BactaReality

I actually just used an old pair of white CAboots and used an automotive leather and vinyl spray paint. Worked great at first, but started to crack, perhaps because I did nothing to prep the boot to begin with. I'll eventually get myself another pair that are shiny black to begin with, but at the time when I painted mine, it was the cheapest route, and worked well enough.

Nah, not gonna hold my breath on that one. That's the kinda armor you wanna hang on to. Thanks for the compliment, the pics on my link show my white TM armor w/SDS helmet, and the black hole TK is an older TE I picked up back in 04' for something like $600-650, before the demand and subsequent price got outta hand. Of course like some of you guys are already familiar with, it took me over a year to get my TE, but could'nt tell ya how happy I was to finally get it. Of course it took me almost another year of exercise to be able to fit into it decently. I still ended up having to shim the thigh armor, which I'm thinking about revisiting and fixing up a bit. I'd actually considered painting my TE "bacta" white to use as a TD, and either use my GF to take over the black hole position, or just save up and hope I can get my hands on a black TM like yours. I've also got a MR shadow stormtrooper helmet like yours that I'd seriously considered trooping in on special occasions. Yeah, I'm all about playing with my toys.

Yeah, unfortunately the spec ops site just does'nt have the numbers like here. Heck, I doubt any other detachment has these numbers, lol. As much as I try to visit and stay involved, there's just not enough hours in the day. This site is just better for new guys needing help, advice, or just references and tutorials. I do get the feeling that our blackhole/shadow trooper numbers are increasing, and hopefully with the new game/ tv series, we'll get a little more exposure.

Thanks for the heads up on that mighty mugg James. TK 2233, you make sure to let me know if and when you decide to part ways with your TM, mmkay? I need to get some better pics taken of my blackie, but you can take a look at a few of my pics here.

Well, considering it's lineage, it's completely understandable wanting to keep this intact. I for one would'nt care if it was a one piece. I still really want one of these either way. If I really wanted to though, I could cut the ears out, then fill in the gap where the ears used to be. Reattach the ears and voila!

If you're going to need to re-shape several pieces, I would consider investing in a heat gun. You can't exactly re-shape thigh or fore arm pieces in boiling water effectively. Plus with a heat gun you can at least control the area that you want to flex, versus softening the entire piece of armor. They're really not that expensive (20-30 bucks), and well worth the expense, considering how much you've already spent on the armor itself. Blow dryers just don't have to level of heat needed to do this type of work in a reasonable amount of time or with decent results.

Thanks for the complements guys. I know what you mean. I actually considered selling off all my armor kits to go towards paying for a nice Fett setup. Even if I sold off my TM, TE, and GF armor, I'd still be short on funds. The main reason I have'nt gone into the Fett realm yet is because it's so damn expensive. One day.. Make sure you really take your time when heating these parts up. Getting these parts to the right temperature without going overboard is key. You don't want to hold the heat gun too close to the armor. You want to put at least 8"-12" distance from the heat gun and armor to avoid damaging the armor. At the same time even with adequate distance, you can still warp your armor if you keep the heat gun pointed in one area. You'll want to run the heat gun back and forth over an area for at least 5 mins before it will start to get close to the right temperature. This is not necessarily being directed to you, but to anyone who is considering trying to shape their armor for the first time. Btw if anyone is interested, I posted some photoshop'd images of this armor in my gallery section. Check it yo.

No plaque? I can't say that I'm surprised considering how often that sorta thing happens with MR. As far as warped, what exactly are you referring to? Keep in mind that the helmet is a copy of a screen used helmet, and those things are pretty warped. I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with the episode III version because they actually increased the size of that one by 15%, making it a little large for us smaller guys to wear without looking bobble head-ish. So which lenses did you decide to put in there, green or grey?

If you're referring to the hero helmet that was as CIV, it actually did'nt have any lenses at all. Thanks for the link btw, lots of cool images there.

Do we have a definitive answer as to whether or not the Force Unleashed is considered canon? I was under the impression it was. As far as TK vs TX designation, does'nt it have little to do with the color scheme or base color or design and more to do with it being canon. Ultimately these guys might make their home here if it is in fact going to be considered canon. The spec ops site already has a thread dedicated to the non TK FU troopers. As far as the new color schemes, well, it would've been cool to see some existing patterns used for episode III clones on these new TKs, but I guess those are o.k. I'd really have to see what they look like when applied to a more detailed CG character. It's hard to have any real opinion based on art work or action figures. I guarantee if we all saw the shock trooper action figure before seeing em on screen, it would've looked really bad as well. If it looks sharp enough, I might actually grow to love these new guys, especially after playing the game.

That sucks, sorry bout your stickers, I hate setbacks like that, especially when you're anxious to see it done and put it on. I would'nt worry too much about the ear caps, it still looks damn good. I think you're better off with a bondo'd set of ear caps than having huge or uneven gaps. I see these TE2's and wonder why MR could'nt get it right, oh yeah, because they suck, haha, jk, but not really.

I'm going to have to agree. Really I think the links already on peoples profiles provide more than enough advertising for this site. As much as I think it would be cool to have a TK only group, really there'd be little point, especially if we're talking about making it private. I had'nt even thought of the possibility of spam leaking over here from there, but I guess it's possible. It'd be cool to have a trooper only based profile, completely separate from FISD though. I'm all for that idea, but having a group is essentially like having a forum, and really anything that would be posted there would more or less be reiterating what's been posted here, kinda redundant and I don't know about the rest of you guys, but it's hard enough keeping track of all the 501st and costuming forums I belong to already. Not trying to be negative, but I don't even have time to contribute to my existing groups on myspace.

Basically you want to try and find some gloves that are more form fitting, with as little seams and padding as possible. I'd steer clear of heavy winter type gloves, or gloves that are real bulky. Your best bet would be to check out a home depot or Lowes hardware store or something similar. Even a basic pair of black gardening type gloves that are a thin sock-like material would be better than those thick winter mitts. The nomex type gloves are a good option for those that can't hang with a little palm sweat. I sweat from head to toe, so for me, having a screen accurate set of chemical gloves is no big deal. If I were you guys I'd just man up and get some rubber chemical gloves. They're accurate looking, and they are probably the cheapest option.

Thanks guys, I'm pretty happy with the results so far, considering this is a fan sculpt set of armor and a highly controversial helmet, I think it does a damn good job of looking fairly accurate. I know there are some here who might nit pick at a few details, but hey that's life aint it. I think after several years of research and kit building, I've finally pieced together a set of TK armor that I'm content with. Of course if I had a few grand layin around, I might be tempted to invest in some GINO gear, but then if I did that, I probably could'nt bring myself to wear it, much less troop in it. As crazy as it sounds, I have no problem getting some use out of my arguably expensive SDS helmet. I know there's no way in hell I'll be able to sell it for what I paid, and to tell you the truth I would'nt want to even if I could. Thats suckers mine, and I'll have no problem tampering with it, which I will inevitably do. For starters I plan on repainting the chin area, and possibly taking the stickers off to paint those. I was lucky enough to have been sent a helmet without any black bars on the ear caps, which will enable me to easily put my own variation, taken from a screen shot of course. I'm eventually going to be reinforcing the inside of the helmet too, even though it's sturdy enough IMO, I'd still like to make it that much more so. The blaster in that first photo is actually not mine, and was handed to me to use for that particular photo. It's an Itchy Nuts Design which is actually a really nice blaster, although to me the scope rail does seem to be a little high. As far as the hand armor, I'm really glad I was lucky enough to pick up a kit with the more rare style TM hand armor. I'll probably end up taking a heat gun to those suckers too, just to make them a tad bit more form fitting for my hands. Can't remember who originally posted it, but here's a screen shot of the same style hand plates.

I've been pretty busy lately working on a few projects including this one, so I have'nt had too much time to post lately. Still need some finishing touches, but I figured since I had these photos taken the other night after a local troop, I might as well start posting some images. Unfortunately there are'nt any full body photos at the moment, but after I finish adding the weathering, and a few rivets here and there, I'll post some more photos. There were a few pieces where I used a heat gun to shape some of the armor, one of them being the shoulders. You can sorta tell where I've shaped them a little closer to some on screen TKs. Other pieces I used a heat gun on were the chest armor near the kidneys, and shoulder, back plate armor near the shoulders, and the thigh armor after it was assembled, to make sure that my legs would fit comfortably. I also just noticed where my under suit appears to make the edge of my chest armor uneven. It's just the under suit, and not my inability to cut evenly. I also need to add a strap to keep the chest and back armor closer together, as well as a couple straps to keep my thigh armor positioned correctly.

I guess posting here would've almost been redundant considering how much attention he probably figured this auction would attract anyway. Still would've been a nice gesture though.

Impressive tip Tom, and even better looking results. I hope I never have to try it though.

Cool freehand work there Jason.

"I really don't think we should pick and choose what was intended to be in the films" I think you might have misunderstood my point. Presuming what was intended for the film is a completely different story than picking and choosing 501st standards. I understand completely all the points you have made. Picking and choosing what we want for 501st standards is fine, but when we start to get presumptuous about what was intended for the film, well then that opens up a completely separate debate. Regardless of what was intended, we're left to pick and choose what we feel should be acceptable. I was just throwing out my two cents regarding the counter. Take it or leave it, it really doesnt bother me. I merely have an opinion, and certainly did'nt intend to come off like someone demanding the standards be changed immediately. Like I'd stated earlier, I'm just trying to be fair in my own assessment of current standards. I'm not suggesting that we raise the standards to a level that we expect everyone to re-create what was seen on film accurately. If someone wants to take it to that level though, they should be recognized for it. In this case we're just talking about the counter. This makes me think you might've thought I was expecting the current standards to change immediately. Not so, I understand completely that these things take time. I was really just hoping to be able to take some professional looking images with my MR blaster to apply for elite status. I own a hyperfirm that has the counter, but I really just like the finish on the MR better, especially for the purpose of photos. Optional does sound good, however in the case of the hasbro blaster, it might actually need to be a necessity.

I honestly did'nt think this issue was debatable. As I understood it, both versions, with and without the hengstler were spotted throughout the film, hence the decision by MR to produce a replica of the base model. It's understandable that some guys don't like the bare version without the extra greeblies, however it does'nt change the fact that both versions were seen in the film, flub or not. I sincerely believe that anyone who decides to duplicate a screen accurate costume, even with all the "flubs" that may or may not have been intended, should be given an elite status. I really don't think we should pick and choose what was intended to be in the films, the facts are certain details are in the film, bottom line. Don't you think we should all honor the memories of what we remember seeing on screen? I remember specifically seeing green lenses on the hero helmets as a kid, so regardless of what some guys might try and convince me, that's how I'd want my helmet to look. Same should go with blasters. If someone has a distinct image in their head of what stormtroopers and their blasters looked like, in this case a blaster without a counter, then why try and tell them they're wrong for wanting that look, or they're not "accurate" enough to be recognized for elite status. I can see why a toy blaster without a hengstler would'nt be allowed for elite status, but I think the standards could easily be modified to allow accurate sterlings without the counters, while still requiring the mods for the hasbro version. Just trying to be fair, that's all.

No doubt, but the fact that it was re-used so often with no attempt to fix the "problem" would lead me to believe that those stripes might've been left out purposefully.

Nice work on the helmet there. Taking away that excess grey certainly brings out the features of that part of the helmet. It's hard to realize how much of a difference a tiny detail like that can make, until you have a side by side comparison. The left pic almost looked like an FX lid, nothing like what an RT looks like. Thumbs up.

I'm really surprised we don't already or at least I have'nt seen anyone sport the "no stripes" look yet. That's something I'd actually like to do eventually. I'd also agree with the idea that these "no stripe" characters are in fact noobs. Those guys certainly appear often enough to demand a legit 501st variation IMO.

Congrats bro, been a long time coming, but I'm sure you can appreciate the end results.