bluehickey

James, looks like you are taking off the weight the right way! Good for you, keep it up, and keep us posted.

Looking awesome, can't wait to see it finished!

It is kind of silly to have a "Heavy Weapons" trooper toting around a standard issue E-11.

Good to know, thanks for the info. I've always liked the look of the HWT because they are tougher looking w/o having to totally commit to doing a full TD and getting everything dirty and swapping out the minor parts.

I have some questions about this: 1. Does the legion site keep track of Heavy Weapons Troopers? If so, how many are there out there? 2. Do they have their own unique TK designation? 3. Is this just something that is recognized on a detachment level? 4. Once approved does this count as an additional costume (on top of a regular TK)?

I'd say for your body size, you need to stay away from FX, no matter how good a deal it may seem to be. I'd suggest finding a thread here on the boards of someone who has put together a set of AP armor and send them a private message and get some contact info and prices from them.

Yeah, I know they have to go on sideways, that's how I put mine on.

I think that you should also consider the dimensions of the opening at the bottom of the helmet. I don't have a big head, and I could not get my head through the opening of my friends AP helmet, and he had even trimmed the opening wider! Here I am with my MRCE for size comparison! ----------

What makes the MRCE hovis inaccurate?

Here is the most important thing to remember about height while trooping: No matter how tall or short you are, you will always be tall, impressive and probably scary to every 5 year old!

Eat something before, food is fuel!

Hey, I'm 5'9" and have absolutely no problem being that height! I think with my helmet on I get a little taller than that. The Vader's love having me around since I am a little shorter than them, so I make them look good.

One of my most favorite memories when I was putting together my armor was when I was working on getting the thighs connected. I came up with a solution and put on my ab and kidney pieces as well as the thighs. I walked into the bathroom to look in the mirror at my progress. As soon as I caught a glimpse of my mid section in armor, I freaked out because I was seeing (part of ) a stormtrooper in the mirror. It was coming to life! I was so thrilled that I ran back out and put everything else on, including the helmet and went back and looked in the mirror. I just sat there smiling and staring at the stormtrooper in the mirror and couldn't believe it was me! It was awesome!

Have you considered trying to purchase a pair of AM armor thighs? They are meant for bigger troopers and although you still may need to add shims to them, it might not be as noticeable - really all depends on just how much thicker your legs are (and you would know better than the rest of us).

Wow, those are amazing! I think I would be too claustrophobic to wear one of those masks thought!

Hey Ryan, The true crime with FX armor is the oversized helmet. If you are able to buy an FX armor kit currently, then it is probably someone who has recast it since the original maker has redone the moulds and called the latest version AM (Armor Master) armor. I have FX armor with a Master Replica helmet that I modified. I am 5'9" 189 lbs.... -

Eric, congratulations! This is the thread to request 501st status here on the boards. You'll get access to a 501st only section of the boards as well.

Well, there is always the 501st Legion boards for approved members of the legion ( you can't get access to the boards w/o being a member). It is very active and although it is not Stormtrooper specific, you'll get a huge audience seeing your product. Have you tried the Sandtrooper forums on MEPD? Mos Eisley Police Department forums

Andy, you are right about the string! It was a shabby replacement for a holster, but it was still cool that the stormtrooper didn't have to hold his gun the entire time. I think this helmet may almost look better than the FX helmet! The blaster is no where near looking like an E-11 though. http://yesterville.blogspot.com/2010/03/kenner-12-star-wars-large-size.html

I think the fact that the main heros, Luke and Han dressed up as Stormtroopers made the costume that much cooler for me.

I was only 3 years old when the movie came out, and although I saw it 10 times in the theater with my Dad, I was too young to remember exact thoughts I had about troopers at the time. Although, besides the action figures, this 12" tall figure was one of my first toys....

You could always try using an x-acto knife and just boring a hole into it that way.

Kevin, your attention to detail is amazing! Congratulations, you deserve it!

Yeah, I definitely eat more than just the 3 times a day a meals. After breakfast I'll have a snack around 11am and then after lunch I'll have a snack at about 3pm and then around 4:45 - 5pm before having dinner around 6:30pm.

Kev.... you're killin' me... you got to troop at Dodger stadium???? I'M SO JEALOUS! I'm a big Dodger fan and would have LOVED to troop that, but alas, I live in Utah...