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At the end of the day, it is a simple matter of what do you want to achieve with your costume? If your goal is to join the 501st as a Stormtrooper variant, you must make the decision as to which one you want to replicate, and follow that particular CRL. If however, you choose to build a screen accurate (and for the record, Legion TKs aren’t really screen accurate, as mentioned above, too many variables) Stormtrooper for your own personal enjoyment whether that is for display purposes, or for a Halloween costume, or whatever you choose to do with it, then pick one on screen, and knock yourself out. People here will support you and help you as best as they can, but in order to do so you have to say up front what it is that you are doing, so that they know what type of help and which references they should use to offer their help. You will find no shortage of experts here. There are experts in screen built/used costumes who will definitely chime in should you say that you’re building one for a replica for display purposes. They’ll be able to tell you exactly which type of snaps were used in various connections even. Far more numerous are experts in the costume requirements for joining the 501st Legion, who will be happy to assist you in either endeavor with a positive attitude and support. Please recognize the difference in who is making Which comments, and apply their advice as it suits your needs. There is no need for bullying, bashing, or putting down of either group, as each has gleaned their individual expertise by their own merits, and each can offer you advice that is tailored to helping you achieve your goals. Regardless of your intended purpose, I wish you the best of luck with your build!

Frank it is unfortunate that your build thread has gone in a different direction then it’s original intention. I think Tim has made a very well done post. Just to reiterate that you are surrounded by experts in all directions. If you would like to join the 501st then the experts in the CRL will shine. If you are not interested in the 501st and are more interested in screen replication then the screen replication experts will shine. Don’t be afraid to let everyone know and you will be steered in the right direction. I hope you enjoy your build. Disclaimer: This is Franks build thread. Let’s keep it that. If there is any off topic bashing or snide remarks by anyone moving forward, it may send you to the time out chair. Move Along. Move Along...

Just remember to pull your armor off the grill when it hits 165°F.

The second battery is stored at the end of the doopydoos pipe. This is nicely sealed by the end cap. To be able to put a 9V battery at this location there needs to be additional space. Therefor I used the dremel again and created a rectangle shaped box. This way the battery fits perfectly. However: The colour of the pipe will be black, but the colour of most batteries isn't. So the battery needs to be painted or covert somehow. I have chosen to cover the battery. I used a thin metal sheet which I painted black. This sheet is bend around the battery. After creating the right shape I glued this metal sheet into the pipe. (I did this at the final stages of my project as this will block the entrance of the back of the pipe : The speaker needs to be put in first ). To give an impression of this solution the final back end looks like the picture below. This picture is taken using a flash, in real life it is almost unnoticeable.

I promise i am going to get back to this.......honest

Once you have earned the distinction of EIB or Centurion, those titles are yours, as long as you own that costume. If you sell it to someone else, the title does not transfer. As mentioned above, if you are a Centurion, and retire, or go to an inactive status, you will have to submit that costume for basic level approval under the CRL that is current at the time of application. If there have been drastic changes to said CRL, you will have to upgrade to meet standards. The same applies for EIB and Centurion. You would need to resubmit the costume under the current standards for consideration.

My Zillo is with a Garrison-mate now (the Kanan working on his), so I don't have a good side by side of that. The Zillo was wider than Jim's, but a lot shorter. Walt's new one is definitely sized more appropriately (IMHO) to what the show has. It may not be as exaggerated as what you see on the show, but I feel will most certainly give a better overall look to the armor. I'll be working on this as time permits and trying to document each step to help others along as well.

This reminds me of my own internal conversations watching ANH recently (it only had a two-word title when I saw it the first times, btw); right at the beginning this trooper goes by with no TD and I’m like, “why do I have to get all nit-picky about screw heads?” But as I watched the film, and read the various threads here, I realized it was about an ideal. All the 501st are well-done, some are just highly detailed. I definitely want mine to turn out well-done. At the least.

Great job Glen! Can't wait to see this fully approved.

Really up to you how you want to build, stick to the CRL to gain basic approval then once approved emulate a screen version, it's a bit like adding EIB and Centurion details to a base build For me some of the screen accuracy I would like in my kit but how often and hard I troop it is really not feasible for me to do so. Good luck with what you decide, hopefully it won't be too long until you have those ID numbers

Centurion for sure! All part of the plan.

What's up everybody, I've fallen in love with the Rogue One TK. The thing is I already have a Sandy and for me it's a debate of if I really want another Stormtrooper costume or not. I posted a picture on Instagram a little while ago with the hot toys 1/6 figure Rogue one TK side by side with the Sandy and asked which one people like better. With an overwhelming response I got everyone saying OT. I just can't help but go against the mainstream as in my opinion they look so cool! I'm dying to know how much more comfortable it is compared to my Sandy. I haven't ordered the kit yet as I feel that my wife will have a heart attack when she finds out. But soon I'm putting the finishing touches on the Black Series helmet. Hopefully I'll post more pictures soon

In June I decided to pull the trigger on my first set of TK armor. I knew that the 501st existed, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. I knew if I was going to build stormtrooper armor, that I wanted to do it right. So I thought I would do some research and see what I was getting into. I found the FISD site and started to read - nausea and fear were my initial responses to seeing the amount of info and detail that goes into building a TK to 501 standards. But then I remembered that nothing worth doing is going to be easy. And more importantly, once the kids are in bed and I have a hour or two to myself, I need something to do other than sit in front of the TV and drink Guinness. That, and the amazing resources and on this site along with the enthusiastic members of the FISD convinced me that this is totally doable. So here is my first build - and following the advice of many, I'm going to aim for Centurion. I've done some home renovations and know that doing it right the first time is easier than going in later and upgrading. Anyway, BBB day finally came. I ended up getting a set from Authentic Props. I originally ordered a set from Anovos and eventually cancelled (I won't go into that rant - but I will say if you are new and looking to buy your first set of armor - my advice is to avoid ANOVOS). Well, on a happier note... Yes!!! Everything was well packed and in good shape. Thanks, Mark! I ordered the trimmed kit with accessory package (belt, holster, gloves, latex hand guards, and TD clips). His kit includes all the parts needed for the helmet (green lens, screws, brow, trim (regular, not S-trim), decals, frown mesh). He also includes all the split rivets and a few snaps as required for approval. Everything is here! Parts for the TD and other bits. TD screws (painted black already), hovi mics, and assorted rivets, screws, and snaps. Anyway, gotta go Christmas shopping for the kids. Black Friday - yuck.

So I got my AP kit a few weeks ago. It came while I was away on business, as did several items for my build. It was pretty great to come home to my BBB etc. So far all I have been able to do is rough trim some of the pieces, start painting the helmet, apply hand painted looking decals, and research. So much great info here on whitearmor.net. I have to say how impressed I am with the AP kit. It is way thicker than I would have imagined. It came with the split rivets too. Those are kinda hard to find in Canada for some reason. I'm using the screen accurate brackets to hold it all together. I made those a while back while waiting for my armour to arrive. I originally ordered from Anovos but cancelled a month or so ago. That's another story. I paid AP (Mark) to have the helmet pre trimmed so it is pretty much ready to assemble with some minor tweaks. The thought of messing that up freaked me out too much and I'm glad I spent the extra cash to have it done properly. Next week I'm hitting it hard and hope to post photos. I will probably have lots of questions by then too. Sean

TK85421 Requesting TLJE EIB Status (Anovos) Name: Glen Rhodes Height: 180 cm Weight: 74 kg FISD Name: gmrhodes13 Legion ID#: 85421 Profile Page: 501st Profile Garrison: Desert Scorpion Build Information Armor Maker: Anovos Helmet Maker: Jim Boots: Imperial Boots Gloves Imperial Boots Electronics: Aker Neck Seal: Anovos Laser Ax: Scratch build

We all get asked a bunch about paint colors for buttons and helmet. Can't we post them or a quick link for the bill gram. On that note many of the bill grams would work all over the CRL. With links it wouldn't make the CRL crowded with text. I'm a fan of putting as much info at there fingertips. Could it be made where they click on ab as an example and a new screen pops up and has all info like where snap goes on right side rivets on left side colors for ab plates and such. We all love telling people what they need but it does get redundant.

I'd say shipping from down under would be pretty expensive. For the canes $3 we only have one supplier here, which unfortunately have sold out but awaiting more stock. Lights are $3 battery powered string, which are too long so I fold in half then twist and pull through with a piece of wire Just a tip wait for the boxing day sales and you can usually pick up hats, canes and light quite cheaply They do look cool in a pageant

Looking positively AMAZING, Jesse!! Keep at it, loving it so far, and can't wait to see it completed, in spite of the awesome ride!

I also really like the RO TK but I´ll wait and hope for an ABS version...but I will go for the "soft pack" version Good luck with the build

As all electronics work, all that needs to be done is .... putting it in the doopydoos kit. This was quit a complex puzzle, but I managed to solve it. I used two 9V batteries to supply all electronics. (Don't know if it is necessary, but this way I split the power consumption in two). 1 is used for the arduino, MP3-player, OLED-screen, the other one for the amplifier/speakers and the 5 LED's. So there needs to be space for 2 9V batteries in the doopydoos, which needs to be replaceable. The first one I put into the ammoclip. Therefor I hollowed the ammoclip and "clipholder" using a dremel. The main part of the battery is put in the ammoclip as far (or deep) as possible. As these are 2 separate parts I added a rare earth magnet to hold the two pieces together. This way the parts stay together during trooping as the battery might not be able to hold them together. When both parts are put together you cannot see what secrets lay beneath the surface. When the battery is put as deep as possible in the ammoclip there is approx. 1 cm of room left at the end of the battery. This space is used later on.

One can never have to many Stormtrooper suits Would you go for the TK since you have a TD or the jedha-trooper with the backpack?

Coming together!

Just so everyone is clear from a timing perspective: November: we wrap up any last changes to the TFA/TLJ/TLJ-E and R1 TK CRLs. December: our CRL focus will be on L2/L3 for TFA Phasma and getting the TLJ Phasma complete. It will be a Phasmatastic month. January: this will be the next window of opportunity to make any changes to the OT TKs CRLS for the term. So this is a great discussion and a good expectation is to have whatever agreed upon changes written up and ready to go by end of December so that they can be worked in to a January update.

Amazing work!

Thanks

Congratulations:) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Saw that. Was afraid about battery drainage in my phone

Did some work on a thigh the other day. That’s been my hold up. Hopefully once it dries I’ll be able to get the second one done faster. Pretty much have everything I need just saving the money up for the amplifier system and a hearing assist. Got some model mold to fill the last tooth so it’ll be a non issue soon.

I already am But thanks!

Nice build thread Frank, looking forward to seeing more images of your progression and then your application for EIB Carry on.

Agreed. Everyone has access to paint, but not anodized screws. It may be going overboard, but including a small detailed photo or diagram of the screw heads may help. Not everyone may be familiar with what a "Pan head" or "V shaped" screw head actually looks like, or the term "slotted".

At the end of the day, approval for 501st membership comes down to the GML, who more often than not are not members of FISD and they judge costumes by their own heart and the CRL. The CRL tries to be balanced between accurate and uniform across the whole club. That also goes for the higher levels, although those emphasise accuracy, uniformity is still key. That being said, sometimes our members here do go a bit overboard with what they think should be "required". I think a lot of us are guilty of that, myself included. The key think to remember is that most of us have no real influence on who's approved and not. Personally I don't have any issue at all about the amount of teeth cut out of a helmet as long as it's done for the right reasons, like having studied real helmets and choosing to emulate a specific one due to personal preference.

Looking good Mate. You got this for sure. First for the Garrison!

Can't wait to see this completed with new pictures.

It counts

A good start. 4 more to go!

Hello, New trooper requesting access. TK-42250 http://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=26620 Thank you, Josh Shelley

Looking forward to following both you and Greg on your journeys. My AP is supposed to arrive Thursday but I'm way behind the curve in prep. Danged impulse buys!

So I'm continuing (slowly) with the arms. After getting one set of cover strips on and the mandatory 24 hour wait, I removed excess E-6000. Then glued one seam to the inside piece. I didn't glue both sides because I didn't think the clamps would hold everything into place. I'm taking it slow and steady. bicep I also cleaned up little cut lines with a round file. I'm not sure, but I was worried that cracks might propagate from the corners so I round them off a little. blurry pic of cut in corner. rounding out inside corner of inside bicep. The next day I glued the remaining edge. First piece together. How many more to go? Making progress.

Thanks for the reply, I agree the Zilo is very squashed, Walt's does look a lot better in proportions. Can't wait to see it all together

Step two (did you skip step 1?? ): Mark your cuts with a pencil!! The eyes were cut out of this one, but it's the same process. Use a pencil to determine where you will be removing the flashing from the underside of the helmet. This is a great way to give yourself a reference as you sand it down. The Dremmel will kick up a lot of resin "snow" that will obscure where you're cutting otherwise. Step 3: Use your Dremmel sanding wheel to work down the edges to the pencil line (eye, ear, respiratory protection, very messy process!!): This takes a bit of skill, so get a feel for how the drum will work into the flashing and gradually work it to the edge once you get the feel. Check your angles so you don't end up with the inside portion hanging over the outside rim. Dump your resin "snow" into a trash bin and rinse your bucket again! Step 4: Surface sanding (respiratory protection): It's a resin cast, so it will have a seam line and minor imperfections from bubbles and the like. That's ok! We're going to sand and fill to get these as clean looking as possible. This will be a multiple pass effort, as we'll find more things that pop up after the primer goes down. Start with your seam line. Using the coarser sandpaper (100ish), gently rub on and around the seam until you can't feel it with a fingernail. If you can feel it with your nail, it will be visible when you paint it. There's nothing worse than a great paint job with a big seam all the way across. It just draws the eye directly to it and screams "I rushed this!" Work all the way around checking every so often with your nail . If you have a divot or crease, we'll deal with that in the next step. Also hit the inner rim that you just hit with your Dremmel to smooth this area out. Step 5: Filling scratches and divots (Nitrile gloves. respiratory protection): I'm using Bondo Finish Putty in this instance. I gob it in there using a plastic spreader (also by Bondo) or just my gloved finger, pressing it into any divot or crease. Don't get this stuff on you!! Fill it liberally, and let it dry at least a few hours. You'll end up sanding off almost all of this..!!

On to finishing this bad boy. I am posting the steps I'm taking for the benefit of anyone who is not familiar with finishing a resin-cast helmet. If you've done any, then much of this may feel a little too basic. If you're new to resin cast buckets, hopefully this will help you finish yours, should you decide to do one. They're fun once you get the hang of it! Tools needed: Soap and water Easy-Off Oven Cleaner (optional) Pencil Dremel with sanding drum attachments Deadman switch foot pedal (optional, but highly recommended) Dremel extension handle (optional, but highly recommended) Pencil Sandpaper (100ish, 200ish, 300ish) 0000 Steel Wool Fine drywall sanding sponge Needle files Drill with small diameter drill bits Bondo and/or Bondo Finish putty (spreaders optional) Painters Tape (I like Frog Tape for the detail areas, cheaper for bulk coverage. Stay away from 3M Super Blue, as it leaves a residue from the glue) Spray Paints (I like Rustoleum 2x Gray Primer, Rustoleum 2x Gloss White, Rustoleum Satin Granite, Rustoleum 2x Semi-Gloss Black, Rustoleum Gloss Sealant) Thin natural brush (for detail painting. The thinner the better) Nitrile Gloves (for when using chemicals) Eye, ear, hand, respiratory protection (Don't skip here!!) The first thing you do is WASH the bucket with soap and water..! SkyGunBro recommends using Easy-Off Oven Cleaner (and not the generics!!) to get all the mold-release off the outside of the bucket. This will get on you and keep paints from sticking if you're not good at getting it all off. If using Oven Cleaner, spray it all over the bucket in a well-ventilated area, preferably outside. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes and wipe off with paper towels. Wear gloves and respiratory/eye protection! Wash and rinse with dish soap. Keep that stuff off your good clothes!!

After more than 10 years of dreaming I decided to start my journey to become an imperial Stormtrooper by end of December 2016 to celebrate Star Wars’ and my 40th anniversary After a short dispute with my uncle I left his moisture farm and registered at the imperial academy of the FISD on Carida early in January. During my first steps towards the topic I was happy to find the great forum of the academy with its kind and helpful community. I started my research to find out which armour would be the best for me and could fulfill my requirements of getting a screen accurate looking Centurion Stormtrooper who just left the academy (clean and shiny ). At the end I had to make a decision between RS and TM. I decided to go with TM because I don’t like the bubbles on the RS helmet on the one hand and I like the original/organic look of TM’s armour and its overall appearance on the other hand. So master armourer Troopermaster got my order early in February 2017 after one month of very intensive research. Because I did not dare myself to assemble belt and helmet and paint it, I ordered Troopermaster to do this for me. I also decided to go with the snap strapping system because it is a bit handier than the original brackets. Yes I know, it is not screen accurate at the end, but my requirement was to build a stormtrooper which has a screen accurate appearance while taking the advantages of the allowed building methods While waiting for BBB-Day I forced the local imperial research department to focus on how to build the armour and what common mistakes I should and could avoid during the build. I also gathered the necessary materials and tools as well as the needed accessories like boots, neck seal, under suit and blaster. I also cleaned up my garage, the weapon test area and the workbench and installed a holonet interface (some call it laptop) to have an easy access to the imperial archives and its huge database of blueprints and holo-vids for answering upcoming questions during my work. This special developed interface was also capable of receiving audio transmissions from the imperial propaganda department, so I could listen to the latest news from all over the galaxy while working on the holy duraplast parts. From now on the garage was called “imperial armoury” whereas my wife called me just crazy, although she was the one who encouraged me to spend so much money for some pieces of plastic But anyway, when BBB-Day would come I will be prepared. However, some days of waiting were to go, so I had time to practice my patience. An easy thing for a Jedi, I guess, but for a simple Stormtrooper having an itch to jump in his armour and maintain peace and justice in the galaxy that is very very difficult But finally end of May the BBB arrived from UK. Full of beans and quite confident of having gathered enough knowledge I started right away, always one eye on the holonet, the helpful build threads and the requirements for Centurion (my final target). During my build I faced three major time-killing issues regarding the forearm fitting, the torso strapping and the ammo belt assembly. But at the end I could solve all problems thanks to Troopermaster‘s helpful advice. End of August, after three month of blood, sweat and tears, I finally managed to complete a wonderful piece of art. I prepared for the final test immediately, the approval to become an imperial Stormtrooper Only three days after TK-61276 aka T-Jay and I took the photos for 501st approval I got my own TK-ID. The imperial army command assigned me to the White Shadows Squad of the German Garrison. So, now I can call myself imperial Stormtrooper and member of “Vader’s Fist”, the 501st Legion. Great feeling and I am looking forward to my first mission on the front lines. Although my main mission objective was not completed with being a Stormtrooper and member of the 501st, a secondary objective, not less important, had to be accomplished to call the entire mission a full success. I wanted to become a Centurion of the Legion, so some more steps were still to go. But with attention to the Centurion requirements during my build I was confident to achieve this target too. Additional Director’s Cut content starts here With being assigned a unique TK-ID end of August, I got march orders from the imperial army command immediately. My squad should protect and secure an imperial recruiting event at the city archives (public library) of the neutral city of Bergheim at begin of November which would include patrolling the building environment also. Because the imperial reconnaissance unit reported hostile surroundings and a small possibility of rebel activities at the operation area, mission command ordered our squad to prepare for the upcoming mission carefully. So, in the meantime I enhanced the wearability of my armour to have better movability during combat, improved the filter system and the optical system of the helmet and corrected some minor issues regarding the armour part positions to improve the overall appearance. My intention was to show the galactic public how precise imperial Stormtrooper could look like and that is an honor to serve the Emperor by maintain peace and justice throughout the galaxy Confident to be well prepared I, fully armed, took part in my first ground mission at the front lines. With eight other fearless members of the White Shadows Squad of the 501st Legion, including my brother in arms T-Jay aka TK-61276, the deployed fire team accomplished the mission objective without any incident and no casualties. Thanks to this epic success the imperial command on Coruscant will welcome some new recruits in the future definitely. Encouraged by passing my baptism of fire successfully, I decided to go for my personal mission objective, becoming a Centurion of the Stormtrooper Corps at last. After my fellow war photographer and weapon specialist T-Jay had taken the required photos I prepared for the next step towards this target immediately. Only two days after requesting level 2 approval at the imperial army command I was promoted to the rank of Expert Infantry and got my badge on 21. November 2017 from Deployment Officer Tony, TK-10116. Reaching the second level without any complaint made me proud on the one hand and nervous on the other hand. Only one step was left to end a long journey and, after more than 10 years, let my dream come true. Excited and with my heart beating I prepared my request for third level approval right away. After 7 days of nail-biting suspense I was promoted to the rank of Centurion on 28. November 2017 by 501st Deployment Officer Tony, TK-10116. Being surprised positively, I reached this final target without no complaints again. According to some rumors, even Lord Vader himself was pleased with my work. That’s some kind of honor I never had expected. “Someone must have told them about my little maneuver at the Battle of Taanab, äähm I mean my first Mission at Bergheim.” Ok, what I want to say is, the hard work at the imperial research department and the imperial armoury payed out in a way which makes me very proud at the end. Finally, with being allowed to call myself Centurion of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps, Member of “Vader’s Fist”, the 501st Legion, my personal mission is a full success. I am very pleased of reaching this target within a short year after starting that mission in December 2016 and within a very special year also, the 40th anniversary of Star Wars and myself. It’s a great honor to be part of this great community, connected by one of the greatest hobbies in the world. Additional Director’s Cut content ends here At last I want to thank some people, who helped me throughout this mission. Without their help it would have been much more difficult. First of all I have to thank my wife who tolerated my absence at several evenings during my armour build. She encouraged me to let a dream come true and furthermore helped me out when more than two hands were needed. So at the end it took three month of building only, what I never had expected when I started the project end of May. Second I want to thank Troopermaster of course, for providing me this wonderful piece of plastic and particularly for all his helpful advice during my build and his patience while answering my many many questions before and after BBB-Day. Third I have to thank T-Jay who gave me great support by building a very detailed and unique E-11, using his completion set. He also made his TM armour available for me to take it as a reference which helped me out a lot. I am pleased that he was part of my first troop, we together could maintain peace and justice in the galaxy and made children, big and small ones, smile I also have to thank JustJoseph63 and Darman for their stuff and the very fast delivery. Great job guys. Last but not least I have to thank you all, the community, for this forum with its depth of information which helped me to start my journey and stay on target. Great to be part of it. Thank you. TK-77to17 salutes you

Back to the regular scheduled build thread. Keep up the good work Frank.

I don't think that the 501st or FISD are against screen accuracy, just that - especially in the case of ANH TK's - they were built so haphazardly (we keep forgetting that Star Wars was a low-budget '70s film) that if they were to allow every variation that showed up on screen it would devolve into 'anything goes'. There are troopers with 10 teeth, troopers with 6, troopers missing tube stripes, TKs with unpainted ab buttons, stunt troopers with four rivets on their belts (instead of two), missing holsters, missing thermal detonators, troopers with shoulder covers put on backwards, some held together with nothing but duct tape... so instead the focus is on the majority depiction in the film. TL;DR: Yes, there was a trooper with 10 teeth. Doesn't mean it has to be approvable. My two cents.

awesome man! so you're in the states I take it as well yes? yeah my armor is Jimmi's and I would have gone w/his but due to the shipping and time, I wanted to do more research. I really like my KB helmet...I got the first coats of white applied a cpl days ago...gonna do some wet sanding tonight and hopefully finish the white at least...

I love it, makes me feel relevant lol. And it hides all the questions and issues I’ve been having. Plus its a lot easier to see what people think when it’s right there.

Have made a few ;). I use 1 and 1/2 hats which fits quite nicely. Just a case of unpicking seams and sewing in a new section. I fit elastic from on side to the other, then in the middle of that another piece attaches and fits in the middle of the back. When you put it on the helmet the T shape of elastic holds it there quite well.

Yep just saw it on his Instagram page last night

Another quick one...Was able to lay down 3 very light coats of white. That being said, and bc Im always confused myself on what exactly "light" is...here we go...... Basically I pull the trigger and hold, walking in a circle around the targeted piece with a back-and-forth/ top-to-bottom lateral movement (of the spray arm), followed by returning to the start position. I repeat this 3 times and for me, this constitutes "3 light coats"...BOOM! Tomorrow I will throw down another coat and see how the color is.