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Here's one for ya':

There were also a lot less sets of armour dressed as Sandtroopers compared to the vast array of Stormtroopers. Looking a little broader, it also affects more than one movie and a couple of scenes, there are many more variations and possibilities which starts to diminish the ideal of a large army of identical, clean and crisp TK's like seen on the Death Star. We have more members who want that look and polish their armour frequently. In their minds, every troop is a parade. I have posted on several occasions about the viability of a level 4 possibility, but those conversations have never gone far, and part of that could well be because of what I just said above. Too many possibilities might make for a lot of work, and unless there is enough dedication and motivation from more than a couple of members, it just doesn't move forward. We have never been about prop replication, but do note, after approval and even after centurion, you own the armour. I have seen troopers not just in my garrison but across the world who then go on to modify their armour not just for look but also better comfort. There are more calls for dumbing down our CRL's rather than amping them up to higher levels of difficulty, not to forget lvl 2 and 3 are totally optional and have no effect on base 501st admission and approval.

Pauldron References - Vintage Motocross Protection Made by Torsten Hallman 1970's Owned by a German garrison member This image comes up every few years, added for those who may have not seen it Template PDF pauldron.pdf

OneDrive has this cool feature where you can see "pix from this day in history" type of thing. Today it regurgitated one of the few times I got to wear a Vader. Not mine, but one of my garrison mate's. I have to say if you've never done a Vader, it's kinda tiring. That shoulder armor starts getting heavy after and hour, and having to keep your posture perfect, etc. is much more tiring that being a TK. Still, it's a huge amount of fun.

Funny thing about that, Terrel Reber (SuperTrooper, RIP) noted once that his son could always pick him out due to how he rested his hands on his belt in a lineup, and I found that mine could do the same. I guess we each have our own "tell" in how we stand.

In addition, the paint code above was pulled from my Anovos Beta helmet, which was painted by Anovos. Disney supposedly commissioned Anovos to provide the armor for their "Rise of the Resistance" ride characters. So, though the movie armor is not painted, the color above is a close second I would suspect.

The amount of times I say this when posting with kids

Cool. I can post more detailed pix though if needed, esp. the last pages.

TK Who

Hello there, Still working on the remnants incinerator, just go my microfogger machine, which I plan to hide in my backpack. To complete the "flame" effect I would like to add orange leds to the flamethrower muzzle. I don't know the first thing about electronics though so I am not sure what exactly I should be looking for. See microfogger in action : I have a 3D printed flamethrower (see included file) and I assume I could hide some leds in the muzzle fairly easily. What should I get ?

Did a quick wrap test today. Using iridescent silk chiffon in burgundy, I cut some strips of the fabric in different sizes, approx 5cm wide and probably around 30ish cm long. I don't currently have any painted and weathered TK armour pieces finished so I just used my Clone hand plate for the time being. I folded parts of the fabric as I was wrapping/layering. First wrap-around was loose, subsequent attempts worked way better. I was trying to replicate the look from the Eman Esfandi picture and I think it worked exceptionally well. With some adhesive and weathering me thinks this should be perfect. Maybe some fray-stop as well if the adhesive/glue doesn't suffice. The specific company I used was Prism Silks. Here is a link to the chiffon: https://prismsilks.com/products/burgundy-red-iridescent-silk-chiffon?_pos=4&_sid=327245dd2&_ss=r Unless there's any objections I'd say that "iridescent silk chiffon in burgundy colour" is the exact same as what was used on screen, or its the absolute closest thing in my opinion. If the wraps extend to level 2-3 I think this specific fabric should be listed,yes?

Here is the spec chart for those: The numbers we care about are the Vf (Forward Voltage, the amount of Voltage the LED will "use" essentially), Luminous Intensity (measured in mini Candela) and the Current rating (If). The max current for them all is 20mA (milli Amps, 1000ths of an Amp). It's not the voltage that kills and LED, with in reasonable values anyway, it's the current. Which is why we use a current limiting resistor. Brightness is 600-800mcd (red/yellow) which is what I would call a "bright" LED. So better than the one on your TV standby but it's not going to blind you. Orange is much better at 5000-6000 which is in the "super bright" sort of range and will have you seeing spots if you look right at it. For reference the white ones they use for torches will be in the 10,000-30,0000 range and they will be using a around 10 or more of them, the one in your TV is something like 50-65mcd. By adjusting the current with the resistor we can change how bright they get, we just have to keep it under 20mA as much past that and they burn out very fast. More resistance, less current, dimmer LED. If we make the assumption of a 2V Vf for them all (which is close enough here and inside all of their quoted ranges) and 5v supply to get max brightness you want a 150ohm resistor (of at least a 1/8w rating). Whilst I can do the maths for this it's tedious, so I tend to just use this web site: https://ledcalculator.net/#p=5&v=2&c=20&n=1&o=w What voltage are you using to power them, and what is the value of the currently limiting resistor you are using?

Thank you!!! I may have to reach out to Customer Service and see if maybe they can send me a color card I can use to match with a more easily accessible paint brand here in Arkansas.

Thanks Glen

To my delight last night, I discovered ATLA was on Paramount+! Memes were inspired.

edit. Mark is not the name of the person offering MTK kits. His name is mike, and he is trooperbay.

Awesome momentum Brian, keep up the outstanding work.

Updates made to main post for vendors.

It's been asked and answered at length, and it's probably not what you want to hear, but in short - the juice really isn't worth the squeeze to print a full set of Stormtrooper armor at this time, IMO. The available files aren't very accurate, slicing and re-joining large parts that need to flex is not practical, and there are several options available in ABS at a reasonable price point. You will likely spend the same amount of money on filament/resin, WAY more time filling, sanding, and painting, and still end up with an inferior product that is less accurate in appearance and less durable by comparison. It can be done, but it would take a real passion for the project. There is a reason we have not seen a single 3D printed suit come across for approval here on the forums, though it does depend on your local GML's application of the CRL standards at Basic if one can be approved at all. But it is not common. Some day, as printers get bigger and prices come down, maybe. /$0.02

Do you guys need me to take photos of the old calendar & post, or do we still have the old artwork where some people can see what was done?

(admittedly this is a bit of a reach, but I really wanted that VT16 reference )

A little trip down memory lane… And maybe after a previous false start… To your stations!

Do you have a link to what you ordered and I’ll be able to tell you why they are dim.

Neckseal arrived today

I'd say you want this locked in by August/September so you have them in hand before the ball drops!

Sounds like a great idea. If you could get everyone using the same color background for the same photo it would make life so much easier to edit together

If (hopefully) this were to come about for 2025, instead of having one character photo per month it might be nice to re-create some iconic film scenes using stock backgrounds, but substituting FISD members for the actors. Examples: (Using one of our own Capt. Phasmas as well)! Would it require a lot of work cutting/pasting/Photoshop etc.? Yep, but that way a lot more members could be a part of it. We have a ton of costumes, but some characters could be combined in one photo (i.e. a battle scene or the like). We have an AMAZING amount of computer graphic talent here, so I can see this working.

Congrats @Nairy! Very cool! Agree, a calendar could be great!

I'd like to buy that if one was ready for 2025. Bart

Sorry I should have clarified further, a run should be done, totally agree the prep for merch always takes the longest.

fs, should be started about mid-year as you need time to do all the layout and then have them ready before the end of the calendar year so people can buy them as Christmas gifts.

Kinda needs to be done towards the end of a year to have it up for the full 12 months of the following year. I'd love one myself.

Very cool

Sigh, makes me wish we'd do another calendar here. Still have my FISD calendar, and it's still amazingly good.

Just ordered shoes from Crowprops: TK Trooper FO/R1 Short Boots Since i had very good experience with two paires of clone shoes i went with Crowprops again.

Additional pictures at Usher Hall Edinburgh.

The problem with basing it on a single trooper is you would need to do so as they are on screen. If you base it on say that image above, how much of that was from 1976 and how much of that is it's 47 years old? The idea for them on screen is they were white and clean, though by the end of filming we know that wasn't the case anymore. If you wanted level 4 I'd be more going down the route of bra hook shins and the bent wire for the chest attachments. Though that's prop replication at a functional level which is never what we've been aiming for, though I believe MEPD do. FWIW a lot of us do have weathered armour, after a few troops you end up more like Tontine IV than the Death Star. Some people polish this off, others let it build up (like me)

I think any sort of Level 4 would need to focus on the helmet rather than the other components of the armor. Unlike our brothers in the MEPD who's entire costumes were weathered by prop men so that each had a unique look, TKs were all pretty much the same (except for the odd Gaffa tape repairs ). Also, we cannot be 100% sure that every actor used the same armor and helmet during the entire filming process. While there were a limited number of Sandies, there were 50+ TKs. Thanks to sites like Starwarshelmets we can see close-ups of some of the screen used ones, and boy are there differences in the scuffs/cracks/stains/paint chips. Below are just four, so that means there are 46 others to choose from. These things really got beat to heck, lol. If someone wanted to replicate a particular helmet, detailed reference photos showing the front/back and both sides would of course be required, but it could potentially be a problem when submitting for approval. What I mean by that is just how much detail would be enough to pass? Just similar paint chips/scuffs in general, or down to the most intricate nuance? Could someone be failed if they missed a tiny chip (1) or the paint finish wasn't worn down enough (2)? What if the ears weren't trimmed the exact same as the reference image used? (etc.) I honestly don't want to cause a controversy and I really don't have an issue with creating a Level 4 (I think it may be cool) but IMO any guidelines would need to be voted on and set in black and white in detail so that there is no room for subjectivity/ambiguity. We all have opinions. What I see as "Meh, it looks fine to me" could be seen by someone else as "Are you kidding, that's not even close"! Nailing down the precise wording for a prospective CRL for this could be a drawn out affair. Those have been around and participated in CRL change discussions know that they can get a bit heated at times and not everyone will be happy, but that's how it works. Give and take.

Then I shall wait until I have reached Level 3! It'll be my goal to reach something I can call "Level 4" now Thanks for the guidance!

Thanks again for everyone's help. RWA is the armor I am looking at purchasing now and after seeing members with Level 3 acceptances I am very excited. I have a lot to learn and I suppose I was too eager to start my journey to becoming a member of Vader's Fist. I'm glad I slowed down and didn't make any decisions I'd end up regretting. Thank you for your guidance!

Hey everyone! After months of lurking and data mining these wonderful forums I ordered a commission build from Authentic Props. Turn around time was a surprisingly quick 5 and half weeks. I was pretty sure it would still need some tweaks and adjustments to fit "just right" but was pleasantly surprised how well everything fit. What I've identified to adjust. Trim return edge and heat form the ab plate to fit a little closer. this should allow the chest plate to overlap. Shorten shoulder to bicep straps, to get proper overlapping. Trim return edges/tops of thighs to be able to bring them up a little further. I think that should cover my needs for basic approval. I also plan to redo the sniper knee attachment to get it perfect. Replace hovi tips and helmet seal with lvl 2/3 appropriate versions. I'm pretty sure that'll cover basic and EI levels. And most importantly my preference. The linked pic is directly out of the box, and my very 1st time suiting up. obviously all suggestions are welcome. https://flic.kr/p/2oWZLcd

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.

Feel free to go check out my build thread. I completed a TKC build using ANH armor as the base. You've got most of it though.