mikedwelle94

This has been bugging me for a while now...I just now decided I should speak up about it. What defines an informal or formal event? What are some examples of each? Are there events that only allow the costumes seen on screen? If so, would being a Magma Trooper limit the events I'd be allowed to attend? The reason I ask you FISD folks, is simply because I know I'll get a swift and sensible response. The Spec Ops forum is not nearly as active, but I've grown to respect the work they do. The reason I hang out here in addition to over there is because I've come to appreciate and respect everyone for their helpful input and quick responses. Thank you in advance! - Mike

I don't know what to look for when it comes to a Shadowtrooper belt, but for boots I'd go with Bass Amsterdam. They're not too expensive, and I'm pretty sure they'll clear for Specialist. You won't have to paint them, either. For that helmet, I would consider black tube stripes instead of the blue ones you have on there. This may seem like a hint of bias on my part, but I really think the FX helmet looks better in black than it does white Come to think of it...I think every---well I think I better stop myself right there since I'm posting on the FISD

I like both, and they both have their own merits (I almost went with a TKC), but I picked TX for a reason. They draw the most attention. You stand out more when you're the only black or red Stormtrooper among a crowd of white ones. My $0.02 As others of stated before, it's your decision. No matter what you decide, you'll become the local celebrity in your neighborhood. But to answer your question of whether to build a TK or TD...I'd say start with the TK and go from there. Convert it to a TD when you feel like a change of pace is necessary. Also, I like the big gun the TD carries. Every build of Stormtrooper armor, whether it be TK TD or TX is going to be similar. You will pick up valuable information looking at any of these builds no matter what YOU build. It's just that there are a few distinguishing characteristics of each variant that you need to be aware of.

Living in the states, supplies never take more than a week. Usually less than a week. Either way, the product is worth waiting for.

Many thanks for all your help, Vern. You made the red trooper feel at home in a sea of white. As you may have seen me say before: "You da man."

The black elastic dip in the boots you listed are not the right shape. They're too thin and they need to have more of a curvature to them.

I have heard of many instances where the Bass Amsterdams have been accepted. Don't quote me on this, but I think Expert Infantry is a *maybe* but I'm not sure about Centurion. I'm going off what I've read in other topics. In your case (being a TX), you'd have to ask the folks at Spec Ops to see if they'd be clearable for Specialist. I don't think the boots you have listed will be approved for base 501st membership. You'd be better off with the Bass Amsterdams, but if you want to get really accurate, you could find a pair of Loakes. But those are ridiculously expensive. My $0.02

People here are generally pretty friendly and accepting of all who show up. At least that's the impression I got. People building black, red, green, purple, polka dot, tye-dye, or any other color armor are free to use the forums to their full extent. Now good luck getting your hands on the right boots!!

Nah, dude. We've got the right idea. He's only messin' around... ...I hope! Keep postin' man! That's what the forums are here for! Don't let something as trivial as the color of your armor deter you from hanging around here. Me and my red self feel welcome at the FISD. Everything you need to know about your TX you can learn right here.

I know. It's just that I like to get my questions out to as many people as possible, just in case there's more than one answer. I think I might have a higher post count here than on Spec Ops...

A picture of my Bass Amsterdams before the acetone and red paint: ------------

These are more accurate, and they cost less. http://www.amazon.com/Bass-Mens-Amsterdam-Ankle-Black/dp/B002LZT92C If by "TX" you mean Shadowtrooper, then you're lucky. You don't have to paint them. I got my boots a couple days ago and they look great. I'm also a TX, but I have to paint these red for my Magma Trooper.

I'll look around for it. I'm going to give it an honest attempt, but I'll use the packaging tape if it doesn't work out. My Hasbro blaster hasn't been modified yet, so I'm bringing the lightsaber for this one. That'll help distract 'em. Yeah yeah, non-canon I know...but I'm not a member of the 501st, nor am I going to be representing the 501st, at least not for this troop.

Sounds do-able. I'll order the supplies tomorrow on eBay (gotta do it soon in time for the con). Thanks again, dude. For this, and your advice on fixing my TD. I'll hit you up if I ever have anymore problems.

It's ABS. And thank you in advance!

I test fitted my armor the other day. You can see pictures on my Magma Trooper build thread under "Other 501st costumes." As I put on my right shin armor piece, I heard a loud cracking sound, and felt something give way. I didn't see it at first, so I didn't think anything of it and continued to put on the rest of my armor. I made the horrible discovery earlier tonight and panic set in, because I promised myself (and my Garrison) I'd make it to Granitecon this month as their first Magma. Here are a couple pictures of the damage. Any way I could fix this? I was thinking I could add a piece of plastic to the inside of the armor, and use some kind of adhesive to fuse the pieces together, but I'm at a loss at what adhesive to use. Zap-A-Gap has failed me before, so I don't trust it with this particular piece of armor.

Apologies for the lack of updates. You can find a more detailed WIP on the New England Garrison forums, but you may have to sign up. Sprayed the helmet with gloss clear coat. All mandatory modifications to my EFX/MRCE helmet are complete. Although I don't like the look of this helmet compared to the more screen-accurate ones, I'm confident this will pass for basic approval. I made a few snap connections, but about 40% of the suit is being held together with Velcro. I ran out of snaps again and had to improvise. It's semi-wearable, nonetheless! Flipped the mirrored images so they look right I ordered Bass Amsterdam boots earlier today, and plan to paint them the correct shade of red. There's been a minor setback on the assembly of my thermal detonator, but I got some helpful replies on my WTB thread. I think I'll get this whole thing done within two weeks, taking the shipping time of the boots into account. Sometime after I get approved, I may get to painting my Trooperbay handguards using the info I got on these forums a few weeks ago.

Since I'm posting on the FISD, folks would probably start shooting me some ugly glares if I publicly tried to convince you to don TX armor. I originally wanted to be an ANH Hero TK, but I saw a deal on some red armor that I could not pass up. I have no regrets.

Well...that's a head-scratcher. It only took a full day for me to get access. My only guesses would be that the admins are either having problems receiving emails, or they've started to get lazy. Either way, I don't doubt you'll get in eventually. Just give it a bit more time.

I think all you have to do is wait a day or two for an admin to fully activate your account. That's how it worked for me on SpecOps (I think), and on the MEPD and Pathfinder detachment websites. When did you register?

Thanks for the feedback. I decided not to go for Specialist for two reasons. One, my EFX (MRCE) helmet is not screen accurate, and it will be some time before I upgrade. Two, my snap system has not worked out yet. I've made many snap plates using snaps that I obtained from Walmart, but I can't seem to make the pliers do their job when it comes to making snaps for the straps. I've also managed to waste a few snaps trying my luck with the anvil and hammer. I made it work for the shoulder-bell to shoulder strap connections, but I have been unable to replicate the same result on the rest of the armor. I must be some special kind of stupid.

The Spec Ops boards appear to be offline at the moment, which would've been the first place I would've posted this...but this is a burning question of mine. Anyway, the black elastic seems to dip a little low, but the fact that they're only $40 AND they're already gloss red will save me time, money, and effort of dyeing them myself. I believe all that needs to be done is to dye the black elastic red. For those not familiar with the TX troops, I'm currently working on a Magma Trooper build, which is basically the same as a TK, but red in color. I'm sure you TKs wouldn't have a problem dying these white if you so desire. Here's the link.----------- They ARE listed as women's boots, but I'm well aware of what size I need to get in order to get the best fit. So will these pass muster? If not, could someone point me in the right direction for some decent-looking budget boots?

So I've decided to hold off on heating and bending parts until the whole thing is assembled and test-fitted. If I don't like what I see, I now know how to fix it. Progress made since last update: - Added padding to inside of forearm armor - Cut out and sanded plastic hand plates - Attached hand plates to gloves using Velcro Not shown in pictures: (coming soon) - Completed (final) connection of the chest + back plate - Snap connectors holding shoulder bells to shoulder bridges After adding the padding, the forearms slide on and stay put quite nicely. They look slightly big on my skeletal frame, but after I add the biceps, more of my arm will be hidden so that it's less of an issue. I own a set of flexible Trooperbay handguards that I plan to paint red using the information I got here on FISD. I have Karin and Vern to thank for that! I should also add that I'm not looking to attain a high level of costuming excellence for this build. Whatever they call "Centurion" on SpecOps is not a concern to me at this point. All I care about right now is that everything stays together and looks good on the outside. 19th birthday well-spent!!

I have three pairs of glasses, all of which are too big to wear in my eFX. I'm considering popping the lenses out of my oldest pair and somehow attaching them to the bucket lenses. I imagine this could be done to any helmet, including AP. But that's just an assumption. It's also an assumption that you have an older pair of glasses you no longer regularly use.

Man, this is slow going. Here you see that I've pretty much finished trimming the chest plate and have temporarily connected it to the back plate with Velcro. I plan to use snaps at some point in the future, maybe when I get a drill bit that will allow me to start making snap plates. I also used Velcro and some elastic to attach the shoulder bells to the plastic shoulder straps. Again, temporary (this is just a test fitting). I was thinking I should *maybe* use a heat gun to help me bend the chest plate to help fit me better. I won't do it until you guys give it the green light. I apologize for the litter boxes in the background; I tried to crop them out as best I could without taking too much of the good stuff out of the pictures. A shot with the helmet on: Here are the "finished" forearms. I decided to stick with the screen accurate look for the most part, even though I DID trim a little more than normal to fit my smaller frame. I plan to add plenty of padding within not only the forearms, but also the rest of the armor.