Daetrin

Hey Tim - thanks for the kind words. You don't have 501st access as this is done on a as-requested basis until I get a list of email addresses from the COG to do a bulk update, as each person's identity has to be verified. You're all set now!

Swing by a local garrison troop and try one on. Get to know the local folks. I'm sure many of these questions can be answered that way

Moved from a diff thread.

In sum, TK's with pauldrons are documented in various EU sources and so are permitted as an acceptable costume type in the 501st Legion. Whether or not they are TK or TX is merely a costume designator as established by the Legion. The canon stormtrooper costume is an established reference that we see on film, and has been assigned a TK identifier. IOW, a costume and designator don't always match. This has been a source of confusion in the past, as there used to be a 1:1 matching, but not there isn't.

Check out this topic & each of the latest proposals : http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showforum=18

In a nutshell, TX is meant to cover any Expanded Universe trooper. This includes spec ops. A huge swathe of ever increasing territory to be sure, but Kevin & the boys in the SpecOps Det are up to the challenge if anyone is.

ABS will be more durable over time than HIPS, if that's what you mean. Since your priorities seem to be price & durability, FX is certainly the way to go. One doesn't weather any better than the other. Good weathering rests in the talents of the person applying the paint, not the underlying armor.

The TE will need to be trimmed and painted but is the closest you can get to a screen used suit. It really depends on your end goal is. Both are great suits, though I admit being partial to the TE.

Eh - no comments from anyone else who did the TORP? Or was I that on the money? C'mon, there must be something I missed - sound off Alpha company!

Yeah that's what I'm trying to say : he had grey ANH traps/tears but a black frown.

I'd have trooped with my TE2 instead of the AP if it was ready. Soon...very soon! Got the RomFX and some fans. Soon... I don't have an accurate count and really hung around the non-TK company more. I think it was only a few. There were some that had ANH styled helmets with an ESB black frown. If you want to do something different, ESB & ROTJ variants would be neat options.

Gotcha covered - status upgrade confirmed

In this context I mean by popularity / choice. A garrison mate reasoned it this way, that he didn't want to be the only one with an FX helmet in the unit as he'd stand out. And it truth, it was pretty easy to spot the few FX's in a crowd of smaller helmets, esp. on smaller troopers. In the context of being unacceptable I think this is a ways off though I suspect it will eventually happen down the line at some point, but more likely it will just fade out of the Legion on it's current course w/o any dictate being applied. At least this seems to be the trend. If there are gaps in the movie then it will be allowed for sure under Legion standards. On the other hand for Detachment deployment standards, it will likely only be allowed for those going for the ROTJ standard. When we vote on them will be a great time for this to be codified. I think it can, and this one of the charters for this detachment's existence. The Legion can control the base standards, but it's up to us to define a higher bar for those troopers who prefer to take their costume voluntarily to the next level. Voluntary higher detachment standards have really upped the quality bar for sandtroopers, there's no reason why it should not be the same for us. My observation is that prop makers respond to demand from the buyers. Right now it's much easier to get an ANH style helmet and there are more choices than ever due to increased demand for them. If people start pushing for more accurate looking suits then people will make them. Until that time, it does seem that the base FX armor can certainly be modified to a higher quality than what's available now, as people are demonstrating.

Notes from the field as it were, even if post-event. Below are some observations I made and some info I think is worth sharing wrt to trooper armor. 1. The FX helmet is on the way out - upgrade or be left behind One person put it best: they thought they'd see 90% FX helmets being worn, but in truth it was more like 10%. Even though FX was by far the most common armor type, it seems everyone either upgraded their bucket or was about to. I bet this time next year it would only be one or two people out of 180 or so. Most common seemed to be AP & RT, with some TE/Gino/others thrown in. 2. New ANH bucket upgrade option: the ANHv2 This helmet from www.imperialsurplus.com looks much better in person than what the photos show and is a great alternative. The front is a bit different from the AP/TE/RT but the sides and back are very similar. Plus, it's symmetrical. Other advantages: one piece construction and it's a bit roomier inside than most ANH helmets. I think the sculptor has done a bangup job and believe this will be a popular helmet moving forward. We took comparison pix of this vs. AP & TE, and will post as soon as I get them. **EDIT** - here are the pix ----------- --------------- From left to right: AP -> A.N.H.v2 -> TE2 3. FX armor will be around for awhile Like or hate it, the venerable FX armor seems to hold favor with most. Saw some other types, but not in significant numbers like I thought I would have. That said, it's pretty obvious looking around that FX is just too big for most smaller troopers. 4. But, people do trick it out. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people started making upgrades. Most popular - even more surprising - was the number of canvas belts I saw. Next on the list was colored ab plate buttons. Least common was closing the sides. Also, I was happy to see that a lot of people replaced the inaccurate dark blue / black tube strips with correct or pretty close blue tube stripes. Most helmets were done in ANH configuration compared to ESB or ROTJ. I also saw some split back/butts. 5. Snaps & Straps Snaps seemed to hold up for everyone, but using velcro to secure the core of your suit (e.g. connecting front & back)...not quite so well. I was surprised to see some people didn't even have a strap connecting the butt to cod. Guys & gals, take the time to properly strap your armor and ensure it's secure. I could be wrong, but it seemed we lost more people due to equipment malfunctions than heat. 6. Get fans I was one of the few without. Even if they don't do much for cooling, get someting to get your lenses clear. Squirrel cage fans seem to work well, and some people put fans in the tops of their buckets that seemed to make a big difference. I saw a few that popped open their lenses, but am not sure how much it helped. At least for parade type events, using fans to keep the lenses clean was more of a priority than trying to use them to cool down. 7. If you need to sit, you'll find a way Over 50% of troops said they can't sit in armor, and on the buses to the practice & event when we were in full armor many folks stood. However on the way back from the event, almost everyone was sitting and some were sleeping. Granted you took up two seats, but it shows that if you need to you can. 8. Anti-fog...not so great Most people used it, most found it didn't help worth squat. I was 90% blind in my right eye most of the march, and 50% in the left. At one point the trooper in front was just a blur and I had to focus to keep sight of our drill captain. Needless to say I wasn't perfect marching straight at times. I think I'd have been better off not using the crap, as I didn't have any problems before it was applied. 9. Nothing beast the site of a unit of stormtroopers Bravo company (non-TK troops) only lost two folks and marched well, but if you look at the pictures in the press the overwhelming majority were of Alpha company (all TK). I think it shows that the site of a massed unit of clean TK's is iconic, and has more impact than that of mixed troops. Walk proud, my stormtrooper brothers!

I understand Bob's comments were edited out in later airings, so the message was definitely received on their end. Great meeting you and Greg as well, in addition to many of my TK brothers out there. Dang there are some talented people in this club. Saw Kevin's ANHv2 helmet in person and it's far better looking than how it appears in photos. We took pix of it alongside an AP & TE and should post pix up soon.

That's Colonel Toledo (US Army Reserves). He was brought in by LFL (a referral from a GGG person IIRC) to lead and conduct the training. At this time he is not a 501st member - hopefully he'll join someday.

Here is another good video illustrating our training.

You're all set Bryan - thanks guys for including your TK ID - makes confirming your identities much faster for me.

I talked to Mark the other day. Let's just say that he has his hands full during the TOR, so please hang in there a little longer

And today was marching in full armor Twi'liks in full makeup, the band dressed like officers, and George Lucas graced us with his presence for photos. Can't *wait* to see how they turn out.

Jared & Dennis - you guys should be squared away. Footage from the TOR practices is already airing down here in the LA area, as well as being in the papers. Carlos is actually a flag bearer and I'm in the second company in the front rank, so we should be visible. Unless they change our order tomorrow...

We're noticing here in the TOR practices that people with very padded helmets are feeling hotter than those with empty buckets, and one person I know is removing pads to aid airflow. Not quite on topic per se, but it is body temperature regulatory in nature

A very happy holidays to everyone, and my gratitude for all your help in assistance in making FISD such an excellent resource for all things stormtrooper related, and most especially as a place where TK's can come and share their passion for their costume.

The idea that they're rank stripes is something that post-dates the movies - at the time they were being filmed they weren't indicative of anything. Heck, even the number of tube stripes is not consistent from trooper to trooper. To be honest, I don't think the number has ever been correlated, nor officially established that this is what they are.

Classic - all three