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Now to finish up.. The front/rear scope greebs have been CA (super) glued on, and to keep them secure I added wood screws from underneath. I countersunk the holes slightly to where the screw head would be flush with the bottom of the rail and would not be noticeable. For the rebar clips, I went with slotted pan head screws, as they look like the ones in the reference images. Reference Pan head (slotted) Finished product The screw on the rectangle greeb is a round-head star screw. I looked all over, but this is the closest I could come. CA glue added to keep it from twisting. The buttons and "swoop" were simply CA glued on. And here it is. I will painting the brass grip screw black and weathering it slightly as soon as the paint cures. Epilogue: Are there details that are not "ideal"? Absolutely. Will it pass at Centurion? I like to believe so, lol. Are there things that I would do differently? Probably, but I'm pretty pleased with the end result. Thanks for looking!! Since I have the molds now, if anyone wants a set of these greebs I can hook you up for around 11 bucks (including postage). PM me for more info. (Not shown actual size) NEXT UP! ROTJ build... EDIT: Completed ROTJ build can be found here.

Okay, time for the greeblies- I looked everywhere online for these, including Etsy, RPF etc. No luck. Seems strange that no one makes these (at least as accurate as I wanted) so after referencing and comparing the sizes from the official photos I ended up sculpting my own versions. I then made silicone molds and cast them in resin. Are they 100% perfect or exactly film accurate? Nope, but for my purposes I am happy with the way they turned out. Starting with the one on the front of the scope rail: According to this site, it was a button from a Sony Cassette Corder model TC-67. I don't think so. Sort of close, but no cigar. Here are the references from the ESB E-11 reference thread I went by- This is what I ended up with. Rear of the scope rail: No sites even attempt to explain what the heck these were, so I had to go by the references and hope for the best. References My version For the left side they used rebar clips, but after searching worldwide I don't think theses particular ones have been made in a LONG time. With the assistance of @ticopowell (THANKS, Caleb... you ROCK!) I ended up designing my own version, had them 3D printed, filled/smoothed them and cast them in resin. References My version The other right hand side greeb is this one. Fortunately, my local hardware store was having a sale on Boba Fett blaster pieces so I scored on this one. I am just kidding. Back to the sculpting board. References My version Now for the right hand side greebs. Pretty straightforward stuff here- A "swoosh" cut out of ABS and some buttons made from ABS. I made the buttons concave on one side to conform to the shape of the barrel. Last up is the scope. If using the Promo version, as per the CRL for Level 2 it must be the M-19 type. There are some pretty darned good ones you can find cast in resin (links below), but I decided to go with the metal version I found here (shown below). A great seller who I have bought a ton of stuff from. Resin versions- (link here and here). Next up, painting and mounting everything!

So here is the plan- I recently built a spare ANH E-11 from one of Bryan's crazy accurate 3D kits, (link here), but since I will need a blaster for my current ESB armor build I will eventually need a weapon, so I decided to convert it. In looking at the reference photos here, there are 2 main versions- one using an actual Sterling L2A3 and a resin type (Pugman). Note that there are also some really odd versions, but I am not sure of their background so I am not referencing them. Because I will be using the ANH version, mine will be a based on the Sterling. IMPORTANT! For those doing an ESB build, there are 2 versions of this blaster that can be used for approval. Neither has the Hengstler counter or power cylinders, and the differences can be found in the CRL here. This version is just more involved. Sterling L2A3 version Resin cast "Pugman" version (note scope rail) Materials: 1. JB Plastic Weld epoxy putty- When dry, this can be sanded, drilled and painted. AWESOME stuff! 2. Bondo Glazing/spot putty*** (for a smoother finish). 3. Sandpaper (various grits- 80 to 400) 4. Needle files 5. Dremel type rotary tool 6. Sanding drums 1. 2. 4. 5. 6. *** Please be aware that this product should only be used outdoors or in a well ventilated area. It is also highly suggested that you use a mask and gloves. All that being said, time to get down to business. In addition to the greeblies, there are a few issues on the main body that will need to be addressed: The first thing to do is grind off the end muzzle disc, as most of the references do not show one present. After removing the disc, I filled the holes where the screws were with the Plastic Weld putty (sorry, I lost the pics of the filled part), let it dry 4-5 hours and then filed/sanded it down. A thin coat of the glazing putty made it perfectly smooth. Note that I put the new holes in the top/bottom as opposed to the sides. Before References After grinding Finished After removing the D-ring/mounting plate**, some glazing putty, sanding and paint made for a smooth finish. **You may be able to pop it off with some pliers, but I had to grind mine down. The only other alteration I made to the body was to remove the small tubular part that holds the grub screw on the side of the magazine well. After Dremeling (is that even a word? lol) it off level and filling the hole with the Plastic weld, it was sanded and painted. Before References Detail- (This is from my ROTJ build, but it gives you an idea of what to remove. Keep the triangle part. Finished Next up, the greeblies... stay tuned

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the replies. Very helpful and much appreciated! Damien

Character Research Name: Captain Cardinal; CD-0922; Archex History: Born on Jakku and was recruited by Brendol Hux. One of the first First Order Stormtroopers. Was the first captain of the First Order Stormtroopers. Given a set of red armor by Brendol Hux and made his honor guard. Was in charge of training all Stormtroopers, until Phasma joined the First Order, and then was in charge of the training of all the children who were to become stormtroopers. Was grievously wounded by Phasma, and left the First Order. He later helps the Resistance on Batuu, and eventually sacrifices his life help Batuu and the Resistance spy, Vi Moradi. Costume: There are four main visual references for Captain Cardinal. The first is the back of the book cover. Second is the promotional poster that was released with book Third is the Hasbro Black Series action figure. There are several detail pictures found here on FISD, so I will just post one. Lastly is the Black series helmet. Discrepancies: The helmet from the book cover and promotional poster is visualized as TFA style, while the Black Series action figure and helmet are from TLJ/TROS. It is my belief that the TFA style helmet/armor is correct due to the timeline. The beginning of Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire (which is a sequel of sorts to Phasma) is set several weeks after Captain Cardinal leaves the First Order. During the first part of that book, events of TFA and TLJ happen. It is fairly clear that all of Captain Cardinal's history of the first order is prior to TFA and should be similar armor. The boots are not clearly show on the book cover or promo poster, but are shown on the action figure. The boots are mentioned as being red in the novel Phasma. Captain Cardinal is described as having a red blaster in Phasma. I would assume that he would have color matching SE-44C, F-11D, and a F-11D Heavy. Armor style in book cover, promotional poster, and action figure all show standard First Order Stormtrooper armor, and not Phasma style armor. Seeing as how Phasma made her own armor and was not issued armor, Captain Cardinal should have standard TFA armor in red. The cape is show in several different ways. It is show with a silver stripe in 2 of the 3 references and no stripe in one. It is shown on the right shoulder on 2 of the 3 references and on the left shoulder on one of the references. I've reached out to Teresa Nuthall (Geeky Pink) who is making my cape. She has received guidance from the author that is is exactly like Phasma's cape, except with a grey stripe and worn on the right shoulder. Color: As far as color goes, none of the references are the exact same color, but they are all close. I am choosing to use Duplicolor Torch Red. This is the color I found that closely matches the references and also matches my gloves and shoes. All above information comes from the books Phasma and Glaxay's Edge: Black Spire, unless noted. I may add more to this section if I find any additional information.

Looks good to me. I used some scrap pieces of ABS on the top and bottoms of the snap plates to hold them down flush, then clamp, I don't bother clamping the actual snap. Note some in the past have had issues with a reaction between the snap and E6000 which can cause heat so try to keep the glue away from the actual snap, I've not experienced it myself but doesn't hurt to be cautious .

Awesome work , congratulations !

You can either sand or cut both are acceptable although cut on an angle is more screen accurate

Welcome, Damien! Having a set of armor commission built is certainly an option, but building one yourself has advantages as well. The vast majority of us (myself included) had zero experience in this sort of thing when we first decided we wanted to become a TK, and yet thousands have done it successfully. Going the DIY route does take time and patience, but you know the fit will be perfect in the end and it will be something to be proud of. And, if you ever need to adjust or fix anything you won't have a problem as you know how it's put together! You also have an incredible resource on a local level with the fine folks in the UK Garrison, who I am sure will be happy to assist you. With either option you choose we are here to help every step of the way, so never be shy about asking questions. It's what we do!

There are load of troopers that have achieved Centurion level with AP kits. I have an AP kit and I am extremely happy with my experience communication with Authentic Props and completing the kit itself. Just like Mark, my AP kit was also my first ever build, I found lots of build threads from fellow AP troopers and everyone provides plenty of help and useful feedback. I spent a long time looking through the different armour makers, and made the decision to go with AP. My experience Authentic Props:- Excellent and quick communication/response time Not long wait time Accurate in detail Durable in strength (will last a very long time and many, many troops) A good straightforward build Eventually when my armour needs replacing in the distant future, I will be going with AP again. Good luck buddy, the FISD will help you every step of the way.

Welcome! You have a fun road ahead. I built an AP kit almost 18 months ago to Centurion. It was my first ever build, but Mark (at AP) is happy to provide advice and there is also a tonne of advice and tips to be found from folks here and in their build threads. Have fun and never be afraid to ask questions [emoji3526] Sent from my Imperial Communicator

Finally done with all the rough trimming and man my arm is sore. That was a lot of plastic to trim. I went from a big box of plastic to a big box of plastic and lots of scraps. Things are roughly trimmed to make sure I didn't cut too much since I'm really new on how all this is going together. I do have to say that the ABS Walt uses seem to be springier and more flexible than my MTK ANH kit, which seems like a good thing, but did require more effort in trimming. First part of assembly will probably be shoulder bells since that seems the easiest thing to do. And I'll probably start printing a Heavy F-11D.

Note paint thinners can be different depending on what type of paint, enamel, acrylic and 2pac and what type of plastic you have, I've seen some horror cases of melted armor plastic in my time just from wiping on ABS. Also there can be differences between countries. Down under I've tried 3 different automotive acetone's to try to make ABS paste but no luck, none of they where strong enough, even nail varnish remover wouldn't work, I ending up getting some industrial acetone which finally did the trick. Definitely would be a good idea to do a test piece with some scrap ABS before using any acetone/thinners

Congratulations and welcome to the ranks trooper

Congratulations Trooper!! Welcome to the ranks!!

Congratulations TK11245!!!

Thanks Gary! Also wanted to post a behind-the-scenes video featuring another TK: @Manbehindthemask

In case anyone hasn't seen it yet:

Also featuring @Manbehindthemask and his artwork.

At the encouragement of @ukswrath, here is a post I originally made a year and a half ago on the Anovos FB build group, which is handy for all makes of armor, not just Anovos. ABS Paste?!?! WTF is THAT? I've seen variations of this question over and over. So perhaps this will be helpful. ABS paste is homemade glue for your ABS plastic. It literally melts and reforms the plastic into a solid piece, so it's more like welding than gluing. But as the warning phrase "it literally melts..." foreshadows, you should be careful. Making couldn't be easier. Get a GLASS jar. Don't be that person who makes it in a plastic cup. You know... the one that puts plastic melting stuff into a plastic cup. You've met that guy. Don't be that guy. All you need is a jar, some ABS scrap, and some construction grade acetone. Nail polish remover is NOT strong enough, even though it has "some" acetone in it. Pick up a bottle at Home Depot or the like. (For people in other countries, like the UK, where Acetone is not readily available... you have my sympathies) For containers, I feel a glass baby food jar is ideal. It's just the perfect size (unless you doing something epic!), stupid cheap (if you don't already have one somewhere), and easy to work with. I'm going to assume baby food jar, so if you choose a 2 quart mason jar, scale as needed. In general, ABS paste is practically free, other than the price of a tiny bit of Acetone and maybe a buck for a jar of baby food, if you don't have a suitable container already, since your source material is scrap from your own build. (never toss that armor scrap!) A NOTE ABOUT FUMES: Pure Acetone is nasty stuff. You really don't want to be breathing Acetone fumes. A whiff here and there likely won't cause lasting harm, unless you have existing pulmonary issues, but still, do your best to avoid breathing a lot of the stuff. At a minimum, you can end up with a NASTY headache. At worse, you can actually cause damage to your lungs. Use your own level of protection that feels best for you... some want to wear a full respirator (with a volatile organic cartridge), others, like myself, are content to work outdoors and minimize breathing it. (Once the jar is capped, it should be fine to bring indoors.) FILL the jar with the tiniest scraps if ABS you can get. I literally used the curly-que and powdered scrap from under my belt sander, after all my rough cuts, in addition to cutting up a few pieces of scrap into 1/4" square pieces, with scissors. And now the magic. Add approx 1 teaspoon of Acetone (and remember, I'm assuming a baby-food size jar... scale accordingly if you're trying to go big and make enough for your entire squad to build with!). Cap the jar, wait 15-20 min (or more, no worries) and then check on it. Poke it with a stir stick. (You can literally use a stick. Although IMO, a wooden coffee stir stick (free at Starbucks!) is ideal, and Popsicle sticks have their proponents, too, as does the toothpick crew, for detail work.) If you literally do not have a stick, a strong piece of scrap you don't care about will do, just be careful where you set it afterwards. But poke at it. Get an idea where it's going. Then add about 1 tsp more Acetone. Re-cap it again, wait 15-20 min, then check again, and this time, stir it a little more seriously. Note the consistency. You'll probably want to add some more, perhaps 1 more tsp, perhaps less? You may be starting to get a feel for it by now. Let sit for a good 1/2 hr, then check and stir AGAIN. We're going slow. Slow is good. Watch some TV or read a book. You have better things to do than watch ABS melt in super slow motion. At this point, you SHOULD be close to ready to go. If not, I recommend letting it sit overnight before checking it again. (in fact, that's not a bad idea in general, but it's not strictly necessary) Only add more Acetone if you still really think it's too thick and clumpy in the morning, after stirring it some more. Repeat until you reach that magic mayonnaise moment. Correct consistency is *roughly* mayo-like. I'd say somewhere between Elmer's glue (a little too runny?) and Toothpaste (perhaps a little too thick). Too runny = bad. Remember the "melting plastic" part? You don't want that running down your armor. Too thick and you may get air pockets. Shoot for the Goldilocks zone. ) When you're ready, apply with a stick. Let it dry (duration depends on thickness... maybe 20 min, maybe overnight?) and sand it down. Repeat until pretty. Relatively small amounts (read: the small patches that ABS paste is generally best for) should be relatively safe to use indoors, just be aware of the fumes. Larger projects (or sensitive spouses... not that it smells too different from the nail salon, in my mind) are probably best to work on outdoors. The beauty of using the same plastic your armor is made from, to make paste, is you get a dead-on 100% perfect color match. No painting needed! (note: The level of polish/sheen will not be the same, but the color itself will be a match. ABS paste isn't really good for large area applications... and trying to do that will likely end up causing warping from too much acetone anyway) (2nd note: ABS paste is not as strong as the original plastic. It's not actually a glue, even if it looks like one. For connections needing a very strong join, use CA glue, as usual.) (pre-sanding... but note that color match to the Anovos armor!) The paste doesn't really go bad, but eventually it'll harden and you'll need to add more Acetone. Keep it capped, and it'll last longer, of course... you can dry it out quite fast if you leave the cap off for more than a few hours. Future batches you can probably go faster (read: add more acetone, sooner), but I recommend the slow approach when you're starting out, until you have a good feel for it. Good luck!

It's been a while since I've updated my build thread (since I'm basically finished building ) but I thought I'd add some notes now that I've done several troops in the armor. After my latest troop, the rear cover strip on one of my shins pulled off halfway as I was taking the shin off. It was probably partly due to the shin not being flat where the rear halves met, so the cover strip was at an angle when it was closed (I use the velcro method). So when I got home I pulled the cover strip off the rest of the way and cleaned up the glue residue, then gave the shin a hot water bath to try to make the backs a bit more flush. The back of the shin does sit more flush now, but I don't know if the hot water bath loosened the adhesive on the velcro (the part glued onto the shin). I re-attached the cover strip and it closes better, so I'll have to keep an eye on the velcro at my next troop. I've also decided to get rid of the Anovos hard hat liner. The longer I wear the helmet, the less comfortable it becomes as the hard hat liner starts digging into my head. I even added a little padding to the strap but that doesn't really help at all. I have the military style pads and will try positioning those to find a good fit, but I think I will also need something thicker for the sides of my head, otherwise the helmet will swing freely if I move my head side to side. I ended up ditching the iComm as well. The static bursts are cool, but for some reason, they would be a lot louder than my voice. So if I turn up the Aker volume so my voice could be heard decently, the static bursts would be really loud. If I turned the volume down so the static bursts weren't too loud, then you couldn't really hear my voice through the speaker. In the end, amplifying my voice won out. Since my wife's sandtrooper is almost finished, I'll probably get her an Aker and see if she wants the iComm. I've had problems with the hearing assist at every troop so far. I first tried the little speakers, but couldn't hear anything coming out of them unless I pressed them to my ears, so those were out. I tried corded headphones which work great, but it was a hassle putting the headphones in my ears before putting the helmet on, then tucking the wires out of the way. Finally I tried bluetooth headphones which were great in that I could put them on without worrying about the wires, but I was getting a 1 second delay which was making it hard to follow conversations. It also had a lot of fan noise...I still need to buy a fan bracket from ukswrath which should help with that. So until then, I'm not using the hearing assist and if the bracket doesn't help, I'll probably just remove the hearing assist altogether. Overall though, the armor has held up well. I was lucky enough to get in a Weird Al troop, and we had to do a brisk walk down to the after party (I think almost a mile away) in our armor, and make the walk back up to the venue to change. I'm happy to say I didn't have any armor bites or problem areas. I also may have gotten a bit obsessed with patch jackets. My wife only has one patch jacket so I promised I wouldn't get any more (for now!).