TrooperTim

Fantastic work gentlemen; an inspiration. I have a feeling there are a lot of metal blaster builds in the work right now. Yes, scopes! I need to get a counter one of these days.

That was a quick pass from your GML, and rightfully so. Nice work! Looks close to EIB standards. Are the rivets on your left shin painted white? Also, I would suggest to raise your drop boxes a little. Congratulations on your acceptance. The Emperor will be most pleased.

Can he be turn to the dark side? I'm sure you're aware that providing safe harbor to Jedi offspring will constitute a conflict of interest during the annual Death Star take you son/daugher to work day.

Lacking courage? No, you're just confused because so much awesomeness arrived. Know where your finger tips are when you cut and wear safety glasses if using a dremel. Molten plastic does indeed sting when it hits your eye. Score and snap method works well for most of the armor. I preferred to use a dremel for everything. Go go gadget power tools!

I see nothing wrong with what you have completed so far. Looks good. You can use however many rivets you want so long as the ear cap covers it. I never used a rivet on my helmet, just screws and washers, but whatever works.

Great to read others stories here. I'm shallow in comparison. I just wanted a catchy and easy number to remember.

Armor looks great and you'll achieve EIB with the adjustments mentioned earlier. I use plenty of foam in my suit to make parts sit correctly and snugly. I'm also skinny, eat everything in sight, and been the same weight past 10 years. Some people are like that.

Great work on achieving EIB. You sir, are awesome. Imperial Goofball... yeah, I can support that. Lets hope we don't venture into Spaceball territory. If Spaceballs infiltrate our ranks, game over.

I'm planning to drop by and lend a hand. He's probably super busy. Chris, do you have armor already or just waiting?

You can seek out a cotton/lycra unitard (dance/ballet). I bet you can find a cotton skin tight two piece out there. As many have posted, a two piece is the way to go. Cotton, like all natural fibers, breathes better than synthetic materials. Several undersuits are made from polyester/spandex and those work well but don't breathe much. Garrisons in the lower 48 prefer events indoors during the summer months so you won't always troop in heat. Using the bathroom in armor can be done but I can't offer advice for how women do this.

I haven't seen any tutorials on these forums for sewing an undersuit. I think it's easier to buy one and I got mine at wally world. Retailers won't carry the inexpensive options during the summer season so now is the time to buy one. Patterns are available in fabric stores like JoAnn's with even more options available online. Here's an example: http://www.kwiksew.com/catalog/cat_detail.cfm?pid=2335 using Lycra as the material. If you want to make your own pattern based on your exact body size, you can follow a series of tutorials on this website http://www.stretchy.org/catsuit/ with videos also available on youtube. It's hilarious when I'm at a fabric store surrounded by a bunch of old ladies. I always get asked questions. Yes, males in their 20s DO sew.

Looks great. Karin's hand guards are top notch and I use them every troop. Looks like you have almost everything except the armor and helmet.

Since this thread has been resurrected I'll put in my experience. The spy camera in your video looks good. I'm not a fan of a permanently stamped date/time. I've talked with several troopers about their setups and they all use different camcorders. Use whatever works best for you. I personally use the VIO POV 1. Always ask the event host permission before you film. If you post the video on the internet keep in mind how publicly accessible it is. I use my helmet camera as often (and allowed) as possible. Only a select few videos of mine are publicly viewable - on stage with Weird Al and a Christmas parade march. The whole reason I record a troop is for family, friends, and event documentation. Good luck with it. Have fun!

Subtle fixes and slight mods really help in the overall final appearance. I know the strap setup has given you issues previously. Looks more secure and improved now. Good luck. All the hard work will be worth it.

Exactly what I was going to say. Also, could you just type in the .jpg after the filename? Should save it as that.

It sometimes depends on the type of fans as to what works best. Some glue the fans directly to the helmet with hot glue or E6000. You can put the fan in a mount and glue the mount to the helmet. Velcro is another option, which is what I use. Helmet Fan Tutorial: ===== I use a radio shack fan. Hard foam tabs are superglued to the fan. Velcro is superglued to the tabs which attaches to the helmet. Removes easy for the winter.

There's frustration on both sides of this and I hope it gets resolved for you soon. It would be outstanding customer service for AP to refund your money. Still, the only thing AP is guilty of is delaying an order. I understand how frustrating it is. My biker scout armor order took 4 months to get to me (and it's only half the amount of plastic as a stormtrooper). If all else fails, sell the armor on these forums and recover what you can; that is if you don't want to build a suit right now. When you decide to pursue your armor goals, I can help you build. I'm only a few miles away.

Way to go. Great video. As I watched it I keep remembering the 3rd robot chicken star wars, thinking you'd shoot up some jawas while flipping out looking for Han. Boba gets the love no matter what.

Yep, receiving armor is an experience. The joy of new armor smell, then the smell of melting plastic as you dremel. I second the notion of a build thread.

PM sent. Yay, messenger works now. Have you contacted your local garrison or squad? They're always a wealth of info.

CTN is a great community but I compare it to the FISD sorta like they're a friend but with a different personality. My experience has been a lot of info gathering by PM and of course reading. Basically, create a post in their introduction thread and tell everyone why you're there and that you need help. I'm building an Ep3 Shock Trooper and can guide you a bit if you need. Building one is more challenging than a TK. Doing a commander is definitely more involved because there are more details like the Kama, Pauldron, Sidearms, etc. Finding clone armor is like TK armor and some things still apply. ABS/HIPS, cheap/expensive, easily available/rare. I can compile some of my info for you on what armor is available and send you a pm. Also I don't think Appo, specifically, has been an approved costume yet in the Legion.

The closest thing I can think of is Dave's Garage videos on youtube. There are troopers who post personal videos here explaining their scratch built blasters and such, but nothing officially from this forum.

Yep. I think that's the best compliment you can give a trooper. Everyone's already told you the things you need to fix so I have nothing to add except compliments. Great looking armor, you'll make a fine addition (officially) in a couple years. Your weathering is great - been looking at people's techniques for when I paint my clone.

You're on the right track. Just keep following the mold lines and trim it to size (with your undersuit on). I'd say leave a little wiggle room when you size the parts, but that's just my personal preference. Your blaster is shaping up. Lots of good hasbro mod build threads to reference here.

I'd suggest raise your drop boxes closer to the belt. Not sure if the boots are up to spec because of the seams running down the front. Otherwise, looks good!