Stormtrooper Armor - Build- Assembly

It arrived last month all wrapped in plastic, how excited was I. Faster than you can say "fourty year old geek" I unpacked it.

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Got to be very careful when removing the plastic, I myself used a J.A Henckles steak knife to do the job, nothing but the finest German steel for my armor.

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Ok I decided to start with an easy piece so I did the biceps. I used Lepage 5 minute Apoxy glue on one side and Velcro on the other . I tryed to buy the apoxy that came in the syringe but it was totally dryed out. So I went back to the store a second time and bought the glue that came in two separate tubes. I used blue painters tape to stop excess glue from getting on the armor and the clamps I left on for about 10 minutes.

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Here are the biceps completed, you gotta be careful with the glue it's extremely strong stuff, if you screw it up and make a mess there are no second chances. As fortune would have it my first assembly was a success.

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I finished the forearms, not much different than the biceps used Apoxy glue on one side and velcro on the other..

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I attached the shoulder straps to the chest plate using industrial velcro, also added velcro to the back plate as well. This will help hold the straps in place. The instruction say to use appoxy but I decided against it. I've researched how others approach this part and most do not use glue so I'm goin with the crowd.

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The Shoulder bells attach to the bicep armor using velcro, this part ain't exactly rocket science.

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There are distinct inner and outter halves for both left and right of the calf . Just like on previous parts, I used appoxy on the front and velcro on the back. Gettin tired of hearing me repeat myself, too bad.

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Another veiw of my masterpeice in progress.

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This next part made me extremley nervous because I aint what you'd call a handyman. After drilling a hole in either side of the Shin/Calf armor and also in the sniper plate, I used rivets to attach them, I put washers on the opposit side to make sure they stay nice and sturdy. I was so sure I was going to crack the armor, and make a total mess of things, but as fortune would have it, everything worked just fine.

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And here's what it looks like...not to bad if I do say do myself.

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Drilling holed in the thigh peice, you'll see why in a sec.

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Once again I used the rivet tool to attach the power cells to the thigh armor.

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Started working on the webbing. The Chest, Ab and Cod will be linked useing a combination of velcro and buckles...but mostly velcro.

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I bought the heavy duty snap fastener kit at Fabric World. It comes with 10 sets of snaps, which should be about as many as I need. I cost me $5.25 including tax. RT --- also includes an additional 6 sets when you buy the armor.

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I used heavy duty snaps to attach the thigh armor to the cod peice, velcro also works great.

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And once again I used industrial snaps to attach the ABS belt to the canvas belt.

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The canvas belt with the snaps attached, you may want to get a proper snap tool, I found that useing a hammer and the little steel peice provided (left) was a bit tricky.

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Here a picture of the completed belt ( front only ). The battle is of course only half over, the Thermal detonator still has to be attached to the back.

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This is were it will eventually sit. If I can ever get the damn thing done. I took me three hours to attach to ABS plastic belt to the canvas belt.

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After spray painting the back of the Thermal detinator grey I drilled two holes so I could attach the belt clips.

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I used metal screws to attach the belt clip to the back of the TD, I also put a bit of apoxy glue on the screw so it stays in place forever...err...hopefully.

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Here's a shot of the back of the Thermal detonator with the belt clips attached. If there are any question about my procedure send me an e-mail and I'll do my best to confuse you even more.

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A fine job if I do say so myself.

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This will give you an idea how the webbing holds the entire suit together. I desighned it to I can just step into it. The only problem with this approach is that you will need some help attaching the chest plait and shoulder straps to the back peice once it's on. The way I have done it is deffinatly not the easiest way, you will always need assisstance getting dressed, but it works for me.The nice thing about and ALL velcro assembly is that at a later date I can always change it.

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And here's a shot of the Thermal detonator attached to the back of the belt.

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Although it was'nt entirly done I just had to do a test fitting...not bad ehh...it hides my beer belly...can someone please pass me a Bud.

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And here it is, the completed project, I'll add some fans, speakers to the helmet at a later date.

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I just replace the AB button ( little black buttons on the stomach ) with screen accurate AB buttons which I ordered from Vader Dave in Des Moines, Iowa. These are the colors used in the original Star Wars movie they consist of 6 grey and 3 blue buttons.

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The final part to my puzzle were the boots, these I ordered from Champion Attitude ( CABOOTS ) in El Paso, Texas. They provided excellent service arriving in just over a week, now I'm finally ready to go.

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Now it's time to go hunt some rebel scum...

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For more information on the artist that engineered this high quality armor which is commonly known as the RT-Mod please see think below...

http://www.rt-mod.com/

Bowie Live in Santa Monica 72

EMI has just put out Bowie and the Spiders Live in Santa Monica . This has been a big bootleg for years and kind of had an offical release in the late 80's early 90's. That version was taken from the radio broadcat so the sound was not great. This is the first time it has been released from the multi-track tapes so the sound should be alot better. This is concidered to be the best show " Bowie and the Spiders from Mars" ever did so if you love Bowie you might want to drop the $20.00...Thanks Steve.

The Mockers - New Zealand

A band based out New Zealand they formed in 1980 the remnants of another band called the Ambitious Vegetables with the line-up of Gordon Costello, Andrew Fagan, Gary Curtis and Charlie Mannell who all attended Rongotai College together in Wellington. The Mockers fell into the New Wave / Pop genre and released their first single in 1980,"Good old Days", followed in July of 1981 with their second "Trendy lefties" in 1982 the third single "Woke Up Today" was released. All three songs enjoyed some success locally receiving regular airplay. The Mockers were lead by singer /song writer Andrew Fagan, the band charted successfully in 1985 with the hit "Forever Tuesday Morning" which became a massive hit in New Zealand. Eventually, like most bands they dissolved and went their separate ways, Fagan moved to London...

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Original Line Ups...

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Ambitious Vegetables

Gordon Costello, Andrew Fagan, Gary Curtis and Charlie Mannell.

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The Mockers

Andrew Fagan, Gary Curtis, Dean Hazelwood, Geoff Hayden, Tim Wedde and Brett Adams.

Later members included..

Murray and Gordon Costello, Brendan Fitzgerald, Steve Thorpe, Paul Lightfoot (guitar) 1984

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Thanks for the additional Info Mouldytone

Forever Young - Alphaville

It's difficult to pinpoint the exact origins of the new wave movement, what is widely accepted is during the late 1970s and the 1980s. It emerged from punk rock as a reaction against the popular music of the 1970s ( and the corporations that controlled it ). I myself believe it began the very first moment the Sex Pistols took the stage... others believe it was actually David Bowie that started it, some credit Roxy Music, and there is merit for all these arguments, each one of these bands a pioneer in there own right. What is clear is that during the 1980's something very special happened to the music industry. The corporate ties that bind were completely broken and for the first and only time in history the spotlight was shared by an eclectic mish-mash of bands from both large labels, and independents, from diverse genres, also and perhaps most importantly from different countries, nations from all around the globe contributed, it would become the most musically creative decade the world has ever seen. Alphaville was one of Germany's contributions to the New Wave movement and Forever Young was their debut album. This is another one of those must have perfect albums every track a masterpiece, not a single throw away on the entire creation. The album produced no less than four singles,"The Jet Set", "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", and of course "Forever Young" all of which charted well all over the globe. The other tracks are equally impressive and I believe one track in particular "Fallen Angel" had it ever been released as a single also would have charted successfully perhaps even going to #1. It is of course Alphaville's most critically-acclaimed album and an estimate 2,000,000 copies have been sold since its release. I think it is so very easy for us to forget especially in today's musical environment that a music industry exists outside the United States or the UK... for a short time a little while ago ( It seems like yesterday to me ) we all had privileged to catch a glimpse of it...

Forever Young - Track List

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1. "A Victory of Love"

2. "Summer in Berlin"

3. "Big in Japan"

4. "To Germany with Love"

5. "Fallen Angel"

6. "Forever Young"

7. "In the Mood"

8. "Sounds Like a Melody"

9. "Lies"

10."The Jet Set"

Spice Girls reunion beats Led Zep

Off Topic Alert

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You just know I was going to mention this one...This is from the BBC news...The Spice Girls have beaten Led Zeppelin to an award for the Best music reunion of the last 12 months.
The girl group won best live return at the Vodafone Live Music Awards after getting back together for a world tour. It was judged to have been better than the one-off comeback by rock legends Led Zeppelin, the Verve and James Morrison also nominated. Emma Bunton was present, and said she was "a bit shocked" to beat such venerable rock acts as Led Zeppelin. "We had a great time," she said of the comeback tour. "So I just feel very lucky that I had the opportunity to do it again." The pop group's victory will raise eyebrows among rock fans, but Bunton told the BBC News website: "The thing is, when you go to a gig, you go for fun and entertainment and a night out. "And that's exactly what we did and I think that's why people enjoyed it so much." ...

Richard Wright dies at age 65

Yesterday was a truly tragic day for the music industry Richard Wright, a founding member of Pink Floyd, died Monday, he was only 65. The group's jazz-infused rock and drug-laced multimedia "happenings" made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene, and their 1967 album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," was a massive hit. In the early days of Pink Floyd, Wright, along with Syd Barrett, were seen as the group's dominant musical force until Roger Waters and David Gilmour started to write material. Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and Wright began recording with Mason and Gilmour again, releasing two amazing albums "The Division Bell" and "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" as Pink Floyd. Wright also released the solo albums "Wet Dream" (1978) and "Broken China" (1996). I always felt ( or perhaps hoped ) that Pink Floyd would eventually reunite and we would all have one more chance to see them live...but of course that will now never happen. They are in my opinion perhaps the greatest band in all musical history and Richard will be missed terribly... a life well lived to be sure.

Boys Brigade - Toronto Band

They first formed in 1981 and were part of the Canadian New Wave scene. The first exposure they received was via their first single "Mannequin" which appeared on Q107 s annual compilation album Homegrown, back when the mighty "Q" actually cared about new talent. Produced by Geddy Lee ( lead singer for Rush ) the self-titled debut album release in 1983 yielded two singles "Melody" and "The Passion of Love" both of which fared well on the Canadian charts. This band was truly talented but never reached their full potential. Infighting and internal tensions led the band to break up before releasing another album, one can only speculate on what might have been...

The Spitfires - Indy Rock Band - Australia

Based out of Adelaide, South Australia they formed in 1981, an Indy rock band with a hard edge that could best be described as a mixture of punk and rockabilly somewhere along the lines of the Cramps with regards to their style and sound. Their debut mini album was released in 1983 if I'm not mistakes and was called "I Was A Teenage Teenager" under the independent Rivet label, there is not alot of info available on this band so I could be mistaken with my facts. They enjoyed moderate success within Australia releasing a number of singles that charted locally. If anyone has any additional info or pictures please e-mail me, it would be greatly appreciated. The group was comprised of the following members ...Ted Keely (lead vocals), Jeff Stephens (guitar/vocals), Andrew Travers (drums), Greg Ryan (guitar), Rick Gac (bass), Jeff Karutz (sax). Sadly Greg (Slim) Ryan passed away on September 4, 2006, my sincere condolences to his family and friends.

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I Was A Teenage Teenager - Track List

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Side 1

Rumble In The Jungle

Bad Luck Bop

I'm In Love With A Vampire

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Side 2

I'm In Love With A Vampire

Brand New Cadillac

One Way Train
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There may be other tracks from this album that I have missed...

Hunting High and Low - A-ha

This phenomenal band from Norway released "Hunting High and Low" as their debut album back in 1985 and it is in my opinion one of the truly great albums from the 1980's. The first single "Take On Me" hit number one all over the world, 36 countries to be exact selling 9 million copies and earning the band a Grammy Award nomination as Best New Artist in 1986. In addition to the songs success I think the video to Take On Me is perhaps the best ever produced, and I don't just mean in the 80's either. The video is absolutely astounding, it used a pencil-sketch animation/ live action combination called Rotoscoping (where individual frames of live video are drawn over or colored). The video would become one of the most instantly recognizable and most enduringly popular videos of all time and it still received regular play even today. The rest of the album is equally impressive, there is no fill on this record at all, it is pretty much perfect. There were no less than 5 singles that charted both in North America and in Europe, in addition to Take On me, "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." , "Love Is Reason", "Train of Thought" and "Hunting High and Low" also fared very well. With regards to financial success I for the most part believed that sales don't always tell the full story ( sometimes they don't mean shit ) but on some occassions they can be an indication as to the merits of a particular work. In end Hunting High and Low went on to sell 10 million units worldwide.

Journey / Heart / Cheap Trick Concert

On Friday night I saw an absolutley astounding concert at the Molson Amphitheater, Headlined by Journey who have recently been reconstituted by Arnel Pineda, the band's new leadman who delivered a performance that perhaps even rival that of original singer Steve Perry. Heart and Cheap Trick were also on the bill delivering solid performances as a sold out crowd of 16 thousand rocked to four hours of great tunes. I have to say I was positively amazed: What your ears hear doesn't quite connect to what your eyes see. How is it possible that this tireless Filipino spitfire with stringy black hair, who guitarist Neal Schon discovered last summer via YouTube clips of him singing covers in his former band the Zoo, could sound so eerily like Steve Perry, that rarely rivaled voice of every Journey smash? I couldn't believe how great he sounded, this show I'll remember for a long time. It's fitting that the band titled its 13th album (and first with Pineda) "Revelation," for not only does the term apply to the wonder vocalist, it speaks to the rebirth of the group itself. Pineda was hardly the only standout I also have to acknowledge how spectacular Cheap Trick and Heart sounded, both bands sound every bit as great now as they did back in the 80's. I was blown away by Heart's Ann Wilson characteristically robust form during the group's hour-long set, navigating the roaring passages of the Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" as adeptly as she did the dramatic pleas of "Magic Man" and "Alone," the latter smartly scaled back to just piano and guitar.Likewise, sister Nancy's spotlight, "These Dreams," was tempered by a mellower, mandolin arrangement. Note some of what I have written here was taken direct from Ben Weners article in Orange county news, he's alot better at writing this kinda shit than I am, thanks Ben...below I've included a few low quality shots I took at the show, when I get a chance I'll link the entire album, the quality should be better and I'll also try to post some video as well...

Cheap Trick Started the night at around 7:00 pm they played a fantastic set that lasted approximatly 45 minutes.

The second band to take the stage was Heart the set lasted just over an hour and it was an impressive performance to say the least. Journey certainly had their work cut out for them to compete with it...

Journey put on an amazing show, lasting about an hour and a half , the set included most of the classics and some of their new material as well. A great time was had by all, hopefully this won't be the last time these bands play Toronto.

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Here's a link to the entire albumn...

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http://picasaweb.google.com/Lunatic.Entrails/JourneyHeartAndCheapTrickTorontoSept5th2008#

Boy - U2

Just picked up the double CD remaster of this album last week, at some point I lost interest in this band and I'm not sure why, that said I still absolutley love this record, U2's first album and still their best in my opinion... I owned it on vinyl twice, CD twice and cassette. From beginning to end this is a perfect album, every song is excellent. It has a very energetic, raw edged rock sound with a little bit of the punk thrown in for good measure. It's a simpler sounding band to the one we hear today but also more creative and rebellious. I must have listened to it at least a thousand times over the years and it is tough to choose what I would consider my favorite tracks since they are all so well written. Of course there is "I Will Follow" which for many of us was our introduction to the Irish phenomenon. "An Cat Dubh" and "Into the Heart" which I kind of consider one long song and is by far my favorite song ever written by U2. "Twilight" and "Out Of Control" are also among their best as well. If you don't know this band, which of course is unlikely, then this is a great place to start. Right at the beginning.

There and Then - Oasis

I wasn't actually into Oasis until I discovered this live concert, it is an absolutely amazing performance and I now watch it regularly. Recorded during the What's the Story Morning Glory? tour, Oasis were at the peak of their success,and without a doubt one of the biggest bands in the world at the time. The shows is actually filmed in two locations part of the footage was recorded at Earls Court in London November 1995 and the remainder was filmed in Manchester April 1996. Mixed in with the concerts footage are a number of interesting interviews with various members of the band, normally I prefer not to have interviews during the concert as I feel it breaks the continuity of the performance but for this show it seemed work. The thing that really stands out about this concert is the fan footage, I don't think I've ever seen as packed stadium go quite as crazy as they did during this show. Thirty thousand people screaming at the top of there lungs for pretty much the entire performance, and the camera's captures it perfectly, I almost felt like I was there. I highly recommend There and Then, one of the best live performance ever caught on film.