nai-retep

Well done buddy! Welcome to the Expert Infantry!

Excellent build mate! You'll have to get Sam in armour next!

Guys, there is a proposal being put forward to the Legion Council so hopefully something can be done about these sort of unscrupulous Sellers!

Guys I have started a thread on the 501st forums and had several replies!

Hi Wendy, both myself and my wife Kathy (Ciderqueen) are also 5ft 4in and chose AP armour which we found to be very good quality and relatively easy to build. It is also comfortable to wear. I have put links to our Expert Infantry threads for you in case you find it useful. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/21792-tk-6094-requesting-anh-stunt-eib-statusap276/ http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/21832-tk-6348-requesting-anh-stunt-eib-statusap274/

Thanks guys!

Hi, Looking on Ebay I yet again saw a Seller advertising their armour under the title of '501st Approved'. This time I decided to challenge the seller to explain how his armour kit could be 501st approved and received no reply (unsurprisingly). What I found more surprising was the response from Ebay. They said that the 501st would need to contact them direct in order for any action to be taken. Any idea how this could be done?

Hi, my wife and myself have AP armour and it is very good quality. However, as it comes from Canada there can be a bit of a wait. TM and RS are very highly thought of in the UK. Also in the UK is CFO if you want to go for a ROTJ Stormtrooper.

Thanks mate, but I think Kathy was there too, Phil

I meant to post this ages ago but totally forgot. This was a troop Kathy and I did for an event which supported the Gorilla Conservation charity in Exeter during the summer. 50 Gorillas of various types were made by local artists and then they were auctioned off for charity. We were asked to promote this one for obvious reasons. Darth Gorilla was made by the Kiwi artist Mandii Pope and was brilliant! He had a working light saber together with a breathing and voice box and Vader sound samples. To cap it all when you removed his helmet he even had the Anakin Skywalker scars on the Gorilla's head. Darth Gorilla raised nearly £4000 at auction and overall the Gorillas raised £100,000!

I'm 52 (well 53 tomorrow) I am old enough to have watched the original Star Wars when it first came out. Age is just a number. It's how you feel inside that counts!

A cautionary tale! Over a year ago I bought from JR before being aware of the 501st, FISD or the UKG! Being only 5ft 4in I bought my 'Reduced Size Armour' ('501st Replica') under the incorrect impression that this was the only way I could get a TK costume to fit me! To say that I was disappointed after what I paid would be a huge understatement! My 'ready to wear' armour fitted so badly I could barely move in it! It took me 3 months of very hard work to get it up to 501st basic standard! Even then I would say it was only mediocre at best! The plastic ammo belt snapped after only a few troops. The helmet was huge and like the armour needed lots of work. No one ever put me down for wearing this armour but I always felt second class in it and that's being generous. When I started trooping with the UKG I got to see decent armour up close and realised how bad in comparison this was! As soon as I was able I got two sets of AP trimmed armour kits for my wife and me. I only had to trim the forearms, thighs and shins and that was it! Compared to my 'ready to wear' armour which required EVERY part to be trimmed! A further consideration is the fact that I got two sets of vetted armour for about the same cost as I paid for the one JR! Believe me one thing you will not save will be time! The E11 and holster are poor and the neck seal was like wearing a whiplash neck brace! The boots are not 501st clearable either. The standard supplied belt is plastic and not canvas which you might expect for a suit costing this much! In my opinion there is no 'quick fix' for this type of hobby if you want to wear quality armour that is a credit to the 501st! It takes time, effort and money! However, it is not always the case that you get what you pay for!

We dyed Kathy's Chelsea boots from black to white. The secret is in the preparation before applying the white dye. We used super strength Acetone nail varnish remover and a scourer to remove all traces of polish from the leather. When this was done and the boots were completely matt we used the preparer that came with the Tarrago white dye. We then used five coats of the white dye (allowing it to dry completely before reapplying the next coat). She has trooped about 20 times in these boots with her TK and they are still going strong! -------------

We dyed Kathy's Chelsea boots from black to white. The secret is in the preparation before applying the white dye. We used super strength Acetone nail varnish remover and a scourer to remove all traces of polish from the leather. When this was done and the boots were completely matt we used the preparer that came with the Tarrago white dye. We then used five coats of the white dye (allowing it to dry completely before reapplying the next coat). She has trooped about 20 times in these boots with her TK and they are still going strong! ----------

Congrats to Phil and thanks to Mathias!

Hi Evan, The UKG Armourers will give you lots of help and advice and you will also get great assistance here at FISD. There are a great lot of TK build tutorials available here. As they say upload your WIP photos on your build thread and let the guys help you. Remember try not to rush and if in doubt ask!

Excellent! Wish we could have been with you guys!

Hi, Dyeing black boots white isn't as hard as you think as long as you prepare them properly first. We used super strength nail varnish acetone remover and a scourer to remove all traces of polish first then then preparer that came with the dye. We used Tarrago white dye which you can find on ebay. My wife's boots took about four coats and are still looking good after 17 troops! If you need any help just ask! ----------

Congratulations Eric!

Mine is TK 6094 - Combination of the the year I was born and the year I graduated from College. 1960 -1994!

Belated congratulations mate!

Belated congratulations mate!

Congratulations on being EIB number 300!

Congratulations Trooper!

Well I would recommend getting a fully trimmed AP kit as that is what we had but personally not a 'ready to wear' kit (he also supplies this). It costs more and takes a lot longer to arrive but more than that you can't beat building it yourself for that personalised look and fit! In my opinion a 'ready to wear' kit can never be as good as one you do yourself (especially if you are shorter than average). I was originally going to go down the 'ready to wear' AP route but was glad I didn't. I think you can't beat being able to use 'trial and error' yourself until you get it just right!