Billhag

What the feck as taken you so long Stu? This suit and set up was Elite / EIB well over a year ago when you built it straight out of the box. Too much fannying around with ya Ghost Busters chums me thinks It's a straight pass in my book mate See you at CMG next month buddy, yous boys are gunna be totally blown away by Stuka's AWSOME 3PO

Quality control was never the best selling point back in the 'good ol' days' Me too mate, I've got the 'Pipe' version and I mananged to get one of John's (Pugman) first offerings first time around

.......and I wonder were you obtained such a BRILLIANTLY innovative idea from?,...errrrm (Cough!...Stukatrooper...COUGH!,..COUGH!,..)

Rich You can also find a version of it on the old Don Post statue -------- --------

Tell me about it....http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp139/Billhag/GIFS/rolleyes.gif as for this fantastic news about Brian... (touches imaginary cap stands up and doffs it while saying "salt of the Earth, true gent that's for sure, honour and a privilege to call him a friend,...gawd bless ya,"...puts cap back on ) I've only got one word to say about that..... ------------

I knew I should have cut those backs of the thighs and the calves when you ask me , ...no need to ask why you holding that butt plate like that,....you bottle job!!....

Dennis That is friging AWESOME!! In fact, I am now in the process of organising an expedition to the Ecuadorian, and neighboring Peruvian Amazon to seek out the notorious members of the Shuar tribe to see if they will kindly oblige me with their skills so that I may just.....JUST, get my ol' nogging into that beautiful lid. .

Welllll, you don't really need one but it does stop the little 'uns from seeing your face when your out trooping. ...and it can look kindaa COOOOL!!

Loving the overlap matey

Ade Looking good there fella Listen to Paul, leave the biceps alone Clearance won’t be an issue mate, you’re good to go in my book. All that’s needed is some tweaking here and there to get it to sit on you better No biggy mate, just a little bit of playing around. Rich In my position as Chief Armourer for the UKG I’ve been lucky enough to be ask to help and also completely build untold amount of sets of armour for new and existing members. Over the last 12-18 months it’s been my privilege to build many of Paul’s fantastic creations and mate you would not believe the amount of changes that he has made throughout the whole of the suit in this time. In fact, it’s become my favorite little game with others TM owners of either ‘spot-the-difference’ or tell them when it was made and how it’s now changed. Here’s a few of the many obvious, and non obvious ones that may have escaped peoples notice. · Chest Plate, · Main Ab section (changed again over the last couple months) · Bell’s · Bicep’s · Forearms · Thighs · Shins · Sniper Knee plate · TD centre panel Not to mention the helmet, this has changed at least 3-4 times and continues to do so. . It’s been a wonderful thing watching the evolution of TM armour over the years and Paul’s unstoppable quest (some may say obsession) for perfection as been joy to behold, as I’m sure it will continue to be over the many years to come. . I’ve got to say, whatever your personal preference for armour is, there is no denying or escaping the fact that TM is in a class of its own. It’s beautiful, …pure and simple. Bring on the next two builds I have waiting for me.......he-he-he,.....ohhh, it doesn't get much better .

Rich Looking pretty darn sexy there mate The RS lid is just....beautiful. I'm not ashamed to say that I've spent many, many hours with one of these in my mits and I've not been able to take may eyes off of it. Great review by the way, and I'm looking forward to the build coming together matey

Sean I’ve got a question for you mate, and please don’t take this the wrong way…OK? Why do you want to go for EIB? Prestige?, Kudos amongst your Garrison mates?, or to show that you have attained an above average standard for your armour by getting it closer to a more screen accurate appearance? The advice people are giving you here as been posted to HELP you, but you seem to be more content to throw a strop because things don’t seem to be going YOUR way. Mate, if you can’t be bothered to “hack away’ at your shins, or have the correct green lens in your helmet, then don’t!!. Just carry on as you are, it’s your armour you can run , jump, kneel, roll on the floor or even do a crazy dance on YouTube that’s entirely up to you. No one forces anyone to go for EIB or Centurion. If you just want to have a ‘laugh’ and ‘some fun’ but you’re not really too bothered about how accurate it looks, then feel ya boots mate. But if you want to be recognized as someone who has gone that extra mile and put some time and effort in to their costume then surely it’s not too much to ask to meet the standard recognized criteria for this accolade. Sean, if you’re serious about your costume and genuinely want to make it more screen accurate then dig around, do some research, take a look at the originals and decide just how far you’d like to go with it. If you just want to go for EIB, fine, do the same. Look at all the EIB submissions to get an idea of what may be needed or not. All the information is here, it’s just a question of looking for it. Simple really. Good luck with whatever you decide mate

Matt Despite being a member, Rob (matt black) as not trooped with the UKG mate so he as not been branded so his armour carry’s no decal to identify him as such. As you know, if he had been inducted then he would be required to cover the decal when trooping at non official events such as he’s indicated. Rob At the end of the day mate its your armour and you can do with it as you wish. The thing to remember Is that there are guidelines in place for 501st and UKG members regarding appropriate behaviour whist in costume. So if you wish to represent them you must act accordingly. But what you do in your free time is entirely up to you.fella.. I’m all for promoting the FISD (and do so on a daily basis despite what some may think) and I know you’ll do a bloody good job of it mate because of the overwhelming commitment you’ve shown whilst being a member here. My only concern, and this doesn’t apply to you, is the FISD is an official Detachment of the 501st and as such any promotion can be seen as representing it, indirectly or directly, whether that is stated or not. So if I decided that it would be kindaa FUN to hand out FISD flyers at the annual S&M ‘Spank-Me’ convention wearing nothing but leather chaps and a TK lid whilst busting some MEAN moves to some high octane House music I don’t think it would go down too well when it comes to light. (should get plenty of hits on YouTube though, ‘coz Man!, when I get going I can really shake my Groove thing! ) I think you can see what I getting at here, how ever tenuous the link may seem to some it is there and actions such as this can be perceived as being permissible for both the FISD and the 501st Legion because of their association with each other and the possible promotional material being distributed. But HEY!, the Boss as said its all fine, so its all good. *DISCLAIMER* To my knowledge the annual S&M ‘Spank-Me’ convention doesn’t exist and even if it did I don’t own any leather chaps or too keen on high end heavy House so this is purely fictional for illustrational purposes only. But any reference to my dancing abilities is 100% true.

Yerrp, a very SPECIAL moment for all UKG members

David As others have said, the most screen accurate way is to use a strip of acetate / lighting gell and fix it to the machine screws that hold the ears on the inside of the helmet I personally would stay well away from hot glue, it’s unpredictable and messy, and I’ve yet to see a clean lens install with anyone using this stuff <_< Here’s couple of alternative methods that I’ve used over the years I used a foam neoprene surround and just stuck it in with heavy duty double sided tape And here’s my latest way . I use one of my little inventions called ‘Lid-Lashes’ (Patent Pending ) which gives you a clean, mean & green look with no mess and no fuss.

Satka Some of the best troopers in the World could be described as 'short a$$es' As Paul said, a little bit of tweaking here and there and you should have no problem at all. And don't worry, we have PLENTY of come backs for all those "Aren't you a little short..." comments

Tchh!!, <_< , I d'know Gaz, back over here 5 minutes and you're EIB approved,,,All I can sya to that is.... WELL BLOODY DONE matery Congratulations fella, very well deserved

Over on the UKG we built a set, out of the box, up to EIB standard in a day Yerrp, no corners cut either, E6000, poppers-snaps, butt joins and finishing strips the lot.Even managed to make a leather holster and canvas belt as well. ------------ Satka Realistically you want to give yourself at least 2-3 weeks minimum for your first build. You should just take your time, get to know the parts and how they should go together in the right way. The other timings are as you said, open ended. Armour-order and arrive;- 2 weeks up to 2 months depending where you order it from Armour Build time;- 2 weeks to how ever long it takes E11 build;- 2-3 weeks for parts, same again for a fully built Build time, Depending on your skill set, 1 week up to when ever Take your time, do your reserch and be patient.Get in touch with your local Garrison and get to know those guys. And remember, if you're not sure about anything just ask, you have a wealth of knowledge on here as well as some very helpful people

Hi Brian, I don’t know if you remember me but this is Billy!! Been in the game a while now, have at least 30+ builds under my belt, ohh and I’m Deputy Chief Armourer of the UK Garrison. My Star sign is Pisces, I like my steak well done, not really keen on Avocado pears though. <_< Mate, are you truly saying that the finishing strips are only required to ‘enhance the look’. of a set of ANH / ESB armour submitted for EIB and Centurion?..... just an ‘assembly technique’… Really? So no overlap molding, or finishing strip on parts is perfectly acceptable for the ‘Above standard’ requirements for these two prestigious programs?. I do understand that, and I’d buy you a pint or three anytime mate and I hope you know that ….But surely it should be our job as a Detachment to pick up on these things and help guide troopers in the right direction ESPECIALLY when it comes to EIB and Centurion?. I do it every day, week in week out, guiding people to what’s right and wrong regardless of which suit they have, or how big / small / fat / thin / male / female whatever, Screen accurate or not, you can make a silk purse out of a sows ear it just takes a little bit more time and effort and nice big dollop of creativity I don’t mean to be confrontational, and my apologies to anyone who feels I’m coming across that way and if what I have highlighted is acceptable then I am more the wiser for knowing it now

I know that I’m probably going to get shot down here, and Alex please don’t take offence of what I’m about to say, but can Mason and/or one of the staff please explain how something as fundamental to a Stormtrooper costume as finishing strips be totally disregarded when it comes to assessing whether or not a suit is up to EIB or Centurion standards?. Alex's EIB Aprroved shots Alex's Centurion submission Alex as I said, it is not my intention to upset or offend, but these basic anomalies should have been picked up by your GML when you first submited your costume for clearence and they are things that can be fixed pretty easterly with a little bit of work.

David As most have said, they are pretty easy to make, with or without a workshop . I've made so many that I've lost count and you only really need the basic tools. Here's the 'How to' I put up back in 2008, I know it may be a little outdated but it does show you the basics and you can adapt it to what ever E11 that you may be building --------- Hope it helps

COOL! That makes it even easier.Remember that you want to add at least 10-20 mm to the width of your finishing strips to cover the butt seam as centred as possible. I know that you can now get away without touching the fronts, but to answer your question about gaps this is how you can do it to get around the problem.I just continue the finishing strip to the bottom of the thigh.Not screen accurate I know, but it does the job with non painted sets of armour.Plus you only have one bottom on show because the right one is covered Keep us updated on how you get on mate

Rich I would mate, this would give you an even surfase to work with and look better. Ideally for oversized thighs its better to spread the additional width needed between the front and the back distributing it as even as possible whilst keeping an authentic appearance. For instance, if I needed to add an additional 70mm overall I would have the front strips at 30mm and the backs at 40mm, following this through to the shins to keep it uniform. You want to try to keep the shims that you insert as small as you possibly can because the wider you go the bigger the finishing strip will need to be to cover it. I try not to go over 50mm for the backs if I can help it. This would give me a 40mm shim to play with allowing for a minimum of 5mm each side of the strip for overlap at the sides. Remember the bigger / wider you go the more noticeable it will be. I hope this helps mate, let me know if you need anymore info and I'll be glad to help out wherever I can

Rich I've done this on quite a few suits now for other troopers and if you do it right no one will even notice I hope this helps mate

Well, as I said, I'm looking forward to seeing someone taking on the challenge .