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The FISD E-11 Reference Team would like to take this opportunity to thank Jesse (dracotrooper) for submitting a new modification for the magazine well. The new content has been added to chapter #15 (see Mod G). Thank you very much for contributing information to this reference. Also both PDFs (A4 and US letter size) have been updated.

And with that - goal achieved! Thanks everyone - this is a huge relief for me and the web team.

The short answer is that we are keeping the original HWT for historical reasons (the members who have that costume would kill us if we even thought of trying to move it to MEPD). Any new HWT's are going to MEPD.

I'm glad this happened so quickly and I was able to contribute. I have to say that this is the most active and helpful forum I have ever been a part of. Troopers Helping Troopers indeed.

I decided to work out a complete, comprehensive list for those about to start an OT TK armor build (ANH Stunt, Hero, etc,) to help get everything in place for when "Big Brown Box" day arrives! This list does not include soft parts, (neck seal, boots, etc.) but focuses on the hardware and supplies for building the armor itself. However, a list of soft parts can be found HERE I believe I have covered most items, but would appreciate additional suggestions/corrections to add, and will keep it updated as such. Yes, it looks a bit daunting, but some of the items you will already have, and the rest can be purchased at major home improvement stores, online, or borrowed from a TK friend! Plus, it gives you something to do while you "hurry up and wait" for your kit! This list is includes items used for the EIB and Centurion programs, (marked with double red asterisks)**. These items are not required for initial TK approval, but I encourage everyone to consider them as an option. Hope this helps, and best of luck on your build! PLEASE NOTE: Some kits come with all the hardware you will need to build to Centurion level, i.e. split rivets, ear screws, TD screws, etc., however, not all armorers supply the correct ones. If you are (hopefully) planning on aiming for level 3, please check with your armorer to see if they provide these. You can also reference the photos below to see if they are accurate. These supplies are based on using the snap method for connecting the armor. Example photos are shown at the bottom for many of the items, but not all. (Everyone knows what a hammer looks like). Items with photos have a notation. 1. E-6000 glue- Great for almost everything, and removable if necessary. Highly recommended. (Pick up some wooden tongue depressors as well, makes spreading it easier)! (Photo 1) (Please see updated information on E-6000 below, after #50 before purchasing). 2. Binder or notebook- To keep notes on your research. 3. Dremel or rotary tool- A "must have". (Photo 2). Be sure to get the sanding drum attachment and extra sanding drums (Photo 3). I suggest the 180 grit type. 4. Small plastic containers- Keeps everything organized. 5. Lexan scissors- Curved and straight, for cutting ABS. (Photo 4) 6. Small spring clamps- For holding things in place while gluing. You can't have too many! (Photo 5) 7. Line 24 snaps- For strapping. You will need at least 30, and do NOT "cheap-out" on these, but purchase quality ones. (Steer clear of Wal-Mart snaps). Tandy is recommended. Tutorial located here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/44617-snap-setting-101/ (Photo 6) 8. Snap setting tools- There are 2 types to choose from- One is a two piece set (requires a hammer) (Photo 7) and the other is the pliers style (Photo 8) 9. Hammer- For setting snaps if you use the 2 piece style of snap setter. 10. Pliers/vise grips- 11. Screwdriver- Slotted head. 12. Rivets-** 5/16 (8mm). (Photo 9) Round head bifurcated/split rivets with washers. You will need 9. (3 for the kidney, 3 for the ab, one for the cod piece, 2 for the thigh ammo pack). You will also need 3 speed (Chicago") rivets to attach your ABS belt to your canvas one. These are attached by hand and not to be confused with the aluminum ones listed below (#19). Some like to use the screen accurate single cap rivets (Photo 10) to attach the ammo thigh pack but these are not a requirement. 13. Elastic- 1 inch wide black for shoulder bells, etc. (4 ft.) 2 inch wide white for ab/back plate shoulder connection (1 ft.), 1 inch wide white for drop boxes, (1 ft.) 1/4 inch wide white** (1 ft.) for shoulder straps. 14. Nylon strapping- 1 inch wide black, at least 6 to 8 ft. long. 2 inch wide black (48 inches) for high tension areas if you are using the double snap method. (NP) 15. Exacto knife/extra blades- For cutting, trimming, cutting nylon strapping. (Photo 11) 16. Heavy duty razor knife/extra blades- For cutting cover strips and scoring around pieces that will be removed. (Photo 12) 17. Heavy duty scissors/tin snips- For (carefully) cutting large sections of ABS. (Photo 13) 18. Metal ruler or straight edge- (At least 18 inches long). For use as a cutting guide, especially cover strips. 19. Hand Rivet gun/aluminum open end blind rivets- For putting your helmet together. Available for about $10-$12.00, EASY to use! (Photo 14) 20. Metric Ruler- 21. 2 x 2 or larger piece of carpet- Protects work surface, keeps dust down, and stops small parts from rolling away. 22. Rags/paper towels- And plenty of them. 23. Blue painter's tape- 1 inch and 2 inch widths. For keeping glued parts in place and dry-fitting your armor. 24. China marker/pencil- For marking cut lines. 25. Sandpaper- I highly recommend Sandblaster Pro Flexible silicone sanding sheets from 3M, 220 grit. You will never use anything else, I promise. They last forever! 26. Sanding block- The sponge type, 120 grit. 27. Band Aids- You will need these. Might as well keep them handy. 28. Rare earth magnets- (10 minimum) SUPER strong! I use the 20 mm x 3 mm round ones. Cover them in blue tape to prevent scratching your armor. You cannot have too many!!! Tutorial located here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/44619-magnets-101/ (Photo 15) 29. Butane Lighter- For sealing the ends of nylon strapping. (see # 44 below for a better option) 30. Large "half-round" file- For smoothing out edges before sanding. I used this a LOT, especially in the curved areas. (Photo 16) 31. Small "Needle file" set- Very inexpensive, comes in 6 different shapes, and is perfect for the teeth and eye openings on your helmet. (Photo 17) 32. Foam padding- 1 inch thick. Great for helmet and armor padding. Available at craft or fabric stores. 33. Velcro- 2 inch wide black (various uses) and 1 inch wide white, for calf closures (about 36 inches). Go for the "Industrial Strength" kind. 34. PAINT: Satin Black: Humbrol # 85 or Testors # 1747 for vocoder, trap/ tear drop/ear bar outlines/stripe(s), ROTJ and ESB frown, TD screw heads. Gray: Humbrol # 5 or Testors # 1138 for trap/tear drop/ear bar background, ANH frown and ab-buttons. French Blue: Humbrol # 14 or Testors # 2715 ForTube stripes/ab buttons. Mediterranean Blue Humbrol (Tube stripes alternative color) Testors: No exact match Gloss white for all rivet heads (excluding cod rivet). Mineral spirits for brush cleaning 35. Goo Gone- Citrus based solvent that will remove latex and enamel paint and NOT harm your armor. (Photo 18). 36. Small paint brushes- Assorted sizes. Try to buy quality ones.. Cheap brushes =cheap looking results. I suggest picking up a "filbert" (Photo 19) style brush (photo 5) as well, as it's rounded tip works great for painting the ab plate buttons and vocoder. Another GREAT way to get clean, crisp lines on the ab buttons is to use Testors Micro-Sponge brushes (Photo 20). 37. Wire or fiberglass mesh- (Window screen). For inside the "frown" of your helmet. A piece 3 x 8 inches will work fine, and you can trim it as needed. 38. Safety Glasses- It never hurts to be too careful, especially when using a Dremel type tool. For your Thermal Detonator, (TD) clips: (Note: There are some GREAT pre-made TD clips you can buy on this site, and some kits include them, but you can use the following 5 items to make your own. 39. Aluminum strip- 1 inch wide 40. Screws- Size #6 pan-head slotted screws **, 1/2 inch long, You will need 4. (Photo 21). NOTE: The CRLs have been updated and round head screws are permitted, but they must be the slotted (not philips) style. 41. Hacksaw- For cutting the aluminum strip. 42. Drill- Electric or battery operated, with various size bits. 43. Vise grip OPTIONAL ITEMS: 44. Heat sealing iron- For making return edges. Not normally needed, but there are some great tutorials on this here on FISD. Try it on a scrap first, though! 45. Soldering Iron- For making holes in nylon strapping and sealing the ends. Pretty inexpensive, and worth the cost! (Photo 22) 46. Plasti-Dip- A black rubberized coating you can spray inside your helmet, (also available in a brush-on). Or, you can use spray paint. Just remember to sand and prime first! 47. Heat gun- Not normally needed. For shaping ABS. Use this CAREFULLY, and practice on scraps first until you get the hang of it. These things can reach 1500 degrees and melt your armor. 48. CA (super) glue- Not recommended for first time builders, as it is PERMANENT, and you can't fix mistakes. Also, if it drips on your armor it is nearly impossible to remove. It can also become brittle over time, causing connections to fail. 49. Acetone- For use ONLY in making ABS paste for filling small gaps, (see tutorials). Do NOT put this directly on your armor, as it will melt it. 50. SUGRU- This is an easy way to attach the lenses in your helmet. Tutorial located here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/44593-how-to-attach-lenses-using-sugru/ 51. Respirator- An informative post was made by Clint, (cm325i) concerning the effects of E-6000 glue on some individuals. Definitely worth a read: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/33347-e6000-warnings-read-them-and-wear-a-respirator/ 52. Cut resistant gloves- Especially helpful if you are prone to cutting yourself. Available online for about $12.00 (Photo 23) E-6000 update: Please note that there are certain online retailers (including those in Europe) that are selling FAKE E-6000 or "knock-offs" like these: The genuine product is clearly marked Made in the USA, and has a batch number on each tube. They do not sell to distributors in Asia, so if you try to save a few bucks by ordering from a seller there it is not the real stuff. If you have any doubts, you can contact the manufacturer at www.eclecticproducts.com, and they will let you know where to get it. The fake stuff is garbage and will not hold up. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. IMPORTANT UPDATE! To make life easier, Ray (Dieltski) made this into an awesome Google spreadsheet, which you can download to keep track and add notes! Just click here. Thanks, Ray! .

WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS: A dedicated forum where members can submit their completed stormtrooper costume for peer review prior to formal submission to their GML. Your armor will be reviewed and suggestions made by the FISD Staff and Imperial Attaché team, but detachment members can also provide peer review on any submission. All feedback provided will be specific, constructive, respectful, and helpful. Any feedback that is deemed negative, derogatory, inflammatory, or otherwise offensive will be deleted, and the poster can be subject to account suspension for repeated offenses. You may also be provided suggestions for attaining the rank of EI (Expert Infantry) and Centurion levels should you wish to pursue higher levels of screen accuracy. WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS NOT: This program is not a replacement for the GML approval process, as Detachments are not charted to approve costumes for membership. While a costume that passes Detachment peer review should be in a state to be accepted by a GML, Detachments cannot override a GMLs decision, nor are GMLs bound to accept the ruling of a detachment costume approval. That said, as a general rule the goal is that any costume that passes peer-review approval should be accepted by a 501st GML. WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUBMIT: You will need to post up various high quality photos of your armor/accessories on the list below, as well as the basic information listed next to it. We realize that this is more information than normally required for basic approval, but we want you to look your best! Also, please include the name(s) of any approved Trooper(s) who have significantly helped you with your build. Yes, we are asking for more photos and information than are normally needed for basic approval. The reason being is that we feel it gives us a better overall view, and we can catch things that may be missed should the recruit want to move to level 2. PHOTOS: INFORMATION: 1. Front view (arms down) 1. First/last name 2. Back view (arms down) 2. Future Garrison/Squad/Outpost or local area 3. Left side (arms raised) 3. Armor maker 4. Right side (arms raised) 4. Helmet maker 5. Ab plate close-up 5. Cloth belt maker 6. Helmet close-up (front, left and right sides) 6. Neck seal maker 7. Detail photos of any parts you have questions on 7. Boot maker 8. Interior strapping (optional) 9. Blaster maker (if applicable 10. Gasket maker (if applicable) 11. Height (optional) 12. weight (optional) 13. TK type (ANH Stunt/Hero. ESB, ROTJ. TFA etc.) 14. Name(s) of any Trooper(s) who significantly helped with your build. INSTRUCTIONS FOR POSTING YOUR REVIEW REQUEST: 1. Go to the Request Pre Approval thread: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/193-request-tk-pre-approval/ 2. Click on Start New Topic. This is located on the left of the blue "Reply to this Topic" option near the top of the page. 3. In the Title area, post the following information: (Fisd screen name) Requesting Pre Approval Review, followed by the armorer who made your kit in parentheses. Example: MegaTrooper123 Requesting Pre Approval Review (Anovos) 4. Post all required photos/information (as listed above). HELPFUL LINKS: 1. Where can I get in touch with my GML/Garrison? http://www.501st.com/members/displayUnits.php 2. Where can I choose my official TK number? http://www.501st.com/members/search_avail_ids.php 3. How do I join the 501st Legion? http://www.501st.com/members/join_form.php 4. What do I do once I am approved? https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/16-501st-trooper-status-requests-include-link-to-your-501st-profile-in-your-request/ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WHY WE ARE DOING THIS: Not every garrison has responsive GMLs, and even those that do are not always experts in the stormtrooper costumes. Costume peer review provides members with a supplemental feedback on items that need to be fixed prior to approval, as well as other feedback that will help the overall fit and finish. Catching errors earlier will result in increased confidence a build will pass GML review and thus save GMLs time. It will also provide GMLs insight in to a sounding board beyond the GML peer review area on the 501st boards. Additionally it provides non-GML forum members the opportunity to learn about and gain experience in the costume judging process. This is valuable because it can provide people considering being a GML real-world experience before accepting the role, and provides GCOs a potential pool of people experienced in costume judging who may not have yet served as a GML. ADDITIONAL INFO: 1. Any feedback that is negative, derogatory, inflammatory, or otherwise offensive should be reported immediately, will be deleted, and the poster may be subject to account suspension for repeated offenses. 2. Feedback should follow the same format that Deployment Officers use, e.g. for each item to fix they will be marked as “must fix”, “should fix”, “could fix”. 3. “Approval” only covers base 501st acceptance (aka L1). Expert Infantryman (L2) and Centurion (L3) standards can be cited only for “could fix” items and are never “must fix”. 4. For GMLs, this is intended to catch errors early to make your lives easier. This is not a replacement for what you do. Additionally, since detachments can't approve costumes, there is no concern that a Detachment will override a GML decision. 5. For GCOs, an advantage is that a 501st member in their garrison can gain experience in the costume review part of being a GML before they take on the role officially, and this may also for their Garrison provide an outlet for people considering being a GML, and a pool of experienced members should they need to fill that role. 6. For FB users, other TK Facebook pages can offer advice on their site that may or may not be correct. FISD is the official Detachment run by experienced 501st costume approvers the world over, and this is a service we can provide prospective and current 501st members that a FB group cannot.

While everyone was having the time of their lives at Celebration 7 last week, I decided to tackle something that I have been meaning to fix instead of hating on the fact that I wasn't in Anaheim. When I rushed to complete my suit to begin with (long story short had a birthday party to attend in a TK), I messed my thighs up and cut off too much. Not knowing about how to shim things properly, I did what I did and I was happy with it. What I ended up with was a 50mm cover strip at the back of both thighs. No one has ever pointed them out or noticed them so I never really gave it much thought. That was until I started fine tuning and looking at it more. Steve (Gazmosis) was kind enough to pass me for EIB standards, but after private discussions we agreed that 50mm was too much out of the buffer zone if I were to shoot for Centurion. So they had to be redone. After much procrastination it was time to get to it in between troop weekends.....so here it is. PS> I apologise for the 'smudges' you see in the pics. Its from some dirt on the back of my phone camera lens. Dunno how it got there. Here are my thighs before the mod. Experimented with ABS paste as I tried to make them 'prettier'... The dreaded jagged cuts. I refused to use E6000 for my build so most of the suit is put together with CA. It would have been easier to take apart and less messy had I used E6000, but no regrets. I hate that stuff. New shims on the very top. The old ones I cut out below it. Then glued the shims in... I can't remember where I saw this product being used, but it was on one of our troopers build thread. Whoever it was - Thank You! This stuff is the best putty i've used to far on plastic. I strongly recommend this for larger fixes. I got mine from eBay, but I'm sure you can find it at good hobby stores. This stuff is pretty easy to work with and you can shape it with some water on your fingers kinda like clay. Some trimming and then the sanding. I used a scraper thingy to get most of it off, a dremel for some hard to get chunks, and 3 grades of sandpaper to finish off. Also put the 25mm cover strip on. Lastly the paint. Wasn't sure what to use. Had some of this 'Satin Blossom White' and decided to use it. Now I'm thinking I should have used something a little more glossy... Here is a before and after photo... What do you think? The white actually matches very well, so I didn't paint the entire thigh. Just the backs where needed. I wanted to leave the wear and scratching I already have on the front and sides from trooping. A few more minor tweaks and hopefully I'll be ready to apply from my centurion badge. Thanks for tuning in troopers!

Four rivets is for Hero and 2 for Stunt versions

Congratulations.

Troopers helping troopers and getting stuff done! (Kept it PG) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats!!

The CRL is correct for centurion the gloves need to be "rubber or rubber like chemical gloves". the quoted section is for basic and EIB. The latex hand guards will be needed for centurion also. For trooping the nomex gloves work great. You can feel things and hand out trading cards without a problem.

Congratulations

Good thing there's plenty of armor or other people to help. Buy another kit to build and/or leave a post on your garrison's page to help build for others in your area. Volunteer at build parties, etc, etc. THT

Hallu TK Frenz! I've finally rebooted my Hero build and am currently waiting for e6000 to cure on my assembled pieces. No more clamps available to put other parts together now, so I figured it would be a good time to share some thoughts I had regarding sizing down a TK. First let me mention that I forgot how scary it can be to cut-cut-cut away at plastic armor. I tackled my forearms yesterday, and I was surprised about how nervous I was to do it all again. For me, fear and doubt always leads to inertia. Doubt kept creeping back into my head, and it took a lot to shut it up so I could get to work! After all, it's just plastic. If I screw it up, then I'll just fix it. Or buy another part. No biggie. So, let's get this done! The WTF armor is smaller overall than my RS armor, so I'm not trimming any of the lengths yet, just sizing things to fit around my arms for now. When making everything smaller, the word to remember is symmetry. The armor isn't perfectly symmetrical, but there are large details that need to be recognized when cutting things down. For example, you don't want to just shrink down the forearm without consideration to how things look on both sides. Below is the mistake I made on my RS build. Don't make this mistake! I wasn't paying attention to cutting the front and back pieces in a relatively symmetrical way. I ultimately had to replace the front half of this forearm entirely. Gah! I won't be making that mistake again. Here is one of the forearms before I sized it down yesterday: I need to keep that front swoop intact. And I need to keep the back ridge with the dimples straight once the arm is assembled. And it's all gotta fit nicely. The outside halves (where the front cover strips are located) have already been glued together because those front cover strips and ridges are a consistent size among TKs (somewhere around 15mm on the arms give or take). You make all of your sizing of the limb armor pieces in the back. Here you can see my forearms before I sized them down. The ridges are ready for the 15mm cover strips in the front. In the next photo, you can see how I've tucked in the 'swoop' piece and am calculating where that 'swoop' ends relative to the 'ridge' (outer) piece. Where I've made my mark is almost directly across from the opposite seam on the forearm. And this measured cut leaves each half roughly the same size. And here is the wrist end of the same forearm. It's hard to see in this photo, but the cut line is almost directly across from the opposite seam. Once trimmed, the forearm will have two halves that are fairly symmetrical. Not mirror images of each other for certain, just balanced! After trimming and inserting internal cover strips, here is the result: I still have fine-tuning to do to the inside forearm trims, but I'm happy with it. While I would prefer that the 'swoops' be more centered, this is the best I can do with both fitting these properly and maintaining as much of the 'swoop' as possible. I may remove more of that return at the top of the forearm for comfort, so I might be able to get things more centered as I progress with this build. Another thing I had to consider when constructing the forearms was that not only do the forearms have to fit, but they need to look proportional to the biceps. I could have sized the forearms larger, but my biceps would have looked ridiculously skinny above them. By the way, my biceps were the first things assembled, and they're on the smaller side because of the fact that I removed the ridges for the cover strips. This got me thinking about how things should line up. Ridges and seams should line up relative to one another from one limb armor piece to another. For example, front forearm seams should be in line with front bicep seams. In addition to this, the outside ridges should line up between the forearm and bicep and the back seams of the forearm and bicep should line up. It would look odd if the front seam and outside ridges lined up, but the back seams were off significantly. I know it's impossible to get everything absolutely perfectly aligned with these parts, but you do your best, right? So here is what I did to make sure biceps and forearms are sized down so that they look correct proportionally to other pieces and that things line up: I took my assembled bicep (which is on the top in the photo below, please ignore the blue tape!), and placed it on top of the still-untrimmed forearm. I lined up the front seams and made sure that the outer ridges were also fairly in-line with one another. From there, I marked on the forearm the location where the back seam of the bicep was located. I then made some eyeballed adjustments on where the cut line should go (based on how that mark would affect the relative symmetry of the forearm pieces). Having the bicep to use as a guide was extremely helpful for me not only getting the forearm sized, but also making sure the seams and ridges line up properly. In the photo below you can see how everything pretty much lines up between the bicep and the forearm. It's difficult to get a good shot of this while still unassembled! As a small TK, I have enough challenges to deal with for the build. By making sure things line up at this stage, I'm saving myself the hassle of having to make serious adjustments later on when all the pieces come together.

Sweet deal! Fist bumps all around!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Welcome to Centurion Sean Oh...wait.....not approved yet....ahhh you got this: welcome to Centurion

Excellent news

So tempting...hmm...I can feel the Dark Side growing within me...

Once Anovos actually issues the refund then their estimated timing gets better. It was 4 or 5 days for mine, so here’s hoping. Get the money and forward it to AP before your wife gets any the wiser.

Take a soldering iron and burn hole in center of nylon and install snap. Then glue nylon plate to armor. No need for clamps. Tack of glue holds in place. The advantage with this way is it conforms to armor shape. And face it most spots you install snap plates are not flat. So better bond. I have more then 100 troops and not one issue with this approach. Good Luck Future Trooper! Sent from my LGMS631 using Tapatalk

Looking sharp, good luck with approval

Lookin' awesome Sean! I was just wondering when we would see you here. By the way, how the eff did you get that sniper knee looking so good

I use nylon webbing and no clamps, no magnets. They conform to any angle or bend and the nylon absorbs the glue creating an even tighter bond.

There was a little material left, I hadn’t cleaned it up yet.

Had another great test fit, I learned a lot. I'll be making some changes as I found some problems. For one the butt plate is too low. Also the shoulder bells need to be higher more flush with the sholder straps. I'm still not happy with the shins. I think my mods helped but I'm looking into some alternative. I really don't want to rebuild them

Too late to leave the caps... the deed has been done Maybe when I glue them back on I’ll place them 1mm closer to the edge off center as a compromise[emoji12] I don’t mind redoing things for perfection. It will bug the crap out of me if I don’t. Plus I’m gonna miss working on this when it’s actually done. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks like 5mm cut in would do the trick The e6000 on the caps hasn’t cured yet so something’s telling me they’re coming off tonight. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you want to you could cut the ends shorter (closer to the cover buttons) with a steady score and snap making the corners aligne more. Hard to tell on the pic just how much more, might not be worth the effort/risk to cut to much. That`s how to do it

It´s prefered to use Canon size cover strips, 15mm arms (front/back), 20mm thighs (front/back) and shins 20 front/25 back. That is not always possible and then the size needed to make the armor fit is the right size and then it`s prefered to use a smaller size close to Canon in the front and go bigger in the back. When sizing up your armor start on the front and see if Canon size is right for you and the cover strip idealy hides the raised edge (all of the flat surface) but not going over it. So..if you can use a 15mm cover strip then you cut 7.5 mm from each edge. To conclude - If you follow trooperbay you`re in good hands

Appreciate the follow up guys. As far as the belt goes I based the cuts of the 45s from the tk-1650 diagram but didn’t realize that the alignment to belt was more important. Suppose I can’t do much about it now short of a new piece and starting over... good thing it’s not a deal breaker[emoji13] I have the shoulder bridge elastics, just haven’t put on yet. I’m pretty sure my biceps need to come down a bit. They are also a bit oblong and not symmetrically round. I’m going to add bicep resizing to my ever growing list of rainy day tweaks. As for the forearms I’m still a little unsure. I have very narrow wrists compared to my proximal forearms. As they stand I can barely get my gloves hand through. I could downsize them but would have to don gloves after arms are on. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That’s great looking armour. Well done. :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congratulations.

Congrats!

Congratulations trooper

Done. I've been a member here since 2008 and have been a regular financial contributor over that same time period. Worth every penny.

I have a: TK- ANH Stunt TK - Heavy Weapons Trooper SL - Darth Vader ROTJ I'm off to a slow start also. haha

Here is the thread about the WTF shin pairing: I also did what Paul suggested and paired them up long/long short/short but it probably doesn't matter in the end, as people have been approved with both combinations. Walt actually said he'd redo the shins after a big thread about it on his Facebook page but I imagine he forgot with everything else going on.

If you are having issues with your bicep armour slipping down, look up a tutorial for Han Hooks. They can help with that. ukswrath makes them in one of his build threads, and they are approvable up through Centurion if you decide to take it that far.

To kick off this program, I am offering an incentive for the first one to post in this forum requesting a pre-approval review and then receive basic 501st approval. Once your armor has been reviewed here, submitted to your GML and you receive your official 501st TK I.D., simply sign up for Legion access here at the FISD (link below) then PM me with your information and I will send you a set of flexible hand guards and any hardware you may require to reach Centurion level if you should wish to pursue that. If you already have these items, I will send some cool swag. Good luck, future Troopers! https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/16-501st-trooper-status-requests-include-link-to-your-501st-profile-in-your-request/ --------------------------------------------------CLAIMED-------------------------------------------

No need to disassemble. I used the dip (not spray) and cheesecloth. I wiped the inside down with a little rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt. Cut the cheesecloth into smallish 2” squares. Use a sponge brush and dab (not “brush”) a small amount on to make a sticky surface. Put the cheesecloth down and dab more plastidip on top and repeat until fully coated. Then I did a couple full coats all at once at the end to fully coat everything really good. You can hold it up to a light and look through to find spots that need more dip. I did this on 2 Anovos and an ATA helmet. Not sure if the dip would cause any harm to any other maker/material. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You definitely do not want to trim anything off the top of your outer forearm! I'm guessing the problem is when you bend your arm, the forearm is digging into your wrist? You can trim the inner elbow curve deeper and then trim the wrists. It doesn't matter if you have gaps at your wrists when your arms are by your side - that is completely normal. The gaps soon disappear once you carry your blaster.

I just wanted to meet people like me, if you want to start a bible thread go for it. I'm gay but I'm also a Christian. Now if you want to make a bible thread just to smite me and be homophobic well there's the door. This post has nothing to do with sex. Just wanted to meet people who share the same walk of life as I do. If you can't understand that than I'm sorry for you people. And I do think we should have a booth set up for pride so we are as inclusive as they say cause frankly people still don't know about the 501st and there are a ton of LGBT Star Wars fans out there. And to deny them the chance because it's to "political" or "sexual" then you are a problem. Fun fact: being gay isn't all about having sex. We are normal folk just like you. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Guys - this thread is for LGBT troopers to express support for each other, and as 501st members they have the right to do so. If you want to discuss politics, go somewhere else, or your posts will be deleted.

Neither do half of the troops we're asked to attend...

There are indeed two different packs floating out there. The pack that Shawn mentions above has also been referred to as the Patrol pack, if I recall properly. I concur that he Kyber pack is more of an HWT/TK Accessory by nature and the Patrol/Sandtrooper pack is the only possible loadout from the Rogue One lineup that could or should be considered a Sandtrooper. We certainly didn't create the MEPD based on an accessorized costume, so we can't really be accountable now for uniformity and accessories eliminating the one-offs of the past.

Fandom is a journey not a destination. Through your whole build you feel anxious to finish it but then, once you finish, you quickly begin to miss the adventure of the build... and so it goes.

That's the funny thing, there are plenty of build threads where you can go to learn how to build a kit super accurate. But for some reason, this might be the first one newbies are actually reading.

I have a lot of people asking me how to do a return edge, or tips when they've bought a heat sealing iron and can't get it to work. So I figured a video tutorial would be helpful. Pete / Stukatrooper came up with the original concept and created the original web tutorial here. Pete's stuff is always inspirational, so many kudos to him for this! http://whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=2313 I did a lot of trimming and return edges on my AM build here, also good for reference: http://whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=10434 Here is another tutorial for modifying the thigh armor tops to create the "ANH" look (notches) http://whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=11836 Here's online sources for heat sealing irons: ----------- With that out of the way, here's a 2 part video tutorial for how to create return edges using a heat sealing iron. I hope it's helpful for all the people asking for tips on how to get a better return edge!

Here's Wyatt's canvas "vintage cargo strap" belt material. I know Wyatt said not to, but I used a solution of 20% bleach to 80% water to clean / bleach the belt slightly. The AM kits is quite white in contrast to the belt, so I felt a little color match was in order. I only bleached for about 45 mins, then soaked and rinsed the belt overnight, and rinsed it again, to make sure no bleach was left to weaken the material. I hung it to dry (avoid using heat as heat will shrink canvas). I wrapped the belt around the torso to make sure it fit the armor, and left a 7" overlap for the closure in the back. I sewed the ends of the belt and closed them with bar tack stitches, that way the ends can fray a bit for that "used" look but they won't fall apart. I've also sewn velcro for the belt closure which will also hold the TD in place. I also like to sew in some velcro (hook side) on the inside of the belt on each side of the hips, to support the holster and to keep things aligned. The front of the belt is held in place with snaps (belt to ab armor) to keep it centered every time you put it on. For the drop boxes, I had a set of KWS designs "inner boxes" I had never used. I trimmed slots in the corners to make it fit snug inside the AM drop boxes, they fit perfectly! I also cut some 1" wide notches in the inner boxes, to accommodate the elastic to allow it to lay flat. I took a different approach to attaching the elastic. I made a loop of elastic, and through the loop I placed a piece of ABS scrap, and glued the ABS scrap to 2 small "bridges" under it, and glued all the ABS into the inner drop box with Plastic Weld. I also spread some E6000 onto the elastic to glue it to the inner drop box. Then assembled the 2 halves, and used Plastic weld to seal them shut. I found that this way, the elastic stays nice and flat and the inside is nice and tidy (yes, I know no one sees the inside, but I do!) Here's an assembled one and an opened one before sealing it shut. You can see how the elastic is attached inside the box, and I will attach this to the belt via the snaps (punch a hole in the elastic, and slip it under the snap before attaching the armor to the belt.) You can see the rivet used to secure the drop box. I used a rivet and not the snap backing as that was too short to pass through the belt armor, cargo strap belt, the drop box elastic, and the female snap. I took a long 3/8" rivet and cut it exactly to the size I needed, and snapped everything together. You can also see I've riveted in the Anrev made leather holster. I attached it "Stunt" style with 2 rivets on the lower part of the belt. I used rivets because I never really take the holster off, and I'm super paranoid about the holster falling off during a troop. Great photo of the belt, holster and TD in place. You can also see I have installed the rivets on the side of the AB / kidney section, I will paint these white later. A few people have asked for info on harnesses. I made a custom harness setup that's very easy for me to get in and out of. The left side is hinged clam shell style with a few elastic and snap straps, and a couple sections of velcro (not attached in the pic). The closure side is simply velcro, very quick to put on and take off. The suspenders are attached via velcro on the ab section and kidney, but in the back they extend up to the shoulders of the back section and attach with velcro and snaps. The back has a bridge of nylon webbing across the back to prevent the shoulder bells from separating. The front of the suspenders have "suspender fastex" clips which are very flat and low profile. I usually leave the left side one always done up, and I only need to un-snap and snap the right side one. There is a short sternum strap as well.