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LFL Promo Trooper Build (DA Props)


gwood1234

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Hi guys, thought I'd share this as I've recently cleared as the LFL Promo Trooper and thought it'd be good to start a build thread to show my research.

 

After being a Stunt TK for about a year I've had tons of fun wearing my ANH Stunt TK but wanted to stand out as something unique. I've always loved the Promo Trooper which is somewhat of a mystery. Although it was never featured in the film it was used heavily in the promotional run-up to the 1977 release and is still in use today in Lucasfilm merchandising.

 

SO WHAT IS THE PROMO TROOPER?

In 1976 Lucasfilm commissioned several studio shots of the stars of the film including a Stormtrooper. Presumably because of availability of the props, this particular trooper featured a few notable differences to the costume. Instead of the standard issue E-11 this Stormtrooper is seen with an SE14r blaster, probably because the screen-used Sterling rifles were in storage in the UK and not available for the shoot. The other major difference is the holster which is smaller and a different design to the ones used in the film. Apart from this handful of studio shots there is little known about the origin of this costume which was probably thrown together from parts they had after filming had completed.

 

51497205.jpg

7ffbd180bb46c19fb64343d3a060df8c.jpg

 

THE BUILD

Using my current DA Props ANH Stunt TK as the base for the armour I bought a new Hero style lid, again from DA Props. The actual Promo Trooper lid is still in the LFL archives and can be seen here. It's great to see it's still in good shape although the bubble lenses have been lost...

 

shadow_hero2.jpg

 

Using these photos as reference I followed every detail - even down to the gaps in the ears!

 

98057263_084_D_4_DE0_9_BDC_07964402_F915

 

THE BLASTER

The SE14r blaster was a challenge to track down. My original plan to commission a 3D print was a problem as most of the files out there are based on the newer Rogue One Deathtrooper version which has more detail and looks completely different the Promo version. Finally I managed to find a resin kit on ebay although this needed a lot of work. The front barrel 'fin' was missing so this had to be added. I crafted this from a piece of ABS and glued in place. I also wanted to replace the resin scope for a real 4x20 scope which meant removing and retooling the scope mount. Really happy with the finished result - it has a really nice weight to it too.

 

23760225_1921276814857570_1348103597_o.j

 

THE HOLSTER

Again, this was a tricky accessory to track down although I was lucky enough to get help from Clive Barzillia (Burkbench Designs) to get one custom made. The detail on this is incredible, even down to the leather which is brown tan dyed black. Once this arrived it was just a case of adding the two extra rivets to the belt.

 

FINISHED!

Really thrilled to bits with how this turned out! I even managed to recreate one of the original studio poses below - I'm on the left and the original 1976 shot on the right!

 

51497205.jpg

 

Here's some more recent shots:

 

HERO_CRL_PROMO_TK31225.jpg

 

IMG_3928_Finished.jpg

 

29386814_10155637348268253_4593389371847

 

Edited by gwood1234
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On 3/12/2018 at 2:40 PM, Harbinger said:

Nice work!

 

PS: You work at a brewery or something?

Those are blue milk storage tanks.  :D

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Hi guys, thought I'd share this as I've recently cleared as the LFL Promo Trooper and thought it'd be good to start a build thread to show my research.
 
After being a Stunt TK for about a year I've had tons of fun wearing my ANH Stunt TK but wanted to stand out as something unique. I've always loved the Promo Trooper which is somewhat of a mystery. Although it was never featured in the film it was used heavily in the promotional run-up to the 1977 release and is still in use today in Lucasfilm merchandising.
 
SO WHAT IS THE PROMO TROOPER?
In 1976 Lucasfilm commissioned several studio shots of the stars of the film including a Stormtrooper. Presumably because of availability of the props, this particular trooper featured a few notable differences to the costume. Instead of the standard issue E-11 this Stormtrooper is seen with an SE14r blaster, probably because the screen-used Sterling rifles were in storage in the UK and not available for the shoot. The other major difference is the holster which is smaller and a different design to the ones used in the film. Apart from this handful of studio shots there is little known about the origin of this costume which was probably thrown together from parts they had after filming had completed.
 
51497205.jpg
7ffbd180bb46c19fb64343d3a060df8c.jpg
 
THE BUILD
Using my current DA Props ANH Stunt TK as the base for the armour I bought a new Hero style lid, again from DA Props. The actual Promo Trooper lid is still in the LFL archives and can be seen here. It's great to see it's still in good shape although the bubble lenses have been lost...
 
shadow_hero2.jpg
 
Using these photos as reference I followed every detail - even down to the gaps in the ears!
 
98057263_084_D_4_DE0_9_BDC_07964402_F915.jpg
 
THE BLASTER
The SE14r blaster was a challenge to track down. My original plan to commission a 3D print was a problem as most of the files out there are based on the newer Rogue One Deathtrooper version which has more detail and looks completely different the Promo version. Finally I managed to find a resin kit on ebay although this needed a lot of work. The front barrel 'fin' was missing so this had to be added. I crafted this from a piece of ABS and glued in place. I also wanted to replace the resin scope for a real 4x20 scope which meant removing and retooling the scope mount. Really happy with the finished result - it has a really nice weight to it too.
 
23760225_1921276814857570_1348103597_o.jpg
 
THE HOLSTER
Again, this was a tricky accessory to track down although I was lucky enough to get help from Clive Barzillia (Burkbench Designs) to get one custom made. The detail on this is incredible, even down to the leather which is brown tan dyed black. Once this arrived it was just a case of adding the two extra rivets to the belt.
 
FINISHED!
Really thrilled to bits with how this turned out! I even managed to recreate one of the original studio poses below - I'm on the left and the original 1976 shot on the right!
 
51497205.jpg
 
Here's some more recent shots:
 
HERO_CRL_PROMO_TK31225.jpg
 
IMG_3928_Finished.jpg
 
29386814_10155637348268253_4593389371847081984_n.jpg
 
Nice work! This has always been my idealized trooper. When I think of Stormtroopers, I picture this one.

Can you share more about how you reworked the scope and mount on the blaster?

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

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You also look vaguely familiar ;-)

 

http://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:TK_anh_hero

 

If you guys weren't aware, Gareth did such an outstanding job that we asked him to be the new CRL model.


Well done Gareth! :salute::duim::pint1:

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7 minutes ago, Daetrin said:

You also look vaguely familiar ;-)

 

http://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:TK_anh_hero

 

If you guys weren't aware, Gareth did such an outstanding job that we asked him to be the new CRL model.


Well done Gareth! :salute::duim::pint1:

Fantastic - certainly well-deserved! :)

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  • 2 months later...

Wish I knew this was an actual CRL! I've been Trooping and emulating this promo trooper for years. I was told just to do a ANH Tk and carry my se-14r.   Great thread!  I find this trying to find the real scope used on this blaster.

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I've long since changed how my scope is mounted, but still think the scope was different than Chewie's Tesco 4x20s.  Shape is different. I always thought the holster was the standard E-11 one.  Why do you think its different?  I was overjoyed to see the two new holster options for the Se-14r in R1.

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Hi rentailor - yes it’s a very different build to the norm as it’s more than just a Hero TK. It was great fun to put together especially matching the smallest paint rubs and defects on the lid so it was as close as I could make it to the original Promo :)

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12 hours ago, gwood1234 said:

Hi rentailor - yes it’s a very different build to the norm as it’s more than just a Hero TK. It was great fun to put together especially matching the smallest paint rubs and defects on the lid so it was as close as I could make it to the original Promo :)

You nailed it! I'm looking for bubble lenses now!

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