Rwg86

Here are a few pictures updating my progress on my BC Kashyyyk trooper kit. All the soft parts on the costume are completed except the belt and the pouches need to be painted. Below are two shots of the helmet. It's ready for priming. All that's needed is the visor to be permanently attached and the greeblies obviously need to be added on.

Thanks. I added the shoulder straps to the top and am realizing that it is fitting better than I thought.

Hello! I've recently finished up cutting and sanding the helmet which is technically ready for priming. I want to move onto the back piece next which is already prepped and ready to go. However, I have a large chest and a fairly curved back. I'm planning on using Darren1970's technique to extend the chest out but I need to adjust the actual shape of the back piece. Has anyone used a heat gun to conform the back piece to their body shape? I'm planning on donning the under-suit and cummerbund then having my wife help me use the heat gun to conform the piece so that it's more open and comfortable. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'll post pictures as soon as I can. Thanks!

I have a BC helmet that was cast in January of 2013. I decided to do the traditional drop-down method since I was able to make it fit my big head with plenty of cutting and sanding. Once my camera gets fixed I'll post some WIP pictures under the helmet section.

Also, make sure your lighting is sufficient. Depending on the casting, it can be difficult to see the "border" between the excess molding and the nose "bumps." I almost sanded too far before I stopped myself, adjusted my floodlamp then realized I was where I needed to be.

When I picked up my kit our local garrison commander already purchased tan/beige-ish combat boots for the kit. Is that good enough to go off of?

Honestly BC's chest-piece could be a lot bigger. Granted I have a big 45 inch chest but even on slim people with both the undersuit and the cummerbund which (thankfully) is large, it's a pretty tight fit.

It must be nice to have a small chest. I'm going to have to extend my chestpiece like darren1970 did in his tutorial.

Agreed. I've spend quite some time sanding out the area around the bumps and I'm still not entirely satisfied. ferra did a very nice job on his.

Great thanks. That makes me feel a lot better.

Hello! As I continue to work on BC's KT bucket, I noticed something on the 501st website. Right above the lens is a segmented "vent" which runs the length of the lens. BC's bucket kit has no indentation to show where it goes and it seems to be a lot more sloped than the 501st reference pic. I feel very uncomfortable making a "cold" incision into the helmet with no point of reference. The gap between the vent and lens is extremely thin and I don't want to compromise the integrity of the helm. I checked with our local Garrison commander and he mentioned that none of the screencaps that he has show the vent. I've also seen some 41st costumes that don't include the vent either but I also want to ensure that the bucket is accurate. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions? That small margin of error makes me nervous.

Yup! Hopefully I'll be able to post some pics tonight. I really didn't feel comfortable cutting off the entire face so I felt I had to make the "drop-down" version work. With enough Dremmeling, 100 grit sandpaper and a fine hobby file the edges are smooth and comfortable. There really is a LOT of room in there once you get it on.

Have fun! I'm in the process of working on the bucket myself. The shoulder, forearm, cod, knees, chest, back and the right foot armor are cut, sanded and ready to be primed.

Ok I experimented on the bucket in lieu of the forums being quiet. I used a 1 1/2 inch Dremel plastic cut off wheel to trim the opening of the bucket to the point where my big noggin fits in it comfortably. There's quite a bit of space in there once you get past the narrow opening. I'm currently using a Dremel sanding drum to smooth out the opening before I smooth it down even further with a hobby file. I'm going to post some WIP pictures under a new post to keep track of my project.

Hello! I know this topic was sort of addressed earlier but I wanted to check in about BC's bucket size. My large noggin is slightly over 24 inches in circumference and without trimming away at the neck the bucket definitely doesn't fit on my head. It's actually funny- it sits on the top of my head like a hat. Several other users stated they have similar head sizes at 23 and 24 inches respectively and that they have plenty of room once they get into it. I was wondering, how much of the neck area should/can you take off? I'm looking mostly towards the back part of the bucket where the "bulge" is and has the most room. Thanks!