JohnQTK5122

Yes, if you know how to solder, the little radio shack fans are very nice. Here are my fans with power switches (one switch for each fan): http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43 ... t=fans.jpg and my batteries (2 for each fan so they last longer): http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43 ... teries.jpg

What kind of helmet is that in the middle?

And the sandtrooper with no pauldron - what's his rank? Since he gets shot, having no pauldron must be the equivalent of wearing a red shirt but not being a regular cast member on Star Trek.

What did you use to stick the ammo feed cover box and the round washer to the gun? Where did you get your T-Track? Blastech or somewhere else?

That looks absolutely fantastic!

To prevent slippage, you could try attaching the top straps closer toward the center of the pack instead of all the way on the outsides. You could also try padded straps. I used normal straps at first, but they cut into my armpits. I switched to padded rifle slings. I'm also thinking of putting a hook on the back of my belt that might hold some of the weight of the pack. I'll hook it to the bottom frame of the pack. Modern hiking backpacks put all the weight on the padded belt around your waist rather than on your shoulder straps.

I like the beveled rubber washer solution for the disc: http://www.mepd.net/forum/viewtopic.php ... ght=washer

Nice Tropper1! It seems like you've already seen this, but in case you haven't: http://www.looksirdroids.com/replica_weapons2.html

Here is some info about painting Hyperfirms, from the makers themselves: http://sci-fire.com/how_to_wood_grain.htm http://sci-fire.com/how_to_metalize.htm

A knife would be cool. Something like the old Rambo knife or a big dive knife. If I was going to add something else to my armor that was completely not in the film, but made sense for a sandtrooper to have, it would be this: http://www.ima-usa.com/product_info.php ... ts_id/1530 You can't possibly think those sandtroopers would have really carried their E-11s around the planet with no holster, after all. And this is a whole lot tougher looking than the holsters normal stormtroopers had.

Wow! Great Job! Could you substitute vintage Tupperware hamburger stackers for plunger on the cistern siphon - are they hard to get in the UK? The plunger certainly is economical - you get to use the handle AND the bottom part. You did a great job attaching it to the cistern siphon, too. The two of them fit together really well. Great looking pack! There's something very rewarding about hunting down the right parts and making one from scratch, isn't there?

If you decide that doesn't work for you, you could also just attach the end of the straps to some scrap plastic with a snap or whatever, then hot glue the scrap piece of plastic inside your helmet. Just be sure the strap being on the same screws as the ears isn't pulling so ******* those screws that they pop through from the outside.

I like the fact that your sand looks like sand and not dirt or mud! Maybe some of the sand on the pauldron will naturally wear off as you troop, just as it would in real life? I think it makes sense that, in the real world, more sand would stick to the pauldron and the ammo pouches than would stick to the armor. Very nice backpack! Mine is brand new, too, and I'm hesitant to weather it, but I suppose it has to be done.

How do you know it's a recast by looking at the feedback? I'm looking for a new helmet, but I'd rather not buy a recast, so I'd like to know how to spot one.

Does anyone know who that seller is and what kind of helmet that is?

I don't know if this was made specifcally for the FX, but there's this one: http://www.mepd.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3555

For the sake of people who know me personally and read these forums, but who haven't known me for long and might get the wrong impression based on comments that were made about me: I never said I "hate" Cushman guns. I never said Cushman guns "suck." I never actually said anything negative about the quality of ALL Cushman guns in general, OR about the people who develop and sell them, or the people who troop with them. For the sake of John "Whitecommando," I see how my comment had a negative connotation, and I publicly apologize for hurting your feelings and making you so upset. I will edit my original post about the Cushman in this thread, and if you'll do the same with your posts (where you quoted me) then people who are doing research about Cushman guns in the future won't be negatively swayed by them.

The intention of this post is not to stir up trouble, but to clarify some facts and to ask a sincere, well-intentioned question of a fellow trooper who is obviously as passionate as I am about certain things. John "Whitecommando," in this thread you have referred to the Cushman as a "$95 gun" (in your photo) and as an "$85 gun" (in your comments to me). You've said that anyone with a "brain" and basic "skills" can assemble the Cushman, and you said that you built yours in "under three hours." BUT if you follow the link posted by the person who started this thread ... http://home.comcast.net/~roja/283.html he was specifically asking us for comments about the Cushman "Replica MG34 Deluxe V2 (assembled and painted)." The price of that gun, as listed on that page, is $165 and does not include a bipod. If you go to the MG34 page, you'll see the non-working bipod costs an extra $10, bringing the subtotal to $175. In my experience, shipping and handling cost $15 - bringing the total for that gun to $190. $190 is twice as much as the $95 you listed as the higher price of the Cushman MG34. Do you agree that this information is factual and correct (I guess you'll have to trust me on the shipping part)? If so, since you have repeatedly quoted the cost of the Cushman at "$95" or less, and you've repeatedly said anyone with a "brain" and "skills" can put it together, would you NOT recommend that someone pay $190 for the gun in the link that started this thread? But INSTEAD would you recommend that they buy the $85 kit referred to here: http://home.comcast.net/~roja/282.html and the extra $10 bipod referred to here: http://home.comcast.net/~roja/275.html and put it together and paint it themselves for a total (including $15 shipping but not including glue, paint, and maybe a piece of PVC for the barrel) of about $110? Is that what you recommend? Buy the kit, not the pre-painted and pre-assembled gun?

Sweeet.

Oh yeah? I'll tell you what else I think: Okay, seriously, I deleted my comments because I thought the question Firefox asked, and the answer to it, should probably be in the For Sale forum, not here, so I PMd him the info instead of posting it. I didn't want to hijack this thread. But then you guys came along ...

And why do they have a radar dish on the end of them? Nice Pack, Vogel!

what's this?

Thank you.

There is plenty of information about that gun in these forums. Try using the "search" feature. Keep in mind, that particular gun your link points to comes pre-assembled and pre-painted and will cost you $190with bipod and shipping. For almost half that much money, you can buy the same gun unassembled and not painted (from the same web site) and do the assembly and painting yourself. There is plenty of information in this forum about doing that, too.