ED209

I think it looks better than before, but I'd thin down what's still on there (especially around the mic tips). The weathering looks more like some liquids dripped onto the helmet and then dried. If you can't thin the paints and further, then I'd say give it a really light dusting with some white spray paint, or better yet, use an airbrush. Just tape off the areas that you don't want to get paint on, like the tube stripes and trapazoids, and then remove the parts that can be taken off (brow trim, lenses, mic tips). I think you'll find the helmet will then look more weathered, as opposed to dirty.

Kind of like Madonna?

Those were only designed for the femtroopers...apparently it gives them more pleasure.

I agree with what's already been said. Your armor looks excellent as is. The first time I ever came across some of the 501st guys, there were a handful that were taller than me, and I'm 6'0". I think the taller troopers look more intimidating myself. Of course, it would look funny if they had a 5'6" Vader, but he was either as tall, or a bit taller than them. Last thing I paid attention to that day was the accuracy of either helmets or armor. I just wanted in.

Looks like I might have to be puttin' THIS in the garage for a while.

And here's the finished helmet.... New mic tips, brow trim. Now for some sound.

I'm still fairly new to all this, but after reading all these comments both here and on FISD, I felt I should give my .02. Back when I was a kid, I saw Star Wars for the first time and instantly was amazed by the Stormtroopers in the opening scenes. They had the coolest costumes I'd ever seen. Years later, I still loved the costume and always dreamt that it would be so cool to own one, but never thought it'd be possible. Then, I saw the parody film called "Troops", which resparked my interest. After reading up on the production though, I learned that each player in the film made their own armor, so again I figured I was out of luck. I pretty much gave up on the idea. Not long ago though, I saw members from the 501st doing a promotion where I work. I was so excited to see a costume up close, that I stopped my car and got out to shoot some photos. While doing so, I talked to some of the guys and learned about the various kits that were out there. That started the hunt. Halloween came not too long after and I found a Rubies helmet at a costume shop, so I bought it for $30. For me, it was a first step in putting some armor together. Now, at the time I was married and had kids. Money was tight, so I couldn't justify spending over $1,000 on simply a costume; my wife would've killed me. I found one guy though that had an FX kit for a little over $500, so I did some photoshoots on the side and earned enough to buy it (it of course stayed hidden in its box in a closet for almost a year for fear of "The Wrath"). When I looked at the helmet, I was in awe by its detail and thought it looked far better than the rubies helmet. I thought I was set, but after finding THIS site, I learned WAY more than I ever thought I would about helmets and armor. I looked at all the variations and decided that I in fact wanted a more accurate helmet, but again money was concern since at this point, I was moving out and looking at a divorce (Good news is, I finally got to start putting the armor together. "Well, see ya' honey...gotta' run" ). Fast forward a bit to the present, and now, I finally have new, accurate helmet. Love it, think it's the best. Can't wait to finally put everything together and get out there. You'd be amazed at how much I got it for too! With all that said, I'd like for the die-hard troops out there to keep in mind that not everybody is as passionate about screen accuracy as you might be. When I look at the photos I took of the 501st guys now, I realize that they were ALL wearing FX helmets. It didn't matter to me though, because I, being uninformed, still thought they looked amazing. So did the hundreds of bystanders that kept wanting to take photos with them. I love the fact that there are more accurate pieces out there. Doesn't mean that I'm going to throw down $1200 for a single helmet though. I also admire the way some of you guys shoot for complete accuracy (Mike and Seth come to mind) in your own armor. It gives me something to shoot for, but I'll still be happy with what I got and make look as close to accurate as possible, while still maintaining my budget. In all honesty, if the 501st required 100% accurate, costly armor, I never would've bothered with all this. I would've given up and just admired from the sidelines. Kids and fans out there don't care if it's FX, or Don Post, or Rubies, or TE, or whatever. Aren't THEY what's most important about this group? I can see it if Lucasfilm is doing a promotion and wants highly accurate armor for it, but for the general masses...I say live and let live. Don't kill the dream by making it about "fitting in". Star Wars is for everybody, that's why its costumes still have an impact even after 30 years.

Great job! They look amazing. ...but the REAL question is, how do they look on the Spiderman costume? I think it'll clash.

Just waitin' on Stomper to do his run of tips with speakers built in.

So much for the FX helmet. Here's my new one, with the same weathering as the FX, and then a little more. What'ja think?...

Go for broke, get muddy.

I felt the same way about my helmet. I first used some black pastel and dusted it on, then added some burnt umber oil paint that was watered down in turpentine. It looked good, but pretty faint in good light. I was really reluctant to add more, but after looking at some of the work on this site, I decided to go for it and get muddy. I went to Michael's Arts & Crafts store to look for Fuller's Earth, but they didn't have it. On a whim, I decided to try an acrylic paint called DELTA CERAMCOAT. They had a color called "Trail Tan", so I figured that'd be a good place to start. It washes off with water and soap, so that helped. Anyway, this is how it turned out... I used the same technique (sponging it on, then wiping it off) and was really happy with the results. Just food for thought. Here's a link to what my original helmet looked like by the way... http://www.mepd.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3346 And here's a link to Michael's Crafts and the paint I used. Best part, it only cost about $2.40 for the bottle. http://www.michaels.com/art/online/disp ... channelid= ...now if I could only get my hands on some brow trim.

Oh yeah, and if there's some unforseeable environmental event - such as rain, mud, or Jose clearing the lawn with a leaf blower - we don't run away screaming like little girls.

Bet you can't name any of the actors that played Stormtroopers. I mean, what would you say if you were one of them..."Hey that's me..no wait...third row...no, that wasn't it...no, no, toward the left...aww crap, they're running now. Rewind it..."

That wasn't an "official" Simpsons intro, was it? It would seem that's why he apologizes to both Lucas and Groenig at the end of it. Regardless, it's still well done. I'd love to see someone do an anime film using the characters.

Which gray is best to use?

Ooh, I could use some as well. I'll write you.

Awesome job! Love the effect you achieved here.

Looks flippin' SWEET! (God I hate you thin guys that make these outfits look so good)

They have a lot over at this outlet. I could pick some up if anyone's interested.

The paint sticks just fine, although I can imagine it'll start cracking in time. Keep in mind that this was a rush job, which I did just before a Halloween party. I still have to line the edges with a sharpie to get rid of the paint drip, but these images will give you an idea of how they look. I looked at the box, and they're actually called Skecher's "Traffic - Citation" boots.

By the way, they were VERY comfortable.

I found a pair of these Skechers ankle boots at a shoe outlet near my house. They were only $39.00, and I needed something for Halloween, so I bought them and painted them white with Testors flat white spray paint. I thought they were a good alternative, even though they're not 100% accurate. What do you guys think? http://www.skechers.com/catalog/browse. ... Code=76727

Ok, so I'm just trying out the weathering on this and would like to hear some thoughts on what I've got so far. There seems to be a fine balance between too much, and too little to get just the right effect from the films. What do you guys think? Add more? As is? Or Start over? This is an FX bucket by the way. I'm ordering an RT-Mod soon.

Where's the best place to start fitting this piece? I'm noticing that if I start fitting it around my wrist area first, I get a lot of pinching on the other end, near the elbow (interior side, or anticubita fossa for my paramedic friends out there). If I slide it up closer to the elbow though, it seems like I'm gonna' have big gap between the wrist and the hand armor.