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Hi and welcome aboard! Looks like you've been doing plenty of research and asking lots of questions, which is undoubtedly the recipe for success. The awesome folks here at FISD will transform the huge, daunting project into an attainable and enjoyable ride. Keep in touch and post lots of photos! My order of building went from head down to toe—bucket, arms, torso, thighs and lastly shins. I also installed strapping as I went, just for some variety from all the ABS trimming. It will work in any order, though! And yes, you can do away with all of the return edge on the wrist-end of the forearms. For L3 this is required, but I also found that it made them way easier to slide over my hands. Turns out a few millimetres makes a huge difference. Return edges everywhere else are up to you—the simulated "thicker armour" look is definitely cool, but it can compromise comfort and mobility. I ended up doing away with most of mine. It's easier to remove them than to add them back on, though, so you may want to test-fit and evaluate as you go. Good luck and have fun! We'll be here.

You want to have no return edge on the forearms, especially the wrists (this is a higher level requirement as well).

Well the ABS Is dry, need to break out the polisher for the last details and paint rivets, but PICS!!!! So Here's the inside that I had to reinforce due to 2 tears Honestly wasn't as hard as I thought it was gonna be, the biggest pain is waiting for ABS to dry, THIN LAYERS is the way to go, and put on extra, you can always sand it off.

Hey Lou There´s a change in the D.O staff after the election so there might be some transistion time but I will look into if someone is assigned to this particular review, hang in there and we will be with you as soon as possible

Thanks, guys. I think i'll keep my TK nice and polished until it develops some nice wear and then I'll make it a HWT or a sandy . . . our brothers over at the MEPD look mighty nice.

Hi, My name is Shaun and I am a member of the 501st UK Garrison and i have recently enquired about getting EIB status on the UKG forum. I was contacted by DAN, one of the DO's in the UKG and he explained about the process... hence my request. Please see my submission photos below, if yourequire further information please let me know. Regards Shaun Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

So after last nights troop and more looking at my armor, I decided to take cut (literally) out of the top of my ab plate. BTW A heat sealing iron on high will go straight through abs...... So I got cute and the excess (with the return edge on it that I cut of I ABS pasted to the inside of the ab plate Thankfully I have some wood working skills After melting a chunk out of it, I kinda fixed it. I realized that I didn't leave enough material to go all the way over for the return edge, It was actuly easier to use my heat gun and the wide attachment like an iron to get it hot and fold it over Bring on the ABS Paste. I think i got more stuck to my fingers than on the armor And here is a short video of me explaining what I did.....Yes you could have just watched the video..... So now to wait for the ABS to harden....... Then the joy of sanding........

blaster the TD (new color and new screws) cod snap Thigh cover strips Belt greetings Lars

Congratulations trooper and welcome to the EI ranks

My pleasure Lou, glad it helped. THT See you at Centurion

Congratulations Lou, job well done

Huge congrats, Lou! Onward to Centurion, trooper!

I am glad I could help hopefully we can meet up, I will be going to California to Disneyland for the Star Wars park.

Congratulations and welcome to Expert Infantry Lou - next up Centurion

Wow, great work. Having seen what you did with your resin one though, I’m not surprised.

Congratulations Lou, welcome to EIB!

Congrats Lou!!!

Hi Lou, Thank you for your patience with your EIB application. CRL and EIB Application Requirements: Thank you for adding the additional photos requested. All required photos are now in and, after review, we are pleased to welcome you to Expert Infantry rank. You have built a fantastic looking set of armour. Congratulations! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly; In this area we review observations made by your fellow troopers and the DO team. Some observations may lead to suggestions to improve the overall look of your armour. Starting from the top, you've made a really nice job of your helmet. There are just a couple of small areas that might allow for that extra touch of "ANH". Starting with the frown, whilst there are a few different styles in ANH, many had the frown paint extending past the un-drilled 5th hole. This could be something to consider. We've also highlighted the ear angle. In an ideal world, the ear screws would line up roughly with the rear angle of the trapazoid. This won't affect clearance - just more of an FYI. Reference; Frown examples; Moving on, we've highlighted the tears. I suspect that these might be decals? On the right-hand side here, it looks like the trap decal/paint doesn't quite match the shape of the trap. This might just be the angle of the photos, however, this could be something to look at. The black pin-striping is also quite thick compared with screen used helmets so could be thinned down a little. Traps and Tears Reference; As below, GREAT job on those ab buttons. The painting looks fantastic. With the belt, there is currently quite a bit of excess material above and below the ammo packs on the plastic belt. I would consider trimming this down a few mm and then raising the belt up. Your sniper knee alignment is a little out. Ideally, the lines on the sniper knee would line up with the ridge on the shin - however, this appears to be a shaping issue with the sniper knee rather than something that you have done. As such, we will not be asking for any changes in this area. It is just something worth mentioning. Reference; Centurion Suggestions; In this section we prepare you for Centurion. Because Centurion photos show more detail than EIB, items pertaining to Centurion might be seen there and not here. We try to point out all that we can from what we see but the final accuracy is the responsibility of the trooper. Just one small thing to raise for Centurion from the pictures provided and that is just to watch the drop box alignment. In your belt only photos, the drop boxes line up perfectly. In your main photos, they appear to be a little out of line compared with the outer edge of the plastic belt. If they are not already, a little glue or a stitch on the drop box elastics could help keep them in line. Many congratulations on reaching L2. We hope to see you back soon for Centurion.

Hi Alex, Just wanted to mention a few things: Start your build thread in the appropriate sub-forum, depending on which costume you are building. I would register for access to the MWG forums http://www.midwestgarrison.com/ You may find armour parties or folks in your area who can help you. Gather your build materials and any other items you may be missing as mentioned by others Start bookmarking threads and reading! Though you can build your armour to Centurion right away, note that the process goes: basic approval with your garrison, then application for EIB here on the FISD, then application for Centurion here on the FISD. Your GML will not be involved with L2 and L3 approval.

Hi Alex, Welcome aboard! -Start your build thread and ask lots of questions. -Order all of your soft goods (neck seal, black undersuit, gloves, etc). Boots can be slow so I'd get them going now. You can check out Imperialboots for them. -Get your E6000 -Get all of your fasteners, strapping etc. -Get all of your tools - You cannot have too many magnets (if you're in the US or Canada, try Lee Valley) and clamps. -Get your paints -Read, read, read, read. Check other build threads and the reference guides. There are great tutorials and lists of everything you need. -Check your Centurion references so you get everything ready for that from the start. -Read more. -Ask more questions. -Set up an IMGUR account to post your pictures. You can copy and paste the BBCode from there into your posts. -Most importantly, have fun. -Did I mention read and ask questions?

Hello Alex and welcome! You have plenty of time before BBD and there are a few things I would recommend doing! Firstly I would advise going to the main page and accessing the ANH Build Threads: https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/6-anh-stunt-and-hero/&share_sfid=6&share_fid=44557&share_type=sf Here you will find a variety of build threads from current and prospective members. There will be a lot to go through and some may not be complete. When I built my armor I found at least 5 different threads and used them all as references when I built my armor. After you find a few you like and settle on which method you will use (make sure that their build methods match up with achieving Centurion as you want). Next you will need equipment to build the armor. Here is an excellent list that covers most of what you will need: https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31404-supply-list-for-your-tk-build/&share_tid=31404&share_fid=44557&share_type=t Supply list for your TK build.... And finally you will need to find white TK boots, a black thermal under suit, a black neck seal, a holster, and a blaster. While this won't be everything that you need to start it will be a great place to begin! Best of luck in your build and MTFBWY! Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I know, lol

Hi again Good news your app is in review so just hang in there

Special features info Canon shots which I drew reference from for cape and proof of TD details. On the short side of cape is also a 1-1 1/8” seam to match red stripe side. For the cape attachment and details, Please look closely here. There is a tiny acorn nut and bolt that I’m sure attached through the Armor to keep cape in place. Also allowing the full side to swing forward and back with ease. Without choking her Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A few smudges and marks are okay, but like said above, TKs are usually pretty clean. Here is a TK from ANH. Notice the marks. ----------- Simply try to stay clean, if you want, look at the Troopers in the movies. I recommend not making it dirty and allowing your armor to naturally gain 'weathering'.

Yeah typically TK's are clean. Sent from my VK815 using Tapatalk

DUDE! You made a repair guide out of wood, mad skills

Nice work trooper just a couple of things you could address before a DO gets started. TD grey is very dark, it should be much lighter, also you need to use "pan head" screws Cod snap should be a rivet Thigh cover strips should finish above the lower ridge and not all the way to the bottom Rear calve cover strips should also stop below the top ridge, you could also trim the lower section of your calves, Corner angled cuts are very large on your belt Could you also add a photo of your blaster D ring

General strapping, most use elastic with snaps (if you double snap you have a spare in case one fails) other glue directly or use Velcro, I like the snaps so when the elastic stretches over time you can just remove and replace. Snap placement https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/24487-diagram-of-snap-placement/

For when this happens.

Thanks Christian - with some pointers from you ... I was sure I could hit some homeruns on this one! Thanks Patrick! Trying to capture all that detail took decades! Glad some of it paid off Almost at the time - now I'm happy! Thanks Tino! Yeah yeah, that's right - the prop master greeblies are done! Assembly beckons around the corner Should I wait to get BlastFX v2 ... I'm such a perfectionist .... hah, we'll see. Thanks for the pat on the back Brian!!, gonna call this one finally done Thanks Freddy, appreciate the encouragement and excitement!

I've recently been diving headlong into a T-21 build, and it occurred to me that I've been neglecting to finish this kit. I am super close to finishing, and I suddenly realized that I have been actively avoiding working on it. Which got me thinking, "WHY???". It's been a dream of mine to have a Hero Luke suit, so what was going on?? I am sure that at least one of you out there knows the feeling when you feel that you just can't do something without screwing it up. And looking back at my progress, I see what caused me to stop dead in my tracks and make all sorts of excuses for why I didn't have time wasn't making this a priority. It was the grappling hook box. I had no idea as to how I was going to make it work on my kit. I was terrified that I was going to screw up a $300 prop (yes, I paid a little over that much for the box...). So with that, I just decided not to work. Period. I'm crediting my husband for reminding me about my kit-in-progress. Actually, it was a comment he made last night as he looked at the floor of my nerd-room, which was covered with a 1:1 scale printout of a T-21, a large log of EVA foam, and various cutouts of styrene and PVC piping. Photo taken while the floor was still in its "clean" state... "So how are you able to get to work on your stormtrooper with the floor covered in all this?" A nice reality check for sure. As I sat on the floor and looked around, I realized that there was nowhere to walk on the floor. I had (intentionally?) built an actual barrier to my TK with another project. And that's how projects never get finished! Sooooo, today I decided to put away all the T-21 stuff and get back to work on my Hero build. And I'm committed to stay focused until I'm done! I pulled out the grappling hook box and decided that the safest way to bend the side tabs would be with boiling water. I pulled out a heavy duty roasting pan and filled it with water. The extra large surface area allowed me to submerge the tabs and still give me lots of room left to work. Here you can see how straight things were before the hot water treatment: I had to remove the round hook holster and left side belt clip, but this was an easy task- they were fixed on with e6000 (yay!). I used large paint stir sticks to help keep the tabs flat because I only wanted the bends to occur near the box, not on the tabs themselves. It took me about 30 minutes, but it worked! My grappling hook box now fits nicely along the kidney. Some before and after pics: I still have to glue the left side belt hook and grappling hook circle back on. I'm going to give the whole thing a few days to dry out before I tackle that part. But at least this hurdle has been cleared, and I can now confidently wear the grappling hook box without it looking 'off'. I'm excited to finish this build now. Whew! Oh, and my new Praetorian Blaster E-11 arrived in the mail a few days ago, and it is gorgeous! (I will probably do a little weathering to it to make it look a bit more battle-worn, but it's still beautiful.) The detail in that spring element alone is stunning! I gave my Hyperfirm E-11 to my husband for his RS TK... which caused him to revert instantly back to a 10 year-old boy, running around the house with it, yelling, "Pew! Pew! Pew!". He can't wait to be a TK.

Hi Lars, Please ignore me!!!! Clicking the wrong link on my phone showed a low res image. The link to your hosting account works fine! My apologies. One of the team will be with you soon. Best wishes Dan

My standard when building this was "If I were 6 years old, and some Stormtrooper handed this to me, would I care about that blob of paint or be too busy freaking out?" My resin one on the other hand.... LOL.

Still a couple of paint touchups to do, but I have to go to work. Here's what I've got (bottom is my resin E11)

Just installed the new mesh! Thanks to Ukswrath for sending them out so quickly!

Keep up the good work! Glad to hear you’re going for Centurion...you’ll be glad in the end!

Bolt installed, little knob thingy by the muzzle cooling things installed, lens installed, selector switch installed. It's glued back together and clamped now to dry. I used E6000 instead of CA, so it will take a bit more time. The power cylinders are printing now and are a quick glue on. After that it's fill and paint which won't take a horribly long time. It should be all done tomorrow morning as I am waiting on the E6000 to set up.

More paint drying... still waiting on the 3d print before I can proceed. Here's what I have done to the blaster so far: -Sanded down the T strips to be flat -Cut notches in the end of the folding stock and installed a backer plate -Drilled the holes in the barrel cooler -Drilled holes in the bottom of the folding stock under the barrel and installed a backing plate -Drilled holes in the front sight -Drilled out the lenses in the scope -Cut out the ejector slot -Cut out a bolt slot -Removed guts so that the bolt has a full cylinder, patching with masking tape coated in E6000 (I am calling this Stormtrooper Papier Maché) -Installed a sheet of ABS to make a bolt -Carved grooves in the magazine -Sanded off the "Rubies TM" lettering -Cut to shape and glued in a plate to make the area around the selector switch look accurate -Base coat of flat black anywhere that ends up being flat black (basically all but the handle) including any visible interior areas -Base coat of brass on the scope - - - - - - Still to do: -Install the bolt lever thingy -Install the selector switch -Install the lenses in the scope -Glue it back together -Attach the stock retaining clip -Print and install the power cylinders -Fill all holes/seams -Sand -Final paint/weathering -Glue lens on the counter

Initial thoughts - armor is well made and already quite smooth. I live in Alaska and have limited use of a garage, so sanding may have to wait until warmer weather when I can use the deck. There are four small cracks in total. I have not worked with fiberglass, but it seems like it should be easy to fix. Most of the pieces are going to have to be cut down for my frame (5 foot 7 inches, 140 pounds). I’ll have to order some ABS to help bond these split pieces, unless there is another suggestion? I’ve ordered decals from Trooperbay and will pick up some bondo and new Dremel saws. Obligatory photo dump.... Small crack Two small cracks R2Dan’s holster (top) next to Jim’s. I’ll be using R2Dans. JAFO’s belt and Imperial boots and gloves. All fit perfect and are of excellent quality. Ukswrath yoke brackets Anovos bucket with Vaderpainter aerator. Good quality, but not sure how to get the plastic one in the helmet out... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I happened to find Mike's TK build videos while searching YouTube for a visual reference on my first build. I am grateful that he has made them, as they helped me in spots where I was stuck, or needed confidence when I had none. They are very informative, and I probably would not be where I am at if it weren't for those videos, and help from friends and other Troopers in my area. I would like to commend him all the way from California, not having even met him. Although, I sent him a few emails to ask him some questions, and he kindly replied to each one. Thank you, Mike. Hopefully there will be a day that I can thank you in person. Best Regards, Mark