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Att all approved and very soon to be approved Stormtroopers! This is the reveal you have all been waiting for. We have 5 approvals left to hit the march to 1000, and the Deployment office are currently working on applications as we speak. We are literally getting down to the line and considering we will also have an EI 1000 only piece of merch to be revealed in the very near future, it is time for you all to see our major celebratory merch design. This will be in the form of an 11" patch, a celebration of all that came before us right up to the now, but first lets thank those that helped with this project. Synaptyx (Aaron), one of the detachments very first webmasters with a great creative flare , it was his design that inspired this merch item, and he actually still had files of his original design which he shared so we had a starting platform to work from. I would also like to thank Harbinger (Brien) our former DMBO, now one of the LMBO's, who helped bring my vision of this item into its current form, redesigning and creating new additions, thanks mate, it looks fantastic. I would also like to thank all the staff who helped with the brain storming and suggestions for how the end result should look, when we would reveal it, and all the fun that went along with finally arriving at this point. So without further ado here is the Victory 1000 11" patch special merch item. Oh yeah, turn your audio up

To the future troopers like myself who are building their first kits and to the members trying to get approved, remember that being in the first 1k for EIB is not something to worry about! Rushing to get the job done goes against the spirit of why EIB exists in the first place. It's supposed to award patience and attention to detail. Something that I feel many people (including myself) are forgetting, and rushing our first builds/making changes to our armor just runs the risk of doing something dumb in the name of saving time and cutting corners... sometimes the wrong corners! We may not get in the first 1k, but the real important thing is the experience of building the armor and take the time to really learn it and appreciate it. If you are not within the first 1k EIB but really wanted to get in that bracket, don't be disappointed. Instead, look at the next step. We have what, 500 more centurions to go for 1k? Now that is a bracket everyone reading this thread can strive for. We got so many people pumped with this competition to reach for EIB, why not continue the momentum and make for 1k Centurions! Now that would be a truly amazing milestone not just for FISD, but to the entire Star Wars costuming community! TL/DR: Don't rush it, don't worry about it, just focus on getting to Centurion

IMPORTANT! Please note that the patch run will start soon, but is not underway yet. An announcement will be made when the run opens re: price, shipping info. etc., so bear with us while we iron out a few final details. Thanks!! By the way, for those who are a part of the original 1000 we have yet another surprise just for you.... details to follow.

Aim is getting better, we are almost there. And they say we can't hit anything, they obviously forgot about Leia, also Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru

And the video! Kudos to @synaptyx who did the original design for the 5th anniversary this was based off, @Harbinger for making a fantastic patch, and to @Sly11 for keeping the dream alive and getting it across the finish line. This goal has been 14 years in the making.

Hi everyone! I'm Matt from Portland, OR. I am very excited to be finally be making real moves towards joining the 501st. Star Wars has been a huge part of my life and I am really excited to share my love of the franchise with other people. I've been wanting to join the 501st for a long time but recent events have allowed me to make the final decision to get my first set of armor. The biggest event was that I got married in March, 2020, and my wife as a wedding day surprise to me asked members of the Cloud City Garrison to come to our reception! I was completely blown away by the appearance and it really made our wedding even more memorable (we also got married right as the COVID pandemic was beginning in the US, good news was no one got sick). The members of the garrison who came were incredible and brought so much excitement and fun to our wedding reception. Additionally, the Garrison's appearance helped raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, in memory of my mom who I lost to breast cancer in 2017 (my wife made a large donation in her memory and on behalf of the 501st). My wife has been extremely supportive of my love of Star Wars and my interest in purchasing a set of armor, so after a lot of research I made my purchase this week from RS Propmasters of a commissioned set of ANH armor. I decided to go with preassembled armor given my lack of experience and craftiness but I hope to later build another set myself in the future. The armor should be arriving sometime around the end of October, beginning of November. I am excited to give it a check and hopefully get 501st approval so I can start trooping sometime in 2021. I'm really happy to take this step and I know how incredibly supportive this community is for new members just getting started out.

JR you are very correct, rushing and risking isn't what this or EI s about. This is but a milestone that has taken a 14 year long journey, there will be many more milestones to come, and we the staff, already have plans in place for one that is much closer than 1000 Centurions although that indeed will be a remarkable accomplishment in itself. Of course nothing will be revealed/announced etc about that milestone until this one is reached and we have a chance to celebrate a little. The main reason why I made the call to have the special merch item available to all 501st approved Detachment members was so everyone could have something to remember it by, and they will be able to purchase more than one of this item. This allows for the possibility of these coming up for trade or a member may be happy to sell one to you once you are 501st approved. I have tried to think of everything to cover as many as possible with this achievement and celebration for our detachment. I have more that will be announced in the near future so don't feel like you missed the boat on this, there is more to come. I am proud of every single member that strives to go the extra mile and we always look to reward where we can. Stay tuned folks.

While I like the patch, this is the best part of the video: Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Progress Report - 9/3/2020 Happy Dragoncon! After getting some feedback regarding the thighs I decided after doing some quick work on the shins to get right into fixing my noob issues with my thighs. I've JB welded these strips inside the back halves of the thighs. I'm really tempted to just do this lol It would be good enough for Expert Infantry and be much less painless. But I want to be centurion one day so. From here im going to glue another strip on top and once it cures I'll put my abs paste to use. Once it dries, best believe im taking a belt sander to this mess. I cant wait for these thighs to be right...sheesh.

Only 5 spots, wait what, a moment ago it was 6 I guess you are all waiting for another sneak peek then ............................ Well okay then!

In a year that hasn’t given much to be excited about, this is really great.

Holy cow! Love the patch. Come on y’all, (that’s southern talk for “youse guys” up north), focus, take your time and it will happen. I have confidence in y’all. We are all in this together . We’re all in the trooper Family. Woo hoo. For you and the Empire!

Um...That patch just blew my mind! Kudos to the designer/designers and all that made this happen! I’m so glad I was able to be a part of this!

99.5% there. Think of it this way, 995 people have been approved out of 1000. When you think about it that way, it's amazing.

A fantastic guy, when I tracked him down through his old email address (which he told me he hardly uses and was just pure luck he checked it) and asked if he had a copy of the original artwork he not only gave me access to it but also all the artwork he made while on FISD, massive thanks once again Aaron @synaptyx truly a man of our motto "troopers helping troopers"

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to screen cap that little insert The hope was it might give a few a bit of a laugh, and my job here is done

I am loving the new patch. I cannot wait to see what the other merchandise is.

That is absolutely fantastic. I cannot wait to add a few of those to my little patch collection. Congratulations to all involved in this, especially to the first 1000 EIB when we hit the milestone.

I have a really nice E-11 from QuestDesign which was for getting approved, and I have a Rubies mod and re-paint made by a friend which I prefer to bring to troops because I don’t worry about anything happening to it, and it’s lighter. Just something to consider.

Hey Nadas, For a speaker system, I have both an AKER MR1505 and TRamp (https://www.facebook.com/trooperamp/). Below is my thoughts on each and a demo of each unit. As per the video, I think that the Aker is exceptionally good value and I’d highly recommend it. However, for the extra immersion, TRamp offers the clicks and static bursts. If you want them, it also has TK samples and loops built in, as well as 10s of other characters built in. For helmet fans, I started off just building my own. Simple and cheap 5v fans from China, some wire and switches, and a USB power bank. This was fine for trooping and worked really well. More recently, I upgraded to TroopaCoola. Not only are they more attractive to look at, but, the system I went for is the Digital Variable System (DVS). This means you can increase or decrease the speed of both fans to suit your requirements. Here’s my thoughts on TroopaCoola; Regarding blaster lights and sounds, my personal opinion is that it takes away the “magic” of a costumed TK. Anyone that knows me knows that I love OTTKs and like to represent them as realistically as possible. I’ve used the example of Disney World before, where the characters are “in-character”, allowing the guest to believe they are meeting the actual character. To me, that’s so much more memorable than just “a guy in a costume”, especially for the children. As such, I find that lights and sounds on an E-11 are never realistic. It comes across as more of a toy than a prop. Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and no offence is intended to those that do use light and sounds on their blaster. Best wishes Dan

The rebels are terrorists who blew up TWO death stars and killed countless INNOCENT imperial subjects. Why they get all the PR, I will never understand.

And the below from my alter-ego, TK-8020: In other words, we are very, very accurate. Any claims to the contrary are alternative facts.

Hot off the press this week! The true story of how the iconic Stormtroopers were created , which subsequently led to a high profile multimillion pound court case. With the endless controversy and conflicting stories reported in the media and on the internet, this book reveals the facts from the crew on the production in 1976 Hit the link for your signed preorder https://www.brianmuirvadersculptor.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Hey folks, First post here on FISD and I'm excited to announce this is my first every 501st build! I'm building a TK Stunt with my sights set on Centurion certification. May as well gun for the top from the get-go! I'm from Melbourne, Australia, and looking to join the Nightfall Garrison here. The folks there have already helped me this far, but now I'm inviting the larger community for your opinions and help. I actually ordered my armour in February, but the pandemic has played all sorts of havoc worldwide and I received my trimmed kit from AP only a few weeks back. I may not make the first 1000 (maybe I'll be 1001!), but I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun regardless. This delay also meant I've had a stack of time to research builds and acquire tools and mods to get me to Centurion. Thanks in advance for all your help. Kit details: TK Armour: AP (Mr No Stripes brackets) Helmet: AP S-trim: Trooperbay Visor: Trooperbay HOVI Tips: Ukswrath speakers Helmet VOX: iComm or Arduino (See: Arduino Based Voice Changer thread) Neck seal: Darman's Props Belt: Canvas (AP) Centurion completion kit (Joseph) Gloves: Ansell Heavy Duty Hand guards: Latex (Joesph) Boots: Imperial Boots Undersuit: Extreme Racing E-11 Blaster: Premier Props BBB Day! The trimmed kit I've actually begun the build on small pieces first, to build up my skill and courage to move onto the larger pieces. I'll post progress pics below.

Ah yes. I might still cut down the inside a little. Those pics dip down inside, but mine are straight. Thanks for the tips!

Good luck to you David! I know the feeling!

I am now at the edge of my seat. Lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I see them now, thanks!! I was looking through the Gallery but it won't download the images for me to expand and adjust, they download as 0 KB... Yes, maybe hanging them straight and centered will even out the gap around my legs, and then I can run foam around...

I think it is a little too much but try to even out the gap between the front and back, just push in some foam or scrunched newspaper to get a better idea of how they are sitting. There appears to be quite a lot of room in the back of this image Straps

I've begun slowly building my helmet so I can get each step right before final assembly and painting. So far I've sprayed the interior with Plasti Dip and fixed the helmet suspender clips. I'll then line it with black Neoprene foam and glue in velcro to hold the electronics. It's truly an act of Zen to tape up and spray these pieces. Next I'll clean up the eye holes and teeth, then begin positioning.

This countdown to 1000 was a great Idea! Watching that number get higher, reading everyone's excited responses, getting clues of what's to come once we reach 1000, it's all been a lot of fun! Not to mention it has provided some healthy pressure for us to get our applications submitted. Whoever was behind this, well done!

Thank you so much! I started this build with my eyes on first 1k, but due to being a novice among what I thought would be delays getting my blaster such, I had my doubts. Its amazing watching all the other EIB confirmations and while I was cheering on each one, I'd lie if I didn't say I got a bit more anxious with each one as well. This is an exciting milestone for me! Also, you were correct in your assumption regarding the elastic on the straps. I knew I would miss submitting a photo. Keep an eye out for my Centurion application in the very near future. I'll have to work these fixes in while building @McNuggies kit and blaster.

Received mine the other day as well. Signed by Brian and Lindsay. Almost through it already. Good read. Thanks Brian and Lindsay.

Ok, Troopers. I decided a couple weeks ago on a kit from ATA and BBB day should be in the next week or two (fingers crossed). So, I have started a build thread....GAAAHHHH!! Excitement, terror, joy, anticipation, dread, more excitement...mixed emotions which from what I've gathered is very common starting a first build...let's do this!!

I received mine in 31 July, here it is together with the other 2 great books by Brian:

Received mine today

Yup, mine arrived yesterday as well, and I squeezed in the first couple chapters after putting the baby to sleep last night. Anybody in the States who ordered in the first run should be getting their copies shortly. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Book received today! I only ordered it a few days ago. Amazing! Now time for a chilled afternoon reading! [emoji1591][emoji41][emoji1591] Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

I´ve got my book today. Signed by Brian and Lindsay.

Ordered mine a few days ago as well. Looking forward to the next batch.

This book is an absolute Must Buy for anyone even vaguely interested in stormtroopers. I can't reccomend it highly enough .

Are you sold out on this run?

Loved "In the Shadow of Vader", this should be equally good

This is a retail item so really shouldn't be in ongoing sales in my mind

As this is not a "Personal For Sale" item this thread will be moved to "Off Topic"

ordered mine today.

Yep, already ordered. Looking forward to it!

Already ordered, too. Some imperial spies were faster on linking it here than you funnily

Ordered mine yesterday... can't wait!

Already ordered Sir