Sly11

Welcome to FISD Amanda! As you are gathering, there is no shortage of information, imagery and help at hand. We are probably the most active Detachment in the legion when it comes to members ready to assist and help make your Stormtrooper dream a reality. Yes, this forum can be overwhelming, so please simply ask as many questions as you need, we are here to assist.

Welcome to FISD Nick. I think the 2 choices offered above are currently the right solutions based on your stature. AP redid their moulds a few years back to make the armour more accurate, but to also suit a wider range of body types. It's well-made and certainly suitable. AM has always been on the slight lager size. I have built a few of both these kits for members, and you won't be disappointed which ever path you take. Enjoy your new journey into hard armour, we are here to help.

Congratulations Brian, fantastic result and an official welcome aboard.

Perhaps a combination of brighter and dimmer LED's, again this can be controlled via resistors. You could also use an Arduino board and write some code to get it to flicker irregularly depending on how far you want to take it. Add a sound board, a speaker and a micro SD reader and add some funky flamethrower sounds even. Sky is the limit, like the work this member did in creating a set-up for his E-11

Ahh, I see what you mean, so the additional piece at the base of the belt is wider on some than on others, got it. Should it matter if it is wider or narrower as seen in those images above, as long as it is there? I mean that could differ between makers and 3D files to a degree anyhow right, so does it matter?

This Poll is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated. The majority of votes were a positive to make changes allowing some more flexibility with First Order blasters per the descriptor explanation at the top of this thread. This will be taken into consideration and further discussions had regarding the potential changes.

Certainly seeing the strip on the bottom of almost every screen cap, and image you have shared. To me, this is meant to be there as part of the original design, so it should remain as an integral part of the costume. As we don't focus on one-off or exact screen replication like MEPD, I suggest until we do, if ever, then the belt should remain as a complete and by far most common seen on screen part of the CRL. Detachments standard CRL practice

We could make both acceptable as long as we have both images in the CRL's Seems like always there are reason why some are modded or simply broken. I think if it was clear it is a broken piece, then that is a costume malfunction and a no-go like gaffer tape etc. Certainly plenty of references showing the lower tab and the interlocking parts across the top like a hero version??

I think, what ever you choose to use in lining your helmet, it makes a difference. The internal becomes a personal thing with some adding 3D printed pieces emulating air filtration systems and the like, others just the black-out, and some go full electronics in the way of hearing/ mic and fan systems. What ever you fancy, there are plenty of options available, so plan out what suits you and your vision and go for it.

Welcome aboard Leander. As Glen mentioned, visible print lines were a change we made a couple of years back when more and more printed items and files became available. The CRL for this costume is in the early stages so we need a person to work with to build it right, this is where you can come in as a builder. All CRL's requires photos of all the parts to be complete and approved at the Legion level. Team work makes the dream work, and we are here to assists in every way we can.

Happy new Year to all, I hope this year brings plenty of joy and good fortune to every member in some way shape or form. 2023 for many was challenging, now we have turned the page and the Empire will be victorious, for we are the bad guys doing good. Here's to Troopers helping troopers around the world in every way we can.

Hi Philip, welcome to FISD! we have plenty of local support both on the GC and in Brisbane as well as here on the forums so you won’t have a shortage of members to turn to for assistance. If you put a build thread on the RGB forums, you can also copy paste it here to, photos of your progress and possible issues make it a lot easier for everyone to get the best solutions to you. Also as Joseph mentioned, ask as many questions as you need, we are all here to help in every way we can. I will no doubt see you on a troop or two in the future.

Welcome Mark and glad to hear you have begun your journey to becoming a Stormtrooper.

On behalf of the staff of FISD, I would like to wish you all a happy holiday season. What ever you may or may not celebrate this time of year, please be safe, have fun, and if you can spend some time with the ones closest to you. For many, times have been tough in 2023 so we hope 2024 is kinder to everyone, specially those who need it most. Love and happiness to all First Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment staff

Hi William and welcome to our detachment. Armour can vary a little based on how it is trimmed, but these look ok. Shins aren't necessarily long on many kits, but if you want kit to do side by side comparisons with, have a look at some of the RS Prop build threads. Most of the parts are cast off an original suit they own. If you are a stitch counter and fussy with the finer details, then they are a good starting point. Generally, the chest piece also isn't as big as you may think. Some kits were cast off the inside of the parts, other cast from the outside, so in that case may be slightly larger unless a maker does oversized parts for a larger trooper. The actors in ANH were in general slim build and between 5'9"–6' tall. Armour can be modified to fit larger builds, but does come to a point where longer limb parts may be required to fit a taller trooper. Research research research is the key from here on out. Next is the colour of the ABS in your helmet vs buying a kit from a different maker. Sometimes they can be very different and in turn too noticeable. ABS colour can also change between batches, so it is easier to buy a set along with the helmet, so there isn't a discernible difference. There really isn't such a thing as the ideal set of armour, but more to the point there is an ideal set for an individual based on budget, country of origin, size and how much lineage you want your kit to have back to an original screen used suit. We can direct to towards makers based on a few pieces of information. Your height and build are always the best starting points to get feedback from those of similar stature. Most importantly, you will have heaps of fun on your new journey of discovery, and we are here to help along the way.

Congratulations Matt, welcome to EI rank!

I am waiting on confirmation, and you could be well right. Hope to have more info soon, but with the holiday period, it may be a while.

All done.

Agree with your observations on grime and gold in the cracks. I think that will indeed boil down to weathering and adding the grime. It would be best or even easier to add the gold leaf first, then the grime over the top. Seems to be quite a few combos of 2 grey parts as thighs, bells helmet sections Bicep etc. due to the number of combos and for the sake of flexibility and or difference, it would be easier to have a series of images in the reference library separating all the different images of TK's and their combos. If we go that route, knowing there were 17-20 full TK's modified for the screen, will that make it easier or more complex. Definitely need more discussion on the best way forward with that, and am interested to hear more opinions and ideas. We haven't had a costume with this level of complexity, and so many seen on screen, having clear differences. 20 possibilities feels like a lot to build into a CRL, and if it were a full army, would there be more combinations? Builder's discretion and a list of seen on-screen grey parts is also different from what we have done before, but could look like an easy option. These troopers are definitely about a builders' creativity on multiple levels for finish.

I can remove any attachments you require to give you back that space for something you might have in the future you deem more important. Just let me know and happy to assist.

Suggestions for the additional finishes of the Night trooper. First draft only, this is open to more in depth descriptions, adjustments, and language refinement. Basic Lvl Light to medium weathering as per reference. Cracks may be painted on the surface of the armour with metallic gold paint. EI lvl Light to medium weathering as per reference. Cracks must be Dremelled / engraved into armour Cracks may be painted in metallic gold paint. Centurion lvl Light to medium weathering as per reference. Cracks must be Dremelled / engraved into armour Cracks must be filled in gold leaf, gold metallic paint is not permissible. Wraps Basic Red wraps/bandages may be of a similar look to references EI lvl2 Red wraps/bandages must be Chiffon material, wrapped in layers and distressed with fraying edges as per references????? Centurion N/A Grey painted components. We need to decide on a close shade of grey, and defer to references on what parts can be painted, how many is too many grey painted parts on a single costume etc.

You've got to admire their workmanship.

Hi Dan, I can remove those for you. Do you want them all gone, or only certain attachments?

Wow, looks like your first troop will be truly memorable. Great work Terry and many, many more awesome troops to come.

Hi Matt, It depends on what fashion you wish to assist with the CRL. The build, really depends on the member/s building. The descriptions we have a section dedicated to this character, it is an open forum for members to participate in working with us on any/all CRL's. Descriptive text on the various costume parts follows a basic pattern, which makes sense if you read through our CRL's. We try to make the type of language similar where possible. This costume is quite detailed, so the explanation in each part needs to be both that and as easy to follow as possible. The photography for all the pieces for the CRL, again depends on the member/s making again. Ultimately, we hope if the person building the costume sees your post here, they would reach out to you if they were interested in assistance.