[WhyWorry]

Lots of found junk in my garage.... a trip to Axeman (local surplus supply store), Radio Shack, and Home Depot.
Total build cost probably about $50- Until I added in a sound board (so about $90) -but again, I had a bunch of crap in my garage laying around for prop building.

first mock up:



random wires, the blue ones are wrapped with blue electrical tape.
I didn't like the thick blue electrical box on the left side, so got another skinny one and stood that on end. Made a cover for it and disassembled a $5.00 walmart stobe light for the LEDs inside it.

I used one 5 hr energy bottle and cut that at an angle, added a washer and some JBweld to attach ulimately to anotehr electrical box. Used another 5 hr energy bottle (as it was thicker) between the two thin elect boxes on top/middle.... so I could fit a thicker Split Loom tubing in there then.

gray lid is from a Ceiling paint container.

Didn't like the Red tube, so added a thicker bottle I had.
Green tubes are a metal boom handle that I used a pipe cutter on.

Next mock up;


cut up some foam, you can see the larger plastic bottle

Misc:



Cut 5 hr energy bottle at angle, add washer with JB Weld

Waiting for paint to dry:

2 electrical thin boxes, and a cut 5 hr energy bottle

Attaching:

Cut Sheet Styrene/board I had in the garage for the mother board.
attached broom handle tubes to thin Electrical box. Cut out a rectangle (ultimately added a blue cut reflector over the top of the hole and rewired a 5.00 wallmart LED strobe light to a battery box. Put the LEDs inside, drilled a hole to control the strobe and added the battery box under the Plastic bottle). Foam now painted black and added one more electrical box to the top right side

Final outcome:



added a PVC cupler to top right, screwed/rivoted/bolted everything down, Ran wires and added a Army "Suspenders" I got off ebay. basically backpack straps with hooks to attach to a pistol belt. I just added hooks at the bottom to attach it and added a peice of foam to the top for "the look".

Last nights build:



More broom handle tubing, Some Bicycle grips cut up, monitary switches (to run sound board), 2 electrical boxes cut up and JBwelded, and some misc items laying around the garage painted up or wired on.

Just need to stop and get some wire connectors to wire up the push buttons on the wand to the wires running to it.

Little over a week here and there on the build..... but I have one SUPER excited 8 yr old!!



Outside of intro.... how's that for a first post?

[WhyWorry]

just because it was in with the same photos.... A few years ago- I scratch built this Vader for my then 4 yr old. Jack was a trooper - luckily that was a kit

[redfive1973]

Very cool.

[jaimanstone]

Fantastic!


Where did you find a kid sized flight suit!?

[PssdffJay]

Looks like a small adult flight suit with the sleeves rolled up, you can see how big the boy portion is, but nevertheless, it looks great and something to grow into. The pack is awesome! I would love to have that pack for this year, sadly that is the last thing i need to build. I had to do a double take with the thrower, it looked very real!

[WhyWorry]

Thanks all-

Found the suit on eBay. It's a Tru-Spec kids size. The seller had kahki and black in S,M,L.
I actually emailed the seller to try and get size dimensions but never heard back. My gut told me Med, but I really didn't know. After not hearing back for a few day, I just wanted to buy it before it was gone. It was a buy now for $19.99. Low and behold the med option was already gone, so had to get the large. It's a tad big- but room to grow I guess.

Luckily rolled and tucked into boots/gloves. It looked fine.

[ItsMillaTime]

I love how the gun came out. I need to rebuild my daughters