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So I kitted up and boy do I still have some work to do. I posted in the pre approval forum to see what needs to be done and if I can pass at least for basic Thanks, M

SO, you want to go ESB, huh? AWESOME! If you are considering building a 3-D printed E-11 to go with that costume I can help.. I am also in the middle of an ESB build but due to lack of space (going on 10 months now) I was forced to concentrate on the weapon first. I used Bryan's @trooper96 incredibly accurate ANH E-11 kit and (IMHO) it turned out pretty danged nice. I have a complete tutorial on how I did it here, and just hit me up via PM if you need help or any of the greebs I created. Despite the work, it honestly was a really fun build!

Nice work the only downside is you can see the ridges of the elastic which is quite noticeable, I found doubling over the fabric quite a few times helped stiffen it ( from memory I folded 5 times) also using a stiffer fabric can help. I also add a piece of plastic in the section the belt will be hung on, not as important with an ESB as you use the loops but can help any sag when the blaster is holstered. Here is an image from the How To Belt thread, notice how close to the edge the elastic is, also the stiffness of the fabric when compared to yours Holster stiffener He used Heavy duty canvas, I used a similar duck canvas which is a little thinner and cheaper

Looking good Matt, just in regards to your ab/kidney, being a skinnier guy myself I had to add some foam behind the kidney to help get the sides to sit correctly, @ 2", there is the option to trim some off the sides but I wanted to keep them standard sized if I ever wanted to on-sell the armor. Lastly just check the measurements on your detonator, also note the brackets don't get rounded off on the control panel side Wishing you the best of luck with approval, hope we see you with some numbers soon

Now that's a good idea, love it! As those are already held up with Chicago Screws, all I'd need would be some black leather -- sounds do-able. Thank you, Caleb, glad to have you following along on this, I'm sure it'll be fun The Canvas Belt, Part One Quick warning, this will be picture-heavy. If you know my troop log or my love for memes this might not be a surprise. For my canvas belt I used slightly off-white canvas fabric and some 40mm white elastic, as that was the most fitting size available. As this would have to be compatible with my current armor, I simply measured my current canvas belt (105x7.5 cm) and used those measurements for my new ESB belt. I cut out a strip of canvas fabric a few centimetres longer and broader than my measurements and pinned the elastic to the canvas. The elastic is supposed to provide extra support as the canvas fabric on its own is rather thin and wrinkly and I did not want to sew seven layers together just to get a belt strong enough to hold up the heavy holster without sagging. I then sewed the elastic on one side only to the fabric. One side only as I was a bit lazy and my sewing skills meant that the more exposure the belt had to the machine, the higher my chances of accidentally destroying the belt. It also made the entire thing a bit more flexible in terms of wrapping the belt around my body without wrinkles, so that's nice. Now I cut it to the proper size, making sure to keep the distance between the top of the elastic and the top of the belt at around just under one centimetre, so that I could sew the belt together, have the elastic right at the top and still have those looser parts of fabric that line the edge of the belt. Afterwards I basically hit the copy-and-paste button for my belt and cut out the outside of the canvas belt. I then sewed both parts together, with the elastic now neatly hidden inside the belt and the seam from sewing the elastic into position hidden on the inside. Weekend over, access to sewing machine lost, access to ABS scrap gained. I inserted a slightly bent piece of ABS scrap roughly the width of the holster into the right side of the canvas belt in the hopes of this providing additional stiffness where I'll put the holster. A safety net to prevent creasing or sagging, so to speak. I'd read about that sometime ago on this forum back when building my ANH Stunt and remembered about it just in time for this build. Afterwards I neatened the edges and went over everything with fabric glue to prevent excess fraying. Without the glue I would have probably had the entire belt fall apart in a few months... I then added velcro and hand-sewed the sides shut. Shout-out to my third grade sewing instructor, without her I would have been lost The belt fits so far, once I get the proper tools and a slightly longer break from trooping I'll have to add the snaps for the ABS belt. Before I risk that one, I would prefer to have my Centurion approval with the ANH stunt (better safe than sorry in case I end up damaging the ammo belt and risking said lvl 3), so that's all in regards to the belt for now. Thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to receiving your feedback!

Hi Matt. Overall looks good for basic to me, it would depend on your GML is you need to make some fix prior to approval. All points you marked are correct . This one is what I think is the core issue . Both sides of ab/kidney junction do not sit even. The kidney pushes up. (maybe add middle strap to the left side?) . As Chemi mentioned, trimming down the thighs a bit would release some pressure from the butt/kidney section allowing then to sit lower and even . Keep up the great work and looking forward for your approval ! Good Luck

Made some progress today on the backpack; And the shoulder straps:

Hi Matt. I'll tell you some things I've seen in a first pass. Although some things would not be necessary for Basic, I would fix them, especially thinking about higher levels. -Shoulder bell Gap. The other shoulder is perfect, this one however, could be improved a bit. Reference image -It seems that the forearms are too wide.... Reference image -Alignment is very important. And you can also watch that the two parts do not overlap. -Shoulder bridges. I would bend them inwards a little bit... Reference image -This area is the most problematic. Your butt plate, it overlaps the thigh. I see that (in the front pic.) you don't have room to lower the thighs a little, so maybe the solution would be to trim the thighs a little in the back. This will avoid "noises" when walking and also, the annoying "bites". Reference image On the other hand, congratulations for the great job!!!! Especially the alignment of the helmet ears. One of the best I've seen in a very long time. Congratulations Matt. Remember that if you have any questions, you can contact us!!!! @Deployment Officer Team

Thanks Glen!

Wow, congrats on finishing up your build! Can’t wait to see you you fully kitted up for your submission pics! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great to see you back at it! I had a long break myself from my TK build. I always loved the Snowie helmets; maybe someday I’ll get my hands on one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great work, came out a treat Many post updates in their build threads even after finishing their build

Thanks Glen, I think it may just be the pic but I may try and scrape a bit off.

Congratulations Ben, and welcome to centurion rank!