards. There is a strip of cloth running down from the shoulder to where the badge attaches to the chest of the short to keep the badge from casuing the shirt from pulling away from your chest or tearing the shirt over time. Again, just a thought...

THANK YOU! You have saved me from making a huge blunder by answering this for me. I wasn't sure if there was car trim on it or not. Now I know. I will trim this as close as I can and glue a thin strip of reinforcement inside. I may use some fiberglass tape and some resin. that will stiffen up the bottom edge without being too visible, it would also help me untweak the alignment so the face/visor aligns better with the back. I'll be using a dark, gray/black lining with the helmet so that will cover-up any unsightly mess inside. Thanks again!

That is how I did my AT, TS and TK/TD shoulder bells. They are attached to the shoulder strap between the chest and back plates and we used elastic with velcro around the biceps. You could even run a second strap down underneath the one for the shoulder bell to help keep the bicep piece in place. It may not be "accurate" but if it is covered up, it shouldn't matter. Isn't the standard based on how it "looks" and not how it is underneath? Just a suggestion...

Glad I came across this. My bucket is a KS and I haven't attached the face/visor to the main part of the bucket so fixing the accuracy of the bolt covers is going to be easier. Going with the MC greeblie on the riser plate for more accuracy. Witness, could you please post pics detailing where the "Bottom Neck Trim" is on the helmet. I will trim the bottom edge around the back more before I put on the Auto Trim. How close should I trim this edge or should it be completely removed prior to adding the white auto trim? Thanks...

There are no dumb questions... only dumb answers. But wait... you answered your own question...

I'd go with Tru-Spec as you can get a long size in those. The less you have to remove the better. I personally prefer a thicker suit as I want a little more between me and those pesky Ewoks. Have you seen the size of the 'skeeters on Endore's forrest moon? Any recomendations on what grade of ultrasuede to use for the crotch and butt flaps? Thanks

Very Nicky done. Which boot did you use as a base? I might give it a go if it'll help save me some coin on this project.

Great. Is this what I have to look forward to: sliced and diced fingers? Would they even notice the cuts in the soles if they were mirrored to each boot? I guess you would have to have made the cuts before you glued the vinyl onto the boots, that they would notice. Any suggestions on sole cutting paterns or templates? Should the cuts be evenly spaced or should there be specific measurements between the cuts? Tracy

Absolute, utter... AWESOMENESS!!! I'd make the swim to get one. My KS was a welcome challenge to build, having built an AT, a TS and a TK (now a TD) from our H-I molds (lots of gluing and shiming and such to fit different body types). Glad you are taking the time to do it right! Having seen the post on the TB helmet that came from Steve Sansweet's collection, including the inside details... plus the info on how they were made by the guys who made them: you are on the right track!! I don't mind a mm off here or there: anyone that close to take the measurement is WAY too close anyway. Keep us all posted! I'd gladly get in on a pre-order if that helps to make the decision to kit these up for folks. Did I forget to use the word "AWESOMENESS"?

Thank you. My buddy Eric Moody had to climb the 30' ladder next to the gantry at the RMC Lonestar cement factory's "lava tube". Someone else was supposed to do it, but none of the other TKs could do it. We modded our legs like the crew that took the Tantive 4 in ANH, we cut half circes into the lower part of the back of the thigh armor, which could be seen on the screen. It was MUCH cooler in the armor as that place was literally hot. Folks walking on the gantry next to the lava tube could deform the plastic bits on their costumes it was that hot. All in all it was fun, even though it was a lot of "hurry-up and wait". Tracy

Looking great dude! I have a 48" chest and that will not shrink as I continue to lose weight. We had the same size issues when we did our TKs (H-I here in the SF bay area). I'm looking at gettin a set of SC armor. I have a KS helmet and it went together easy enough. LadySewForUs is doing my soft bits. I'm starting with the cumberbund and pouches and I might get a vest at the same time. Mostly looking to get the armor together and enough soft gear to troop in. I'm trying to get my gear done by the end of May for BayCon in San Jose. It will be a fun little troop to try out the gear. It's indoors so I will be able to walk around without too much sun. I'm planning on puting fans and speakers in my bucket and a sund system in the hump. I want to keep the pouches free for carying stsuff since I won't have the pockets on the flight suit that I'm used to. What pistol did you get? It looks great in the holster. I have a KS pistol and I need to trim off the trigger (it was an EARLY one of his kits). (My avatar pic is from the Davenport, CA film shoot for IMPS: The Relentless, the sequel to "TROOPS". I had to climb a 40' ladder to reach that platform, in my TK. The producer followed me up with my bucket and rifle.) Tracy Newby TK/TD/TS/AT-0727

I'm working with LadySewForUs on getting my soft parts. I have had MANY years of experience sewing costumes, mostly for RenFaire and the SCA. It is more satisfying to do it yourself... but time does equal money. I'm starting off with the cumberbund with pouches. I have a blsck flightsuit... somewhere around here... I also have plenty of surplus and uniform shops in my area (SF Bay Area). The vest and a more accurate jumpsuit (with "suede" bits) will come later when I go for Lancer. I already have some boots and a blaster (that I need to cut the trigger off of) plus a helmet from KS and a balaclava. Get your armor from any of the folks mentioned here. My helmet is a KS but I'll likely get my armor from SC or maybe MC. That is in the order of cost from least expensive to most expensive. I'm going with ABS so I don't have to paint it. If it gets scratched up too much... then I can paint it. Just get into gear and start going to events: conventions, parades, parties and celbrations of all kinds where the 501st is invited or welcomed. If you don't have a blaster your first event, don't sweat it, it might not "count" as an official troop, but you get your armor on and see what you might need to tweak to fit better. Good luck and keep us posted! Tracy

Awesomeness!!!