AsBlondeAsLuke

Great newsletter, guys. Loved the whole issue. Always glad to see our fallen honored and recognized and efforts made to take care of the families. I also loved reading the update on the initiative to get Scott a new sandtrooper kit. So heartening to read about the collective generosity of the group in taking care of their own. Tim, excellent job on the interview with Lexie! Sounds like "Star Wars Night" was a big hit. This was a particularly interesting point, though, and a very good question to ask: >>4.) Were you aware of the 501st Legion before you began planning this event, and if not, how did you find out about us? >>LR: I was personally not aware of the local 501st Legion. We did a corporate event very recently and they loved working with us, and wanted to do so again, but their reaction also was: "Wow. You guys are great. How come we never heard about you guys?" So, great questions to ask, Tim. Thanks for an excellent newsletter.

I'm in! I'll also likely bringing +2, if they are both available. Sadly, I did not get my act together in time to order a TK shirts, so I will simply have to drool with envy at how stunningly good the rest of you look.

I never had any doubts you would make it. You were always Centurion material in my book, Walter. However, I am thrilled to be able to offer my Congratulations and welcome you to the ranks.

OK. I did check out "Dave Garage's" and noticed as soon as I started watching video 1 it was out-of-date stuff, as you say. OK, then, I'll stick with the one resource. I was just curious if there were any others, too. Kind of surprised there aren't more "how to" videos floating around considering how detailed we get into everything. Maybe that will be a challenge on my next build. Get out of the Go Pro.

Thanks! I've added them to the playlist. They definitely are a great resource. Any others? I'm linking them off of a YouTube site so specific one-off videos are fine.

I'm pulling together a few resources for recruiting and new members to our garrison. Is there anyplace one place here on this site that includes links to some of the more helpful "how to" armor building videos? Anybody have some favorites they can point me to? Thanks!

Congratulations on achieving EIB! Can't wait to see you accomplish the eight minute challenge. What a great goal!

The joy in your voice as I delivered the news was the best thing ever, Walter. So great to be a part of this journey with you. Congratulations! And, now we get to go trooping in our TKs together!

While I was doing my build, Derek (Dday) made a comment and said I was as "blonde as Luke." (I even forget the exact context now, but it was about reshaping one bit or other of the armor to make it fit better.) So, I changed my screenname because it summed up everything I was working on and all those back and forth conversations with everyone always made me laugh and helped so much.

Wow, Walter, very impressive work on your thighs and a great tutorial to help guide others. Kudos to you for sticking with the project and getting it done.

I wish you could join us. My house will be a hub of armor building tomorrow getting two shinies (hopefully) finished off and ready for submittal by end of day Saturday. If you can't get those thighs figured out, or your cod, of course, lemme' know. I'll drive over to your place and together we'll get it done. The thighs are truly one of the toughest areas to get right. You know, I was going to say one of the hardest areas to get right, but, I decided against it. Toughest seemed like a better word choice. I am nothing if not tactful at all times. Truly.

Oooooh. I like the bowing.

Nicely done, Walter! I love what you did here! The tutorial is very well done and I love the use of the mini iron versus ABS paste. You've gotten me hooked on plumber's sandpaper now. When I have to for a particular job, I'll put out another grit. But, the plumber's sandpaper is the all-around champ for use on ABS. I love the stuff.

Since Walter refuses to answer the question, I will chime in. Of course we discussed his cod! We spent quite a bit of time on it. Although, to be fair, we spent time discussing EVERY aspect of his armor. It was a very productive night. His cod had some hefty return edges which were causes him some... (cough)... discomfort. We suggested trimming those back to make the cod fit more comfortably and allow easier ease of movement. But, as you can tell from this thread, Walter is a rather brilliant builder, in his own right. Runs in the family.

Words of wisdom if I ever heard them. And, of course, measure twice and cut once. As you know from reading the thread, we made our fair share of mistakes, but every one of them was fixable. There was no "armor disaster" that could not be overcome. All the resources are here on FISD and about the greatest group of people you could ever ask for to help get the job done.

Hi Almu- No definitely not. But, oh, what fun you can have once the armor is finally done. It is so worth it in the end. Congratulations on getting it done.

Ah, if you are looking at your cod with an all new appreciation, then my work here is done. As someone on the boards here once said, the best part about armor is it gives us the right to talk about our cods with abandon.

Hi Germain, Yes, actually they do. I was having a problem with fogging for a while and used an anti-fog solution which turned out to be too abrasive. Bad move. The scratches don't bother me during the day, but we've actually been doing quite a bit of night stuff lately and at night the scratches have a total starburst effect. Hey Walter, Looking forward to seeing that completed helmet, too. I'm around this weekend if you want to work together on your armor. I have some maintenance stuff I need to do on my armor this weekend and will be working on it while Joe is surfing. Just send me a PM once you know your schedule.

Four hours. I was wondering how long it would take to read this whole thread. Now, I know. So pleased to know we were able to provide some inspiration. Building this armor was the best thing that has happened to me in the past decade. Eh, other than the birth of my son, of course. >>I hope you understand that your shared experience and build journey is worthless to those who are new to this and aren't quite sure if they are up for it. Hans, I'm going to assume you meant "worthwhile," but I do appreciate the sentiment. The engineers build thread? Rrrrrrrright. Yes, still trying to get his shapely buns into armor. He keeps insisting it is not for him, yet he can't seem to stay away either. Go figure. I suppose he likes the building of the armor more than the idea of wearing it. Works out good for me, I suppose. I have endless ideas for future projects.

Alright Walter, you hear that? You need to get these lenses to sit properly, or you're going to be looking through a Coke bottle everytime you put on your bucket. I was simply curious about the durability of the lenses. I managed to scratch mine already, and will be replacing mine soon. Was just wondering if they switched over to this type because they were more durable, but I guess it was just done for "the look." Thanks as always, Germain, for indulging my endless curiosity.

I knew somebody would know. Thank you, Germain. Soft and damaged molds. Fascinating! Eh, what's a "SF" feeling? Can you see better out of these cool looking bubble lenses?

Awesome! Love those lenses! So, here's an obvious question, why were they ever different on the stunt vs. hero helmet anyway? These would seem to be a better design and more durable. Was it a question of cost, convenience, materials? Anyone know? (Silly question. Of course someone knows.)

The elevator picture! Ha ha! I'd forgotten about that one! Very reminiscent of the Death Star. How many TKs and a Vader can you fit in an elevator. Ever since then, it has become something of a running joke to stuff as many of us as we can into an elevator. It always surprises the heck out of people when we spill out onto onto the next floor in all our costumed glory. Folks almost passed out when we did in the library in Mountain View, (the same troop where they asked us to play "cricket" in armor, write "stormtrooper haiku" and we chased after Batman in the Batmobile so the police wouldn't give him a ticket. Oh, and I figured out just how "high" I could climb steps that day when I staggered up those enormous steps into the BookMobile...) Ah, and we get to do it again this weekend.

(whispering) Do both... You see, by the time you finish Fixer, (who is assume in ways I can't even begin to describe), the Episode 7 armor will be ready. There is no problem. You know, when I first joined, and saw pictures of people with a half dozen armor bins in their garage, I thought that was a bit excessive, but now I am starting to get it...