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Welcome back, Tyrone, and thank you for your Centurion application! CRL and Centurion Application Requirements: All required submission photos are present, and GREAT job on your build Trooper We are pleased to announce your armor displays all the necessary requirements as set out in the CRL. On behalf of the Sha Sha and myself, congratulations and welcome to the rank of Centurion! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: Nothing to see here... move along. Buckets off to you, Tyrone... you did a brilliant job on not only the required items but the suggestions as well, and for that, kudos to you brother! Your hard work has paid off, and I am very proud to welcome you to our highest level. Good on ya"!! Once you are able to get out and troop again, I'm sure you will make both the Redback Garrison and the Empire proud as it's newest Centurion. You earned it, sir.

Thanks Glen. I took a toothpick to the teeth to make a more definitive gap between gums and teeth. Think it’s a little better. Let me know if there needs to be more taken off. as for the bucket itself, I managed to significantly lower the brow. before: after: The angle of the photo is a little off here. The brow sits lower in person but there is a little more gap between the face plate and the bucket top than before. here’s the left: the right: the interior: My plan is to put on the seal tonight. You’re probably noticing the different angle between the two ears. The left angle is higher in order to cover the fairly significant repair work underneath but also to ensure that the ears (which were cut to the bucket before repairs) still sit flush. Thoughts and comments are always appreciated.

Many congratulations, Ty!! Great job! RWA Centurion number 11, I believe. You’re now entitled to your Centurion RWA Gold patch. :-)

Hi William! Sorry for the delay. @ABS80 (Mark) does have a point in that we're basing the L3 requirements on a small set of data, which in this case is mostly the photos that came out of the Shepperton Studios/LFL lawsuit, because those were some of the clearest images we had ever seen of a screen used ANH suit. The language in the CRL is a little ambiguous, but the idea is that the button paint should really stop short of the edges of the ABS button, as you can see in the following photos (all of the same suit): I think it is certainly a possibility that this particular suit was actually an outlier, but as it is, it represents the clearest images we have access to. That said, the CRL is always in flux, and as we learn more about the armor (which is incredible given they're 40+ years old now) you'll see requirements come and go. I did go back and look at the last several EIB approvals for AP suits and we have consistently requested the button paint change, so if we're wrong, we're at least consistently wrong. In the end L2 and L3 approvals are always optional and should never be source of stress, just a nice way to try to get a consistently high quality look across all armor types in the 501st. Hope this helps, Sha Sha

Congratulations and welcome to Centurion trooper

Excellent! Welcome to Centurion trooper

Congratulations Ty. Great Job, welcome to the ranks.

Welcome to the FISD, Jakob! Glad to hear that you have started your research, and know that we are here to help every step of the way, sir. Aiming for Centurion is actually easier (and better) to do right from the start, as you may have to make modifications down the road. When you eventually receive your kit, I highly suggest starting a build thread where you can ask all the questions you want to as well as add photos of your progress and any issues. Another suggestion while you wait is to copy your present post into the "New Member Introductions" thread located here. With it posted in this thread you may not get many responses, so moving it there will definitely help. Best of luck on your white armor journey, and keep us in the loop!

Oh wow I forgot about that, thank you. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congratulations Ty, well deserved and welcome to the rank

Are you serious, that’s amazing thank you so much. Also a big thank to all who gave me such positive and encouraging help and feedback on my EIB and centurion. Especially you Sly, thanks so much. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Found my biggest pot and hot water bathed the top part of my chest; slightly flattening it out (to help better align with back plate shoulder tabs) Added a snap strapping system to help get these pieces to stay together when I put it on either myself or my mannequin so I can properly align my shoulder bridges when these snaps dry. (just using masking tape was such a hassle......) Finally, finally, finally, I made a chicago screw/militput housing for my right lens that is actually holding together. Now I can mimic what I did to the other side. I don't know why this thing kicked my butt. I know it was partially not having the bases at a proper height and not letting the e600 enough time to cure. I don't know. I haven't seen a thread where someone struggled as much as I did with lenses. *It is not very pretty, but it works and I can easily take my lens of for cleaning or replacement.

Morgul702, I added you. Good luck and let us know when you get approved.

Thank you Sha Sha for reviewing my EIB application and everyone for the kind words! I am definitely going for Centurion and working on my back gap, thigh gap, shoulder gap, and drop boxes. Being a bit taller makes things interesting. haha For the ab buttons, I am a bit confused because I do see the requirement is "Ab button paint shall not extend beyond the bottom of the actual raised button", but none of the buttons extend beyond the raised button. There is a slight white raise around each button. Let me know if I'm not understanding something correctly! haha

I disagree on the belly buttons they are in proportion and look perfect! making them smaller would look off, look at the spacing between each button almost same as the original you posted, your basing yourself on the tiny exposed bump, also no two were painted the same , your comparisation photo actually proves his button are correct size when you compare the spacing between each button ect... Mark (AP)

Left forearm is almost done, just waiting on one side to dry. After that ill go through and remove all return edges from my limbs as recommended. I am again attempting to try and install my lenses. I have failed the past couple times.....I bought some lenses from trooper bay and they are alot more flexible than the ones supplied from walt. It is easier to cut and to handle, hopefully this time I am successful. Removed old glue and have both bridges with extra abs plastic and made them more screen accurate by making the front part straight. Bought a mannequin thingy to aid with body strapping (just have to adjust it to my body measurements Before I go gluing on the bridges I would like some advice. As of now the chest tabs do not align with the back plate tabs for the shoulder bridges, I know screen used TK's use elastic bands (I use them as well for my RS) But the amount of re-positioning of the shoulder bridges seem a little off to make it reach somewhat nicely to the back tabs. I also dont want to rely only on little bands to ensure it stays somewhat in place. Here is how the two pieces meet up: NOW, I was thinking If I heat bend the top part of the chest to "flatten" it out, all tabs align a lot more nicely: By flattening the top chest piece it looks like a far better fit. Here is a picture on my RS, as you can see the chest and back tabs naturally meet up:

Update… I fixed the back zipper as best as I can by removing the additional black material and the zippers. Sewing in a binding along the seam of the mesh seems to help stabilize the seam. Then I added the additional black breathable fabric and finally the zipper. I should have some pictures of this in the next few days. Sanding, ho hum… Ok I sanded the glazing on the gauntlets and they are done I think. I also 220 grit sanded the chest plate, thermal detonator, back belt, posterior plate and groin plate. These parts will need to be inspected and glazing putty applied if needed then re-sanded. I forget if I mentioned this in a previous post so I will add it here. My sanding process: So once a part is cut and fitted, I prepare it for painting by sanding and filling imperfections. All the sanding I do is wet sanding. I use a square (2.5” wide 4” long and ½” thick) of EVA foam as my sanding block. The foam is stiff enough to hold its shape but will bend and conform around uneven surfaces. I use two types of sand paper. The first type is 3M pro grade ultra flexible sand paper. This stuff comes in rolls and sheets but I get the roll from home depot. I have only seen it in 3 grits; 100, 150, and 220. The other type is 3M silicon carbide wet/dry sandpaper. You can get this in almost any grit so I use 300-2000 grits. You can get this stuff at any auto parts store, home depot, and Lowes but I get mine at Ace Hardware, they seem to have a larger selection of grits. SO my process is as follows: I start with a 4” square piece of 100 grit and soak it in cold water. I keep a bowl of water next to me that I will repeatedly dip the sandpaper in as I sand. I warp the sandpaper around the EVA foam and start working on a part using light pressure and working in a circular motion. This will become more important when I sand the primer before the pain but is a good practice to get into. The goal here is to smooth and feather any imperfections form the surface being sanded “without” leaving any sanding lines in the finish. I constantly re-wet the sand paper and keep the surface wet. I change directions randomly and keep working in a circular motion. It is tempting to go in one direction along seams and squared off features but I try to avoid doing this as it will leave sanding lines. Next, I repeat this exact process with 150, and then 220 grit. For good adhesion of the primer the finest grit I will use will be 320 grit, anything finer and the primer may not stick to the surface and may delaminate later ruining the entire paint job. Once everything has been sanded to at least 220, I wash off the part with mild soap and water and let it dry. Next, I inspect the part. I am looking for any uneven surfaces, pin holes, sanding lines, gaps, etc… Anything I find, I circle with a Sharpie. Next, If I can fix the problem with sanding, I do so. After that, I apply a filler. If the imperfections are small pine holes or very minor issues, I use an automotive grade glazing putty like Evercoat. Most fillers are two part, the filler and a hardener cream. If the issue is larger I may use Bondo. If the issue is on a heavy ware area like an edge that sits on top of the boot and may be exposed to stress, then I would use fiberglass resin, PC-7, or some sort of reinforced filler that will not simply break off with use. If one of these is used, the area will need to be sanded after the reinforcement and filled with bondo or glaze to smooth the surface. Regardless, once all the areas are marked and filled, I let them cure and then wet sand with the last grit I sued on the part, such as 220 grit. I blend/ feather the filler with the surface. Re-wash everything and let it dry. Next, I use a rattle can of automotive primer and apply it to the part. One this is cured, I look for imperfections. Some people use several different layers of primer and alternate primer colors to know how deep to sand. Regardless, the purpose of priming at this stage is to use the primer to bring out the imperfections and now is your last opportunity to fix them. If needed, sand and/or fill the issues then re-sand as needed. Do not be concerned about removing the primer when you do this final cleanup. You will be applying additional coats of primer once you are done with this stage. Re-wash and dry the part and it should now be ready for priming and painting. So that is my sanding process, I hope this helps some people who do not have a lot of experience doing this kind of stuff. I know I have read several posts from people who are intimidated with spending this kind of money on a costume and still have to do all this work. I can only say that building it is half the fun and do not let a lack of experience deter you from building a set of armor. This forum is here to assist you as is your local garrison. Dive in and if you make a mistake, most can be fixed and you will learn more about your armor in the process. Thanks for the interest and I will continue to update this as I progress.