dashrazor

this is going to be a bit on the..well disgusting side, so if you don't want to be grossed out please do not read or look at this post to make it easier to define the different variations of zombies i am breaking them out in the various stages of decomposition. while the armor is a critical part of the death trooper costume, knowing a little about basic Zombology (zombie biology) will help creating the gruesome look you desire.. after all, its whats on the inside that counts Here are five basic stages of decomposition: Stage 1: Initial Decay (The "Fresh Stage") The blood "pools" in the low spots, causing the skin in those areas to look like a big purple bruise (livor mortis, or hypostasis). The rest of the skin, deprived of fresh blood, takes on that attractive deathly pallor. example: Stage 2: Putrefaction (The "Bloat Stage".. gross, eh?) To add to the zombie effect, the gas and bacteria cause a greenish discoloration of the skin, starting in the abdomen and gradually tinting the rest of the body. The gas builds up in the body, and hence we get the term "Bloat Stage". The abdomen becomes distended, the eyes may bug out, the tongue may protrude, and as the cells break down further and the pressure grows, the fluids within the body will begin to seep from its openings. example: Stage 3: Black Putrefaction (The "Eww, ICK!!!" Stage) They smell bad. Really bad. They leak all over the place. The soft tissues have been liquified by bacterial digestion. The skin is gooey. The body cavities have collapsed and the skin is not only gooey, but loose -- so loose that if you grab it too hard, the upper epidermis comes off in sheets. (This is known as "skin slip". All together now: "Eww, ICK!!") If the corpse has been exposed to insects, it's could even be writhing with maggots. The gases are pushing what's left of the internal organs out along with all the fluids. The hair is loose, and if you jiggle the nails and teeth, they come out pretty easily, too. example: Stage 4: Butyric Stage ("The Fermentation Stage")also know as “Saponification†This is the stage of hydrolysis of body Fat, the corpse starts to emanate a cheese like aroma. This happens as the adipose or fatty tissue enters a adipocere phase. for example, the conversion of the fat of a corpse into adipocere, produces glycerol often called "grave wax." This Glicerol has been know to actually cure and preserve the wood of the coffins. Making it some of the best “natural†wood protector around. Through archeological digs, wooden coffins that were made as early as 1750 have been preserved with virtually no decay!!!!! It's a nice way to say "rotting", and not quite as smelly as before, unless you really, really hate cheese. example: Stage 5: Dry Decay ("The Skeletal Stage") This should be fairly obvious. Any skin left on the corpse hangs in brittle tatters, and there's not much there except the bones. Depending on the conditions, bones can take years -- or centuries -- to decompose. (think mummification) example: lastly here are some examples of what i feel are not zombies just adding fake blood and "acting the part" is not a good example of a zombie MMMMMM Mc'brains..... this is making me hungry while this person has done a super job on the gory makeup, there is nothing that "screams" zombie (yep another pun)... he could easily pass as a person who has a serous head injury there are just too many kinds of zombies to count, but breaking them down into classes should be helpful when it comes time to become a death trooper. here is a great list of zombie movies that could be useful for ideas http://www.thewalkin...ombiemovies.htm

if your going for EIB i wouldn't suggest using decals for the frown.. do you know the make of the helmet? or can you supply photos? and yes you do want to cut out the teeth (not only for looks but it helps with breathing) but frown mesh is not mandatory for 501st EIB or Centurion standards

nice job! love the paint job/weathering.. all you really need to add the door trim and go EIB as for the flamethrower, its really hard to tell at this point of the construction if it will be acceptable, but it looks like your off to a good start..

Jar-B-Q

the main page is undergoing maintenance.. if you need to check the CRL it is also posted HERE

i was thinking of calling it a kashyyyk commander. it looks like a cross between a clone commander and kashyyyk trooper

i just found this interesting clone/TK hybrid photo from The Force Unleashed PSP version.. im going to have to locate some better screens but it looks pretty cool with the blue 501st markings and some have a backpack and pauldron/ammo pouches . the graphics aren't very good on the PSP but examining these screenshots it seems to be a mix of the TKC,HWT and kashyyyk stormtroopers

love it

the chew-BBQ-ers

any progress on the photos?

the requirements are still up HERE looking forward to your EI application

great progress!

congrats!!

"I shouldnt have to mod or replace it. Paul and my costume should be considered references." > not really my call, but after looking at the photos i would say they are a great starting point but to me personally they aren't what a deathtrooper should look like, not trying to bash your armor by any means that's not my intention at all.. it's just my honest opinion as a zombie movie enthusiast and a armor builder "I bought a GG style death troopers helmet from a trooper on here" > Eddie, you do know it was me that made that helmet ? love what you did with the paint job BTW!!

back on topic now. this was my idea for my next project.. take a Zombie Ground Breaker Mask (cost about 40$) http://www.opentip.c...-p-1427269.html and cut off the flesh parts that are hidden under the armor to use on other sections of the costume (like arm damage ext..) in the rough mockup it looks like there will be tons of extra rotted flesh to play with

i know there are several different types of Zombies (fresh and rotted),, but that is not the question..anybody that is a fan of zombie flicks knows this.. i also have seen my fare share of real dead bodies working at a hospital for many years.. i even got to hold a real brain during an autopsy but they were not the living dead.. the question is what the legion is going to recognize as a zombie stormtrooper. and i disagree about the bottom photo yes the girl is acting like a zombie but if she were not doing that she would just look like a bloody person.. would one say the photo on the right is of zombies? well they look like they might be zombies but were just in a unfortunate shamwow incident the same principal applies to this costume. i think you should be recognizable as a zombie no matter how you are acting.. (like the zombie in the post above drinking water) one could argue that the Rubies stormtrooper costume is a good likeness of a stormtrooper and should be fine for trooping, but that would never get it legion approved as far as not wanting to mod or replace your armor.. that is a big part of the costuming hobby.. i am currently getting a new costume approved and it was not cheap or easy by any means. it take time money and more importantly .. a whole lot of research i say if you have the helmet, why not go the whole way??? but as of right now there is no 100% approved CRL and even when it is approved it will likely be changed as new issues or new reference materials arise..

here are some rough guesstimates i made on the dimensions.. hope this helps.. but the "exact" measurements are not critical as long as it looks similar to the screen-caps and the paint job is consistent.. a lot just needs to be eyeballed chest (measurements are roughly the same on the back) e.

where blood might be ok in some instances in my opinion it alone does not make one appear undead. take the photos below on the far left the two people simply put on fake blood and act like a zombie (acting the part is only part of the costume).. but couldn't they also also pass as a person that just got in a fist fight? the pics just to the right are obviously zombies with rotting flesh and clotted blood.. and the right side of the photo shows comparisons of good VS bad zombie masks. the ones marked in green i would defiantly say are undead zombies ,but the other 2 are well.... being sold as zombie masks but really don't look like zombies to me. IMO when it comes to making a death trooper these kind of things are to be considered.. does just adding blood to cracked armor make one a deathtrooper? in my opinion NO.. busted up armor and fake blood could have just as easily been a result of a conflict with a angry wookie it does not in any way give the illusion of being undead.. is it scary?,, yea,, is it gory?,, yep,, good for Halloween?,, sure thing... good for 501st standards? myself i don't think so.. but that's only my opinion

i haven't finished the book yet but i have always had a thing for zombies but i did read somewhere that dead tissue could become infected by the Blackwing Virus, wasn't the virus also able to infect plant life? i thought only the weaponized version of the virus was airborne?

Tips for making a 501st Acceptable Death Trooper 1: want to be a death trooper? first imagine the image of who your stormtrooper was before death.. try to keep in mind that the person inside the armor is now a zombie. by simply applying fake blood to beat up armor you will look more like a badly injured stormtrooper than a zombie. so before cutting up that helmet and armor take a bit of time to plan your build. 2. How did your stormtrooper die? Were they shot by blaster fire? Stabbed? Beaten? or all of the above? This is the first layer of putting down your Death Trooper. Every zombie had a moment of death, possibly brutal but it doesn’t have to be. If appropriate, your zombie can have death wounds (such as blaster damage). The older the wound the darker and drier the blood. imagining the way the trooper died will help greatly with adding damage and gore to your armor. 3. How long ago did your Stormtrooper die? There is a huge difference between a day old zombie and a year old zombie. Bodies decay, discolor, the flesh on the face and torso sinks and sags. Mold can grow, armor will yellow and paint will chip. There is definitely a lot to work with there. A fresh zombie might have only a deathly pallor where a more aged zombie might have mold and fungus growing (think Beetlejuice), or a mottled texture to the skin . If your zombie was killed a while ago you are going to have almost mummified skin and very little (or no) original glossy white armor color. 4. What has your zombie been doing lately? Been eating brains? Just been shuffling along? Been involved in a limb-hacking zombie apocalypse? Sell it. Be specific. Less is more and zombies are one of the easiest costumes to really do well or to really do poorly. acting the part is just as important as appearance. What to avoid 1. Don’t just put blood all over everything. I can’t think of a lot of situations where someone, even a zombie, would managed to get blood over their entire head Carrie-style, and poured down over their armor. also you dont want to drip all over the place... time to call the carpet cleaners!!! 2. if you do use blood effects use good blood products or paint that fully dries. Commercial blood products sold in novelty stores often have a pink hue that looks nothing like blood , they can also rub off on your fellow non zombie troopers or your surroundings. if a zombie is an animated human corpse, they'd have red blood. Although blood gets darker when it coagulates (very soon after death), so it might be very dark red or nearly-black, depending on age. An old corpse might not have any liquid blood of any color. very dark blood (almost black or brown) will look a lot more realistic than fire engine red.. 3. This is not Green Trooper Group. It’s not Red Trooper Group either. Be really selective with the colors you use. A gray/brown color is probably going to give you the best results as a base. Using a base color that is a tinge green, yellow or even blue is not bad, but stay away from bright colors for the base (you aren't a ninja turtle). As you are applying the color, if it looks weird to you it probably looks weird to everyone else. Remember that less is more. Use the paint to give your armor a tinge of color, not to completely replace the natural color of your armor (some white is OK), but the armor should not be bright glossy white. This has a few advantages, it allows for your natural highlight/shadow contours to show through and it gives you a more realistic look. 4. If your exposed face is a zombie, your neck and hands are too. Any exposed skin needs to match the skin tone that you put on your face or the illusion is instantly broken. any exposed flesh should appear decayed or mummified consistently throughout the costume. 5. Latex and other 3D makeup elements. Latex can make for some fantastic zombie effects. However, it’s definitely not something to try for the first time the day of. Get your bottle of latex, watch some youtube videos, and practice well in advance. There are some great techniques you can do with toilet paper, cornmeal, oatmeal, and other items that I wont go into but are easily found through a google search. also prosthetics and masks would be a practical means on getting that zombie look without the use of makeup. 6. Respect the blood paths. Blood is a liquid and runs according to movement and gravity. Make sure you take the time to respect those natural paths, otherwise your death trooper will look disjointed and unrealistic. avoid any patterns as well (like zebra stripes or leopard spots) and again remember Less is more (i know,,, i say this too much ) In the end, planning and executing a great deathtrooper costume is more about your thought process than your ability to spend a lot of money or know a bunch of advanced makeup and painting techniques. Even still, there are a TON of terrible zombie costumes out there. So if you’re going to be a death trooper, be a good one, and please, for the sake of all things theatrical, eat the bad zombies, according to their makeup, they’re not actually dead!

sweet!!! looks fantastic Brian

the CRL draft has been done for a while and just needs a bit of fine tuning.. it will be posted shortly

more game reference

gentile giant references SWG game refrences