I'm back... need some help :)

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Obi-Ron
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I'm back... need some help :)

Post by Obi-Ron »

Hey All - I bought ATA armor for an ESB trooper about six years ago. Without sharing my sob stories, it didn't get done. I am back, and I want to build my armor! Again, it's six year old ATA ESB armor - I barely got anything done before, but I want to finish this in the summer (I am a teacher, and have summer vacation).

Is there anything new I should know about this brand of armor? I know of some old tutorial sites, but if anyone has some to share, I am eager to learn and build! I'm a total dolt about making anything handy, so I'll need all the assistance I can get.

Thanks! And MTFBWY
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Re: I'm back... need some help :)

Post by mbone »

I don't know anything specific about your particular armor, but I've thrown together two sets of RT-MOD and have a few (hopefully) helpful tips. These are solely my own opinion.

1. Dremel. If you haven't bought one yet, you're looking for the rotary variety. There's an optional extender snake thing which is very good for precision work as it is more like holding a pen rather than holding the whole unit. Whatever model you choose, get the extended warranty on it and if the switch is AT ALL weird when you first use it return it right there for another one. I've lost two dremels so far, a friend lost one, they were different models but the problem was always the same: the switch.

2. Glue. Personally, I hate E6000. The cement for the specific plastic it is (ABS, PVC, etc) will create a permanent bond and sets in about a half hour. You can get it at Home Depot, Lowe's Menard's, etc., in the little cans that have a brush or foam applicator on a stick connected to the lid. Again, I'm probably in the minority here as everyone seems to like e6000. Whatever glue you use, it'll bond better if you sand the areas to be joined first.

3. Clamps and magnets. You'll definitely want a lot of clamps of different varieties and some of those super powerful rare earth magnets for areas where the clamps cannot reach. Be careful handling them as they can shatter if they snap together too hard.

Get some dust masks and safety glasses, you don't want to breathe in pretty much anything you might be dremeling on. Don't freak out if you make a mistake, there's nothing some backing and a little bondo work can't fix. If it's thick ABS and you need to score and snap stuff, score it a couple of times and put some Hulk into it or it's going to be real tough to snap.

I found it was easier to move through ABS and leave a clean line with the dremel sanding tip attachments rather than some of the cutting or grinding ones, which tended to melt it more than cut it and leave sloppy edges.

Hope some or any of that was helpful.

Good luck!

P.S. Wherabouts in Michigan are you located?
"Uh, no disrespect intended sir, but whaddya mean, 'If it's locked move on to the next one.' Dontcha think locking the door's the first thing they're gonna do?"
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Re: I'm back... need some help :)

Post by stasz »

Definitely head over to whitearmor.net for build threads, tips, tricks, etc.

To my knowledge the only thing that is officially verböten is FX helmets.
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Obi-Ron
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Re: I'm back... need some help :)

Post by Obi-Ron »

Hey, thanks! I don't know what the difference is between ABS, PVC, or what I have. What worries me the most is the snaps - I'll need help with those. And I don't know what scoring is. I am from Royal Oak.
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Re: I'm back... need some help :)

Post by Ripcode »

Obi-Ron wrote:Hey, thanks! I don't know what the difference is between ABS, PVC, or what I have. What worries me the most is the snaps - I'll need help with those. And I don't know what scoring is. I am from Royal Oak.
Your armor is ABS.

Scoring??

Whitearmor.net will give you all the info you need.
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Zarlon
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Re: I'm back... need some help :)

Post by Zarlon »

Welcome back,

Like others have mentioned, a great place to start your research is over at the First Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment (FISD) which can be found at Whitearmor.net. Here is a link to the getting started thread: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/3 ... his-first/

My kit is also ATA so yours should still be fine for approval. If you want to read my ANH build thread, you can find it here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/3 ... hread-ata/

After you've read through the Getting Started section I would suggest that you start a build thread here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/8 ... d-threads/. Everyone over on the forums is extremely helpful. If you consistently post pictures of your progress as you go, you'll get a lot of great feedback.

Also, when doing your research, be sure and check out the Advance Tactics section of the FISD boards here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/1 ... d-tactics/ This is where you can find out how to take your costume to the next levels of screen authenticity. If you’re going to spend time and money on a build you might want to think about EIB and Centurion status from the beginning. It's much easier to plan your build with these rankings in mind than to try and fit them in once your armor is already complete. Good luck and have fun!
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Re: I'm back... need some help :)

Post by Deadeye »

Obi-Ron wrote:Hey, thanks! I don't know what the difference is between ABS, PVC, or what I have. What worries me the most is the snaps - I'll need help with those. And I don't know what scoring is. I am from Royal Oak.
Scoring is basically where you draw a line on the plastic with your knife blade and then snap it along the line. You're basically cutting it just enough that it'll crack nice and clean along that line. The recommendation to score it twice is so you make sure the score cut is deep enough that you get a clean break. And the snaps are fairly easy with the right tools. I live in Bloomfield Hills so I'm not too far if you need help with something. I'm not too familiar with ATA but I can't imagine there are too many differences from my vendor. Make sure you do enough research on White Armor to get comfortable with what you want to do but there are a lot of conflicting opinions and methods there too so don't overwhelm yourself to the point you're second guessing everything. Just my $.02.
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Re: I'm back... need some help :)

Post by Obi-Ron »

Is anyone else having trouble with the whitearmor site? It keeps saying server error for me.
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Re: I'm back... need some help :)

Post by mbone »

Yep, same here.
"Uh, no disrespect intended sir, but whaddya mean, 'If it's locked move on to the next one.' Dontcha think locking the door's the first thing they're gonna do?"
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Re: I'm back... need some help :)

Post by mbone »

They said they had their best people on it today and it looks like it's back up now.
"Uh, no disrespect intended sir, but whaddya mean, 'If it's locked move on to the next one.' Dontcha think locking the door's the first thing they're gonna do?"
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