TFU Shadow Trooper build!

[izzi[TX]]

Nice progress! Loving it so far.

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

I just got a surprise in my mailbox. My USB-powered RGB LED strips came in today ahead of schedule. I got ten strips measuring 1.15 ft. and two 3 ft. long strips. For every piece of armor that needs to be lit, I'll have a small smartphone battery bank velcro'd inside to power the light strip. I went with batteries that have a 4000 mAh capacity for the smaller parts, which should sustain the lights at maximum brightness more than long enough for the duration of a troop. The two longer strips will be powered by 6000+ mAh batteries.

What's cool about these is I can change the color for some troops. Green for St. Patrick's day, red/green for Xmas, pink for breast cancer awareness, etc. Should be a lot of fun!

 

Plus it looks like I won't run out of things to do for the next couple months. I'm getting a good deal on an Anovos OT TK kit from a local Merc within the next couple weeks. I'll be attempting to build the TFU Kashyyyk Stormtrooper (a legion first) and add a new CRL entry for the FISD. It'll be the same kind of build as this one - only differences being a totally different helmet sculpt, and the need for u-trim on the torso armor because the armor won't have the molded ridges that Rubies has. That build thread will be posted on Whitearmor.net as soon as I receive the kit.

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

Everything's installed in the bucket except a chin strap and helmet fans. However, it only looks good when I'm not wearing it.....and I kind of knew it would be like that ahead of time. So I guess I'll need some mirrored blue lenses lol. Hopefully light will get through those.

The lights are bright enough to look good indoors. Probably out in broad daylight too, but I haven't tested that yet.

 

 

 

 

[izzi[TX]]

The lights probably need to be on the outside of the lenses so they don't light up your face.

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Looking good!

 

Also, I second Izzi on that, maybe can get them just above the eye cut-outs? That way they reflect off the lenses, hmmm.

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

I'm sure that would solve the issue of my face being lit up, but then you would see the LED strip itself stuck on the outside of the helmet. My goal is to keep all the electronics and lights hidden under the costume. Otherwise the illusion can't be as convincing.

I posted about this in my garrison forum and someone chimed in with an interesting Youtube video. I think it might be as simple as installing some fabric mesh right inside the helmet over the lenses, but we'll see! I'm not going to stress out too much about it for a while.

 

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Another idea would be put the LED's higher just inside the eye up and something behind it so that they don't shine through any thin plastic around the eye too between the helmet and the lenses. If done that way it shouldn't be showing on the outside of the helmet, at least from the way I'm thinking.

 

That cloth mesh method in the video is pretty legit as well, and probably the best route now that I've seen it.

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

I'll mess around with the LEDs a little bit and see if I can apply it that way.

I found out that fabric is the same stuff that's used in bridal veils. Going to see if I can find it in blue and place an order. If not, white should do just fine.

 

---

 

Note to future self and to anyone looking to build a costume with lighting. If you're going to use USB powerbanks as your LED power supply, only buy ONE just to test it out. Turns out the five I bought from Walmart all have an auto-off "feature" which shuts the powerbank down if the draw isn't strong enough.

I have one high-end Insignia LED strip that cost me $30 at Best Buy (the one I use in my helmet) and that works fine with my 5500 mAh bank. The rest of my LEDs are cheap eBay ones at around $5 a pop. I finished up my thermal detonator tube, rigged up the lights, and plugged it into the 4000 mAh Walmart powerbank only to have it shut off after a few seconds. Very annoying setback - I now have to find banks that have a feature disabling auto-off.

 

It could be that the cheaper eBay LEDs aren't as power-hungry as the Insignia strip, or it could be that the different power bank I'm using in my helmet doesn't have an auto-off function. One thing's for sure: I'm not going to buy my power strips at $30 each just to keep my lights from shutting off. Either way, I'm probably going to have to spend a good chunk of cash on a new set of power banks, which is incredibly annoying. I'll be smarter about it this time around.

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

The is interesting and a great note for anyone doing future work. I never knew that some of those had an auto-off for too low a draw, but rather for not drawing period (with on/off switches). I'll have to take a look at my power banks and see if they are the same.

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

My clear parts arrived today! All that's left to do is trim and assemble these parts, mask them off for paint, and install LEDs. I will definitely meet my goal of being approved by May 4th.

 

[Scubacat[TX]]

Looking awesome! I love this kit! I can't wait to see it finished!

 

 

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[mikedwelle94[TX]]

Figured out why my TD lights kept shutting off. I cut the strip too short (about 6 inches). Apparently the power draw is not enough to keep the battery on when cut down that much. I plugged in one of my uncut 1.15 ft long strips into the same power bank and it stays lit indefinitely until I unplug it. So I stuffed the whole strip into the TD tube and got the result I wanted!

I'll run the wire from the TD through holes punched in the canvas belt and kidney plate to a powerbank velcro'd inside the kidney. The hole in the belt will be hidden by the TD and the hole in the kidney will be hidden by the belt.

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

With this costume getting pretty close to being done, I doubt I will ever see a need to wear my Magma Trooper armor again. What do you guys think I should I do with it? It's not in a state to be sold off (too many little embarrassing flaws in the paint).

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

With this costume getting pretty close to being done, I doubt I will ever see a need to wear my Magma Trooper armor again. What do you guys think I should I do with it? It's not in a state to be sold off (too many little embarrassing flaws in the paint).

 

Zombie-Magma

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

Zombie-Magma

 

Ah man... I don't think I have the balls to carve up another kit like that again

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

My costume is getting close to done. Things to do:

- Mask off and paint transparent armor. Followed by black acrylic wash, then clear coat

- Give thigh armor and thermal detonator black acrylic wash, then clear coat

- Implement solution to prevent eyes from being seen in helmet

- Drill hidden holes in thigh and kidney for LED wire connection to batteries inside the armor

- Mount LED strips to armor and velcro USB powerbanks inside armor

- Strap shoulder bells to shoulder bridges

- Strap shoulders to biceps

- Glue elastic straps under the handplates for use on rubber chemical gloves

- Paint red stripe on boots

- Submit application!

 

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Very cool! You are almost there!!

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

No pictures to prove anything, but all I have to do now is weather and clear coat a few pieces. And install LEDs. Planning on taking submission photos this Saturday for the LMO team and applying for a day pass to troop a May 4th event in this armor.

 

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[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Saw the stuff on Instagram, great work! Down to the wire with 05/04

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

I dunno, man. I might not be allowed to wear it to this troop. My garrison usually asks for day pass requests to be submitted a week in advance of the troop and I've already gone past that. I'm planning on sending pics in tomorrow once I install rest of the lights and we'll see what happens! Hopefully they won't need a week to look at it and I'll be able to give this kit a good test run. Otherwise I'll be a wrangler in my FISD racing shirt and life will go on.

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Haha true, there is always another day too! I have been meaning to ask you, how is the weight with all of those power banks? You have them within each armor piece or do you have them running wires to another spot? Like rigged to a belt or suspenders?

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

Haha true, there is always another day too! I have been meaning to ask you, how is the weight with all of those power banks? You have them within each armor piece or do you have them running wires to another spot? Like rigged to a belt or suspenders?

 

 

Right now I have one powerbank per light strip, except the one in my kidney plate which is powering two light strips. They're all velcro'd under each piece of armor that has a light. So that's like....8 or 9 I think. It adds a noticeable amount of weight when I lift the clamshell to put it on, but it's not bad once I'm wearing it.

 

I wouldn't recommend doing it any other way. Everything is nicely contained and isolated in each piece or armor and it makes it easy to put on. Still, I won't be able to put everything on myself because of one wire that needs to be run from the thermal detonator through holes in the belt and kidney.

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

Putting this kit on by myself was a pain in the rear. I was only able to shoot this one picture before one of my lights popped off, forcing me to take off the whole suit. Also gotta make some new straps for the arm pieces so they don't wobble around so much. Almost done!

 

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Looking awesome man! I wish I was close to you, I'd help you take pics.

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

Looking awesome man! I wish I was close to you, I'd help you take pics.

That's the sucky thing about living in Maine. I don't live close to anyone lol.

 

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