What you may want to know about:

Introduction:

Featured in this section are first-time building tips, modification recommendations, and wearing basics.
If you think you'll just buy the kit and be done with it... There's more! Obviously, you'll need some other gear, including:

Blaster -- 20 bux through over 500 bux! For durability at public appearances, score a plastic Kenner blaster for $20.

Body Glove -- Many of us wear a black Lycra scuba diver "lining". Around 40 - 50 bux. But after sweating profusely and grossing myself out, I've found a two-piece cotton glove (around $75) which BREATHES 100% better than the Lycra (for me at least).

Boots -- There a few suppliers of boots - several different styles to choose from. If you need a source, shop around tuxedo stores for a pair of white boots. These really compliment the armor... Trooping in tennis shoes just isn't the same.

Brain Bucket (Helmet) Paraphernalia (Consider installing micro-fans... it gets WARM in there). You'll find more information available in my TROOPER GEAR section, under BUCKETS.

Purchase stock in a 9volt battery manufacturer. [grin] If you customize your suit w/electronics, battery makers will love you. The intercom system uses two 9v batteries, each cooling fan for the bucket will use an additional 9-volter... 'Nuff said.

I have recently completed a whole new section devoted to Trooper Accessories. We need support gear to complete the look/feel of transforming into a Trooper. Please see the TROOPER GEAR section (click on the Trooper Gear button located in the left Navigation Bar).

There are some wonderful sites showing how to build/modify your suit.  They are listed below in the Mods section Check these people out and bookmark them for additional info on the actual building of your suit.  TK103 has some of the best written Armor information I've seen... and was used during my construction.  I've created this section in accordance with my own findings whilst building/wearing armor, yet I know much of my info still comes from TK103. He has my gratitude for being gracious enough to give me a blessing on writing my own section.

Below is a pic of the completed suit, ready for TK861 to slip into and wreak havoc!

Building

You will need a hot glue gun, CA (cyanoacrylate) adhesive, and a compliment of the normal tools -- x-acto knife, screwdrivers, Dremel tool, scissors, measuring ruler, sanding paper (from Medium (400) to Very Fine grade (2000)), etc.  The kit comes with an AMPLE supply of Velcro, which is great... it becomes apparent there are other ways of fastening armor pieces with Velcro not described in the construction document (Thanks, TK103!)

A side note on hot-gluing -- As noted in the construction document, it's a GREAT idea to have a wet cloth available to cool the other side of the piece/s being glued.  Apply the cloth on the backside while gluing, this will help to prevent distortion of the ABS material. Additionally, hot glue is okay as a glueing agent, but consider it to be temporary, depending upon the application. For instance, epoxies work better for more permanent applications where you want to ensure equipment is SOLID. Hot glue is flexible, but not necessarily permanent.

** New Velcro Gouge (Info)**

Southern California gets warm... really warm. We have made appearances outdoors in over 100 degree (F) weather... which is damned hot. The stock Velcro adhesive will not endure this punishment. For white armor, our saving grace is removing the old Velcro strips (easily facilitated as the adhesive melts due to the heat/sweat-condensation), clean off the gummy adhesive and place a bead of Medium cyanoacrylate (CA) glue on a NEW strip of Velcro Attach the new Velcro to the armor. Note that there are several different setting grades of CA glue. FAST (instant), MEDIUM, and SLOW - loosely translated. Instant glues (Fast) literally set in the blink of an eye. It doesn't allow you much time to ensure the halves fit together properly prior to the glue setting. The Medium grade is just right... you'll have enough time to ensure the strip is positioned properly before the CA sets. Be sure the glue is gap-filling as well. It has a thicker viscosity, hence it doesn't have the tendency to run everywhere except in the area you need bonded (hopefully).

Due to the extra bonding strength of Velcro attached with CA, I highly recommend securing ALL Velcro with CA glue.

- OR -

Purchase and use Industrial Velcro in place of the kit-supplied Velcro. It's more expensive, but the actual Velcro hook n' fuzzy stuff is different (more durable) and the adheisive is stronger.

You'll have greater assurance the hook n' fuzzy bits will resist pulling away from the armor itself due to frequent wearing/extreme conditions. We pulled duty on a 105 degree Fahrenheit day; those who had not used Industrial Velcro or CA found Velcro glue to gel up and slip right off. This was merely an extreme, but in Southern California, we know what it's like to be stationed on Tatooine!

Note: This glue works well with WHITE armor. CA glue has a tendency to "smoke" when it cures, it will leave a powdery substance surrounding the cured area. On other colors of armor, this will be noticeable and UGLY . On white armor, it's non-detectable.

Lastly, when you affix Velcro to the armor, be sure to place the FUZZY (soft piece) of Velcro on all parts that FACE your bodyglove. The HOOK side of Velcro will shred most bodygloves after just a few Field Missions.

 

For a cleaner appearance, some Troopers glue the armor shells (thigh shells and arm shells for instance) and do not use Velcro. This is fine until the day you need to separate the shell halves for whatever reason.

At 5'-9", I found certain pieces had to be trimmed up, else they pinched the living hell out of me.  If trimming is necessary, I have found a utility knife works real well and you can actually "carve" the material. Or, score it with the knife and bend the piece to simply break it off. The trimmed piece should break off cleanly - ABS plastic is a gem to work with. Dremel tools make cutting ABS a dream. Now sand the cut area to round it to a smooth finish. I'll use either sand paper or an x-acto blade to carve a nice rounded surface.

I have recently added larger Velcro pieces to the shoulder plates. I found the single half inch strip supplied would limit my flexibility. Removing my helmet for instance, typically meant that the shoulder plate connectors would lose their grip and my shoulder 'bells' would unfasten and dangle around the elbows. I installed some 1" wide black Velcro to increase the overall area of 'hinge' and secured each with a rivet. Now the shoulder bells rarely fall off. Refer to the Mods section... especially if you intend to do any trimming.

The Brain Bucket (Helmet) -- TAKE YOUR TIME and construct the helmet carefully... very carefully! Use a dose of patience fitting the facemask and aft sections together.  Likewise for the decals.  Use a spritz of Windex on the surface before applying decals... Typically, I'll place a little Windex on top of the decal as well. It gives the applicator (you) time to flatten decals out and position them properly.  Use a piece of soft cloth or cotton to smooth the surface of the decal.  If the decals are applied dry, you're in for some meticulous work!  

The supplied hard-hat liner may be installed a little too close to the facemask for your wearing pleasure.  I found it necessary to "push" the liner assembly aft a little by inserting a cut piece of foam in front of the liner's brow. TK103 has a wonderful picture of the completed unit with foam installed.  Since he wears glasses, this was a necessity.  If foggy lenses steams you, obtain a fog-preventor product (local dive shops/sports stores should carry this).  When I began assembly of the helmet, I was skeptical of its durability - due to my lack of building anything for years. Once the parts are fastened and the "edge roll" material is applied around the base of the helmet (a GREAT touch) this helmet is SOLID!  

I have installed two mini Integrated Circuit or computer chip fans for circulation. One fan is set in the dome, pointing down towards my forehead. It has a slight cooling effect and greatly assists in preventing the eye lenses from fogging. The second fan is installed in the breather apparatus recess, towards the jaw/mouth. The fans are set on corners of foam to prevent noise vibration. On the advice of a good friend, I wired a slide switch in parallel with the fans powered by two 9-volt batteries. I can activate/deactivate the fans in a moment, even while wearing the Bucket - the switch is located just above the edge roll, inside the bucket.



Be sure to check out the Mods sections of TK103 and TK264 for further Bucket thoughts!

As mentioned by fellow Troopers, the kit brain bucket is slightly larger than the Movie helmets. I think the kit helmet LOOKS the best (quality of finish). Due to the size of the large breather apparatus on the lower forward section of the helmet, it has a tendency to rub against the chest plate/upper back plate connectors. This translates into the wearer not being able to fully swivel his/her head left or right. It's a little frustrating when you don't have a long neck like a giraffe. Taller Troopers do not experience this problem. Placing shim material atop the inside dome seemed like a solution - lowering the effective height of the hard hat liner. This won't work, since it lowers my eyes below the level of the helmets' tinted lenses and reduces visibility.

Final fittings - For torso flexibility, you might consider carefully removing the cod piece and reattaching it as a "hinged" unit - as described in TK103's armor section. There's little functionality when the cod piece and ab are a single piece. Oh... you can stand at attention for hours, if your own personal endurance can hack it. There is NO hope of sitting, it's difficult to lean forward and look down to see what is directly in front of you. Wait until the first time you drop something while wearing armor. It sucks to be a bad-ass looking Stormtrooper, when you can't pick up something you've dropped!!

Intercom - Since writing this section, I'm contemplating relocating the circuitry to the helmet (only) to minimize electrical cord hassles... smaller versions of this unit may be mounted inside the Bucket.

I purchased a kit-built voice amp that simply gives a brief, "white noise" sound effect after you speak into the microphone. I've found the settings to be sensitive, but tinker around with it for a while and you can get it working consistently. You can do without the 'noisemaker' box, but it is a fun addition. Two Trooper fans have taken the technology to a phenomenal level, refer to my FAQ's section for additional information.


As long as you're not storing anything inside the top portion of your chest plate, affix the attenuation box there (Velcro it in place, just like the O2 canister/thermal detonator on the belt).  I've got the unit mounted inside my chest plate. It fits well and does not interfere with the abdomen piece. Position it horizontally to one side, so the mini cords can be plugged into the box without binding against the armor.  The electrical cords are easily plugged in, before fastening the chest to the back plate with the lower Velcro straps. Click on the image below to see a close up of the positioning of the attenuation box (different pic than that of thumbnail).



Place the Radio Shack amp circuit board in one thigh drop box and set the speaker in the other thigh drop box. Both components were hot-glued into place. The volume control knob extends BELOW the bottom of the drop box, just enough to turn it. Don't cut the notch all the way from the back of the box to the front, place the circuit board in the "bottom" of the drop box for a trial fitting and you'll see what I'm referring to.

Before gluing the circuit board in place, observe where the board will rest in the box, with TWO sides of the board resting against the inside walls of the drop box. This will help anchor the board squarely in place and shows you exactly where to cut the notch. Cut away only what is necessary to allow the board to be set down in the box, with the knob extending out. This is a functional way to adjust the volume at any time, while wearing the suit. Just feel for the bottom of the box and adjust! You'll need to perform a little soldering here to separate the Radio Shack speaker from its amp assembly.  I CAREFULLY de-soldered the electrical wire leads connected to the speaker and soldered longer electrical leads to reach the amp. If you don't want to do that, simply splice the speaker leads and add longer lengths of wire. These splices should be soldered, to ensure a good connection. Wrap the splices with electrical tape, heatshrink tubing, or equivalent.

To remove the speaker from its housing, trace around the perimeter of the speaker with an x-acto knife, slicing between the speaker and the case. Then, gently lift the speaker away from the housing. I bought a 6 foot length of shielded audio cable with 1/8" mini plugs to replace the stock shorter cord supplied. The extended cable works well. Just wrap it around yourself! ;)  

BEFORE GLUING the circuit board and speaker into place, PLEASE read on. Be very careful gluing around the edges of the circuit board! Electrical components are sensitive to heat. The tip of the glue gun (or the glue itself) may damage the components, so be sure to point that glue gun tip carefully. ;) Place the speaker in the thigh box ( towards the "bottom" of the thigh box) and trace the outline of the speaker, leaving a mark on the inside box. Remove the speaker and place four equidistant small drops of hot glue on your scribed line (i.e. 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9) Allow the glue to cool a little then lower the speaker on the glue blobs. This will allow the speaker to be slightly above the surface of the thigh box. Otherwise, if the speaker is resting flush with the surface of the box, the speaker will not operate properly... Now trace around the speaker's edge with glue. Leave some gaps for air 'induction'. This does make the back of the speaker "stick out" of the thigh box a little, but I don't think it's noticeable to most casual onlookers. It's well worth the effect. Since your own voice ECHOS (loudly) within the confines of your bucket, you may not hear the speaker. Experiment a little. This is why I'm VERY grateful I bought the voice "enhance". The white noise it produces at the end of the transmission is QUITE noticeable after speaking, and is the only way I can readily adjust the volume of the Radio Shack amp while wearing the helmet.

Thanks to TK103 (again), the logical location for the speaker amp battery was in the utility belt box, directly above the thigh drop box. If the belt is attached to the ab piece, simply LOOSEN, do not remove the screw/s holding the belt in place. Pull the belt away from the ab piece and slip the battery (CONNECTOR ATTACHED) into the belt compartment. The thigh boxes and utility belt are now actually functional!  

I found securing the microphone to the helmet to be "stable", but it's restrictive when handling the helmet with the connector attached to the box. I had to unplug the mic connector at the box before I could remove the helmet easily without placing strain on the connector. I have purchased a new compact little mic and boom assembly which clips on to my ear and stays attached. Nice.

Wearing Basics 101

Donning this outfit as a Nugget (newbie) is CHALLENGING. Don't get frustrated the first few times you wear the armor.  Be careful waddling around if you're a short chap.  This assembly may grind into you a little.  Caution - Wearing the suit without a bodyglove indicates very quickly, areas which may need trimming! Problem areas for shorter folks: Backside of the knee joint and 'inside elbow'. Without trimming, I walked around stiffer than C-3PO.

The suit gets WARM in sunny Southern California.  Taking an occasional break without the helmet can be necessary.  Having a supply of coolant (liquids) is a must.  Beer seems like the answer, but remember, alcohol actually dehydrates carbon-based life from systems.  If you wear White Armor, be prepared to sweat.

There is a DEFINITE order of donning this suit of armor. If you don't follow it (or whatever works for you), you'll find yourself removing pieces, just to get some other piece on first. Every Trooper that I know has had to backtrack from time to time when stepping into armor.

Mods List

some details	backhand straps

Following is a quick reference to items modified to date. Since I have made frequent Trooper appearances around Southern California, I have subjected the White Armor to rigorous tests of strength and durability. Prolonged missions exposing the suit to the rigors of heat, sweat, and condensation may cause the stock (non-industrial grade) Velcro adhesive to gum up. In most areas, I've reattached the Velcro with cyanoacrylate glue. USE CAUTION, as I've found some adhesives do not work well with the Velcro adhesive compound. The cyanoacrylate variety seems to work well without dissolving the Velcro adhesive.

There's an ongoing debate over using Velcro Vs permanent attachments with glue only. I still prefer the Velcro, as it gives you versatility in wearing and adjusting the armor. Some pieces (such as the upper body plates) need not be adjusted or split apart to wear/remove, so they're permanently attached. Shin pieces must be opened to wear, so they're still Velcro'ed together.

1. Tops of thigh shells trimmed slightly (front edge) - The backs of the lower thigh shells are also trimmed slightly.
2. Forearm shells (inner elbow section) trimmed slightly for more flexibility
3. Lower end of inner bicep pieces trimmed with a slight curve.
4. Removed Velcro attachments for shoulder top connectors. Secured the connectors to upper chest/back plates using cyanoacrylate glue (NOT the super-quick drying variety) and popped a RIVET in place (one at each end of the top shoulder connectors, total of four). I am quite satisfied with the new complete upper body piece. It is SOLID and I haven't had a glitch in well over a year.
5. Fitted white Velcro straps inside shoulder bells connected to the biceps. Keeps the biceps shells from sliding down. TK8356 used weather stripping type foam inside the bicep shells to prevent them from sliding. This works well.
6. Riveted the knee utility belt to the lower end of the thigh shells. Riveted one end of the belt only, so I can still separate the thigh shells if necessary.
7. The knee drop plate has been riveted in place on the shin.
8. I've adopted the Thigh Shell attachment system from A New Hope... Troopers appear to have used a concept similar to a hockey 'garter' waist belt. Thanks to TK8356 for making the 1" wide Velcro straps... that are looped around a belt. Affix the belt to your waist once you're in the glove... the straps now hang down in front and are used to attach/suspend the thigh shells. This allows me to keep the thigh shells up just a little higher, permitting greater flexibility at the backside of the knee. The advantage here is being able to attach all the leg pieces without having to rely on the ab piece to hold up the thigh shells... a great convenience.
9. Bucket gear - Cooling/ventilation fans and switch, and the intercom system are described in the Building section.
10. Snaps - I have removed the lower chest/back strap Velcro material. Now these straps are held in place with snaps. Pics available soon.

• If you intend to trim your suit for a better custom fit, do yourself a favor and visit:
• • Obi-Wan's Jedi Academy - Stormtrooper Section: Excellent information detailing where to trim, among other good ideas.
  • 
    TK103's Armor Section: Very cool Mods and a great comparison of movie Vs. the armor we've built for ourselves.

Final Notes

© 2005 tk861@yahoo.com

 

This site is in no way sponsored or endorsed by: George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts Entertainment Co., or any affiliates. Star Wars and all its characters are © and TM by Lucasfilm Ltd. Thanks to Mr. Lucas for having such a great vision and allowing us fans to share our enthusiasm with others. If anything on this site poses a problem, please let me know and I'll correct it immediately.