kman

Odd, they come up fine on every computer I've used. They're direct image links to regular JPG files, nothing fancy. Copy and paste this into your browser and see if it comes up: http://www.kppix.com/piwigo/_data/i/upload/2016/03/28/20160328215225-fc780b56-la.jpg

There are lots of Canadian troopers in the 501st, and I haven't heard about specific exceptions for them, but you can always ask your GML.

As I understand it, despite the confusion in the CRL, it's optional to join the 501st, but not for Centurion. They might make exceptions for people living in countries where even replica firearms are illegal.

Nah, just routine patrol shift on the Star Destroyer. ... (and yes)

The only other store I've seen mentioned that makes hard rubber E-11s (along the line of Hyperfirm) is THG Props on Etsy. Downside is they're only raw kits which need assembly, an amount of work, and painting. https://www.etsy.com/shop/THGProps There's a 10% off orders over $50 promo right now, too, coupon code EAST1610. I've never seen one in person so can't compare, but it does at least look quite good, and I've seen the name mentioned here on FISD here and there. (without cursing, which is a good sign!) The store says they ship worldwide. Good luck! Option #2 is simply to find a friend in the US who can forward the shipment to you. (I assume there are no legal issues with shipping fake rubber weapons?)

I need working room inside the helmet more, for installing the lenses. The fans won't actually be in the way, they're just higher on the list. Also, if I end up needing to install the battery packs into the main part of the bucket, instead of hiding them in the tubes, I'll need to plan that in concert with pad placement.

And onto the work post. Not much doing tonight. I did swing by Home Depot and picked up a 4 pack of 1/4" #6 T-nuts ($1.30). Use some pliers to bend the little stabby bits back and forth until they break off. That way you don't stab yourself on stabby bits. And don't hurt yourself a year down the line, forgetting about the stabby bits hiding under there... Then I glued it into the helmet with E6000. Pro-tip #1: E6000 is squirrely stuff. It likes to wander, and bring anything floating on it with it. You'll want magnets outside the helmet to stop things from wandering. Otherwise you'll swing by 5 minutes later and things will be 1/2" away from where you left them. Pro-tip #2: Put screws in the mounts before putting them onto the glue (and leave them in for the duration). That way the glue doesn't shoot up the middle, filling the whole threaded hole with glue. Which would be inconvenient later. * filing things away under "mistakes I've made" *

Just for giggles.

I believe the main concern with 3D blasters, assuming they're otherwise accurate, is durability. Like resin, if you drop it on a hard surface you may not have a blaster anymore.

Hasbro blasters need the Doopy Doo mod kit to be remotely useful. Specifically banned at the Centurion level) Rubies (painted black, obviously) will suffice for basic, but not EIB/Centurion. (AFAIK re EIB, definitely not Centurion without far more work than a scratch build)

Nice work with the pads! As soon as I figure out fan positioning and the lenses, I'll be installing mine, too. (finally!)

Yup. I'm sure the admins will tend to it next time they have a chance. No worries.

Yes, but be careful not to go overboard. This stuff eats ABS, after all! The thinner it is, the more possibility to mess up your armor's finish. And the longer it takes to dry (again, possibly doing damage while drying) But also the less chance of air pockets. It's a balancing act. Start by just thinning it a little bit more than you have it now, and go from there.

Thinner ABS paste should help reduce air pockets.

Done! (Just have to wait for the admins, to catch up, I believe)

TK91423 reporting for duty! I believe I've updated my status everywhere, including here, the SCG forums, and I have access to the 501st forums now. And now the work continues...

TK91423 requesting 501st access. http://501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=20931

Thx! My GML said it will probably take a day or two for my paperwork to go through and my TK ID to be assigned, but once I'm officially in the system, I'll be right on signing up on the forums and getting access and such. I didn't use PlastiDip as a strengthener, rather as a nice tough (and flexible) black finish that gives smoother coverage. Only the hand-painted variety, in conjunction with cheesecloth, really strengthens the helmet, as I understand it. I'm satisfied with the helmet as-is, though.

Thanks, guys! I have a few things I need to adjust, but again, they're all things that were on my list to adjust anyway. Except lowering my belt about 1/4" which is a fair point. Well, I know how I'm mounting the fans, I'm just not certain how I'm dealing with the battery packs just yet. I'm mounting the fans by copying Echo's fan mount design as closely as possible, given available materials. I could copy it nearly exactly, but that would require more time, effort, and materials costs than I want to get into, plus I actually want to buy his bracket, as soon as he comes up for air, and support a fellow (local) trooper. I'd feel bad about stealing his design so blatantly, under different circumstances! First I went to the 99 Cent store in search of cheap black plastic. I came back with two likely candidates, and chose the round one. I copied Echo's design to a template and attempted to cut it out of the round planting pot (or whatever the heck that is). Unfortunately, the plastic was just as cheap as the price, and it cracked in a few places while cutting. Also it was pretty sharp, and I didn't want to tear up the inside finish of my newly pretty helmet. Fortunately, I hit on the idea of using black Gaffers tape, and and reinforced the whole thing, as well as covered all the edges. Worked great! Ish. Great enough for now, until I can get Echo's, at least. That solved, and after my dinner engagement (and once the battery runtime tests finally finished and I could actually work with this stuff again!), I mounted the fans and switches into the new mounting bracket. I also had to Dremel the little circuit boards smooth, and cover the soldered parts on the bottom with hot glue to protect the helmet interior. (While I was at it, I hot glued the frown screen back into place... and replaced the S-trim (no glue), this time, moving the split part to under the chin instead of the back, as advised) What remains is working out exactly how it goes in with the batteries. I zip tied them in the rear center as a test placement, but it's just a little too big to fit well, so I'll probably try another mounting position. It's a big awkward right now because I'm recharging the batteries, but I hope to settle on a position tomorrow (working in conjunction with the helmet interior padding, if I can't fit the batteries in the bottom surround tube). And of course once the final position is determined, I'll tidy up those USB power lines. Also, tomorrow I'll pick up T-Nuts from Home Depot and tackle splitting, shaping, and mounting the lens. Once the T-Nuts and lenses are in place, I'll place the helmet pads and be done with the helmet interior! (for now) Actually, tomorrow is pub night. So I may not get the full list done. But I'll try! Oh, and T-Nuts will be E6000'd into place, so that'll chew up another 24 hours. I'm heading out on vacation for a bit next weekend, so I'll be taking a hiatus on improvements for a couple of weeks, so in addition to packing, I've got to keep this moving as much as possible!

Two quick updates: 1) The first battery pack gave out at approx 9 hours and 30 minutes. The second gave out approx 10-20 minutes after that. (I did indeed have to bring it to dinner at my friends house and didn't catch exactly when it went stopped!) SCHWEEEET (><) 2) I have been accepted into the 501st, with a couple of minor notes to adjust, which were things I already on my to-do list. WOOHOO!!!

These are about the same thickness: 2cm, or just over 3/4". Almost identical depth, which is one of the most important stats for mounting purposes. So much narrower, though, which opens up options for placement. These are definitely longer, though, since they're 3.5" long and you actually add a little over an inch for the USB connector. (I could get smaller USB connectors, like Apple ones, but I had these on hand.) It's just a question of creative positioning, though. Should fit fine.

Thanks! They fit fine with an empty helmet in my hand, but they're definitely long. What are the dimensions of your 4x AA battery case? 4x AA is 6 volts, so with fresh batteries, yours probably spins faster, but as voltage drops these probably go longer, with more consistent speed. (LiIon puts out a very stable voltage right up until it dies) I'd like to fit them behind an Echo-style fan mount/backplate, which I'm in the process of hacking together, but we'll see. (I will be buying one of Echo's mounting plates as soon as he resurfaces, but since he's fairly unreachable right now, even for us locals, I'll have to make do until I can buy his.) If they don't end up fitting nicely behind the bracket, hopefully one on each side tube, for balance, I can probably still mount them vertically in the helmet. I have a lot of flexibility at this point, since I have yet to install my helmet padding. Battery life is excellent. They've been running for nearly 7.5 hours nonstop, so far. At this rate I'm going to have to bring them with me to my friend's house for dinner, so I can still keep an eye on them!

While I tap my fingers impatiently to hear back about my 501st application (I assume they're delayed due to WonderCon... not that it wouldn't have been nice to join them for WonderCon...), I decided it's time to do some work on my helmet. First up, the fan system. I've been dragging my heels on this, too, because it's a pain, but finally I had all the pieces together in one place, and it was time. I elected to go with 5V squirrel fans, very similar to the ones Echo uses. My idea, however, was the power the whole thing with inexpensive cell charger battery packs, which supply 5V of power over the standard USB connection. These are the fans I used: Gdstime 40x40x20mm 40mm 4cm 5v Dc Brushless Cooling Turbo Blower Fan http://www.amazon.com/Gdstime-40x40x20mm-Brushless-Cooling-Blower/dp/B015NY81HG I paid $7 each, and could have gotten them for less, of course, had I been willing to wait for shipping for weeks, but I was in a hurry. These are the power packs I'm using (in black): PowerBot® PB3011 3000mAh Universal Power Bank External Back Up Battery Charger w/ 1A USB Output, MicroUSB cable included + Aluminum Finish + Built-In LED Battery Indicator http://www.amazon.com/PowerBot®-Universal-Indicator-BlackBerry-Smartphone/dp/B00JR3SF44 I got two of the black ones (which don't seem to be available as I type this), a couple of weeks go, for $4.50 each. That's 3000 mAh of power for each fan, which should deliver much longer runtimes that AA batter packs with a fraction of the weight, and rechargeable, to boot! I don't know what the actual runtime of the batteries are yet, but they've been running for 3 hours and 50 minutes as I type this, and still going strong, so I don't think battery life is going to be a huge concern for me. (maybe on multi-day troops, but as long as I can recharge the batteries overnight, all should be well) I wrestled with ideas for the power switch for a long time. I've seen a lot of options, including the simple slide switches in Echo's kits, but ultimately I decided to go with toggle switches because they'll be really easy to turn on and off from outside the helmet, even with gloves on, just by sticking a finger up and swiping side to side to flick the switch. I bought these two micro switches from Radio Shack, at $3.50 each, which is obscene since I probably could have bought 10 or more for the price of one, had I been willing to wait 3-4 weeks for them to be delivered. Such is the price of impatience. RadioShack SPST PC MINI Toggle (Catalog #: 2750645) https://www.radioshack.com/products/spst-pc-smini-tog?variant=5717517573 As a proper geek, I had plenty of old USB cables I could hack apart, since I just needed the two power wires to power the fans. I also had some very cheap project boards and pre-made wiring harnesses with modular disconnects left over from my Arduino projects, which fortuitously fit the connectors on the fans, otherwise I could have directly soldered everything together. But the modular disconnects are nice for future troubleshooting. I just soldered everything together onto a small piece of PCB board which I'll mount inside the helmet when it's all done. I'll shorten up all the wiring to clean this all up, as well, once I have a mounting system ready. So total cost was: $14 (two fans) $9 (two batteries) $7 (two switches) $1 (assumed cost of plastic for mounting plate) --- $31 I probably could have done this for considerably less than half, again, had I been willing to be patient and buy stuff that ships slow from China. I did a horrible hack of a soldering job on the PCB board, but it all works! Next, onto the interior painting. I really can't do ANYTHING with this helmet until I get it all painted inside (Plasti-Dip spray), after all, including finally installing my ACH pads instead of the horrible suspension system. (The suspension system actually wouldn't have been that bad IF they had properly attached it, AND included the back piece that is normally used to adjust the size, instead of expecting us to use poorly-adhered Velcro for adjustments) First of course I tore everything out. Wheee! And the good news is my helmet doesn't appear to have any of the cracking problems around the rim that had been hidden by the S-trim, unlike a lot of others I've seen. All ship-shape. I used Goo Gone to remove the leftover adhesive from the velcro, and more obnoxiously, from the foam tape they used to keep the frown screen in place. That didn't help with some leftover CA glue around the exterior rim, with black rubber color stuck to it, but I'm hoping that will just get covered up again when I put the trim back on. Then to prep the surface for painting, I degreased the interior (which was covered in Goo Gone oiliness) with some Simple Green. Love that stuff. Finally, I spent the better part of an entire evening sitting in front of the TV, taping up the helmet to an obscene degree, including the bag round the outside. This morning, I went outside and started putting coats of spray in. I have 3 coats on this, with 30 minutes of drying time in between, and I think it's good. Coat 1: Coat 2: All dried, after coat 3: After removing the bag and masking tape: No paint bleeds! Now I'm off to the 99 Cent store to find something big and plastic that I can buy for a buck and cut up, to make a mounting plate (similar to Echo's) for the fans.

I wish it were otherwise, but it's not a big deal. I can do this!

You totally told me so, and it's all good. That's the plan. Basic, and possibly EIB. THEN I'll buckle down and start on the various upgrades needed for Centurion.