The Star Wars: A New Hope Stormtrooper Project
January 31, 2016
The goal of this project is to construct a replica of a Stormtrooper costume as seen in the original Star Wars. The majority of parts were provided by Anovos as a kit that includes raw, vacuformed pulls of the armor, a completed helmet, belt, holster, black undersuit, and gloves. As a secondary goal, I also plan on applying for 501st approval, which will require some modifications to kit, which I’ll detail throughout the build.
I’ve never built a Stormtrooper or any other sort of armor kit before, so I’m certainly going to learn a lot!
Unpacking
February 6, 2016
I unpacked the BBB (Big Brown Box), and I have to admit, it’s a little overwhelming to see the scale and numerous pieces included in the kit. But learning new things is all part of the fun.
Plus, I thought it was nice that the helmet comes finished so you can immediately put that on.
Let the Trimming Begin!
February 14, 2016
Today, I took inventory of the entire kit to ensure everything on the list was included in the box. Looks like everything is there!
I also got the first piece trimmed up! The first pass was with my Dremel cutting wheel. Second pass was with my sanding wheel. Third pass was with a fine sanding block. Final pass was with extra fine. Only 9999 more pieces to go…
Trimming Continues
February 20, 2016
Trimming on the Stormtrooper continues…
Today I was able to cut out the two ab button plates along with the two shoulder straps.
I continue to use the 3-step process as before, so a coarse cut with the Dremel, then a fine pass with the Dremel, followed by sanding down the edges.
Given all the pieces in the kit, trimming looks like it’s going to take a while…
More and More Trimming
March 23, 2016
Got a few more pieces of the Stormtrooper kit trimmed up today including the chest piece…
Hand guards…
When trimming the hand guards, I tried the score-and-snap method called out in the instructions, but it wasn’t working for me, so I went back to my Dremel.
I also trimmed the shoulder bells. I used my belt sander to remove the unevenness left by the Dremel’s sanding wheel. The belt sander did a great job smoothing out the big curves.
Stormtrooper Boots
March 27, 2016
One of the things not included in the Anovos kit is footwear. I researched a few options online, but ultimately decided to go with TK boots.
The boots are great, and TK Boots was a pleasure to deal with. I’ve been doing props and costumes for almost 20 years now, and I’d put these guys in the top 5 of merchants as far as communication and ease of transaction.
Upper Arm Pieces Trimmed
April 16, 2016
Next step was trimming the upper arm pieces. These pieces will be joined together to form two pieces, each of which wraps around the bicep area.
Still have a long way to go…
Blaster
April 21, 2016
Another item not included in the Anovos kit is a blaster, and what’s a Stormtrooper without their trusty blaster (even though they can’t hit anything)…?
Since this blaster is going to be used for trooping in the armor, I wanted something durable and relatively lightweight. Hyperfirm offers a great, foam rubber blaster alternative for just this purpose, so I picked of one those up.
I may have put on the helmet and run around the house blasting a few things just to make sure they would work well together…
Forearms and Lexan Scissors
May 14, 2016
Next up was trimming the forearm pieces.
Instead of using the Dremel approach, I picked up a pair of lexan scissors, and I have to say – I’m a believer! The scissors offer much more precise control and make far less of a mess, so I’ll be using them going forward.
Trimming – Done!
May 26, 2016
Today, I finished trimming the remaining pieces of the kit including the calves…
Thighs…
And the three pieces that comprise the back.
That wraps up trimming! Now onto the scary stuff…gluing everything together…