WTF Sandie in progress. Full of questions

[Adam Trussoni]

Hi guys and girls.

Here's my Walt's Trooper Factory Sandtrooper that I've started working on. This started as a B-grade kit with a few imperfections here and there but nothing too major. The kit included the hook and strap system but I'm going to use trooperbay snaps and mock the chest hangers in.

I have rubber hand guards, pinky geek neckseal, pinky geek pauldron, trooperbay canvas pouches, chemical gloves, hangers & snaps and stuff, compression suit, boots, and the kit. I will slowly buy the backpack pieces as I go along.

Currently I'm ready to strap the body components together. Once the weather gets a little warmer I'll glue the cover strips on the arms and legs using the proper method.

I do have a few stupidly simple questions that I cant really find answers for. 

1. How tight fitting do I want the waist armor?

2. How tight for the arms and legs? Should they easily fall off my arms or fit snug?

3. Do I need a balaclava like with my AT-AT driver?

4. I have a diagram of a TK that specifies the width of the leg strips as 20mm front and back for the thighs, and 20mm front and 25mm back for calves. Is 25mm for the rear calves optional for people with bigger calves? Or is 20mm is preferable for the rear calves?

5. Where in the world do I find the proper Tandy snaps? All I can find are snaps that are embossed with Tandy.

6. Weathering products? I don't want to use the hairspray method I want something permanent and earthy. 

I'm sure I have more questions but some will be answered the more I search through the forum. 

Bare with me as I try to post pics from my phone using imgur

 

http://imgur.com/a/Dvv93PC

 

[Adam Trussoni]

Here's my AT-AT driver and all the other stuff. I make the Mcquarrie Snowtrooper helmet you see on the right. I don't offer the armor however.

[dutchy]

I do have a few stupidly simple questions that I cant really find answers for. 

1. How tight fitting do I want the waist armor?, Not too tight of course and preferrably no gap between the ab and backplate

2. How tight for the arms and legs? Should they easily fall off my arms or fit snug? There are official sizes for the strips but depending on how big your arms are. But 15-18mm is preferred.

3. Do I need a balaclava like with my AT-AT driver? No, unless you like that warm and snug feeling

4. I have a diagram of a TK that specifies the width of the leg strips as 20mm front and back for the thighs, and 20mm front and 25mm back for calves. Is 25mm for the rear calves optional for people with bigger calves? Or is 20mm is preferable for the rear calves? Preferrably as small as possible,but the guys in a new hope were a lot smaller that we are these days. So when needed bigger 25mm is the maximum I would do.

5. Where in the world do I find the proper Tandy snaps? All I can find are snaps that are embossed with Tandy. https://www.tandyleather.com/en/category/snaps

6. Weathering products? I don't want to use the hairspray method I want something permanent and earthy.  Well that's something really personal, some use real dirt, some a mixture of oil and dirt and  some drag it behind their car for a couple of miles. SBut seriously I would go for terra colours and experiment with them and please, but please don't use acrylics...and the hairspray is used for fixation, I have applied several layers and it works like a dream.

[Adam Trussoni]

Thanks for the information! I started to install the straps last night, measured my waist in armor, and ordered the canvas belt. 

[Airborne Trooper]

Looking forward to seeing you complete your armor. Will you be submitting for 501st approval? 

[Adam Trussoni]

That's a complicated question. I'm physically disabled and my ability to walk has diminished significantly to the point where trooping isn't an option. I damaged my legs and hips through years of martial arts and not knowing my body's limitations. 

So I won't be joining the 501st  but most everyone who knows me knows that I still support the cause. I do want my costumes to all be movie accurate however, so I'm not cutting corners.

Update on my build, the torso and shoulder bells are all strapped together. I need to add more straps in spots and also I need to lengthen my chest-to-back shoulder straps because as soon as I snap my cod-butt strap it pulls the chest plate and belly apart. (I'm 5'11" and 175lbs so I don't need shims.)  I also received my set of WWII Spanish ammo packs yesterday so I'm close to having everything I need besides the backpack parts. 

I also finished my belt but I mistakenly added a snap in the middle and on the raised belly button thingy on the ab plate. I did this because I couldn't stop the belt from slumping in the middle. I then looked at movie stills where the belt is removed and realized my side snaps are too low (below the belt line). I'll take out the snap, fill the hole in the ab plate with abs paste, and then add proper snaps on the sides so the belt doesn't slump down in the middle. I did add snaps on the sides already but they're below the belt line which seems too low to keep the belt from slumping down in the middle.

 

Also, I still can't find those stupid snaps on Tandy leather. Everything I see has the Tandy logo embossed around the hole. I'll email the company soon to try to get some proper snaps.

[jcalus]

I got my snaps at home depot. Right size, and now logos.
I used acrylic paint on mine. I saw this pic and assumed it was a paint mix of some sort. But weathering, as Dutchy said, is very personal.

Good luck with your build!

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[Cesar]

Hey this is Cesar I am trying to put together my Sandie I need some help with the straps that connect the chest, back and shoulder, if anybody know where I can find some pictures of how to do it, it will be awesome! Thanks ahead! In the mean time I keep surfing the MEPD website.