Josh Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 Greetings Everyone! My name is Josh and I want to be apart of the 501st Legion and the Imperial Sands Garrison. It goes without saying, I'm a HUGE Star Wars fan. Growing up in San Diego, I've been attending San Diego Comic Con since I was a kid. The 501st always had their section at the convention. The 501st really set a precedence for me. At the time, I couldn't even imagine putting together a movie accurate costume. Fast forward years later, I have been cosplaying different characters for a few years now. Mostly characters that I enjoy which range from Wrestling, Videogame, Comic Book, and Disney Characters. More recently, I started diving into 3d printing and have been having a blast. I started printing a Mando helmet which got me thinking about the 501st again. I want to be apart of the joy you bring. One thing I really appreciate and respect about the 501st is their involvement/volunteer work with the community. Cosplaying for a cause has been a goal of mine since I started. I would love to be involved. I don't have SW armor yet. I was hoping someone can point me in the right direction of how to get started? I checked out some CRLs but what are the acceptable material types? I was formerly an Art Major so I experimented with many different types of mediums. It looks like i just missed the recent build party, are there any plans for an upcoming build parties or any events where I can gain more information? I am very interested. Its hard for me to narrow it down but I think I've condensed my list to the below. I would most likely want to start in the below order. TB - Scout Trooper: Return Of The Jedi CC - Clone Commander (EU) (Phase 2): Rex TD - Sandtrooper TK - Stormtrooper: Rogue One TX - Imperial Death Trooper - TX Thank you for help. I look forward to learning more and hopefully become a contributor . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutz Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 Welcome Josh! The vast majority of our armor kits are vac formed ABS plastic. You purchase a kit, then assemble it much like a plastic model kit, trimming, sizing, and gluing it to fit your body. Each costume type has a Detachment. Detachments are websites for members or potential members looking to build that particular costume. It’s there you can find out where to buy kits and parts, and everything you need to know about how to assemble the costume. Here is a list of all the detachments.http://www.501st.com/members/displayUnits.php#detachments The detachment should be your first stop, and you will spend a lot of time there researching your costume. You should not make any purchases without getting the OK from the detachment to make sure it is acceptable for membership. Many items can be purchased directly from the “For Sale” section on the detachment website. Once you get started on your costume build, you should start a WIP (Work in Progress) thread on the detachment forum. As you post your progress, the members will help steer you in the right direction. We also have a Cadet program where we can pair you up with an experienced trooper from our Garrison. They can act as your mentor and help you navigate the process of becoming a member. Feel free to reach out to @Bizarro if you are interested. Our next armor party is on March 22 in Linda Vista. Hope you can make it!http://imperialsandsgarrison.com/forums/index.php?/topic/2857-sd-2020-03-22-sun-all-club-armor-party/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted February 19, 2020 Author Share Posted February 19, 2020 Thank you for your reply. I will check out the Detachments and will reach out to @Bizarro when I get a moment. I can't seem to find detailed instructions/options to create armor from scratch. Maybe I can find these answers in Detachments. I've played with a Vacu-form machine before at a prior job and I have little experience with Sintra. I live in North County, I will try to make the March 22nd Linda Vista date. Is it okay even to show up even if I don't have Armor? Thank you for the information, very much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutz Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Creating the kind of armor you are looking for from scratch via sculpting and vac-forming is expensive, difficult and time consuming. Finding actual step-by-step instructions would be tough, as it is sort of a niche skill, and almost no one makes their armor from scratch. My advice is to start with a base amor kit from a vetted supplier, and use your DIY skills for easier to tackle items, like props or soft parts. Another path is to build a custom Mando using sheets of sintra, which can be heat shaped by hand. But If you are really committed to doing it, the best thing to do is research sculpting and vac-forming in general. You could also reach out to other armor makers for advice. You can find them through the Detachments, or builders groups on Facebook. It is absolutely fine to show up without an armor kit. It will give you a chance to meet some other troopers, ask lots of questions and get a feel for the type of project you want to tackle first. Hope you can make it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted February 20, 2020 Author Share Posted February 20, 2020 Gotcha! Thank you for the advice. I will do my research and weigh out my options. I am very interested in attending the next Armor Party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted May 27, 2020 Author Share Posted May 27, 2020 Good Morning, Hope all is well! Apologies for the lack of activity on this site, the last couple months have been crazy to say the least. Things are starting to normalize and i have been researching a lot of armor builds. I think i am close to pulling the trigger on some Imperial Surplus armor. I am very interested in investing in Animated Clone Trooper armor. I am leaning towards one of the below. (1) CT - Clone Trooper (TCW) (Phase 2): 332nd Division (2) CT - Clone Trooper (TCW) (Phase 2): 501st Battalion (3) CT - Clone Trooper (TCW) (Phase 2): Standard Trooper I have put much thought into this and I am very excited to proceed. Can you please advise what I should steps i should consider before purchasing my armor kit? Thank you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutz Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 3 hours ago, Josh said: Good Morning, Hope all is well! Apologies for the lack of activity on this site, the last couple months have been crazy to say the least. Things are starting to normalize and i have been researching a lot of armor builds. I think i am close to pulling the trigger on some Imperial Surplus armor. I am very interested in investing in Animated Clone Trooper armor. I am leaning towards one of the below. (1) CT - Clone Trooper (TCW) (Phase 2): 332nd Division (2) CT - Clone Trooper (TCW) (Phase 2): 501st Battalion (3) CT - Clone Trooper (TCW) (Phase 2): Standard Trooper I have put much thought into this and I am very excited to proceed. Can you please advise what I should steps i should consider before purchasing my armor kit? Thank you. Hey Josh. The Imperial Surplus kits are top notch, so great choice there. You should have no reservations at all about the quality of that kit, so purchasing should be a no-brainer, as long as you're sure that's the direction you want to go. The only thing I would consider before purchasing is that the kit is ideally suited for someone around 5'10" and maybe 180-ish. It still has a lot of flexibility, but the further you get from that ideal, the more modifications may be necessary. Also, that kit does require a fair amount of bondo/seam filling/sanding work to get it approvable. Nothing especially difficult. Just time consuming. Other than that, just be aware that you will still have to purchase accessories to get the full costume approvable: undersuit, gloves, neck seal, boots, blaster (optional), and voice amp (also optional). If you decide you want a blaster, hit me up and I'll give you a good deal on an animated DC-15S. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted May 28, 2020 Author Share Posted May 28, 2020 Thank you for your reply. I will probably order my kit by the end of the week. I'm so excited. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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