Cricket

How is the clarity of vision with these bubble lenses?

Sweet!!! Love it! It looks like the lenses can be swapped out. Can they, or are they in there for good?

I'll add my voice to what the others are saying: Doopys doesn't communicate, but they do ship their items with reliability. Make sure you enter your email address in the "Notify Me When Item is in Stock". You will receive a blank email from [email protected] with no subject in the subject line. That's your signal that the item is in stock, so go quickly to their site to get whatever it is you were waiting to be notified about. Sometimes, stuff sells out very quickly. Other times, it will be there for a few days. I had been waiting and watching for the Hasbro e-11 skin kit since the end of February- it finally came into stock at the end of March. My order arrived during the first week of April. I had a minor issue with my order, and I've emailed them about it. But based on what everyone else has said about Doopys, I don't expect to hear anything back! Still, overall I'm happy with my order.

Nice work so far Preston! Keep it up!

Thanks, Jason! Yes, I think what you're seeing is a reflection of the light on the blue stripes. The color is uniform on all the stripes, but there is some texture in there. I'm not up for busting out my airbrush for these. I've used some thinner on them and smoothed them out a bit. I can also use a 1 micron polishing sheet on them to smooth them out a little more once they've totally dried. You can't see any of the texture on the stripes at all unless the light is shining on them in just the 'right' way. Thanks for your feedback!!!!

Jason, do you mean around the edges or regarding the texture?

Should I continue cleanup on these tube stripes, or is it good as-is? (disregard the gray smudges near the bottom, those are pencil marks and will be removed later) I think I picked up a buzz from the thinner, and I can't see straight! Thanks!

Okay, I think I've fixed it now on the left side. Still working on the right side. Before:After: I painted the last stripe using one of the tube templates and drawing it on with a pencil to make it look right. Cleanup accomplished with thinner, some fine brushes, and lots of patience. I will finish the final cleanup of the pencil smudges on it after it is fully dried. I don't think it looks too shabby for a re-do.

Beautiful work! You're making this look waaaay too easy. Thanks for the motivation!

Well, that only took about 30 minutes to remove the bottom stripes on both sides, complete with a nice polish. I was worried about the blue paint staining the white ABS, but it came off pretty well. I think I'm getting the hang of the whole sanding/buffing thing finally. (I am in love with these polishing papers I found at Amazon- http://tinyurl.com/j6sch65 ) The wonky stripe used to be where the arrow is pointing. "Look, ma! No stripe!" Now to fix this and clean it all up!

Thanks David and Jason! Two different opinions on this. Interesting! As I've been examining the Hero helmets, my gut is leaning toward Jason's side, though. Here is what I'm looking at: As my most of my stripes are painted on now, they're oriented fairly straight on the cheek- that is, not really curving one way or the other. It's just the final stripe (the one closest to the mic tips) that makes the curve. So I'm thinking that I may be able to salvage most of my work. I should be able to remove and then repaint that last wonky stripe so that it curves appropriately and still matches the rest of the set. And I know this because I had purchased a set of "hand painted" tube stripe decals from Trooperbay, and I've compared them very closely. The stencils and the decals are virtually identical EXCEPT for the last stripe in each row. The last stripe on the decals curves down, whereas the last stripe on the stencil curves up. These stripes are on the right hand side of the sheets they arrived on. Very frustrating, but I'm just gonna have to fix my last stripe on each side. At least I won't have to repaint the entire thing!

Yesterday I got it in my head that I would hand paint my tube stripes onto my helmet. Templates were adhered, paint applied, and all was looking good... until late last night. In the middle of the night, I woke up and began thinking about if I had the templates correct. So this morning I began digging through the FISD after I had sent the kids to school, looking at screen used helmets, EIB and Centurion applications, painting and mod threads... and now I'm more unsure than ever. I need HELP! Here's why I'm panicking: in a thread somewhere in the FISD, it said, "These are stencils, but the same concept applies to decals. In the picture, the stripes are aligned the way they go on the helmet as it is positioned. So the stripes on the right side of the picture go on the helmet tube shown to the right of the picture (or left side of the face as you wear it)." It was accompanied by a photo of the same stencils as I had used, which were also purchased from Trooperbay. The statement made a lot of sense. I had applied my stencils the same way they were laid out on the paper backing. But the stencils I received and the stencils in the photo are completely OPPOSITE of one another. See? Which set of stencils are correct? Both? Does it matter which side goes where? I'm going to be pretty annoyed if the ones I received from Trooperbay are laid out backwards. Here's what my stripes look like right now. They're not finished- still need touching up. I don't want to continue with them if I need to delete 'em. Opinions, please.

You've inspired me to build my own fan bracket. Thank you for posting those links!

I believe that I have the distinction of having the first TK built from nail polish. Yes, that's right. Nail polish. Let me explain: people collect stuff. You know, cars, model trains, baseball cards, Disney stuff, Star Wars memorabilia...you get the picture. Well, there is a subculture of people (mostly women, but there are some guys in there, too) who collect nail polish. I was a part of that subculture for three years, and I had a pretty good time. But for the past year or so, the Empire had been calling me to build a TK, and I was spending less and less time with my nail polish collection. I decided to cash in most of my collection to fund my TK. Now, I know you're thinking, "How much could someone really get for nail polish? TKs are an expensive hobby!" But let me tell you this: I sold one bottle of nail polish for $400. One. 0.5mL. Bottle. Yep. Most in my collection I purchased for about $10, and sold for between $30-$50 each. I ended up selling enough to purchase an entire living room set AND completely fund my TK build, complete with bells and whistles. Kind of cool, huh? So now you know the story of the Stormtrooper built from nail polish. Aaaand back to the build! Kids were both out of school last week on Spring Break and they both had a pretty decent hit of the flu, so I didn't get much done. Here's what I was able to accomplish so far: The Eyes Have It: I opened up the eyes even more. I've been using some photos of screen used Hero helmets as reference. I still have to keep working on it, but I think I'm getting close. Paint It Black: I received a can of Plasti-Dip for my birthday last month, so I decided to take the inside of my lid to the Dark Side... muah ha ha ha.... I had some Model Magic leftover from a kids' project, so I filled in the teeth with that to prevent overspray. Then I taped up the rest and sprayed. I masked off the ATA logo. I know it will probably get covered up with padding, but I like to know it's still there. After that, I couldn't quite decide what to do next. Looking at my helmet, it seemed to whisper to me, "Vocoder. Vocoder. Voooooocooooderrrrrr...." Alrighty, then, let's get the vocoder done. Pencil traced outlines based on some screen-used Hero helmets. I feel really in my element when it comes to painting detail stuff. I had a lot of practice when I would create tiny nail art decorations back when I was really into painting my nails. This feels easier! I'm not concerned that the outer edges aren't perfect yet. After my second coat, I will be cleaning up around the edges with some thinner. Screw It: Each time I put on my helmet, I felt a little like Indiana Jones running through the cave at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Bob. Weave. Dodge. These are all things my head did as I attempted to avoid the Screws of Death that attached my ears to the lid. I kept getting scratches on my cheeks from those screws, no matter how carefully I rotated the helmet onto my head. They're just too damn long. I had considered cutting them down, but decided against it because of the problems with possibly messing up the threads. Someone here in the FISD mentioned that you can find shorter screws for the ears. Quick trip to my local hardware store, and there they were! The shorter screws fit perfectly, and I am now free from the Screws of Death in my lid. Can you spot the shorty? Cheers!

Go for IV-V-VI-VII. Just say no to the prequels! Yep, I said it.

I have loved reading all about what you've been eating. It has been quite the culinary journey! Oh, and the build is pretty good, too. Seriously, I have bookmarked your build and will be using it when my armor finally arrives. This post is fab! The info here is going to be more than useful. Thank you for taking the time to share with us!

Ah! I see now.... d'oh! That one goes on the Hasbro kit. (－‸ლ) The other counter box I have is solid, but I still don't know what happened to the counter box reset tab on it. Neither of my counter boxes has a counter box reset tab. I didn't expect one on the Hasbro skin kit counter box, but I did expect it on the other one I ordered because it's in the photo on Doopy's site. I've sent them an email, but based on their poor communication rep, I don't expect to hear anything back. Thanks for the info, Eric!

Hey Troopers, I received my Doopys stuff today (yay!). I ordered a Hasbro conversion kit and some additional items. One of these additional items is a Hengstler Counter Box detail piece. I have a question about it that I'm hoping some of you experts can help me with. Here is what the box is advertised as: It's solid on all four sides, and has the counter reset tab detail on one end with the three other thingys (I don't know what they're called) sticking out on the opposite side. This is what I received. It's hollow on one side. What is supposed to go in there? And the counter reset tab is completely missing. This counter box looks nothing like the counter box that is included with my Hasbro skin kit (that counter box is solid). Opinions on what this newbie should do with this box would be very helpful! Thanks!

My order was dispatched from Doopy on Mar. 29 as well. Received it on April 7 here in the US. No other communication from them other than to say it was dispatched.

Another vote for hot glue. The stuff is awesome to get things to stick to fabric and stay put. I used a glue gun to adhere more than 2,000 individual feathers to a girl's bodysuit, leggings, and hood. They all stayed on very well!

Did he put bubble lenses in the bucket, or are they flat? Were bubble lenses an option?

Gaaahhh, that is a beautiful kit! Can't wait to see it come together. Following for sure. Congrats!

Let me also add my congrats to the list. Your armor looks amazing. WTG TK-99725!!!

Exactly what I was thinking! I would hate to have to keep making repairs over and over using the stuff, though. So glad we now have a glue that works well and is forgiving. Today my hovi tips arrived, and I'm thrilled with them!!! I chose the green inserts because some Hero helmets had that little detail on them. Marcus did a fantastic job on these, and shipping was very fast from Germany. I ordered them from here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31288-vajs-accurate-3d-printed-three-part-mic-tips-hovi-mix-pa2-ongoing-run/

I was doing a little Star Wars reading yesterday while waiting for my kids to finish their karate classes, and I stumbled upon this bit of history (which I'm sure many of you old timers know already!): "...once they were dressed in the white outfit they could not sit down. After a while, the men got tired and tried to sit down, and of course bits and pieces started to come adrift. So after shooting we would be back in the wardrobe, putting them together again for a couple hours. We had jam jars full of solvent we would use to melt the plastic, as a glue, because I don't think we found a glue that would hold. So we used the solvent to stick the elastic onto them." - Colin Wilson (Star Wars Costumes, p. 30) Thank the Emperor for E6000!!!!