RogueTrooper

Holster: E11: Action poses:

Part 2 of 3 Right side: right side arm raised: Helmet: Neck seal: AB plate details: Holster/ canas belt (ANH Stunt with 2 rivets):

OK, Here is my TK for EI status. I worked very hard on it, Hope it cuts the mustard..... :laugh1: :laugh1: OK, all kidding aside... I thought I would do something funny since it is the year of "set for fun". Here is my real TK for EI status. TK5940 ANH Stunt Helmet: TE2 bumpy cap and back I did hand painted details with Humbrol paints Keith Hovis, Dark green welding lens S-type neck trim. Armor: AM lite with A LOT of mods....Look for my build soon to be posted. Undersuit: ExtremeRacing (one peice) Boots: Loake (dyed white by me) Belt: canvas (sewn by me) Holster: leather (made by me) Neck seal: sewn by me, with bib/dickie, and 12 horizontal ribs that taper down to 9 (like Lukes) Weapon: E11 I converted a real Sterling MK4/L2A3 SMG Real Hengstler counter (with eagle) Real M38 scope Power cylinders (made by me) T-tracks: Garden rake (Home Depot) After all the add ons, the E11 weighs about 20LBS.... no need the go to the gym. Front view: Back view: Left side: Left side arm raised: Part 1 of 3

OK, the powers to be have fixed the main page/Reception Center loading issue. YEA!! now move along, move along...

Sorry everyone for the issue with the main page/Reception Center area of the FISD. We are experiencing some technical difficulties with the server, we should have it fixed shortly. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Tom

Hi Robert, Welcome to the FISD. First you need to decide on which style/version of the TK that you would like to do (ANH Stunt or Hero, ESB, ROTJ, Incinerator, TKC, HWT or some of the newer ones that are coming aboard like the Skytrooper or Deathtrooper. After determining which version you want to do, that will make it easier when choosing your armor kit. To give an example, if you want to do ESB TK, you need to have the clam shell hand plates versus the trapzoidal ANH hand plates. So when you are ordering your armor kit, you can find out if this is available. As for what type of armor kit you should look for your size/build, you could go with any one of the more screen accurate/screen lineage suits. ATA, AP, TE2, TM. etc. I don't think you need to look in to the larger suits like AM or RT-Mod. There are two different materials that most of the suits are made from, they are HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene) and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). HIPS has to be painted to get it to the proper color tone/finsih, unless the HIPS has been acrylic capped. The ABS does not need to be painted and is has the color through and through. Some people like working with HIPS better than they do with ABS. As for me, I can go either way, but given the choice, I would probably go with an ABS kit. To find about the availability and pricing, look at this link and contact the vendors and they can give price and availability. - Please be patient with the armor makers when waiting for a response. This is not a full time job for them, but they will get back to you as quickly as they can. You ask about how much work area you will need. I would say you can work from a dining room table for the most part. The one thing is to make sure that you have adequate space to allow pieces to set while the glue is drying. Having to pick up and move your stuff, just prolongs your build and will frustrate you. Just have a work area and an area to set the parts that have been worked on. Make you a check list to work by. If you do end up buying a suit that needs painting, you will need a place to paint that has adequate ventilation or a good clean area outside. Also, getting to know your local 501st is a wise thing to do. Your local 501st members are happy to give you hands on assistance with your build. You didn't state where you are located, so I can't give you your local garrison's website link, but if you go to this link, there is a drop down tab where you can locate your nearest 501st Garrison: http://www.501st.com/ Two things that you should have before cutting and modding the armor, is your undersuit and boots. These will be needed when you are fitting your armor. Like it has been said above, read, read, read, research and if you can't find what you are looking for, don't hesitate to ask questions. Tom

Hey Jesse,I added a media link to your first post, so everybody could see the SW deleted scenes teaser without having to leave the FISD. Just remember that the Deleted scenes and 9 Documentaies disc are only with "The Complete Saga" set. You will not be able to get all the cool extras if you only purchase the individual Trilogy sets like the prequels set (I,II,III) and the OT set (IV,V,VI)

The only thing, is the pix that are over on the RPF of the EFX Hero "Legends" Lid don't look like it has the wart/dimple in the tear like the one in the LFL archive pix!?!?! Hopefully EFX is not taking a page out of SDS's playbook. Take a look at what I am talking about:

From the RPF: Gino "EFX is proud to announce the newest edition to the Legend line of replica helmets, a hero stormtrooper! There were only 6 hero helmets made for ANH and only two are known to still be in existence. One resides in the LFL archives, and another in a private collection (which is the one that we used to create the eFX replica.) The helmet in the archives is the one used in well known promotional shots and is currently missing it's lens. The helmet we used was totally complete and in fantastic condition and vac form molds were taken from the inside. Oh yeah btw, the bubble lens was GREEN! These replicas will be vac formed just like the original. In addition, the paint for the detail areas was perfectly matched and the rubber trims will be custom extruded to match as well. More info to come, but for now, we hope you enjoy the pics."

Hi all, A new EFX Hero TK Helmet "LEGENDS Edition" has been announced. When stated "Legends Edition", this means that the helmet will not be from a 3-D scan, but a casting, with painstaking measurements to duplicate material and process the way that the original helmet was done. The first of this series was the ANH Vader. Here are the teasers that I found.

Which one?? -----------

Hey all, here are some original ANH Stunt and Hero eyes reference pix/collages to help anyone to eyeball their lid to look like the originals As you can see the eye trimming does vary from lid to lid and none were perfect. Hope they help! HERO: STUNT:

Aside from ESB being one solid decal, the other thing that you also have to look at is that some of the ANH decals out there, have a unique curvature to them. Whether it is the hand painted looking decal (David M version) or the idealized ANH decals, that all have a unique curvature to them, that ESB and ROTJ do not. When it states in the requirements that Traps/tears and tube stripes: ( with the correct ESB details). The same thing applies to the other OT TK's in the EI requirements: ANH (STUNT and HERO): Traps/tears and tube stripes shall have the correct ANH TK details. ROTJ: Traps/tears and tube stripes shall be decals (with the correct ROTJ details), not hand-painted or decals that replicate hand painted. Just like how many lines there are to the traps and tears from the ANH to the ESB, there is also a difference between the curvature of the tube stripes. I know that right now we don't notice the delineation as much between it being one solid decal(with blue and white combined) or the individual blue stripe with the white part of the helmet showing in between. This could be because of the way they lit the scene and possibly the quality of the picture (hi def, blu-ray 1080P versus standard DVD). Years ago, when it was just VHS, a lot of people thought the tube stripes were black. The only thing that I bring up is that the curvature or the design of the detailing is different between the ANH versus ESB. So to be compliant with the requirements for ESB EI and above, the ESB decals should be used. I hope this helps.

o yeah!!

Just like everyone said above, mood and lighting can set the tone for how the helmet looks. Also, the angle of the helmet, and the eyes do play a part in it. But, in my opinion, it is also the way the teeth are cut out, and the paint job that is done to the frown. If you look at the original screen used helmets from ANH, the teeth openings were very jagged and rough (due to the quick way they were assembled). I think that the paint job also plays a major factor. Some people take pain staking measures to get the frown lines straight and perfect, which can change the mood of the frown. Also, some people take the approach of removing a lot of the material that gives the teeth the 3-D effect, with the openings to the teeth being perfectly straight without a lot of return edge to them. In my opinion this tends to make the frown look less menacing. One of the charming things that I love about the original ANH helmets were the gnarled jagged frowns. Even though imperfections came from the quick assembly, my imagination built a back story as to why the helmets and armor looked battered and imperfect. They started out looking really smooth, with that showroom polished look but, then after a few years of being on the battlefield, taking care of Rebel scum, they kind of got some dents, chips, marks, dings and fragments missing (like you might see on helmets and equipment from World War II). One of my Uncles that fought in WWII, said that if you saw someone with an un-blemished helmet, then they had to be a "paper pusher" or someone that did not get on the battlefield. I coin it the "shark tooth look". The have one mean, gnarled looking frown. If you are wanting that gritty, mean look, you are going to have to make the teeth and the frown look a little rough. Have a look at these diagrams that I made up using the original ANH lids, and you will kind of see what I am talking about with the jagged openings and the imperfect paint job on the frowns.

Tiffanie!! Here's a B-day video greeting with your favorite hoppin' tiger... Hope you have a fun day!

I would shim it without cutting the overlapping edges. Even though they don't match up, I have actually manipulated the plastic on overlapping joints, like what you have, to bend enough that they actually match up well enough and with a cover strip, you will never notice it.

What I would do is separate it in the back and add the small shim to the inside of the butt joint of the a and b parts of the thigh. Then fill in and blend with something like model plastic putty so the edges blend. model putty link: --- Then put back the coved strip in the back. With your suit being a TD and you keeping it Sandy, you will be able to mask any imperfections, if any, with the weathering. You will probably have a gap around the bottom area where the armor has the lip around the back of the knee area. You can do either one of two things. One: Cut little shims, glue to the back inside area, and then smooth the top out with the model putty. Or Two: You can trim the back area off (see pic below), like a lot of troopers have done, and this will give you a little more bending mobility. That is what I would do. hope it helps.

The old way: The new way:

Hi Jared, Stay away from ebay, all you will find there is inferior recast or someone's second hand busted up stuff that they used for Halloween and now are trying to get rid of. Also, stay away from stormtrooper-costumes.com, and starfortressproductions.com, bad product, unscrupulous characters, etc. And, stay away from the Rubies "Supreme" Stormtrooper costume. Rubies is just an expensive Halloween costume and will take a lot of work, a new helmet and quite a bit of money to get it up to 501st standards. Just stick to the armor makers on this list at this link: http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=11538 (Great price, great service) kits start around $400. USD + S&H If you need advice on which armor will be best for you (body type, the pros and cons of each kit) then may I suggest starting a new topic (maybe titled: "Need advice on which armor kit to buy") in the Hard Armor (Discussion) area. Give your Height/body type and what you are looking for in your armor eg. The materials (HIPS vs. ABS) screen linage, or fan sculpted, your budget etc.... I know that the members here will give you a ton of helpful info to help you find the best kit for you. The one thing about buying someone elses used suit (already assembled) is that it was put together to fit that person's body type and you may have to modify it to fit you eg. having to disassemble a part or parts of the armor and add shims or to remove/cut down the part to fit you better. Sometimes you are better off starting from scratch with a new kit so you make sure all the parts fit you without any major headaches... If you want my input, I would buy a new kit.

Hey Grant, I know it can be a bit confusing about the ANH E11's, with people claiming which is screen accurate. To give a little E11 history for ANH, there were several variances of the E11 seen throughout ANH. There were 8 variances throughout the film. Variant 1: had an M38 style scope, Hengstler Counter (with eagle)no power cylinders, no wire coil, angled scope rail. Variant 2: had an M38 style scope, Hengstler Counter (with eagle), power cylinders, wire coil, angled scope rail. Variant 3: had an M19 style scope, Hengstler Counter, power cylinders, without wire coil, straight scope rail. Variant 4: had an M19 style scope, Hengstler Counter, power cylinders, wire coil, straight scope rail. Variant 5: had an M38 style scope, no Hengstler Counter, power cylinders, without wire coil, straight scope rail. Variant 6: had a variant of an M38 style scope, without Hengstler Counter, without power cylinders, without wire coil, straight scope rail. Variant 7: had an M38 style scope, without Hengstler Counter, without power cylinders, without wire coil, angled scope rail. Variant 8: had an M38 style scope, without Hengstler Counter, without power cylinders, without wire coil, straight scope rail. So if somebody has made one of these variants then they could say screen accurate. But, for EIB and Centurion levels it is required for the ANH E11's to have the counter, and the power cylinders. The coil is not a requirement, just a plus. As you already know for the Centruion level, Hasbro's are not allowed, not even converted. For the Ainsworth's E11, he does make a very nice version, has accurate components (I just wish he would not claim that he designed the E11's for the movie, John Barry, Lucas and the and the prop department designed the E11). However, one thing to mention, two different troopers on here have mentioned that when purchasing from Ainsworth that during shipping the bayonet mount has come in broken off from the side of the barrel. But both troopers fixed this problem by just gluing it back. The only thing that Ainsworth doesn't have on his E11 is the cocking mechanism, that was seen on the ones in ANH. But, that can easily be remedied. If you don't mind doing you own build, look in to the new Doopydoos complete E11 kit: http://www.doopydoos.com/stormtrooper-e-11-complete-anh-e-11-blaster-kit-offer-2685-p.asp From what I have seen, it is a very nice kit, lightweight blaster, with all the trimmings at a good price. Note: You will need to make the scope rail because the kit does not come with it and if you want to go the extra step and make a recoild spring, this is easily done by wrappping a piece of wire, like a coat hanger, around a dowel rod.

And there is no requirement for number of divots for the Centurion level either..

Hey John, you will probably want to wait until our economy is better! Hope everyone is having a safe and happy Independence Day! If playing with fireworks, make sure to be safe and handle them responsibly..... What not to do with fireworks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_mVyWSdFQU&feature=related Hey John, after see the videos above , do you really want the States back..

Hey All, Thank you so much for the Birthday wishes. I had a great birthday, with friends and family to celebrate it with. A cookout and fireworks were the order of the day. One fun thing about being born the day before the 4th of July is tht everyone is celebrating and shooting off fireworks which makes my birthday a little more festive. Instead of considering it just Happy Independence Day, I consider it to be Happy Tom's Day