Leaderboard

I had my second troop yesterday as well as an event in the morning where I was learning to handle. I would highly recommend this to all troopers. It gave me great insight as what to look for and be aware of while in costume. Things can go wrong really quickly and I was able to help a TK from falling over. The troop was great. About 3 1/2 hours suited up. Fans in helmet a must for me. One of my drop boxes started coming apart. I has white duct tape in my box so I was able to do a quick field repair. On inspection when I got home I found I hadn't used enough E6000. You can never use too much E6000. Simple fix with lots of glue and a couple clamps. I also know of some more tweaks I need to do to the armour for comfort. I got loads of help and advise from 501st members in the change room while suiting up. Great people, great time.

Hello everyone! Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday celebration and here's an early Happy New Year to all you good folks at the FISD! Today, I update with revisions made on the magazine housing - it's catch assembly, the magazine ejector, making way for insertion of plastic replica magazine. Finally, I finish off with my custom aluminum trigger guard. I am to the moon and back when it came to getting a working and reliable catch assembly. Previous attempts on custom threading proved frustrating and futile; my solution with a Chicago screw and it's extender REALLY put a smile ear to ear for me =) Completing my custom trigger guard was also very rewarding as well as hollowing a large portion of the magazine well =) cheers! Mark 2 catch assembly - used Chicago screw with 1 inch extension. Butchered a 1/2 " extension to insert into catch piece Finished catch piece, forgoing green stuff additions on catch and instead file away bottom aluminum support section of catch to capture catch contours following SMG references Catch assembly, different angles Chicago screw extender cut to depth length of catch and glued in place inside catch using J-B weld Catch - various angles Magazine release button base removed and glued to top of Chicago screw using E-6000 Thickened shelf holding top part of exposed ejector using two thin styrene plastic sheets cut to pattern. Glued with E-6000 and Green stuff to finish up. Flattening the front part of the ejector made it no longer flush against the 'shelf' Catch assembly and ejector display of custom component parts for magazine housing Progression of ejector modifications of custom aluminum piece on the exposed end following SMG references Magazine release button, compression spring and catch rod in final position Catch and catch rod at final positioning on underside of magazine housing Installed catch assembly with ejector in magazine housing - various angles Installed catch assembly with ejector in magazine housing - various angles Setup for deepening the magazine housing channel for later insertion of plastic magazine replica. Dremel set up to be stationary, with magazine housing to slide overtop deck of cards for smooth movement during Dremel process. Dremel process for increasing the depth of the channel that would hold the magazine For final details, switched back to using Dremel extender. Square file to smooth out channel Process of Dremel out channel that would hold the magazine Channel widened and deepened to hold the magazine. More work to do after replica plastic magazine on hand for test fit. Magazine housing with channel deepened Original doopydoos channel configuration Vs modified channel Custom trigger guard made from aluminum - 4” long before bending to shape. Aluminum from T-Jay completion set on FISD Custom aluminum trigger guard is wider by 2mm in the front - 12mm in the front then 10mm in the rear following SMG references Doopydoos trigger guard - detached and attached Doopydoos trigger guard attachment to trigger housing Doopydoos trigger guard attachment to trigger housing Comparison of Doopydoos attached trigger guard to SMG references - it is inaccurate as it installs short compared to the real thing Research on trigger guard details - SMG reference and desired end result - this finished aluminum trigger guard by T-Jay Aluminum trigger guard, cut to length and width before shaping Construction of trigger guard - lines etched with hacksaw blade on the inside, under 1 / 3rd thickness so to guide aluminum during bending phase. Trigger piece pushed against shovel main aluminum tube body to shape so to get even distribution of bend. Test fit of custom trigger guard ends against trigger housing Comparison pictures - SMG reference to doopydoos part and custom aluminum trigger guard Completed custom aluminum trigger guard Thanks for reading once again; here's a shout out, an early one nonetheless, have a terrific start to the new year! Jesse Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here is some more eye candy

2018 - the Year of the Stormtrooper

Submitted my pics today. Let’s see how it goes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi guys It’s been a while since I posted but I have been busy on lots of Helmet projects. I just thought I’d show off the CFO TK helmet line up. First up is the new ANH SET FOR STUN helmet I’ve been working on. This is a prototype test helmet. I’ve managed to capture a lot of the details from the original 3D scan in the vac forms. So you can see the cracks, drips, chips in the paint and even where the tube stripes were painted. Next up is our new ESB mkii helmet cast from the one JoeR used to own. Then we have the CFO JoeR ROTJ helmet. And finally the Oakley helmet. And the full rotj armour. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

At the encouragement of @ukswrath, here is a post I originally made a year and a half ago on the Anovos FB build group, which is handy for all makes of armor, not just Anovos. ABS Paste?!?! WTF is THAT? I've seen variations of this question over and over. So perhaps this will be helpful. ABS paste is homemade glue for your ABS plastic. It literally melts and reforms the plastic into a solid piece, so it's more like welding than gluing. But as the warning phrase "it literally melts..." foreshadows, you should be careful. Making couldn't be easier. Get a GLASS jar. Don't be that person who makes it in a plastic cup. You know... the one that puts plastic melting stuff into a plastic cup. You've met that guy. Don't be that guy. All you need is a jar, some ABS scrap, and some construction grade acetone. Nail polish remover is NOT strong enough, even though it has "some" acetone in it. Pick up a bottle at Home Depot or the like. (For people in other countries, like the UK, where Acetone is not readily available... you have my sympathies) For containers, I feel a glass baby food jar is ideal. It's just the perfect size (unless you doing something epic!), stupid cheap (if you don't already have one somewhere), and easy to work with. I'm going to assume baby food jar, so if you choose a 2 quart mason jar, scale as needed. In general, ABS paste is practically free, other than the price of a tiny bit of Acetone and maybe a buck for a jar of baby food, if you don't have a suitable container already, since your source material is scrap from your own build. (never toss that armor scrap!) A NOTE ABOUT FUMES: Pure Acetone is nasty stuff. You really don't want to be breathing Acetone fumes. A whiff here and there likely won't cause lasting harm, unless you have existing pulmonary issues, but still, do your best to avoid breathing a lot of the stuff. At a minimum, you can end up with a NASTY headache. At worse, you can actually cause damage to your lungs. Use your own level of protection that feels best for you... some want to wear a full respirator (with a volatile organic cartridge), others, like myself, are content to work outdoors and minimize breathing it. (Once the jar is capped, it should be fine to bring indoors.) FILL the jar with the tiniest scraps if ABS you can get. I literally used the curly-que and powdered scrap from under my belt sander, after all my rough cuts, in addition to cutting up a few pieces of scrap into 1/4" square pieces, with scissors. And now the magic. Add approx 1 teaspoon of Acetone (and remember, I'm assuming a baby-food size jar... scale accordingly if you're trying to go big and make enough for your entire squad to build with!). Cap the jar, wait 15-20 min (or more, no worries) and then check on it. Poke it with a stir stick. (You can literally use a stick. Although IMO, a wooden coffee stir stick (free at Starbucks!) is ideal, and Popsicle sticks have their proponents, too, as does the toothpick crew, for detail work.) If you literally do not have a stick, a strong piece of scrap you don't care about will do, just be careful where you set it afterwards. But poke at it. Get an idea where it's going. Then add about 1 tsp more Acetone. Re-cap it again, wait 15-20 min, then check again, and this time, stir it a little more seriously. Note the consistency. You'll probably want to add some more, perhaps 1 more tsp, perhaps less? You may be starting to get a feel for it by now. Let sit for a good 1/2 hr, then check and stir AGAIN. We're going slow. Slow is good. Watch some TV or read a book. You have better things to do than watch ABS melt in super slow motion. At this point, you SHOULD be close to ready to go. If not, I recommend letting it sit overnight before checking it again. (in fact, that's not a bad idea in general, but it's not strictly necessary) Only add more Acetone if you still really think it's too thick and clumpy in the morning, after stirring it some more. Repeat until you reach that magic mayonnaise moment. Correct consistency is *roughly* mayo-like. I'd say somewhere between Elmer's glue (a little too runny?) and Toothpaste (perhaps a little too thick). Too runny = bad. Remember the "melting plastic" part? You don't want that running down your armor. Too thick and you may get air pockets. Shoot for the Goldilocks zone. ) When you're ready, apply with a stick. Let it dry (duration depends on thickness... maybe 20 min, maybe overnight?) and sand it down. Repeat until pretty. Relatively small amounts (read: the small patches that ABS paste is generally best for) should be relatively safe to use indoors, just be aware of the fumes. Larger projects (or sensitive spouses... not that it smells too different from the nail salon, in my mind) are probably best to work on outdoors. The beauty of using the same plastic your armor is made from, to make paste, is you get a dead-on 100% perfect color match. No painting needed! (note: The level of polish/sheen will not be the same, but the color itself will be a match. ABS paste isn't really good for large area applications... and trying to do that will likely end up causing warping from too much acetone anyway) (2nd note: ABS paste is not as strong as the original plastic. It's not actually a glue, even if it looks like one. For connections needing a very strong join, use CA glue, as usual.) (pre-sanding... but note that color match to the Anovos armor!) The paste doesn't really go bad, but eventually it'll harden and you'll need to add more Acetone. Keep it capped, and it'll last longer, of course... you can dry it out quite fast if you leave the cap off for more than a few hours. Future batches you can probably go faster (read: add more acetone, sooner), but I recommend the slow approach when you're starting out, until you have a good feel for it. Good luck!

Happy New Year!

FWIW, I have had this (Server Error) happen a LOT lately. I normally go online about 4 a.m., which I thought would be a good time. No luck. Everything starts out fine, but then after about 5 minutes everything shuts down. I don't have this problem on any other sites. Perhaps a dedicated server would be the way to go assuming we have the funds available. I would be willing to chip in extra if needed.

Awesome job!

Happy New Year to you too, Daniel. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your build in 2018. :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Again, not really something that anyone will notice, but the crotch tab is rounded off. I debated on cutting off more, but actually I think a little bit needs to be added to the very bottom. I'm not going to do this. I'm just saying, if anyone is reading this that is changing out there molds or making new molds all together.

The build is starting to come to an end and I'm already starting to miss this controlled chaos Final coverstrip is curing, ammo-knee and thigh elastic waiting to be installerade and then it's some trimming for comfort and TD to wrap this up - Happy New Year everyone

Your build is looking great. Good work on your painting. Common mistake is not enough glue. I certainly did that. Yesterday was my second troop and one of my drop boxes started coming apart. When I got home and pulled it apart I could see why. Hardly any glue. Well, not any more. Ha! I used probably 10x the amount this time.

Got to spend a little time in the shop today. I sanded both interior sections of the helmets to promote paint adhesion, then masked off the forward part of the helmet (used grocery bags to fill the frown holes) and plastidipped it (spray on). Went pretty smoothly overall. I gave it two good coats and then removed anything that was touching the plastidip (eyes, frown holes, sides) to prevent separation issues once the plastidip cured. I did accidentally stick my finger in the wet paint while removing one bag, but a disposable brush and spraying some plastidip in a small plastic container made a quick touch up possible. Might be a helpful hint, cut the grocery bags down to size so that they cleanly but firmly fill the frown holes, yet will pull through from the inside of the helmet without getting stuck. I used needle nose pliers to grab the bag ends and pull them out. Hopefully everyone likes pictures as much as I do:

Happy New Year, Jesse. Lovely to see an update. I thought you’d forgotten us. ;-) Great work as always. :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Go to Home Depot and buy a plastic "For Sale" sign. They work great for internal strips.

Yeah, E6000 takes a long time to dry. Let it! Your "test fit" pictures were only 3 hours ago, so I know you didn't give it near enough time. Also, for the shins especially, I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend putting in an inside strip on the front. There will be a lot of flexing there, and you want it to be as strong as possible. Then don't try it on for at least a full day. (: Oh, and from the pictures, it doesn't look like you used enough glue either. Slather it on there. You can peel up anything that oozes out.

That looks great!

Not that I'm aware of. I'm sure if Adam (your GML) has any concerns he'll contact me anyways lol

I put blue tape on the 1/6 scale figure and traced out the thigh pattern. Then I put the tape on paper and cut it out. Then I traced the pattern on graph paper. With that I could make it 1/6 larger, and cut out a real life pattern. Then I traced it on the thighs I'll cut out that back cover strip and reattach it. I'll cut plastic to recreate the bottoms. In the end it should have the look it want.

Congrats and welcome!

Sure, drop boxes are 2 5/16" wide by 4 5/8" high by 1/2" deep

The belt wasn't working out so I had to make some major alterations. Once I got the belt snapped on, I noticed that it was no longer centered perfectly with the ab button plate. I had the center hole punched for the ABS belt, but I thought I could just modify the hole a bit to allow for the correction to center the ABS belt to the ab. But this made my problem with the snap being very close to the left rivet that holds the ABS belt to the canvas even worse. Belt not centered with ABS so I will need to adjust. Rivet location and snap almost on top of each other after adjustments. The snap is going to have to go. Making sure the new snap location will be under one of the bumps of the ABS belt. Removing female end of the snap from canvas belt. I used pliers to pinch the post and the rest of the snap came off pretty easy. There was some fraying around the old hole. I added a little white hockey tape to protect the old hole and clean up the belt a little. The male end was a little trickier. I couldn't just bend the post and pull the snap off. I had to drill it out. I grabbed the post from the front with pliers and drilled out the back with an 11/64" bit. I took it slow and didn't press very hard. I drilled for about 3 or 4 seconds and took a few seconds break so that the snap didn't heat up too much. I did this three times and the snap fell away with no issues. I installed new snaps on the ab and the canvas belt - after measuring many times and holding the belt to the ab to double check - about 3 times. I then glued on a "patch" to the ab for strength - I'm not sure if this is needed, but I did it anyways. I was worried about having to drill out the line 24 snaps, but in the end it was pretty easy. Just take your time.

Hey Steve, thanks for the additional info.! I didn’t know about applying for EIB, before Centurion. Yes, a few others here have convinced me to build up to Centurion out of the box. I’ve been trying to read up on as much as I can for now, so I know that there’s a lot to learn. Once my armor arrives, I’ll keep in close contact with both my Garrison and here to help guide me. In the meantime, I’ve been slowly collecting parts and tools. I’m pretty close to having everything I need to start! Thanks again for your help! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Congratulations trooper

Way to go Sha Sha!

Congratulations

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had an amazing first troop. I'm in this for the charity, first and foremost. Friends, a close second. The charity was great. 5 Bad Guys Did Good today and I have 4 new friends. Great guys who really made me feel welcome in my new garrison. Thanks David, Brad, Andrew and Dan. I learned a bunch and had fun. Thanks Dan, TK-2759, for the cotton gloves to wear beneath my rubber gloves. Really made it easy to get my hands out after the troop and not have dish pan hands. And for straightening my drop box after that little girl hugged my leg. Thanks Brad, TK-21814 AKA 68Brick, for the advise on foam for fixing my thigh to make me look better. And thanks to each of the guys who asked me several times, knowing it was my first troop, if I was doing ok. Safety, really important. We shared stories and hugs after the troop. Again, amazing first troop.

Ackbar didn't get the send off he deserved. He should've replaced Holdo and sacrificed himself to save the rebellion in epic fashion. Not just flew out the window, "Oh yeah by the way, Ackbar just died, oh well". Goodbye my Fishy friend

Very nice helmets! Building one of these is an awesome experience for me knowing it came from a great lineage.

That is quite the amazing lineup you have available Mark. Very impressive!