Aloha kakou,
Thank you for electing me as the new FISD Detachment Leader. I am honored by everyone’s support during the election. The FISD membership does me proud every day. I will strive to live up to everyone’s high standards and expectations in 2013.
A very large thanks goes to Tom Gardner (RogueTrooper) who stepped up to the plate as DL after the emergency elections. Without Tom’s encouragement, guidance, and grooming I may not have sought out the DL position. Tom was always there when I needed him via email, text messaging, PM, and long hours on the phone pouring over Legion political minutiae. Many mahalos to Tom for all he has done for me personally and everything he continues to do for the detachment. We wish him luck in the new role of the Carolina Garrison’s Commanding Officer.
Of course, with every new DL comes a staff reorg. Please join me in welcoming the 2013 FISD staff, new and old:
As I settle into the position you will be hearing about the project we have planned for 2013. There are CRL changes afoot, new tutorials, a revamp of our wiki into the TiKipedia, and of course more Troopers Helping Troopers.
So far this year activity on FISD seems to be ramping up with many new build threads. Post-holiday armor purchases seems to be in full swing. We are also seeing a couple new armor types making an appearance. I enjoy watching their progress with the usual FISD keen eye.
Lately the biggest forum buzz has been about Totally Killer Boots (TKBoots) temporarily stopping production. FISD has seen many new boot related questions in posts in the past two weeks. It sounds like TK Boots will resume production once they find a new supplier. In the mean time finding the right Chelsea boot and painting it is always an excellent, and screen accurate, option. If you are a maker of leather boots that pass the muster of the FISD Armorers and our Deployment Officer, you may find yourself very busy in Q1 of 2013.
As most of you know from my time on staff, I have an open door policy. I encourage anyone with a user ID on FISD to reach out to me via PM if you have any questions or issues. I promise to respond as quickly as I can and with as little sarcasm as I can muster.
With Aloha and Unquestioned Loyalty,
Eric Brager
TK-9674 "Darth Aloha"
Detachment Leader
Just a quick recap of community activity in FEBRUARY:
Centurion Awards: 1 (total 82)
Expert Infantry Awards: 2 (total 304)
Fire Team Tally: 12 total, 1 new: "Endor Party Crashers (EPiC)" from Southern California Garrison.
Attaché Tally: 4 new
Newest Attachés:
- Samuel Kisselburg 85254 "Darkshadow" - Southern California Garrison
- David Aicher 2897 -- Mountain Garrison
- Sam Newcomer 54548 "TieRacer" -- Southern California Garrison
- Bennett Gladden 4674 "HockeyTrooper" -- 70th Explorers Garrison
What's an Attaché? Someone in your garrison who represents FISD with the friendly "Troopers Helping Troopers" spirit! Is that you? Volunteer today!
New member registrations: 156
Active members in forums: 292 new topics and 4074 posts
Reported Field Exercises: 22 - Great reporting! Keep it coming!
Scan here to live vicariously!
Twitter Followers as of 1/31: 724
Facebook Followers as of 1/31: 1673
Do you know of people in your garrison who don't regularly visit whitearmor.net, but might benefit from the FISD and Legion updates, as well as tips and some community-oriented fun? Invite them to follow us on Twitter or Facebook.
With Unquestioned Loyalty,
Ingrid Moon
TK-6818 "LadyInWhite"
Executive Officer
It always comes up... what is this crazy obsession all about, anyway? Fans love us, but our spouses and co-workers think we're beyond help. Between the polishing and the long drives and the garrison politics and the fan noise in your bucket, it's possible we forget ourselves. Allow me to just remind you - so that you can brag to them - what this club of plastic space men is all about, in case you can hardly remember yourself.
Here's all you have to say.
In 2012, the 501st Legion, which has over 6000 active members world-wide, contributed to over $14 million (USD) to charities like Make-A-Wish Foundation, as well as local and international charities and causes.
Around $169,000 of that was brought in directly by Legion members through activities and events like Blast-a-Trooper booths, parades, and other direct fund-raisers.
Nearly 200,000 toys were collected through Toy Drive efforts, including individual and garrison efforts, as well as teaming up with recognized toy drives.
Those 6000 members put in over 4.7 million man-hours at events that bring awareness and fund-raising to charities. (Countless thousands of hours are also put into other activities such as parties, cons, and media appearances.)
And you just can't quantify smiles, joy, fond memories, lifting someone's spirits, and making someone's day.
That's a lot of time, fund-raising, and toys for great causes. And that's what we do in our plastic space suits.
More information can be found in the LCO's Report to the Legion 2012 on the 501st Forums.
With Unquestioned Loyalty and some help from the Bith rock stars,
Ingrid Moon
TK-6818 "LadyInWhite"
Executive Officer
How to Paint Your Boots White
Due to TK Boots recent announcement, that they are not selling boots until a new supplier can be found. That leaves us with a few choices about our boots.
As most of you know in the films they used black boots painted white, as was confirmed in a 2005 in an interview about "A New Hope." John Mollo (costume designer for Episodes IV and V) said, "The Stormtrooper boots were standard Black UK 'Chelsea' boots which were stained white. 50 pairs of boots were ordered." The soles were not rubber but leather, with a low heel. The boots were painted white for the movie.
Finding correct Chelsea style boots in white is difficult, if not impossible, but you can find them in brown and black, and modify them to our needs. There are two schools of thought for turning brown or black boots white: dying and painting. In this article we will touch on both.
Dying Method
You will need the following.
- Deglazer: Available in most shoe and leather stores, can also be ordered online (see step 1 for alternatives)
- Leather dye: Fiebings or Kiwi. Available in most shoe or leather stores or can be ordered online.
- Some sort of top coat: Fiebings, or Eco-flo Available in most leather stores or can be ordered online.
There are 3 basic steps for dying leather.
1. Prepare the leather boots. Using a damp cloth, apply some type of deglazer such as Fiebings Deglazer, acetone, or rubbing (or denatured) alcohol to remove dirt, old polish, or other contaminates. Some people mix in about a tablespoon or two of vinegar or lemon juice per quart of alcohol but I have heard that straight alcohol works at least 98% of the time. You will notice that the finish will be removed as well as some of the color. Even if the boots are new, you should still use a deglazer because most manufacturers use finishes, such as oils or water repellent chemicals, that should be removed so that they won’t interfere with the dying process.
2. Begin the application process. After the leather has been cleaned and prepared as recommended above, you need to make sure you mix the dye well before use. Try turning the bottle upside-down and shaking. You can apply with a cloth; however, a sponge brush works best. An alternate method for covering large areas evenly is to spray with a spray-bottle. Do not use a wool dauber or sheathing as they tend to hold back the pigments. Apply the first coat and then allow it to dry. Drying times will vary, but a second or third coat should not be applied until the previous coat has completely dried.
3. Apply a top coat to the leather after everything dries. Choose from matte, satin, or gloss finish. These are also made by Fiebings, Eco-flo and other makers, usually sold where you find the dyes or paints. This will seal in the dye and give you the desired finish. This step may be followed by a mink oil to waterproof the boots.
Be sure to follow the instructions provided with your chosen product as each one may differ slightly in its recommendations.
Painting Method
Many people use Meltonian Nu-Life Color Spray or Angelus leather paint to make the boots white. Meltonian Nu-Life Color Spray is a leather, vinyl, and plastic paint that is sprayed on, where Angelus is a brush on paint. (Both can be found online.) The process is the same as dying. Just use a deglazer to remove the finish and wait for the boots to dry completely, then apply your paint. You might need multiple coats to get a good even look; just remember to let each coat dry before the next one is applied. Then use a top coat to seal the color onto the leather.
There have been several tutorials covering this subject in the past, including, but not limited to the following:
This link will take you to a thread with a Youtube video link to a tutorial using leather paint with an acetone deglazer. Nice information on the deglazing process and actual painting, but no information on durability.
This link is not really a tutorial, but a list of products he used with other links.
From what I have seen it appears that the painting has better results than dying; however, I don’t have any information on the durability of either. So how well they hold up after a few troops will largely depend on each individual case. Either way you should expect that occasional maintenance will be required to keep the color sharp and clean.
With unquestioned loyalty,
Sam Kisselburg
TK-85254 "Darkshadow"
Imperial Attache
A Big Thanks To RogueTrooper (Tom)
When elections are over and the new DL is announced, it's a bit of a lame duck time for the soon to be retired DL, especially if the DL-elect is someone already on staff. Everyone is focused on the new DL and the year to come.
While that's all exciting, I'd like to ask everyone to pause for a moment and take the time to thank RogueTrooper (Tom Gardner) who stepped up mid-year to take on the DL mantle when Mason (DashRazor) had a base case of Darth Real Life and was unable to continue his duties. In fact, Tom was working as de facto DL while Mason was absent and had keep everything organized during that confusing time. Tom has worked very hard behind the scenes as well these past months, helping out Albin (Legion Founder) and working with the LMO's. He created at the last minute the excellent brochure that was handed out at C6 and is now available for local printing and use. Also, at C6 he orchestrated a nice presentation to Brian Muir on behalf of FISD as well.
It's hard to describe the amount of work that goes in to running a detachment and Tom rose to the occasion and gave 100% for our community. Please raise a glass and toast him for all he's done for FISD.
Thanks, Tom - this one's on me! 
With Unquestioned Loyalty,
Paul Hoeffer
TK-8020 "Daetrin"
FISD Founder
For troop of the month, join me in congratulating Bast Alpha's Mardi Gras Parade for Children's Hospital.
On Lundi Gras, February 11th to the rest of the country, approximately 15 members of Bast Alpha visited the children confined to Children's Hospital to give them a small Mardi Gras celebration that was literally happening just blocks from the hospital. We played games with some of the kids that could come down to the auditorium where they participated in face painting, mask making, and other activities. Then we marched through the hospital with the children, passing out beads to other children, their families, and staff, ultimately finishing in the lobby of the hospital.
Several members were then taken upstairs by staff to visit the kids who couldn't come out of their room because of risk of exposing them to infection, including the brave young man, Sam. He was confined to his room, with pretty much only a TV to keep him company. By the time Vader came through the door, his eyes were as big as saucers. We talked about his love of Star Wars and I believe we made his day as much as he made ours.
Definitely the most meaningful troop I've ever had the pleasure of attending.
With Unquestioned Loyalty,
David White
TK-8453 "niugnep"
Imperial Attaché
What Other Props Do You Make or Collect?
A nice thread with some very cool props, click here.
Harlem Shake
Well it's one of those things, you either love it or hate it but here are a couple of examples here and here.
Stormtroopers in Disguises
With being crispy clean and white we do tend to stick out in a crowd, so here are a few attempts to blend in.
30th Anniversary of ROTJ is This Year
Big year for you ROTJ Stormtroopers! Maybe we can get a few of you together for a shoot. For those of you who don't know of the massive differences in the armor have a look here.
With Unquestioned Loyalty,
Glen Rhodes
TK-85421 "gmrhodes13"
Imperial Attaché
Don't Forget We're on Facebook and Twitter!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/whitearmor
Now with "tip of the week" and other ongoing discussions. If you're on FB, stop by and say hi, ask questions, and share stories!
Twitter: www.twitter.com/FISD501st or @FISD501st
To find out what the Emperor's dancers are up to at any given moment, follow FISD on Twitter!
With Questioned Sanity er Unquestioned Loyalty,
Ingrid Moon
TK-6818 “LadyInWhiteâ€
Executive Officer
On behalf of the 1st Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment Command Staff.
End Transmission.
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