Shada

Thanks - this is useful. I see both you and Panda used a mixture of the two, so I appreciate getting the details on what works where. 😃 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm curious about adhesives - what do you use plastic weld for, and how is it different from E6000? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oblivion - I got my vinyl from Pete's Emporium (not sure if there's a Chch equivalent but it's like a combination of Warehouse, Spotlight and Mitre 10 but cheaper - $12 for 1m). Stretched well. Retrofire - thanks for the tip. I haven't made my vest yet but will allow for it when sizing. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Some Easter progress :-) Over the weekend, I've made a cummerbund and cod out of the old curtain material, and made a start on my boots. Bund - this came together reasonably well, once I figured out the sizing and where the various bits of velcro would go. My biggest realisation is that the combination of two layers of cotton and padding (on top of a flight suit and vest) means that this will be really hot to wear. I took a leaf out of Panda's book and added some foam and a plastic insert (old ice cream container) into the cod to give it some shape. After following a few threads about one- vs - two-piece cods and bunds, I've left it as two pieces attached with velcro at the back, so I can adjust the height as needed. Boots - this was the bit that filled me with trepidation when I first started looking into a TB build - the idea of stretching vinyl over boots in a hot car. It turned out to be easier than expected and I'm amazed how much stretch there was in it. The boots are drying now so I hope to put on the 3/4 strip and uppers/dogbone over this week.

Some Easter progress :-) Over the weekend, I've made a cummerbund and cod out of the old curtain material, and made a start on my boots. Bund - this came together reasonably well, once I figured out the sizing and where the various bits of velcro would go. My biggest realisation is that the combination of two layers of cotton and padding (on top of a flight suit and vest) means that this will be really hot to wear. I took a leaf out of Panda's book and added some foam and a plastic insert (old ice cream container) into the cod to give it some shape. After following a few threads about one- vs - two-piece cods and bunds, I've left it as two pieces attached with velcro at the back, so I can adjust the height as needed. Boots - this was the bit that filled me with trepidation when I first started looking into a TB build - the idea of stretching vinyl over boots in a hot car. It turned out to be easier than expected and I'm amazed how much stretch there was in it. The boots are drying now so I hope to put on the 3/4 strip and uppers/dogbone over this week.

Questions - I said I'd ask a lot of questions, and lots of people encouraged me to, so here goes: Fabric The CRL says "matt white, heavy weight cotton fabric". I was clearing through some excess material from our old curtains and discovered that on the other side of the printed face I've looked at for years is a smooth matt white colour. It looks good to me, and is definitely a heavy weight cotton, so is it suitable for my soft armour? TD tube Oblivion noted that my TD tube appears near white, rather than gray. I've attached a photo of the tube and white end caps on a sheet of white paper - the tube is definitely a gray colour rather than pure white, but looks lighter than the screenshots of the TB on the speeder, although not far off the colour in the MotM exhibit. The lower tube is from an old vacuum cleaner that I found that is the same diameter but a darker gray (almost silver). Are either of these acceptable or do I need to paint? Also, the MotM and some screen caps show the TD lopsided - with more tubing visible to the left than the right - while intuitively it seems better to have it centred (and some pics seem to show this) - is there a standard about how much should protrude from each side? Sizing - this picture shows my first test-sizing (rather than a bizarre attempt at a bright green camo pattern). There's about a 1" gap between the chest/back at the shoulders, while the underarm distances are around 5-6" - I can't see any specifications that say what the gaps should be, but this feels ok to me - is it acceptable? Shoulder/bicep/forearms - I know I need to round off the shoulder bell corners, but wonder if the other sizes/gaps are acceptable? Should I shorten the bells to make room to shift the other armour further up the arm? Bicep (not shown here) my SC armour comes with some U-clips to help secure the bicep greebly (fits in the gap between the square and rectangle, then goes through the holes to twist behind) - is this something a lot of people use, and/or would adding it clash with Lancer status? Cod - ignore the paper pattern for the cod here, I've already modified it to be shorter/narrower. Flight suit - I bought this from an Army Surplus store - it's definitely long enough but seems a bit too baggy - am I right in thinking I'll need to tighten it up? Thanks for any suggestions you have.

Thanks - I'm planning to annotate my instructions with Lancer specs and Panda's instructions before starting the build. Tube is a light gray, not as white as the picture suggests but lighter than I've seen some - will need to compare with reference shots to be sure. I'll think about how to hide the top snap - it may look different with the mandarin collar closed properly. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks Scavenger - I kept seeing references to Photobucket so I appreciate the link. Some initial photos: Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've taken my first steps into a larger world. After several years of thinking about joining the 501st, several weeks of reading build threads, then introducing myself a couple of weeks ago, I've now made concrete progress in my purchasing and building. I've ordered hard armour from SC, gloves from WW, and a helmet from Spike. It's been fun reading UPS e-mail updates to see the armour and gloves gradually make their way from Colorado and Georgia to LA, then to NZ. The gloves arrived the other day (one size up fitted perfectly) and the armour turned up 9 days after I ordered, which was incredibly fast to travel to the other side of the world (and as a bonus didn't attract any attention from Customs). After reading some threads about trouble others have had with delays from their suppliers, I'm really happy I went with SC. The helmet is due towards the end of April - there's something appropriate about an Aussie sending a helmet to a Kiwi around ANZAC Day. While waiting for the overseas shipments, I've started on the soft parts. I purchased coveralls from an Army surplus shop and de-pocketed it and turned an epaulet into a mandarin collar, while also picking up a lightweight balaclava. I've found a pair of wheat-soled boots from K-Mart - the first and probably only occasion in my life where the sole colour was a determining factor in a footwear purchase. I also found a heavy cotton black t-shirt that I can modify and turn into a flack vest. Over Easter, I plan to start figuring out the sizing of the armour (I don’t think a lot of significant trimming will be needed) and make a bunch of paper patterns using files sourced from BSN, so I can purchase material for the bund/cod, pouches and boots. Now that I've started a build thread, I just need to figure out the best way to post pictures...

Thanks. I'll go with 1-up and see how they break in Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks - yes, it's the base boot I'm looking for. I've never been shoe shopping where the main criterion was the sole colour! Will check out Warehouse and Kmart today. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks Panda. I'm a newbie whose been looking at BSN for a while now and almost everyone recommends checking this thread out - now that I've followed it, I can see why. I've copied it all into the OneNote file I'm using to compile all of my reference material, so will use it a lot as I build.

Thanks for the videos - they're a great resource for newbies. I've been reading a lot of build threads and almost all seem to recommend buying the Wampa gloves one size larger than you'd expect. However, some also say that the thumbs are still tight even if you go 1 size larger, so does that mean its better to go 2 sizes larger (or does that mean the rest of the glove is too floppy)?

Thanks for the tutorial - I plan to follow it closely when i make my vest. I notice that the CRL says the vest is made from "black matt finish heavy weight cotton fabric" but the sleeves in the photos seem to have a sheen to them - is this just an artefact of the way the light falls on the ribbing, or do some vests have a satin-type material as well?

As another Kiwi aiming for TB I've been interested in your build. Did you buy the boots from an NZ shop or off the net? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk