FP Armor - Version 3

I know what's accurate bro. :facepalm The reasons that flat styrene have been included (for years) is for a very good reason. Certainly not because I didn't know any better :lol:

With the cost of Styrene on the rise, we have to look at this from a different standpoint. In an attempt to keep costs down to keep these kits affordable, some things need to be considered. Example ...

Kidney plate - needs to be approximately 23 -25 inches long to accommodate different shapes and sizes of people. In a 24 inch by 24 inch sheet of styrene, 6 kidney plates can be yielded. If they are vac formed, only one kidney plate per vac pull would be yielded. Even whith putting another mold on the table at the same tme, you still end up short in the end. Being that it is a virtually "hidden piece", it was the piece that 100 % accuracy was sacrificed until now. Beyond that, the flat styrene strips are technically stronger than the vac'd counterpart.

But all that set aside, who's to say I didn't already have this covered? When I said things like, "a few surprises", and I'll post the details this evening", could it have been because "'Ol FP" already had stuff like this covered? I just wanted to get a bite to eat, and take a nap :lol:

FP

I know you know what is accurate bro, come on now... we talked about why you havnt offerend that kind of kidney armor twice on the phone over the past year. ;)

I was just pressing that if it wasnt in your bag of surprises since I hadnt talked to you about your improvements since I gave you my feedback on the changes to be made to the V2 armor, you should do this, even if it was for a select few. An accurate fett means only a select few body types will work for it. Remember, you made me a custom ab plate because I dont fit the accurate build of the actor by about 5 inches.

Flexabilaty of your kit is a must for costumers. I know this better then most from my attempt and success of looking the part at 6' 6". Just wanted to make sure such an important detail had a chance of being offered.

No offence meant bro. (y)
 
Wow ! Sorry guys ! Looks like I passed out after din din tonight ! :lol:

My apologies for not getting more up here this evening :( I feel like I let ya down ...


More today, at the very least. I suppose I was more exhausted than even I thought :lol: Hang in there !


Sign up list is, well right here !!! :lol: Just wanted to make sure that everyone gets enough of a visual
before they dive in ;)

FP
 
I`m interested in getting on the list for this. I just want to know what the price will be?

Will this kit include cod piece, chest plates, back plate, collar piece and shoulder plates?

Thanks for doing this, dude, you do awesome work.
 
Same here, as I told you the other day :D, I'm still interested, just need to confirm the details (prices, etc), and we'll be ready to go. :D

Once again, thanks for making this possible.
 
FP you KNOW i'm interested, the pictures look outstanding and you've outdone yourself AGAIN!! Thanks for sharing this with us bud and great work!! (y)
 
FP, i hate you.... lol, i kid. looking awesome! i'm not sure if i'm going to get in on a full set this time around though. i'm still a whole lot of self motivation away from finishing the set of V2 i got back in april. poop.... i'm still in for a set of rubber knees. i wants me some of that!!!
 
FP this armor looks amazing. You said it might not look like what we are use to seeing, but I think it looks spot on from all the reference pictures I have seen. Awesome job on this. Please put me on the signup list for a complete ESB set when you start making them available.

I was wondering if you were going to do the center diamond like your v2 set with the metal piece set in from behind? I thought that looked great. I can't wait to see more pics.
 
Wow ! Sorry guys ! Looks like I passed out after din din tonight ! :lol:

My apologies for not getting more up here this evening :( I feel like I let ya down ...


More today, at the very least. I suppose I was more exhausted than even I thought :lol: Hang in there !


Sign up list is, well right here !!! :lol: Just wanted to make sure that everyone gets enough of a visual
before they dive in ;)

FP

chris,

man u NEVER let anyone down! (y)
u need some rest man!!!

after all u have done for us fett heads over time......i think whenever u hit a bump in the road or things get delayed longer than u want always means one thing. you out did yourself again! (y)

:cheers
 
Thanks for the comps guys !!

Lets get this party started ! :cheers


First, the little surprises. Yes? Then the changes that were made to V.3 a little later. As well A few comps to V.2.


I've already been asked about how on earth are members going to attach their knee darts. My canned response was ... "Got it covered" :lol:


First, let me just address the new knees. I'm a firm believer that the original Fett knees were one piece vacuum formed. Period. There was some evidence of a knee guard being separate pieces, but I don't buy it. I believe this was a broken and "repaired" knee guard. There is plenty of substantial evidence that they were one piece formed. Such as the "webbing" between the front knee cap portion and the dart housing where they come together for instance, which if you haven't already noticed ... I replicated ;) There is only one way to do this, and that is to form the whole knee in one piece. Why? Because the webbing is the product of failure to suck the plastic down into such a tiny little area. That's my take on it, and until further evidence or proof is presented, I'm sticking to it :lol: It's taken me 6 years to figure out how to make the dag-gone vac mold to do it ... and it's probably the most complex vac mold I've ever made ... but I think I proved that it can be done. For ILM, it must have been pure accident :lol: So why the "lead-in" ?

Darts. How to attach darts. Without them tearing the plastic apart if they get hooked on something (or a little kid runs runs into you at a con, and rips them off :lol: ). If the knees were separate pieces, this could explain why they've lasted for 30 years, because they could have had solid resin housings, like some makers have produced in past. But I still don't subscribe to that. So the whole idea is to mount the darts in a fashion that reinforces them too. My V.1 knees had inset sockets to mount the darts. WRONG. I've always sort of known it, but never could think of anything better. Until now. It's as simple, as simple gets. DON'T ask me how I came up with it ;)

K, so follow me here ...

There are indentations on the outside of the vac formed dart housing. Pic #1. This is where you will cut holes to fit YOUR particular darts. So ... "Size matter not" anymore :lol: But what holds them in place?

An ultra light, virtually unbreakable resin support insert. Pic #2. This resin support insert, has matching indentations that line up PERFECTLY to the outside marks. Pic #3. With this support insert, you will drill holes to match the diameter of YOUR darts. Once you have matching holes in both the vac formed knee shell, and the support insert, the insert can be glued/epoxied inside of the dart housing, and then your darts can be fitted from the outside , and epoxied into place. VERY simple really. One thing is for sure, the darts will never rip the housing apart this way :lol: At any rate, these will be included with every kit.


kneedarts.jpg




Next on the agenda ... center chest diamond. I'm a firm believer that this was vac formed too. Let us not forget, that these guys were CHEAP when they were in pre-production ... because they HAD TO BE on such a tight budget. So I went back to the old days of my V.1 armor with this. Refreshed of course. Bo more resin. Unless you REALLY want one :lol:

But the cool thing, isn't as much the diamond, as it is the insert that will be included this time around. It's been known for quite some time that there was an actual insert glued into place. Including pieces of sheet steel with the V.2 to back the diamond, was a temporary solution to the following ..


centerinsert.jpg


Each kit will include this cold cast insert. (will not need to be polished). The trick to more difficult than it looks. Vacuum forming small detailed areas like that of the center rectangle of the diamond, teild very SOFT detail. Mor rounded on the inside, nothing flat to glue an inster into. So I devised a "stamp" to stamp a nice crisp "bed" for lack of a better term .. for the insert to sit flat inside and be affixed to.

Next up .... the ab plate detail. If you take a peek at the Super Troopes pics (white pre-pro Fett), you can see shining metal throw the three holes on the ab plate (as well as the center diamond by the way). They're not painted silver, that's for sure ;) So again, a cold cast insert that you can glue to the inside of the ab plate after you've painted and detailed your ab plate.

codinsert.jpg



K, that's about it for the time being. I've got to go and get dinner and play liek a human being for a couple of hours This itme I won't pas out. :lol:

Oh, wait .. one more thing ... "Your wish, is my command" .....



kidneyplate.jpg



codattach.jpg



And I'm not ignoring anyone about details on the armor ... I will post all of that here pretty quick. As well as put up the list of members down for this run. Payments in advance, reserve your slot.


FP

:cheers

FP
 
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