There Are Ways To Do It Cheaply Or…You Can Go For The Real Thing
For building the expertly created LEGO® MOC, sometimes you need a battle-damaged Stormtrooper to bring out the ultimate set design. There are two methods to do this and your budget is going to be the deciding factor:
Making Battle-Damaged Stormtroopers Cheaply
There are two methods to doing this on a budget: 1) creating using your own minifigures 2) painting them
If you already have LEGO® Imperial Stormtroopers, you do not have to buy any of the minifigures above. However, in terms of snapping together a battle-damaged LEGO® Stormtrooper, all you have to do here is mix and match pale/yellow/black/tan skin color arms and hands with the torso of the LEGO® Imperial Stormtrooper. This will give them an “incomplete” feel as if their armor was torn off. Also, not recommended but feasible you can take a small screwdriver, point it at the lips or torso (even better, the helmet) and chip at it with a hammer.
Lastly, you can paint whatever LEGO® Imperial Stormtroopers you have or are willing to buy with these paint brushes. You can also use fine grit sandpaper for this last step or procedure as well.
For all parts of the Imperial Stormtrooper minifig above the legs, water down some gray paint, paint it on the minifig, and then remove it gently with a paper towel, while ensuring the paint stays stuck in the corners of the minifigs helmet (looks like ash/dust from explosions and battle).
For the legs, you can use some fine grit sandpaper lightly on the legs for a damaged feel and then paint over with acrylic brown paint (watered down) to give the appearance of dirt and rust on the legs. Then pat with a paper towel – voilà, a LEGO® Battle Damaged Stormtrooper minifig!
The Expensive Method: LEGO® Star Wars 75134 Galactic Empire Battle Pack
This is pretty easy but wicked expensive LEGO®: buy a bunch of the LEGO® Star Wars 75134 Galactic Empire Battle Pack which goes anywhere from $40-$80 dollars and get yourself a bunch of Imperial Jet Troopers with a boatload of finely printed LEGO® battle scars. Apply the torsos as needed to your army for the MOC.
You get an awesome Imperial Control Console with stud blasters, 2 Battle-Damaged Imperial Jet Troopers, 1 Imperial Shocktrooper, and 1 Imperial Technician. It ain’t cheap, but it is legit!
The Best Method For Battle-Damaged Stormtrooper LEGO® Depends On Your Budget
Do what feels right. Either snapping them together like Frankenstein, painting them, or buying an expensive Battle Pack – anything is worth while if it makes you happy. Have fun making that MOC!