Tenacious_AG
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Posts posted by Tenacious_AG
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TK boots is expecting a shipment in early july, but most of those are for waiting list people. You can get on teh waiting list by emailing them from a link on the page.
Here is the email they sent me:
Thank you for writing Frank,
I'm so terribly sorry but currently we are sold out of boots and our next production which is due to be completed the first week of July is sold out. However, not all fans may be ready to purchase, so we'll be happy to add you to our back order list and e-mail you the moment the boots are completed.
Again, I'm so sorry we're running behind.
and when I asked to be put on the list:
Thank you so much Frank, I appreciate your patience tremendously.
We're really pushing the shop to help us catch up on orders, so hopefully things will smooth out and we'll get them in sooner than expected:)
So if you need them in august there may be a slim chance.
Thanks! Certainly looks like it will be difficult to find these!
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I have not heard from them on availability; has anyone heard recent news regarding the delay? Trying to source boots for an event early August.
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Hey all --I armor was ordered at the end of May! My bet is finished after 2 weeks and the armor is due to arrive in 3the weeks; as soon as I get a tracking number I will post a progress thread in the armor boards.
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Anyone here a 10.5 in tennis shoes? I thought about ordering an 11hour in TKs but if they're that much larger, I may reconsider a size 10, but the strategy of "stepping down" a size has never worked well for me.
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Many of us have previously discussed how we would like to lose weight in order to feel better about ourselves and look better in our armor. This thread is simply a way for us to cheer each other on in our pursuits of reaching a healthy weight, and to also offer tips and words of encouragement.
How this thread works:
1. post a picture(s) of yourself at your starting height and weight in your armor.
(Pics in street clothes are welcome too.)
2. pick a goal weight
3. explain what things you are going to do to lose weight
4. Report back with your weight loss on either a weekly or monthly basis.
5. Post progress pics, to show how well the armor is fitting as the weight comes off.
So let's get started, we can do this and we'll hold each other accountable and encourage each other, plus
once you hit your goal weight, I will send you one of my stormtrooper decal window stickers for your car!
This thread is for anyone who wants to improve how they look in their armor: for some it will be losing weight, for others it will be gaining mass/muscle to fill in their armor better. All are welcome to participate.
Congrats to Christaan Von Martin (naatsirhc) who earned his Stormtrooper car sticker by working hard and hitting his goal weight!
Hey all, I may be jumping on a bit late, but I loved the spirit behind this thread!
I may be doing things a bit backwards as far as the thread's rules are concerned. I joined FISD back in January because I entered a bet with my wife centered around health and fitness. It's a long story so I'll let you read up on it here in my introductory post. The short story was this: I was getting fat, with a history of weight-related health issues running rampant in my family. My wife wagered that I could acquire stormtrooper armor (prior to understanding the costs associated with it) if I was able to run throughout each week for a year straight. As of tonight, I'm 5.5 weeks away from satisfying the conditions of our wager. Victory is close at hand!
At the start of our wager ( sometime June 2011) I was 5' 10" (still am!) and a pretty hefty 200-205 lbs. Through the months of running through blistering heat and the icy cold, I've weathered horrible shin splints and nasty blisters in the name of winning rights to some armor! By April, I was also down 30 pounds to 173! My weight has fluctuated since then due to the flu and added muscle.
I' never intended to set a target weight loss goal, simply because my only goals were to 1. be healthier than I was before and 2. win the bet -- but now that it's getting closer to the end, I have tried to experiment with dietary changes, with some degrees of success. For those looking to lose weight, I've noticed losses when:
- I abstain from alcohol on days I exercise. As a homebrewer, it's sort of difficult for me to avoid all consumption! However, I noticed consistent week-to-week weight losses when I only drank on my 'days off'. I'm no physician, but I believe this behavior may allow my body to focus on processing the fat cells I've stored up instead of having to juggle them with some freshly-made stout.
-I mix up a "Green Monster" for dinner on days I work out. Instead of a large meal, I have a 30 ounce smoothie made with a few apples, a pear or two, some pomegranate juice, a scoop or two of some weird mother earth biotic frozen yogurt, a handful of berries and about six to ten cups of spinach. It sounds dreadful, but as long as the smoothie is at least 40% fruit, you really can't taste the spinach. For the truly brave, cut out an apple and some of the spinach in exchange for an avocado. Consume at room temperature
. Anyway..- I read in a few fitness mags that those exercising to lose weight should consume a few grams of protein within 20 minutes of a strenuous workout. If there's a doctor on the boards, feel free to chime in, but IIRC the article said something about protein helping to stabilize our body's cortisol levels after strenuous activity -- and if they remain unbalanced, our bodies go into "survival mode" where all stored energy (fat) is saved because our bodies can't tell the difference between leaving a gym and fleeing from a zombie apocalypse. I have always had a Muscle Milk shake or some kind of protein supplement within a half hour of my workouts -- can anyone else corroborate the benefits of this?
Other than the running, I can't say I've really tried much of anything else on a consistent basis. After the eighth month, my metabolism either adjusted or I started putting on more muscle because my rate of weight loss slowed to a crawl. Perhaps I need to cut more alcohol out of my diet. It doesn't help that I picked 2012 to attempt to brew the maximum quantity of beer legally permitted (in OH, that's 100 gal per person, per house, per year -- with my wife in the house, that means I am limited to "only" 200 gal.) and as of this evening I'm at 70 gallons this year, with more on the way next weekend
.I will post my "final" weight in 5.5 weeks!
Several friends are pushing me to run a 5k costume run this Halloween -- is there anybody here who has experience doing something like that in their armor? I fear for my life, I as I understand it, these suits can be quite warm.
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If you need any help with your build let me know. I live in the Dayton area so we can either meet up at my place or yours. Have you signed up on the Ohio Garrison boards yet? If not do so the O.G. will be there to help as well.
I may take you up on your offer to assist! I will sign up for the OG boards today. Let it be known that anyone willing to help me assemble some armor is eligible for some homebrewed beer (especially if you're driving across half a state!). Thanks!
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Hi I had that question too but double checked with him and his paypal jives with him. So you're definitely okay.
Yeah, he said the Stormtrooper-1977 hotmail account links to his wife's PayPal account but he gets the payment all the same. Truly appreciate the sense of support and community on these boards!
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I too ordered an AP kit from him (PayPal seems to have gone through Monday) but have not heard any confirmation from him.
I was initially very worried due to a name discrepancy between his hotmail and Paypal names but after spealing with him last week and reviewing the boards, I'm certain he's as reputable as everyone says. I can certainly understand workplace woes so if he's unresponsive because of trying to get armor shipped, I won't complain! It would be nice to get an order confirmation sometime soon, though! I look forward to assembling it and getting out there to do some trooping!
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Just a quick update -- still going strong with less than six weeks to go, and I've ordered my AP armor from Mark (ABS80). I'm looking forward to armor assembly, connecting with local members and applying to the 501st!
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Sorry for the delay -- spent most of my free time the past couple days messing around with some homebrew equipment. Below is the latest shot of my progress; the wager will be won in another 22 weeks!
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Thanks, everyone! I've already received a PM from a vendor. Somewhat relieved to learn vacu-form sets aren't a requirement! As far as my spatial specifications go, I'm a little short for a stormtrooper (5' 9.5"), my weight is 173 and dropping. I don't know what my final weight will be, but I'm hoping between 158-165. Advice for suits at either weight range is appreciated; is that enough to go on? Thanks again, all!
Is anyone here familiar with the film 'Major League'? The 80's movie they made to celebrate just how terrible the Cleveland Indians were? To motivate the players to make the playoffs, the coach places cardboard cutout of the team's current owner (a stripper who inherited the team from her dying husband) in the locker room. With each game they win, a piece of her dress is peeled off.
I decided to borrow from the film a bit. It quickly became apparent to my wife that I'd stop at nothing to win our bet, so to remind her of how close I was to winning (AND how seriously I take wagers), I purchased a stormtrooper cardboard cutout and covered it with 208 numbered post-it notes, one for every running session I'd need to complete to satisfy the conditions of the bet. I'll post a picture of my progress via cardboard cutout when I get back from today's run. Winter has finally caught up with Ohio, so the iced sidewalks should be interesting. Cheers!
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Hello, all!
I have always had an interest in acquiring a suit of armor and joining the local chapter's 501st unit, but my primary hobby (motorsports) always took the time and money I had to spare towards fun stuff.
But now, I'm 26, I've been married two years, and my wife insists that we cannot put money towards Porsches and racing tires, "and other junk." And damn it all if she isn't half-right. We just bought our first home, so we are cutting back on the fun stuff, including track days, vacations, etc. But that doesn't sound like it has much to do with Stormtroopers or making or the 501st, does it? Neither will this next part:
In November of 2010, my father suffered a heart attack while my folks were on vacation. He survived, and needed triple bypass surgery. We were shocked because while he ate like a stereotypical Italian (meat, pasta, repeat) he exercised every day since his early 20s for at least an hour -- strenuously enough to the point where he'd be sweating through his suit after he showered and dressed. Doctors determined his diet and genes were collaborating against him, so he changed his diet and things have been great since then. My wife grew skeptical because while I share my father's appetite and genes, I have not shared his passion for exercise. Don't get my wrong, I'm not ridiculously fat or anything, but the Wii Fit balance board does consider me "Overweight". I like beer during the weekdays.
Last summer, she finally broached the subject of physical fitness, and said "we" were getting fatter. I asked what "she" wanted to do about it, and the rest is sort of a dark blur...
... I clearly recall the end of this so-called discussion, which was quite heated. She insisted I couldn't maintain a consistent exercise schedule for a year's time, and I said she was wrong. Then she said those magic words: "I bet you ANYTHING you can't do it for a year." My eyes lit up. Time slowed. I said I'd wager a suit of film-accurate, professional-grade Stormtrooper armor that I could do it. And it was on.
If you're interested in the petty details of the bet itself, they are as follows: I have to run four days a week for at least one half-hour's time. No minimum distance to cover. Mathematically speaking, this comes out to 208 exercise sessions. As of this afternoon, I have 92 left. I am aware some of you are thinking these are easy conditions to meet. I can half-agree; the transition from a sedentary lifestyle to a more active one was challenging at first, but to date I have lost a solid 26 pounds, about 14% of my starting weight. Should this continue, I'll be relatively trim when I start fitting myself for armor!
My wife isn't as big a Star Wars fan as I am, I'm sad to say... But she's got a career in the nonprofit sector here in Cincinnati and I showed her some of the volunteer work the 501st is capable of, so she's excited to see me take advantage of an opportunity to live a healthier lifestyle and give back to the community in some fashion. I'm just excited to have a chance to join up with the 501st. And yes, I realize this is an incredibly shallow form of motivation to stay healthy.
TL;DR
My wife made a year-long bet with me that I am on track to winning. When I win the bet, I can acquire Stormtrooper armor.
I want to have a suit of ESB Stormtrooper armor and after lurking through the forums here for a few weeks, it seems folks here prefer building their own over paying someone to do it for them. I am mechanically inclined, but have next to no experience with things like vacuum molds, fabricating, etc. I would appreciate feedback and advice to help me find/make the armor -- and by that, I mean to ask, is there anyone in the Cincinnati/Tri-state area willing to help me along the way? :-D I will probably start following the FAQ and How-To threads as the bet draws to a close.
I'm glad to be here, and looking forward to making new friends!
Greetings from a future Southern Ohio Trooper!
in New Member Introductions Archive
Posted
It came TODAY. Very excited. This means there's a small chance I could have the armor ready for an event next Friday -- some friends are getting married at a *COSTUME WEDDING* and were disappointed when they learned I still hadn't received my armor. They asked me to perform a reading at their ceremony, too, so they were all about a trooper in their midst. I'm hoping I can make that happen for them. I am begging anyone in the Southern Ohio area to help me get this suit together this upcoming Sunday. Or, really, any day next week before their wedding (Friday).