May 2010 FISD Newsletter
Greetings Troopers!
What a great month to be a stormtrooper; 501st day (5/1), Star Wars day (5/4) and the 30th Anniversary of Empire Strikes back. :) Also this past month we've awarded our first Expert Infantry awards to EU troopers: Chris (TK-5069) of Star Garrison as a Heavy Weapons Trooper and Will aka Wildabeast (TK-6107) of Badlands Garrison as a Stormtrooper Commander. Congratulations to Chris and Will for showing how good these costumes can look. :) Welcome Foreign EmbassiesI'm also happy to announce the creation of Imperial Embassies on FISD - special areas of the forums where troopers can get information and help in languages other than English. Already we have embassies for Spanish, German, Italian, and Chinese. Thanks to Damian (TK-7388) of the Spanish Garrison for suggesting this and those excellent troopers of FISD who are working on translations of CRL/EIB requirements as well as general support. This work will be invaluable in helping troops whose first language is not English. Staff changes
Dave Mondo (SL-1576) has been a champion for FISD and has been supporting all our patch needs single handedly for the past year. Due to personal issues Dave is not longer able to handle this for us and this duty falls again to staff. Please take the time to give a shout out to Dave for all he's done for FISD. Mark Gage (TK-8993) aka FireBladeJedi also needed to take some much needed time off. Mark's been a stalwart member of FISD - he was the first ESB Expert Infantryman and has supplied many troopers with canvas belts. He's helped out more troopers than most anyone else in the det, even before ever becoming Detachment Armor Chief. Please take the time to thank him for all his hard work - troopers helping troopers at the finest for sure! As you can see by the staff reports this issue there's quite a lot going on. FISD has grown dramatically this past year, but in some ways we're only just beginning. In the end, it's about supporting you the stormtroopers of the Legion who are out there trooping. It's a great day to be in the Legion, and I encourage all of you to visit FISD and see for yourself. With unquestioned loyalty, Paul "Daetrin"
TK-8020
Repair and Refit
Every month in the FISD newsletter, we will feature tutorial and tip threads that we feel troopers should be aware of because of their uniqueness, excellence, and relevance. The featured tutorials for May are: How to Post Images on ForumsWritten by dashrazor
This "How-To" is a necessity for everyone, because it deals with the question of how to put photos up on the boards. It is well-written, and has plenty of visual examples and explanations. How To Add Static Burst for Around $10.00
Written by TK-6044
This thread deals with an area that many TK's want to improve. By taking the time, following this tutorial, and adding an inexpensive component, you can add an extra element of realism to an already impressive suit.
Meet the Staff
Each month we will feature a staff member, and give them the opportunity to tell the FISD a little bit about themselves. Since they spend so much time here on the boards, we want you to get a sense of who is behind the names you keep seeing! This month's featured staff member is Daniel Brown, the FISD Communications Officer.Name: Daniel Brown
TK-ID: 2618
Garrison & Detachment(s): Garrison Tyrannus, the FISD, Bikerscout.net (the BSN), Blizzardforce.net.
Length of Service: I became official in December 2009
Costumes (approved): ESB Stormtrooper, Pathfinder Scout Trooper, Snowtrooper
Costumes (in work): ANH Stormtrooper (with grappling hook and comlink), Lancer Scout Trooper (possibly one more, but have to see how the wife reacts!)
Other hobbies: Writing, reading about history (currently reading about WWI), Civil War reenacting/living history, and watching the Dallas Cowboys
Fun Facts: My wife, son and I have been doing Civil War reenactments since 1999. I have worked in the infantry and artillery, and I currently portray Brig. Gen. Edward Porter Alexander, Chief of Artillery for Robert E. Lee. One of the questions that I usually get asked when we're doing these is "Are you hot?" which always makes me laugh, since I'm wearing the equivalent to three wool blankets in August. I'm not sure which is worse heat-wise...TK armor or the Civil War gear!
From the XO's Desk
The FISD like all 501st detachments are feverously working to complete the Costume Reference Library (CRL) project soon. A big FISD salute to "Ang" Costello, TR-6624 for her assistance in getting the CRL drafts on a temp website in preparations for the finished product on the Legion website. We have received the final text format for the CRLs and are reediting the text to match. The new version will not have the must/should/optional elements that have caused so much confusion the last few years. It will be a straightforward list of the individual elements of the costume. At the same time the FISD combat photographers are also working the visual elements. They have been tasked with finding the best costume references for each individual element for each version of the stormtrooper that the FISD covers. The ANH stunt will be rolled out soon after the reference images have been converted to the CRL specs. Much of the work is removing the background of all the images. After the ANH Stunt is done the rest should follow quickly as some of the elements cross over from version to version. We're all looking forward to the completion of this project as it will be a great resource for the new member. Much work has been poured into this project over the last three years and at last the Legion will have a proper reference library for all its costumes. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Terrell (TK-1787)Imperial Security Report
Greetings, troopers! As PRM, I'm responsible for monitoring the boards and ensuring the rules are complied with. If you don't know what those are, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with them. http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?app=forums&module=extras§ion=boardrules I'd like to say how proud I am of this community for the friendly, welcoming atmosphere you all have maintained. I've established the habit of reviewing every new post (yes, you read that right - every new post) and while the occasional dust-up does happen (we are human, after all), in general I couldn't be more proud of all of you. From the newest member to the folks who have been here for years and have thousands of posts under their belts, the feeling of community here is unmatched. When I consider the international nature of the FISD, I'm even more pleased. I've been on other forums both in and out of the costume & prop community, and the way the members treat each other is, to put it bluntly, disgusting. As a result, I largely stick to 501st Legion-affiliated forums and the FISD especially as my online community. The FISD is truly home for me, and all of you are my brothers and sisters. I do have one request – new members (and by new I mean new to the FISD, even if you've been around the 501st Legion for years), please take a moment to post an introduction in the New Member Introductions section. We'd all love to know a bit about you, and get you started off on the right foot. Troopers Helping Troopers – it's more than a motto, it's a way of being. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Brian (tkrestonva) TK-2918For Imperial Eyes Only
Intelligence officer here. It's been a very busy month for me, as local squad / garrison needs require attending to. I'm excited to be organizing 2 local troops in my neck of the woods. :) I'm working on several areas for the FISD, including an overview article on TK helmets and a breakdown of E-11 blasters. I'm also collaborating with a few individuals on compiling armor history and lineage, as well as a review article on voice amps, voice changers, speakers, etc. Gradually, you'll see this content appear on the FISD Academy pages. Tips of the month: Installing ANH strips / removing E6000PGHtrooper21 ran into some issues with his ANH style cover strips, glued with E6000. He went through the arduous task of removing the strip, glue, refinishing, cutting new strips and reassembly. Some great tips to follow if you're at this stage on your build.
http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=6839&st=40 Rivet removal
Here's some good tips on how to remove rivets safely from armor
http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=10843 Adhesives for armor and other projects
A very helpful guide to various adhesives, and how to select the right ones for the job!
http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=10781 Transporting Armor
Every few months, the topic arises of "How do you transport your armor?"
Here's some helpful links with suggestions for cases, storage bins, etc.
http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=10714 Personally, I am about 70% done my AM armor build (I'm going for the "skinny 70's trooper look", that was sometimes seen in promotional pictures. You'd be surprised how much extra plastic I have removed!. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a lot more tailored to fit me than my current TK. I'm also working on a second build that will remain secret for now. :) I am also about 90% done my scratch built T-21 blaster, which I will of course turn into a gi-normous tutorial. The last steps are weathering, and adding some special FX. I'm really pleased with the results, and can't to share it with the world! Pandatrooper / Terry
Imperial Commissary
The Spring 2010 T-Shirt run has been a big success! The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with some wishing they had ordered more. If you missed out, please let me know as if there is enough interest another run may be done. EIB Gold coins will also be offered in the next few weeks. There are 37 still on hand that have not been sold but over 40 EIB eligible to receive one. As it's unclear when we'll do another coin run, it's a great incentive to finish your EIB before they're all gone. Looking forward some look for FISD logo and EIB decals to be offered soon. Looking forward some ideas we're considering are FISD coffee mugs, a 12" round logo patch, and subdued FISD patches (for sewing on black hoodies or the like). If you have any ideas or if these sound good, please let me) know. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Wyatt (TK-4205)Recruiting Report
No report for this month. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Bill (TK-1650)Propaganda Report
No report for this month. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Aaron (TK-2073)Crosshairs
Due to some changes that I want to make to this part of our newsletter, this section will be back next month. I will be creating a thread in the next week or so for the purpose of allowing you to post nominations for people that'd you'd like to see profiled. Additionally, I'll be asking you for some questions that you'd like answered, so be prepared to post! Remember, everyone is fair game, so start thinking of some good troopers and questions. DanFrom the Communications Officer
This is our third edition of the newsletter, and I've been very encouraged by the positive responses that we've gotten. Many people have written or posted to say that they have enjoyed reading the news, and feel that they are more connected because of it. I'd like to ask my fellow troopers to keep helping me improve this publication, through suggestions, questions, or ideas...anything that you'd like to see. The way that I'm looking at my job here on staff is that I want to create something that will outlive my time with the FISD staff. I'd like this newsletter to become such an integral part of the FISD that it becomes something that will be carried on for years. Additionally, I'd like to see the other detachments start newsletters of their own, increasing communication and information flow within the 501st. We have a great community here...let's make the newsletter great as well! With unquestioned loyalty, Daniel "Debater2nd"TK-2618
FISD Communications Officer
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