shnar

My friend in the 501st said he saw them at the Star Wars Celebration and felt they were the best "commercial" suits he'd ever seen, so it convinced me to buy some. -shnar

I ordered 2 (one for me and one for my son). Wife insisted I buy it. -shnar

If I had more time, or trusted my fingers better, I'd probably have followed your instructions as best of my ability. But, since I've never done anything electronic like that, I'm glad I was able to find various other resources for these. All inspired from the earlier greats like you -shnar

Just an update for myself, I've found some bundles to help me out: - EAS (Environmental Audio System): http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/25695-environmental-audio-system-hear-outside-your-helmet/it's the ear amplifiers so you can hear outside your bucket. The bundle is $70, a little more than if you do it yourself, but not by much (considering two of the canakit stereos is $32, then also the speakers, and the wires, and the time, etc, sounds like a good deal to me). - iComm (Imperial Communication System): http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/14832-fs-imperial-communication-system-icomm/and their website http://store.voicebooster.com/icomm-imperial-communication-system/ is a one stop shop for a wireless mic, an Aker amplifier, and the iComm static burst voice card. $105.50 for the iComm, $48 for the Aker amp, and $30 for the wireless mic. - Echo's Helmet Fan System: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/24372-fs-helmet-fan-system-echos/A really nice fan system, puts 2 in your bucket up near the cheeks on independent power systems. They're $70 for the whole kit (add $15 for custom name!) With the above bundles, I should be able to customize my helmet about the same level. Pricier to be sure than just buying the components separately (about $300), but a lot of saved time and headache for people like me The only thing I'm missing now is an intercom to chat w/other troopers... -shnar Edit: As an alternative to the iComm hooked up to a wireless mic and amp in the breastplate, ukwrath has these speakers embedded in the Hovi's of the helmet (the nubs at the jaw level). He sells them at http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31436-fs-ukswraths-hovi-mic-tips-with-speakers-crl-accurate-tips/ between $60 and $140. The lower end is just the speakers, up to you to get everything else. The upper end includes an amp and even an iComm (so complete Stormtrooper chatter). These speakers won't be as loud as the ones with the iComm, but "good enough" for most trooping needs. Plus, has the advantage of *everything* in the bucket (and won't need a wireless mic).

A little more research, this control is called a "potentiometer", and comes in all shapes/sizes. I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to affix the hovi mic to one, what I don't know/understand is how to connect it to say an audio board (like the EAS board) to control the volume. Google, here I come! -shnar

I've been looking at customizing the helmet with mics to amplify the external sound (following Mynock's excellent tutorial at http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/20304-helmet-upgrades-wireless-amp-external-sound-pickups-fan-padding-and-more/), as well as using a wireless mic and the iComm system (found at http://store.voicebooster.com/icomm-imperial-communication-system . All this in helmet stuff got me thinking... Has anyone made their Hovi Mic tips into analog volume controls for their helmet mic/speaker systems? I was thinking it would be cool to be able to twist the Hovi Mic to turn on the EAS (for example), and even adjust it's volume by twisting the Hovi a little. Same thing for your mic to whatever amp you have installed. For example, the left Hovi could turn on your ears and the right Hovi could turn on your voice. Being such an incredible novice at all this, A ) is this possible, B ) how difficult would it be to customize all this and C ) how would I go about doing any of it? And lastly, I stumbled across the Hovi Mic with speakers inside (see http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31168-hovi-mic-tips-with-speakers-interest-check/). Having all the electronics self contained in the helmet sounds very attractive. Too bad I already bought 2 iComm's w/wireless mics and amp. But either way, if a volume control hovi could be made, could you do it with the speakers inside like those? -shnar

A friend of mine went to the Anaheim celebration and referred them to me. He's constructed 2 sets of armor, and he felt these were the best 'company-made' sets he's ever seen. With his blessing, I pulled the trigger on two sets (one for me, one for my son). I'm hoping they arrive before Eps VII is released -shnar

Thanks, I'll keep my eye on the sale forum. So there's no place currently that just sells (good) ones? Just gotta watch for the private sales? -shnar

"fully assembled and painted" is exactly what I'm looking for. Are you selling these? What's the process to order? Just a PM? -shnar

Just getting into the stormtrooper game, and looking at weapon accessories. Both the E-11 and DLT-19 are on my radar, but I can't tell where one can actually buy them. I don't have the time to build one from scratch, but could easily buy one. Hyperfirm's website seems to be down, and even a google or ebay search comes up with not much. Anybody know of anyone who sells these? -shnar

Heh, they're all out of stock except the extra large... -shnar

I was just going to say the same thing. Picked up 2 Anovos (one for me, one for my son) and so now need to find a good pair of boots. If he's out of stock... -shnar

I'm *very* late to the party, but I just bought my first suit and would love to have a self contained helmet like this. Looking at your website (Mynock), doesn't look like you were ever able to get a sellable version of this? I really don't want to shop around for all these parts (I know I'll screw something up), did you ever create a "kit" bundle? Anything to make this easier would be *fantastic* -shnar