My Stormtrooper dream finally come true
- Thread starter gizmo
- Start date
Hey, I've got the legs nearly done but have had too many busy weeks at work and home to get toomuch done.I also have to get a replacement belt as the one I have was full of cracks. I will post some pics at the weekend of my progress. I'm planning a big lighted Deathstar display for this too which I hope will turn out nice.
I'm soo in love with this armor,there's so many imperfections left intact from the original. I can't thank Simon and Rob enough for making it happen.
:$
Ben
I'm soo in love with this armor,there's so many imperfections left intact from the original. I can't thank Simon and Rob enough for making it happen.
:$
Ben
SpaceCowboy
Well-Known Member
Wow... am I behind the times! I didn't even know pulls from original ANH armor was available!!! That IS a dream come true! I am drooling all over the place!!!!
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OldKen
Master Member
Yeah, and these guys are great.
Hopefully I will get a set one day. Already have a suit with SOME lineage... but I REALLY want theirs! I think there is still a thread in the JY... If you can, get one! :thumbsup
SpaceCowboy
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info, OldKen.... I found the thread. I remember reading an article about that suit, and I'm very stoked he made replicas available!!!
Tom Sheldon
Active Member
That armor looks great!
I've got a small question. The parts are vacu-formed, right?
what is the perfect thickness of styrene or HIPS sheets for vacuum-forming?
So that it has enough details but is also strong enough, especially for helmets?
regards
Tom
I've got a small question. The parts are vacu-formed, right?
what is the perfect thickness of styrene or HIPS sheets for vacuum-forming?
So that it has enough details but is also strong enough, especially for helmets?
regards
Tom
SpaceCowboy
Well-Known Member
Hi Tom,
You can get a huge range of opinions on this forum over what is the best material for vacuforming or what is the best thickness!
The styrene used for the original troopers was 0.06 or 1/16". It is a thinner guage but also picks up great detail, because the thicker plastic you use the less detail you get (more soft, i.e., less sharp). In my opinion the helmet doesn't experience much stress, not like the armor, and is perfectly good in that gauge. A 0.06 pull will get thinner in the undercut areas, particularly on the bottom sides of the tube shape running around the head opening at the bottom of the helmet, and is subject to splits there at that gauge, but HIPS is easily repaired and the rubber neck guard keeps things together anyways. On the dome, faceplate, and sides at that gauge, the helmet is surprisingly sturdy. If you want armor just for display or to wear once and a while than 0.06 should be fine. Obviously, the thicker the gauge, the more $$$!
Another common thickness for both HIPS and ABS is 0.08 or 1/12". Some Troopers will get the helmet in 0.06 to get the best detail and then the armor in 0.08 for more durability in trooping. Trooper armor is also made, although less commonly I think, in 0.10 (1/10") and 0.125 ("1/8"). 0.125 HIPS is supposed to be very strong, but I'm not sure how much detail is lost at that gauge (as I don't have anything in that gauge). I've never heard of any vacuformed trooper armor thicker than 1/8", but I'm sure somebody has done it!
Tom Sheldon
Active Member
Thank you for the fast response, Space Cowboy!
I think I would choose 0.06 for helmet and 0.08 for armour then
I haven't actually started anything yet as i am still planning but maybe someday i will vac-form my own helmet...
I just saw an older BBC article : BBC News - How to make a Stormtrooper helmet
where Mr Ainsworth shows the molds and stuff... which finally encouraged me to try this out as well
So thanks again!
I think I would choose 0.06 for helmet and 0.08 for armour then
I haven't actually started anything yet as i am still planning but maybe someday i will vac-form my own helmet...
I just saw an older BBC article : BBC News - How to make a Stormtrooper helmet
where Mr Ainsworth shows the molds and stuff... which finally encouraged me to try this out as well
So thanks again!
SpaceCowboy
Well-Known Member
Sounds great, Tom, when you get going, please post your progress on the RPF!
Tom Sheldon
Active Member
Yeah, of course I will!
I just read up about all the variations of helmet design in ANH, ESB, RotJ..... and I never realized that those helmets were SO unsymmetric !
Maybe I'll try myself first with an x-wing pilot helmet to get started.
I just read up about all the variations of helmet design in ANH, ESB, RotJ..... and I never realized that those helmets were SO unsymmetric !
Maybe I'll try myself first with an x-wing pilot helmet to get started.
Just did this for fun and to show where my armor sits at the moment.There`s a couple of things I want to change like the trimming on the bottom of the shins and to pull the left thigh appart and assemble it a bit tighter.I don`t get much time to work on props these days and besides I wanted to savour this one as long as I can.:love
SpaceCowboy
Well-Known Member
Gorgeous!!! I just love the off-center ab section with the bottom groove running up the tilted 4-button side box... it screams "I am a genuine ANH replica"... with this armor available people will no longer have to reverse fudge ROTJ to try to get it to look right! The original ANH sculpt was such a great work of art! Your armor's going to really stand out in the crowd, Gizmo!
