CT97 / 14-3844 (Heavy Weapons Trooper - 41st Elite Legion)

CT97 / 14-3844 is a heavy weapons trooper assigned to Sarlaac Battalion A of the 41st Elite Legion, under Commander Gree.

Parts: Head (Commander Bacara), Torso (Commander Bacara), Arms (Commander Bacara), Legs (Commander Bacara), Shoulder Pauldron (Commander Bacara), Kama (Commander Bacara), Blaster Pistol (Clone Commander), Pistol Holster (Clone Commander), Rocket Launcher (AT-RT Driver).

Supplies: X-acto knife, super glue, brushes, Polly Scale paints and Testors Gloss-Cote.

Reference: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Battlefront II.

Step One: The basic Commander Bacara figure was not changed at all. I wanted to make one of the clone Heavy Troopers from the Battlefront II video game. In keeping with my previous trend, I decided to change the Trooper's unit. In the game, all of the characters are from the 501st Legion, whereas all of mine are members of the 41st Elite Legion.

Step Two: The new paint scheme is that of the 41st Elite Legion's regular Phase II armor. After painting the armor, I also applied battlescarring using several different techniques, including drybrushing and scraping off small areas of the original armor markings. To accomplish the scuffing and scratching that is common to all military equipment, I used the edge of my X-acto knife to carefully scrape all of the armor's prominent edges. These are the areas that are most likely to brush against things and become worn or scratched.

Step Three: The holster was carefully cut from the kama of a Clone Commander and then glued to the figure's equipment belt. A small strip of paper was glued over the pistol grip to simulate the thumb-break common to many holsters.

Step Four: A light coat of Testors Gloss-Cote was applied to protect the paint and enhance the shiny appearance of the armor (the kama and rocket launcher are not actually as shiny as they appear in the photos).

Step Five: The video game indicates that this character is equipped with a rocket launcher. Not having a decent one in my parts box, I decided to make one. I took the missile-firing blaster that accompanied early versions of the AT-RT Driver and modified it heavily. I cut down the overall length, making sure that I did not interfere with the missile-firing mecanism. I also cut off the pistol grip and re-attached it close to the weapon's muzzle. The range finder was cut from an accessory that came with some unidentified toy that was purchased from a clearance bin long ago. Although there is some difference between the rocket launcher depicted in the game and the one I created, I was pleased with the outcome because the weapon appears to be plausible and the missile actually fires!