Hi all,
Love this detachment and forum. Amazing folks here. I'm pretty quiet and more of a reader than a poster. I'm a longtime trooper (since 2002). While, I've been working on my Centurion ESB TK application, I was getting out some of my little inventions I've been using for trooping and my costume to have aside. Over the years, I've got a few ideas with pics that I thought I'd share in case it helps others or they want to use it. My hacks include:
-Changing outside/inside -Using a changing tent for changes in the parking lot - imperial cog stencil used on black tent along with bar and puck light to tilt and light the inside of the tent
-Changing inside maximizing space with a tub lid shelf- I use 4 white wood panels as poles which are used to elevate the lid of the tub to act as a shelf to put parts on
-Time keeping -Using a black mini finger watch turned backwards - super quick way to check time on a troop
-Trooping accessory - For troops with no blaster allowed, using black Police metal ticket holder with 501st Legion tickets to issue for civilians that say dumb things to us or 'break rules'. Ticket holder also allows easy storage and lid to lift to give out stickers, coins, patches, etc.
-Changing inside and being able to check how armor looks- I've added plastic mirrors from Amazon and velcroed them under the lid of the tub to use to help address costume details.
- Changing accessory - Mini travel spray bottles of Febreeze to help keep from smelling in the costume - I even took the Febreeze logo sticker off of a refill jug and glued it to the spray bottle so it looks official but lets you know what liquid is in there.
-Blaster wrap - Imperial cog golf towel and mini velvet jewelry bags (for the ammo mag) with velcro wraps. A themed way to wrap blaster to prevent scratching armor but not taking up any extra space in the tub.
-Helmet sound effect - Mini soundboard in helmet to trigger compressed air "Tssshh" sound effect when taking off bucket.
-Sound - Mp3 player on blaster handle and blue tooth Bose speaker (which is really loud) which fits perfect and hidden inside the holster.
I'll show these in some separate posts. Not all these hacks or ideas are meant for official/canon troops but could be used for fun events. Hope this helps anyone looking for new trooping ideas. Feel free to add any of your own! I'd love to see others!