Daetrin

FYI to all: any changes such as this require a approval by the majority of the detachment, e.g. 501st stormtroopers. Anyone (with access) can set up a poll.

This has come up on I believe the general 501st forums, the GML forums, and the DL forums several times. The reality of the situation is that eventually, someday, the FX will no longer be 501st accepted. Just like other armor types that used to be acceptable (which I can't recall) no longer are. Some things to keep in mind though: 1) We are a democratic club. Such a change can only happen when a majority of the membership agrees to it. It's not like this will happen by LMO fiat, or could happen if only a minority want this change. 2) I really doubt people would vote for it unless there were readily available alternatives that were more accurate. The quality and availability of such armor is increasing all the time, and with it we do see more and more people moving away from FX. This is especially true for buckets. Not too long ago FX buckets were seen on the majority of troopers. I don't think this is the reality anymore. On sandtroopers especially this is true. Stormtroopers are getting there. Ever notice that almost every black hole trooper uses FX? This is because virtually all of them get kits in black ABS instead of using a white one and painting it, and the only black ABS kits are FX. I suspect that if someone like AP or RT started making black ABS kits for a comparable cost, they'd start moving away from FX buckets if not full armor too. 3) This change is not going to happen overnight. Even if 90% of new members joined with other than FX, the vast majority of 501st troopers will still be in FX for sometime, for the reaons people cited in earlier replies. 4) I would be dumbstruck if - when such a change occurred - existing members were not grandfathered in, or else given a very long lead time to upgrade. So while eventually that's were the Legion is headed, I'd say don't worry for now - you have many years left. On the other hand it doesn't mean that you can rest on your FX laurels. The accuracy bar is being raised all the time - this detachment's Mark (deployment) standards being one example, and the Legion putting together a CRL another. FX may be OK, but being able to use an out-of-the-box kit to get in probably won't be; one would also need correctly colored ab buttons, frown, etc.

*That* picture should be on the Legion front page.

Exactly. We've all been the noob that found it an uphill battle to get help or information. Correcting that environment was one of the driving forces for us getting this detachment started. If new people feel welcome here, it means we're doing our job correctly.

All set! Jeesh, guess I should get back to work :-p

Terrell and Aaron - you guys are set! Congrats on being official. Enrique, please provide a link to your record.

That's a fantastic idea. It would be great to have a list/home for all trooper-related films / fan-fiction. Would save having to wade through tons of other types of fan-films. Same with blogging - I for one would hop on this in a heartbeat.

Still, the more it turns up the better the argument to allow it as an approved option in our standards list.

These are really sweet Matt - thanks for showing them off. Compare it to the screen cap. Looks almost identical to me

Keep us posted Jay - can't wait to see how it turns out.

Do you mean Kevin? Looks like Ian also makes them as well (just got this the other day) http://www.tk7903.com/.

These are fantastic pix - they capture all the required items in sufficient detail to make a judgment. Request granted. For your ESB, please use a separate thread when you have it all together.

Yes! That would be great.

Sorry I meant left. I updated my post.

Not the greatest comparison but...-------- Bucket -> The one on the left is a correct hovi-mike (Stompers). The one on the right came with my AP and is not considered accurate. Foreground -> The top one is correct, the bottom inaccurate. It's hard to describe, but easy to see in a picture between the two.

AFAIK, the only two people who make correct mike tips are Stomper (on this board) and Keith (on MEPD).

Amen to that. There's no saying you can't do it. In the end I really see it as a personal mod - it works out better for some, but not others. Which camp are you in? I guess you'll just have to try and see...as how will you know otherwise? If you end up not liking it, you can always reattach using spare ABS, or just shell out the $50 or so for a new ab plate.

Not true. There is no requirement to cut the cod, as they were all one piece in the movies.

Someone suggested this poll and I thought it was a great idea. I know I'm curious to see how others feel. So, share your thoughts!

Hey - it's just one person's opinion There are many others on this board who have done the mod and may have better solutions. C'mon guys - pipe up!

Yeah it does. But then my goal isn't to have 100% flexibility in the costume - they're not designed for that anyway. Cosmetically I don't like too much flexibility in the front as I've seen too many pix of "happy" troopers. Let's face it, there's always a trade-off between aesthetics and comfort in these things.

Congrats Guns! I get my hi-def ESB screen shots from here: http://www.millenniumfalcon.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=7265

I prefer along the bottom of the ab plate so the belt hides the split. The actual suits didn't have a separate cod, so in some ways it's really up to you.

It's pretty rare that I'd disagree with Rome, but this is that instance. From what I've been hearing, getting a full set of RT isn't much more than getting an FX kit and upgrading the bucket. AP has addressed many of the quality concerns that came up in the past year or so as well, making that a more viable option. My love of my FX kit is partly nostalgic, partly comfort, and partly fear. It was my first armor kit and being 6' 175lbs it fit me perfectly and comfortably out of the box with no modification. What if that non-FX I had my eye on doesn't hold up as well, or takes more work to fit correctly? It's pretty hard to give up something that has served one so well over so many troops and is only unacceptable to accuracy freaks (), so I can see why many don't want to swap out their FX armor. That said, if one was starting from scratch I don't think the cost advantage of FX is really as pronounced as it once was, especially when most everyone is upgrading the helmet anyway.

You already are. If you look at your info the group is "Stormtrooper". The following topic described the different states of membership on these boards: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=595