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Staying in character while in armor has always interested me. After watching videos of the Stormtroopers at Disney's Galaxy's Edge, I decided to start compiling an array of sayings and responses for different scenarios and I would like to share them with you! SPECIFIC RESPONSES: Citizen: Can I get a picture with you!? Stormtrooper: Affirmative. Proceed with holoscan. Citizen: Thank you! Stormtrooper: All for the glory of the Empire/First Order! Citizen: Your armor is awesome! Stormtrooper: It's made to Imperial specifications. Citizen: How long did it take you to make that? Stormtrooper: About ____ standard months. Citizen: (Waves hand) You don't need to see my identification, or These aren't the droids you're looking for. Stormtrooper: This must not be the Jedi we're looking for. PUBLIC INTERACTION If you see members of the public staring at you in awe or excitement: The Empire/First Order recognizes your loyalty! Your allegiance is noted. The Rebels/Resistance will fall under the might of the Empire/First Order! Careful Citizens! Rebel activity has been reported in this sector! If you see a child dressed as Darth Vader, or Kylo Ren. (Salute them) Lord Vader/Ren! If you see someone with a lightsaber: That's a lightsaber! We'll assume you're a collector. ONLY a collector. CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER TROOPERS: Stormtrooper#1: I could sure go for a cup of caf right now! Stormtrooper#2: Affirmative! Stormtrooper#1: I heard that Lord Vader/Ren might be making an appearance today! Stormtrooper#2 That seems unlikely. Stormtrooper#1: Have you heard about the new T-16's? Stormtrooper#2: Yeah, some of the other guys were telling me about it! They said it was quite a thing to see! ANNOUNCEMENTS: Stormtrooper: Citizens! We have been ordered to re-position, and are vacating these premises! Stormtrooper: Rebel activity has been reported in this area! If you see anything, then report it immediately! Remember to use discretion when interacting with the public. If they seem annoyed, or disinterested, then then don't continue to harass them. And If a child seems frightened of you, then break character and try to sound cheerful. Maybe even lift up your bucket, so they can see it's a real person under there! I'll update this with more phrases and responses as I come up with them. Feel free to post any of your own ideas!

Hi all, Firstly, I’d like to say that Low and higher brow heights are perfectly acceptable and all members are welcome in the legion. I would just highlight that some appear to reflect Stunt or Hero/Promo troopers. The intention of this post is to share educational reference photos with new and aspiring troopers. Based on watching ANH, viewing the many reference photos and additions behind the scenes and historic photos, there is a clear direction regarding various brow heights in ANH. In the spirit of the CRL, this guide would help improve uniformity across the legion. For those that favour a low brow, I would highly recommend checking out the Hero* or Promo Trooper as an ideal option. *please note that not all Hero helmets had a low brow. Below is the Promo Trooper. This features a hero helmet (this is different to the Stunt helmet) and is an iconic look, featuring a low brow (brow trim essentially ‘on’ the top of the eye sockets). There is essentially zero gap between the bubble lenses and the brow trim. There were just six hero helmets made for ANH, made in gloss ABS, intended for close up shots; Luke has a very similar look; Han, on the other hand, had a clear gap (seen here left of shot) 50 Stunt helmets were made for ANH. These were made from green HDPE plastic, then primed and painted. The majority of TKs seen in action and group shots in ANH were Stunt helmets and had a visibly different appearance, including a longer painted ‘frown’ with (for the most part) 4 ‘teeth’ either side, 3 screws per ear rather than 2, flat lenses rather than bubble and (for the majority seen on screen) had a consistent gap between the top of the eyes and the brow. First up is a photo taken outside Shepperton Design Studios and shows approximately half of the 50 Stunt helmets primed and ready to send to the studio. The brow height is consistent across these helmets, each having a clear gap between the eyes and the brow. Note below that perhaps 2 or 3 of 26 helmets have a slightly lower brow. On to screen used, there are a few lower brow stunts featured through ANH, however they are certainly outnumbered by the conventional look. Note the same scenario from ESB (re-using ANH Stunt helmets for the most part); Even quite a few Hero helmets, including Han’s, had the usual gap. I hope that these reference photos help to show the difference with various helmets. This post,and the information included, comes from a passion for the wonderful character that is the Stormtrooper and is not intended as a negative view on those that choose the low brow. Both have their place in our character lineup. I would simply suggest considering the hero or Promo Trooper as an option for those that prefer the low brow. Best wishes Dan NB - credit to StarWarsHelmets.com for a lot of this information. I’ve learned a lot from there over the last couple of years.

And guess what? It'd be even better in white!

I found adding the outside strips first then later the insides, doesn't matter as much if the insides aren't perfect. Also you do need to clamp them down pretty tight, either clamps, magnets or painters tape, or a mixture of all three which is what I use and A LOT of them. I ordered another 50 since this photo was taken Leaving the glue to cure for at least 24 hours and longer if you have parts that need extra tension to hold strips down. At least with E6000 they are easy to pull apart and rub your thumb along to remove the excess glue.

This was on SM, obviously not legit but I think it looks better in black Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So, I used the 3D print as a guide and fashioned myself an all-aluminium one - this'll never break, and once I've painted it and secured it with epoxy, it'll never come out... I'll just make sure I put it in the right way around this time!

So here it is! My kit is being packaged and shipped as we speak. In anticipation for my BBB I figured I'd start my build thread. I was able to go to my first troop last weekend at a local comic book fest and see how thing are done. This was a great experience! TK55933 showed me the ropes and I think I'm going to love every minute of this ride! A little background on me. I have always wanted to be a trooper, but I've also always been unable to do this due to my weight. On July 30th of last year I had Gastric Sleeve surgery. This saved my life. Being obese led to high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and pre diabetes. My BMI was 41 and there were nights I didn't think I would wake up. Now I'm a year out from surgery and I've lost 120 pounds and I haven't felt this good since the late 90's! Now that I'm at perfect trooper weight it's time to join the ranks. I set myself a goal during this whole thing. To join the 501st. Today officially starts that goal being a reality! I knew my kit was being made and I got a little excited and couldn't sit still. So I started 3D printing my E-11 Blaster. With a little luck I should be able to post some pics this weekend. I welcome all suggestions and look forward to bombarding all of you with questions! Thank you all for helping make my dream come true!

Big Brown Box[emoji1][emoji403] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great news, looking forward to the build progress

Hi troopers, The fun continues with the hand painted details. To create the pinstripes I’m using the ‘black before grey’ method. All the usual paint colours at this stage. More to come. :-)

Perfect !!!

Alright!

Undoubtedly a Rogue One armor with a paintjob.

Hi Christian, Welcome to FISD. Here you can open a Build thread and recieve feeback for many experienced people willing to help. Ask whatever you need. Hope you can join the ranks soon as a trooper.

Not to worry, Erick! I don't think there has been an armor build in history that didn't have some sort of temporary glitch.... it's all in how you deal with it. Sometimes stepping back and taking a day off is the best thing to do. The good news is that using E-6000 was a wise move, and having those gaps will actually save you some time when removing them as you can carefully use an Exacto or razor knife to cut through the glue. It looks as if the glue didn't set completely. Did you wait at least 24 hours? One thing that (again) may help is to remove the return edges at least at the bottom. Having those on does not permit the ABS to flex as much into the oval/round shape you need, and can cause the seams to bow out and the cover strip to not sit tightly. If you decide to re-do the biceps as well, I would remove more of the "scoop" and re-size them before re-gluing which will make them more comfortable. Also, try to get rid of any sharp areas (red circle) which can pinch you or potentially snag on your under suit. Hang in there, sir, and don't let this get you down. Enjoy your day off from your build, and know that we are here for ya' when you are ready to jump back in!

Excellent work Dan!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome! I can definitely see the differences now. If it doesn’t hurt my approval for basic I’ll just ride with it. Heck, I have 3 of them. Maybe down the road I’ll sell the 3 to buy/build a 3D printed kit. Speaking of differences, I wanted my Trooper to mirror FN-2199. Figured he was just a cool regular TFA FOTK with the baton, shield and blaster. On closer examination of screen shots I noticed many modifications to his armor. No wrist boxes, no right side long belt box, right side small belt box turned horizontal and different cuts to his armor joints. I’m sure it’s all for the mobility of his fight scene.

Thanks! Absolutely! You have to be down to earth with the small children! I would do that and add the "The Empire recognizes your loyalty!" line, or "Enjoy your day citizen!" Thanks! That's definitely ok! Yeah! That would be good to use when there is heavy traffic in a convention hall, or after you've finished "interrogating" someone

Truely epic E11 build, looking fantastic. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not a problem, Erick! Those on here that know me know that I am not a fan of return edges in most places on armor. As I mentioned above, it looks cool, but at the price (in most cases) of comfort/mobility. The reason you should do it before you glue is that the openings will be too large if you choose to do it afterward. Trust me on this one. You don't want them jangling around on your arms/legs, and it just looks awful. You should be able to fit about 3 fingers between your wrist opening and wrist, and about 3-4 on the top opening and wrist The same goes for the thighs. The originals had no (or very little) return edges on the tops. Keeping those on the tops can lead to some serious chafing, especially in your uh... let's say "cod" area while walking. And the sides of the chest/back plates: I would not recommend using Velcro on your forearms. If you leave just enough room to slide them on your arms you will be good to go. Gloves are put on last, and then tucked into the opening. I'm not saying can't do it, and it may pass Basic approval (depending on your GML) but not higher levels, which I hope you will be aiming for. Keep the questions and photos coming!

Thank you Q for all of the input. Appreciate it very much. I will look in to all of that immediately. Appreciate your time and advice.

Congratulations and welcome to the ranks trooper

Welcome to the 501st and FISD Ivan!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice work came out great, just a few adjustments would make you really shine but I don't think they will hold you up for approval. Watch the height difference of the thighs. You could reduce the gap at the elbows a little, bring the forearms up and biceps down. Shoulder bells could come in a little more at the front to reduce gap to the chest, perhaps shorten the shoulder bell front elastic straps. On the side photos the thighs look like they have some room in them, not sure if you could reduce the gap. Spats should sit just under the black oval on shins. There are a few things missing on the Batons which your GML may or may not pick up on so you could leave that out of your submission pics As I say no real hold ups for basic, good luck with approval.

Paint fry, have to remember that term. Sounds like something that happens to your brain when you paint in a non vented area lol

Looking good Trooper! From an Original Trilogy TK. ;)

Thanks for the tip about the grip design. I did some work on the grip today. Actually, I started over because the rounded edges on the first model caused subsequent features to fail when I tried to suppress them. It’s all good, though. I’m much happier with the new model. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Renamed

Nice job so far, Eric! Something you could think about before gluing the other side of the forearms together is that there is quite a bit of return edge on both ends, and they look a little ragged. Removing it all is not a requirement for Basic approval, but I would suggest trimming them down (before gluing) for 2 reasons: 1. If you will be (hopefully) aiming for level 2 or above, removing all the return edges from the wrist side will be necessary. If you glue it first, when you go to trim them down the openings will be a lot wider. Too wide in most cases. 2. Removing them (at least at the top) will help prevent "armor bite", which is when the edges cut into you while you bend your arms (which will be a LOT). I am including some photos of screen used armor to give you a better idea of what I mean. Reference images Reference images Some folks like the look of return edges, which give the armor a "thicker" look, but depending on the particular piece these can be an issue for some. For instance, trimming all the edge off of the bottom of the shoulder bells will allow them to ride closer to the bicep. Keep up the great work and keep those photos coming!

Could be a paint reaction too, some paints don't play well in certain orders and the paint will react. Generally I always try run a test piece when using new paints or layering using differing brands I've not used before.

Finally started gluing something together! I really feel like I'm flying blind but its coming along nicely. I just keep checking reference pictures and other build threads until I'm satisfied and then move forward. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Got the left forearm assembled, just need to do some top trimming and some sanding at the cuff. It closes with velcro on the backside of the arm. I did have to do a boiling water dip to get a better curve on them after doing the rough cut. But when closed they fit perfectly and are much more comfortable than my ANH forearms. The backside is current clamping down on the back coverstrip or I would have gotten a pic of that. Sent from my SM-T597P using Tapatalk

Ok guys it's official TK37512 reporting as active. Now just clean it up before my first troop.

Wasn't satisfied with the triming ... I've trimed the guard again under the sun light (more visibility) ... The result is better ! Next steps : - T-tracks, - disassembling, - primer, - paint.

According to StarWars.com they're going to have Sith Trooper suits. They look... great.

I forgot to post the most exciting part of this past weekend. BBB day was like Christmas! Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

First day of actual cutting. Started with the shoulder bells and drop boxes. These seemed to be the least nerve wracking. Here we go people! Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

You may have heard the term "Armor Party" mentioned here, and wondered exactly what that means. While these are not "official" 501st or FISD events, below is some basic information which may be helpful for those who would like to either attend or host one. How do I find one in my area? These are normally posted on your local Garrison or Squad websites, usually in the "New recruits" or Events area. If you have any questions, you can ask the board admins for your local unit. A list of all Garrison/Squad/Outposts can be found here: http://www.501st.com/members/displayUnits.php You may also have a local Imperial Attache that you are welcome to PM. A complete list can be found here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/38483-fisd-imperial-attache-list/ Goals These events are aimed for those who are beginning or are in the process of building a set of TK armor. There will be approved Troopers there who have been there-done that and will help you with any questions or problems you may encounter and offer advice. However... if you have not received or even ordered your kit you are more than welcome (and encouraged) to attend. These are "judgement free" zones, so no matter how strange or inane you think your questions may be (or how many you have) we have heard them all, and are here to assist you. You will also get to meet the future friends you will be eventually trooping with. Supplies "I have my kit, so what else should I bring"? 1. I would start with a spiral notebook and a pen. This way you can write down any questions you may have before you get there, as well as take notes and contact information. Bring these items even if you don't have your armor yet. 2. Many hosts may have some supplies on hand, but what stage of your build you are in will determine what you will need. I suggest bringing a Dremel tool (with accessories), clamps, magnets, E-6000, sandpaper, a pencil, etc. When in doubt, bring everything you have. A complete list can be found here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31404-supply-list-for-your-tk-build/ 3. If you have them, bring your undersuit and boots. These will come in handy for fitting your armor if you are at that stage. 4. If you have a laptop, bring it for FISD references. Food/Drinks While some hosts will supply snacks and water, some make a whole day event (or a barbeque) out of it. Ask your host in advance, and be prepared to bring your own water/soda/juice, snacks etc. Some hosts allow alcohol (usually BYO), some do not, so please respect their wishes. Again, check with the host before bringing it. Not to be a buzzkill, but I personally don't recommend drinking while using a razor knife or electric tools. Conduct 1. If you smoke or vape, please check with your host to see if there is an area where you can do this and not offend others who don't. 2. If you drink (alcohol), please be responsible. 3. If you need to use someone else's tools or supplies, ask beforehand. 4. Please try to avoid bringing small children without checking with your host first. Sharp objects, flying ABS pieces and kids may not mix. Plus, they can get really bored. 5. The same goes for pets. 6. If you sign up to attend, please do so. You may also want to enquire about where to park. 7. Please do not expect others to build your armor for you at an AP. They are here to help, not do it for you. I have heard of some who actually dropped their armor off and said "I'll be back later to get it". Needless to say it was left in the box untouched. When it's over.. Remember to thank your host, as well as those who helped you, and PLEASE offer to assist in the clean-up afterward. It's the right thing to do. HOSTING AN AP If you wish to host an Armor Party, I highly recommend it. A Saturday or Sunday afternoon of camaraderie with fellow (and future) TKs can make for a great time, and is REALLY appreciated by those who need help with their build or have questions. So how do I do it? 1. Determine what type of space you have and how many people you can accommodate. Some use a garage, basement or patio, as long as there is shade (summer) or heat (winter). You will also need multiple electric outlets for tools, as well as sufficient tables, chairs and hopefully a workbench of some sort. 2. Ask the senior TKs, EIs and Centurions in your Squad/Garrison if they can commit to attend and help out with build questions. You really can't have too much white-armor knowledge at these events. Having one or more experienced FO TKs will definitely help. 3. Check with your neighbors. These events very rarely get loud, but parking may be a concern. 4. After you have determined that you are good to go, post up the information on your local 501st site (and FB if you have that). Be sure to give all the details you can in the post, including day, date, begin/end time, food/drink/alcohol/kid/pet/parking policy and if there is a limit on how many people you can accommodate. Don't forget the address/directions to your house! You may also want to provide an alternate date in case in inclement weather. 5. Have a laptop or computer online and at the ready with the FISD site available. This will help with any technical info. 6. Be prepared to answer the same questions over and over. These folks are depending on and will appreciate your knowledge. 7. If you get the chance, take lots of photos and post them up here! If you have any suggestions/additions for this, please feel free to post up below, or if you have any questions about hosting or attending please feel free to PM me.

Success!!!