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One of our heightwarldy troopers used to carry a version of a swear box, but this one said "FINE FOR CALLING ME SHORT" and each time someone said the short joke he would produce it and ask for payment, it all went to charity

That could very well be the best "Aren't you a little short..." comeback I've ever heard!

That's one of my favorites. It's best when it has to marinade for several seconds as they process what they heard... and then the lights go on. As for the, "Aren't you a little short.." comment, I say, "I don't know, I'm taller than Mark Hamill."

Ask them how tall a stormtrooper should be...

If I had a nickel for every "aren't you a little short..." I had tossed at me, I'd have several more armor kits. That line is a popular one, even if you are not all that short. I assume people think they are being clever and original, having no idea we hear it all the time. At second place is "these are not the droids...". Its all good and light hearted.

Thank you so much everyone for your compliments. Really means a lot to me. I actually almost gave up in the middle of the build because I didn't think I could pull off a few details. It didn't help that I was also going through a depression phase with some crap going on in my life. Then I injured my knee and was told to rest it for a week at home, so I picked it back up and completed it with all the free time to fill. Cheers all!

And it's finished! Bear in mind there are a few details that are NOT screen accurate.

I thought it was time that I finally put together my own thread for my blaster - yet another build based off T5H/Germain's excellent files. My goal is to get it (mostly) done by the time my Anovos kit gets here later this year. I'll be painting the black and silver parts now, but holding off on the white portions until the armor is here so it all color matches. Most of the parts in the kit printed out and ready for sanding/etc. - the different colors are from having some friends help me print out the files (thanks again!). I modified some of the files to allow for electronics - I plan on putting lights in the barrel and wiring everything to a central switch behind the end cap, hence holes have been added to allow for wires to pass through in most of the parts that I thought might need them. Muzzle cleaned up and test fitting of screws. Bondo glazing putty. Don't do this indoors without the proper gear! After a couple rounds of putty and sanding, ready for primer. Forward grip with bondo (glazing putty) and some Apoxie sculpt to fill in/fix some of the details from the print, as this part warped ever-so-slightly. Forward grip and front barrel after first round of bondo + primer, here I'm adding a second round of glazing putty to smooth out areas that the primer made visible. Using some more Apoxie sculpt to fix some of the asymmetry in the folding stock, as well as clean up the seam where I glued the two parts together.

Name: Noah Barwinski 501st TK ID: 17370 FISD: Briareos1138 Garrison Carida Armor: Anovos Helmet: Anovos Blaster: Hasbro DoopyDoo conversion E11 Height: 5'11'' Weight: 160 lbs Boots: TK Belt: Rob Kittell Neck Seal: Darman Holster: Anovos I was having issues with my photos, hopefully they show up ok, thanks! Pose photo courtesy of Martin Miller Photography

There is always a bit of "wiggle room" concerning "screen accuracy". Should we always strive for it? Of course! But, there are some things we simply cannot do, like: 1. We can't all build a TK with the original strapping system. It entails using the bracket method, which is beyond many first time builders' experience. The snap method achieves the same result without the extra work. 2. Carry a 100% accurate E-11. We have standards, of course, but to insist that everyone should have an exact replica of the ones used onscreen is not that feasible. Some are made of rubber, some of resin, but we allow them because they are close. Perfect? No. But again, not everyone can afford to purchase a decommissioned Sterling and transform it. It is simply cost prohibitive for the average Trooper, and we want everyone to get out there and enjoy Trooping! I guess what I am trying to say is that we have to make allowances for certain things. If we were striving for 100% accuracy there would be very few of those who reach EI and Centurion.

I'm gonna have to make myself something like this lol. I'm 5'8" and I KNOW I'll be having this short comment being thrown at me lol. This is a great idea!

Occasionally after someone takes a photo with me, I ask to see their phone and announce "This is the droid we've been looking for", or "I think I had my eyes closed". Always gets a laugh or at least a big smile.

I'm with Allan on the "clean crisp" look of the edges. No matter which path you choose, here is a tip: Give your canvas belt a few coats of Scotchguard protectant. This will make it much easier to clean, (trust me, it WILL get dirty after a few troops). I like my Hero and Stunt belts to stay clean (OCD, LOL). My HWT belt is another story.. the dirtier (battle worn) the better.

Reminds me of my ATA rebuild. Love the tenacity.

Hehe... Okey, I will get some pics as soon as I'm able [emoji106] Skickat från min SM-G930F via Tapatalk

Patience?? Hah I'm No Jedi!

The ones I had to cut out were RS as well. Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Thanks for your collective input thus far. These rivets were installed by RS Propmasters and they are hard as sh** steel. --Prying it is tough because as you mess with the legs, it torques the head from side to side which causes the head to dig in and start damaging the armor. --The heads are flush on the outside so it's impossible to get a set of plyers to hold the head without scratching the armor. Plus there's barely any surface on the side of the rivet as it is a dome shape. --I was able to pry off the one set of legs that I did manage to cut into with my dremel but there is just remaining metal to prevent the rivet from popping out. I'd have to drill it out - which may cause more heat/melting issues. --I've also tried bolt cutters but can't get the teeth to grip onto the legs. AAAARRRGGGGGHH!!! I'll try those side cutters but don't think that it will cut through the rivets. If that doesn't work, I think I'll leave "well enough alone" and work around it. My understanding is that for Centurion level approval, it doesn't matter what mods or hacks I do to the inside as long as the outside is "canon". Thanks again!

Extremely helpful Teresa and thanks for sharing. Apologizes for the questions as this will be my first TFA build. Much different enough from that of the OT Troopers were we just have the undersuit. I also never thought about how would we wash it. Plus im sure the CRL wouldnt nessasarly approve a single peice with gastkets sewn in. especially for level 2 / 3 approval thanks so much for your help Andy

Sometimes even bad things can cause good things... Wishing you a lot of fun with this fine blaster.

Thanks Tino... I wanted it to look old and worn. A piece of equipment that could have been used on several different blasters over the years. Vallejo pigments are super easy to work with.. just takes practice to get the amount you want. The scratches are made from Vallejo chipping compound. The neat part of this is it give some texture to the paint by wetting just a little, but not chipping it. Then you chip the areas you want. Plus if you screw up, just wipe it off and start again. Nothing is set until you use the varnish.

PERFECT job on those forearm openings, Nate, and the 4 button plate is spot-on. When you get to trimming the legs, I advise trimming all the return edges off of the tops of the thighs before fitting, The reason being is that if you leave them on they can (and will, in many cases) chafe the bejeezus out of your, uh... "bathing suit area". (You get the idea, LOL). Being a fellow Floridian, I suggest getting a cloth neck seal like Darman's. As Aaron mentioned, some are made of vinyl, which doesn't "breathe". After half an hour of trooping outdoors you will be glad you did.

That helps Aaron thank you!!

Received my blasters in the mail. Made by Heston3dsolutions.

I'm so sorry to hear that. Glad you're okay, hope everyone else was too. I understand concussions can be really nasty so don't stress your brain at all. Just relax and think of happy things like rainbows and unicorns and stormtroopers blasting away at those unicorns but missing terribly. Seriously, get some rest. The armor can wait.

They've got until September 21st before they're behind their quoted deadline. Not likely, but there's a chance we could start to get them by then.

I've been lucky with paint scratches, used an automotive acrylic paint and clear coat which matched the helmet perfectly and I think in 2 years I've had to touch up 3 chips/scratches.

Man, talk about grit. This is probably one of the most "never gonna give up" threads in a long time. Makes my minor tweaks look really, really minor. Keep that chin up

Update #07 - Found a way When I came across this cabinet at work, there had actually been two of them. So I still had the option to use the backdoor from the second cabinet. Just had to get rid of the venting slots to install glass there. Used this opportunity to transfer some design from the gun rack onto the cabinet door… Bought a sheet of Polycarbonate (t=3mm) and glued it to the door with clear double-sided adhesive tape. Removed the protection cover, added the lock and a foam seal to close the gap between both doors and the cabinet. Then added front door, gun rack, 3 blasters plus some collector items and placed my TK mannequin next to it. Yes, the cabinet looks a bit empty and I am still thinking about ways to fill it. There is enough space to install 3 identical gun racks for a total of 9 blasters (like Bapty, real Sterling, ESB and ROTJ versions, maybe a Rogue One version and so on). Alternatively the dimensions allow the storage of 2 or 3 BFGs below that gun rack. Not promising anything now but maybe an update will follow in a few months (or years). Anyway, for the moment I call this project done. Thanks everybody for reading and commenting. Enjoy your weekend Troopers and Cadets

Wow that's all super insightful thank you guys!! I think I might go with the snap system after all!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome stuff folks... keep em' coming!