New TE2 amor

Its been about 3 years and some change since I first got my very first Stormtrooper armor. At that time, it was an FX armor kit made by iTrooper. It was great, for me it was just perfect. The first step into a larger world.

Three years have come and go, and after many many hours or research, work, more research and more work (not to mention the money spent), I finished my FX kit and upgraded it from Stormtrooper, to heavy weapon stormtrooper, to Sandtrooper to MEPD Deployed Sandtrooper to a better version of my MEPD Deployed TD. Going all the way from standard FX kit to a highly accurate FXlite TD Mos Eisley Police Officer.

Now it is time for the next upgrade. But it is an upgrade that will take me again along the road of building a new armor. A new screen accurate ANH armor. My very own TE2 suit of armor and helmet. In my book, this is the holy grail of Stormtrooper Armors.

The lineage of this armor starts with certain screen used helmets, two of them. These helmets were used to make the molds of the first screen accurate wearable helmet, the TE or Trooper Expert helmet. The armor molds were taken, as long as I kow, from a screen used armor from ANH with some parts from ROTJ (or is it the other way around?).

TE pulled armors for some years with these molds. The same molds that were used to make molds for other armors like Gino and some others.

After some time TE finished his days of pulling white armor, and sold his molds to a new maker. This was the begin of TE2 armor. Trooper Expert 2 armor is now my favorite armor and armor maker and one of the most respected star wars prop making community members.

A year ago, in the TE2 2nd anniversary run, I was lucky enough to be able to get a TE2 Bucket. This years, in the 3rd Anniversary run, I was even luckier, being able to get one of this great and amazing armors.

From now on, everything is just different. The whole way I see the world of propmaking and impersonating a Stormtrooper has changed for ever. I have my TE2 armor, and with it, lots of things come: joy, happiness, pride, but also lots of work, responsibility and dedication to make this armor all it can and should be. Pretty much, the best armor out there.

This is it. This is my new TE2 armor.







TD8800
Mos Eisley Police Officer
Mexican Garrison
501st Legion

New Hovi Mix microphone tips.

In order to have the very best TD armor I can get, I ordered and just received a couple of Hovi's from Keith from the UK. These are pretty much the best hovi's available out there.

This will 70s microphone part will be used for the aeretors on my Bucket.

I really like then because the attention to detail, including the model engraving, is just perfect. The metal grid looks awesome and the whole piece is perfect. I only need to paint them flat black and wear off a bit of the paint on the grid to let the original metalic color appear just a little.

These, will be kept in their box for a few more weeks or maybe a couple of months, until I finish my new (soon to arrive) TE2 complete helmet and body armor.

New armor pictures in ECIV

These are the new pictures of TD 8800 in full sandtrooper armor:

Expo Coleccionistas 2009

Last August took place Expo Coleccionistas in Mexico City. This is the largest SW fan reunion in the country. The 501st Mexican Garrison was there and took control of the territories, establishing imperial peace.

This is the photo archive...

My new armor pictures.

Enjoy.

New TD gear.

So, now almost ready to be 100% finished and ready for battle... this is new newest coolest gear in my personal armory.

1. TE2 ANH accurate Sandtrooper helmet
2. 97-RTC Blaster rifle
3. MP38/40 Ammo Pouch
4. Screen accurate Backpack



Just need to finish my new handplates and maybe soon a new E11, the sidearm of choice of most Imperial Troopers, and I'm done.

RT-97C Blaster rifle

What would be of a Sandtrooper without his BFG!?

So, I worked on my old MG-15 and make it a real bad ass gun! An RT-97C (Its now what was used to be called MG15).

Lots of work to be done including making 3 new scopes, a new canon shaft, resizing the whole gun and a new paintjob and weathering.

This is how it went from old MG-15 to new RT97C:























"Ok men. Load your weapons!"

"Blast them!!"

Back Pack weathering

Having 99% of the backpack finished, there is still room for improvement.

One specially important thing is the weathering. So, using hairspray and actual dirt, I started working on it. It is still a bit to much and not so natural, but time will wear it off and make it just perfect.







Now its 99.9% finished!!

When going to the borders of the Empire, take lost of ammo with you.

There are many different weapons and gear that an Imperial trooper can take to the front, but if you are deployed to Tatooine in the Outer Rim Territories, one thing you need is a lot of ammo.

For this, the elite Sandtroopers have different Ammo Pouches. Some of the most common are the ones known as MP38/40, and the less popular Stolla WIen.

I have just added an MP38/40 to my personal collection of ammo pouches, and worked it down so it looks like the real thing. Aging and weathering is the way to go.

First of all, I got my Imperial issued MP38/40 ammo pouches. But when they arrived, there were some upgrades to be done. Most important of them all, to take apart and re-position the small pouch in the correct place.

Brand new pouches:



This is how it looked with the small pouch in the correct place.




Then, some weathering was in order.

1. Put in hot water to make them soft and flexible.
2. Roll up and down the leather straps.
3. Dye it with black cloth dye.
4. Work the dying process to make it as desired
(The pouch color should be dark green, not black)
5. Let it dry with wood blocks in it.
6. Throw it around on a cement floor.
7. Using hairspray, put some dirt over the spots dirt would naturally stuck.

So, this are the results.




And now, this is the whole collection.



Now bring me those Jedi scum!!

99% Finished Sandtrooper Backpack

This is my new almost finished Sandtroper Backpack...









Now I need to weather it, make some minor upgrades to the radio, and thats it.

New German MP40 Ammo Pouches

Today the Imperial postal service brought me my new Imperial issued MP40 ammo pouches, a very important part of my TD gear. Actually, I think this is the last part of the gear I needed to be all set. Still, it needs a lot of work before I can go out and explore the wretched hives of scum and villainy across the galaxy.

Here are some pictures of the pouches.





Some mods that will be needed:

Remove and replace the small pouch.
Make wood fillings to pass as the ammo magz.
Weathering...

And hopefully in a few weeks it will look like this:

New Weathering, new Sandtrooper

This time my armor is almost 85% done. Did a lot of work lately and it is paying off...

-New TE2 bucket
-New Backpack
-New Weathering

And several improvements done on the armor...

So far, this is it.

Check how different it looks from my original TD armor done almost 2 years ago:




And this is how it looks...






Having the job done in remote worlds is not an easy job, but you know by their looks who is the people doing it: Sandtroopers, the badasses of the Empire!