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Haven't had much time to troop or build armor (busy summer!), however I did work on my armor in anticipation of this weekend's 3-day Balloon Race troop. PSA: When trimming your thighs, trim for height FIRST. Thighs are a cone. Cones work like this: For future reference, I suggest trimming for width (circumference) first: I did not do that, and so my thighs have always been just a little too tight. I can force them on, but they sit lower than I'd like and I have zero room for comfort (or weight gain). I finally addressed that over the past couple weeks, so with that in mind:

Belt complete :).

Auto-correct is a wonderful thing so I will let this one slide ”work”...oops I couldn’t Don’t be mad, I am knee-deep in abs paste and the acetone is clearly getting to me...

That is actually not padding, but is 1 inch flexible black ribbed tubing. (available at Lowe's) and adds a cleaner look while also covering wires and such. I normally use Plasti-dip in my helmets, but you can also use craft foam like I did on my Hero bucket. (I added a few extras, though, modeled after a "real" helmet). I really have to get a life, lol. ----------

Great to hear! While waiting for you armor, I recommend heading to Joanne's fabrics (or something similar) and picking up some 1 inch thick sheets of foam to line your bin sides/bottom with. Bins get knocked around a lot, and this will protect your armor from getting banged all to heck during transport. Just cut them to size and use a heavy-duty spray adhesive to hold them in place.

Lol. This is funny to catch up on (across both threads...) [emoji6] Personally, I think that this might be better suited to different events. For example, at a smaller, family type event, a trooper is likely to be more personal/specific with their chat. I get a lot of people ask me “can we take a photo with you?” I will answer along the lines of “of course, sir/ma’am”. In that scenario, a loop wouldn’t be fitting. At a huge convention, in a massive hall, with thousands upon thousands of visitors, surrounded by tens and tens of fellow troopers, a little generic “chatter” would probably add to the ambiance. Each to their own, as always, however I have never run one and it wouldn’t really appeal to me. I like the specific interaction with people and rely on my TRamp and my bad American accent for that!! Lol

Indeed, also A fan inside the helmet if positioned correctly will help disperse humid air (sweating / breathing) and prevent the visor lens from frogging. Visibility is poor inside the bucket (you have to look three steps ahead, anything closer is in the blind zone), keeping the lens clear is essential.

I'm in Columbus Ohio so if your heading this way might as well pick me up and we can all enjoy some cheese steaks and chit chat about chatter

All you`ve done for a while now is chatter and you are a TK! Last joke, I promise

Well...the Sandtrooper already has alot of accessories with the pauldron, field pack, extended arsenal etc but I figured having some more wouldn`t hurt And...I´m pretty sure this is a droid we are looking for!! I need a net bag to finish this of so I can carry it in my hand or strapped to the pack on those non-formal troops or when I´m attending as Joe-public As a nice change of pace I won`t say anything, just show how I did - feel free to ask if something is unclear though

Contacting the LMO will probably do more than posting a rant on a thread that hasn't been active since 2016

Decided to go velcro to start with for the arms, and legs, that way I can size them more after wearing it a few times if needs be thus making the sizing process alot easier and allowing me to size them up or down as I see fit just making the overlap bigger/smaller by adjusting/replace the velcro....however….when I taped up an inch ovelap and tried them on they were snug, I only removed the flashing so haven`t trimmed it down any and that felt wierd because all I`ve heard about this kit is that it`s massive..well it`s not. I had no problem with the limbs fitting when I tried them, thighs were about 2inch overlap on each side so plenty of room there, Shins a bit less but still ample room - not massive amounts though. Chest and back is unaltered meaning I left all I could, ab/kidney I cut 4 inches total and it fits snug around my waist. So this beeing a massive kit is simply not the best description, atleast in my opinion. Or the molds have changed but I don`t see why they would as he made the ab section taller to accomodate taller troopers, it seem strange that he would alter the width/girth….Aaaanyway I should get the bicep to work, I´ll see when I try them with the gaskets...whaaaat!! you haven`t?...no I haven`t as I haven`t trimmed anything other than the extra material My ego would be boosted if I needed to shim the biceps so not to unhappy after all What I have doen is to cut the pill-holes on biceps, smeared some paste, one side had tinner plastic so that`s why it`s such a mess...and I filled the seam on the ab/kidney using a stronger filler due to the pieces seeing some flexing when putting it on. Biceps are a test-subject with the paste, if I open the velcro to put on/of it might crack the seam but I wanted to experiment as I have faith in the abs-paste, they are easy enough to sand/refill and repaint if that happens. It`s not finished yet but the stronger stuff hardens quickly so had time to rough sand that.

If you do use nylon or elastic I would suggest using a soldering iron to make the holes, just helps to seal the edges around the holes and prevents the snap from pulling though

Oh - I did not realize I should have signed up within their own forum. I'll do that now. Thanks Dan!

I have them on 4 suits and no problem what so ever

Thanks a lot for the pic and comment Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For Centurion - No return edge at all on the wrist end of forearms. Canon pic for reference

Hey Ryan Arms look good, however always try to have your undersuit on when sizing your armor, especially if you are new to this Return edges are optional with one exception and that is there cannot be any on the wrist end of forearms for Centurion, but it`s always a good idea to remove those for Comfort, on the forearms that is, everywere else it`s up to you, leaving some gives an illusion of thickness and heft to the armor so try to keep atleast some unless it`s in conflict with comfort/mobility. As for sizing your forearms, put your undersuit/shirt on and put the biceps on and then the forearms, hold the biceps up over the elbow joint and then try and tap yourself on the top of the head, you might have to be creative with the angels but a good rule of thumb is to be able to put on/remove the helmet on your own - if you have a helmet to try this with even better. If you need to shorten the forearms do so at the wrists but show us how it looks before you do it

Hi Goodluck on your centurion application ! Some small detail the cover strips on your legs should line up straight . Staff Will be with you soon !

Congratulations on achieving EIB !

Where did you get your bin from? I like the design. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

he is reffering to the fabric neck seal not the rubber trim Mark (AP)

Thanks! Are their neck seals acceptable for centurion? 501 says " Black with horizontal ribs, fitted to the wearer, and extending from the base of the neck to conceal the entire neck. ", but I have read somewhere that an "S" style is preferential to the "U" style. Also, how fitted does it need to be? My neck is about 16 1/2 but the one from Imperial Boots is about 17 3/4. https://www.imperialboots.com/product/neckseal/ Thanks again everyone.

Looking great. Almost there

I think imperial boots are taking orders right now.

Thats really great! Thanks a lot!

I would think TK's just talk to each other directly. One on one when together on DS. Like the two thinking " it's a drill". They have no need to have chatter. Sandy's on Tatooine are a police force and spread out in all area's. They're relaying info on the spot as it happens. Which would come across as chatter. I would think they (TK/TD) have different channels of communications and procedures. I use the chatter loop in my HWT backpack. I use my phone and throw it in the radio. It's nice background noise and helps the illusion of being part of something big and sounds cool coming from radio.

Yeah I’m happy how it turned out, it was one of those ”hmmm I wonder it that would work-moments” that really paid off And I might drill some holes to have some tubing and wires comming out, that’s my original plan but leaving it for now. And I just have to say that it doesn’t look like a rubber mask at all and could easily function as a display piece, atleast I think so but I might be biased And beeing the swell chap that I am I can trade you for yours

This is excellent work, and very detailed. Maybe this was the reason I delayed my TKC adventure

Beer is what started all this, but it was worth it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tactical pads work well for me. I only need 4 in my lid so planets of room for airflow, fans and mic.

Hi Trever, I’m not sure about members that worked on the movies/with LFL etc., however, if you’re viewing on a browser you’ll see members’ credentials on the lefthand side, under their name. To make sense of all the logos and badges, see here; https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/43879-fisd-user-ranks-awards/ There are lots of incredibly talented members active on this forum, and you’ve already had at least two of them comment on your thread. Troopermaster (Paul) is renowned for his detailed knowledge of the original trilogy armour (mainly ANH if I’m correct) and has highlighted many areas of that armour over the year that have benefited the community. He also makes TM (Troopermaster) armour, one of the best looking armour kits on the market. Skunky (Mark) is the man behind CFO (cast from original) and is one of (if not the only) maker of ROTJ armour. Again, a lot of knowledge there. You’d also do well to follow the work of UKSwrath, JustJospeh, Sly11 to name but a few. The more time you spend on this forum, the more you will see input from influential members. Keep with it bud and you’ll have the lay of the land in no time. :-)

Wow - ingenious use of that pot to double as a head filler/neck. I might send mine back and follow your method. ;-)

Awesome news and we'll timed but. Looking forward to them BBB photos. Sent from my VK815 using Tapatalk

Got my trooping crate. And no sooner did I get home than I got an email from ATA that my armor has shipped! BBB-Day coming soon! Sent from my MSE-6 droid using Tapatalk

Very nice

Ok I see where you're coming from. Here's in the US chatter is communication between anyone on coms.

touché Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had to remake one of the inner shin strips, I accidentally tore one of them up drilling one of the 1/2" holes. No worries though, made the replacement today and got them installed. Used some rolled up packing paper to separate the two sides as the opposing side wanted to push the strip in. Got the thigh ammo pack installed: Painted the rivet heads white and added some glue to keep the pack in place. When I was shooting pictures in May, one thing I noticed (and helped fix when I could) was that the ammo pack had a tendency to fall down if not secured somehow. And got my bicep strap hooks made (and installed, not pictured): The torso is also completely strapped together and I tried it on, the fit is good! I need to take some good pictures of that at some point. The only thing that I noticed was that I need to give the upper shoulder tabs of the back plate a hot bath to make them curve down towards my shoulders. I also need to add some sort of padding to the snap heads up front, they push into my collar bones a bit.

+1

Oh, okay, good thing I didn't trim much, then. So, I should split the ab and cod first, correct? And would I trim just the cod after that? Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

Ah, I think you might have misunderstood what I had written about the torso. It's very important to make sure your torso is correctly fitted first. What I meant by that is all of your torso should be assembled/strapped together before trimming the thighs (chest, back, kidney, ab, butt). As you mentioned, the cod will probably need to be trimmed, which brings your cod up... which will result in your thighs coming up, which can result in overtrimmed (too short) thighs. I strongly recommend to press pause on the thighs and focus on getting the torso pieces all fitted first. Just my 2 cents, of course...

If you're going to reshape the area, as Rat mentioned to avoid splitting or weakening the armor at the curve reshape this area.

The plastic can be a real pain to get paint to adhere, so I opted for self adhesive vinyl. A light spray of soapy water and a hair dryer to mold the vinyl. Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Went ahead and glued some magnets, if it won’t work then no biggie as I have plans for the interior Magnets on the back aren’t glued yet as I haven’t confirmed the placement hightwise It works! Yeey! Next challenge will be to include the vest but that’s for another day

Achievement unlocked

The only time you see any trooper in TFU carrying a lightsaber is when you (Starkiller) are wearing the costume in game. There are no scenes or situations where you find these guys carrying sabers of their own. If I carried a saber with my TFU Shadow armor (which I totally plan to do), I would feel like I'm portraying Starkiller more than the trooper who would never use one as part of his arsenal.

For anyone wondering what the various logos, bars, and titles to the left of posts is all about, this is the thread for you! User Ranks Found above the avatar, rank is determined either by post count or other criteria: Private: 0-24 posts Corporal: 25-49 posts Sergeant: 50-99 posts Lieutenant: 100-149 posts Captain: 150-199 posts Major: 250-499 posts Colonel: 500-999 posts Commander: 1000-1499 posts General: 1500-1999 posts Field Marshall: 2000-2999 posts Grand Moff: 3000+ posts Expert Infantry: Users who have received an EIB Award Centurion: Users who have been granted Centurion Status There are also special ranks given to Command Staff and Extended Staff, such as Detachment Leader, Deployment Officer, Combat Photographer, Hall of Fame Curator, etc. Achievement and Service Awards The FISD Achievement Award is granted for exemplary service to, or outstanding achievement for, FISD. Tradition holds that persons currently serving on staff cannot be granted Achievement Medals (or else it can become too self-serving). Thus, if you see a staff member with an Achievement Medal, they've all earned them prior to joining staff. To date only two people have ever earned a second medal, and no one has ever earned a third. Award Levels FISD Achievement Award (1st Award) FISD Achievement Award (2nd Award) ... FISD Achievement Award (6th Award) (and so on) The FISD Service Award is granted to recognize the contributions of Command Staff for their commitment to keeping the detachment running. Each award represents a full year of service. Additional awards are denoted by a star (1 Gold Star = 5 Silver Stars, 1 Silver Star = 5 Bronze Stars, etc.). A frame denotes fifteen years of service, with additional stars for further years. Award Levels FISD Service Award (1st Award) FISD Service Award (2nd Award) FISD Service Award (9th Award) FISD Service Award (10th Award) ... FISD Service Award (16th Award) (and so on) 3D Contributor Award This program, as with others, is an optional Detachment-only award incentive. It recognizes members who have gone above and beyond in contributing to our 3D forum section. The Silver award can be earned numerous times over the years. The Gold award is given to those that have contributed at such an astounding level that it is deemed appropriate. All awards are given at the discretion of Command Staff. Award Levels Silver 3D Contributor Award Gold 3D Contributor Award For more information please refer to this thread. Attaché Outstanding Achievement Award This award is bestowed to those who consistently exemplify the meaning of an Imperial Attaché and have gone above-and-beyond in helping their fellow troopers for at least one full year: For more information and a list of recipients please refer to this thread. FISD Master Armorer The FISD Master Armorer program is an optional, detachment only incentive award to recognize individuals who have directly helped another 501st stormtrooper to achieve Expert Infantry status. Some people spend countless hours helping others, and want to reward their results as well as incentivizing new people to help as well. Award Levels FISD Armorer (5+ "wins") FISD Senior Armorer (15+ "wins") FISD Master Armorer (25+ "wins") Centurion Badge These are awarded to those who have reached the highest levels of costume approval for FISD. These are awarded only once, to the person, regardless of costumes: Expert Infantry Badge (EIB) These are awarded per costume, thus a person can have more than one EIB award. Stars (like the awards above) indicate multiple awards, and appear above the EI badge (1 Blue Star = 5 Gold Stars, 1 Gold Star = 5 Silver Stars). Award Levels Expert Infantry Badge (1st Award) Expert Infantry Badge (2nd Award) Expert Infantry Badge (3rd Award) Expert Infantry Badge (4th Award) Expert Infantry Badge (5th Award) Expert Infantry Badge (6th Award) Expert Infantry Badge (7th Award) Expert Infantry Badge (8th Award) Expert Infantry Badge (9th Award) Expert Infantry Badge (10th Award) Expert Infantry Badge (11th Award) Expert Infantry Badge (12th Award) Expert Infantry Badge (13th Award) Expert Infantry Badge (14th Award) NOTE If you are approved with a "2nd Version" of a particular costume that you are already approved with you do not receive an additional award, there is only 1 award issued for each costume version ie: only 1 x Hero, 1 x Stunt, 1 x HWT, 1 x ESB, 1 x TFA and so on. If you have a second/additional version costume approved you will see "2nd Version" and [APPROVED] added to the thread title, no additional profile stars For more information on the Expert Infantry and Centurion programs, please refer to this thread. EIB and Centurion requirements can be found in the corresponding costume CRLs (as Level 2 and 3), additional information on how to apply is available here for EIB and here for Centurion.

Really cool of them to give you some links for free! Looks like you have been doing your research, I suggest buying twice as many snaps and magnets as you think you’ll need. Good luck with the build!

One of the many questions for wannabe stromtroopers is what tools are needed to actually build the set of armour so here is a visual guide to the minimum requirements in my view. Many people prefer different methods of building and to use other tools but these simple items will serve you well. You only really need a few basic tools to build a set of stormtrooper armour and there is no need for access to a huge workshop either. I have built many sets of armour in my living room using just these few basic tools. You will need a pencil and steel rule for measuring and marking. A sharp knife for cutting straight lines. Curved trimming scissors for those more tricky curves. Masking tape to hold things together while gluing. A good glue as Velcro is so 1999. Clamps to hold things together while the glue is drying, or you can just use the masking tape. A drill for adding snaps and rivets to your armour. Vario pliers for use on snaps. And a good pop rivet gun. Now get cutting, trimming, gluing and building