Crimson

I just made some using standard 1" elastic from JoAnn, sewed some velcro to one end, sewed a loop in the other, applied IS velcro to the inside of the thighs, and used an old dress belt to support the thighs and the dropboxes. The belt goes through the loops, and all goes under the torso plates.

Hey, I'm on the winning team, too!

Did you take those photos with a Webcam? If so, that could explain the mirroring.

A note about "canon" and what it means to the Legion. "Canon" (not "cannon", please) means that it exists in the LFL universe and is accepted to be part of a continuity of some kind. But just because something is canon does NOT mean that the 501st Legion is obligated to accept it. The Legion is free to set whatever standards we wish onto a particular character type. What I particularly love is when people get all huffy and indignant and DEMAND that the Legion set standards RIGHT NOW for a blip of a character that appeared in an artist's concept sketch in some publication somewhere, or when a trooper appears at a great distance in one frame of one poorly drawn comic book so that the person can pad his resume with yet another two-character abbreviation. And when I say "love," I mean "despise." Because, you know, demanding is the best method to get one's way, right? :roll:

1.8m would be around 5'10" or so. My armor is FX, and I'm 5'7" - 5'8". I've cut the forearms at the wrist end about 3", the thighs about 1-2", and the shoulders about an inch (so that it wasn't covering so much of my arm ). I got a replacement belt that doesn't have the canister on the back for non-canon, informal events so I can actually drive to the event in armor now. Eventually, I'll upgrade the entire suit to a smaller, more accurate set because I've seen some of the other troopers around my size wearing RT and AP, and I'm jealous now over how good they look

I've been actively going to concerts since about 1990, so there's no possible way I could remember all the bands I've seen in big arenas and small venues, but I'll try.... Metallica Def Leppard Cinderella Type O Negative Powerman 5000 Anthrax Motorhead Riders on the Storm (The Doors) Rolling Stones AC/DC Static-X Savatage Queensryche Iron Maiden Rob Halford Testament Trans-Siberian Orchestra Dropkick Murphys Andrew WK Rollins Band Suicidal Tendencies Coal Chamber Rush BB King w/ Al Green The Horrorpops The Monkees Jerry Lee Lewis w/ Little Richard & Ben E. King Danzig Chris Isaak Fates Warning Fight Guns 'n Roses Faith No More

I'm a metal guy. Can't deny it. I have a long litany of music I don't like, and I freely admit that I'm a closed-minded goober when it comes to music. My wife and I get into many a heated debate about music because of it. Music ended for me when Pearl Jam made it big. It came back briefly in about 1997-1999 when the new metal wave out of LA hit, but that died out with the advent of screamcore.

The best game evar: I'z ownz0rg joo. Okay, seriously... RC and TIE Fighter. Rebellion and Galactic Battlegrounds were cool for their time, which was why I thought Empire at War a total rip-off. I played the demo and instantly realized that it's just a rehashing of both Rebellion and GB (which I'd played to death already), so I wasn't about to shell out another $50 for a repackaged version of the same games

The only time you shouldn't be drinking is while you're working. It's impossible to tell someone not to drink in costume because this is such a big Star Wars convention. A private 501st member meeting is not the same thing as "interacting with the public" (as I do recall the sound of a Guinness bottle being opened at the Legion commanders' meeting in Pasadena.... ) Pretty much the basic rules apply: if you're working with the public as the character in an official capacity, don't drink. If you're hanging around casually and your shift is over or if you're not involved in any panel or workshop, go nuts.

The repeated numbers are a discrepancy and come from the older era when the database wasn't as cleanly maintained. They'll get cleaned up one day.

Just reread the thread from the beginning. Yeah, nothing's changed for me in the last four months, except that I did get to take my wife to Japan for a week's vacation finally. Met up with my aunts and she got to witness a traditional memorial service for my grandfather. That was pretty cool.

Considering the name "iTrooper," it sounds ripe for parodying both Apple and Star Wars.....

I voted "have the cash but would be killed dead by wife" Can't justify a whole AP or RT kit when our house needs new windows really badly, or some landscaping done, or we have to look into a new car this year (possibly), or any number of household stuff. But yay for me, I do have the body size & type to fit into those kits.

Honestly, I still go with the FX because it is significantly cheaper than AP or RT. I have the RT helmet now because of that whole FX-Frankenstein-Bobblehead thing. I know that one day, I do want to go to either of those kits because I am one of the smaller guys, but money's still pretty tight. But I do so enjoy being able to turn my head left and right now....

I can't wait for Feb. 15.....

I can sum me up in one phrase: Rock 'n roll technogeek hockey freak. I'm a hobbyist musician (guitar & bass, though I'm a much better bass player), spent my fair share of time in basement/living room/garage bands. Had a stage gig for a little while, but it got old fast. I'm a metalhead primarily (still have the long hair, although I did cut it all off a little while back; grew it back because short hair just ain't me), but can appreciate most other forms of music (just not the '90s alt/college rock genre; can't stand the whining and whimpering -- I'll listen to country before that). My guitar and bass collection used to be among the largest for a non-performing musician At its largest, the collection consisted of 10 instruments. I've since trimmed that and am now down to an electric 5-string bass, a 4-string acoustic/electric bass, two electric guitars, a 12-string acoustic guitar, and a 6-string acoustic guitar. I'm a computer fixer by trade. I call myself a "computer mechanic," because if I say I work in info technology, there are some assumptions that I'm the high-level system analyst network administrator type. Oh, far from it! I'm the guy in the trenches that makes people's stuff work, the second least glamorous IT job (least glamorous would be "telephone support" or "help desk" ). I've been in this field (officially) for 8 years now and at my current employer for 6. And when I'm not fixing people's computers, I'm screwing around with Web sites. I operate both Omega Wing and Midwest Garrison, and have done a little freelance work here and there -- nothing to be able to make a living at, but enough to get a bit of spending cash. I'm not a hockey player but I follow the sport intensely. Favorite teams are the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. I own about 26 hockey jerseys, with 3 of them being 501st related. Just picked up two more on eBay this week. Got married 4 years ago to the girl I'd been dating for the 8 years prior to that. No kids yet, but we do have a year-and-a-half old shiba-inu/pomeranian mix. That dog is like my daughter for now. I'm a Food Network junkie and I really regret not having had the chance to really pick my dad's brain about food and recipes before he died. Many great recipes died with him, because HIS life's passion was food. He worked in several Japanese restaurants and even on his off days, he was cooking, watching shows about cooking, or studying cookbooks to make up stuff on his own. I think I've subconsciously tried to take after him after he died 3 years ago in an effort to keep his memory alive. I've picked up a lot of new culinary techniques, and if only it wasn't such a cutthroat industry with lots of sacrifices required for little immediate payoff, I'd love to get into the culinary field. But, it's just like struggling to be a pro musician. I'm too comfortable in a steady paycheck and a solid roof on my house to give all that up. My life dream is simple: to be a grandfather. That was intensified because my dad never got that chance.

Indeed, congratulations to everyone! Even though I had witnessed the creation and building of this Detachment from the beginning, the final decision wasn't just up to me, but to the entire Legion Council. There were many concerns about how the Detachment was shaping up, and even beyond the Council, FISD will face challenges both from the cynical and the pessimistic. But keep it together the way you have, be professional and courteous, provide succinct and clear information, and continue to help each other build the best Stormtrooper costume possible, and you will sway even the most skeptical. Congratulations, team!

Not really. If the motors blow, I'll just replace them.

I do, but on a different computer. It's pretty basic, though: Positive of battery 1 to negative of battery 2, positive of battery 2 to negative of battery 3, positive of battery 3 to negative of fan 1, positive of fan 1 to negative of fan 2, positive of fan 2 to pole 1 of switch, pole 2 of switch to negative of battery 1. All in one circle, with the switch to interrupt it.

I use a pair of Coolermaster 50mm CPU fans (50x50x15). 12v input, pushes about 12 CFM (nominally, of course; output will vary depending on the power you supply). They also come paired on hard-drive coolers (http://www.xoxide.com/untwofanhadr.html). In my FX helmet, I have three 9v powering two fans. Such a geek: I'm overclocking my damn Stormtrooper helmet

Since I'm working on building my RT right now, I thought I'd post some things I've learned, some things I've stolen from other people (information, not items!), and some things I'm really glad I stopped to consider before diving in with whirling Dremels. Cutting Out the Eyes Use a pencil to repeatedly trace the dimensions of the eye. By keeping the pencil inside the curve of the "orbital bone", a line will slowly form that can be used as a guide for your Dremel to cut out the rest of the excess material. Use a drill to make a pilot hole in the middle of the eye, then use a thin cutter bit to work away excess material. Sand edges smooth. Cutting Out the Frown I don't remember who originally posted this, but I read it and thought "great idea!" Use the barrel sanding wheel and sand down the frown cut-outs from the inside of the face plate. Excess material will literally pop out when you've sanded down far enough. It'll create a rounded hole in the face, so file those down into rectangles with jewelers' files. Environmentally Sealed Armor? In fiction, the TK armor is allegedly environmentally sealed, but what the heck are those giant gaps in the earpieces doing there?! I used silicone caulking (small tubes that don't require a caulking gun) to fill in those gaps to give it a more sealed look. Paint It Black When I began masking off parts to paint the interior, I thought I'd be lazy and just mask off the edges of the face. While I did avoid slipping and painting the outside, I did get some overspray because of the aerosoled paint floating around in the air. Goof Off is my friend, as some light rubbing with Goof Off on paper towel slowly dissolved the fine mist of black paint that ended up on the face. Needless to say, I completely masked off the dome and back with tape on the edges, then newspaper attached with tape on top of the tape. I should have learned from the first helmet I ruined two years ago.... ------------------ A lot of these tips may seem very, very basic, but I'm sure that there are plenty of novice armor builders out there who are about as lost as I was two years ago, but didn't want to say anything about it. Maybe we were embarrassed to act like newbies, or maybe we were embarrassed about a tragic mistake. Or maybe we didn't even know HOW to ask a particular question. So here have been my tips and even my mistakes. Call it a virtual on-line armor party!

Just like Omega Wing's URL is "tiepilot.org"

Generally, I find that it's easy to say if one hasn't been on the receiving end of it. As far as this group internally is concerned, yes, we know that whatever name is ultimately chosen, it means one thing: Star Wars Stormtroopers. But if there is a Web site called, for example, "Stormfront.info: The Official Stormtroopers Detachment" I will guarantee more than a passing interest from folks wanting to flash a quick sieg heil to a group "obviously" dedicated to Heinrich Himmler's vision. On this board and other 501st-affiliated boards, that's true -- we're a pretty open and welcoming group for the most part. But if in regard to Internet forums in general, you'll need to visit some white power/white supremacist sites to see that racisim, bigotry, and outright hatred are all alive and well.

- Is it really worth it to shell out the extra money for a suit that's "already modded, strapped, and customized?" Beware of spending that extra money, as every armor seller has his/her own way of doing things, and that way may not be the RIGHT way for YOU. What good is spending an extra $800 on labor and additional material cost when they have to be ripped out and redone later by a more experienced trooper to YOUR measurements and comfort?

Never mind! There was never a message here. Honest.