Tilheyra

Although this comes with the caveat that I have never built beyond basic approval, I have had success with hand painting the black lines in the tears and trapezoids of the helmet using a paint marker. I did so because I had difficulty controlling paint on a paint brush for this fine of a detail. Although, I know different paints are discussed in reference to L3, so someone may have to correct me if this is not acceptable beyond basic. I am not sure where you are located, but if in the U.S. you should be able to find the paint marker below in the craft supplies section of Walmart.

If you need a source for the gasket around the chest, back, abdominal, and kidney/posterior pieces, this worked great for my shock trooper: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B87SDCVK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 It comes in a 26-foot length, which is enough to apply to all the pieces and have a few feet of extra material left over. I installed it so the wider edge (the edge with the built-in adhesive material) is on the interior, and the narrow edge is on the exterior (where it is visible). I then glued it all in place with E6000 glue. The built-in adhesive is not strong enough to tolerate trooping.

Is it just me, or is that thermal detonator shorter in length that the standard ROTJ trooper?

The level of detail of these game reference images is amazing! It's fun looking at the variation in overlaps between the pieces and the impacts left by blaster bolts!

Thank you, both! I've so far written the scripts for 5 videos, and I have identified plenty of other concepts to discuss in the future! I have so many ideas that the real hold-up to recording anything else is going to be the time I have to do it. It will probably be a while before I get a proper background, mic, and lighting set-up, but this will be a fun project to work on over time!

Yay! Another person familiar with the social sciences! Given your sociology background, you will most certainly spot the influence of Erving Goffman in some of the future videos I will create! I like the idea of using this panel! I'll add this to the list of products to look into!

I was divided between helmet off versus helmet on for these videos. As I don't have a mic to wear inside my helmet, I elected to do helmet off, but keeping my helmet on may make this much more suited to the character. I'd also avoid the awkwardness of taking off my helmet on video and the visible helmet hair. The funny thing is I used my DSLR camera to record the video, so I am not sure why the quality is so poor. My guess is the lighting is not good enough. I was only using the overhead lights in my apartment, so better lighting seems to be in order. I think a Death Star-ish background would be the right way to go. It would be much more immersive.

Welcome! Here's the section of the forum where you can find lots of information on the First Order stormtroopers! https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/222-costuming-and-builds-first-order-501st-approved/ Also, if you have not yet done so, here's the website of the Georgia Garrison where you can contact others in your area who may be able to provide local assistance: https://ga501st.com/

Part of my Legacy finally takes shape! I am currently gluing the inner half of the right lower leg armor to the cover strip (and by extension to the outer half of the right lower leg). It took some careful trimming and sanding to get everything to line up to this point, but we can clearly see a bit of a problem with the bottom portion. I will need to do some sort of correction for this part to make both halves match up appropriately. I am thinking of having minimal return edges (about 2mm or so, if any - but I am noting that here in case anyone has concerns about that - if so, please make that concern known) on this bottom portion to allow greater freedom of movement in this area, so trimming accordingly may help me blend the two halves together at the bottom. I have also trimmed the armor parts for the left lower leg. Although the edges for the front seam/joint do not line up properly on the halves for the left lower leg, the gap is not as drastic as was the case for the right lower leg. I'll still need to do some trimming and sanding, however. Trimming the return edges to 5mm for the tops of each lower leg will follow. At that point, I will then see how well the back overlap for the lower legs lines up, and if I need to do any modifications that may be needed to accommodate my calves. I recall a build thread specifically addressing that subject (calves being too big for the armor as designed) here on the Legacy Fem portion of FISD, so at least I have some documentation to guide me if I need to make said modification. Despite these possible problems, I am very happy to finally be putting some of the pieces together!

Welcome! Starting a build thread is always a great way to show your progress through pictures and ask any questions you have about your build! I can attest to the vast array of knowledge here on anything related to stormtroopers! FISD is a super helpful and supportive community!

That's the kind of feedback I am looking for! Thank you! I have plenty of concepts lined up to address, so I hope this project becomes quite the series over time!

A major benefit of teaching college/university courses in communication is the relative ease of connecting the subject matter to what we experience in daily life. Although this results in thinking of my academic discipline a little too much during my off hours, I (and my students) benefit from bringing lots of cool and interesting ideas into the classroom to enagage course concepts in various ways. Working through this habit, the question arose: How can I connect being a professor and a stormtrooper? The series Social Science with a Stormtrooper grew out of this question. These are supposed to be short videos of up to a few minutes that connect a specific concept in the social sciences (mostly within Communication Studies) to Star Wars. The most relevant and believable context for these videos is an academy for stormtroopers, with me playing the role of an instructor who helps stormtroopers with their abilities in interpersonal interaction. In these videos, I try to use plain language to avoid the lecturing and academic-speak common in college classrooms (not sure if I hit the mark). I hope these videos will eventually be a teaching tool for the classroom, but I thought it would be best to show some of the videos here first. I've also thought about posting these videos on Instagram for public consumption. This video (helmet hair and all) is a test to see what I did well and to determine what needs improvement. I had created a basic script and worked from memory during the recording. Clearly, I need to improve the video quality the next go around. I am also thinking about how to make the video itself more engaging, because the plain background seems pretty dull. Given all the flaws, this video is currently unlisted on Youtube, so it can only be accessed through the link here. If anyone is interested, give it a watch and let me know what you think!

I took the first step of doing some actual cutting...finally... I decided to start with the lower leg armor. I'm paying careful attention to the visible butt joint on the front of the lower leg pieces to minimize the gap between the two pieces. I've not encountered a visible butt joint during my previous builds, so that explains my efforts in diligence here. The two pieces making this butt joint are also at an angle, which is also new to me for a build. Conveniently, Imperial Surplus provides a molded cover strip to help with making this joint, so I didn't have to make a cover strip and bend the plastic myself. I originally thought this molded cover strip was supposed to be the front of the lower leg pieces, which never made sense to me given the clear seam/joint line in the CRL photos. Then I finally recognized that I was using my thick skull again and figured it out after looking through the other Legacy threads here. Anyway, even though I cut on the cut/seam lines on the armor pieces, one of the two edges that are supposed to butt together is not straight. The outer half of the right lower leg armor (I've only been working with the right so far) was straight, so it is currently being glued to the cover strip. I'll work on the right interior piece once the glue dries. I'm not sure if the right interior half is supposed to be curved to accommodate the shape of the completed lower leg armor, so I'm not cutting or sanding that piece until I can see how it will attach to the cover strip to make the butt joint. Testing that out with the cover strip will make the process easier to figure out. The return edges on the lower leg armor pieces are still too wide, so I'll cut those down to 5mm in width and see how that works when I do the fitting on my legs. In other news, my GML encouraged me to get the boots from Crowprops, so I followed the instructions from Crowprops on measuring my foot size. This is where I found another use for one of my interpersonal communication textbooks. I was told throughout graduate school that textbooks should be seen as tools that help us, so I believe I honored the spirit of that statement:

It is highly encouraged to make a build thread as well! That way you can post updates and photos and ask for guidance and feedback whenever you need it.

This is super helpful! I only paid attention to the regular size fans when I purchased from Henry's for my shock trooper, so I did not know about the much smaller fans! The photos are great as well! It really helps to see how big the fans actually are in comparison to the rest of the interior. Although the power banks you use aren't sold here in the U.S., I have found some of similar size, so I am happy to see how well they can be nestled into the cheek area of the helmet.I'd very much prefer to contain everything within the helmet, and this will make that achievable!

I agree, it would be simpler to make modifications at the joints, where possible. Your documentation of what you did to modify the thigh armor will be very helpful! I sent an email to my GML earlier, just to be safe, so unless he has objections, the side modification for the thighs is what I will do. As can be gleaned from the thread so far, I tend to have analysis paralysis. Everyone needs to be careful, but builds do not get done if we don't actually take the step of doing things. As such, I have started on the lower leg armor (I'll make a post on that when I make more progress). I anticipate my calves will necessitate some modifications to the lower leg armor, but what exactly that may be will not be apparent until I am up to the point just prior to gluing that front seam. A lot of modifications for this armor, but this armor is among my favorites of all the stormtroopers (and through this intrigue allowed me to learn about the Legion), so it will be fantastic to bring my own Legacy into reality!

It is always amazing putting on the full armor for the first time! Were you able to address the issue with the cover strips on the front of the thighs with your GML? I recall a discussion earlier in the thread concerning the width of these cover strips and distance between the raised ridges on the front of the thighs. If there is an issue, it is certainly easier to make changes before you attach the thigh ammo belt.

I'm very interested in seeing the process play out! I'd love to build a DLT-19 of my own!

Could be a number of different solutions, depending on the specifics of the issue. Could you share photos to give us a better idea of what the issue may be (and what you have done so far)? Here's a way to share lots of photos in your posts (the image limit on the forum is low, so it is best to go through an image hosting website, such as Imgur):

This is super helpful! I am happy you documented this! I am still divided over whether to alter the sides or back of the thighs, so I figure it will just have to simmer while I work on other parts of the armor. I should probably consult my GML as well. Either way, some part of the thighs will need to be altered.

My first troop! I had great timing with my first troop as Star Wars Night at the Indy Fuel was probably one of the biggest troops of the year! The Indy Fuel is the professional hockey team in Indianapolis, Indiana, and they played against the Toledo Walleye of Toledo, Ohio. The Indy Fuel won the game, so I like to think we helped bring about the victory! The Indy Fuel contributed a portion of the price of each ticket sold to a charity providing free school supplies to teachers. As with many troops here in Indiana, the Bloodfin Garrison teamed up with the Taakure Clan of the Mandalorian Mercs and the Mos Espa Base of the Rebel Legion for this event. All three groups collaborate under the name Star Wars Indiana. The doors to the arena opened one hour before the game, so after getting a group photo, we stationed ourselves around the entrance hall. Having been told it would be really cold right in front of the main doors, I decided to begin the evening in the warmer climes of one of the far sides of the entrance hall. I was there with a couple other members, and we were still able to take many photos with game attendees as we were near one of the ticket checks for the arena. After a while, I figured it was my turn to protect Lord Vader, so I went to the coldest part of the entrance hall, where Vader was standing with multiple members of the Imperial Officer Corps. Standing just past the security check, we were front and center as the game attendees walked in! Lots and lots of photos were taken here, with both children and adults anxiously waiting their turn! Meanwhile, the outside temperature had dipped to 0 F (-17 C), and that air was getting into the building as the doors were propped open at that point, so I knew it was time to move to a different area when I started to shiver. Lord Vader was left in good and friendly hands when I was relieved. In due course, the crowds started to draw down as they went into the arena for the game, so it was time to talk amongst ourselves and take any photos with stragglers heading into the game. I also did other fun things, such as conducted some observations of the zamboni during half time: I got to take some photos with another trooper’s E-11: Pretended to be in the 1980s: And then we all took one last group photo before heading back to the changing room. Overall, it was an amzaing experience to have for a first troop! Seeing the absolute joy on kids' faces as they got to take photos with us was incredible! The joy on the adults' faces was fantastic too! We received numerous complements on our costumes, and I hope we inspired others to join the Legion, Mando Mercs, and/or Rebel Legion through our efforts!

I give permission to FISD, the 501st Legion, and all relevant garrisons to post photos on their respective social media accounts as deemed appropriate for our mission. Troops: 1. January 20, 2024 – Star Wars Night with the Indy Fuel, Indianapolis, Indiana 2. February 3, 2024 - Quadcon Comic & Toy Expo, Champaign, Illinois - trooping with the Midwest Garrison 3. February 3, 2024 - A birthday party, Monticello, Illinois - trooping with the Midwest Garrison 4. March 23, 2024 - Indiana Comic Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana 5. March 29, 2024 - Live A Dream event, Lebanon, Indiana 6: April 7, 2024 - A New Hope in Dine (Navajo), Indianapolis, Indiana 7. April 8, 2024 - Anna's Eclipse Celebration, Indianapolis, Indiana 8. April 12, 2024 - School Carnival, Lafayette, Indiana 9. April 13, 2024 - Indy Eleven Star Wars Night, Indianapolis, Indiana 10. April 20, 2024 - 12th Annual Republic Airways Plane Pull, Indianapolis, Indiana 11. April 20, 2024 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert, Indianapolis, Indiana 12. April 26-to-28, 2024 - Indy PopCon, Indianapolis Indiana 13. May 4, 2024 - Toy Buzz & Fizz Comic Shop, Plainfield, Indiana 14. May 4, 2024 - Star Wars Day at the Whiteland Library, Whiteland, Indiana 15. May 4, 2024 - Star Wars Night with the Indianapolis Indians, Indianapolis, Indiana 16. May 11, 2024 - Carmel Nerdfest, Carmel, Indiana 17. June 1, 2024 - Joliet Public Library Star Wars Day, Joliet, Illinois - trooping with the Midwest Garrison (and others)

I'm not familiar with how to remove a Sterling stock, but the videos I've seen of the Sterling show the stock remaining on during field stripping. As with many firearms, anything beyond a basic field strip may require special tools, which in the service would typically only be found in the the factory and in the hands of military armorers. Another person to help would probably be the way to go. I know firearms are heavily restricted in Australia (and your Sterling/E-11 may not be an actual firearm), so I am unsure how many gunsmiths are in your area, but perhaps you can contact a gunsmith who is familiar with the Sterling to get assistance.

I've been looking at the options available on Amazon and there are many more options than I thought! I will probably go with individual AA battery packs that I can wire together. That should allow me to fit multiple batteries along the curved lower portions of the helmet. In the mean time, I have been slowly scheming about the best way to put the armor pieces together, knowing I need to enlarge certain areas. That made me think about using some of the excess that I have yet to trim away to serve as shims without having to make and attach shims. This would only work on the thighs. My thought for the thighs is using the excess shown in the photo (but trimming it just enough for the edge to be straight) as a shim itself: Keeping this excess on this front half of the thigh armor would give enough material to enlarge the circumference of the thigh armor to fit me. The straightened edge of this excess will then be glued in the proper place to the back thigh piece. The problem is the indented cut line (shown with my thumb in the photo) would need to be hidden, so my thought is to cover this with ABS paste and then sand smooth. That is my thought right now. I figured I should mention this here to see what folks think. This would save me needing to place a shim in this area as the excess would act as a shim, but I want to think about my options before cutting or gluing anything. The one drawback I can foresee now would be the visible seam being further back than usual, which impacts the appearance and where the knee armor straps connect to the thigh armor (as the strapping attachment usually rests on or near this seam).

Nothing weird about it! There are many women who are stormtroopers!