Jump to content

DEVOLVER

501st Member[501st]
  • Posts

    158
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by DEVOLVER

  1. Hey Troopers! I'm finally getting around to building my HWT pack. From the very beginning of my ANH Stunt armor build, I have wanted to have the ability to also troop as a Heavy Weapons Trooper. I loved the original Battlefront series and there is something undeniably cool about the look of a Stormtrooper who has been through the rigor or battle and is equipped to stay in the field and provide fire support for his squad. I have read through and looked at many, many pack builds at this point and I am very thankful that my fellow troopers have already researched and gone through most of the trouble to provide visual reference and figure out how this build should be done in the first place. I have to give a large amount of credit to Tony and Joseph for their pioneering into the HWT trooper and the building resources they have provided. I will be using previous build threads as a basic outline to my plans, but I will be trying to match my pack as closely as I can (within my meager ability) to screen capture reference. I will be eyeballing most of the measurements and building to match what I see on screen in an attempt to put that item in hand (or on my back as it were). Let's get started! My first points of reference where the screen captures provided here on FISD: And secondly, previously built packs which have been approved: I also wanted to bring in a sense of real world "used" technology, just like props from the Original Trilogy. I ended up looking at Vietnam War era radio and communications packs.: The weathering on these radios and also the way the metal is finished and pressed gives me some inspiration on what this pack would actually look like in the real world. The screen reference can only take us so far when taken from a videogame with low res models and textures. Lastly, I also wanted to use OT screen used props (and their replicas) as reference as well. Packs seen in the films such as the ones Sandtroopers wore give me ideas for weathering, scale and detail. The radio seen on the Sandtrooper's pack is a real life found object and helps give a sense of what "real" Imperial technology would look like. To begin, I had to get a base for the pack. Most, if not ALL, builds use an oil drain pan and mine is no different. Why fix what isn't broken? I toyed around with different depths and sizes in deciding which pan to get. I ended up finding one on Amazon made by Garage Boss. It is relatively thin, which will keep me from being super thick while trooping. The first thing was to remove the center area to give my back plate room to rest. I brought out the Dremel cutting wheel. Mountains of black plastic dust later, the center was removed. This hole is also going to give me access to the inside of the pack for attaching the boxes, etc. in the future with bolts and/or pop rivets. I also removed the yellow plug for good measure. I will be covering that hole later: I have decided to go with ALICE style backpack straps for their comfort and versatility. I bought this hooks to attach them. They are standard ceiling mount hooks: Measured out and placed the mounts. I tried to put them in a placement that would be similar to how they are used on an actual ALICE backpack, then I marked them for drilling: Moving on, I decided to use my reference pictures to freehand sketch the layout of my radio. My plan is to use a sheet of PVC to build layers of depth and detail similar to what would be seen on screen. When I look at this picture, I see what seems to be multiple levels of varying depth that create different shadows across the radio. To be completely honest, I also see screws and/or rivets that are in different spots than what the CRL shows. I don't mean to rock the boat, but I am going to place my fasteners where I see them in the screencaps. Going by the second image, I also see some patterns that have not been addressed in the previous builds. I am going to attempt to recreate all of this. I used the recommended photo storage box from previous builds. The dimensions are 11.2 x 7.8 x 4.5 inches. So I got this sketched out with a rough idea of how many layers I will need to lay down to achieve the look I want. Front: Side: And that's where we're at for now. I will be out of town for the coming weekend, but I plan on getting some more work done once the Holiday Season winds down.
  2. December 8 2018 - Johnson City, TNETSU Buccaneers Basketball Star Wars Night 2018 This troop was for East Tennessee State University Buccaneers Star Wars Night, but most importantly to benefit Children Exceeding Expectations. CEE a St. Jude's Hospital partner school for children battling cancer. The kids got to meet with Chewie, R2 and Threepio plus Lord Vader and cohorts. The kids were so sweet and it was nice to know that for just a moment, we got to bring a smile to their faces in what is otherwise a very difficult situation for them and their families. After the meet and greet with the kids and their families, we were part of the opening ceremonies before tip off and patrolled the stadium during the event. The game was shown on ESPN 3. A film crew was also present filming for their documentary about the 501st and Rebel Legions. Three 501st Legion Garrisons were present as well as the Rebel Legion members who traveled all the way from Ohio in what was the eve of one of the worst snow storms of the year.
  3. I just wanted to say it’s cool to see an OG member getting back into the hobby. Great mods on your kit man! Hopefully you’ll be trooping again ASAP.
  4. December 1 2018 - Elizabethton, TNElizabethton Christmas Parade 2018 This may have been my most favorite troop yet. There was a huge crowd packed with Star Wars fans, young and old. We made it all the way through the parade before it started to rain. We were soaked by the time we got back to the staging area, but it was so worth it! Didn't get any pics of the actual parade, but made sure to get shots before we set off.
  5. You look incredible! Now you’re making me want to go FOTK!
  6. November 10 2018 - Asheville, NCAsheville Comic Expo 2018 We had an awesome turn out for this event!
  7. Very nice! I will be starting on my backpack soon and will definitely be using your build for tips.
  8. I'm sorry to hear about the original armor, but I'm glad you've found a good alternative. My wife has been having a similar issue regarding an officer poncho. Zero communication. The way I see it, you have the customer's cash in hand, you OWE them communication as part of the product. A Cardinal build would be awesome, hopefully a CRL gets worked out for that eventually. And btw, do you know if JSIN Props is doing a First Order TIE pilot? Clearly he does FOTK.
  9. October 13 2018 - Kingsport, TNConapalooza 2018 My first troop in my new ESB configuration! The whole family was deployed this past weekend! Myself, my wife (ID-22513) and two girls were called in to pacify Rebel activity. As it turns out, my own stepdaughter was the instigator... Who could have guessed? The local Mandalorian Mercs were also there to keep order. It's always a blast trooping with these guys.
  10. Congrats Jim! These are relatively easy fixes for Centurion.
  11. That's a beautiful end product. The amount of detail you have put into this definitely shows.
  12. From one MTK trooper to another, good luck! You’ve done a great job.
  13. Awesome build thread! I can't wait to see everything finished up.
  14. I have used a couple of neck seals and I can definitely recommend Geeky Pink's seal by quite a bit. Teresa is a pleasure to work with and her craftsmanship is amazing. Definitely a high quality product and a fair price to boot.
  15. You'll be surprised what some 2000 grit sandpaper and Novus will do. I've had a few cracks on my armor that would seem like the end, but adding backing material with some ABS paste over the crack followed by a good polishing take care of it every time.
  16. Nice work on those shims! Once it's sanded down flush, hit the area with some Novus polish and it will be nearly impossible to see the seam.
  17. The amount of detail on this build has been staggering. I love that you have actually included the factory stamp. Incredible job and I can't wait to see the final product!
  18. Thanks man! The baseball game was especially fun.
  19. Those canon influenced internals are awesome, man. Are those 3D printed parts?
  20. That is a lot of damage. Luckily nothing that takes you completely out of the game. I do agree, however, it shouldn't be in this condition after one troop. That said, I have seen similar issues with the flexible fiberglass FOTK kits, too. Hopefully, once these spots are repaired and reinforced they will no longer crack. I am curious what the vacuumed formed kit looks like vs fiberglass. I would imagine less detail if it is ABS, but it may be worth it for the sake of durability. Good luck man.
  21. Congrats man! It is a weird feeling finally finishing this huge project and being happy that you've completed it... Then that little bit of sadness hits now that it's over. The real journey is just beginning, though. Have fun trooping!
×
×
  • Create New...