crashmann

Wow, really cool find on the plastic bottles! Once I use up my remaining Wet Ones, I'll be sure to add them to my kits. Now what should I do with that lifetime supply of Wet Ones wipes... The actual part for the exhaust port has not been identified. I pull it on the vac table, but it always has some webbing that shows up. Not a big deal, but it requires some sanding to smooth out. I like your motor oil bottle idea. With a little trimming and gluing, that should make a fine housing. Just be sure to clean all of the oil out, otherwise the glue won't stick. The most tedious part of the housing is gluing on those tiny 45° triangles. Charlie

Happy Birthday Rolf!

Mike is still active in the costuming world. The last few troops have seen him sporting his amazing Commander Gree. He just recently completed another amazing outfit from another sci-fi universe, Scott Bernard in Cyclone Ride Armor from Robotech, The Next Generation: http://www.therpf.com/f24/robotech-cyclone-cvr-3-armor-120702/ A full gallery of the armor is here: https://plus.google.com/photos/112321614403125794968/albums/5627790020264819825?banner=pwa All of the details of the construction can be found here: http://gallery.mac.com/mikeharrison#100300 (curse you Interwebs - It's gone!) As usual, everything Mike touches turns out awesome! Charlie

You can also find the Cold Weather Faucet Cover on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thermwell-Products-FC2-Faucet-Cover/dp/B004434KGE/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1 Although shipping to the UK might be rather expensive If you need other parts, let me know, and I'd be glad to bundle everything together to save on shipping. Charlie

Very handsome! Nice work! Charlie

Nice work Graham! It looks like you're doing the big air filter backpack. It should be a sweet build when you're done Charlie

Hi Henrik! I'd be happy to supply you with seed trays for your backpack (as well as other parts if needed ) The trays that I offer are 13 1/4" x 8 3/4" at their widest: At the narrowest, they are 10 3/4" x 6 3/4" Each tray is 2 3/4" tall. When stacked, they are 5 1/2" thick. Be sure to check out this cool technique from PandaTrooper to seamlessly mount the seed trays to your backpack: http://forum.mepd.net/index.php?showtopic=7028 I'll send you a message so we can sort out the details of pricing and shipping. Charlie

Congratulations Daniel! Your hard work and attention to detail really makes your dirty armor shine You will be sure to get all the Slave Leia's with that backpack Charlie

That is one handsome set of armor you've got, and a very sexy backpack Lord Vader will be most pleased with your attention to detail Charlie

Very nice work Jay. That is downright handsome! Charlie

If you study the screen captures, you'll see that the parts have a hint of shine to them. I found flat black was just too dull. Gloss black was too shiny. So, you've gotta meet in the middle with semi-gloss or "satin" Or, you could make it mostly satin with some parts flat black for contrast, kind of like the silver on Darth Vader's helmet. Charlie

That's an amazing looking pinewood racer! Imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery, so we will certainly be flattering you next year Last year we made the General Lee This year we represented our Kung Fu studio We also talked about holding an adults unlimited racing event, where the only restriction is the 5 ounce weight limit. We might even turn it into a fund raiser Charlie

I vaguely recall someone making the hamburger stacker dome from a PVC plumbing cap. Then again, I could be imagining things I'd be happy to send one to you. Look for a private messaage. Charlie

Congratulations Juan! She is a beautiful girl! Charlie

For all of the Dads in the Empire:

The audio sounds great! It really adds that extra ambiance for trooping, and it runs for an hour! I've posted the file on my website here: Sandtrooper Radio Noise (no waiting required ) Thanks for pulling this together CombatCameraGuy! Charlie

It sounds like you've got it sorted out Marcus. I checked several plumbing supply stores in my area for black ABS pipe, but they did not carry it - something about local building codes prohibited plumbers from using it My intent for the clear pipe was to choose something lightweight for the pack, as every little bit adds up during a long troop. I'm sorry to hear folks have been having trouble with the pipe. I'll go digging to find another source for the black ABS pipe again. Charlie

That looks great Efrain! Very nice work capturing the details and getting everything nice and straight Hmm, are those R2D2 footshells I see in the background Charlie

The sides of the exhaust port have rounded edges as they transition to the top of the housing. This is one of my favorite references for details on the backpack: Charlie

Hi Ken and congratulations on choosing the sandy side of the Empire! I don't know the best way to handle covering your butt, however I would strongly recommend digging through PandaTrooper's AM build thread on FISD: http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=10434 Tons of great information and recommendations to modify the plastic to create the custom fit you are looking for. You don't have to implement everything presented, but it certainly offers lots of good ideas. Good luck! Charlie

Thank you very much for the endorsement John! My first question when I joined up with the Old Line Garrison over 5 years ago was "who has a vac table?" Since no one spoke up, I built one based on TK560's website, and what an adventure it has been! Here's a video of the vac table in action: http://tk386.com/video/Sandtrooper_Backpack_Vacuum_Forming.wmv It is a pleasure and an honor to serve the members of the Legion the finest melted plastic on the planet Charlie

Nice job identifying the disk at the top. I never noticed that before! Charlie

Congratulations Juan! You've taken your first step into a larger world Charlie

Happy Birthday Rolf!

At last, the radios are available for sale in this thread! http://forum.mepd.net/index.php?showtopic=7071 $145 including shipping for the US $165 for international If you can make a payment by Thursday night, then I'll ship out your radio this week. If not, then get in the second run starting August 17th. Charlie