justjoseph63

I wouldn't worry too much about the damaged one. I certainly wouldn't ping someone for that on an approval at any level ("battle damage"). Alternatively you could remove it and put it on the cod, which is not really noticeable. Here is an excerpt from my rivet tutorial that may help: REMOVING RIVETS Spit type: 1. Using a thin bladed screwdriver, CAREFULLY pry up each side the "legs". POINT SCREWDRIVER AWAY FROM YOU WHEN DOING THIS!!! 2. Using a set of heavy duty pliers, pinch the legs together until they meet 3. Washer will now slide off and rivet can be easily removed 1 2 3

Hi Luca, and THANKS for your awesome submission for E.I.! I can tell that you really put your heart into this build, sir... so many aspects are absolute textbook. But (as you were probably expecting) there are a few items. Nothing that you can't take care of in a few minutes, but we have faith in you! First up is the drop box on the right side. It's a small thing, but the edges need to line up just as they do on your left side. A dab of E-6000 behind the rear of the strap and you are good to go! I know it may be a pain, but we will need an updated photo (right side only, suited up) once you get this done. Not a deal breaker for Level 2, but the vocoder should be symmetrical on both sides. 10 seconds with a paintbrush will do the trick. KUDOS: Fantastic to see that you painted your hand guards! Also wanted to say that you really did an outstanding job on lining up the sniper knee plate with the ridges on the shin. Not the easiest of feats (especially with RS) but you made it work! Does it stick out a bit on the bottom (yellow arrow)? Yep, but I LOVE it! Well done!

I would do one on the top. one near the bottom and one in the center. In my personal opinion, the way Mark @MightyAtom has done his is ideal, and is the way I do mine. Let me explain: 1. Note how there is no gap in the connection. A slight overlap is ok, though. 2. Note that he has used the "double snap" method (I swear by it) for the right side connection. It's a little extra work, but you know that connection will never come undone during a troop. Trust me. I use black 2" elastic for the right side (doubled over when setting the snaps). The reason being is that when suiting up, it's MUCH easier to connect (snap) them. There is very little room, and having elastic instead of Nylon will help. Make sure when installing the rivets on the left side that you follow the diagram below for measurements. Note that the CENTER of the rivet is right at 10 mm from the side, the rivets are directly across from each other and that the tops of the connection are even *second diagram). Last up: Some like to use ABS plates to attach the bottom part of the snaps to armor as seen below. I am not a fan of this unless the surface is perfectly flat. I use Nylon and glue it to the armor using E-6000 and clamps. The reason is that I find Nylon conforms to the curved surface better. I also suggest NOT using CA (super) glue. Some folks have had success with it, but it can (and does) get brittle over time and the connection can fail.

On behalf of the D.O. team, right back atcha'!

Nice progress, sir! If I could make a few suggestions: 1. I would allow a little more room on the outside of the screws. As seen in the reference image, the original mounting holes were too close to the edge and a few pulled through so they had to put them on the outside. Not the best of looks, lol. Some folks glue a small ABS shim on the inside for extra strength (second pic, bottom) but that's up to you. 2. Make sure that the line (shown in blue) is perfectly smooth, especially on the curved area(s). Keep those photos rolling in!

You beat me to it, Mario!

Welcome! Posting as many photos as you can will certainly help. No need to worry about us being "gentle", lol... we do not judge, and are here to help! Keep in mind that we were all in your position at one time, so never be afraid to ask questions (as many as you like) or hit us up for advice. It's what we do best!

Try this one, Scott: http://www.starwarshelmets.com/stormtrooper_helmets_armor_and_costumes.htm

NICE alignment on the ears, sir! I think you could find a better place to store your pen, though.

Those look GREAT, Nick! Can you post up some side views (full helmet)?

The ears... perhaps the most frustrating part of any OT build. BUT, as Daniel mentioned they look fine. Gaps are expected and perfection is not a requirement... it's part of the charm of OT buckets, and as you said they will tighten up when you screw them in. Once you get them attached we can help if you need any adjustments.

The chest armor should hide the logo in the front and the back armor should hide the logo on the rear of the shirt, but you can always turn them inside out! The thigh armor will cover the logo on the pants. Those seem pretty pricey, though. There are other options on Amazon (Australia)- Shirt (no logo)- https://www.amazon.com.au/LAFROI-Baselayer-Performance-Compression-Guard-CLY08C/dp/B09CM42NPN/ref=sr_1_32?crid=2OQA44QP1NMAD&keywords=mens+compression+shirt+black&qid=1647505310&sprefix=mens+compression+shirt+black%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-32 Pants (no logo)- https://www.amazon.com.au/DEVOPS-Compression-Athletic-Leggings-Non-Pocket/dp/B093BQ2RC1/ref=sr_1_10?crid=94G9DD3FQHED&keywords=mens+compression+pants+black&qid=1647505433&sprefix=mens+compression+pants+black%2Caps%2C200&sr=8-10

If I may weigh in on this, it would be as follows: Yes, we have standards for all costumes within our Detachment, especially at higher levels of approval. But, once a Trooper attains those levels we have zero control over what they choose to change or deviate from. For instance, I have been approved at Level 3 for three different sets of armor, but I do not wear rubber gloves for normal trooping. As much as I would like to be 100% screen accurate. in a hot climate it's just not practical for comfort. Do approved Centurions change things? Of course! Let's face it, as much as we would like to see all TKs look the exact same that's just never going to happen. We are a crazy diverse crowd of folks who just want to dress up as shiny white spacemen (and women) and put smiles on faces. Yes, some of us are bigger and/or taller than others, but despite our differences we have the same goal, to get out there and have fun as members of this great organization and promote others to do the same.

Despite my use of adult undergarments (just kidding.... seriously) the yellowing is mainly on the inside of the chest/ab and posterior plates. I knew going in that Anovos was famous for cracks, so I reinforced those areas during the build.

I looked at several options online, and that particular product seems to only be sold in 4 oz. (113 grams) bottles for $15.00 or so. Since I will need a lot more for my Anovos armor I Googled "Stabilized 40 volume cream developer" and ordered a gallon of the product (albeit a different brand) for less than $17.00 on Amazon (link here). Strange thing is that on the Anovos armor the majority of the yellowing is on the INSIDE. As soon as it arrives I will be testing it out (inside first) and will post up here with results.

If you are willing to put in the work, I would HIGHLY suggest having one 3D printed. The link to the one Glen provided (Bryan's free files) is without a doubt the most accurate I have seen available online, down to the smallest details. I had one printed out and the end results speak for themselves.. (link here).

I've done one or two..

A little late in jumping in here, but if needed you can trim the tops of the thighs to raise them up if needed. It looks to be sitting pretty close to your... uhh. "nether regions", which is something you want to avoid. The reason being is that if they sit snug, you will get chafing. The side view looks like you have a fantastic fit, but remember that the circumference will change if you trim the tops so keep that in mind. Note in the reference images how much room there is between the cod and thigh tops. If the thighs are too high you will get clicking noises when you walk from the cod being too close. Also note that extra room should be allowed in the rear as well (last photo). Personally, I would wait on trimming the tops until you get the ab plate fitted and figure out what the final position of the cod will be and adjust from there.

Hi Shayan, and welcome to the forums! I'm a little late joining the party here, but I can help with a few of your queries: ESB TKs generally seem wonkier than the ANH ones, especially when looking at the biceps and shoulders. Is approval with these things more relaxed than say ANH troopers? Not really. The armor from ANH was re-used for ESB, and although I agree that many parts looked a bit "off", I mark this down to the set costumers. Although some Detachments like the MEPD insist for higher levels that a particular character be copied down to the minute detail, for Expert Infantry and Centurion here at the FISD we look for "ideal" trooper... think along the lines of 'fresh out of training and ready for inspection by Lord Vader'. In many shots of ESB, the rear part of the shoulder straps seem to be glued down or even riveted(!) in place. The CRL requires the straps to be free float and held with a fabric band, but looking at the film, I see no visible fabric bands and only sometimes free floating shoulders. Unfortunately close-up screen shots for ESB are rare, making it difficult to see small details like this. Did they use rivets or glue the straps down on some shoulder straps? Possibly in a few cases: But, for consistency among the ranks we insist for higher levels that the CRLs be followed. There is also some of the troopers with their shoulder bells sitting super high up, as if padded ROTJ style. When submitting for approval, can these requirements from the CRL be "overturned", as long as matching evidence is provided? When it comes to inconsistencies, there were a LOT on all of the OT films. Missing armor pieces, wonky biceps, missing tube stripes, well the list is endless, but we have to have standards. The CRLs are based on what was seen on the majority of the costumes used onscreen, not just a few or the one-off, and these are what we go by. They are not set in stone and are ever-evolving when new evidence comes to light, but unless strong proof (screen captures) is put forth they are followed pretty much to the letter. In saying that, we do allow certain amount of leeway for individual circumstances. Not all troopers here are the exact same height/weight. Some need shims to extend certain areas, some need to cut pieces down to fit correctly. I have seen troopers that are 5 foot 3 as well as those that are well over 300 lbs. end up with spectacular looking armor. No matter what issues anyone may have, as long as they are willing to put the extra effort (if needed) in we are here to help every step of the way to make sure the costume can pass at every level! The thighs are super uncomfortable, as I had feared. However, I have not trimmed them at all. Is return edge on the top of the thigh armor required? I'm pretty confident that I would fit no problem if I got rid of the return edge or at least the majority of it. As you may have already read in my thread, I am not a fan of return edges, lol, (especially on the thigh tops) so I would get rid of them completely. Looking forward to watching your progress, and if I can offer some advice it would be: Ask questions. Lots of them. When in doubt, always ask before cutting or gluing, and be sure to add photos (as many as you like) of the area in question. A picture really is worth a thousand words, and this will help us when it comes to offering advice. Best of luck on your white armor journey!!

Ugh.. I think I just wasted 10 bucks. On my first build I set my snaps in nylon strips and attached those to my armor with CA glue after sanding and cleaning the areas beforehand. It may have been the Florida heat, but within a few weeks the glue became so brittle many of the the nylon strips started to pop off. On my very first troop my shoulder bell connection came apart because of this. I ended up removing ALL of the connections, completely re-made the straps and used E-6000 to attach them. No problems since then. CA glue is a fast method, but not always the best.

In a perfect world the button covers on the ABS belt should be centered as Mario mentioned, but I would have no issues passing this at Level 3. AWESOME job, sir! The eye openings look much better. What I would suggest at this point is to tape the lenses behind them to see what sort of look you have. That will give you a better idea of how much (if any) more you need to trim. As I'm sure you are aware, the teeth openings could use a bit of "sandpaper love" to smooth out the sides and corners (first photo). The cutouts look great, they just need a some refining, and an easy way to do this is to use a plastic straw with a single layer of fine-grit sandpaper wrapped around it. While sanding, be sure to use an up and down motion rather than back and forth one. The reason being is that if you go back and forth you can create notches on the sides/top of the tooth. Since the straw is flexible, you can do the corners as well. This works on the eye openings too!. (Sorry for the awful graphics, lol) Reference image As seen in the reference pic above they don't have to be perfect. Part of the charm of the original buckets is that no two were 100% exactly the same. You are learning fast, Nick, and I look forward to seeing your progress!

I wasn't even aware that this type of product existed, Daniel, but I have ordered some and will post up here on Thursday with some results.

HAHA... you beat me by literally a few seconds, Mario! Great minds really do think alike!

It may seem like a pain in the posterior plate, but I have a solution: The canvas belt is mounted kind of low and needs to come up a bit (like 3 mm or so) and the end trimmed down the same amount. This would reduce the length of the 45 degree cut, but that is fine and will meet the requirements. The drop box position (touching the ABS belt) is spot-on, but it would need to be moved over. I know this seems like a small detail and one that no one would ever notice, but it's these kind of things that will set you apart when you reach Centurion!

The TD looks spot-on, Nick... nice job! I would raise the drop boxes slightly to where the top touches the bottom of the ABS belt. It also needs to be moved out as seen below. As per the CRL for Centurion, the outside edge of the box needs to align with the outside edge of the ABS belt. PERFECT placement on the square ABS button covers, by the way! The eyes may need a bit more trimming. You are definitely on the right path, but the top center looks a little "sleepy"(blue line). The outside corners can be more pointed or round (yellow arrow).. that's up to you. Once you get the opening to where you like it, some sandpaper wrapped around a pencil will smooth the edges down. Keep up the fantastic work!