Leaderboard

Not a problem at all hahaha I already ordered the parts.

Quick update: Tri-folds now approved and available in English, Spanish and German. We will continue working with international members in making these available in more languages. Stay tuned.

Greetings all Today we launch our newly revised Detachment Tri Fold brochure. It's been quite a long time since we actually had these available. Since then many things have changed leading us to updating some of the text to include new costumes, and have more relevant information. Originally these were done in a limited run by the member who created them, but nowadays we have moved this to a "print your own" service making them accessible to all countries around the globe. Files are available to all full 501st members on request, and are completed in a very high resolution to ensure quality in a finished product. The thread can be found below for more information and how to access the files.

I think I'll hold up on the shoulders till I get the rest of the clam shell slapped together. I was looking at that snaps 101 and was wondering for the shoulder bell straps if I could not only double the elastic together but put a piece of regular webbing in between where the elastic webbing comes together and sew them together, then set it up for the snaps. Overkill or good idea?

Glad to see you progressing on this Iman and looking forward to trooping with you once approved. Keep up the great work brother!

Hello Ardeshir. Thank you for your patience. As you have seen in your Executioner application, we noticed that the picatinny rail is a bit long, should only have 2 raised sections (ribs) in the center and the holes are close to the ends as seen in the reference images below. Reference images -The D-ring you presently have is an actual D-shape as opposed to a more square shape. Reference image We believe that these two issues must be corrected before we can grant you your 7th Centurion. We know this is a big issue, but we also know that you are a perfectionist, that you like to take care of details and that you are a very professional person. Also, we know that you have first hand information, so if you have any questions or complaints, you know you can contact us @Deployment Officer Team. Thank you very much Ardeshir!

Updates! I've had continuous issues with wires snapping on the speaker, rotary fire selector switch and laser. This happens with me doing minor manipulation to fit things into the blaster. I wish the connections were reinforced somehow. Anyways... Small white plastic piece cut and fit in front of main display to hide wire connections. Small rivet /buttons used as replacement hardware for grips: Hardware installed Grip installed. I actually had it screwed on with the grip panels installed. After each component installation I check the wiring. It is now that I found the rotary switch did not want to switch to automatic / burst mode. I had to take everything apart and found one of the 4 pins to the rotary switch was loose. When I jiggled it all 3 fire modes worked. I took everything off, fixed the pin, and then reinstalled everything, including gluing down the grip panels again. Unfortunately, now only one fire mode works. I checked inside the top of the fire selector (inside the receiver) and two of the wire connections have snapped. Grrrrrr. Will be fixed... Grip in and screwed to receiver with more correct hardware. I also replaced the grip panels screws. These will all be painted. During these final builds I have added minor dings or scratches to the blaster. I will be repainting where necessary, then weathering and clear coating it all. I brought up my Tipton gun vise to help me do the final installation. It's made things easier than having the blaster flop around on my desk. Here you can see I've installed the lens for the scope display. It's hard to make out in this photo, but I glued on a small piece of plastic to cover the main displays wire connections. You can just make it out below and to the right of the lens. I will be repainting this as I just did a quick brush coat of flat black. You can just make out the wire bundles in the receiver. There is just enough room to slide the main circuit board and wires inside towards the barrel. You can also see a USB cable poking out which I will explain below: Another view. To get power to the blaster, I had to rig something up. To power everything I am using a 3.7V 2000mAh battery. This has a small white connector (type?) attached to the leads. This is connected to a Powerboost 1000 Charger (circuit board with Blue LED). Just youtube this component and the company explains what it is all about. Both will be inserted into the receiver in space above pistol grip. The battery is charged through a Micro USB connector from home outlet. This of course is only connected when you need to charge the battery. This way I don't have to remove the battery to charge. I just open the receiver cover and plug the system in. The blaster main circuity board comes with simple black and red wires coming out of it. Before discovering the Powerboost component, I originally was looking at adding a male connector to the BlastFX black/red wires so the battery could be plugged into it. But then I would have to disconnect the battery and charge it somehow. BlastFX also provides a small sliding on / off switch so you don't have everything powered all the time when the battery is plugged in. In order to get power from the Powerboost to the BlastFX, I needed a USB type connector. I have a few of basic USB wires laying about (everyone got a junk drawer, right...? LOL) After a quick google search I discovered USB cables have 4 wires : Red, Black (power) Green and White (data). You only need the power cables. I basically removed the outer cable sheathing, exposed the wires. I then cut the green and white off and used black and red. Scrap USB cable. I only kept the USB connector (top of photo) and cut off the mini plug. Cable ready to go. White and green were trimmed off. The insulation from the black wire has already been removed. When I attached everything as you see in the diagram below, I can now leave everything inside the receiver and just plug it in when required. Once I'm done I may do another diagram like this showing where everything fits in the blaster. So, being the gun guy that I am, I of course wanted the included laser to be aligned with the gun sites. The setup: Laser installed in a hole I drilled in the receiver side box. Wire runs through the box to the BlastFX module. I temporarily installed the front sight/bipod assembly and aimed the blaster down the hall leading to the kitchen. I then placed a small piece of electrical tape on the front closet door. The gun front and back sites are actually lined up with the tape. Aiming down the blaster, with laser on the far wall. You can see it's slightly off. After a little fiddling I could get it to move. I pulled the laser out, dabbed on a couple drops of E6000 to the sides of the laser module and reinserted it into the blaster. I then used a small tool (second hands, soldering clamp with small alligator clips?) to grip the laser and manipulate it until the laser was aligned with the blaster sites. This is the tool resting on the receiver. Alligator clip holding the laser in position while glue dries. The laser module sticks out of the blaster by about 1/8" A little better... One more nudge and pretty close! Now at least my TK will hit those damn rebels and and avoid those "Stormtroopers always miss" jokes! Last little bit was me trying to sort out the LED laser barrel strip. This is the strip hanging out of the opening I cut in the barrel. The group of red / black wires lead to the LED module in the barrel tip (inside the flash cone) that produces muzzle flash. These were cleaned up into a tight bundle after this pic was taken by wrapping electrical tape down the length. I've seen people online insert acrylic rods into the barrels that make their LED effects "glow" better somehow when they activate. Not sure glow is the right term. Their lighting just seems more....gooder. LOL I can't get acrylic rod here, and wouldn't have room to insert it into the barrel. So to maybe help elevate the effects of my LED strip I am going to try a section of plastic tubing. I couldn't get a small enough outside diameter to fit inside the barrel tube. This roll is 1 1/4" outside diameter. I had to cut about an 8" length of a big roll. Then I sliced about 1/2 " lengthwise from this piece (end to end). It retained it's semi-circle shape and I could still squeeze it into the barrel in a tube shape. I then sprayed it on the inside and outside with window frosting spray from a rattle can. This would help defuse the LED lighting so it wouldn't be point's of light inside the barrel. More of a soft glow. I had a video for this, but can't upload it. I use IMGUR for my picture uploading, and can't figure out how to insert a video to that site. Are we even allowed to insert video into forum posts? I may have to upload to youtube then provide a link. We'll see, as I would really like to upload a video of the final blaster. That's all for now! Stay safe everyone

Although they were cast from original screen used armor, RS shoulder bells can be a bit tricky as they are not the same length (photo 1). As seen in their commission builds (photos 2, 3 and 4) the left bell is almost always shorter than the right (photo 5 shows them reversed). 1 2 3 4 5 Screen used bell (no return edge) Reference images Not the biggest of deals by any means, but since you are doing your own build you have the opportunity for a better "ideal" look by making them both the same length. That's up to you of course, but I would suggest trimming them down a little at a time until you get to where you are happy with the overall look. Some things to keep in mind are: 1. The tops should touch (or be very close to) the shoulder bridge area with no big gaps (as seen in pics 3, 4 and 5). 2. Any gaps between the front/back of the bells and chest/back plates should be kept as minimal as possible. 3. You can trim all or most of the return edges off of the bottoms (this is screen accurate) to even them up if needed. Will it affect higher levels of approval if they are not the same length? Nope, but we recommend getting them as close as you can.

The RS guide is only that, a guide. Depending on how broad your shoulders are, you may well need to trim less than that off. Make sure you go to the gallery section and check out all the screen references, and you will see the shoulder bells fit well up against the chest plate, so over trimming can leave you with larger gaps. I would simply trim them to the mold lines first, then try them on against your chest and back plate. you may require some assistance, or simply wait until you have assembled chest with bridges, and strapped to back plate leaving the trimming of the shoulder bells to later. https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/gallery/category/24-anh-tk-reference/

Hello there, Kenny! I, too, have been working an an ATA kit (for about two years actually). Linked below is a resource compilation thread I initially pulled together for myself and then published for the benefit of other builders. The bottom half of the thread is composed of links to many build and higher-level submissions, many of which are of ATA armor. We look forward to following along on your progress!

Pic contains: - Lens for E11 scope - strapping and clasps for thigh armour suspended system and the e11 holster for the case - acrylic sheet for the hungstler counter on the e11 - Sugru for the eye lens in the helmet I’ve got a lot of work to do now! Will update once I’ve made more progress Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Painting Using Templates We tend to see a lot of folks who want to use paint instead of decals on their helmets, but sometimes they just don't turn out as planned. The main issue folks have is that the paint bleeds into the sides of the template, leaving small streaks on the sides which can look awful. The following is my preferred method, which has had pretty darned good results in the past. Will they turn out 100% perfect? Not always, but I have the remedy for that at the bottom of the post. For the purpose of this tutorial I am using blue painter's tape in lieu of a decal just to show the basics. What you will need: 1. Craft (popsicle) stick- This is to stir the paint. Do NOT shake the bottles... this causes bubbles. 2. Pencil with a flat rubber eraser. 3. Paintbrush- Use the best quality, softest bristle type you can. Cheap stiff bristle brushes will leave lines. 4. Paint. For this example I am using French Blue (as used on the tube stripes) and white. 5. Paper towels. Step 1- Use the flat end of the eraser to make sure the edges are pushed down as much as possible and remove any bubbles in the decal. Do this gently, otherwise you may peel up the edges instead of flattening them. Step 2- Using the craft stick, mix the paint thoroughly. Wipe off the end with a paper towel and set aside. Step 3- Starting at the top corner (either side) add a light coat of white paint. (Yes, white). Go from side to side all the way down to the bottom. Do NOT go too heavy, just enough to cover. Let this dry at least half an hour. Step 4- Repeat the same process with the white but go from corner to corner over the entire area. Let this dry completely. (An hour or so at least). NOTE: The reason for the white paint is that it will fill/seal any tiny spaces/gaps on the edges of the template. Step 5- After mixing the blue paint with the other end of the craft stick, using up and down strokes add a thin(ish) layer of the blue. Don't go heavy and try to do it in one shot. Trust me. Let this dry completely (at least an hour or 2). Step 6- Repeat step 5. Allow to dry at LEAST 2-3 hours or more, depending on humidity. If you press your finger on the paint and see your fingerprint in the paint, it's not completely dry. Be patient. Step 7- Time for the reveal!- Slowly (and by slowly I mean sloooooooooowly) remove the decal from top to bottom (in the same direction as the lines). Because I used masking tape the lines aren't as crisp and clean as you would get with a proper template, but you get the idea. One of the reasons for an imperfect line is that you must wait until the paint is positively, 100% dry before removing the decal. FIXING LINES If you have some bleed-through, or need to remove paint around the teeth for instance this is what to do: You will need: 1. Paint remover- I always use Goo-Gone, as it contains no chemicals that will damage the finish (like acetone based removers can). It really works great and has no chemical smell. 2. Another craft stick shaved at one end. A wooden toothpick will also work, but I like wider edge of the craft stick, 3. Cotton swabs 4. Paper towels. Let's start with this mess (done on purpose). Step 1- Dip the end of the tick in the remover and gently go side to side along the edge(s). Take-your-time. Step 2- Get the line as straight as you can. You can always touch it up with more blue paint if needed. Step 3- Remove any blue haze with the swab(s) dipped in the paint remover. Done! There are more ways to do this, so if you have any suggestions or questions, post em up!