freakengine

Okay, that made me laugh out loud! I was thinking the same thing.

I think it's a little off base in terms of the SW universe, but there's also the practical matter of carrying a real weapon to an event. If you want to go this route you should do it with a fake prop knife.

Mike and Seth headed up a pack project a while back and produced those domes as part of the kit. You might ask and see if there are still a few floating around.

Nice work. Rolf is right, tho. There was only one pack with the white sections on the radio dial...usually referred to as the white dial pack for some reason. It's the one with the rectangular tupperware unit on the upper right section. It just depends on what you're going for. The pack looks great!

LOL! Yes, Mina (the cat) will be showing up in the videos more often.

Thanks, Rolf. It's slowly coming together. We're starting out with some simple things as it's really designed to help out beginning costumers.

In every pic I've seen it just looks like plain white. There may be some weathering on there, but I've never seen any numbers or anything.

Rolf, I have one the same size as your blue one, but mine is dark orange. Same dividers and everything. Here's a pic of it on my pack (prior to my stinger addition) I think it's the right one. I left the logo on mine.

Does the rustoleum adhere to the rubber okay? I've always wondered what people use to paint these. When you paint latex masks you have to mix pigment with a latex base so the paint remains flexible. Is the same true of hyperfirms? Will regular paint flake off eventually?

Wow that really is a nice turnout. Glad to see the small cons are still around! The last time I went to Comic Con was 2005 and it was NUTS! Way too big to really enjoy.

Coolness! Looks like fun.

Yeah, I think I'll pass on a $70 tee. Thanks anyway. Nice pics, tho.

Well, I'm not sure what happened, but I used to have access and it seems to have dissolved. Tom Kirby, TD1366.

I have the forums bookmarked on my homepage so I never visit the front end. I suppose it'd be cooler if it were a blog-style page (think Wordpress) with detachment updates and news from the command staff alongside more permanent link pages and the like. It might also be nice to see some event pics there as well. I've always liked the functionality of this forum, but I'm with Rolf. Let's ditch those SE troopers up top. They bug the **** out of me. I think you might tread a fine line when it comes to putting some of the info that's on your site on an official 501st detachment site, especially in regards to armor makers. I certainly appreciated your site as a resource when I was getting my gear together, but most of that info is from a very personal POV and might be best kept separate. That way we can send people there, but your opinions won't be misconstrued as the official detachment stance. None that I can think of. Yes, I've been there and found some of the material useful. I think it helps to get different perspectives on sandtrooper costumes and props, but like your site, Mike, I feel this represents Braks Buddy's POV on sandys. If resources are made a part of the main MEPD site, I think it should just be objective knowledge regarding the original suits and props...the things we KNOW instead of reviews or opinions. We can get plenty of those on the forums (along with hearty debate over them as well) and through outside sites.

I don't have an ab template, but here's a very nice one for the knee, along with instructions: http://www.tk899.com/whitearmor/sniperplate/index.htm

I drilled out the five holes in the center and the ones around the outer ring on mine. I also mounted a small speaker inside for radio noise and chatter and ran the wires up to one of the radio box switches and on up to a radio shack amp and mp3 player in my stow-n-go. If I need someone to shut it off, they just flip the switch.

Man, I WISH I could make it. What an awesome con that should be!

You still will, trust me. The one I ALWAYS hear is "Why are you so dirty?" Thanks, everyone. I'm remaining sandy for the present. Sometimes you just need a reality check, you know? Peace.

PM sent.

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the votes of confidence. I'm just bemoaning the fact that I can't wear more accurate armor I guess. With all the talk putting FX down all the time, it kinda gets to me. Don't get me wrong, I see all the faults in FX just like everyone else, but I don't see many options. I've been looking into RT-Mod armor. Have any of you tall guys tried it? I'm keeping the sandy for now (along with my Tusken, Nihilus, and Sharad Hett) and will continue to work on upgrading. I'm also going to seriously consider working on a Vader in the future, as that's what I'm really size appropriate for. Now where did I put that roll of cash?

I used black RIT fabric dye in the sink and it worked very well.

Over the years I've been none too kind to those who didn't quite fit the physical type of their costume choice. You know the ones I mean - the 6' tall Jawas, the super-skinny Vaders, and the ...well, you get the picture. I talk a lot about how a person needs to consider his/her own physicality when choosing a costume. Which brings me to my point. At 6'-3" tall, am I just too tall to be a convincing trooper? Here's a bit of evidence if it would please the court - pics from our visit to the Shriner's Children's hospital just prior to C4. Guess which one I am? This all started when I found this site in the midst of deciding on which costume I'd like to wear. I fell in love with the sandy look and threw myself into it with my FX kit. But then, as often seems to happen to sandtroopers, I was bitten by the accuracy bug. I am now the proud owner of a TM helmet (pictured) but I can't quite accept that I'll never look good in accurate armor. I just have to ask: am I too freakin' big to wear the suit? Honestly, I'm not looking for one response or the other. I want honest opinions. If I need to chuck it all and start on a Vader, I will, but **** I like being a sandtrooper. Any thoughts?

The same can be said for trying to squeeze someone my size into more accurate armor. I'm not overweight, but I'm a big guy (6-3, 220) so it just looks silly on me. Even shimmed it's no longer proportionally correct. I'd actually love to see a more accurate design in a slightly larger size - everything proportional, but just a little bigger. I don't expect to see that happening, though.

PM sent.

That's really true. I have muscular calves and I even had to shim the FX calf pieces. The trouble is that there's not a one stop armor shop where you can go and try on different makes. You have to kinda check out what other guys have but their suits have been fitted for them. It's not always a fair comparison. The one resource I'd love to see one day is a comprehensive comparison between the available suits. Not just a couple of pics, but measurements and critiques. As it stands now, I'm sticking with the FX suit because I can't afford to make an expensive mistake. I have a TM helmet, but only troop in it on occasion because I can't wear my glasses under it like the FX. I'm looking into some kendo glasses to wear under my kendo men, so maybe those can be used under the helmet as well. I guess I just have to face the fact that at 6-3, 220# I'm not a screen-accurate trooper. I don't really want to but if I wanna be screen-accurate I may just have to switch to Vader. Bummer.