TB-1019

Nice work! I'm not a particular fan of the BARC trooper helmet design, but what you did with it is very, very good. My biggest question regards the green visor tint. Do you all think the visor should be a green tint or a mirrored dark tint? I know the screenshots and promotional pictures show the BARC's with the green mirrored visor lenses but I personally think it's only green because the ambient light coming off of all the vegetation on Kashyyyk reflect off of the visor, making it look green. If those same BARC's were on Utapau, for example, I would think the visor would take on an orangish mirrored hue. The same effect happens with Commander Gree. His mirrored visor reflects the ambient green light also. Is the interest in modelling the exact look of BARC's on Kashyyyk, or in making a BARC that looks like it can go anywhere, at anytime? Also, if a person wanted to do a white (uncamouflaged) BARC, would that be out of bounds? The art for the GAR article in Insider #84 shows the various versions of clones and one of them is a pure-white BARC. My assumption is that the 41st Elite Corps (Gree's boys) put on woodland camo for Kashyyyk, but it would change depending on where they were deployed.

Have you guys thought about getting some ski or rollerblade boots that are close in shapt then using clay and bondo to build it up and make something that can be vacuformed as a shell over a simple boot?

Ladyghst915 has a point that is sometimes lost in this new wave of costuming. Whereas before costumes like the biker scout were actually worn by human beings, clonetroopers of all shapes and sizes were all digital creations. Not one suit was ever made in real life. CGI armor was never made to be worn by real human beings. It can be aesthetically pleasing to look at but it was never designed to move with a real person inside it. If you look at a clone trooper's helmet, for example, you will see that it is barely bigger than the head that goes into it. If it were a real helmet, it would be near impossible to wear. As a result real world clone trooper helmets tend to look oversized relative to the human body. They have to be to accommodate a real human head comfortable. The only thing we fans can hold that is the closest to the real thing is the Master Replicas clone trooper helmet, which was modelled directly from the CGI files ILM used and, even then, MR had to increase the size by 15% in order for people to get it on their heads. Even then, it's way too snug for people like me to wear them comfortably. What this ends up meaning in the end is that some design compromises have to be made when crafting armor based on digital models. Sometimes the size, or the curve or shape of a piece of armor has to be modified so that, for instance, it doesn't pinch or cut the wearer when walking around. Sculptors have to balance functionality with accurate design and it's a tough balancing act sometimes.

A good friend of mine, and a member of my garrison, is currently working on a Commander Keller costume and he came to the same conclusion that he wears a standard beehive helmet and that the artist was just exercising artistic license. My garrisonmate got his beehive helmet the other day and I saw it when I was over at his house tonight. It's quite nice. Anyway, the new 501st costuming standards, if ratified, will require comic and games costumes to portray not the stylized look of the source material, but what that armor would look like had it seen screen time. In other words, "real life".

Styrene can be brittle if it is too thin, yes, but it also takes detail better than ABS, unless you have a strong vacuum with which to pull from. That is one of the trade-offs.

Nope, this does not yet exist. I've seen a helmet and a couple parts of a BARC being made here and there, but this is the only place where you will find a concerted effort to build this costume. So if you hang around here you'll get a front row seat to a brand new costume being made from the ground up.

I'd say "nah" for a couple of reasons. First off, the sole is too embellished with designs and curves. Like torso_boy said, above, you'd want something with blocky, chunky tread, with little to no arch. Secondly, you really don't need a tall boot like that if you're going to be covering it up with stiff vinyl. A boot that stops at the ankle is sufficient.

We're using HIPS for our clone armor. Yellowing will not be a concern as we prime and paint it white, so if you all are going to be painting over it anyway, it might be a viable solution.

I think the grey is actually weathering... paint scraped off of the durasteel armor.

Have you guys looked into the German Flecktarn camo pattern? Check out this Lithuanian Army camo pattern: ...or this Lithuanian Border Guard camo pattern: Estonian Army camo pattern: ...and another Estonian Army variant:

You know that Karen will hesitate to name anything. Personally, I hate using comic books as references because so many things are stylized and exaggerated in the sake of artistic impression. Many times, a character or item doesn't retain its look from frame to frame. Why can't the BARC just be limited to the carbine and long rifle?

Glad to hear you're making a comeback, Chris! SCOUTS OUT!