Sly11

Hi Mario Thank you for updating your boots. Could we please ask that you post up replacement photos with you wearing the boots, to replace your Action photo, and the other photos that we can see the old boots in. Thank you

Welcome back to your review Terry. Glad to see you have replaced your boots and blaster, well done With that congratulations and welcome to Expert Infantry Sir. Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: In this section we go through the observations made by your fellow Troopers and things that Tony and I also picked up. Any suggestions we make for changes that would effect any application will be listed in the Centurion section below As we mentioned earlier, you have done a great job on this build, and for the most part it fits you well. Points that would not effect any application but improve the comfort or overall look of your armor. Shoulder Bell straps to shoulder bridge: In your front on image the tops of your shoulder bells look to be at least an inch away from the shoulder bridge. Can these be shortened up to bring them closer to the bridge hence closing up the gap a little reducing the black area. Shoulder bridges: Hopefully these are well secured, you could try applying some gentle heat to get them to sit a little flatter to the chest plate. The AM chest doesn't give a very large nor flat area to mount too and I 'd hate to see yours get caught or detach. I will mention while we are here that the chest Plate does sit very low at the bottom leaving virtually no room to see the ab plate between the belt. This may restrict your movement and catch on your belt. The options are to either replace it with a smaller one or you could trim from the bottom. Follow the contour line but reduce the drop at the sides and only a margin trim through the center. Back Plate: Back plate overlapping the kidney plate. There are two ways to manage this so the overlap is at a minimum or alleviated completely. Shortening the under strap that connects the two so the Back sits higher, and trim the ends off where the plate arcs over the shoulder at the rear. once this is done you can re-set your internal strapping that holds the bottom of the back plate to the top of the kidney. Of course option 2 is to again replace it with a smaller one Please bare in mind these are only suggested mods to further improve the overall look of armor. Pan head screw for the thermal Det, not a deal breaker but just a nice touch. Also the lower screw on your ear is also incorrect as should be a pan head. Shoulder Bell gap between the bridge and top of the bell needs to come in. They should almost be touching, just shorten up those top straps and they will be done. Centurion Suggestions: I honestly think if you can actually make the above mentioned adjustments as well as close up those side gaps between Ab and Kidney plate, follow the CRL and photo check list, you will achieve centurion in no time. Once again Congratulations Terry, well done!!

Could you please post up a couple of photos of said B grade blaster so more can chime in and give solid advice. I would like to see you get Centurion Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It can be hard to hear people talking to you while wearing a helmet, specially in noisy environments. If you add another layer of sound in there I think you might find it near impossible to hear anything outside the helmet. You might need to then think about an environmental hearing assisted device to put in there aswell. Keep up the good work on your rebuild, and remember, Expert Infantry level was created to help make FX armor look more accurate, so follow the CRL and you are on the right track [emoji106] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hello.....what have we here!! Hi Michael, welcome to your EI approval, and one with a difference. For a start you are our first ANOVOS EI application, so we thought we would mark this occasion by doing a joint review. As you may be aware, Ukswrath is also currently building his very own Anovos OT TK and putting together an incredibly detailed build thread, which no doubt will be pinned to the build threads page. Anyway enough from me, lets see what he has to say as an intro. Wow! what and Introduction Andrew, thanks brother. Michael I wanted to keep this short however, since you are the first to submit for EIB I would like to take a moment to say a few things. First off, great looking build trooper. I can honestly say as much as I wanted to be the first out the gate, I'm glad someone else is. The pressure is now off my shoulders . More power to you and all the other ANOVOS builders out there, and a huge shout out to those like yourself striving for accuracy. As Andrew mentioned, and as you may have already seen, my build thread is about accuracy, or as close as possible. Our goal here on the FISD is to make your armor look as accurate as possible also. As with any first born, the attention your armor will receive is far greater than those that follow, in other words we're taking our time, please be patient with us. Anovos has received a great deal of scrutiny the last several months for many reasons, from where it derived it's armor specifications, to the manufacturing process, material being used, to it's sanitation of a once hand sculpted movie prop. It's my understanding it is the first out of the box (with minor modifications) 501st accepted, mass produced, commercially available armor on the market. With it's introduction it is an understatement when I say, "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore". We have entered a new era of Star Wars costuming. Building this armor myself I've have first hand experience with the good and the not so good. In my honest opinion it is a nice set of armor especially if you purchased it at the introductory price, though I'm sure there are plenty that will disagree with me regarding its worthiness. Regardless of all the hoopla, this is your day, your build, and that's why we're here. With that said let's take look shall we, back to you Sly. CRL and EIB Application Requirements: All required photos have been submitted, your armor contains all necessary elements set out in the EIB CRL, so with that I would like to Congratulate and welcome you to Expert Infantry. You are now officially the first with Anovos OT TK armor to be awarded this level. Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: This is a section where we take the opportunity to look at your armor closely and suggest things to improve the overall look of your armor. Unless specifically stated, these suggestions will not affect any application. Both Tony and I agree, the painted area of the frown should taper down to a point at the ends, and this would take you that extra step closer to the realms of screen accuracy. As you can see from these screen used helmets, most of them have a nice tapered end. It might be worth while also increasing the bend on those Thermal Det clips, as they appear to stick out a little and may get caught on someones costume. It does look like the screws are a little to far away from the ends, but we are not suggesting you replace them. I would also just run a file lightly over those sharp corners to be safe. If you were to shorten up the outer most straps on your Butt plate, we think this would stop them from popping out as they are in the side shot below. As we mentioned above, these things wont have a bearing on any future Centurion application, but will make you look the best you can. I guess you are feeling pretty good by now, so these few little things corrected will make you feel even better. Centurion Suggestions: The ultimate accuracy is up to the trooper when it comes to Centurion, and you are certainly on your way to becoming our first Anovos approved at this level. Make sure all photos are posted and you check the Level 3 CRL. See you in Centurion application shortly. Again Congratulations on a job well done

Hi Joe, what do you know?? Welcome to your Expert Infantry review! CRL and EIB Application Requirements: All necessary photos are posted, and your armor meets all requirements as stated in the Level 2 CRL for EIB. With that we congratulate and welcome you to the rank of Expert infantry!!. Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: In this section we go through the observations made by your fellow Troopers and things that Tony and I also picked up. Any suggestions we make for changes that would effect any application will be listed in the Centurion section below. Let me start by saying, you have a First Class build here. Balance and fit are excellent, so the only adjustment we could suggest for you to look your absolute best would be to shorten up the top shoulder bell straps so the bells are virtually touching the bridges. Centurion Suggestions: The ultimate level of accuracy is up to the trooper for this level. We really do try to find everything to make it clear what is required to get you over the line as a minimum, but we have struggle to find anything that stands out. Make sure you follow the CRL requirements and post all photos on the check list, even extra if you feel an image does not give a clear enough indication. Congratulations once again, your garrison should be proud trooping next to you. We are looking forward to your centurion application.

Hey Mario, thank you for your application for Expert Infantry, lets check it out!! CRL and EIB Application Requirements: Only missing a photo of the end of your blaster showing the D ring, but this is clearly present in the other photos supplied. There is however, one thing standing out that managed to slip through your basic approval. Your boots! These are required to have flat soles and not the thick tread soles that you have in you application photos. As written in the CRL for Basic 501st Approval. .Boots Flat sole with short heel. We will require these changed to an appropriate boot so we can proceed with your approval. Image of original screen used boot. Another members, hand painted boots with flat sole. TK Boots are also available when in stock. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to send Ukswrath or myself a PM, we are here to help. Thanks Mario, hope to see an update to your application soon.

Hi Michael, UK and I will be with you shortly, thank you for your patience.

Hi Joe, Uk and I will be with you shortly. Thank you for your patience.

Such an enjoyable read, thanks yet again to the hard working team that bring us this monthly delight. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Congratulations mate, well done

Popcorn, looking forward to seeing this one complete. As Paul mentioned in an earlier post , you will most probably the first EI ESB Anovos. Keep up the good work. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You need to test fit all your parts with the under suit on or you won't get the right feel .if in fact your thighs are too long, they can be trimmed from the top.draw with a pencil, following the shape right the way round the tops, if you think you need to take an inch off, take less, to be safe and re-assess. Don't worry about removing the return edge, as the screen worn suits basically didn't have them anyway. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Superb work from the master yet again. [emoji106][emoji106] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well, well, well, what have we here! We haven't seen an FX for a while, thank you Christoph for your EIB application, lets take a look. CRL and EIB Application Requirements: All submission photos have been posted. Excellent build Christoph, you have done a very good job brining this FX armor up to EIB standard. This is what EIB was originally created for, making the old FX kit more accurate. Of coarse these days the helmet is no longer acceptable, and you have replaced this, well done. Congratulations and welcome to the rank of Expert Infantry!!! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: In this section, we usually talk sometimes in great detail about observations regarding your armor. IF these observations require a change or repair, it would be noted so in the Centurion Suggestions section. This is as far as you can take the FX armor, unfortunately it is not accepted at the Centurion level, but take heart in the fact that you have done a great job bringing it to the Expert Infantry rank. If we were to suggest anything, it would be to tidy up the over spray on the frown of the Anovos helmet. Once again Congratulations!

OK Antonio, thank you for tightening up that belt and closing the gap , with that we would like to congratulate you and say, Welcome to Expert Infantry!!! Your armor looks wonderful, now we will continue with your overall assessment. Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: In this section we may suggest corrections to make your armor look it's best. Though these suggestion/s won't effect your EIB status they will enhance the overall look of your armor. The only things that stand out are that your Butt plate sticks out from the sides. I think this may be caused by two things. 1. Perhaps the strapping could be shortened a touch to try and bring them in. 2. Your thighs armor looks quite long for you and sits up under neath the butt plate pushing it out. This is only a suggestion for comfort and mobility sake, but trimming about an 1inch - 1 1/2" off the top of your thigh armor would allow then to sit just below the butt, and probably give you a little more clearance behind the knee, freeing up some more movement. Simply follow the top ridge line all way round the tops trim it off and sand the edge. Return edges are not necessary on all parts of the armor, so this would not interfere with any Centurion application. Centurion Suggestions: Any recommendations mentioned here are to help prepare you for your Centurion app. As mentioned by Snaps you'll need to close up the ab to kidney gaps for Centurion. This may be done by adding shims. Make sure you have everything required for Centurion, use the photo check list, and we hope to see in the Request Centurion status thread soon. Again, excellent job Antonio.

Hi Fernando, thank you for your application for Expert infantry CRL and EIB Application Requirements: All submission photos have been posted. Although there are Two things needed to be changed for EIB. Your blaster will require the addition of the charging handle, and your right thigh as we are looking at you, its cover strip needs to be trimmed from the bottom to finish at the top of the ridge. Get these two little things done, and we can go forward with your badge. Part that you are missing. Thigh Cover strip to be shortened. How it should look. Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: In this section, I will talk about observations regarding your armor. IF these observations require a change or repair, I will note that in the Centurion Suggestions section. What a great build. Your Garrison should be proud to march beside you! There are a few small adjustments that need to be made as we are expecting to see a Centurion application from you in the future. These will be listed in the centurion section below. Centurion Suggestions: We do our best to spot things here, but the ultimate Centurion accuracy is up to the trooper. Close up the gap between your shoulder bell tops and the bridges. These should be virtually touching as in the image below. Alos see if you can bring your belt up a bit aswell, it should align either directly under or even slightly overlapping the base of the main ab button plate. Please complete the two minor requests as mentioned at the top of your assessment, and the EIB badge is yours.

Thank you, looking forward to getting you across the line.

Welcome Antonio, thanks for your EIB application. CRL and EIB Application Requirements: All the required photos have been posted, man you have great looking armor, but I need to draw your attention to the side gaps between your Kidney and abdomen plate. The general gap allowance as written in the CRL for EIB is as follows. . Any gap between the abdomen and kidney armor is no more than 1/2 inch (12.5cm). Now we don't scale and measure this so there is some leeway, however your gap on the non rivet side does look a little excessive. Could we please request you take another photo from the side and perhaps tighten the belt to reign in the gap a bit more. Again, your armor looks fantastic, just that one adjustment and the badge will be yours yours.

Looks like it could be fiber glass, ears are molded with helmet, and its weird looking. Any thoughts on what it is recast off.

You need to trim the parts to fit you. If that means you need to leave more material, instead of trimming down to 7.5 mm per side to cater for a 15-16mm wide cover strip, then that is fine . Many leave 10 plus mm per half and centre the cover strip. If a lot of material needs to be left to fit hands through fore arms or thigh armour to fit, then try and make those allowances at the back. I have worked on a pair of thighs where we actually had to add another 4 inches of material, then Centre the cover strip. We literally shimmed the thighs, then filled in the gap with a flexible filler, sand it smooth and then paint the thighs. It was a big job, but anything is possible. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi Brandon, thank you for your application so lets take a look CRL and EIB Application Requirements: Thank you for adding the requested photos, they are now all present. There are a few things we need to discuss and have changed to get you across the line for EIB, these are as per the CRL. E-11 blaster: As per the the wording for this level. .No ammo counter shall be present .D-ring mounted on rear .No power cylinders on magazine housing I see you are using a Hyperfirm rubber blaster in your application photos, while this is great for trooping, the correct blaster needs to be present for your application and approval. Please update all photos containing the E-11 with the correct specs, and we can get your application and approval completed Thank you for your patience, and look forward to awarding your badge.

Congratulations Tim!! Big year ahead for us all, and I am confident you are more than capable of Of driving the Detachment upward and onward. I would also like to thank Eric for his dedication and hard work steering this puppy over the last year, you did a great job mate. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It looks to me that it was either a faulty batch of paint, or the wrong paint for the base was used and failed to degas properley. I have seen this when using the wrong primer coat on resin blasters and they we remain permanently sticky. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hey David, welcome back to your EI review, lets go straight to it!! CRL and EIB Application Requirements: All the required photos have been posted, including the requested correction to your thigh cover strip. Congratulations and welcome to the rank of Expert Infantry. You sure do have a very nice set of armour, and it fits you well. Something mentioned by your fellow troopers was the "Killer paint job", yes your helmet is indeed beautifully done. With a few tweaks and adjustments, you will look absolutely awesome, so lets discus those below. Other-Armor Fit/Assembly:In this section we'll discuss observations made by your fellow troopers as well as myself and Ukswrath. Sometimes changes and or adjustments are suggested for the overall fitment and look of your armour. If there is anything that could possibly affect a future Centurion approval, they will be mentioned in that section. There are a few minor things that we would like you to adjust so you will look your best. in what we hope will be your upcoming Centurion application. Neck seal: Yours is still passable for Centurion, but if there were ever an upgrade you might consider, perhaps one with a shinier finish. Shoulder Bells: These should virtually if not touch the plastic shoulder bridges at the top, simply shorten the top straps and they will be perfect. Fore arm cover strips: This is really just a tidy up as the tops look like they could dig into your inner elbow. These can be trimmed to follow the line of the top of the fore arm, so having an angle is fine, simply trim off and sand the corner. Drop boxes: These should be virtually touching the the base of the ammo belt, easy fix, shorten straps. Cod to Butt plate strap: Although its not seen from the outside, this strap is normally black, so it sits here as a suggestion to change. Ab and Kidney side seam alignment: We think these probably moved while you raised your arms for the side photos, but be mindful the tops should be aligned, along with the rivet positions. Also make sure you close the seam gap up for Centurion. Centurion Suggestions: As much as we try to spot everything that would affect an Centurion application, the ultimate accuracy is up to the trooper. Ok here we have a few things that will need attention for a Centurion application. Back to kidney plate gap: What we are looking for here is minimal to no gap, or overlap, in this case we believe its just a strap shortening exercise to get it closed up, nice and easy Thermal Det: There is a small lip on the lower edge of the button plate that needs to be trimmed off. We think by running a steal ruler down the length and perpendicular to the edge will probably remove this without to much trouble at all, the other correction is to replace the screws with Pan heads and painting them black for the perfect finishing touch. E-11: There are two things we found mounted backwards on your E11. 1. Rear sight, this can be seen in your D ring photo easier than in the side images. The smooth curved part should be facing forward and the grooved or scalloped part facing backwards. 2. Charging handle. This should arc towards the muzzle instead of curving towards the end cap. We understand the rear sight may be difficult to remove without damage, but would definitely like to see the charging handle turned around. Photo list update: Could you please when you can, update your action shot with the thigh cover strip mod you have made, as we use that photo on another part of the web site for EIB apps. Its where we put you photo on a Star wars background. Centurion isn't just about a list of things that your armour must have as written in the CRL, it is also a Troopers opportunity to take his or her armour to that next level and a chance to look as kick butt as you possibly can, you are steps away David, make your adjustment and changes we have talked about today, and we expect to see a great Centurion application from you very soon. If you have any questions or need any advice/guidance, please don't hesitate to shoot Tony or myself a PM. Once again congratulations on your EI badge.