A question about the Original Stormtrooper armor/chestbox

[Revakara]

Just wanted to ask what the public opinion is of this piece, whether the chestbox actually detaches from the armor so that it can be modded with fans and the like, and how well the breathing pipes fit helmets that aren't made by the site as well.

[spacebrew]

All chest boxes are made as a seperate piece. I attached mine via screws and wing nuts for easy storage stability and maintenance. Some folks use velcro but with the weight of fans batteries or whatever I would suggest screws.
I don't quite understand you hose question. But you will most likely need to cut the hole for the hoses in the face plate. make the hole slightly smaller than the hoses diameter and they will flex to fit in and expansion will make them hold.

[Blackwatch]

to properly answer your question we need to know which helmet you have.

Rubies helmets and those cast from it have very small hose holes since they were never intended to be worn , only displayed.

the fan made helmets tend to have holes big enough to accommodate the standard 1.25" hose we use, which is typically Targs polypropylene hose.

when I made Rubies upgrade helmets for others, i used a piece of heated, formed PVC pipe as the joint between the hose and the helmet.

[Revakara]

The SDS chestbox is indeed detachable. They use a simple velcro pad to keep the box firmly attached to the armor, and it's a simple matter of cutting a square in the back of the box to insert some fans in. I myself have two fans and a small lighting rig in the box (though sadly the lighting rig means my armor does not, at this point, pass muster for the 501st). Also be aware that the SDS armor doesn't have any way to connect the third hose you'll be getting with the chestbox, which is actually the ROTJ version (I think) and which was never given a proper connecting point, just gaffer taped to the pilot's back.

As for the hoses, the hoses that come with the SDS armor are pretty much standard fare, and fit my RS Propmasters bucket fairly well, though I do still have the common issue of them being pulled out by simply bumping into objects, or by people bumping into me/tugging on them!

[Targ]

The SDS chestbox is indeed detachable. They use a simple velcro pad to keep the box firmly attached to the armor, and it's a simple matter of cutting a square in the back of the box to insert some fans in. I myself have two fans and a small lighting rig in the box (though sadly the lighting rig means my armor does not, at this point, pass muster for the 501st). Also be aware that the SDS armor doesn't have any way to connect the third hose you'll be getting with the chestbox, which is actually the ROTJ version (I think) and which was never given a proper connecting point, just gaffer taped to the pilot's back.

As for the hoses, the hoses that come with the SDS armor are pretty much standard fare, and fit my RS Propmasters bucket fairly well, though I do still have the common issue of them being pulled out by simply bumping into objects, or by people bumping into me/tugging on them!

I generally keep US Plastic Polypropylene hose on hand for my mods from the Targworx. You will find that it is light weight and flexible so you can turn your head without ending up trying to see out your ear well.
You can find the information in the For Sale/Trade threads. Self Serving I know but most people do not wish to purchase 25' of hose to get two 20" lengths.