mikedwelle94

To do list: - Re-size forearm armor (or pad it) - Install thigh ammo belt - Replace the suspender clips with snaps attaching to the inside of armor plates - Possibly do a bit more trimming of the thighs. Good thing I used E6000 this time - Find new gloves and handguards ('coz I misplaced one...oops). Probably going to get off my lazy an impolite person and paint my Trooperbay guards for now. Just need to find some of that mold builder stuff

These complete CRLs will be a big help to everyone. It would have been fairly tougher to know exactly what I had to do if I didn't have that reference. The help you guys provide on the forum is super valuable, but having each part shown in detail with full descriptions is a big reason why my build wasn't a complete nightmare. The ANH Stunt CRL was a big help for me, as it basically told me everything I needed to know about my costume, with only a couple color differences and a fairly deeper explanation. Speaking of CRLs... Spec Ops isn't that far behind with only a couple costumes left to finish...

"Jetpack thrusters shall actually work and jetpack shall be able to actually hover for at least 30 seconds. "

Didn't catch the whole thing, but I did hear about the other ones. Very cool!

OH MY GOD THEY WON.

So much for "authentic." The performance was sorta okay. It would have been a lot better without all those extra people on stage...

According to the article, the Daft Punk duo are going to be donning ESB-style Stormtrooper helmets for their performance on the 2014 Grammys. The article goes on to claim that the helmets "appear to be authentic." It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that we probably have someone among us supplying these helmets for the show: the "authentic" lids seem to only be available in underground sources (email and PM), which are only known about by the 501st, and prospective 501st folk. I recently became a fan of DP after being introduced to Discovery, and subsequently became more interested in music in general. I've never watched the Grammys before, but I think: I might this time. http://www.musictimes.com/articles/3696/20140125/daft-punk-wear-star-wars-stormtrooper-helmets-2014-grammys-performance.htm Another one: ------------

The CRL for Shadow Stormtroopers does not mention ear screws, but you will be needing them in order to attach the ears to your helmet. They will need to be painted black. Like the TK helmets: three screws for stunt, two for hero. Here is a side-shot of an AT3 helmet by ARAKYEL: http://i.imgur.com/dEBwg.jpg The screws are also useful for mounting your lenses.

This has been a very productive school break. I built a helmet, modified my Hasbro blaster, and ordered the last parts that I'll need to finish my suit. My next semester starts on the 21st, so let's see if I can get myself approvable by then! Here are some pics of the finished blaster. I'm not shooting for total accuracy here. That will come after base 501st approval. Reasonably easy to do. Just glue a few parts and spray paint

Awesome! That is one B.A. looking trooper. I wouldn't want to encounter you in a dark alley.

Done!

In the short time the page has been up, it's already at 172 followers at the time of this post. Proof that this page may start to help spread awareness of the FISD and 501st in general. I think the direction it's headed in is good enough. But I see where you're coming from. The content could be more family-friendly, but who cares if it's not? I'm against censorship as a whole (insert U.S. First Amendment here). In the end, it's his page, and he can post what he wants. Anyone who doesn't like it doesn't have to follow it. My $0.02

OP said the page was going to be posting things that are "trooper related." Up to this point, it seems like the page is running as advertised. We have what we were told we were going to have. And don't a pretty decent portion of troopers use the eFX lid anyway? Accurate or not, it's out there. I'm a neutral party when it comes to what's being posted on there. I like what I'm seeing, but I wouldn't be opposed to change.

Following as mikedwelle94! Hope you won't mind seeing a bit of red armor

I decided to paint it today. Also decided to go against advice of leaving it alone for a few days! Behold...the CAP Magma Trooper helmet! Helmet front Helmet right Helmet left Helmet back Comparison of helmet to armor I really like how it turned out. It's better than the paint job I did on my EFX, but back then, I had no idea how to prep the surface. For this helmet, I used 220 grit sandpaper to rough up the surface, then I did a thorough wash with warm water and dish soap. Making sure your plastic is ready for paint really makes a big difference. Thank you to all for your input.

Decided to paint it today. Also decided to go against advice of leaving it alone for a few days. Helmet front Helmet right Helmet left I tried to straighten out the ear a little bit. I managed to make it look a little better, and reduce the gap, but it's still not perfect. Then again, neither were the movie helmets Helmet back Comparison of helmet to armor I'll paint the frown and ear covers when I get the right-sized paint brushes. The shade of red is not an exact match to the helmet, but it was hard to capture that on camera. Taking into consideration the fact that the ANH troopers had helmets who's white colors didn't 100% match the armor, I hope it won't be an issue.

I'll try the super glue. Agreed. Hopefully that doesn't hold up basic approval, but I will try to make it look as neat as possible, at least on the outside. More pics to follow in the coming days!

Ah. I was wondering when someone would notice. The reason it's like that is because I (think) I cut too much off the faceplate on that side of the helmet, so the placement of the ear is meant to hide that gap between the faceplate and cap n' back. I'll dissect the helmet again and see if there's a way I can get that at least a bit more straight. Probably won't be much, though. As for the s-trim, the inside edge of the helmet near the problem ear is not uniform. I might have to chop off a bit more plastic to make that edge straight enough for the trim to slide in. Would it be a good idea to keep it secure with some sort of adhesive, or would it be fine without it? Thanks for the feedback, Tolo.

Completed primary assembly of kit. There are a couple of things I'm not happy about, as you'll see in the photos. Overall, I'm satisfied with the result of my first helmet build, and I'm confident it'll help me set my foot in the doorway of the 501st. Helmet front (those little dark marks next to the teeth holes look like cracks, but they're actually from a sharpie marker!) Helmet right Helmet left Helmet back I may try to fix the left ear gap soon. F'd up the trimming of the left side of the bucket(may have cut too much), so now the whole thing is a bit off. This is making it impossible for me to attach the s-trim. That aside, I'm really not too stressed about how it turned out. It's so much better looking than my EFX, I could cry... I'll be painting this thing on Monday, when the temperature climbs to a scorching 40 F.

I'll be posting the outcome right here, as well as on my Magma build thread (under Other 501st Costumes) when time permits. I read somewhere that styrene takes paint better than ABS, so I'm hoping that makes it easier to get good results.

Thanks, brother! I'll give this a try on Monday!

Well, I would paint in the garage (that's where I painted my EFX during the summer), but it's nearly as cold in there as it is outside. You could say the garage is a little TOO well ventilated. I'm still dependent on my parents (age 19), and they've made it pretty clear they don't want spray painting going on in the house!

I recently finished assembling my styrene CAP helmet, and I'm ready for my first coat of primer. The forecast high temperatures for this and next week are mostly in the high teens to mid twenties. It will be 40 degrees F (4.4 C) on Monday Jan 6. Living in Maine, which is infamous for its terribly long and cold winter season, I'd really rather not wait 'till April, which is when it starts to warm up. Any suggestions on what I could do to get in a good paint job at these low temperatures? Or would it be worth waiting a few months? If I get my painting done soon, I may be able to submit my 501st application sometime before mid-February. I was thinking about filling up a container of heated water and dropping the spray can in to warm up. I could probably run outside, paint the helmet quickly, and bring it inside to dry.

I would prefer the Hasbro conversion. It comes with the benefit of keeping the lights and sounds of the Hasbro blaster. I wouldn't be good at wiring up soundboards, or anything intricate (imo) like that, so the Hasbro fits the bill just fine for me. But I agree with Tolo, get the pipe kit if you're into the whole accuracy thing. If you're not shooting for EIB, get the Hasbro conversion kit.