Thumper

Its good that no one was injured; property damage can always be repaired too. That's why you pay for insurance; it takes care of you when things like this happen. Either way, report the facts to your insurance company, advise them that a report for hit and run was taken and get your car fixed. Potentially, the woman whose car you were pushed into may try to get you to pay for her damages. She should do the same thing though and report the facts to her insurance company. Let the insurance companies work it out. It would be this way regardless of if you got the hit and run driver's tag. Hit and run is a criminal charge; the courts can levy fines and order damages paid but only if the driver gets convicted. That could take months, even if the police had the information to hunt him down and if your car is heavily damaged, you would have to wait all that time. Your right, it will at least cost you your deductible and maybe an increased premium. If you have a good record with a reputable company, they should take your record into account before they jack up the costs. Even still, don't be afraid to negotiate with them if that happens and look elsewhere for coverage. While you will have to report the accident to any insurance agencies you are thinking about switching to, it may be cheaper than the increased premiums with the company you have now. But all this speculating is getting ahead of things; start with calling your insurance company and talking with them. And if you are really dissatisfied with the trooper, then call the local barracks and make the complaint. And always be glad its just a little car damage.

I'll bite: 1) As with most, I've been a fan since the first viewing in May 1977. Collected the figures/playsets as a child; role played with he other kids in the neighborhood; was made fun of by the other kids; and rejoiced when the franchise was brought bcak to the big screen in 1999. 2) As I said, the toys were a big part of the experience but in reality, it was the idea of another world, another life and you know what? It just looked like fun! Who didn't want a lightsaber as a kid? 3) The story of R2-KT drew me to the Legion last year; costuming was a way to take part in that as well as relive a big part of my childhood. The friends I'm making are what continue to drive it. After having not been a part of the Star Wars/sci-fi community for years, I forgot how accepting everyone is and how much fun this can be. 4) The internet allows me to reach out to people I would only meet 1 or 2 times a year at conventions; it allows me to share a few problems and find unique solutions; and it connects me to the whole world and costs so very little to do so.

Cripes Nathan, even though it was bad hit, I hate to think what more it could have been had a larger vehicle come along. Rest up brother, take it easy and you'll be back in action before long. Good to hear you're ok. Sounds like you could make a public service message video: Stormtroopers and Bicyclists - Always Wear Their Brain Bucket!

I've used Goo Gone. Loosens it up and won't hurt the ABS. Don't confuse this with Goof Off though. Goof Off will eat ABS.

I think a lot of people have used this one (myself included) as it replaced an older model that Radio Shack once had. I cannibalized the inside just for the electronics and hooked my own hovi-mix speakers to it. I also plug my mike into the 3mm jack and it works great. Fairly easy to disassemble for your own purposes or just run a mike to it and place the unit under your chest armor.

I say go have fun at the county fair Paul. There's bound to be tons of kids there who will love having their picture taking with you and you might even recruit a few new members in the process. (Just make sure someone is there to watch your back while you're in the helmet.)

McDonalds = good Ride a bus = good Scare kids = not so good if done intentionally; remember we want to represent a positive image of Star Wars and what it brings to our lives Hump stuff = definitely not in public! Dance, sing, help old ladies across the street, walk a dog,...just always remember that as long as you are in armor, you represent a franchise that has brought great joy to many thousands of people for 30 years. It takes years to build a positive reputation and only seconds to destroy it.

Ok, enough kill the dog...even though it should be done. If you post some photos of the damage, someone may have an idea how to repair or cover them until you get new pieces.

I was worried about the glue/paint issue too so I waited until after assembly which was a bit of a pain. Trying to spray in a small space and not have the stuff go all over or get too thick and run meant some very controlled bursts from the can. I also used plasticoat but I think next time the Krylon Satin black will be sufficient. I've run into a few issues removing velcro pads and the plasticoat comes with it. Next time, I'm thinking of marking a "glue line" after prefitting the pieces together, mask the glue line and then spray. Plastic attaches to plastic and I still have a black interior. Just a thought.

Nice. Please cut it into 1000 pieces and send to each one of us.

I feel the pain. $1000 a month for private pre-school for the 4 year old and we get to repeat in 2 years for the 2 year old. Public school is looking mighty good right now. What I couldn't do costuming for $1000 a month

Thanks for the compliment on "cool officers". I'll throw one back at your for MRs. My first six months on board, I had no DCC and my MR1 ran the shop and kept me out of a lot of trouble. Not having a chief, he had to fight the other chiefs in the Chief's Mess to get things done but no request went unanswered and he never asked for anything more than coffee and donuts. He made a great first impression for all MRs out there and taught this new ensign a lot about the respect to give to the senior enlisted. Good times. Hard to believe that was 15 years ago! Enjoy your new found civilian life; it will go by fast!

US Navy 1992 - 1996 Lieutenant, Surface Warfare Officer DCA and Navigator in USS Simpson (FFG-56) Occasionally I get nostalgic and wish I would have stayed in the reserves but it certainly has allowed me to go on to better things.

Awesome work. Looking at your photos it seems so simple. Any chance you created a tutorial at the same time?

I'm 5'11" and 195 lbs. I need to go back and modify a few things on my FX for comfort but that's an ongoing process. That being said, every kit you get will require some modification to fit right. Take your time and ask questions if you are unsure. This is one of those hobbies where a 1000 people have done it before, but your problems will still be unique. You may look at it and see a new way to solve an old problem, or you may take someones advice and make it work for you. Either way, don't be afraid to tweak your armor. Just go slow and work in small increments.

Keep the faith brother! It will take time to heal. Nothing anyone with a Type A personality likes to hear but one of the unfortunate sides to your injury. (I've been there.) Everyone here is praying for you and glad to see you're on the road to recovery. Stay safe!

One thing that may go without saying.....tape the helmet together first and take your time. Tape it one way, look at it, take it apart and tape it again. This way you get a chance to see how all the parts relate to one another and its a great way to practice before you commit to the glue. Two inch wide blue painter's tape is your friend. And above all enjoy the project. It may not be the most accurate helmet but it will be your first helmet. I haven't even tackled another one yet mostly because, I love my first one. (And I have this TB bucket sitting in a box...........)

Take it easy and feel better. I hate when I hear a fellow LEO gets injured in the line of duty. Its good to see you're in good spirits (of course the stuff you're spiking your juice with is enough to put anyone in a good mood.)

Well now there's an incentive. Buttons coming to me its just the belt I have to work on and no time to do it in. It was supposed to be my Christmas project but, well, Christmas got in the way. But I do like the sticker.........

Since you brought it up...I saw that mic in RS and thought, "Way to bulky" and it was killing me trying to find something I liked so I went with a lower tech method. I had an old pair of iPod headphones and the jack fits the RS amp mic input. Those headphones are basically mini mics; you could probably use a cheap dollar store pair too. Plug them into the mic input and speak into the one "ear" (I don't recall which one) that works as a mic. You can easily remove the other with an exacto blade, coil and contain the excess wire and mount as desired. Mine sits the same as yours, right at my mouth and sounds great. Just another option if you are looking to trim down a bit and maybe save some $. And if you do have issues with the weight tipping your helmet, its just a matter of balancing the load. Mostly the batteries since you removed most of the amp weight. Maybe a little extra wire but easy to fix. Good job all around.

Good job. Looks good. Did you have any balance problems with the large amp in the back? I had to install my fans in the rear of the helmet because I had too many batteries weighing and pulling the helmet down in the front. Thought you might have noticed a similar problem.

Looks good! I also went the RS route to creating my voice and fan system. I can't recall the item number but they also had a small box that I dremeled to death and made the electronic board of the amp fit inside. Gives it a bit more of a stream lined look and you don't have to worry about exposed electronics. Just a thought. Can't wait to see it installed.

Just what we need, another Dark Lord of the Sith to tell us what to do! Congratulations from a rank and file TK willing to do your bidding! Welcome to the Legion!

Oh, yea. Forgot to mention the smell. It will eventually go away. Or maybe it just burns your olfactory senses to the point they no longer work.

Looking much better brother! You're right, you need to clean up the excess grey paint from the upper and lower sections between the teeth. Also, the I believe the third tooth on each side needs to extend down into the point. I haven't seen any photos where the grey comes straight down and leaves the pointed area white. Take a look at the high res photo recently posted. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me. Also, I was able to mask off the teeth and spray mine to keep the lines straight. I used 3M painter's tape and smoothed it down to minimize leaks. I also used little strips of the tape to mask those areas you need to clean up on the upper and lower sections between the teeth (you would have to remove the mesh). It took a lot of measuring, taping, and then masking the rest of the helmet but it came out well. Or I suppose you could tape it off and then hand paint it. Either way, its coming along nicely from what it was. Good job!