tkrestonva

Thanks all - just doing my part for the Empire.

The neat thing is that for a small amount of additional time/effort/money (not counting that you'll need a different helmet and blaster), you can build your kit such that you can do either ANH or ESB, switching between the two as you see fit.

Happy Birthday, bro - and it was good seeing you at C5.

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Yup, that was me. Made a world of difference, and I'd recommend the same to any AM wearer. I recall you mentioning at some point you would look into getting a VT chest & back - any word on that? Of course there are other alternatives available, pretty much any ABS chest/back (or even a HIPS set if painted properly) would do the job.

Wow . . . that's some profound and powerful stuff right there.

An excellent first step, sir.

Happy Birthday, Professor! Thanks for all you've done in advancing this hobby.

I've never heard of an all-in-one integrated helmet electronics kit (speakers/mic/amp/fans and all necessary wiring, switches, and power sources) but you can certainly buy the individual subsystems and integrate them yourself. In fact, I'd think that would be the better solution in that you can tailor to your needs how they fit in your bucket. Plus, you'll be able to mix and match to find the best solution for your particular needs. You can find everything you'll need and their respective vendors in this section: -----------

Latest photos look good. If anything, I'd shorten the drop box straps a bit and move them out so that the outer edges line up with the outer edges of the belt. Are those Kevin's (kwdesigns) inner drop boxes? I have a set and they're great, but the fit was so tight that I couldn't really make them removable for extra storage so I ended up permanently gluing them in.

Hey Matt, would you mind posting the photos of you and Lisa's kits directly to this thread (as oppposed to an off-thread link)?

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I'm starting to see the makings of a Chelsea boot import operation for some enterprising U.S. trooper.

Given that we're now in the run-up period leading to Halloween and the costume demand spike that goes with it, this kind of thing can almost be expected. <_<

If ROTJ is what you're aiming for, definitely go with AP.

Here's my setup (ignore the rare earth magnets, they were removed once the E6000 cured). On the left is an Aker MR1506 voice amp w mic from TK6294, on the right is my now rarely-used iPod Classic. Since the amp has two input jacks, one for the mic headset and an auxiliary line-in port, I can both talk and have something cool playing in the background - for instance, TD-2243's "TK Loop" that mimics stormtrooper radio chatter. Alternatively, I could play the Imperial March, or pretty much anything I feel like. Before I put on my armor I turn on the iPod and set it up so that it plays my choice of sounds in a continuous loop, set the volume on the device - usually about 50% works fine - and lock it. Next, I do the same for the voice amp, setting the mic volume so that I can be clearly heard over the iPod sound effects. Once I get both the mic and iPod volume tuned up to where I want them, I put on the body armor and forget about it. The only downside is that I can't make any adjustments without desuiting.

What kind of display - something that will hang on a wall? I own a HF E11 and MG34. I don't have any hard numbers to give you right now (I'm at work right now) but both are very light, and I reckon you'd need no more than a couple of 5 lb picture hangers (one for an E11, two for an MG34 simply because of its length) to support their weight.

Fantastic job, Rich. I very much enjoyed reading your build threads, this is simply the icing on the cake.

I found these at Home Depot some months ago, I used one on my HF and sent a couple of samples to Daetrin: Grip disc - $1.60 for a box of 10 at Home Depot

Woah. Limited mobility is a given in TK armor, just like limited visibility when wearing a TK helmet. I can get my gear off by myself pretty quickly in an emergency, but I prefer help getting it off and I definitely need help (usually from my wife) getting it on. Like you, the hardest part for me is reaching the shoulder snaps. I can get them off by pulling one arm free of the bicep armor - but at the risk of breaking a snap plate or strap. Got any neighbors nearby?

You could always hang onto it with the long-term goal of building an E11 based on a genuine deac'd Sterling SMG.

A fan comes up to me and asks for a photo with him or her. Of course I oblige, they hand their camera off to someone to take the photo, and pose next to me: Cameraman: "OK, big smile!" Me (in armor): "I am smiling - can't you tell?"

Looks good for 501st acceptance.

The FX (now AM) bucket is stil 501st-acceptable, but it's definitely on the decline. Furthermore, if you plan to build your kit with EIB in mind, you'll need to get an entirely new bucket. As far as preassembled buckets go, both RT and TM offer preassembled buckets - I happen to own both models and bought them preassembled. In fact, I don't believe RT Mod offers them any other way. As for TM, occasionally he'll post a For Sale thread for fully assembled buckets - but it's a matter of keeping an eye out and jumping on it when the opportunity comes up.

"'Impossible' is a word that humans use far too often." ~ Seven of Nine ~ Sorry about the cross-franchise quote, but you get the idea. Yeah, I agree by attempting to sculpt your own kit you took the hard way. Not to say it's not doable, but it does require a level of skill and committment that only a very few talented individuals possess. Building a kit, however, anyone can do. If you were willing to even attempt the former, the latter should be a breeze. As far as the particular kit goes, it sounds like either AM or RT-Mod meet your needs. Both require no sanding or painting, both are specifically sculpted for larger bodies, and both are "Expert Infantry" capable essentially out of the box. Where can you find them? Refer to an earlier post in this very thread. Knowing what to do comes from reading and asking questions. Like anything else, it takes time. That's what this site is all about, espeically the Stormtrooper Academy. Once you get a baseline level of knowledge, it's time to start building. Will you make mistakes along the way? Absolutely - I certainly have. But the more you know, the fewer and less severe those mistakes will be. Besides, you have a ton of help available, both here and at your local garrison. Trooper Helping Troopers - it's why we exist.