Andor_FX

Thank you all!

Hello fellow troopers! I'm thrilled to share that I've just received my approval for an ANH Stunt build, featuring an MFX armor set and an RS Prop Masters helmet, a combination I'm genuinely proud of. The armor itself came to me secondhand and in rather rough shape, so the entire build was essentially a full restoration from the ground up, including a complete re-strapping. It's been a rewarding challenge. The blaster is a 3D-printed replica, and the boots are dyed Chelsea boots that turned out surprisingly well. This is actually my third costume overall, but my first armor build -and I have to say, the experience of trooping as a Stormtrooper is something else entirely compared to my previous outings as an Imperial Staff Officer. There's a very different energy to it. Before the final approval, I took the armor out for a full test-wear to make sure I could realistically handle 5–6 hours in it. Let's just say - you all know exactly what I mean when I say it's demanding. But the moment you're in full kit and catch your reflection, every bit of discomfort becomes an afterthought. The joy of wearing it simply outweighs everything else.Looking forward to trooping with my Garrison members soon. May the Empire stand! That was the starting point and how it turned out 1/2 year later First time test fit all parts holding together with white duct tape the worst moment, I glued one coverstrip The wrong way around with super glue and tried to get it off again... Pre Approved "test troop" as non registered trooper... You can find pre approval pictures an details here:

Hello fellow troopers! I'm joined the 501st in 2023 as an imperial Security Officer an go further with a spot on Imperial Staff Officer Costume. Secretly, however, I have always admired how cool a Stormtrooper armor looks and how much joy it brings to fans; so, I decided to follow this path as well. That was more than six months ago, and now I can say: I'm thrilled to share that I've just received my approval for an ANH Stunt build, featuring an MFX armor set and an RS Prop Masters helmet, a combination I'm genuinely proud of. May the Empire stand!

TK 30046 reporting for duty and request access to the FISD https://www.501st.com/member/30046/ User TKid: 30046 UserID: 36943

Thank you Glen!

TL 30046 reporting for duty and request access to the FISD https://www.501st.com/member/30046/

The Garrison Web Liaison (GWL) will take care of uploading my photos to the Member Gallery, correct? How does it work, do I have to send a picture to someone?

Thank you all!

Thank you very much Frank, you are part of this success!

APPROVED! thank you so much my fellow troopers for supporting me. I didn't make it without you. Special thanks goes to: Frank, Luca, Tino, Christoph and Glen. TK 30046 reporting for duty.

Thank you very much Glen. Now I'm waiting for the feedback of my GMO's. Fingers crossed

The result after fixing the shoulders and some other issues:

Thank you all for your encouraging words; I’ve continued working on the problem areas, i.e. I reduced the return edges on the bridges to about one-third of its original size—this makes them much more flexible. I also trimmed off the last segment of the bridges, as it was frequently bumping against the OII box. Now for the most important part: I’ve added foam padding to specific areas of the chest plate and back plate. I’m a slender trooper and hadn't really lined the chest plate much before; now, however, it fits significantly better (in my opinion), and the two halves sit much more comfortably on my shoulders because they are now held slightly apart. Photos will follow as soon as possible. A very nice fellow trooper (TK) lives just 500 meters away. I’m going to ask him if he’d be willing to take my approval photos. If you’re reading this, Frank—I’d really appreciate it! :) Me at a not registered "test troop" to find out what I have to improve, esp. after 6 hours of wearing the armor.

Hello Troopers, I can report that yesterday I had a test troop with my armor, during which one of my GMLs was present. The armor hasn't fully proven itself during wear yet, as the shoulder bridges still stick out too far upward with slightly more arm movement (the radius is too small and they flare out). Second point: The shoulder bells keep rotating backward, which causes them to no longer sit flush against the chest plate at the front. My proposed solutions: Sand down the "return edges" of both bridges — this will allow them to bend much more easily, and if necessary, cut off (trim) a segment at the back. Secure the shoulder-bells at the center front with an elastic band and snap button, additionally attaching them to the chest plate, so that they point forward and the gap is reduced. What do you think? I also forgot to mention that my left shin rotates outward while walking, causing the sniper plate to stick out to the side a bit. Is there a good solution to prevent this?

Update: The issue with the shoulder bridges are allmost solved and I'm ready for new approval pictures (not this ones here). I also shortend the lenght of the right bridge after the fitting test here, because the bridge touches the 0II box.

Thank you very much Glen, very good hint. I wil give this a try!

Update regarding the fit of the backplate and the shoulder bridges. My fellow trooper Frank, living just around the corner, helped me to get a better fit. I cut the bridges to the correct lenght and bend them a bit more at the loose end. Next step is to attach the rubber band at a fixed position underneath the backplate. This is for two reasons: hold them in position and bring the bridges down a bit more. Speacial thanks goes also to my other fellow troopers Luca and Tino, which answered a lot of questions how to make things looking good.

Hi Randall, I'd be happy to answer your questions about the boots. 1. Finding the right fit: It's extremely important that the shaft is high enough so the shins don't slip over the boots when you're trooping. Also very important: The opening of the shaft should be snug so the boots don't bunch up too much at the front (where they meet the shins). 2. Dyeing: The leather boots need to be degreased and roughened with fine sandpaper. I tested two different acrylic leather dyes. Both adhered well and are reasonably flexible, but they don't really penetrate the leather. This means you'll have to touch up any chafing after every troop. Most of these dyes are only available in pure white, which means you might need to mix them with a tiny drop of yellow or brown acrylic paint to match the color of your armor. You'll need about three complete coats of paint until the color is opaque. In summary: Yes, I would consider dyeing Chelsea boots a viable option; this was excatly what the Lucasfilm costume department did as you know. However, the dye is very susceptible to scratches, and the finish needs to be refreshed regularly. Feel free to ask any questions. Right side: to wide shaft and also a bit to short (not high enough) After two coats:

Thank you Paul!

Thank you very much Tino!

Thank you very much Tino, this was the hint I was looking for. What do I do with the shoulder bridges? Can I just cut a few centimeters off the back end so they fit the length? I'm asking because the end pieces look slightly different from the other segments of the bridge. I cant move the shoulder bridges more to the front, because I have glued them on with superglue. Removing them may be cause damage. I have done this before on one side and it was a disaster. Repositioning the backplate and adjusting the strapping (longer straps to bring the backplate up) will result in a wider gap between backplate and kidneyplate, is that acceptable?

Hello fellow troopers, I received feedback from my GMOs today. Unfortunately, I'm still too far from a basic approval. Here's a brief summary: The S-trim on the helmet (at the back) is misaligned. (okay easy task) The undersuit wrinkles at the elbows (possibly too loose). (may be a new shirt will solve this) The detonator, as a printed part, is too crisp; it needs to be vacuum-formed. The right side of the biceps is too loose. The back armor sits too low, resulting in too a large gap to the shoulder bridge. The back straping of the torso will likely need to be completely redesigned. The shoulder bridges would be far too long after adjusting the back armor and would need to be shortened accordingly. My motivation is currently low, this is mainly due to the back piece, as I'm unsure how to solve it (partly because the shoulder bridges need to be shortened). Feedback is, as always, very welcome. My biggest issue is, how to fix this? Is it allowed to cut away 1 inch of the end of the shoulder bridges? The result will be that the end will look quite different, because the last segment shold be a longer piece. biceps to wide and undersuit wrinkled TD do not match with originals, to crisp

Thank you all. I have send my approval request to my local GMOs. Now waiting for response with feedback.... I let you know!

Thank you very much for yor Support. Happy that I am on final approach.

Today I would like to show my 2nd wave of pictures with further improvements. As allways, feedback is very wellcome. For full res pictures, pleaase click 2 more times and you will be directed to postimages. ---------- FULL ARMOR VIEW 2nd WAVE ----------