Cricket's RS Stunt Build (for the Vertically Challenged)

[Gwithian]

That's awesome Christine , what a beautiful place to be surveying on behalf of the Empire

 

 

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[Cricket[TK]]

We only went to one day of SWCO (Saturday), and we wished that we had purchased an additional day to see everything!  There was so much going on, and just not enough time to do and see it all in just a day.  Lesson learned for 2019!

At any rate, this event was my very first extended trooping experience.  I was in my armor for almost 5 hours!  Once I took it off, it felt sooooo good to sit down.  It's not that I can't sit in my kit, it just that there was never an opportunity to rest.  The convention center is ONE MILE from one end to the other.  I walked that length at least four times looking for stuff (don't get me started on how disorganized this convention was!).  Too bad I couldn't get cell reception inside, because I would have scored some serious points on Pokemon Go.

 

Armor Report and Review:

My magnetic shins performed perfectly!  They locked on and stayed locked.  Never had a single problem with the shins coming apart.  I can confidently recommend this kind of closure if you're looking for a clean closure alternative to velcro or bra hooks.

 

My velcro securing method for the rubber glove cuffs inside the forearms worked perfectly as well!  The velcro and cuffs stayed put the entire time.  

 

No armor bites of any kind.  Review of my armor afterwords showed no cracks in any areas.  Woo!

 

I have 2 inch lifts in my boots, and they were surprisingly comfortable.  My feet never ached- it was my lower back that was killing me afterwords!

 

I found that it was more comfortable to walk around with my bucket on than off.  After walking a bit with my helmet off, I was really getting tired of carrying my lid, and very hot as well.  I was surprised to find that the circulation of the air by my fans worked to cool off my face nicely, which made me feel cooler overall.  Didn't expect that!

 

Still having issues with getting my blaster in and out of the holster without some assistance.  I've got to practice getting that down.

Okay, so pics!

 

Patrolling the convention.

 

 

Found these rebels, but they escaped.  I can't run in this thing!

 

 

Heeeeyyy!!!

 

Can someone tell me who the half naked guy is in this pic and what his story is?  Too funny!

 

 

Do I look happy or what?!

 

I really like this one.  Very celebratory.

 

 

And another group shot.  Hey, Pretzel, nice legs!  haha....

[fragarock[TK]]

Oh man, that moving walkway looked treacherous.

 

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[Cricket[TK]]

Oh man, that moving walkway looked treacherous.

 

 

Oh, the moving walkway was easy compared to the escalators!  

[68Brick[TK]]

Nice job & Great Pics! It's neat to see folks from my Garrison in your pics! 

[Addertime[TK]]

We only went to one day of SWCO (Saturday), and we wished that we had purchased an additional day to see everything!  There was so much going on, and just not enough time to do and see it all in just a day.  Lesson learned for 2019!

 

 

 

I looked and looked but never caught up with you! I'm 5th row from the top right in the center of the FISD shot. 

[Cricket[TK]]

I looked and looked but never caught up with you! I'm 5th row from the top right in the center of the FISD shot. 

 

It was crazy there.  I was standing right next to Daetrin (Paul) and Dark CMF (Tim) in the pics and had no idea...  so we never met!  I thought about yelling, "Hey, I'm Cricket! Who knows me?!" while in the crowd, but decided against looking like a madwoman in the crowd.  I didn't think anyone would be able to hear me anyhow.

 

So are you the one with the balaclava above Saddam Hussein?  (sorry, but yes, that guy looks like him in this pic)

[Daetrin[Admin]]

And here Tim & I were wondering "Where is Cricket?". We were looking for you everywhere...

 

One thing I'm very happy about is that we let everyone with a racer shirt in the photo, which is a break from the past. Also, I think it fitting that Tony & Andrew are in the front. Those two gentlemen have been the castles (foundation) of the EI program for so long.

[Gwithian]

Looks like you all had an awsome time , great pictures Christine

[Gwithian]

Looks like you all had an awsome time , great pictures Christine

[Addertime[TK]]

It was crazy there.  I was standing right next to Daetrin (Paul) and Dark CMF (Tim) in the pics and had no idea...  so we never met!  I thought about yelling, "Hey, I'm Cricket! Who knows me?!" while in the crowd, but decided against looking like a madwoman in the crowd.  I didn't think anyone would be able to hear me anyhow.

 

So are you the one with the balaclava above Saddam Hussein?  (sorry, but yes, that guy looks like him in this pic)

 

Yeah, my face is half obscured in this photo.

[Artshot]

Great photos, looks like a good time was had by all.......one day I really need to get my armour finished and join the fun

[Jaltrooper]

Awesome Pics Christine!!!

 

How DARE my RVP have me go on a "Regional Sales Meeting" the week of SWC...I am still getting over the fact that I missed it. 

 

I assure you...I was there in spirit! And it is AWESOME to see all the pics! So thanks a bunch!

 

P.S. I laughed very hard at the "area secure" pics! Classic! Made my day!

 

Nicely done!

 

BTW, have the magnets to do the change-over on the shins...and now, will add your awesome idea for the gloves! 

 

Nicely done (as usual!!!) 

 

Jon

[RebelBassPlayer]

I've been following your build thread from its beginning.  It's been both a help and inspiration.  Being a bit vertically challenged myself, I really appreciate the meticulous effort in sharing what you went through while building your armor.  I'm on the cusp of starting building my ATA kit and have logged several of your tricks and tips for use.  So, thanks and congrats and good luck on your hero build.

[Cricket[TK]]

Hey Troopers, 

 

Been busy lately with out of town family staying with us and all.  Oh, and I've got two- yes TWO- troops under my ammo belt now.  I'll be posting pics of those events in a separate log here in the FISD soon.  Trooping.  So. Much. FUN!

 

In the meantime, this arrived for me in the mail today, and it's worth mentioning because it kind of caps off this build.  Behold!  My official 501st name badges!

[Cricket[TK]]

My troop logs can be found here.  

[Cricket[TK]]

Oh, and another notable milestone since I began my TK journey here in the FISD...  check out my Active Posts number:

 

Woo!  

[Addertime[TK]]

Oh, and another notable milestone since I began my TK journey here in the FISD...  check out my Active Posts number:

 

 

Woo!  

 Per day, huh? Nice. Wish I had that kind of time. 

Edited June 11, 2017 by Addertime

[TheSwede[TK]]

This thread should be pinned! As I stated earlier there are some great advises here, both from you (obviously) and others that will help many builders in sizing and building their armor <br><br>

And on a sidenote, sorry for hijacking your thread but do I qualify for your next Hallloween?<br><br><img src="http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/dannemelin/IMG_20170625_190949_zpsyvtile56.jpg"alt="IMG_20170625_190949_zpsyvtile56.jpg"><br>

Edited June 26, 2017 by jedha-trooper

[Cricket[TK]]

This thread should be pinned! As I stated earlier there are some great advises here, both from you (obviously) and others that will help many builders in sizing and building their armor <br>

 

Thanks for that vote of confidence, Daniel!  I sure hope that I've been able to help others who want to wear the white armor, but thought they were too short to pull it off.  Never too short to be a stormtrooper!  

 

 

 

And on a sidenote, sorry for hijacking your thread but do I qualify for your next Hallloween? 

 

Oh, hell yeah!!!!!    Love it!

[TheSwede[TK]]

Thanks for that vote of confidence, Daniel!  I sure hope that I've been able to help others who want to wear the white armor, but thought they were too short to pull it off.  Never too short to be a stormtrooper!

 

I´m sure you have and I`m really surprised it`s not pinned already and that`s not me trying to sweet-talk you   I hade read many builds and this one more than deserves to be pinned!    

 

 

 

Oh, hell yeah!!!!!    Love it!

 

And...great! because I wont take no for an anwser!!!

[Cricket[TK]]

After four troops, I'm still having trouble getting along with my holster.  I'm hoping that someone can offer some suggestions because I can't seem to find help when I use the "Search" function here.  

 

I like to carry my blaster when trooping.  It's fun when I get to surprise kids when I trigger it and it goes "pewpewpew!" and lights up.  The kids love it.  Anyhow, even though it's relatively light  (about 2 lbs), my arm begins to ache after holding it for an hour.  I haven't been able to successfully holster my blaster while in armor because the holster is super snug on my blaster.  If a handler is close, I can ask for their help, which is always a good option.  But once it's holstered, I have a difficult time getting the dang blaster out of it.  Which requires me to find a handler again.  Most of the time, I end up toughing out the aches in my arm and switch arms.  My dream would be to be able to holster and remove my blaster on the fly without any assistance, though.

 

I've tried the plastic bag method, where you wrap your blaster in a bag and put that into the holster for 48 hours.  It's supposed to stretch the holster a bit.  But that hasn't worked at all.  I've now put the blaster into the Ziploc bag and wrapped the bag in wax paper (put all of that into the holster) and waiting another 48 hours to see if that helps.  I'm not optimistic, though.

I've considered purchasing holster lubricant, but I don't know how well it will work.  Does anyone have some tried-and-true tips that will work for making the e-11 easier to insert and remove from the holster while in full armor?  Thanks, troopers!

Edited July 13, 2017 by Cricket
clarity

[Addertime[TK]]

4 hours ago, Cricket said:

After four troops, I'm still having trouble getting along with my holster.  I'm hoping that someone can offer some suggestions because I can't seem to find help when I use the "Search" function here.  

 

I like to carry my blaster when trooping.  It's fun when I get to surprise kids when I trigger it and it goes "pewpewpew!" and lights up.  The kids love it.  Anyhow, even though it's relatively light  (about 2 lbs), my arm begins to ache after holding it for an hour.  I haven't been able to successfully holster my blaster while in armor because the holster is super snug on my blaster.  If a handler is close, I can ask for their help, which is always a good option.  But once it's holstered, I have a difficult time getting the dang blaster out of it.  Which requires me to find a handler again.  Most of the time, I end up toughing out the aches in my arm and switch arms.  My dream would be to be able to holster and remove my blaster on the fly without any assistance, though.

 

I've tried the plastic bag method, where you wrap your blaster in a bag and put that into the holster for 48 hours.  It's supposed to stretch the holster a bit.  But that hasn't worked at all.  I've now put the blaster into the Ziploc bag and wrapped the bag in wax paper (put all of that into the holster) and waiting another 48 hours to see if that helps.  I'm not optimistic, though.

I've considered purchasing holster lubricant, but I don't know how well it will work.  Does anyone have some tried-and-true tips that will work for making the e-11 easier to insert and remove from the holster while in full armor?  Thanks, troopers!

 

Wet it. And I mean really wet it. Then crush it in your hands. Roll it into a tube in both directions. You will be surprised at how soft and malleable it becomes after just a few minutes of working it (don't worry, it'll stiffen back up when it dries). Then put your blaster in it and let it dry overnight. You'll find that it fits really well after that. 

As far as holstering the weapon while in armor... it still takes some effort and it often takes a second hand to help, either yours or someone else's. 

[A.J. Hamler[TK]]

Good advice, Michael.  I do Civil War reenacting, and that's the same technique I used on the holsters for my 1861 Colt revolvers.  

 

Cricket -- You haven't said what your blaster's made of, but no matter what it is be sure to bag it in plastic when inserting it into the wet holster.

 

A.J.

[Cricket[TK]]

Thanks Michael and A.J. for those holster tips!  

 

I don't know why, but it was kind of scary to soak my holster!  I really had to work up the courage to do it.  Once I soaked the holster, I double bagged my blaster (using my Hasbro e-11, which is slightly larger than the Hyperfirm), and shoved it in there.  I let it dry for two days next to an air conditioning vent.

And it worked brilliantly!  It's an 8 oz. leather, so it's fairly rigid and holds the shape nicely.  I can easily put the blaster in the holster- and remove it!- without any struggle at all now.  

 

I'm sure that someone out there will protest and say, "But now someone can easily steal your blaster without your knowledge!".  Yeah, and someone could steal my TD as well, too, and I'd never know (recalling when a Jawa swiped my TD on my very first troop!).  My blaster stays in my hands most of the time while trooping (because it's a flippin' cool prop!).  I only need to holster my blaster for a few minutes at a time just to give my arm a rest.  Typically, that would be during troop breaks (no public there), or when on group standby (where we're still in public, but kept away from the masses while we wait to emerge like the bad-a$$ troopers that we are).  I like knowing that I can quickly- and easily- holster the blaster while fully kitted up now without any help.  Woo!