tk7602

congrats! for those curious to browse it, you can go to: http://www.501st.com/all_featured_members.php (the feature member rotation is one of the few projects on the main site that i actually worked on... i've mostly stuck to the forum side of things)

i'd say just don't stand too close to vader unless he's way taller than you. otherwise just have fun with it!

imo, the standards for deployment are about making a high quality, accurate sandtrooper. what your local law enforcement thinks of that isn't terribly relevant. i also never agree with the prohibitive cost argument when it comes to costuming... a costume is what it is, one can either afford it or not. it sounds cruel, but i think it is true. i agree completely that if it's inappropriate to bring a weapon somewhere, leave it at home. i've run the gamut from no weapon to carrying my demiled sterling down a busy main street. you've always got to make sure you're being safe and responsible.

so cool. i am actually thinking about going to mardi gras in 2009, so i'll have to get in touch with you folks to find out the schedule!

awesome! i'd love to troop a mardi gras parade someday!!

i just realized that the gallery i linked to doesn't even have the finished pics. doh! i'll update those this weekend... i'm trooping in my TD, so i can get a shot of it.

my pack isn't particularly accurate, but it looks the part relatively well. i haven't gotten together a page yet, but i have pictures... http://stormtrooperguy.com/gallery/thum ... ?album=277 a few things have changed and not been updated. the tupperware container i used on the top right of the pack was WAY too big. i've popped that off and used a smaller one. i didn't use a frame... i didn't want the extra weight of it. i used cat litter boxes since they seemed sorta the right size. a bit too deep, but i'm ok with that. i connected 2 of them with a small hinge in the middle, and the braced it with 2 aluminum bars. the other 2 boxes are attached with tiny little nuts and bolts. the straps are riveted to the aluminum bars, so that the litter boxes don't take any weight. the tubes on the sides also add structural support. lots of rivets throughout. lots of black zip ties. i've been meaning to write up an actual walkthrough of the process, but i haven't gotten that far yet. maybe i'll be inspired now!

that is fantastic news!

MEPD! The only unit where slinging mud is a GOOD thing!

looking good there! gonna get all the weathering done by 2008 then?

nice! i hadn't heard of a garrison doing a "troop" like that out of armor. if you do keep it, you can always just do a cheap update to your pack. i just rebuilt mine... not at all accurate, but it looks the part and i only spent about $40 on it.

Hi hairball! I was with ya' till the suede thong. That's not gonna fly here... sand + suede just can't be good.

i just got some vintage tupperware hamburger stackers on ebay for the second pic. search for "tupperware hamburger" and you'll find a ton of them. i still haven't come up with anything for the rounded bit on the top, but i think that's mostly just hunting down a good bowl.

Accuracy is all relative. I don't imagine your average 501ster would WANT a bumpy drippy helmet with hand painted lines and peeling paint. People don't like the FX helmets because they look goofy. They are way too big, and keep you from turning your head. So troopers want something that's smaller and less funny looking. Most folks I know don't know the difference between a GF2, a TE, an AP, etc... they call them "movie sized helmets" or "ANH helmets". Many people don't care about fiberglass vs. resin vs. ABS/HIPS/whatever... If it looks like a stormtrooper, they are happy. I got my AP armor because my FX was too big, and AP is the stuff that normal folks without friends who know people can get. If there were other options out there, then some research and decision making would have come into play. Those who are serious prop collectors will appreciate the Ginos and TEs of the world. Those who are moderate costumers will want something that looks the part, and those who just sorta like star wars will buy whatever lands on eBay. In my opinion, the role of a board like this is to inform, not enforce. Make it known that X person recasts Y person's work and what that means. Leave it to people to cast their own judgment. Those who would buy a recast knowingly will do it no matter who is banned. But having the info out there for the world to see may prove more effective than sweeping people away.

As I'm interpreting this, this board is an official unit of the 501st, unlike TDH or RPF. As such, it's governed by the rules of the 501st. If a member cannot be kicked out of the 501st for recasting, I don't see how a member could be kicked out of an official 501st detachment for the same. While there's a LOT of talk on this board that is not 501st related, as I've understood it, it is first and foremost a Legion detachment. If anything, it seems like Seth in particular IS being emotionally removed. It seems that he WANTS to ban the guy, but that is not in keeping with the rules that govern the forum. And maybe that's part of the disconnect here in general? That this is primarily a costuming board, not a hardcore replica / original prop collecting forum? And so maybe the folks here don't have the same background / experience in the realm of recasting? When I got my first GF2 helmet, I knew nothing about the history... I just knew that it looked more like the movie than my FX one. I suspect a lot of costumers are like that... not familiar with / interested in history and lineage so much as having a nice looking suit to troop in. Anyway, I'm straying off topic here. But it seems to me that perhaps mepd and gino are just speaking 2 different languages that sound really similar, but don't really mean the same thing.