Leaderboard

8/11/23 - Eldorado High School Senior Sunrise 71st TK troop, 26th for 2023. This was a troop for a senior year kickoff at an Albuquerque school. Six of us answered the call. Well, 6.5? My trusty TK9 unit was at my side the whole morning. She may not be an approved trooping accessory, but the kids LOVED Mabel with her little rider. In fact, why not share some cute puppy pix now? I'd never trooped a high school before. Elementary kids LOVE seeing troopers. Middle schoolers would prefer to not live on the same planet as us. I was worried about the HS kids. I thought maybe a cute puppy might grease the wheels. Plus, I had to get up at 4:15 in the morning. Mabel wouldn't get her morning walk otherwise. It was a great time. The seniors were fantastic. Happy to have us there and VERY happy to pet the tiny attack Dewback. After sunrise, we were free to play. We thought a little baseball practice might be just the thing. I was pretty proud of this shot of Brandon and Chuck getting a few hits in. And then I got the finest troop selfie I've ever shot. There's no improving on this one.

Done for the day! No big issues, and my very rudimentary painting rack did its job quite well! I completed the painting and clear coat for the thigh and lower leg armor. The pieces turned out great! I also did some touch-ups to the belt pieces, thermal detonator (did not get a photo), and my pistol. I have been so focused on my armor that I did not think about a weapon, so the painted-over Nerf gun is a stopgap until I buy a proper prop weapon. The Nerf gun will just be in a holster on my belt. My next paint session (ideally tomorrow) will consist of painting the arm armor (forearm, bicep, and shoulder), kneecap armor, and many smaller pieces (shoulder straps, hand armor, etc.). I may paint my boots tomorrow as well, but that may be put off to a third session as the other parts seem like a lot as it is.

My blaster is wrapped in a towel and lays in the bottom front of the suitcase with armor resting against it so it doesn't move

Thanks y’all! So I measured and trimmed the right side to make it more even. That helped as well with readjusting and lining it up better with the middle cover strip of the shin. I’ve added the glue and clamps. As I’m writing this now, I’ve forgotten the tape for extra support I can add that later when I get home. I do have like 5 clamps on it so it’ll probably be fine. I also trimmed down and sanded the inner part of the thighs which helps significantly with reducing armor bite when I tried them on.

No one can tell I'm blushing thanks to my bucket. One thing I forgot to mention - this high school was apparently the Lenora Hills HS in Stranger Things s4. The courtyard is a place that gets touring groups through fairly regularly. The lady that requested us wanted to make sure we got out pix in front of the mural. I popped a screenshot over one of our group pix. I'm a fan of the show and have seen season 4, but I didn't remember the school at all. Guess it didn't make an impression on me. Still a fun trooping souvenir pic.

Some add a little heat so they can twist the sniper plate in line with the shin, you can see here the sniper plate is angled down You can also trim some of the inner corner

Adam, your troop log is my fav. No offense to anybody else. [emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bellow example is from an Anovos EIB approved submission As you can see , the left side looks ok but you could rise the right side a bit a trim the edge to match better.

I wrap my E-11 in bubble wrap and put it in the bottom of my suitcase, with the magazine sticking out underneith the armor!

Bugs were a big problem when I was painting the chest armor! I shouldn't have been surprised as I was in Oklahoma at the time, and the heat, humidity, and bugs really, really annoyed me. There's an imperfection in the paint on the shoulder strap of my chest armor, and it was because a bug decided to land on that part as the paint was drying. Removing the bug removed some paint...ugh... I'll be wearing a wig that is long enough that it should cover that imperfection, however!

Many purchase extra items so they can do other versions, not a great deal of difference BUT helmet is not just the teeth, only 3 ear bumps and 2 screws. This is a great comparison https://drive.google.com/file/d/10tEVteIreh6AHMogW010cuH_Bf8TBfU6/view You could also go ESB with a few other different pieces Three costumes in one is obtainable

Yeah…that’s when I gave up painting armor for the mandalorian. I didn’t want to build a full paint studio just for one armor. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yep so long as people don’t whisper i hear fine too. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Just don’t go beyond the ridge, but yes its ok. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Those cuts will be fine as marked.

You don't have rivets on the sniper plate unless it's for ROTJ version, some GML's won't approve if you add rivets even at base level. I would glue in case you wish to sell the armor in the future. OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable): Sniper knee plate must be aligned with the ridges on the shin. Sniper knee plate must not have visible rivets or fasteners attaching it to the shin. E6000 glue, make sure you rough up both areas with sandpaper to help the glue grip. A combination of clamps and tape can help keep it in postion while the glue dries. NOTE: For a more screen accurate look, it is suggested that the top of the rear ridge of the sniper plate be aligned with the top ridge of the calf. Also note that the sides are angled rather than curved.

Send a PM to @ukswrath to check on availability. He also has a sales thread here

It's fine to add mobility cuts to the thighs and shins, references here

Velcro can be used for Centurion You can go all the way down to the ridge on the trim line

I am sure the poor FedEx was like, "What is this crazy guy doing? Did he just squeal?"

This was back in 2018 for what it's worth, also he posted a link to JRS, well not all staff here are members of JRS and don't have access. If Jason is serious perhaps he should repost his photos here not link to another detachment, then all staff can view then and the background to his work so we can make an informed decision. I wasn't the DL in 2018 otherwise I would have requested he do exactly that. There is always time to clear things up, and my door is always open.

Stunning set of photos, Jonatan!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I wondered, OK those FX lids were very square, I mean way way off what is around now so my GF lid really did shine in contrast. Nice and asymmetrical with the "bowed" rear. Flat lenses by me in this foto. Came with bubble ones.