ELP

Great Attitude Ty! Keep us posted

Ty - That's great! For a new costume, and all the eyes that have looked at it, that's not a lot to correct. Then you'll be the first for another costume! Well done! Don't forget the pictures when you get approved !

Looks fantastic Dart! Well Done!

Five Zero ... FANTASTIC!!! That pack looks Great! And not to add more work to your pile but ... uhm ... Once you're approved, and if you wanted to, feel free to send over pictures I can edit so we'll be ready to go should the powers that be ask for CRL pics .

What Lars didn't mention here is that this is the 1st Prize from the Spec. Ops Raffle! Congrats Again Lars on winning the Grande Prize! That was literally the last AM Shadow Stormtrooper kit available. Any questions you know where to ask. And as far as construction goes it can be done same way as a TK, as Crazas said please post pics as you go! Have fun and thanks for posting!

five-zero - That looks Fantastic! Congrats and I'd say the armour is spot on compared to the reference pics as well. Really nicely weathered! Looking at the pack it looks to be the similar to your Nova Pack, a new tube over the top, and a few tweaks little mods. Are you thinking of doing a build or just doing removable mods for your Nova pack? Really Well Done!

Darth ... Good question. Your best be would be to get in touch with your Garrison mates (you've got a HUGE local spec. ops population) and they'll be able to steer you in a direction as far as where to buy things, etc. Sorry we can't be of more help at the moment but the Shadow Stormtrooper kits aren't always available ... There was a run last year of ABS that sold out, but in theory there should be a run starting soon by a different maker. There is also a maker on the boards who works in HIPS - Great guy and great kits! I'll send you a PM with the info. If you were looking for a shadow Scout then those kits are much easier to come by. Regrettably most Armour makers will not sell "all inclusive" costumes. Most makers will sell only armour (with or without helmet). Boots, gloves, neck seals, under garments, etc will all be up to the individual trooper ... Again this is where your local Spec. Ops will help you out. You can look at all the different "soft parts" see what you like and don't and then organize your own shopping list. I'll send a PM with the contact info for the Shadow Stormtrooper kits and you can touch base with him and see what he says re: availability and when. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, matt.

Dave, Great question. Camel packs are a great idea ... the only down side is the hydration you take in will need to come out, and if it isn't sweat ... well then you'll have to kit down to some degree to use the nearest facilities. I've toyed with the idea, as they will fit inconspicuously in or under most costumes, but for me I prefer to hydrate before and after a hot event, and take sips of water during as needed, For most troops heat or heat injuries won't be a concern, but dehydration to some degree may be a factor. Your best bet for most troops is to take a break every few hours, get some fluids in (and out) and then head back. Most of the Hot troops ie: over 32 degrees C or 90 degrees Fahrenheit will have spotters, handlers and refreshments - and all of this will (should) be organized for the troopers. But, having said that ... if you have a camel pack and it works for you have at it! The more self reliant you can be the better!

Welcome Aboard! My son and I were down in your neck of the woods earlier this year for Freedom Fest ... Great bunch of Spec. Ops folks down there in Alpine!

LOL - Myself I have the chem gloves, but they get pretty wet inside ... I suppose the same can be said for the Latex. I don't see any stipulation regarding the type of glove a specialist needs...l. Though the base CRL doesn't state "Laytex" as an acceptable fabric: "May be made of leather, rubber, nomexm, or jersey-style cloth." Latex is a type of rubber ... but I'm not high enough on the pay grade to make that call . Myself, personally, I'd stick with the Chem gloves for 501st big events (as they are seen in the movies) and pick up a pair of tactical gloves for regular trooping.

LOL - no problem brother. If you do go Latex please let us know how they work out for you.

Tone - Yikes 5 or 6 places. I've got 3 ideas: ... There is a post on this board for Latex shoulder straps (re-directs to the JRS Forum). Might be the best way to go as they won't break.. You can also ask around the FISD and buy some white ones and paint them up, and finally go back to your maker (or an HIPS maker) and see if there are any extras (white or black) around and paint if needed. Hope that helps.

Chris ... Is this the "little" (15 pages) thread you were looking for? My dark trooper Project on the Zeta boards The boards have moved but almost all the old material is still up on the Zeta boards, and your old account probably still works over there (I just signed into mine). Had a look over the project ... Most impressive, Most Impressive! Feel free to copy a bunch of the pics and posts over if you have a bit of time on your hands ... but if you're worried about finishing this befroe 2012 ... Let me know and I can copy some over for you. .

Great Find! Well done! Can't wait to see it come together.

As far as being new and having questions ... Please read over on the FISD First Imperial Stormtrooper Division (White Armour) - It's the forum for all the white stormtroopers (and variants). There is a lot of information here as well but for the beginner they have a much larger detachmnet and far more members so there are literally posts for every question. Getting Started: On FISD Read in here - This has a lot of great basic info regarding the basic kit, tools, etc. Building: Have a look at the build threads on this board: In Shadow Stormtrooper Area On the FISD: Build Threads And on Youtube: Dave's garage - - This last one is a great resourse for you to be able to see what's going on and how to set up, etc. Note: There are a number of different kits which may differ slightly on the exact steps as outlined above, but the information on the builds will give you a great understanding of what you'll need, how to build and the options avalilbe as far as construction methods. Buying: Saving the best for last. There are a number of places to get soft parts (main costume parts that aren't made of plastic) here: On Our Forums Main Armour: This is a bit tricky as on this board we don't publish names and addresses of makers, some boards do, we don't. We also will not discuss the prices of kits openly. So having said that there is a maker here on the boards, and another one that may be possibly pulling Black armour either now or in the very near future. I'll send you a PM with details. Any questions please ask and hopefully that'll give you something to read . EDIT: Also please reach out to your local Garrison via their forums and see if you can meet up with a few troopers at an event. Have a look at the kits, find out what works and what doesn't, and you can chat about construction techniques. Most of us are more than happy to babble on about our costumes ... As seen above . UK garrison Forums

LOL - the calves can be the hardest part, especially if you are using a low rise boot, ie: the Bass Amsterdam. What I did to keep everything down and straight was put a snap on the boot elastic and connect that with a piece of elstic to another snap on the inside of the shin ... Makes for a bit of a trial when putting everything on but it keeps everything straight. And if you like you could probably get away with lowering the thighs about an inch, and that'll give less of a gap at the knees. Though it's much easier to walk with a nice gap at the knees. As far as the shoulders there are a few things you could do ... move the attachment strap on your right shoulder slightly forward ... might be easy or hard depending on your strapping system, and another option is to put elastics that go around your actual arm and attach to the shoulder bells and keep the shoulder bell in place. A third is to put elastic strapping between the chest and back plates. This will hold them in tight and make sure that when you move the chest/back isn't being moved out of place. In a perfect world, if you did all 3 that would solve your concerns. And the benefit would be you would have a stable construction that should you add an amp in the chest, or or wear a pauldron (which can push down on the chest) everything will be nice and stable. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about with the shoulder bell straps that go around the arm, and the shoulder bell connection: If you do want to do all three then give this tutorial a read over - it's pretty good and I've got most of the ideas in my kit (now). snap tutorial

Welcome and any questions while building don't forget to ask!

Nice Pics thanks for sharing and good to see the start of a WIP (work in progress) thread! Good call on changing the lenses. The material may not be dark enough, but guaranteed those bubble lenses can be pretty difficult for some people to see through. Your frown, ear buds, and indents (cheeks and temples) will probably need some tweaking. They look like decals or glued on paper so that shouldn't be too hard to fix/remove ... If it's paint the best solution would probably be to remove the old paint with soap & water and your thumbnail and then either leave as is (bare plastic - black gloss is fine), or apply paint or decals for your desired finish. As far as replacement decals go have a look at Trooperbay (Mike Appling - TK 4510) he's got a great supply of stuff for modding, altering and generally blinging out your kit. Spec. Ops helmet decals: here - these are not one size fits all! make sure to mention you have an FX helmet (that's what it looks like to me) so you get the right size. I've dealt with Jim a number of times with a number of different projects and he's a great guy ... If you have any questions about his products please send him an e-mail and he'll get you squared away. He's also got lenses, helmet trip, d-rings ... etc. I could have sworn he also sold the reflective material for helmet lenses - ask him about it if you're interested (I know you said not right away but just so you have a source). Oh and the mic tips should probably be not white inside ... Best bet is pop out the screens give it a shot of black spray paint, screens back in and you're done. But for the official word on what tweaks are needed wait for Izzi or Blackhole - This is just my 2 cents .

Never done a pistol myself but Griffin sounds spot on ... Especially the part about letting it dry / cure properly! With something like that I'd guess multiple very light coats (instead of a heavier coat) would be the way to go. And always try to keep your primer coat and your paint from the same maker. Generally won't make a huge difference but paints from the same maker are tested and re-tested for comparability. Have fun and let us know how it turns out.

MMMmmmm ... Set your blaster to rotisserie, that's some good Chicken! . Good looking kit - Nice and shiny! Thanks for sharing!

LOL @ Amazing Shadows ... Well Done!

Looks good, there are a few corners poking out that you might need to trim ... You'll find out the first time you wear it. How do the thighs, and shins fit? I noticed they were already sealed up when you got it. Again looks like you've got a great head start provided everything fits pretty well. Post up when you start doing your strapping and rough fits and we can give you pointers on any slight adjustments. Also there are a few great helmet tutorials on here - make sure to read before going at your bucket. ABS Bucket: HERE HIPS Bucket: By Scootch You're working with ABS but read both just to get a really good idea of what's what ... Helmet (for some) can be the hardest part of the build.

Hi and Welcome. As BH suggested chat with the Alaskan Outpost folks and chances are they'll have ideas of where to go with Armour as well. Look forward to seeing you around!

ACJay - Loved looking at your build in progress and that parts list is Great - Thanks! And the Polish Helmet looks Fantastic! Great to see another quality maker for us who prefer the Black Plastics. And Iz don't worry about the "West of the Mississipi" comment as I'm pretty sure you and the Ego have got everything else locked up ... And as Liam would say "Hey, that's good sharing." .

I'm not overly keen on putting up copyright material but for the sake of the dscussion, and so others can chime in here's a clipped picture of the page with the Bazooka / Rocket Launcher: And as far as sizes I have no idea but folks over the the RPF might know.