Leaderboard

It’s one thing to poke fun at those that, with no love for Star Wars, capitalize on the franchise for their own monetary benefit thereby also depriving us of a chance to appear for free and have any proceeds donated to a charity of the organizer’s choosing. Yet, while I often refrain from expressing my truly meaningless opinion on topics that do not concern my own conduct or pursuits, I cannot stand to see ridicule pointed at innocent fans who dress up just for the fun of it. Fun is a subjective construct, and as such, it cannot be stated that our accurate and systematic approach to building stormtroopers is the only valid method by which one can represent and enjoy the franchise. If the individual derided earlier in this thread whilst attending a premiere is a weirdo, then I too am a “weirdo” and glad to be one. As Joseph said, I would hate to rob someone of fulfilling their whitearmor passion simply because they observe some insensitive members, who feel the time and money we all have invested into our costumes somehow equate to superiority, hiss and sneer at one’s first attempt at replicating something we all emulate. After all, no matter how much liberty was taken in these costumes, the emulation is close enough that the public will doubtlessly identify it as a stormtrooper (or a Power Ranger) just as they would us. I concur with the prior comments that this thread and all like it should be closed. Though I said it might be acceptable to criticize those that open themselves up to as much by commercializing others’ intellectual property to reap monetary reward, it is too difficult to differentiate from a mere picture of an enthusiastic fan. As such, there’s no sense in indiscriminately insulting and laughing at all less-than-accurate attempts. Happy Holidays Everyone!

Troop 72 12/22/2019 Christmas in the City - Boston, MA

The story this whole trilogy is a mess IMO, but the armor and vehicles are pretty cool.

Troop #6 2019 December 23 (Monday) Marunouchi Bright Christmas Parade

Troop #5 TROS public commemoration sortie @ Tokyo Disney Resort in the cinema IKSPIARI [Informal / Fan Celebration] Date: Dec 21, 2019 (Sat) Morning To Evening Venue: IKSPIARI Cinema

I decided to work out a complete, comprehensive list for those about to start an OT TK armor build (ANH Stunt, Hero, etc,) to help get everything in place for when "Big Brown Box" day arrives! This list does not include soft parts, (neck seal, boots, etc.) but focuses on the hardware and supplies for building the armor itself. However, a list of soft parts can be found HERE I believe I have covered most items, but would appreciate additional suggestions/corrections to add, and will keep it updated as such. Yes, it looks a bit daunting, but some of the items you will already have, and the rest can be purchased at major home improvement stores, online, or borrowed from a TK friend! Plus, it gives you something to do while you "hurry up and wait" for your kit! This list is includes items used for the EIB and Centurion programs, (marked with double red asterisks)**. These items are not required for initial TK approval, but I encourage everyone to consider them as an option. Hope this helps, and best of luck on your build! PLEASE NOTE: Some kits come with all the hardware you will need to build to Centurion level, i.e. split rivets, ear screws, TD screws, etc., however, not all armorers supply the correct ones. If you are (hopefully) planning on aiming for level 3, please check with your armorer to see if they provide these. You can also reference the photos below to see if they are accurate. These supplies are based on using the snap method for connecting the armor. Example photos are shown at the bottom for many of the items, but not all. (Everyone knows what a hammer looks like). Items with photos have a notation. 1. E-6000 glue- Great for almost everything, and removable if necessary. Highly recommended. (Pick up some wooden tongue depressors as well, makes spreading it easier)! (Photo 1) (Please see updated information on E-6000 below, after #50 before purchasing). 2. Binder or notebook- To keep notes on your research. 3. Dremel or rotary tool- A "must have". (Photo 2). Be sure to get the sanding drum attachment and extra sanding drums (Photo 3). I suggest the 180 grit type. 4. Small plastic containers- Keeps everything organized. 5. Lexan scissors- Curved and straight, for cutting ABS. (Photo 4) 6. Small spring clamps- For holding things in place while gluing. You can't have too many! (Photo 5) 7. Line 24 snaps- For strapping. You will need at least 30, and do NOT "cheap-out" on these, but purchase quality ones. (Steer clear of Wal-Mart snaps). Tandy is recommended. Tutorial located here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/44617-snap-setting-101/ (Photo 6) 8. Snap setting tools- There are 2 types to choose from- One is a two piece set (requires a hammer) (Photo 7) and the other is the pliers style (Photo 8) 9. Hammer- For setting snaps if you use the 2 piece style of snap setter. 10. Pliers/vise grips- 11. Screwdriver- Slotted head. 12. Rivets-** 5/16 (8mm). (Photo 9) Round head bifurcated/split rivets with washers. You will need 9. (3 for the kidney, 3 for the ab, one for the cod piece, 2 for the thigh ammo pack). You will also need 3 speed (Chicago") rivets to attach your ABS belt to your canvas one. These are attached by hand and not to be confused with the aluminum ones listed below (#19). Some like to use the screen accurate single cap rivets (Photo 10) to attach the ammo thigh pack but these are not a requirement. 13. Elastic- 1 inch wide black for shoulder bells, etc. (4 ft.) 2 inch wide white for ab/back plate shoulder connection (1 ft.), 1 inch wide white for drop boxes, (1 ft.) 1/4 inch wide white** (1 ft.) for shoulder straps. 14. Nylon strapping- 1 inch wide black, at least 6 to 8 ft. long. 2 inch wide black (48 inches) for high tension areas if you are using the double snap method. (NP) 15. Exacto knife/extra blades- For cutting, trimming, cutting nylon strapping. (Photo 11) 16. Heavy duty razor knife/extra blades- For cutting cover strips and scoring around pieces that will be removed. (Photo 12) 17. Heavy duty scissors/tin snips- For (carefully) cutting large sections of ABS. (Photo 13) 18. Metal ruler or straight edge- (At least 18 inches long). For use as a cutting guide, especially cover strips. 19. Hand Rivet gun/aluminum open end blind rivets- For putting your helmet together. Available for about $10-$12.00, EASY to use! (Photo 14) 20. Metric Ruler- 21. 2 x 2 or larger piece of carpet- Protects work surface, keeps dust down, and stops small parts from rolling away. 22. Rags/paper towels- And plenty of them. 23. Blue painter's tape- 1 inch and 2 inch widths. For keeping glued parts in place and dry-fitting your armor. 24. China marker/pencil- For marking cut lines. 25. Sandpaper- I highly recommend Sandblaster Pro Flexible silicone sanding sheets from 3M, 220 grit. You will never use anything else, I promise. They last forever! 26. Sanding block- The sponge type, 120 grit. 27. Band Aids- You will need these. Might as well keep them handy. 28. Rare earth magnets- (10 minimum) SUPER strong! I use the 20 mm x 3 mm round ones. Cover them in blue tape to prevent scratching your armor. You cannot have too many!!! Tutorial located here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/44619-magnets-101/ (Photo 15) 29. Butane Lighter- For sealing the ends of nylon strapping. (see # 44 below for a better option) 30. Large "half-round" file- For smoothing out edges before sanding. I used this a LOT, especially in the curved areas. (Photo 16) 31. Small "Needle file" set- Very inexpensive, comes in 6 different shapes, and is perfect for the teeth and eye openings on your helmet. (Photo 17) 32. Foam padding- 1 inch thick. Great for helmet and armor padding. Available at craft or fabric stores. 33. Velcro- 2 inch wide black (various uses) and 1 inch wide white, for calf closures (about 36 inches). Go for the "Industrial Strength" kind. 34. PAINT: Satin Black: Humbrol # 85 or Testors # 1747 for vocoder, trap/ tear drop/ear bar outlines/stripe(s), ROTJ and ESB frown, TD screw heads. Gray: Humbrol # 5 or Testors # 1138 for trap/tear drop/ear bar background, ANH frown and ab-buttons. French Blue: Humbrol # 14 or Testors # 2715 ForTube stripes/ab buttons. Mediterranean Blue Humbrol (Tube stripes alternative color) Testors: No exact match Gloss white for all rivet heads (excluding cod rivet). Mineral spirits for brush cleaning 35. Goo Gone- Citrus based solvent that will remove latex and enamel paint and NOT harm your armor. (Photo 18). 36. Small paint brushes- Assorted sizes. Try to buy quality ones.. Cheap brushes =cheap looking results. I suggest picking up a "filbert" (Photo 19) style brush (photo 5) as well, as it's rounded tip works great for painting the ab plate buttons and vocoder. Another GREAT way to get clean, crisp lines on the ab buttons is to use Testors Micro-Sponge brushes (Photo 20). 37. Wire or fiberglass mesh- (Window screen). For inside the "frown" of your helmet. A piece 3 x 8 inches will work fine, and you can trim it as needed. 38. Safety Glasses- It never hurts to be too careful, especially when using a Dremel type tool. For your Thermal Detonator, (TD) clips: (Note: There are some GREAT pre-made TD clips you can buy on this site, and some kits include them, but you can use the following 5 items to make your own. 39. Aluminum strip- 1 inch wide 40. Screws- Size #6 pan-head slotted screws **, 1/2 inch long, You will need 4. (Photo 21). NOTE: The CRLs have been updated and round head screws are permitted, but they must be the slotted (not philips) style. 41. Hacksaw- For cutting the aluminum strip. 42. Drill- Electric or battery operated, with various size bits. 43. Vise grip OPTIONAL ITEMS: 44. Heat sealing iron- For making return edges. Not normally needed, but there are some great tutorials on this here on FISD. Try it on a scrap first, though! 45. Soldering Iron- For making holes in nylon strapping and sealing the ends. Pretty inexpensive, and worth the cost! (Photo 22) 46. Plasti-Dip- A black rubberized coating you can spray inside your helmet, (also available in a brush-on). Or, you can use spray paint. Just remember to sand and prime first! 47. Heat gun- Not normally needed. For shaping ABS. Use this CAREFULLY, and practice on scraps first until you get the hang of it. These things can reach 1500 degrees and melt your armor. 48. CA (super) glue- Not recommended for first time builders, as it is PERMANENT, and you can't fix mistakes. Also, if it drips on your armor it is nearly impossible to remove. It can also become brittle over time, causing connections to fail. 49. Acetone- For use ONLY in making ABS paste for filling small gaps, (see tutorials). Do NOT put this directly on your armor, as it will melt it. 50. SUGRU- This is an easy way to attach the lenses in your helmet. Tutorial located here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/44593-how-to-attach-lenses-using-sugru/ 51. Respirator- An informative post was made by Clint, (cm325i) concerning the effects of E-6000 glue on some individuals. Definitely worth a read: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/33347-e6000-warnings-read-them-and-wear-a-respirator/ 52. Cut resistant gloves- Especially helpful if you are prone to cutting yourself. Available online for about $12.00 (Photo 23) E-6000 update: Please note that there are certain online retailers (including those in Europe) that are selling FAKE E-6000 or "knock-offs" like these: The genuine product is clearly marked Made in the USA, and has a batch number on each tube. They do not sell to distributors in Asia, so if you try to save a few bucks by ordering from a seller there it is not the real stuff. If you have any doubts, you can contact the manufacturer at www.eclecticproducts.com, and they will let you know where to get it. The fake stuff is garbage and will not hold up. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. IMPORTANT UPDATE! To make life easier, Ray (Dieltski) made this into an awesome Google spreadsheet, which you can download to keep track and add notes! Just click here. Thanks, Ray! .

2 viewings so far and definitley picked up on a few more details the second time around. I personally enjoyed the move, the pace was good the Easter eggs abundant, and although there could always be more to some of the story line, I give it an 8 out of 10

Do they continually ask for shipping address confirmation as it takes so many years there’s a good chance you moved house??

Make that two.

There was a time long ago we almost ended up with this. Image from Star Wars Costumes The original trilogy. Publication Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

23) 12/22/2019 - TROS Premiere Maya Cinemas - Fresno, Ca

The above list does not include all of my troops, just the ones I kept track of myself. Due to the fact that the Makaze Squad has a TON (200 plus a year) of events means that sometimes participants get missed, but I never attended an event because I would get "credit" for it. Seeing the smiles that I could bring, pure and simple were more than enough reason to "keep troopin'". BUT, being on stage with "Weird" Al in front of 6.500 people and trooping at Disney on a few occasions does make me happy that I chose to be a TK.

TK-10867 Troop 12 Rise of Skywalker December 19 - 22, 2019 Garrison Tyranus Eastern Sienar Fleet Awesome 4 days with some great people!

24) 12-22-19 --- Mt. Pocono, Pa., Rise of Skywalker at Casino Theater & Malt Shop (2nd of two Episode IX Troops this weekend...) This indie Mom-and-Pop theater (a dying breed, sadly) also had a small restaurant, so naturally we had to conquer the kitchen, as well...

23) 12-19-19 --- Millersburg, Pa., Rise of Skywalker Twin Valley Colonnade (1st of two Episode IX Troops this weekend...) The theater treated us like royalty and started us off with our own private screening, after which we suited up to greet attendees for the first public showings.

21) 12/21/2019 - TROS Premiere Palladio 16 Cinemas - Folsom, Ca 22) 12/21/2019 - Zoo Lights @ Micke Grove Zoo - Stockton, Ca

These type of threads are always a bad idea. Not sure why it hasn’t been removed as it always leads to the same thing - mocking. Bad taste. Move along.

18) 12/19/2019 - TROS Premiere Palladio 16 Cinemas - Folsom, Ca 19) 12/20/2019 - TROS Premiere Palladio 16 Cinemas - Folsom, Ca 20) 12/20/2019 - Zoo Lights @ Micke Grove Zoo - Stockton, Ca

Having seen the movie 10 hours ago, I think J.J. Abrams brought the Skywalker saga to a dignified end.

Troop 11 TK-10867 SAG Santa's Helpers December 15, 2019 Garrison Tyranus Eastern Sienar Fleet

17) 12/14/2019 - Zoo Lights @ Micke Grove Zoo - Stockton, Ca

Troop 71 12/10/2019 Cast/Paid Event for Bose - Framingham, MA

TK-10867 Troop Log Troop 10 Richmond Christmas parade 12/7/2019 Garrison Tyranus Eastern Sienar Fleet Put first entry in wrong spot. Forgot how to do it...ugh

Another personal Trooping first for me -- Two Troops in one day! 21) 12-7-19, 10:00am-2:00pm -- Lehigh Valley (Pa.) Comic Con 22) 12-7-19, 4:00pm-6:00pm -- Wind Gap, Pa., Toys for Tots Community Toy Drive

16) 12/05/2019 - Roseville Christmas Tree Lighting - Roseville, Ca

15) 12/03/2019 - Kaiser Pediatrics Holiday Troop - Roseville, Ca

20) 11-17-19 -- Lancaster, Pa., Lancaster Science Factory This was a four-Garrison Troop as Garrison Carida welcomed Garrison Corellia, Old Line Garrison, and First State Garrison to join in the fun. (Plus the Galactic Academy, hence the tiny TIE Reserve Trooper between the officers and TIE Pilots.)

14) 11/17/2019 - Colin Cantwell Tour - Modesto, Ca

Troop 70 9/21/2019 16th Annual Hearts & Hands Walk/5K Run for Autism & Familly Fun Day - Rehoboth, MA

Troop 69 9/15/2019 Memorial Blood Drive for Francesa Illiano - Providence RI

10) 10/25/2019 - HalloWild @ Micke Grove Zoo - Stockton, Ca 11) 10/26/2019 - Boo at the Zoo - Sacramento, Ca 12) 10/26/2019 - HalloWild @ Micke Grove Zoo - Stockton, Ca 13) 10/27/2019 - Boo at the Zoo - Sacramento, Ca

Whoa, busy week --- three Troops! 17) 10-23-19 -- Mechanicsburg, Pa., Military/DOD "Trunk or Treat." My first Troop on a military base. 18) 10-25-19 -- Pocono Pines, Pa., Tobyhanna Education Center "Trunk or Treat" 19) 10-26-19 -- Bethlehem, Pa., Freedom Fest 5K Run

8) 10/18/2019 - HalloWild @ Micke Grove Zoo - Stockton, Ca 9) 10/19/2019 - HalloWild @ Micke Grove Zoo - Stockton, Ca

16) 10-15-19 -- Philadelphia, Pa., Ronald McDonald House 45th Anniversary