The Modded Hasbro Toy Blater

[TK8280]

I think Kahler's blaster is exactly the example I'm talking about when I said a conversion can be made to look good.

 

Now, I know I am feeding the fire here, but I am passionate about accurracy... I know his toy blaster looks "good", but thats just it, it just looks "good"...not movie accurate, but is that a realistic bar to set for a Mark IV/Elite trooper? I know this is to help fellow 501st members with their TK's but as was said before, the elite ANH's should be uniform with the same blaster

 

Now, I now that the majority of people on this forum are not going to get rid of their Toy blasters, but what I am saying is that they are fine for regular troops, everytime we explain our so called "Elite" requirements to new 501st hopefuls/forum members we say that you don't need to meet the elite standards to gain entrance into the 501st, which states it right there, that the "elite" standards are far beyond what the 501st requires, we have control over our elte standards, why do we have to cut corners with the toy blaster, if you all have spent X amount of $$$ and time bringing your armor up to par with the elite standards, why can't you spend X amount of $$$ and time buying or making a more correct blaster? This is what I don't understand, but like Paul said in a perfect world of TK's the FX set of armor wouldn't exist

[Kahler TK-8029]

Now, I know I am feding the fire here, but I am passionate about accurracy... I know his toy blaster looks "good", but thats just it, it just looks "good"...not movie accurate, but is that a realistic bar to set for a Mark IV/Elite trooper?

 

I couldn't agree more. While I like my Hasbro for trooping, I've never really cared for some things about it such as the front sight etc. Even though it's the same blaster I started with, I'm actually on version three. LOL!!! I've reworked the thing three times now, and in the time I've spent on it, I could've scratch built three blasters.

I'm planning on putting more effort into my MR E-11, until I can afford to do a full rebuild of a deactivated Sterling (check this out... http://www.ima-usa.com/product_info.php/products_id/1569 ). That's the level of screen accuracy I'd like to achieve myself. Although it would be more for display than it would be for trooping. It's the weight issue again. LOL!!!

I guess at some point I'll have to break down, and just buy a resin blaster too.

[Apollo]

If you want another good example from other boards' standards; I'll build on what Paul said. The MEPD will accept a cushman MG-34 for deployment. Many people do not like that, but it still works. Also, they accept weapons that have not been modded at all. So many MG-34s that aren't DLT-19s and Lewis guns that aren' T-21s. No one is going to say that MEPD doesn't have high enough standards even with those leniencies (not to mention the pack).

[Daetrin[Admin]]

The Elite standards can always be changed by vote of the detachment membership. I'd like to suggest that this not happen too often, or that they go down, only up.

 

But if the poll doesn't pan out the way you want...you should be OK with that too.

[TK8280]

The Elite standards can always be changed by vote of the detachment membership. I'd like to suggest that this not happen too often, or that they go down, only up.

 

But if the poll doesn't pan out the way you want...you should be OK with that too.

 

 

No! I will NEVER be OK with this standard Paul! JK Like I said if its what the majority want then the FISD is not ready for it yet, and I'm good with that

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Understood. I hated the name "Mark" too. Man, am glad to see that fade away.

[WhiteCommando[501st]]

I am a proud supporter of Cushman. He has tried to raise the bar recently. I have made a comparison sheet to list the ways they are different and similar. I also included pricing and delivery timing. Sci-Fire has the worst delivery reputation in this area of prop sales HANDS DOWN. And, I have seen threads started by Sci-Fire guys calling Cushmans trash and describing them in derogatory ways. AND, Sci-Fire made threats to me that they were going to report me to the 501st.

 

I wish they would because the 501st would laugh at them.

 

Here is a side by side fact sheet for those wanting to look at the new Cushman MG-34s coming out right now compared to a Sci-Fire coming out sometime maybe in the future if you know the right guy to buy from...

 

 

And for the nay-sayers talking about low resolution pics on Cushman's web site. Here is a 2582 pixel wide image...

 

http://www.clone-empire.com/MG34/BigMGmark2.jpg

 

Also worth mentioning on this topic (by a friend from this forum)...

 

1) Both the Sci-Fire AND Cushman can be dropped from a height of 4'-5' feet and both will survive the drop.

2) Both have a seam, but you can actually file down/doctor the Cushman seam.

3) Weight. The SciFire is very light compared to a scratch built or resin, but will still be heavier than the Cushman.

 

Overall, you don't cry like a baby if someone steals/damages your Cushman. Also, Cushman is always available. With SciFire, you have to just wait until one comes out of the woodwork. Cushman communication is excellent AND he refunds those who can't seem to glue 5-6 plastic parts together. If a person can build a TK suit, building a Cushman is a cakewalk. I built a DC-15 last night since it was just sitting there.

 

I am tired of all the anti-Cushman stuff. If he were to get pissed, and stop selling to us... we would be doomed to having to shuck out $450 for Hyperfirm (and wait), or spend 20-30 hours scratch building one. Frankly, if I did not have a Cushman as an option... I would scratchbuild before going Sci-Fire. And, if you have the time and skills, scratchbuilding is a great way to go... but people make MG-34 scratchbuilds that are ranging from fantastic to terrible.

 

There you go. I am ready for my pants to be on fire.

 

Johnny

 

If you want another good example from other boards' standards; I'll build on what Paul said. The MEPD will accept a cushman MG-34 for deployment. Many people do not like that, but it still works. Also, they accept weapons that have not been modded at all. So many MG-34s that aren't DLT-19s and Lewis guns that aren' T-21s. No one is going to say that MEPD doesn't have high enough standards even with those leniencies (not to mention the pack).

[Daetrin[Admin]]

No flame suit necessary. That's a pretty objective response. Personally I love my hyperfirms and am perhaps lucky to deal with reputable sellers, and my experience is 100% positive. I've also been lucky enough to afford to be able to shell out the bucks for them, but I realize not everyone is in this space, so it's great to have alternatives.

[WhiteCommando[501st]]

I love my 2 DC-15s, my 2 E-11s, my 2 DLT-19s, my 2 DC-17 Star Corps side arms, and I get my DC-17 Rep Com rifle today. All bought for around $480 total!

 

I appreciate your remarks. Some people love Sci-Fire... some don't. Since they threatened me, I am a little biased. If you complain just a little too hard about their service... they will throw down with you.

 

Here is the $35 Cushman E-11...

 

 

 

Add a $10 H-counter off ebay, and you are good to go. Weighs half a pound and bounces when dropped.

 

No flame suit necessary. That's a pretty objective response. Personally I love my hyperfirms and am perhaps lucky to deal with reputable sellers, and my experience is 100% positive. I've also been lucky enough to afford to be able to shell out the bucks for them, but I realize not everyone is in this space, so it's great to have alternatives.

[Apollo]

I love cushman for all the reasons you stated John. I was making that statement based off of what I have read from the mepd boards. That's why I used it as an example. Believe me, as far as I can see all of my arsenal will be cushman made

[TK8280]

I love my 2 DC-15s, my 2 E-11s, my 2 DLT-19s, my 2 DC-17 Star Corps side arms, and I get my DC-17 Rep Com rifle today. All bought for around $480 total!

 

I appreciate your remarks. Some people love Sci-Fire... some don't. Since they threatened me, I am a little biased. If you complain just a little too hard about their service... they will throw down with you.

 

Here is the $35 Cushman E-11...

 

 

 

Add a $10 H-counter off ebay, and you are good to go. Weighs half a pound and bounces when dropped.

 

The cushman E-11 doesn't look bad, at least it is proportioned a little better than the toy, I think that the Cushman E-11 should be the minimum required for elite status, but thats just me all you would need is a bigger mag and a counter for ANH, they shouldn't cost as much as a whole hasbro mod kit

[WhiteCommando[501st]]

No problem, I just like to add that some guys just squirt some glue, and spray paint them and get OK results. These are the assemblies that the Sci-Fire team like to point out... "Look at the lack of detail" AND "I would never troop with that piece of crap" but I think the comparison shot I showed of the two 34s together says a great deal. I pointed out the obvious details, issues, PRICE, and so forth. If they want to dispute... I would be glad to discuss in depth.

 

DELIVERY and COST are the interesting issues.

 

As for a Cushman...

 

They can be made to look beautiful. I need to get pics of my DC-15 up. It looks wicked. A guy on the clone forum made a $30 greeble add-on kit that makes the DC-15 look even sweeter.

 

I just think that some of the Sci-Fire worship needs to be put into perspective.

 

I actually had a guy from the BBC give me some really nice compliments on how I put them together and got the "seams" that people tend to remark the most about... under control.

 

I use sand paper.

 

Since I weather mine light-to-moderate, I have started to omit the bondo-glaze step, and just trim away some areas that look soft. I glued, applied the spud greeblies, sanded, painted and weathered the rifle. Total combined time to assemble was between 2-3 hours.

 

Stand by for pics later today or tomorrow.

 

I love cushman for all the reasons you stated John. I was making that statement based off of what I have read from the mepd boards. That's why I used it as an example. Believe me, as far as I can see all of my arsenal will be cushman made

[ItchyNutsDesign]

I have seen some lovely Cushman and Sci-fire blasters, and some poor ones, and each should be judged on its own merits. However, they at least share the E-11 blaster as a starting point, and are at least the right shape!

 

The Kenner does not!

 

The kenner looks like it was designed by a bloke who had never seen one, just had it discribed to him, to the point where even a very well converted one (Kahler's beng a good example), still looks wrong.

 

The question isn't 'How much work/money/love?' has gone into the blaster, but 'How good a representation of a screen used blaster is it?'

 

I am also a member of the Sith Lord Detachment, and I can tell you now that there is no way in hell they would ever accept a toy lightsaber as an option, even for basic 501st approval, so why on earth would you accept it for an 'Elite' stormtrooper. I understand that the 'Elite are there to guide members to a more accurate costume, but surely this is the very reason why the Kenner should NOT be acceptable. There are plenty of tutorials and experts who would be more than happy to help members achieve their screen accurate blaster and 'guide' them to a higher level of costume accuracy.

 

It's not even a question of expense as you can put a screen accurate blaster together for under £20

 

I really don't understand this unerring loyalty people hold towards this wldly inaccurate toy gun?

 

Why would anyone use a kenner when there are so many better alternatives avaliable?

 

Light weight- Cushmans/Pipe blaster

 

Cheap- Cushmans/Pipe blaster

 

Unbreakable (nearly)- Cushmans/Hyperfirm

 

Move accurate/Realistic - Pipe blaster (especially the ones I make )

 

Displayable- MR/Pipe blaster (again, mine look nice lol...)

 

Inaccurate plastic toy (with stupid sound effects) ........... Errrrrrrr...........KENNER!

[TK8280]

It's not even a question of expense as you can put a screen accurate blaster together for under £20

 

I really don't understand this unerring loyalty people hold towards this wldly inaccurate toy gun?

 

Why would anyone use a kenner when there are so many better alternatives avaliable?

 

Light weight- Cushmans/Pipe blaster

 

Cheap- Cushmans/Pipe blaster

 

Unbreakable (nearly)- Cushmans/Hyperfirm

 

Move accurate/Realistic - Pipe blaster (especially the ones I make )

 

Displayable- MR/Pipe blaster (again, mine look nice lol...)

 

Inaccurate plastic toy (with stupid sound effects) ........... Errrrrrrr...........KENNER!

 

I think that people get the Kenner because it is convenient to get something that "sort of" resembles the original blaster rather than take the time to make there own or put out $ for a more accurate replica, I am glad that you broke down the the options for these members Justin

[TK:TK]

This thread is a great example of the value of the FISD forum.

Curse this knowledge you've all given me!....

 

Previously I would have been content with the Kenner, but now....

 

Could anyone post screen grabs of SW blasters vs. the Kenner, Hyperfirm, Pipe blaster, etc????

[Daetrin[Admin]]

I am also a member of the Sith Lord Detachment, and I can tell you now that there is no way in hell they would ever accept a toy lightsaber as an option, even for basic 501st approval, so why on earth would you accept it for an 'Elite' stormtrooper. I understand that the 'Elite are there to guide members to a more accurate costume, but surely this is the very reason why the Kenner should NOT be acceptable. There are plenty of tutorials and experts who would be more than happy to help members achieve their screen accurate blaster and 'guide' them to a higher level of costume accuracy.

 

It's because the Sith Lord detachment has been very active in pushing the accuracy bounds for quite some time, and that it's a face character. This detachment is not much more than a year old, and as there was no central body pushing it, the standards for the stormtrooper costume have not kept pace with some of the others. In fact, getting the standards tightened was one of the reasons I started this forum, so it's not like I don't have empathy for where you're coming from.

 

I'm totally open for having Kenner removed from Elite, but it's worth bearing in mind that there are tons of "out of the box" TK's in the Legion. The Elite standards as-is are quite a step up, whereas the base Vader is probably not as far away from an outstanding one.

 

I think that ditching the Kenner is certainly a long term goal, as is getting rid of FX helmets. But in the short term, I'd rather this detachment put it's efforts on getting people to what is now Elite before making Elite and even higher target.

 

(Consider there are over 1200 Legion TKs, but only 9 Elite)

[efreng]

word!

[BactaReality]

(Consider there are over 1200 Legion TKs, but only 9 Elite)

 

Well, we really can't take those numbers too serious because this is really such a new thing, and it will take some time to get the word out, and even then you're looking at a certain number of people that are perfectly content with their setup. Then you have a fairly decent amount of guys who are only a small adjustment or mod away from elite status. If we'd had an elite status rank system in place for a couple years, and the figures were 9 to 1200, then yeah, it would obviously be something that might need to be taken into consideration. Another thing I wonder is if it becomes so easy to get elite status, and required very little modification or expectation, then it certainly would'nt seem like a big enough deal to even bother for some folks. The desirability of the whole thing might be lost if the bar isnt raised, or at least it would be case for me.

[TK8280]

Well, we really can't take those numbers too serious because this is really such a new thing, and it will take some time to get the word out, and even then you're looking at a certain number of people that are perfectly content with their setup. Then you have a fairly decent amount of guys who are only a small adjustment or mod away from elite status. If we'd had an elite status rank system in place for a couple years, and the figures were 9 to 1200, then yeah, it would obviously be something that might need to be taken into consideration. Another thing I wonder is if it becomes so easy to get elite status, and required very little modification or expectation, then it certainly would'nt seem like a big enough deal to even bother for some folks. The desirability of the whole thing might be lost if the bar isnt raised, or at least it would be case for me.

Yes, that is true, what if it becomes too easy to become at least ANH elite? why not set a higher bar? Paul, you said that My ROTJ is comparable to the Bikerscout.net's Lancer status, why shouldn't the same be said for the ANH Elite? I have to use an authentic looking weapon for my ROTJ elite status, why can't ANH have those same requirements...because the Hasbro blaster would NEVER work for the ESB or the ROTJ Elite because of Hasbro's pathetic interpretation of a Hengsler counter on it ...these are just some of the items that really make me wonder bout the ANH elite status bar and where it is set

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Like I said guys - that was my opinion and you guys have some really valid points. Heck, I'm half convinced already You're certainly free to request a poll from the command staff.

 

Ed - what do you think?

[efreng]

question then..if "elite" should truely be elite..then technically anyone 5'9" below and over 6 should automatically be disqualified..any thoughts?

 

 

ef

[Daetrin[Admin]]

I think that's taking this beyond common sense.

[Apollo]

I agree that the hasbro hengstler is pretty bad, but that's one of the things that the mod kits fix. Interestingly, that's the only requirement for the ANH Elite blaster, I believe. "Blaster must have a hengstler counter" or somehting like that

[BactaReality]

I'd have to say though, that the cushman seems to be a reasonable alternative for those on a budget. It certainly looks a lot better than the toy version. The mods that'd have to be done does'nt really seam to be all that much more intensive than modding a toy blaster, from what I can tell, and for group photos, I think it would be more than adequate. The details, granted, are'nt all that sharp, but then again, there are certainly some helmets out there that while fairly accurate, are incredibly soft in detail as well. As long as the proportions are correct, I think it's a start.

 

As far as height requirements go, well, that's a whole other beast that's best left alone. I'd hate to keep someone from realizing their dream because their "build" isn't up to spec. Mark Hamill did'nt exactly fit into the height requirements either.

[ItchyNutsDesign]

It's not even a question of expense as you can put a screen accurate blaster together for under £20

 

I really don't understand this unerring loyalty people hold towards this wldly inaccurate toy gun?

 

Why would anyone use a kenner when there are so many better alternatives avaliable?

 

Light weight- Cushmans/Pipe blaster

 

Cheap- Cushmans/Pipe blaster

 

Unbreakable (nearly)- Cushmans/Hyperfirm

 

Move accurate/Realistic - Pipe blaster (especially the ones I make )

 

Displayable- MR/Pipe blaster (again, mine look nice lol...)

 

Inaccurate plastic toy (with stupid sound effects) ........... Errrrrrrr...........KENNER!

 

 

Sorry to be quoting myself, but I think a more pertinent question would be: 'Why is the Kenner even acceptable for 501st clearence, let alone Elite Stormtrooper?'

 

I think that a Kenner should be heavily modded, just to get into the 501st! It should be an absolute no-go for the Elite. Maybe then, less people would waste their money on them in the first place, and would start with a cheap but more accurate weapon (Cushmans/pipe), instead

 

An unmodded (and I don't really consider spraying it black to be moddng it), kenner should not be an option for ANY costume cleared by the 501st. I don't know how this acceptance of the toy as a valid addition to our £1000 costumes came about, but it's time it was re-evaluated.

 

As a costuming club, do we not pride ourselves on our costuming excellence? Would you be happy trooping next to an 5'6" Vader, or a Rubie's Chewbacca? No? How about something the public wouldn't spot, like a TD with ab buttons and the wrong knee plate? Or what about an ANH TK with ROTJ hand plates? They'd be asked to change them before they got 501st clearance. So why go to all that effort when you're going to then try and pass off a naff looking toy as the 'real thing'

 

I am not expecting the 501st to change policy on my say-so, but there's nothing wrong with us as costumers setting this standard for ourselves.

 

Advise noobs aganst the kenner, show them the alternatives before they waste their money and set the bar high for the Elite! Show everyone how good a squad of troopers looks with decent hardware. As the Stormtrooper forum, you reach more TK's here across the globe, than any individual garrison could. It could start here.

 

I don't know about you guys, but I felt kind of empty when I finally fnished my first costume (it was Vader), to find out that I could keep working on it, mods I could do to make it even better, was great news. For a lot of us, working on costumes is as much fun as trooping (which is why many members have more than one costume). From my point of view, seeing a truly great costume is an inspiration to get mine closer to the mark, and that should be part of the responsibility of the Elite.

 

Say NO to kenner, we're the best and it's just not good enough for us!

 

Feels better to get that out of my system for another day