Lucky

Is there a HWT patch out there? I thought I saw it once but now I can't find it.

Thanks! That's what I was going for!

First HWT in the Midwest Garrison. Just got approved!

I weathered a bit of my armor too. To much? To little? Looking good?

Had a little time today so I weathered it a bit. How's it look? I just mixed a bit of a light grey paint with some black since I did not have the grey I wanted.

I've finished the build of my pack. I followed ukswarth's excellent thread http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/30034-hwt-backpack-build-part-1/ Big thanks to justjoseph63 for all his info he has up and for his guidance. I started weathering a bit to give it a rough kind of look. I'm going to do some painting to it this weekend to get it dirty. Hopefully I can weather my armor this weekend as well.

My TK number and name go hand in hand. The unlucky number 13 has always been lucky for me. Anytime I use it, games of chance and what not, my number comes up. 13132 is an easy number to remember and Lucky easily goes with it.

I put a bit a foam on the inside of my forearms. This holds in place against my undersuit. I have never had any slips. Doing this allows me to put on my forearms second to last, just before my gloves. My shoulder bells and biceps are connected. Without the forearms attached to my biceps I have a pretty good range of motion. This allows me to snap my shoulder bells on. The added benefit to this is that I can be fully kitted up, minus gloves and forearms, and still make adjustments, put on my helmet, and help others, with relative ease. Once it's go time I slip on my forearms and gloves and I'm good to go.

You're correct on the name. Thanks!

My kids wanted to join the Academy and they thought the Cadets on Star Wars rebels would be cool and I agree! Is there a maker out there for the helmet?

I have an Icomm, but set up looks like it would be about the same. Mount the speaker in your chest. I have seen some mount it in the ab section as well. I used Velcro to hold it in place for easy removal after trooping. I have had no trouble with it moving or coming loose while trooping. Run the wire up through you neck seal, then to your bucket.

I used my IComm on my first two troops using VOX. From the suggestions on hear I tried taping the back side. When I tested it at home I found it still triggered from time to time, but not often. I cut foam (extra from my helmet) and put it on the back side, then covered it with the foam mic cover. The first troop was outside in a pavilion with a DJ playing music. Very hard to hear, but mic never triggered other then when I talked. Second troop was at the zoo. Lots of people talking all around me, but again never triggered other then when I talked.

The number 13 has always been a lucky number for me and my family. Hence the number and call sign.

Just had a kid ask me on a troop. I replied, "Darth Vader doesn't allow it." He replied, "But he's not here." (Which he wasn't) My reply, "He has the Force. He always knows!"

I agree with the saving for the armor. It is an expensive hobby, but it is also a patient one. It took me about two years to go from wanting to become a TK to actually being one. I saved for my armor for about a year. My advice; relax, save your pennies, and it will come in time.

I did not update my thread to often, but I was on this site a lot. Without the help and resources available there is no chance I would have been able to finish. Thanks to everyone on this site! I was just going for basic approval and was not shooting for EIB or Centurion. I was very unsure of my skill, so I did not want to over extend myself. After a year or so of research (and acquiring funds), months of building, frustration, and many, many curse words I am now TK 13132 (Lucky)! And here are the photos I used for application:

Requesting access. TK 13132 http://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=19609

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/4369-mic-tips-mic-tips-mic-tips/ He just goes by Keith.

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/28304-how-much-can-i-realistically-expect-to-pay-to-finish-my-stormtrooper-costume/ This post helped me out a lot.

I am almost done building my AP kit and I should have my application in by the end of the month. So, I am starting to think about storage. I was about to by one of the hard cases that everyone buys when I thought about my old rucksack I used when I served. It was just collecting dust so, I test fitted it and I got every single piece in, including the boots, with space to spare. I didn't want it the woodland camo that it was, so I tried dying it black. It did not take as well as I'd hoped, even after dying it twice. It turned out well though. It kind of looks like a black camo pattern. Now I want to patch it up a bit. On the main flap, measured below, I want to put a fairly good sized patch on it. 501st, Imperial, or something else defining. Any suggestions? ----------

I've been really horrible at updating my thread, however I am almost done! I have a few things in the mail and once they get here I should be able to put together my application! I have a question though. When I bought my AP I was 228 lbs and I knew then that I would have a gap on the sides of my armor. Since I started I have been losing weight to try and fit in it without shims. I am down to 208 and still losing weight. Just for test fitting purposes, I just put some Velcro straps on the abs and back to see how I was coming along. I have reduced the gap, but there is still a 1" gap. I still don't want to put shims on since I think that I can shrink it down to a proper fit. My question is; can I get basic approval with the gap? Or do I need to put a temporary shim in?

I've done it and it work just fine for me. I used Testors as well, so you should have no problem.

When I painted up my TD helmet I took it back to white a few times as I tried out different approaches. Mineral spirits is the way to go. Once stripped off it looks shiny white and new again.

Thanks for all the compliments. I really enjoyed how it turned out!

Left?