tkrestonva

All of the Anovos TFA kits sold prior to the movie release went to 501st members. They were essentially "prototype" kits, sold to those most likely able to (1) work out the build kinks (there were no real build instructions - especially with the initial batch of 75 that were distributed pre-SWCA), and (2) provide free marketing to Anovos simply by wearing the kits out in public. Many of the lessons learned from the prototype kits were incorporated into the kits that are now being sold to the general public.

In that case, it really doesn't matter as long as you are happy with it.

1. Buying a preassembled kit is a crap shoot. Unless the seller is your long-lost twin, it will likely not fit you and you will need to make some adjustments. Depending on how the kit was put together, that may or may not be possible. 2. FX armor is, by and large, obsolete. It is certainly inaccurate by today's standards. While at one point in the not-so-distant past it was the backbone of the Legion (and there are still plenty of older members who troop in their FX kits), that is no longer the case. It would help to provide a link to the sale. A picture is worth a thousand words.

I've actually seen the footage you need. I was planning on doing that as well, but in my version of Germain's files (v1) the trigger is static - so I didn't have a "realistic" way to trigger the LEDs. You'll get the screen shots you need if you go frame-by-frame during the opening raid on the Jakku village. There is also extra behind-the-scenes footage on the DVD that shows the barrel lighting effect.

To be honest, at 6' 220lbs its going to be challenging to get an RS kit to fit you. Might want to look at an AM 2.0 instead, but those don't come with the option of a commissioned build. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I don't have sounds, but I have full lights in my mag and counter. It's not how it was done on the screen-used blaster - I understand that the mag and counter lights were completely independent of each other - but I like the convenience of having both sets of lights running from a single power source. I talk about how I did it here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/38644-my-f-11d-heavy-build/

Here's is where I got my riot control baton from:

I love Star Wars weddings!

On Sunday I trooped the "Weird Al" Yankovic concert at the Filene Center for the Performing Arts (i.e. Wolf Trap) in Vienna, VA. This was one of the final stops on his "Mandatory World Tour", at the conclusion of which I'm told he'll be taking a couple of years off from the touring circuit to focus on other endeavors. For those who are unaware, Weird Al likes to tap the 501st Legion when he goes on tour and he shows a strong preference for classic TKs, usually requesting Vader and about 4-8 stormtroopers. Other armored/helmeted characters are welcome in more limited numbers (usually no more than one or two). If you get the chance to participate, I highly recommend doing so as they are a ton of fun, and Al (and his crew) is a great guy - and he's a true SW fan. There were a total of 13 of us this time around - 8 stormtroopers (6 OT & 2 TFA), Vader, Boba Fett, an R2D2 (and his handler/controller), a photographer/videographer, and the overall event coordinator (who was also on-deck as a TK in case one of our primary TKs dropped out at the last moment). A few videos: ------

Per my usual practice, a couple of practice poses: My collection of First Order weaponry - I think I'm finally set for DragonCon : What's missing? A set of quadnoculars and a Jakku trooper backpack - both of which I have sources lined up for. Oh, and I still need a dropship. Anybody doing a run of First Order troop transporters?

Just wanted to share some photos of my F-11D "heavy" rifle build. It's of course the version carried by the Heavy Gunner FO stormtroopers, and a customized (mostly chromed-out) version is carried by Captain Phasma. Once again, many thanks go to Germain (T5H) for providing us with 3D-print files. I based my build on the photo in the Visual Guide: Here's how it turned out - I plan on adding actual torx screws when they come in next month (I have them on order but I needed this done in time for DragonCon): Size comparison to the standard F-11D blaster: Here's how I did my lights: On the left is red film gel that I used to cover the holes in the mag and counter. In the center is an LED panel powered by 2AA batteries. The power source fits neatly inside of the rear barrel, can power up to five LED panels and is accessible (on/off switch and battery changeout) simply by removing the butt stock / end cap, and the LED panels themselves fit inside the counter (one panel facing the holes) and magazine (two panels glued back-to-back and facing the top/bottom holes). The tac light at the muzzle is a small maglight that fits inside a hole I drilled in the front. It can be turned on/off by twisting the bezel at the front, and although it's firmly in place it can be pulled out with a set of pliers in order to change the AAA battery.

Yes, definitely get in touch with your local garrison. There are armor parties happening all the time. Where are you located?

I see from your profile that you are in Lorton, VA. Have you signed on with Garrison Tyranus yet and signed up for a forum account? www.garrisontyranus.com We have a very active garrison with a number of Anovos stormtrooopers. By signing up and coming out to our events (and helping out as a handler), you'll be able to see the kit up close and ask plenty of questions.

Same here. I spent days sketching up a design for spring-loaded arms (including detailed measurements) that I was sure would work, but I could never get it to work as I had envisioned. I just couldn't get around the limited amount of room inside the main shaft. I also had some ideas of how to get the arms to pop up from their resting position on the main body. Trying to get them both to work at the same time ... ugh.

A couple of test photos with both the baton and the riot control shield (shield kit supplied by KB Props):

Here are some photos of my Z6 riot control baton. The kit itself was supplied by Peter White - I used my own lighting methods (which I will explain) as opposed to Peter's technique. ----------------- Starting point - the EL lights were not included in the kit, I sourced those via Amazon.com (also available via ebay). I also ended up not using the red EL lights as I originally intended for the main shaft lighting - there was not enough room within the plexiglass main shaft for all five wires and they weren't bright enough for my liking anyway. Completed baton with the arms folded in - note the screws for the holster attachment: Baton in the extended position: The black button on top of the handle is spring-loaded and can be pressed. My original intent was to rig up a mechanism so that in pressing it, you would release a spring that would then deploy the swing arms. However, I couldn't get my design to work and I was under a self-imposed deadline to get it done prior to my troop on the 13th. So I ended up abandoning that effort. The open compartment in the main body holds the power source to the blue EL lights in the swing arms, and the compartment cover fits tightly enough to stay firmly in place without the use of screws or other fasteners. The swing arm lights are powered on/off by the pushbutton switch just aft of the baton's handle that connects to the power source via two small rods and a push plate. I can manually cycle through four settings - steady on, slow blink, fast blink, and off. It also turns out that by simply flexing my wrist while holding the baton, I can use the bottom of my fist to activate the lights - a subtle yet effective technique. The blue EL lights and their supporting wires are strung from the power source, through the main shaft (which you can't see because the plexiglass main shaft is painted semi-gloss black), and through the hollow swing arm axle - Peter recommends using copper tubing but I found that PVC pipe worked a lot better. One blue light string goes straight through the axle and lights up the clear resin end cap, the other two go up/down and out, and light up the swing arms. As for the red lights along the body, there wasn't enough room left in the main shaft for red LED strips - especially with the holster mount attached. So instead of using LEDs, I used red reflective tape that I cut into small circles via a handheld hole punch. The extreme lighting effect is what happens in the presence of flash photography - something I accidentally discovered years ago with a similar project.

You might want to reach out to Ingrid here - you'll likely get a much faster response: https://www.facebook.com/groups/captainphasma/

It was common practice 10-15 years ago ... and it's ugly as hell. Furthermore, it's not 501st passable. One of our older troopers put his FX kit together (which he no longer wears) using rivets in a single weekend back in 2006, and we nicknamed it "Rivet Trooper". Even if you dirty it up into a sandtrooper, the rivets will still be obvious. Don't do it - not even for a display model.

I'd personally to with flat black. Satin / semigloss has a bit too much shine for a prop that's supposed to be based on an actual WWII-era weapon.

Have you signed on with the UKG? If you are after 501st acceptance then you will need to work closely with their armourers on your build. http://www.ukgarrison.co.uk

This, along with local hands-on help. Where are you located?

That's an FX kit, or a recast of one. It's very outdated, but still Legion-approvable.

Finally, a couple of practice poses - my first troop with it will likely be Star Wars Night at the Washington Nationals MLB game on August 13th. If you're wondering, the thing is about 4 1/2 feet long and weighs 13lbs. So yeah, it's a beast to carry. I'm also considering adding metal greeblies to the monopod as shown in the screen shot, and mounting a red strobe inside the barrel that can be turned on/off with a small hidden switch - the trigger itself is static and non-functional. The monopod required some mods to make it functional, and isn't as stable as I would like it to be. So I'll have to tinker with it some more. Also, I was chatting with the guys at 850 Armor Works last night - turns out that they never intended for it to be functional so they seemed surprised that I was able to do so. All part of the fun.

Here is my finished First Order FMWB-10 light repeating blaster (i.e. the Megablaster) kit. Clint Randall (camprandall) purchased it from 850 Armor Works on my behalf and did much of the gun assembly before shipping it to me. I finished out the gun's details and built out the monopod - including making the necessary mods to make it functional. This is how it looked when it arrived. The gun itself is held together by two long screws underneath the barrel.The monopod easily detaches but is secure when it's in place. Three separate assemblies makes it less of a pain to transport. You can find the kit here: https://squareup.com/store/850-armor-works This is of course what I'm going for: The gun with the added details - front and rear sights, torx screws, and trigger: The finished blaster with monopod attached:

Rustoleum 2X Gloss White has been the recommended armor paint, and for exactly that reason. Another option is to take the helmet to a paint shop and have them come up with a custom blend that matches the helmet.