Another Tie Pilot Costume

[oota goota]

good idea having floating straps in the rear it's looking great Nick. I reckon you've got some great storage in that front box on the chest plate. Put the car keys in there, maybe some snacks endless possibilities!

[Blaxmyth]

Yes, the floating straps worked perfectly. Nice idea putting the foam under them, Nick. I didn't realise you had done that. That paint job was so lovely it would have been sad to see it scratched.

[TIE1138]

Thanks guys. Yes, I'm very pleased with it.

[badges2nz]

Very nice work on the costume, like the foam under the straps idea, great protection for the armor itself, well done.

[TIE1138]

OK. Now the Chest Box. I got the drawing off the net, but after looking at pictures of the box on different forums, I noticed some differences. So I decided to use the drawing as a rough guide as ti size, knowing that the squares on the front panel are 25mm. I cut out the sides from 3mm thinline and then drilled out the holes to take the tubes. The tube is 40mm plumbing pipe from a local plumbing supply dealer and I also purchased 4 x endcaps, which 2 were drilled out to take the flexible hose for the oxygen system. I then measured the front plate on the armor, and then positioned the box sides and tubes so they looked right, then glued these together.

[TIE1138]

These pictures are self explanatory I think. I cut up some thin MDF into strips and glued them onto the curved bottom of the box and larger pieces for the bulk of the box.

[TIE1138]

The tapered top was made from 3mm thinline and glued together. The rocker switches were cut from 18mm MDF on the bandsaw. They were sealed with superglue, sanded and then primed.

[badges2nz]

Nice detail and good work, Can I put in an order for a chest box?

[TIE1138]

Already PM'd

[MattG]

Without a doubt, your work continues to impress.