Dark CMF

There are a few makers of the FO TK helmets available here at FISD. Other than those few, ANOVOS is the only maker currently offering them.

Ha! Very foolish of me to overlook those two points. Thank you, Troopers!!

Won't be long before threads with ANOVOS in the title will be filled with wonderful photos of builds in progress.<br><br> Very exciting times for Star Wars fans - more so for us, because we've got all kinds of new costumes (and costume makers) to build, discuss, and gawk at.

The cover strip on the right thigh stops at the top of the bottom ridge, same as the left. You can heat bend the butt plate, or expand the butt to meet the size of the plate. Otherwise, it is going to flare out. The forearm strapping, you're on point with your assessment. Mine rotated a bit until I put the straps in them. Now, consistent gap, and no rotation. I'd advise you to get all of the return edge cut of the wrists and see how it goes before going the velcro route with them. It doesn't seem like the little bit of return edge woukd make much of a difference, but you'll likely be pleasantly surprised by the results. Looking good, keep at it! Oh, look into a set of needle files to help with the edges of the snap covers on the belt. Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

Quickly chiming in on the fly here... Unfortunately, I'd seriously recommend redoing a lot of work on the belt. The button covers on the "ends" are quite far from the boxes on the belt, and the drop boxes don't line up properly with the ends of the belt, and that is a requirement. Personally, I'd make those corrections as they will make a big difference in the appearance of the belt in the long run. Additionally, the rivets are a requirement for higher level approvals but they don't have to be functional in any way. Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

LFL has already basically said that the ROTJ style armor is THE official appearance of TKs. This hasn't been a public statement anywhere, but in what they allowed DICE to do with Battlefeont, they clearly have chosen their model TK image, and it has a one piece kidney and butt plate and rubber trim.<br><br> Looking through that lens, the hybrid appearance makes a little more sense. It doesn't mean that we have to be excited about it, but we are going to have to deal with it. (Oh No, MORE TK costume options!). As for the idea that we could simply ignore the costume, we can. Until someone builds one and submits it for approval. At that time, we as a Detachment pick up the responsibility on behalf of the Legion, to develop and maintain the CRL for the costume. It is going to happen.<br><br> Those guys are on set. I find it difficult to believe in the HD/4K, digital recording age of movies that there are any more Stunt/Hero prop builds. Those are likely "just" Stormtroopers. They've probably been running, jumping, diving, and in many other ways, doing things that will likely have caused the armor to slip, slide, and shift to awkward situations such as the Drop Box being stuck behind the thigh.

There's a great group of troopers in that area. Welcome to the FISD!

Oh! Almost forgot... You can fix that knee ammo pack quite cheaply and easily. Just pick up some acetone, and keep all of the scrap ABS that you're trimming. Use them to make some ABS paste and fill those holes. I'd sand the area down to smooth it out, cover the outside of the holes (the visible area while wearing it) with painter's tape, and fill the holes from the back. That should help with a smoother surface on the visible side. Then, get some high grit sandpaper, and wet sand it smooth. Proceed as if it were new after it is done.

You're all over it Andrew. Definitely have to resize the kidney and abdomen before proceeding to the belt.<br><br><br> Also, you'll definitely want to remove the difference from both of those parts, on each side. I'd advise you to take off a little at a time until you get the right look. Cut smaller, equal amounts from each of the four edges involved until it looks right with the chest and back plates. If you take too much off, the proportions between the two parts will look wrong. Slow and steady.

Kudos gentlemen, on handling things like adults and amicably here on the forums in public. Stand-up behavior always makes situations go more smoothly. Where in Texas are you located Heston?

For what it's worth, I think you've definitely made the right choice in how to proceed. Don't hesitate to ask for help if you have questions, or feel stuck in any way. I'd recommend reaching out to Rob, on an effort to ensure that your cover strip material will have the best chance at a good color match for your armor.

I'd be more than a little surprised if the price wasn't a pretty penny more than that range, especially assembled.

If they're just that large, cut the plastic in the back. Remove the cover strips, tuck the inner thigh into the outer thigh, take a pencil and draw a line at what should still be the center point (or cut an inch or two off of the back of the outer thigh first and proceed to ensure that the seam is centered). Cut the inner piece to match that line, and re-glue the cover strip.

The Rogue One TKs will definitely be canon. They will wind up being their own costume in the Legion, just as the ANH, ESB, ROTJ, and TFA TKs have before them. In looking at the photos that we've seen of them thus far, they appear to be a hybrid of ROTJ and ANH TK. They are more clearly styled as the ANH TK (ab button orientation, hand guards) but they have the white rubber trim around the chest plate, etc. The TDs appear to have colored sides, instead of being plain white also. Tough to see the details in the helmets at this point in time outside of looking like they are assembled better this time around, as the one shot of the ears that can be seen looks to be very nicely shaped and attached - from a distance at least.

Ello Asty... I truly hoped that he'd become a staple character, in the mold of Wedge, but alas... He shall not.

Not all of the builds are in the members only section. Several are here in the public area.

There won't likely be any way for this number to be substantiated, or speculated at. Those of us with the ANOVOS FO TK kits signed an NDA and part of that document was pricing information. We cannot discuss that outside of the group. I will say that Allen is right about the work that has to go into this costume though. Far more demanding and challenging than an OT TK.

My take, having seen it twice - once in 2D, once in 3D. For starters, see it in 3D if at all possible. Man, it is stunning. If you can get to a laser projected 3D showing then lucky you. I haven't done that one yet. Characters: First Order is ruthless. Savage. Makes the Empire look like the Senate. No playing around. TKs were brutal and efficient (unless trying to shoot at all of the major characters - which is just par for the Star Wars course). Captain Phasma. I'm sure that a lot of her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor, and that she'll be a much bigger, badder part of things in Ep VIII. If not, then she's instantly right there with Boba Fett and Darth Maul - cool looking characters that got underplayed relative to how much we've loved them. Kylo Ren. OMG... EVERYTHING that I'd hoped he'd be. THIS, this is exactly what a descent to the dark side should be like. Granted, Adam Driver had it easier than Hayden Christensen in one way - he was established as a villain from the get-go - but he absolutely comes off as a guy who is troubled by his situation, and struggling with it. He brought some serious gravitas to the role, and some incredible human depth to the situation. Anakin took a pledge and became a Sith Lord. Kylo Ren is everything that Anakin should have been mid-way through Ep II. Rey. Great job by Daisy Ridley. Loved the character, and can't wait to learn more about her background (although I have my theories) and see what it was that led to the switch seemingly getting flipped for her in regard to the force. Finn. Truly fun. He played up a lot of the comedy bits very seamlessly and it didn't feel forced like so many that we've seen in previous SW movies (prequels). He is the anti-hero. He's the guy that's simply running for his life, and gets caught up in the life of some girl he happens to meet on his way out. It may seem a bit campy to some folks, but I think he's just a regular guy who gets wrapped up in a situation because he likes a girl and wants to see what happens next. It felt natural to me. Natural, refreshing, and real. BB-8. Awesome. I couldn't have believed that there was room for another droid with that much personality, but he's awesome. Poe. Are you kidding me? Man, did they ever take advantage of every bit of tech at their disposal to truly show us what a badass he is in that X-wing. Phenomenal. As for the guy as opposed to the pilot... Very strong character. Very committed to the resistance, and truly a heroic type. Leia. Sadly, for me, one of the flattest performances in the movie - but I'm not taking anything from her. She's still "Princess Leia" and that's still awesome. She's still the enigmatic leader she's always been, and that's critical to the plot. Han Solo. I expected what we got, as Harrison Ford thought he should have died at the end of Star Wars, and had been lobbying to kill him off since then. To me, the moment he signed on for TFA, I knew that it would only be if he finally got to kill the character. As for Han Solo himself, what is there to say? He's Han Solo. Will he be missed, of course but he had to go - the others have to go as well - for the new cast to be able to shine. Maz Kanata. Character that I expected to basically be some side-story to be forgotten about in the long run, quietly turned into one of the most interesting new characters in the series to me. I cannot wait to see what else she knows. Lor San Tekka. Very brief appearance on screen. Huge number of questions surrounding him, and I hope we get those answers as well. Luke Skywalker. Mark Hamill definitely summed up the movie quite well when he said that we know the story, but things have changed. Like many others, I can't wait to see what he does in the subsequent episodes. Snoke. Very intriguing. Another that even though we saw plenty of him, we don't know much about him at all. As for the plot, yes... It borrowed heavily from ANH, but it needed to have a way to blend the old with the new, to feel familiar and become something else along the way. I feel like they did a great job with it. I love that there are so many questions left to answer - because there are a lot of them. A few people I know have said that there was no backstory to the film. While I understand that, how much needs to be spoon-fed? Nobody was worried about how the Empire came to power after watching Star Wars. Nobody cared that Luke Skywalker just randomly happened to have a reason to meet Obi-Wan Kenobi. It was just part of the story. All of a sudden, everything needs to be explained completely - DAMN YOU, MIDICHLORIANS!!! - in order for people to feel that the movie was worthwhile. This is a part of a new, bigger story. If they tied everything up, what purpose would Episodes VIII and IX have? I love it, and the direction that everything is heading. Just wanted to chime in as well. I've got no beef with the few people that don't like it. I just can't understand why - but then... I saw the original in the theater, and this gave me so many of the same feelings all over again.

Can't wholly agree with that statement. As for my earlier statement, it is not to imply that they take a supply Soldier and put him on the front line. Rather, he is very possibly going to be assigned to a unit that is there. As a result, he needs to have the basic skills of an infantry Soldiwr and be and be able to perform in a basic role should the need arise. Why would Finn, a sanitation Trooper, be out on the front lines? His unit was there. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well, in the US Army and Marine Corps, that's what they teach, and it is why they all attend Basic Combat Training before their specific job training so I say definitely YES. But... what do I know? Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

FN = Filth Neutralizer. Sanitation.<br><br> In war, regardless of trained job, every Soldier is an infantry Soldier. In the Star Wars universe, that means that every Stormtrooper is a TK whether his or her specialty is sanitation, combat photographer, food preparation, or infantry.<br><br> Clint and Cody covered it pretty well for me. When people ask your name, tell them you're Mickey Mouse, TK-421, or FN-421. Whatever makes you happy.

Fully agree. In fact, if I'd been asked, this would have been my suggestion, as I've already got a reference to draw off of. The US Army uniform regulation does essentially the same thing that the CRL does. It lists all the parts of each uniform and how they are to be worn. At the end of the uniform's "parts list" it lists accessories that are commonly worn with that uniform and if necessary, how they are to be worn and provides reference pictures to support it. As for the additional suggestion of adding accessories for higher level approvals, a la MEPD, I do not agree with that as the FISD's level 2 & 3 are not based on prop/screen replication. They are strictly increases in accuracy based on commonly seen on screen features. Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

BANHAMMERS FOR EVERYONE!!!!! WOOHOO!!!

Absolutely stunning! I begin my own personal battle with gaskets tomorrow. Crunch time... Looking great, Ingrid.

SO EPIC!!! Great work. Thank you for sharing!!!