justjoseph63

You truly are the the embodiment of "Troopers helping Troopers" Arthur. Grave is in good hands!

On behalf of the D.O. (and entire) Staff, I would like to congratulate Grave Wong (TK 36036) of the Hong Kong Garrison for becoming Centurion # 498! Way to go, Grave!!! OK troopers, this is nail-biting time. We are down to only 2 spots left in order to be in the Original 500 Centurions, and we have one in the review process.

Hi Grave, and thank you for your application for ANH Stunt Centurion! CRL and Centurion Application Requirements: All required photos have been submitted, and on behalf of the entire D.O. staff we are pleased to welcome you to the rank of CENTURION. Congratulations! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly; In this area we review observations made by your fellow troopers and the DO team. Some observations may lead to suggestions to improve the overall look of your armor. Note that we consider both text (CRL) and pictures (screen caps/reference images) when reviewing submissions. First, GREAT job on addressing the issues that were requested, sir! I am really glad that Arthur was there to assist you (Troopers helping Troopers!) and you guys really took care of them in fine style. Well done, gentlemen! Just a few small items here that we noticed that will sharpen up your look: As seen below, it looks like there is quite a bit of paint on the sides of your right Hovi-tip screen. The left one is perfect! A few minutes with a razor knife will take care of this. Reference images As suggested in the CRL, the top of the tube stripes should lean toward the front. Not the biggest of deals, but if they are decals we are suggesting that you replace them for a more screen-accurate look. Reference images In your initial photos, your ABS belt is close to the perfect position... covering just the bottom(s) of the ab-button panels. In the more recent photos it has dropped and is twisted pretty far to the right but keep in mind that the center square button cover should be lined up in the center of the ab plate. Just a heads-up to make sure when suiting up that the belt is in the right position. Reference images And that's it! Now you can say you are one of the "Original 500" Centurions, so get out there in that awesome armor and make the HKG proud!

PERFECT!

The links aren't working, sir. Are you using a different image host?

Wow. And I mean WOW! I am well impressed by the AMAZING job you have done on those fixes, brother! I want nothing more than to get that badge under your name, but we need one more easy fix to do that. As seen below, the paint on the top of the teeth is absolutely spot-on, but a few on the bottom need to have a tiny bit removed. As per the CRL. "...the frown does not leave the teeth area". You have come this far, Grave, so I trust that we will see an updated photo soon so that we can add yet another Centurion to the HKG ranks!

As I often say, BBB (Big Brown Box) day is like being a kid at Christmas. You tear into it and then realize "Holy crow... I have to put this thing together". But, you have great folks here from the largest Detachment in the Legion to help every step of the way and help you succeed at becoming a shiny white spaceman. Hopefully you will consider taking your build to more screen accurate levels. Expert Infantry (and then Centurion) are much easier to aim for during your build rather than after, and we are here to help with those as well. I have a thread here which explains them a bit more. This one will also help (link).

A few things I didn't see on your list: Clamps- You don't need the expensive ones, but (like magnets) the more the better. (Link here). Dremel type tool with sanding drums- Trust me on this one. You can find them at Harbor Freight in MD. and they are pretty inexpensive. In case you haven't seen it, I have a thread here that will help, as well as many tutorials under may avatar below. Always feel free to ask any questions you may have, no matter how small. Posting photos of your progress any issues you may have will be more important than you know, so something to think about. My advice when you start: Take..... your..... time. Consider your build a marathon and not a sprint. When in doubt, ALWAYS ask for advice before cutting or gluing.

Looks like you are on top of this, Alex! Having the boots on hand will be a GREAT help when fitting bottoms of the calf pieces. Does your AP kit include the canvas belt?

Welcome to the FISD, Joe! You are definitely in the right place for all things "shiny white" TK related. Since you have already built a Sandie, this should be an easy project! Know that we are here to help with any details, and always feel free to ask all the questions you want to.

NOW you tell me... I just spent all night converting my HWT pack into a Sandie pack.

I agree! As long as it's pretty close it's not a big deal. We've passed them with a 1/2 to 3/4 inch difference many times.

The issue in question was not a matter of centering the front ammo box, but rather the symmetry of the ends of the ammo belt in relation to the corner of the bottom ridge. As Dan pointed out, those middle boxes were rarely (if ever) lined up with the cover strip. However, in all the references I can find the ends are evenly spaced on both sides. A small difference is no biggie, but these were pretty far off. This detail does not affect larger troopers. It doesn't matter if the rear sides of the ammo pack are close to the corner or far away (second image). Either is fine and dandy as long as they are the same distance (or close to it) on both sides. As seen in the first image below, yellow would be a smaller trooper, red would be a larger trooper. Both can have it centered.

It was sent to Max via PM, Dan. We asked that it be mounted more evenly on both sides.

Nice trimming on the ab-button plates, Richard! When painting them, remember that the paint should not go all the way to the bottom of the actual button, and don't be tempted to round out the corners. Reference image Also, when attaching your canvas belt to the ABS belt, remember that the lower angle of the 45 degree corners need to line up with the top and bottom of the canvas belt as seen below, and the button covers should not have too much space between them and the ends of the belt (green arrow). Reference image Keep up the great work, and keep those photos coming!

I can highly recommend Questdesign. Not the least expensive option out there, but definitely a high quality blaster and acceptable for Centurion. As Glen mentioned, I would suggest raising the counter, though.

Hi Richard! Great to hear that you are aiming for the higher levels, and everything is looking good so far. Instead of removing the Hovi tips to paint the rims, I would suggest just (carefully) dabbing a bit of white paint on them. Looking forward to following your build thread, and keep the questions and photos coming!

Nice work on this armor, Jason! I think you should be fine for Basic approval (depending on your GML) but if I could make a few suggestions, they would be: Your bucket seems to be riding pretty high and should "ideally" sit a bit lower. Padding in the top is not a requirement for any level, and removing it may help you see better as it will lower the eye openings. Plus, you should not be able to see the interior of the bucket (blue arrows). Just a few strapping adjustments that will improve your look.. 1. Right shoulder bell could be moved in a bit to match the left one. 2. Forearms should be raised. As of now the wrist openings are riding over the tops of the hand guards. 3. ABS belt could come up about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch (1cm). 4. Right thigh could come down to match the left.

Looking forward to seeing that, Devin! As I mentioned above, posting photos (and lots of em') will be a big part of your thread, especially when you have an issue you need help with. You will need an image hosting service, and I suggest imgur.com which is the one most of use use here. There is no limit to storage, editing/posting is pretty easy and best of all it's free! I have a tutorial (link here) that will help, but if you need any assistance just ask.

Welcome to the home of all things TK related, Devin, and congrats on your AM armor purchase! While you "hurry up and wait", I would suggest a few things: 1. Research- Look at some of the build threads located in this section (link here). 2. Start getting all your build supplies in order (link here). 3. Order your boots, undersuit, neck seal and canvas belt. Having the boots and under suit on-hand when fitting will help a LOT. Trust me. (link here) 3. The link to Caleb's @MaskedVengeance resource thread will be invaluable and will answer a lot of your questions!! 4. When your kit arrives, I would HIGHLY suggest starting your own build thread. This will allow you to ask all the questions you like as well as post photos of any issues you may have and show off your progress! If you are (hopefully) aiming for higher levels of screen accuracy, know that it's easier to do during your build rather than after, and Dave at AM supplies most of the items (correct hardware, flexible hand guards etc.) you will need to get your armor to Expert Infantry and Centurion levels (info. here) I know there is a ton of information here, but don't let it overwhelm you. We are here to help every step of the way, so never be shy about asking us anything!

Excellent points, Justin. With the one you provided the link to all that has to be done is to remove the spout at the top, which can be covered with a plastic disc. It also has the advantage of having the indentation in the rear which allows the O I I detail on the backplate to have a place to fit in so the pack sits snugly against your body. I covered the hole in the back of mine with black craft foam to (as seen in pic 2) to prevent any scratches.

Quick question: I'm not sure if it's possible, but is there a way to contact a person who posts a video on youtube via email or PM? The reason I ask is that if we could get in touch with the guy who did this particular one and explain our situation (501st accuracy nerds) he may give us access to at least a few of those "secret" photos me mentioned in his video showing some details. He obviously wants the world to know about them, and what better place than the HOME of TKs? I wonder if anyone in the UKG knows him? Hmmmm.

The one he shows on his own weapon in the video is 16 pin, but I counted 7 pins on one side in the screen cap. I could be off, though, as the pic is a little blurry.

That is a screen cap I took from the youtube video of his own weapon that he added it to. Wish we had a close-up view of the actual ones but I doubt we will ever see any details.

Do you mean this image?