Daetrin

How can I refuse? I used your site quite a bit when I first started. Great to have you on board.

Requests asking where to buy armor are not allowed on this site. Reasons why can be found here: ------------------ My suggestion would be to contact the Golden Gate Garrison first and get acquainted with the local members in your area.

Gotcha - you're in.

Identity verified - you're all set!

Actually all costume base requirements for the 501st are under review. The full list of current MEPD requirements is here: http://www.mepd.net/require/index.htm

<FACTS> The costume definition for a 501st TK does not include pauldron, or anything not seen on screen. The TK costume is based strictly on what was in the movies, and this is all there is too it. Once you start adding props, you're now in the realm of TX. For the same reason a clean sandtrooper is not a sandtrooper, it is considered an EU heavy weapons trooper and will also be considered a TX. </FACTS> <OPINION> My understanding is that people started accessorizing their TK's because at a certain point the TK costume was considered too boring or deficient in some way and needed fixing to look cool. Since I've never had the urge to do it, I can't say exactly why. For me I think the costume is perfectly worthy of respect the way it is and part of the fun of being a TK is being part of a squad of TK's. When I want to stand out, I wear a costume that is meant to be customized. </OPINION> In the end your costume is just that - yours. As long as you're not doing a canon event, you should feel free to wear it in the way that makes you most happy as long as it doesn't violate any 501st rules.

Your papers are in order - access granted.

I was thinking - you can always wrap the canvas around an ABS belt base for most of the length. This will give it rigidity and still look like canvas. Many of the TD's who do this mod don't have to worry about it as they don't have holsters or thermal det's to attach.

As you can see I completed the "2nd round" of the deployment standards for all suits. The more I wrote, the more I realized that throughout the the 501st in terms of standards we really try to stay away from mentioning specific suit makers and super fine detail. I think for this reason the item about banning FX helmets outright, or mentioning any costume maker or style in particular, is beyond the scope of what a deployment standard should be. Unless there is argument otherwise, it will be dropped from the proposal.

OK, let's nail this down: 1. ROTJ style armor - same as ANH except: * Snowtrooper hand plates (e.g. curved instead of angular) * Black ab plate buttons * Back/kidney is fused into a single back plate 2. ROTJ style helmet * Blue tube strips * Slate blue (aka blue grey) traps/tears * No hand painted traps/tears - decals only * Black frown, but paint covers the "lips" of the teeth area * Bubble green lenses * Four teeth each side * No screws on ears * Ends of frown are squared off, not tapered to points 3. ROTJ style blaster * No ammo counter * Correct greeblies on left rear area (door catch and two "hammers") Point of possible discussion: on the ROTJ suits where was a molded lip around the cod, chest, and several other armor pieces. There are no TK kits that offer this feature, so someone would have to put in a lot of time to having this detail. Anything missing before it can be considered final?

Be aware that they run a little big, and there are no half sizes. I'm a size 11 but what came in was more like an 11-1/2.

OK, there have been three items that I'm hearing (also via PM) that have been objected to: 1. Split back plate into butt and kidney plates Argument against: MEPD doesn't require this and they're 100% ANH based. Why should we? It may seem elitist. It's not a critical detail. Argument for: This is a costume detail that's true of ANH & ESB but not ROTJ. The separation of kidney and butt pieces is clearly seen. It's already part of most (all?) ANH armor, so it's really only a mod for FX suits. It's also a commitment bar to reach, analogous to cutting into the ab plate to covert from TK to TD ab. 2. Closed sides Argument against: see item #1 above. Might be hard for larger troops to achieve. Argument for: again, this is a costume detail clearly seen in the films. People have been modding their FX armor to get this effect already, so it's not an unknown mod. Again, for most troopers this is how ANH (not sure if all, but most) armor comes, so it's only a mod for FX troops. Actually like the kidney above, it can be a pride point of craft and is a high quality bar to hit, which is part of the point of a deployment standard. 3. No FX helmets Argument against: for larger folks, the FX can actually look proportionate. Some people's heads are just too big for ANH helmets. Also, this is not an MEPD requirement. Also, it opens the argument for banning other helmet types, e.g. why not ban RT? Argument for: it's really hard to make a "proportional" rule. It's perhaps the single most common upgrade to an FX suit, and it's one of the most visible details that people criticize in FX. OK, comments?

The UA shirts have a logo that's visible on the back. Most people just blacken it with a sharpie.

They were part of Bespin security. There has never been a stormtrooper piloting or driving any vehicle in the OT. Sandys on dewbacks were as close as it ever came.

It's probably more accurate to think of it that sandtroopers are deployed for extended periods in the field - a lot cause trying to stay "clean". TK's were basically in garrison, so 1) not much opportunity to get dirty and 2) could clean their gear daily. In the end, a trooper is a trooper is a trooper - they're just issued different gear depending on their post and "MOS" (military occupation speciality) is how I think about it.

Excellent questions! I'm to understand it's certainly possible and how the originals were done, but don't have hard facts. I'm interested in doing this too - more selection than CA, esp. now that Cheng is out of the biz.

All set trooper!

Eh? Tsk tsk - shouldn't ask a question you don't know the answer to. How else will we know if the person had the right answer? TKEAZ1603 - you had the right of the last question. You're turn to ask.

From memory, I'll say six: 1. David Prowse in the OT 2. James Earl Jones doing voice in the OT 3. Can't recall guy's name as Annakin in ROJT 4. Young Annakin in EPI 5. Hayden in EPII & EPIII 6. The guy who did Anakin's voice in the Clone Wars toon. Not sure if there was a stunt person for ROTJ fight scene or not.

For AP & TE2, the sides should butt up unless you need to add a shim. For FX, you will definitely need to add side shim panels. There was actually a trooper selling them on Ebay for awhile. The original suggestion was to exclude FX armor entirely, but it would seem to me that if someone can mod the FX to ANH standards it should be acceptable. Regarding helmets, I know of at least one large trooper who got his TE2 to fit, so it can be done though I believe it involves trimming a little material from the bottom edge. It seems unfair I know, but the truth is that the FX is so obviously inaccurate I don't see how it can fly as being part of a higher standard. Remember these are not 501st TK requirements, these are purely for deployment status.

Whoa man - get some sleep! Helmet is a good idea - at long last you can retire that FX ;-)

OK, let's nail this down: 1. ESB style armor - same as ANH except: * Holster worn on the right instead of left * Snowtrooper hand plates (e.g. curved instead of angular) 2. ESB style helmet * Blue tube strips * Slate blue (aka blue grey) traps/tears * No hand painted traps/tears - decals only * Black frown, but paint does not leave teeth area * Flat green lenses 3. EBS style blaster * No ammo counter * Two greeblies on left rear area Anything missing before it can be considered final?

I've taken the feedback and here is the list that I'd like to propose for our detachment: These items seem pretty firm: 1. ANH style armor. This means the following details are observed: * Correctly colored buttons, not black ones, on the ab plate. * Floating kidney and butt plates * Canvas belt * No side gaps between ab/kidney plates 2. ANH style helmet * Grey painted frown * Blue tube stripes * Grey traps / teardrops * Conform to either Hero or Stunt options Hero Option * Bubble smoke lenses * Six cut teeth (3 / side) Stunt Option * Flat green lenses * Eight cut teeth (4 / side) 3. ANH style E-11 (as opposed to ROTJ) The rest seems less firm: 5. ANH sized helmet - no FX 6. Holster must not be looped through belt - will be attached from behind instead. Comments?

Anytime your wife buys you armor, you know it's a gift of love JOIC, what's the gas mileage like for the AT-AT?

What a great find! It's been many a year since organic chem, but I think I get the gist of it. I think the memory properties are pretty intriguing. It would certainly make it easier to sit in your armor without having to cut the cod or worry about cracking the butt plate (ask me how I know). I'm curious especially to see how a chest/back would turn out. My initial thought is that something flexible for an ab plate or shin might not be rigid enough for the chest (of course you could always have to mixtures, one for each type of rigidity needed). Or do you think that under normal circumstances it will maintain enough rigidity for a piece that's not supposed to really flex like the chest? What you're doing is very compelling - the ABS suits are not known for lots of flexibility.