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NEW In Memoriam Detachment Leader Executive Officer Merchandise Officer Hall of Fame FISD Meme's Around the Detachment Celebration - lets see those photos Competition Trooping Opportunities INFORMATION & AWARD PROGRAMS FISD Tri-Fold Brochure Common FISD Acronyms and TK Glossary Pre Approval Forum 3D Section Field Exercise Award Imperial Attaché Program Master Armorer Award Fire Teams EIB & Centurion: What do these terms mean? Need Help Ask the Deployment Officers Advance to 1500 Advanced Tactics Awards Newsletter Editor Staff List 2023 Follow FISD Marta Pacanowska (TI-42623) was a proud member of the Polish Garrison at the time of her passing in 2022. We send her off with love in our hearts, and will miss her dearly even as she is welcomed into the Hall of Eternal Legionnaires. "Buckets Off" Jamie G Hypes, SL-50574 (or "Soup" to those who knew him best) was a member of Ohio Garrison. He endured a hard-fought battle with stage 4 esophageal cancer and found peace in the end. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. "Buckets Off" Eternal Legionnaire Gallery: https://www.501st.com/members/memoriam.php Greetings fellow Stormtroopers April is the month of Celebration London a most wonderful event for those lucky to be able to attend. I hope to see plenty of photos posted on our forums and across our Social media platforms of the fabulous time everyone is having, and I hope you get to meet plenty of fellow TK members from around the world. Keep an eye open for some of the FISD staff who will be attending, try and make it to the group photos where you will find an FISD banner which you can sign. For me it's a truly memorable moment and should form part of your "must do" list. As always there is loads happening on FISD, the coin run has closed, Celebration Patch run is closed and they are shipping, and we are on the cusp of launching the FISD shield pin sales run. We had a HUGE response in the interest thread, so be ready for this one to go live very soon. Whats ahead: You may have noticed a few random post here on the forums, and across our new Discord group as other SM platforms The 1500, ring any bells to anyone? We are officially launching our latest Expert Infantry campaign "Advance to 1500" Remember "March to 1000", and subsequent, "Victory 1000", a huge milestone for the detachment reaching 1000 members approved to level 2 Expert Infantry! Every member that takes the steps to build their amour to our higher levels, is moving closer and closer to a more accurate costume. It's those finer details we are known for and we love to push for targets and celebrate achievement with wonderful merch items. Our end goal will be to achieve 1500 approved at EI level "The 1500". Now this is a long term goal, which means we can keep momentum rolling over the duration with incentives and drivers to keep members pushing for better costuming. We intend to have a launch merch item for the journey we are undertaking which is "Advance to 1500", and are looking to start getting this out in the coming months. Your staff have been planning several different incentive items to help us move towards the finish line so be prepared for some exclusive to EI approved members only, and even items all members can get behind to help promote and advance us to the end. These merch items will be additional to our standard and exclusive to new EI only coins. Remember you can only ever purchase one EI coin, they are numbered and we keep records dating back to the first run. We currently sit at 1059 approved EI members with a clear goal to reach 1500. With the help of our Attache's and members around the planet get the word out, talk with your unit members who are keen to become TK's and guide them to our Expert infantry section of the forums. They are easy upgrades to make while building your armour plus access to some cool merch and a bit of fun along the way. I'm sure everyone will be excited to get cracking on this new adventure in Advance to 1500! Stay tuned for updates and special merch incentives coming soon. With Unquestioned Loyalty Andrew Franke TK-11469 "Sly11" Detachment Leader Helloooo fellow (and future) TKs! 2023 has been a busy year so far for many of us. New merch is rolling out, Celebration, and of course the "Advance to 1500"! As Andrew mentioned this is a longer term goal than our usual programs, but we need to get the word out and keep it out there in order to maintain the momentum over the long haul. Quick note re: this - I have been on more than one troop sporting my FISD racing shirt and been asked "What is the FISD"? Not unusual, but these questions were from 501st approved TKs! (Seriously). Apparently, many only read/follow the requirements listed in the CRL without checking out the links provided to the FISD and are unaware that we are the end-all-be-all for everything white-armor related. The amount of resources and help here are phenomenal, but we need to let people know we exist! I am currently working on an idea that will be in conjunction with many of our "vetted" armorers to get the word out to new builders that we are here to assist with anything that a future TK may need: Armor, advice, resources, etc. not to mention some great camaraderie! If we want to reach the goal of 1500 EI's, we need to ensure that they build to those standards from the start by suggesting build threads and continuing to offer sound, friendly advice as well as encouragement and confidence. As per our motto "Troopers helping Troopers" those are areas in which we excel like no other Detachment, IMO, and this is thanks to you, our members. Keep on doing what you are doing, know that the time you spend here and the inspiration you provide to those who need it is truly appreciated, and with your help we will reach our goal of 1500 in record time! With Unquestioned Loyalty Joseph Pedigo TK-10963 "justjoseph63" Executive Officer Greeting White Armor Members! Friendly neighborhood merch trooper here! FISD Celebration patch Celebration Patches have been shipping and I hope all those attending received their shipments! The rest will be going out over the next week or so. FISD/Legion 25th Anniversary Coin In what was a bit of a surprise to me, The coin order arrived about 3 to 4 weeks earlier than expected. So I have been starting to ship combined packages for those that I hadn't shipped patches to yet. Once those combined shipment have been made, I will return to shipping the remainder of the coins. FISD Shield Pin Run The pin run has been approved by Legion and LFL. I will start checking with members that signed up on the interest thread to verify their orders, and then we will open the run to the rest of the Detachment. This run will close at the end of April or when we sell out of pins. More info to follow. I hope everyone that is attending enjoys Celebration, and travels to and from safely. With Unquestioned Loyalty James Silvius TK-12953 "jsilvius" Merchandise & Branding Officer Attending a marriage ceremony to make sure there is no acrimony! Please welcome TK 12775 to the Stormtrooper Hall of Fame, March 2023! @Sithping Troop log can be found here. Well done trooper and congratulations on your 10th troop milestone! Other HOF recipients can be found here. With Unquestioned Loyalty Jonatan Östling TK-23592 "Nairy" Curator Hall Of Fame Thank you to Luca "Morgi" TK-66744 for starting the FISD specific meme thread, you can find it here Imperial Citation These came up in conversation in the PR group, so here is the link for anyone wishing to issue imperial citations Original thread here 501st Legion Group Photo Time: Dressed 11.30am, photos 12noon - 1:30pm (MUST FINISH BY 2PM) Date: Saturday 8th April 2023 Location: The steps outside the west entrance to ExCel Detachment Group Photos 501st group photo information here The below is a summary, please read the main post above for full and up to date information. There is now confirmed on site changing available, this will also be the meeting point for troopers before the photo. To use this you must sign up as detailed here: https://www.501st.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=249&t=112266 Failure to do so will mean you will not be allowed access to the changing room. Even in you are not costuming but wish to be in the photo please sign up for access and meet there. Time: 11:30 Saturday 8th April This means ready, in costume (if applicable) in the changing room. The excel can get busy and this gives us 30 minutes to form up and march out to the photo location to start at 12. The legion photos will be taken first, followed by the detachment photos, we are 8th so please be patient whilst those in front of us take their turns. Full running order below. Staff and helpers will be on hand to try make this a quick process, we all want to get out and enjoy the show. You can help us by keeping together where possible. Traditionally the UKG do not remove their helmets when trooping, and this is to be honoured in the photos. I would request that our international visitors respect this choice but you are under no obligation yourself. Photos Costumers only, lids on. Costumers only, lids off (UKG will keep lids on) Costumers and non costumers Non costumers If you are not costuming but a detachment member then your assistance would be appreciated in organising the troopers, guiding them to the location, clearing the location and generally helping out. Details on this thread https://www.501st.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=249&t=112007. We look forward to seeing you in London. Running order 1. 501st + RL + MM + TDE + GA costumers 2. 501st + RL + MM + TDE + GA costumers + Jedi News + Fantha Tracks + non-costumed members of all clubs 3. 501st costumers 4. 501st costumers lids off (501st UKG will decline to remove lids for this photo) 5. 501st costumers + non-costumed members + Jedi News 6. Detachment photos - see below 1. Krayt Clan 2. Underworld Detachment 3. Jolly Roger Squadron 4. Pathfinders 5. Blizzard Force 6. Sovereign Protectors 7. Armored Cavalry Detachment 8. First Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment (+ Valkyries) 9. Clone Trooper Detachment 10. Sith Lord Detachment 11. The Flagship Eclipse 12. Bounty Hunters Guild 13. Imperial Officer Corps 14. Spec Ops 15. MEPD 16. Imp Gunnery Corps Celebration Meet and Greet - more info/updates https://www.501st.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=249&t=111935 We would like to invite 501st Celebration attendees from around the world to an informal Meet & Greet at: Fox Connaught, Lynx Way, London, E16 1JR on Thursday 6th April 7pm onwards The venue can be found on the east side of the ExCel complex here: CE2023: CHANGING HALL CONFIRMATION Good news! It has now finally been confirmed that a changing area has been allocated to us for the event and it will be one-half of one of the big halls there. The hall will be shared between the 501st and the adult Galactic Senate Clubs. Unfortunately due to safeguarding requirements we feel that allowing GA members into the changing hall would not be appropriate. There will be 10 pop-up areas within the hall for those that wish to change with a little more privacy. CAVEAT: ReedPOP have informed us that the other half of the hall will be used for something else but at this point cannot tell us what. I have asked if we will have our own entrance to our half of the hall that we can man for security or will others need to use the entrance and if so would they have some kind of ID on them and they could not answer that either. However at this late stage we cannot wait any longer to post this so if we find out we don't have exclusive access then we will have to decide the best way forward at that time. IMPORTANT: CHANGING HALL REGISTER – SIGN-UP To ensure everyone’s belongings left in the changing hall remain safe we need to monitor who uses the hall. As such if you wish to use the changing hall at any time during the event please could you add your name to this register: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aYzZwRE3UD_AVI4QB1nOumjxVl-ayTlZP1dIv43xPdA/edit?usp=sharing CHANGING HALL DOOR VOLUNTEERS We also cannot ensure the safety of everyone’s belongings without some volunteers to man the door and check those wanting entrance against the register of those that have signed up to use the hall. So please could you volunteer just 1.5 hours of your time sometime over the weekend to help with this? Sign-up is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1opC8CpbdLeFjyQAUbZH3KJ4NADklEZltgstjf3gH1b4/edit?usp=sharing FISD Meet & Greet Sunday 9th April @ 7:30 PM @ The Oiler Bar https://www.theoilerbar.com The FISD meet and greet for Celebration this year is going to be held at the Oiler Bar, a short 10 minute walk from the West Entrance to the Excel. To get there exit through the West Entrance, head down the stairs and straight down to the end of the dock, turn Left and you will have a short walk to the bar. Bring your self, your friends, your trades, and have a good time with your fellow troopers. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THOSE CELEBRATION PHOTOS. Please post if you get them Want to leave your mark on the detachment forums this term? Well here is your chance. We are looking to update the FISD main forum banner which resides at the top of our forums above the menu Tabs. Current forum banner supplied by gmrhodes13 Thread here for entries Retail Embargo Lift For most of the year we are under an embargo from LFL and can not attend retail locations unless prior approval has been given by them. At certain times of the year this embargo is lifted, generally around Blu-Ray / movie releases, May 4th and Force Friday, the recent correspondence from LFL outlines the lift of the embargo: "While there is currently a retail moratorium on character appearances in effect, it is being lifted during the following days: 29th April - 7th MayAll fans, costumed or otherwise, can participate with venues of their choice within these windows with the restriction that costumed appearances must not be used in the advertising for the event. Although these appearances will be treated like an open invite, we’ll leave it to the fan groups to independently organize around these events as they see fit. LFL will not need to approve or coordinate these. Please note that retail locations should not include restaurants, bars, or venues with no apparent reason to feature Star Wars characters.In the coming weeks and months, we may send out a list of ‘preferred' retailers from certain regions who would welcome fans to participate at their venues within these event windows, but you are all still welcome to make plans with appropriate retailers or venue hosts of your choice regardless of whether or not they appear on the list.Thanks everyone, and thanks for all you do!" "Please note that retail locations should not include restaurants, bars, or venues with no apparent reason to feature Star Wars characters. If the retail location does not stock Star Wars products you should NOT be attending." *Please Note* Always follow your garrison/squad's guidelines when in comes to organising Disney/LFL promotional troops, only command staff can deal direct with LFL. INFORMATION & AWARD PROGRAMS For a full list of FISD awards programs head here. *Now Available in Swedish* Want to spread the word about FISD?, you can with our FISD Tri-Fold Brochure. Originally these were done in a limited run by the member who created them, but nowadays, we have moved this to a print your own service making them accessible to all countries around the globe. Files are available to all full 501st members on request by contacting our DL Andrew @Sly11 , you can find more info here Currently Available languages: English - Spanish - German - Swedish Are you new to the FISD and wondering what the heck all those abbreviations and strange sounding terms mean? To help you @justjoseph63 has started a list of the most commonly used ones that will give you some insight. If you have ANY questions about a particular term that is not listed or suggestions for new ones please contact Joseph. You can find the list here. Pre Approval Forum allows future Troopers the opportunity to submit photos of their completed build to be reviewed by the Staff, Imperial Attaches and others in preparation for forwarding it to their GML for approval. Any and all advice/suggestions given will be specific, constructive, helpful and respectful. Please note that this program will NOT take the place of your local GML, as Detachments are not chartered for costume approval and can not override a GMLs decision, but is instead a peer review program designed to help you look your best and offer guidance and positive feedback. For more information on this program, please visit the link here. Don't forget to visit our 3D section when next surfing the FISD forums, there is plenty of useful information to potentially help you on your next TK adventure. You might be feeling may generous and share with our community a new TK related 3D file and maybe win yourself a 3D contributors award so check out the details below and be part of the in house 3D community. Here is a link to the FISD 3D Contributor program. Don't forget to create a troop log here on FISD and get awarded for your adventures The list of accomplished troopers keeps growing, so get on board and register your troops today Simply start (or update!) your troop log, keep the running total in the title, and post (at least!) a date and name for the official 501st event where you wore your TK! Once you've hit a milestone count, go over to the "Field Exercise Awards -- Post your milestones here" thread to request your profile be updated! Simple, right? Also if you would like your troop photos shared on our social media channels please add the following to the first post of your FISD troop log: I give permission for FISD to repost my photos on social media in an appropriate fashion. Award Recipients March - April TK-12775 "Sithping" Paul - - - - - Are you an approved TK that spends more time on the boards than the average Trooper? Do you enjoy using your knowledge to help out future and existing Troopers? If so, we would like to invite you to join the Imperial Attaché program! Members of the I.A. team are chosen to help out not only those here on the boards, but on a local level as well. Our aim is to have at least one in each and every Garrison, Squad and Outpost in the entire legion to be the eyes and ears of the FISD on a local level. For a complete list of Imperial Attaches, go here. Some of the benefits: Access to exclusive Attaché merch., including patches, IA patch , IA Rocker You may also be in the running for an Imperial Attaché Award Imperial Attaché Award for those attaché's who have gone above and beyond [minimum 1 year of service]. You can find a list of prior recipients here. Attaché Ambassador Attention all Attachés! If you haven't already seen it, please take a moment to review the 2023 Attaché Announcements and Kickoff thread. It contains what I hope is helpful information for all of you, as well as a reminder to sound off on the current Check-In thread if you haven't already done so. A reminder, too, that we are always looking for new attachés, especially for units currently without one (or two) as shown on THIS LIST. If you know of a trooper who you think would serve the post well, encourage them to apply for Attaché status HERE! With Unquestioned Loyalty Caleb Mask TK-73692 "MaskedVengeance" Attache Ambassador The FISD Master Armorer program is an optional, detachment only incentive award to recognize individuals who have directly helped another 501st stormtrooper to achieve Expert Infantry status. Some people spend countless hours helping others, and want to reward their results as well as incentivizing new people to help as well. To register a “win” in the program, the assistance must have provided hands-on help trimming, building, and/or fitting of said armor for the person who was awarded Expert Infantry status. More information can be found here Want to setup a "Fire Team? the Fire Team program is completely optional, and is intended to help form a common identity and spirit of camaraderie among 501st Legion Stormtroopers in the same geographic area/garrison that troop together. Fire Teams are not officially recognized by the 501st Legion nor the FISD, although they will be able to access a Fire Team sub-forum on the detachment website. You can find more information here. Let's all give a warm FISD welcome to our 71st Fire Team: Name: Fire Team Chimera Region: Northern New England Garrison Logo: For those interested here is the original discussion on the creation of Fire teams here With Unquestioned Loyalty Mark Ryner TK-4584 "captsafe66" Fire Team Relations So what exactly are and levels? These programs were designed for those who choose to take their armor above and beyond the minimum requirements for basic 501st Legion approval. It gives you the chance to show a level of dedication and pride that takes your armor closer to being as "screen accurate" as possible, without as much extra work as you may realize! You can find more information on the programs here. For those unaware it is possible to achieve extra awards at Expert Infantry for each additional version costume you have approved, additional awards are not issued with another Expert Infantry number (you are only issued 1 Expert Infantry number) but you will see a star above the award on your profile and the thread title will show [APPROVED] 2nd, [APPROVED] 3rd, [APPROVED] 4th and so on. Multiple EIB award recipients and info here NOTE If you are approved with a "2nd Version" of a particular costume that you are already approved with you do not receive an additional award, there is only 1 award issued for each costume version ie: only 1 x Hero, 1 x Stunt, 1 x HWT, 1 x ESB, 1 x TFA and so on. If you have a second/additional version costume approved you will see "2nd Version" and [APPROVED] added to the thread title, no additional profile stars (more info on profile awards here) For those of you who have a particular issue (or issues) before or after submitting for Expert Infantry / Centurion level approval, in order to get you an answer faster you can now privately contact the entire Deployment Officer team at one time! Questions about fitting, repairs, CRL standards/requirements or anything pertaining to reaching Levels 2 and 3 are not only welcomed, but encouraged. Keep in mind that no question is too small, and that your queries will only be seen by the D.O. Staff. We are here to help in any way we can, so please feel free to send us a message by clicking on this link: @Deployment Officer Team and we will get back to you A.S.A.P.! Currently at 1060, 440 remaining Be part of FISD history This area lists all those who have gone above and beyond basic approval toward screen accuracy and obtained EIB or Centurion or both. FOR March - April the 1st Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment would like to congratulate the following. Expert Infantry Badge Award: Gary "TK66124" TK66124 EIB 1059 Sherry "Adianu" TK22725 EIB 1060 GREAT job on your approval, now on to Level 3! Request your free EIB certificate here. You can find a list of multiple award recipients here. Multiple EIB award info here Expert Infantry Honor Gallery here --------------------------------------------------------------- Centurion Badge Award: None this month Outstanding job on reaching Centurion, Troopers! Request your free Centurion certificate here. You can find a list of multiple award recipients here. If you see any of these Troopers around your Garrison or Squad, be sure to congratulate them! Another bumper issue, if you have any interesting articles or stories please reach out to me. Looking forward to seeing photos from Celebration, please pass them on if you have them. For anyone interested in having a look through any of the older newsletters they can find be found here. With Unquestioned Loyalty Glen "Q" Rhodes TK-85421 "gmrhodes13" PRO, Newsletter Detachment Leader (DL): Andrew Franke (Sly11) TK-11469 Detachment Executive Officer (DXO): Joseph Pedigo justjoseph63 TK-10963 Chief Deployment Officer (DCA): Mario Reyes (TKSpartan) TK-48117 Deployment Officer (DCA): José Mª Sánchez (Chemi) TK-30173 Deployment Officer (DCA): Tony Jobe (ukswrath) TK-10116 Provost Marshall (DCoG): Steven Sheades (starsaber25) TK-10466 Provost Marshall (DCoG): Tim Waychoff (DarkCMF) TK-51878 Provost Marshall (DCoG): Chris Pearson (themaninthesuitcase) TK-10911 Provost Marshall (DCoG): Dan Branton (Cableguy) TK-42911 Special Unit Director-Valkyries (DCoG): Teresa Nuthall (Soulart) TK-41307 Provost Marshal SM Platforms (DCoG): Christoph (Danny) Lauber (Ripper_L) TK-55550 Fire Team Relations(DCoG): Mark Ryner (captsafe66) TK-4584 Merchandise and Brand Officer (DMBO): James Silvius (jsilvius) TK-12953 Trading Card Specialist (DMBO): Eric Ho (Hoda) TK-77520 Personnel Officer (DPER): AC (NoVATie) TK-5597 Content Editor Support (DPRO): Adam Wolf (Revlimiter) TK-89400 Content Editor Support (DPRO): Jeff Salt (Wingnut65) TK-50297 NEW TO STAFF Content Editor Support (DPRO): Jonatan Östling (Nairy) TK-23592 NEW TO STAFF Content Editor Support (DPRO): Vicky Mandlmaier (Vicky_Velocipanda) TK-50893 NEW TO STAFF Social Media Relations (DPRO): Luca Hahn (Morgi) TK-66744 NEW TO STAFF Newsletter Publisher (DPRO): Glen Rhodes (gmrhodes13) TK-85421 Attache Ambassador (DPRO): Caleb Mask (MaskedVengeance) TK-73692 NEW TO STAFF Systems Administrator (DWM): Eric Brager (Darth Aloha) TK-9674 Systems Administrator (DWM): Mathias (Locitus) TK-2959 Detachment Founder (DF): Paul Hoeffer (Daetrin) TK-8020 Facebook: www.facebook.com/whitearmor Facebook Group: 1st Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment (FISD) Official Twitter: www.twitter.com/FISD501st or @FISD501st Instagram: www.instagram.com/fisd501st Discord: https://discord.gg/FmQZ2qW8gx On behalf of the 1st Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment Command Staff and the Imperial Propaganda Department

Perhaps you noticed Joseph's coin looks a little... different? A very limited number of GOLD Command Staff MEME Coins exist. Most are currently traveling around the globe in search of their owners.

I saw a comment on Sherry’s EIB submission about ab plate buttons, so I’ve trimmed down my 4-button plate to be closer to the reference accordingly. Hope this looks a bit better. Am also posting this link into the relevant photo section above.

Greetings to all Troopers (and future troopers)! On behalf of the staff, I would like to be the first to announce that we have now completed the next CRL to be added to our roster of approved FISD costumes (making a total of twenty)! As a bonus, a new weapon (the Ascension pistol) has been approved for this ensemble. A link will be added to the existing 501st FISD CRL site on 4/3/23 at 09:00 GMT. As with all costumes, please note that requirements are subject to minor updates. Those aiming for Basic 501st approval are urged to review this CRL for any such changes before submitting to their GML. Requirements for Expert Infantry (listed in blue) and Centurion (listed in red) have been included for those wishing to attain higher levels of approval, and may be submitted to the the D.O. department only after Basic approval is granted. Any questions for the staff or comments can be made on this thread. An announcement (as seen below) will be made on all of our social media platforms: SO, without further ado, we present the newest addition to our approved costumes:

Even though some areas have not hit the 80 degree (or higher) mark yet, summer is outdoor trooping time! While many of us are old pros at this, those who have not participated in an outdoor troop on a hot/humid day should be aware of one word: Hydration. While most of the public will be wearing shorts and T-shirts, we are sporting a full body suit and are 95% covered with plastic... not exactly the perfect scenario to stay cool in the mid-day sun. Keeping your body properly hydrated is the key to successfully making it through your troop. Having cooling fans in your bucket certainly helps, but here are some pointers to stay safe (and upright, lol). THE DAY BEFORE Water- Plain and simple. To get your body ready, increase your consumption (in moderation) the day before. This will help hydrate you at the cellular level. A slow/steady intake the morning of and during the event will ensure that you make it through with no issues. The best way to tell if you are good to go is if your urine is clear . THE DAY OF Again, water. Drink as much as you feel comfortable drinking before and during. IMPORTANT: The sun is hot, you are sweating like a snowball on Tatooine so you decide to take a break. You take off your bucket and chug a big bottle of ice cold water. Bad idea. When your body is overheating, quickly drinking a big frosty container any beverage (even blue milk) constricts your blood vessels and can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, esophageal spasms (chest pains/cramping), shock and worse. Take a few sips at a time over the course of your break(s). SPORTS DRINKS If you are going to in the heat for several hours, adding a product that contains carbs, potassium, sodium and amino acids will help, but don't use them instead of water. Save those for afterward. COFFEE/TEA/SODA No need to skip your morning coffee/tea (or in my case Mountain Dew) in moderation, but be aware that caffeine is a diuretic, and too much can actually cause dehydration. IF YOU FEEL TOO HOT If you feel dizzy or need a break, it's nothing to be ashamed of so don't be a hero. Inform a handler immediately to escort you back to the break area. If one is not close by, don't wait, just go. If you feel really bad, have the person trooping closest to you to escort you back and stay with you. Even if in armor, sit down and drink small sips of cool (not ice cold) water. Call for medical help if you feel nauseated or dizzy. I have seen my share of troopers go down from the Florida heat. Not a pretty sight, so please be safe!

Fantastic post and superb tips! There are also heat gear styled caps, towels and skull caps that you can soak in water and wear under your bucket or costume that will help use your own sweat to keep you cool. I'm in CO which is a drier climate and the UV rays are stronger at this elevation. Lack of humidity makes it easy to underestimate what the sun will do to you when outside. I'll echo what others said, don't be a hero. Also, listen to your body. Stay safe, troopers!

Some great thread here

Roger Roger.

April 2nd... must mean it's time for a COIN CHECK!!! Yeah. It's real. @Morgi Coin Check!!!

Per the date of posting, I though this was an April Fool's thing, lol. Turns out I was (more than happily) mistaken. AWESOME graphics, and now that I have one it is now my new challenge coin. THANKS!

A helpful thread

This is a super timely post. to all who contributed, especially @justjoseph63 I got super dehydrated at a recent troop. It was an EVENING, INDOOR troop in pleasant weather. It totally snuck up on me. Over 50 troops to my credit and I managed to get dehydrated at a fairly low key, chill indoor troop.... it can happen any time. I apparently didn't drink enough that day before the troop. Took me nearly a day to recover. Stay hydrated out there troopers!

At least you drilled out the right piece!

Aprox measures

Thanks Mario.

Daniel, The "shock cord" used on set was a simple cord made of Framilon. However, if you search the Interweb for Framilon, all you're going to come up with is framilon tape, which is an polyurethane elastic material used in the manufacture of light garments. With that said, Framilon is 100% Thermoplastic Polyurethane, also known as TPU in the 3D printing world. However, if you want to go the "shock cord" route, your armor needs to be set up for it. To my knowledge, this isn't an option on any kits unless you do something custom. Here's a pic of my left shoulder armor with the bicep suspended by the TPU. As you can see, the top of the biceps have the screen accurate "J hooks" and both pieces are equipped with the appropriate mounting points. This armor is from the MrPaulShoretrooperBuild kit and both are SLA printed from a mix of ABS like and Flexible resin. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can print off the anchor blocks; just shoot me a PM and I'll help you get a hold of some. For the J hooks, you'll just have to cut these yourself. This is the option I had to do with my ICAT driver/ Mudtrooper costume and it works great: In my opinion, this is the absolute best way to secure your armor, but unless you do some custom work, you'll likely be better off going with Velcro and elastic. Regardless, the big takeaway here is hanging your bicep armor from the shoulder bells and keeping your biceps flexible. The word "flexible" is used in the CRL to denote how the clam shells move freely, allowing the biceps to open and close as you move. My Muddy biceps for example are one piece and feel like plastic coffins. Having the flexible material holding the biceps closed allows me to flex and move without any fear of breakage or extreme limited mobility. If you're not printing anything in TPU, just get yourself a small 1/2 kg. roll, but don't skimp on it. I've used cheap filament in the past and it breaks easily. I hope this helps

Perfect

Certain key meme staff won't need to order... We’ll say no more.

The big issue with humidity is the fact your body struggles to regulate your own temperature. If you cant evaporate which is how the human body decreases it temp, you hit the wall a lot quicker and can also suffer heat stroke because of it. Hydration and cooling both very important. The other thing you cant beat is a vigilant handler, or wrangler. The experienced will always check in on all troopers in their care on a stand at a con etc. They also always have water on hand. If you are new to the hobby and just building your first costume, make sure you pair up with an experienced member to see what we do and how important it is to check in frequently with those in costumes. You are our eyes, ears and carer while we are in costume doing our thing. If someone has been out for a long period and says they are fine when you do ask, get them a water anyway or have it on hand and suggest they take a break. Great post Joseph and a good reminder for those where the weather is starting to warm up. Apparently its supposed to be cooling down here in Australia but still got 30degree centigrade + days happening lol.

I updated the build process for my abdomen in the abdomen section previously, But here’s some update photos for those who don’t want to scroll and read. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

One saying I’ve said many times is “Don’t be a hero.” No need to over exert or try to go longer just because. Take time to rest and hydrate. Especially for long troops. If you have spotters or staff keep them informed, train them to regularly do the thumbs up check (if they don’t do it). That is every 10 minutes or so they go to all the troopers establish eye contact and thumbs up. If the trooper returns a thumbs up they go to the next. Be honest and give a thumbs down or sideways if need be. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you’re really asking, Adam and I have the US inventory, and Luca is managing the Euro distribution.

Oops, measure twice, cut once ABS paste should match the armor better, sugru you may need to touch up with paint to match

So would you recommend getting the thigh, shin, and abdomen pieces assembled before trimming the thighs for size to make sure that each piece is proportional?

I find a wet rag is good, causes a little bit of friction, for really stubborn glue I use automotive compound. For sides of cover strips use sharp pieces of scrap plastic or pop sticks.

Looking good

At first they looked a little like that, but after comparing them both with my canvas belt I didn’t see much difference myself. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Whilst not Florida hot we now get our share of warm weather now. I’ll iterate again the secret is to Hydrate the day before and then manage it appropriately on the day. It’s also worth remembering it’s not just the sun to worry about. Convention halls can get hot when full of 1000s of people and you won’t be paying as much attention as you’re inside. And don’t be a hero. When you’re done you’re done, there’s no shame in that.

tk37423 from Instagram here. I hope the modifications you GML requested don't give you too much of a hard time. I agree the size of your biceps and forearm pieces could be reduced. Unless your arms are too large and they must be that size to fit you properly. Reducing the return edges on the shoulder bells and making the biceps smaller will definitely help with the gap between your chest and shoulders. What holster are you currently using? If you're looking for a good replacement I'd recommend one from Darman's Props: https://darmansprops.com/products/stormtrooper-e-11-holster-anh-with-tan-straps

YOU KNOW IT.

I can't speak to the longevity or troopability, but the proper shock cord size is 1.75mm filament. https://www.amazon.com/Overture-Filament-Flexible-Consumables-Dimensional/dp/B07VGVW546 This stuff fits the Mr Paul armor. I'm using it in my R1 armor. Got the info from @BigJasoni who's also using it in his R1 armor.

Gotcha, Adam! @MaskedVengeance Coin Check!

Love the concept. Don't forget the (c) LFL logo on it and we're golden. Who wouldn't want one?

Outstanding submission, Caleb! Though I'm gonna need to see some additional canon reference material to support those accessories, and those Parks binders can get the heck out! haha Got you covered, dude! I have a feeling he knew exactly what he was doing... we're all very impressed lmao

I can really recommend the shirt variant, it's easy to craft and comfy to wear, especially if you don't like showing others your chest

Out-freakin-standing! A perfect match to the CRL model! You’ve inspired me to work on the variant. It’ll take me some time to get everything I need but it’ll make a great summer project!

Where’s the coin for the rest of us that had to deal with it all??? [emoji1787][emoji1787] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here is a step by step of the ABS paste sanding and buffing. Starting point with paste fully hardened Used the Dremel tool with a sanding attachment to remove the bulk of the material. This could also be done with 120 grit sandpaper. Next, I brought it right down with the 220 grit sandpaper to get all the extra ABS paste off and flatten everything out. Some air bubbles appeared at this point, so I reapplied a bit of ABS paste and worked it into the repair. Back to the 220 grit sandpaper with no air bubbles this time. Next was the scratch removal and polishing. Using 1000 and 2000 grit wet sanding blocks, followed by the Novus fine scratch remover and finally the Meguire’s Plastix. As much as I tried, up close, there is still a slight mark. I was not happy with this. I think the original hole had some marks from the post that were showing up. I dremelled down the repair slightly and made the area slightly larger, then repeated all of the above steps. Slightly better result but not perfect. New hole drilled above and new snap in place. From a few feet away, it is not really noticeable.