Jump to content

TK6237

501st Member[501st]
  • Posts

    100
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by TK6237

  1. I've done both; using a stencil and painting by hand. Result was lots better just painting by hand. I masked off the top and bottom part, used a measuring tape to space out the stripes sorta evenly, and used a pencil and a large coin to sketch up the individual stripes. I then used a square, flat brush, and painted each stripe in a single stroke, using very little paint. As I was using Humbrol enamels for this, I let the first coat dry over night, and then did two-three more coats, letting the paint dry for a couple of hours between each coat. I felt really nervous about doing the stripes without a stencil to begin with, but it actually turned out to be a lot easier than I expected. Also, the result I got looked very much like what you see on screen, with slight variations of the width and spacing of the stripes. Good luck!
  2. I doubled up mine as well; thin green on the outside, heavy welder's shield on the inside. Best of both worlds. =========
  3. I made a harness similar to this, but chose to use a velcro closure in the front instead of a quick release buckle, as the buckle would clank against the ab plate when walking. Before that, I attached my thighs to a waist belt, like others in this thread have done, but the belt would start gnawing at my love handles after a short while...I found the full harness to work a lot better for me.
  4. One of our troopers has a microphone hidden up his sleeve (ie. his vambrace), so that he can hear what the kids on ground level are saying. I seem to remember someone mentioning that he got it from a Secret Agent type playset for kids, bought at a toy store.
  5. I also find the Humbrol #5 looks a bit too dark compared to what is seen on screen, the publicity shots and original helmets. But could it be due to strong studio lights, or, with the original helmets, 30 years of aging? What, if anything, happens to enamel paint when it ages?
  6. About three years ago, a few troopers in the Nordic Garrison, myself included, got a chance to buy TrooperComs. We only started using them last year, due to the rather complicated setup process. I think that´s the real reason why they don´t get a lot more mileage. Because, as far as I can recall, the TrooperCom itself was pretty cheap, actually. No more than GBP £25-30, IIRC. However, there´s a lot of stuff you need to cram into your helmet; A radio, the TrooperCom chip, microphone, headphone, battery pack - not to mention all the wires...You have to connect your microphone to the TrooperCom, the TrooperCom to the ROM/FX and the radio, the radio to a speaker or a headphone. Not counting adapters, in case, eg., your radio doesn´t have the same plug for the headset and microphone (like mine does), or splitters, in case you have a single pin radio (like I do...), or audio extension cables, and so on. There´s also the wire with the red LED, which goes under your one eye (to let you know when the TrooperCom is activated), and the second wire with the magnetic reed switch, that I have hidden under the "ear"-cover on my helmet. You also need to find a radio that´ll work with your setup, specifically your microphone and headset. It took me the better part of two-three days to get everything to work right, and I still run into a few issues at troops every now and then. If you have the radio too close to the ROM/FX, for instance, you´ll get interference. Or the back of your head could be pushing the PTT button on the radio, blocking everybody´s comms, etc. And, sudden malfunctions could be due to any number of reasons; Low battery in the radio, the TrooperCom or the ROM/FX, bad connections between one or more of the 5-6 plugs and sockets, electrical short outs due to humidity... All in all: The TrooperCom system is just too complicated for most troopers to bother with. It´s amazingly fun, and really useful once everything is hooked up and running smoothly. I´ve been to events where we´ve needed to time our appearance on stage from four different entrances, something that would´ve been a lot more complicated, if not impossible without the TrooperCom. Knowing that you can call on your fellow troopers if they should disappear in a crowd, or call for backup if necessary, is also a great plus. But getting it set up right, and make sure it´s running smoothly, does take some time and dedication. Thankfully, a number of the regulars at troops in our Garrison are as enamored with it as I am, so I´ve gotten some great use out of it. But I can see why other troopers would have a TrooperCom, but opt not to use it on a regular basis. What would be really great, though, is a small, self-contained comm system that´ll work out of the box, taking minimal time to set up and service. Anyone up for the challenge?
  7. I´ve got mine in the middle, but Tray´s way of doing it sounds like a great idea. But then again, I´m a TD, so I don´t have any drop boxes. However, I would suggest securing the strap to the thighs with two snaps instead of just one, as this is a high stress area. And having your thighs fall down in the middle of a troop really, really sucks. Trust me, I know.
  8. Also, it´ll feel a lot more solid once you get the neck trim on.
  9. Here´s Stukatrooper´s excellent tutorial on how to add snaps to your armor. Just make sure you get the heavy duty type. Here are the ones I use:
  10. The damage done to my armors has always happened during transport. Opening my suitcase, although a hard shell one, and carefully packed and padded with towels and whatever, is always a suspenseful moment. My FX lasted almost two years before taking a hit during a flight, causing a 15-20 cm crack in the chestplate. Aside from that, it has held up admirably, no cracks or lines anywhere. My current armor, a HIPS TM suit, is a totally different story. I bought it second-hand, and it already had quite a few hairline cracks...And it´s just been cracking up ever since. I´ve reinforced all the edges with spare bits of plastic and E6000, which have halted the deterioration somewhat, but I´m still having to do repairs between, and sometimes during, every troop. I always bring a bottle of superglue, some spare plastic and a roll of gaffer´s tape in my kit. Still, I think it´s worth it, as I really love the TM suit. And besides, I believe that if you want to preserve your kit in pristine condition, you´re better off having it on a mannequin in your living room, rather than trooping in it. And that´s not for me. Also, being a TD helps...Weathering is great for covering up repairs!
  11. I use the black chemical gloves, with a pair of thin lycra gloves on the inside (yeah, came with my undersuit - together with complimentary lycra socks and a gimp mask...this hobby will take you to some strange places sometimes!). Works really well, the inner gloves soaks up the sweat, and the smooth surface of the lycra helps with getting the rubber gloves on and off.
  12. I´ll be painting a Sci-Fire E-11 later this month, after turning it into a ESB version, removing the counter and power cylinders. After sanding and priming it, I think I´m gonna use a satin black for the body, but a gloss black for the handle and scope, as these parts seem to be more shiny in the reference pics I´ve seen. It´ll also give the blaster a bit more detail. I was also contemplating on rubbing the main body of the gun with a rough, but none-fuzzy type rag (like an old, washed-out towel) after spraying it, in order to try and replicate the craquelured surface finish, characteristic of vintage weaponry. To finish it off, I plan on painting the ejection port silver, give the front and back rings on the scope a light brushing of bronze, and add some small specs of weathering, like silver scrapes and a bit of black pigment on the ejection port (to tone down the silver) and perhaps some tiny spots of rust. After that, I´ll do what I did to the Hasbro E-11 I started with a few years back - emptying a can of satin clear coat to make sure nothing will rub off on my armor.
  13. Judging from what I´ve read and heard, the difference between approval and rejection when it comes to weathering seem to depend on whether or not the integrity of the armor has been compromised; ie. if you apply real cuts or burns to the plastic. As a TD, TKC, TS, the clone variants and a few other trooper type suits, you can go pretty far with paints and pigments. But once you start burning and cutting into it, removing pieces and replacing it with circuitry to simulate blaster hits - stuff like that - a lot of GMLs will bring the hammer down, however cool you make it look. That´s my experience, anyway. What does your local GML say?
  14. Hello Christian, I used to combine the AP helmet with the forerunner to the AM, the FX armor. As did many others, and one of the reasons for this was because the plastics used (ABS) was a pretty good match, in both color and shine. My AP had a slightly more blueish tint than the FX, but not so much that it was noticeable under regular indoor lighting conditions. I don´t know if they´re using the same type ABS for the AM as they did for the FX, but you could contact the AM people and ask? I´m now using the AP helmet with a HIPS TM armor, ----------- Also, have you visited the local garrison board? If not, make sure you stop by and say hello!
  15. I bought my HIPS TM armor second hand. The TM helmet had numerous cracks, sadly, and also, I´m kinda short, so I decided on using my AP helmet (from a previous FX armor, AP helmet type marriage) with my TM armor, as I felt it looked more proportional to my height and build. Here´s a side-by-side of the two helmets: ----------- ...I´ve never had the opportunity to compare the AP helmet to the ABS TM armor, but it matches the older HIPS TM armor pretty well. Also, being a TD, the weathering helps with camouflaging any subtle differences in color or sheen.
  16. Here´s a bonus tip, should you decide to go with Fimo or a similar material, that´ll cling to the surface of the helmet while sculpting the fixtures...Take some cling film, moisten it with a drop or two of water, and put your little barrels of clay (or whatever you decide on using) inside. Then wrap the cling film gently around the clay, and press it against the surface where you want to place the fixture, to get the right shape. The cling film will then keep the clay from sticking to your helmet, and the drops of water will keep the clay from sticking to the cling film. I just did this a couple of days ago, making fixtures for my TS helmet. I kept ruining the sculpt of the clay fixtures while trying to peel them out of the helmet after fitting them, as they would stick really well to the helmet surface. Just remember to gently remove the cling film before baking the fixtures in the oven...And be very careful when you drill out the holes in the finished fixtures and set the screws in place! Good luck!
  17. ----------I´ve used this method to install lenses in a couple of helmets now, including one TS - works great!
  18. You could use ------------ I´ve got one of the TrooperCom systems made by a guy in the UKG a couple of years back, that lets you use a single mic to operate both a voice amplifier/changer (in my case, a ROM/FX) and a walkie-talkie. When activated, it reroutes the audio from the ROM/FX to the walkie-talkie. It has a reed switch mounted on the end of a long wire, connected to the TrooperCom circuit board. I stuck the circuit board in my helmet, and installed the reed switch under my right ear cap, stretching the wire through the gap between the faceplate and the back & cap, covered by the stalk. I then bought a small rare earth magnet with a hole in the middle, which I sewed on to the middle finger of a thin cotton glove I wear inside my rubber chemical ones (to take care of the sweaty palms problem!). All I have to do to activate the switch, is to bring my middle finger, with the magnet, up to my ear cap, where the reed switch is hidden. Works like a charm! Before anyone asks, sadly, the TrooperCom, or similar systems, aren´t being offered by anyone at the time. Not that I know of, anyway.
  19. Judging by that screen cap from the carbonite scene, it doesn´t look like they have the power cylinders (the two round tubes on top of the magazine well) either...Time for an ESB freeze frame session!
  20. I always try to remember to bring my Trooper´s First Aid Kit; including super glue, gaffer´s tape, white electrical tape, a multitool (like a Swiss army knife or a Leatherman), extra snaps and a pair of snap pliers, straps, velcro, a small bottle of anti-fog and a pack of tissues to wipe off the lenses, and extra batteries, if you have a voice changer/amplifier. Depending on how long you plan to stay in armor, and how confident you feel about your shoes, adding a blister plaster (like Compeed) on your heels before you start trooping may save you a lot of discomfort later. Or at least keep a few in your kit. If you´re trooping with a painted blaster, like a converted Hasbro, a black marker will quickly cover up any spots of white where the paint has rubbed off. That´s all I keep in my kit, I think... Have fun, and good luck!
  21. Being both a member of the Nordic Garrison Council and registered at the FISD, I´ve been tasked with passing on this message: This is an official message from the Command Council of the 50st Legion: Nordic Garrison. As you may or may not have heard, there has been a lot of discussion recently about a new armour maker calling himself Piratetrooper (PT). He is selling a recasted then modified version of the TE2 armour. The guy behind this has openly admitted in several places that he is recasting. So, why are we telling you all this? Well, sadly, the guy behind it all is a former member of our garrison. He left, due to personal reasons, about 2 months ago and almost immediately began trading as Piratetooper on ebay. As he is no longer a Nordic Garrison member we do not feel that there is much we can do to encourage him to stop this activity but we feel that we owe it to you all to a) Inform you about the recasting and Make it very clear that we do not condone this behaviour. If, at some point in the future, he tries to reactivate his legion membership then we will, hopefully, be able to take direct action but until that time there is not much we can do. While we don't support his actions, it is up to each person to make their own choice whether to buy from him or from the original maker. We hope that this will in no way affect anyone's opinion of Nordic Garrison or the 501st Legion as a whole and we look forward to continued contact with you all. If you have any questions or suggestions then please feel free to contact us. Regards Nordic Garrison Command Council ...Yeah, I know this issue has been discussed at length on this forum already, but Garrison Command felt the need to show that we are taking a stand against this practice. Legion policy being what it is, sending out an alert to inform present and future members is about as far as we can go. We are not granted the right to stop people from buying or obtaining membership with recasted armor, but we will make an attempt at helping people browsing for TK armor make an informed decision. This message will also be posted on the other relevant detachment forums, and on the 501st message board.
  22. I used a rag soaked in white spirit to clean off the yucky patches of old glue from sticky-back velcro on my set of HIPS Troopermaster armor, worked great. Rinsed the parts with lots water afterwards to get rid of any residue that might eat away at the armor over time.
×
×
  • Create New...