LadyInWhite

SWEET can I link to that reference on the FB page?

Personally I went with straight, but teeny slightly rounded corners so as not to catch on or scrape anything. I just round them with some 320 grit sandpaper. It is a good question, though, regarding "accuracy." If you see screen shots that vary, like so many other things, then you just have to use best judgment.

That is so awesome and inspiring, Javier! And a great attitude! And I'm glad to hear about your garrison's change in attitude, too, and Steve deserves some props. This whole Armor Nazi thing is saddening. Maybe there were people years ago who took the wrong approach, but I'm not seeing that now. There is affordable and high quality, accurate armor available and pretty much all new members will be starting out at that level. If anyone is feeling bullied - as opposed to perhaps encouraged or inspired - to upgrade, that's a problem. Send them (or the bully) my way and I will help them communicate more effectively (or to any staff member). I have seen some FX armor that is well-maintained and looks sharp and well-fitted to the wearer, and I am happy to stand with them at a troop. And I have seen a few suits in need of serious repair (not just FX) that make you want to troop on the opposite side of the event. A lot of those guys have been open to "cleaning up" and that's a good start. I think we all would agree we like to stand with fellow proud "soldiers" and that means being motivated to look our best.

I have (and love) AP. It is what I would call a skinny trooper's kit, primarily around the middle. If you are 6'2 and very lanky, it can fit you with ease. If you are not lanky, it will need some shimming. I am 5'11" and 175lb, and I had to add an inch to either side of the ab/kidney to close the gap. Granted my girth is abnormal. However, closed gap is not required at the basic level. (I just like it better). There is plenty of room in the arms, biceps, thighs, etc. Bucket is gorgeous. Shoulder bells won't work on a broader shoulder as easily. I will be 100% honest with you in terms of my personal opinion. If you are going for accuracy, AP is great. If you are going for fit, which I believe is more important (because you can achieve up to Centurion in any armor!), I would recommend for you AM or RT-Mod because it will give you a little more room to play with. I'm not saying they're not accurate - they're great. Some molds are a little more "accurate" than others. But if you take care to fit it to you and follow the guidelines and help on this site, I would be proud to stand beside you in AP or AM or RT or ATA or Whatever. And that's the bottom line.

(0) Pre-cut and pre-glue anxiety is normal. Embrace it and GO FOR IT! (1) This is not tuxedo tailoring. Do your best. I personally trim and fit, pencil in where I want to make marks, then fit again. I trim and fit a lot until it's just right. I find this easier than measuring which never seems to work for me. However, some guys are great at it. (2) Butt join looks significantly better, imho. I also did not find it to be difficult or more work at all. In fact, it's easier for trimming and getting things to fit right. And if I need to repair, if I peel off a cover strip and ruin it, that's far less of a problem than if I peel off an overlap and ruin that.

That's how mine is... sans washer (doh!!). You don't want any more snappy sticky-outy things in that crotch than you need.

Hi, Brian! Just a quick observation, unless this is reversed, your ANH belt goes on the left side I know, it's weird. Maybe that's why it looks ESB - they have it on the right. Looks good tho!

Nice!

My very very basic ID was about $500 including boots. IN with jumpsuit might be close, only the helmet is hard or long wait and a bit of investment. Jawa is extremely easy even with light-up eyes. Mine was under $100. But Jawas look best on short people.

4000! Holy millenium, Batman! Thank you, Tom, for all your service to FISD and the Legion, and your leadership here, and your awesome attitude. And it was GREAT to meet you in person!!!

I think either is fine. They seem off-white to me in the movies. Check the wording in the CRL.

(A) You CAN paint it... it's supposed to have a "painted" look which means it's not as clean and perfect as decals! ( My dad, who took me to see Star Wars when I was 6 and also influenced my deep love of SF, still says "When are you going to grow up?" And I say, "Define 'growing up'!" The previous generation has different expectations... growing up means putting aside "childish things" and taking on responsibility. I say we ARE taking on responsibility, sometimes even more than they did, and we are ALSO retaining the things that bring us joy and make our lives richer in ways that mean something to US. Who cares what makes OTHER people happy - we love our toys and our hobby. Gardening? Not for me. Charity work has always been a passion and hobby for me, and now I get to combine it with my love of SW and SF and ultimate nerdiness. FULFILLED!!! Our moms and dads just don't usually understand that, because it was never a reality for them. At least I know deep in his heart he's proud and doesn't mind haha. I am so preaching, sorry! I guess I'm just relating. Good for you for pursuing it anyway. We have many people "fall out" who fell to the pressure of external misunderstanding.

I like it, a new trend! come on, everyone... I know Andrea will do it...

With the Force, he now is.

Because you are awesome!

Mom will understand. In fact, she can help you!!! Put her to work! I use a teeny bit of modeling thinner to clean up paint issues but not large areas altogether. Acetone will melt the plastic if applied that liberally. Post some pics and we'll let you know. Personally I like the hand-painted look and painted all but my tube stripes by hand. I would probably screw up the decals anyway, bubbles and stuff.

Wow, you are a magician!

Best thing to do is wear it around the neighborhood and see what additional tweaks you'll need to make, and how well the velcro holds together. Personally I'd recommend snaps. See where there's armor bite for additional trimming. The sides can have a little gap unless you're going for Centurion. I had to shim mine 1" on either side. My build thread under my sig image has some pics of it. I'm sure you're overwhelmed so take your time. I know it's totally exciting and you want to be wearing it NOW NOW NOW! but you also want to get it right for you. Rob "matt black" taught me how to sand and polish scuffs out of my armor. Most of the time some Novus 2 or Maguiar's compound will do the trick. Some guys use magic eraser but I don't like the feel of it. If it's deep scratches you'll need to sand. (You can PM me for some details if this is the case.)

Welcome to FISD, Jeremy! You are definitely in the right place to get all the help you need - and having garrison-mates to help you in person is also great! Did the member tell you what type of armor it is? That will help figure out what details you'll need to pay most attention to. Other than fitting it to your specific body size, and from what I can see in the photo, it looks pretty decent!

Oh yeah, I actually forgot that, but yeah. I put it in the front lower gap - attached to cover strip. Not ideal but it works. Hey, the glue survived CVI!!!! I also have a back-up system: white duct tape in the back of the plate to the inside of my shin. That way if it pops off entirely I won't lose it entirely. You can't see it unless you look down my leg with that purpose in mind. ROFLMAO!!!! This is a great thread. Another solution is to ask Mark to resculpt the knee plate with a little more accuracy to the actual line-up of his left shin pieces... The CRL does say "ideally" so that's what I was going for. If I could have left my rivets in I could have saved myself some pain. (Though Mathias would still have given me crap.) I did want to simply spread some bondo over the rivets to create the "illusion" of no rivets... Not that I'm suggesting anything here...

That's really great!

I wear it because I have very long hair, obviously... and I'm tall and prefer kids not to see it up there, not that my neck opening is very wide. Being a part UNDER the armor, I don't much care whether it's screen accurate. I discovered at Shoot-a-trooper, where I decided not to wear it (was a shift of mostly women, so we all kind of let the ponytails fly) - I fogged up immensely. Incredible! Never ever had that happen before, including the day before when I was wearing it. My scalp sweats, so I suspect the underarmor balaclava holds in a lot of that moisture.

Thanks, christian! I hope you can join the ranks some day. Bake sales, car washes... whatever it takes!

Sorry I missed this - oh wait, it's today! - man I'm in a time warp right now. but it's not about me (this time), it's about YOU!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! WE ARE EVER GRATEFUL FOR YOUR EXISTENCE!!! *HUGS* HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG REDUX!!! "And many moooooore..."