Navajo Bro

Watching that video was probably the best 9 minutes of my life... wow... friggin' awesome job dude!!

Glad you are done, get the photos submitted to gain "official" status and wear it out at one of our upcoming troops We have a lot coming up...

Thanks I'll reach out for him. That's the problem, I changed it here instead of at passport and for some reason that really screwed things up <_<

Can anyone help me here? I just changed my email and accidently did it on this site instead of over at the passport.clonetroopers site. Now I'm locked out of BSN and for some reason Blizzard Force as well. I tried the help dest at passport but after three days still have an open ticket... I have the same username everywhere I am, and changed my email from: bro117@optonline.net to: bro117@verizon.net

Hey Pat, Did you ever make it over to the NER forums? If you live in NJ and are going to eventually join the 501st you should come over and register with us. You can get some good advice from local guys and gals, and I'm sure you can even find someone in your area to meet up with in person if you ever needed help with the costume. Northeast Remnant: http://www.501stner.com/members/index.php? Once you register check out the upcoming events threads. We have a TON of charity events coming up and if you are interested in doing an event with an organization and would like our involvement there is a place to post the request and we have Charity and Event Coordination Officers to look into it Plus there is a chance we have already done or are planning to do an event with an organization you are looking at...

Huh, that stinks. Come on over to the NER forums, you can register and hang with us until we get you in touch with the ECG We are friendly and can offer you tips and advice as well. We have a ton of new members so there are a lot of "help" and build threads going on right now... We cover NJ and part of NY, plus we have a lot of ECG guys who pop on in to say hi http://www.501stner.com/members/index.php?act=home

Did you try registering with their forums? http://www.empirecitygarrison.com/forum/ You could also go to the rebellegion.com site and reach out for Mary Alice, she's in echo base and in charge of like both so she could most likely help you out. I'm sure there is a link somewhere for you to get started...

We always have "spotters" who are members out of costume. They act as eyes and ears for us as it can be very difficult to negotiate unfamiliar terrain at times, plus you can't always see the little kids or people trying to get your attention, whether they want to say hi or take a picture. They can also spot parts of your costume that either fall off or go out of place (can't tell you how many times I lost my thermal detonator before I finally riveted it ) I usually keep my belongings in the tub, as long as it is a secure area, or leave them in the car. Most events you really don't need anything. For cons I do the same, again you don't really need anything while you are in costume, but you can get a laynard with a small pouch to hang around your neck. If done right the chest plate will keep it hidden and you can keep a cell phone or key or some cash

No problem Steve. He does bags for clones, TKs and bikers, I think he was also creating a pattern for a Vader and clones with goggles. IMO it's a really nice custom bag, he includes the 501st patch and ID embroidering, and if you send him a Garrison patch (if you are in one) he'll attach it for free

Trent from the 501st. He did an awesome job and I love the product. You'd have to reach out for him, he just finished a run and is taking a break to catch up, but he seems to offer these on a regular basis... http://www.501st.com/members/displaymember...cfm?userID=2747

I use smaller size tubs w/ handles from Walmart for my biker and jedi: I still have a large tub for my TK. The wheels broke and I don't need as much space as I have, but when going solely TK it's nice to have the extra room to throw in various stuff I want to bring with me (cameras, extra blaster, toys or giveaways, etc...). I bungee cord it to a small, collapsable handtruck and it works out fine. For my bucket I have a custom made case from another Legion member. It is a really nice product, with my TK ID and Garrison Patch, plus the 501st patch. Having the larger tub it fits right in there with the armor.

Wow, that is a great explination. This should be copied and posted on every 501st related board out there, pin it on the "FAQ" threads. I know there is something similar on most boards but this is pretty clear and would get the point across to new users in an intelligent way. I pop in and out of a lot of boards and you all know the first post of a new member is "Hi I'm so and so, love Star Wars, where can I get some armor?". Then the old time guys politely refer them to the FAQ and explain we don't do that, and so on. I think anybody could relate to this explination. Jonah, you shoulda posted this 5 minutes before I saw the topic, now I wanna take back my prior post, LOL Like I said, I've been in the Legion for a while and all over these boards and it never really made sense to me, or I didn't view it this way until now, ha...

Ah, my main man Chris. What's up dude? I was just at Chris' house last week for an armor party and got to see this first hand. He is an excellent sculpter and has an incredible "Imperial Sweatshop" This helmet is REAL nice, I want one!! I still can't stop laughing over the fact that - get this - he didn't realize there were kits available out there to buy. He thought everyone in the legion sculpted their armor from scratch, made a vacum table, pulled the armor then assembled it!! I can't even make a playdoh egg look good, let alone create something like this. LOL Man I wish I had the skill a lot of you guys and gals do when it comes to making this stuff...

I've always wondered this myself and was just talking about it the other day at an armor party. One of our Garrison members just became "official" 501st and I was saying how now they can have access to the 501st forums where you can purchase any type of armor or part you want or need, and that it's total opposite of most of the sites that all have the "no WTB threads allowed". I understand the reasonings, I guess, but it's funny that once you are in the legion you can pop on the forum board and see fifteen threads selling full sets (used and new), parts or even raw kits. I was frustrated when I tried to score my first set and didn't know where to go. I ended up on ebay and got a nice set from costume junkie, but payed out the rear end for it Now that I'm on the 501st forums over the last year I scored all sorts of stuff - at just a fraction of the price. The best advice I can give at this point is search out your local Garrison and register on their boards. Once you get talking to local people you will find it's easier to locate what you are looking for, you can get a little more personal with the interaction and you will have them around to give you a hand if needed. Good luck!

My group tries to stay in character yet still have fun and not scare anybody. When the kids ask "where did you get your armor" I'll reply in a fun way the "it's Imperial issue" or something similar, and when they ask if it's hot in there (summertime) I'll usually say "Lord Vader doesn't allow us to complain" or "Darth Vader doesn't allow us to get hot" or something like that. And when they ask for your autograph sign your TK id number...

Hey Darlene, I'm no expert on anything, but I believe there was a thread on the official 501st forum a while back, and I believe it was actually started by Dion (our NER CO) because he was looking for a new pair of boots. Somewhere on there a member posted that these boots turn yellow quicker if they are touching each other when being stored. I have no idea how true this is or why, but since I read that I've been storing mine on opposite sides of the bin

Ha, looks like I was writing my reply at the same time you were Glad you figured it out, it really is a good way to attach some of the peices you need to attach. Just remember to use washers on the plastic, it really does make a difference. I forgot to use them on some of my first tries and the rivet just pulled right through. Talk about aggravation... trying to drill the rivet out without doing further damage to the armor, ugh

I have the exact same tool you have pictured and it's actually not too hard to use once you figure it out. I admit I was just like you when I bought it... it seemed simple enough but even after reading the instructions I was completely clueless having never used one before. I'm not an expert costume maker but I can try my best to explain it to you, at least how I do it. I first drill a small hole in the pieces I want to rivet. The hole is just large enough to push the small part of the rivet into (The end with the little "knob" and sheathe - don't know how to really explain it). Next you put the large (nail) part of the rivet into the tool. There are different size tips on the tool itself and they unscrew so you can change them to match the size of the rivet you are using. Than is kinda important. When you unscrew to change them make sure the handle is pulled together (use the clip on the end to lock it). The tips unscrew to change, not adjust... I think this is what you were referring to when you said you adjusted it. Once the tool is on the nail part you simply squeeze the handle together slowly. Make sure as you do this you keep pushing the tool forward so it is flush with the small part of the rivet. As you do you will see it gets harder and harder to pull the handle together. Eventually it will snap the nail part off and your rivet is on. To get the nail part out of the tool simply squeeze the handle back together and point the tip toward the floor. The nail part will fall right out. You should use washers as well. They would go on the opposite side of the plastic. This is all kinda difficult to explain, I hope it does help. I'm off today and will try to take some pictures on a test peice later and post a better tutorial. Like I said I'm not an expert and I'm also new to this forum, I'm sure there are way better experts here that can explain it better but since I just saw this I thought I'd try and help ya. Good luck.

TK 8869, Northeast Remnant Garrison, reporting for duty sir!! Just point me towards the nearest Rebel scum and watch the carnage that ensues.... http://www.501st.com/members/displaymember...amp;userID=7275

In regards to the armor itself...I bought my armor from Costumejunkie via ebay last year. They got it to me very quick and I was very happy with the armor itself and the fact everything was put together. They did respond to my emails and things went smoothly for the most part. The resin gun didn't come at the same time (they rushed the armor to me so I could have it before Halloween, which was cool) and I had to remind them about the gun later. It looks like they rushed the gun and sent it before the paint and glue dried... it chipped all over and some peices came apart when I pulled it out of the box The helmet is very good in my opinion, with the fans, voice box and hard hat liner. It was WAY expensive and you can certainly get it cheaper. The issue I had was I didn't know anything about these sites and of course wasn't in the 501st yet so I had no idea where else to go to get armor. If I had access or had know about these sites then I would have bought the armor somewhere else and used these boards to assist in my own assembly. The Costumejunkie armor is good, but after trooping and meeting other guys I ended up moding it all over. It came with everything velcroed, and realistically most of the peices should be glued or riveted. I also had to trim some peices to fit me better, but that is the case with any set of armor. Hope that helps...