Stormtrooper - Abs & Back
I studied a lot of websites on how different people put their armor together. The most inspirational for the ab/cod/back/butt piece came from GA501st.com. I have had a problem with a few places in my armor but this assembly is pretty solid.
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Seperate the abs/back from the cod/butt: This mod is necessary if you ever want to sit down. I found on my FX kit that their was a very definite line on both the front and back pieces so I used a ruler and an erasable marker and made the lines more definite. I then used a bandsaw to cut them apart. I placed towels on the bandsaw so I wouldn't scrape the pieces as I was cutting.
Connecting the four pieces: After you seperate the cod and butt pieces from the abs and back, you will need to connect it all back together. I cut four small rectagular pieces of leather and dyed it black for my side connections. I put the armor on to see how much space I wanted on the sides and then riveted the leather to the back of the abs pieces.
This allows you to slide the ab/back/cod/butt piece on like a big diaper. If you find that some of the rivets are poking you, you can use a dremel and shave them down or just cover them with the soft side of a piece of industrial velcro.
This is the cod to ab connection. I used heavy duty elastic for this connection. I riveted the elastic to a piece of styrene and then used abs glue to connect the styrene to the armor pieces. This is a good technique to use anytime you don't want rivets to show on the front of the armor.
Fishing Waders: This picture looks like I am about to go fishing at the river. I bought some black webbing from my fabric store and riveted it to the back of my ab and back pieces. Be sure to cross the straps like suspenders in the back so the straps won't slide down your shoulders. Rivet it together high enough on the ab and back pieces so that your chest plate will cover it.
Source: Star Wars Helmet Archive
AFX Button Mod: One of the complaints I have about the FX armor is the big black buttons. I surf around looking at other 501st members sites and I ran across this one. In the "Stormtrooper Fun Facts" it shows a close up of a Stormtrooper from ANH and the buttons on his ab plate and I decide it was MOD TIME. I contact Mike Harrison (TK1536) about his TE armor (more accurate than FX armor kit) buttons and he provided me the measurements and colors. The TE armor has the buttons as part of the mold like the screen armor. Since we FX owners don't have that option, we will have to find another route.
After contemplating a variety of options, I finally came across metal buttons (SCREW POST 1/4in Nickel-Steel 1290-02) at Tandy Leather Factory. They were the perfect width without too round a face. They can easily replace your black buttons by drilling a slightly larger hole and gluing them in.
First thing to do is get rid of the shine on the buttons. To make the sanding job easier. I drilled holes in a piece of scrap wood that would fit all 9 of the buttons. This way I can sand them all together. After sanding, use a metal primer (7780 Clean Metal Primer) and then use a very light sand paper (like used on model cars) to smooth the paint. When you are ready to paint, use a gray that matches your helmet stickers (Rustoleum Hardhat Grey V2187) for six of them and "Blue Angel Blue" from Model Masters for the other three. Once the paint has dryed, put a clear sealer over the paint to protect it.
To install the buttons use a 3/16 drill bit to enlarge the "black button" hole. To permanently attach the buttons to the armor, on the inside of the ab plate, super-glue/cement around the button stem where the stem meets the armor. Be sure to follow color formation shown above to mimic ANH style armor. Set the armor front-side up in a safe place and let the glue set over night.
Not Very Handy? Contact me for a set of ab buttons.
