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crashmann

501st Member[501st]
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Everything posted by crashmann

  1. For the classic stormtrooper armor, be sure to review the vendors in this thread to find one that would fit you best: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/ Once you get your account with Garrison Tyranus, find a couple of events that you can attend as a "squire." You'll get the chance to meet folks and see the details that go into assembling the armor. You'll also see a variety of ways folks have setup the strapping for the armor - to keep it in place while trooping. Even more importantly, you will experience a trooping event from the other side of line. Your job will be to ensure the troopers can safely move from one area to another (Luke wasn't lying when he complained "I can't see a thing in this helmet!"). You will help fans get photos with their heroes of the Empire. You will also protect the troopers from over-zealous fans looking to cause mischief and mayhem. Assembling a suit of armor in less than two months can be accomplished, but you don't want to sacrifice quality to beat a deadline. Good luck! Charlie
  2. Good luck with your build Jer! I also took a ton of video during the grinding and fitting, but I was so spent from the project that I haven't even gone back to look at it. The plastic is really nice and soft to cut through with a sharp utility knife, except around the shoulders where it gets very thick. Be very careful not to accidentally cut yourself! I had a couple of close calls that I'm glad no one was around to see Get the 20 piece sanding drum kit from Harbor Freight, and charge up the batteries for your drill. You'll have plastic bits flying all over the place as you grind down the inner support structure. Be sure to do lots of test fitting along the way to keep yourself motivated Charlie
  3. Ultimately, the best advice is to check with the leadership of your local garrison and find out their stance on the issue. My garrison does accept requests for birthday parties, and we have not encountered any malicious behavior. However, we always direct folks to the official 501st "request an appearance" page: http://www.501st.com/request.php We then ask them to send a donation to a charity of their choosing, with a nod of appreciation to the 501st Legion. Most of our birthday party appearances are very brief, maybe 30 minutes in armor to surprise the kids (or adults), pose for a few photos, then we're done. We never participate in Jedi training lightsaber battles, as that is the gateway to broken armor. Also, we're in and out before the kids get all sugared up on cake and ice cream! The best part is how happy and excited the kids are to see Star Wars characters in real life, at their home! Charlie
  4. And here is TK-21209 (Randy) dancing with the President and First Lady Charlie
  5. And you forgot to mention this was the first time trooping with the armor for both of you. What a way to make a debut! The armor looked fantastic, and I think even Darth Vader was jealous Charlie
  6. Wow Frank, those are some great pictures, and you really captured the tiny details that we've been struggling to see I'm hoping you will share the photos of the new TIE pilot. There's a photo in your album that reveals the right arm of the TIE pilot, and confirms they have shoulder and forearm armor. But worst of all, it also reveals they are wearing a shiny jumpsuit. A whole unbreathable shiny pleather jumpsuit would just be yucky! Thanks for sharing! Charlie
  7. Looks great! Nice work Josh! Charlie
  8. I separated the abdomen and kidney from the cod and butt plate just above the belt line. Here's all of the parts laid out on a table: I had the outfit finished in time for the school Halloween parade, and because the outfit was separated at the belt line, my daughter was actually able to sit down while in armor! The little black details are not painted on the armor, but a Sharpie made quick work of that. We got the last "helmet" in the Halloween section of Target, and boy is it a piece of poop! It has mesh for the eyes, there was no box, and the mounts holding the front and back halves together were broken. The nice manager let us have the helmet for only $10 We added a pair of white Vans sneakers, and some black gaffer's tape to the blaster grip, and ta-da, awesome mini TFA trooper! The white gaffer's tape worked great, and as we analyze the screen captures, I'm sure we'll find it was used in the new movie as well I'm going to adapt your idea of using Velcro to hold together the belt and hips. That's much better than gaffer's tape getting all twisted and stuck to itself. If only she could fit in the armor for more than just a few months... Charlie
  9. Draw the outline of your holes with a pencil or Sharpie. Start the hole with a drill or Dremel, but stay away from the edges. Then get a set of needle files and slowly take away material until you get to the outline. Wow, needle files are less than $4.00 for a 12 pack at Harbor Freight! http://www.harborfreight.com/12-piece-needle-file-set-468.html Charlie
  10. Having all of that fiberglass insulation in the basement wouldn't have anything to do with the dust in the air, would it? Zaphod built a negative pressure paint booth in his shed with plastic sheet and duct tape. Then he added pair of giant air filters on one side, a dehumidifier, and a fan on the front. After letting the air flow through for a couple of hours, he was all set to paint without fear of dust or pollen. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/32343-zaphods-first-order-tk-tfa-build-threadtk-31415abs-pastepic-heavy/page-3#entry438295 Another trooper said he clear coated the paint, then waxed and buffed it to smooth out the finish. (I can't find the build thread, but I swear I read it yesterday!) Don't despair, you're almost there! Besides, you know that'll buff out! http://thechive.com/2014/10/06/thatll-buff-out-32-photos/ Charlie
  11. You'll want to get the Dremel EZ Lock mandrel and 1 1/2" diamond cutting wheels. Starter Kit: http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=EZ406-02 Go ahead and use the wheels it comes with, but also buy the diamond wheel at the same time. After the original wheels break and fly apart (you're wearing eye protection, right?!?), then you'll have the metal diamond cutting wheel ready to go. The kerf is pretty narrow, and the metal base will never fly apart http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=EZ545 I use a full face shield so the plastic bits don't burn my baby face, and it helps reduce the direct inhalation of dust http://www.amazon.com/3M-90028-Face-Shield/dp/B000BO6RIE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1446344140&sr=8-4&keywords=polycarbonate+face+shield Or, if you want to go all Breaking Bad: http://www.amazon.com/3M-Respirator-6900-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B007QY8WTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446344307&sr=8-1&keywords=3m+6900 Charlie
  12. You'll need a couple of tools to get rid of the excessive internal support structure. First, get a pair of tin snips, or three. The color of the handles indicates whether they are straight or curved. Use these to cut down the sides of the support rectangles. Bend the support rectangle down, and slice it off using an Olfa utility knife, the kind with the break away blade to create a new sharp, pointy tip. When the plastic is flexed, the knife will slice through like butter! Use wire cutters (diagonal cutters, or dikes) to cut off the screw studs when necessary. Leave them in place if they don't interfere with wearing the armor so you can screw it back together. The armor is made of PETG, like a plastic 1 gallon milk jug, so no adhesive is going to stick to it! I was using a belt sander to grind down the remaining support structure, but the top roller was just a little too big to fit inside the armor, and ground down more than I wanted to. Instead, go to Harbor Freight and buy their 20 piece drum sanding kit. It's got three different size sanding drums, and the abrasive material is super coarse. Chuck the drum in your drill, and charge your secondary battery. You'll be able to grind down to the inner surface level. Plus, you can reverse the drill to flick away the melting plastic. Follow up by cutting the remaining melted plastic with the utility knife. The school Halloween parade is in just a few hours, and I'm going to apply liberal quantities of 4" white gaffer's tape to hold the armor all together! Charlie
  13. Once you've ordered your kit from Anovos, they will email you a link to the instructions on their website. Access to the instructions is restricted, since they are still evolving, so that is why you need to login with your Anovos account. The instructions are very well done with plenty of pictures, and there is a template to cut shims for the inside of the butt joints for the biceps and gauntlets. The build threads here on FISD go into lots of detail and offer more thorough discussion and explanation. Plus you get to learn from the oopsies of those who have gone before you! Charlie
  14. That's a great start Randall, and I like how you're working your way down from the top of the outfit to the bottom. It's all relative, but I think you meant to say the helmet aerator greeblie is on the left side of the wearer's chin Charlie
  15. You are obviously mistaken, and need to return to brainwashing boot camp. The Empire, and now the First Order are the rightful ruling government of the galaxy, and therefore we are the good guys. Those hand waving Jedi and the riff raff Rebel scum are the the bad guy scourge of the universe, and need to be purged from existence! Charlie
  16. I've been using my Delta combo 4" belt and 6" disc sander for over 10 years. A belt sander is great for getting armor halves to match up nice and straight, especially for butt joints. You could probably find a nice belt sander in a pawn shop for a very reasonable price. Just be sure to test it out before purchasing it. Charlie
  17. Hi Brian, Thank you very much for publishing the book. Coming from the person who actually sculpted the armor, this should answer a ton of questions! If I could get a signed copy, that would be wonderful! Charlie
  18. The thought of owning stormtrooper armor seemed an impossible dream to me, since only people in Hollywood can have that kind of thing. Then I saw the movie Troops along with the Studio Creations website and realized, ordinary people can actually own armor! Ever since those days, Star Wars costuming has been in the front of my mind Charlie
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