justjoseph63

It's what we do here, Lindsay. Just pay it forward when you get the chance!

There may be a few issues when dealing with heat guns. First, they are designed to heat up a centralized area, and by heat up I mean HOT! They can reach temperatures of 1100 degrees, and take quite a bit of practice. (Trust me). You will need something with a wide surface area that distributes the heat evenly over the entire surface of the piece you are working on.

Your rivets are on their way, Lindsay! Congrats on your upcoming future TK, but please take a moment and read this: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/33347-e6000-warnings-read-them-and-wear-a-respirator/

Not a requirement, per se, but just a suggestion.

I remember my first BBB day. Tearing into it like a kid at Christmas and then realizing... "Oh crap. I have to put this thing together"! Like as has been mentioned, just take your time, follow some of the amazing build threads here, and don't forget to check out the Advanced Tactics section to see just how far you can take your armor toward screen accuracy! It's not as difficult as you may think, and it's easier to do during your build rather than after. We are here for you if you have any questions, and I am looking forward to your build thread, Ken!

Looking great, Mike! For those teeth, I suggest picking up a set of needle files from Lowe's. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Source-6-Piece-Needle-File-Set/4777067 They will help immensely.

Great to hear that you got your approval, David! I suggest going here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/16-501st-trooper-status-requests-include-link-to-your-501st-profile-in-your-request/ when you get the chance to sign up for Legion access on the FISD.

Looking great with those changes, Scott! For the ab snap, I recommend drilling it out first using cobalt or titanium tip drill bits. Start small and work your way up until it loosens enough to remove. As for the ABS paste, know that it can be messy. This is the way I suggest doing it: Preparation: 1. Using 2 layers of blue painter's tape, cover the hole in from the back side about half an inch all the way around. Press down tight. 2. Using blue painter's tape mask off the front side of the hole*, leaving about a 1/8 inch gap on the sides. Press down tight. Application: 1. After mixing up the ABS paste to a toothpaste like consistency, apply just enough to fill the hole, with a small "dome" on top. 2. Allow it to dry thoroughly (12-24 hours). Do not remove the tape. 3. Using progressively smaller grit sandpaper, carefully sand it down until it is smooth and level with the surface. 4. Remove tape. You can use Novus (or similar) scratch remover/polish after that. * I suggest masking off the front of the hole about 2 inches on the sides. This way, when you sand, it will not scratch your armor.

Really nice build on that AP armor, Teresa! The main thing that jumps out at me is the ABS belt. It should touch the bottom part of the ab button plate. (It can even overlap it a tiny bit). I am hoping you will also be aiming for Centurion after EIB, so you will need to trim down the return edges on the wrist, right around the ribbed bump a bit more. They should look like the one in the photo below. Fantastic job on those ab/kidney connections!! See you at EIB soon!

The sniper knee plate looks great, Mike. Trimming that bottom completely off will allow it to fit snug against the calf. In the second photo of your last post it looks as if you need to remove the rest of the return edge from the piece on the left. Also, since you may be aiming for Centurion I would recommend removing all the return edges from the wrist side of your forearm pieces. You should also think about removing them from the tops of the thighs as well. It is not a requirement, but you may find that the return edges on the thighs (especially on the inside) can chafe the heck out of you after a short while. When you get the chance, I would have a look at some of the approved Centurion submission threads in the Advanced Tactics section, especially those that deal with AP armor.

Some great answers from both Shane and Brian there, Connor. I built a set of Anovos, and found it to be pretty easy. The ABS is a little thin so I don't troop in it that often. Shane mentioned a GREAT fact that there will be leftover scrap ABS from trimming. I would keep all of it, and use it to make interior cover strips, especially on the calves as these get a lot of wear from flexing when opening and closing them. The strapping that comes with it is Velcro, but I personally don't recommend using it. It will wear out over time, and you should consider either snaps/nylon or the classic strapping system as seen in Tony's (ukswrath) Anovos build thread. Also, as mentioned, the canvas belt that comes with it is super thin. I recommend replacing it, especiallt if you are (hopefully) aiming for EIB and Centurion.

Dang.. I'm usually in bed by then, but thanks for the info.!

Does anyone have any info. or a link to the patch/pin trading event?

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Really nice job on this build, Jess! The only thing you may have to address is the overlap of the back plate over the kidney. If so, this is a really easy fix. Stellar job, Trooper!

You are rocking that AP armor, Dave! Great to see another Trooper going with the double snap system... (you won't be sorry you went the extra mile on that). The only thing I would mention is that your E-11 could use a bit of weathering for some added realism. That may be the HWT in me talking, though..

Way to go DAVE! Welcome to the (very) few, the proud, the HWT Centurions! GREAT job on that T-21 sight!

At some cons, local Squads/Garrisons are allowed to set up an information booth/prop display. Those who stay in the booth or help set up and/or tear down sometimes get in for free, but not all the time. At C8 for example, working the booth or various displays does not entitle you to a free pass.

Have you tried Trooperbay? https://trooperbay.com/trooper-helmet-s-neck-trim

Congrats, Aaron! Looks like we will have two level 3 Heros working the Trash compactor at C8!

Congrats on your HWT Centurion, Andrew! Unfortunately, there is no difference in the certificates for different types of armor.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Eric, but making your own set of Stormtrooper armor from templates would probably result in a cool set of armor, but not one that would be 501st approved. The kits that you see on here that have been approved are made by vaccu-forming using hand crafted "bucks' (molds). These molds take hundreds of hours of sculpting, tweaking and research to produce the final product. You can pick up a less expensive kit on ebay or the like, but know ahead of time that 99.9% of the time those are mass produced or recast kits which precludes them from 501st approval, (even if the listing says it is) Unfortunately, this is not a cheap hobby. Occasionally, you can find a decent kit like Anovos for less than 4-5 hundred dollars, but that is about the least expensive you can get away with. Your best bet is to save up some money and purchase a kit from one of the "vetted" vendors here http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/ anduse the resources on this site (and our help) to get you to to where you want to be. You should also look here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/19329-where-what-and-whom-to-avoid-when-buying/

There are no dumb questions, Omar. A handler is a person (or persons) that take care of the small things that make a troop possible. Here is my "official" description: Handlers- Handlers are an absolutely integral part of a troop, and make our lives much easier. They take photos for the public, warn us of obstacles, escort us to the restrooms/break areas, pick up fallen armor pieces, protect us from kids smacking us with toy lightsabers, guard our stuff, bring us water, keep us informed, and a myriad of other things. After your troop, be sure to thank them for all they do to make an event possible and allow those in costume to have a better time.

I would steer clear of doing this for several reasons, Omar. First, if it is for a kid's birthday party you have no idea what you are in for. Let's say for instance you are getting paid for a 1 hour "appearance"... kids have notoriously short attention spans, and after taking the obligatory photos and getting whacked a few dozen times with plastic light sabers they will forget you are there. This takes about 15 minutes. After that, you spend 45 minutes standing there as scenery. I haven't done this, but I have heard the horror stories. For adult themed gigs, you have to consider one main thing.... alcohol. I have heard of Troopers having their buckets yanked off, being punched, ridiculed, put in headlocks, having their TD stolen, etc. Again, after 15 minutes they forget you are there. No one can tell you what to do in your armor, but I highly recommend sticking to trooping as a group with at least one handler.

Re-casting is stealing, plain and simple. The vetted armorers on that list have spent countless hours on research, and hundreds of hours sculpting their own accurate bucks (molds), and are known for their quality, reliability and customer service. Re-casters copy their designs without permission and are only out to make money off of unsuspecting folks. Some even list their list their knock-offs as "501st approvable" which they are not. That is the reason for having this thread.