justjoseph63

When it comes to return edges, it all depends on your preference. Some troopers like to keep a lot of them to give that "thicker" look to the armor, but in fact the armor in the films had little to none on many of the various pieces. Return edges can cause "armor bite" in many cases (especially in the groin area), I have a tutorial here that may help with your decisions, but always feel free to contact me if you have any questions.!

Welcome, Corry! Looks like you got a great start on the helmet . Having your own build thread like this will help out a lot, trust me. You can (and should) ask all the questions you need to as well as post up lots of photos to show off your progress! If I could offer a few tips, they would be: 1. Have all your tools/supplies in place and at the ready before you start. 2. Take... your... time. Rushing leads to mistakes. When in doubt, always ask for advice before cutting or gluing. Posting photos of any issues will be especially helpful. 3. If you are (hopefully) aiming for higher levels (info. here) of screen accuracy after Basic 501st approval, it's much easier if you shoot for them right from the beginning. 4. Since you have an extensive history in libraries, research is second nature so use that to your advantage, but know that we are here for ya' and never be shy about asking for advice. It's what we do best here on the FISD. I have a few links/tutorials under my avatar below that may help as well. Best of luck on your build, and I look forward to seeing your progress!

Did you give your canvas belt a hot water bath? The ABS belt is good.. it just needs a bit of trimming so not to worry. GREAT to hear you are jumping on this!!

Nice job on those fixes from your EI submission, Jakob! In addition to what Glen mentioned, a couple of things that jump out at me are: 1. As per the CRL for Level 3, Canvas belt must be firm / sturdy in appearance. No creasing or sagging . There are some creases that are pretty prominent, and while a few scuffs are expected, the large stains detract from the look of that awesome shiny white armor, so a new canvas belt will solve that.... be sure it has a plastic strip sewn inside which will eliminate those creases. Also as mentioned, there appears to be some of the return edge on the ends of the ABS belt. This extra material is also causing the square button covers to sit farther away from the ends than they should. Trimming it down as shown will solve a few problems, including bringing the bottom of the 45 degree angle in line with the top of the canvas belt. This is a really easy fix, brother, BUT, I would advise waiting until you get a new belt before doing any trimming, just in case it's a bit wider. Remember, Centurion is all about the details. If we can be of any help, always feel free to contact any of us on the D.O. staff.

Hi Chris! Before we can move ahead, please go over the photo checklist located here and post up the required pics. Thanks!

Way to go, Andrew! Looking forward to another banner year!

Hi Tim! When you mention "entry levels", I think you may mean approval levels. Each costume in the 501st Legion has "Basic" requirements for approval, and all the various TK related costumes can be found here. That reference shows the different requirements for each level. In the FISD, we have 3... Basic, Expert Infantry and Centurion. Here is a thread which will help explain a few things. In order to receive your official 501st TK number, you must have your armor approved at Basic level through your local Garrison/Squad. A great guide to getting started on your journey can be found here, but we encourage you to ask as many questions as you want to. We are here to assist you every step of the way! There are some useful tutorials and information links under my avatar below.

Looking super nice, Brett! In addition to what has been mentioned, you might want to think about evening out the shoulder bells a bit. I know RS makes one of the shoulder bells longer than the other one, but a quick strapping adjustment would level them out better and give you a much more symmetrical look for sure. You may also want to even out the gaps between the shoulder bells and chest/back plates. It appears as if they could be shifted back just a hair to even them out. Easy! Neither of these are biggies for EI, but I get the feeling you will be (hopefully) aiming for Centurion and would be something that is mentioned. Good luck, brother!

To keep some continuity, it was changed a few years ago to help "standardize" them because folks were adding all sorts of attachments (radios, lights, greeblies, antennas and such). Oil drain pans should definitely be a rectangular shape, as that is what is seen in the videogames they are based off of: The thickness of the pan is up to you. I went with the thicker one (photo 1) as used in Templar726's build (link here) because I liked the beefier look, but I don't think those are available any longer. The thinner ones are more readily available, and the 12.5 qt. size (photo 2) seems to be the most popular. Amazon is out of them, but I found one here. This is the type Tony uses in his awesome build thread here. 1 2

When fitting the calves, there are a few things to consider. It looks as if the overlap you have is more than it should be on both the left and right. In a perfect world, the tops of the ridges should meet up in the middle. It appears that you have room to cut the inside of the left one down and the outside right one down.

Curse you, Colin! Just when I think I am ready for a break between new projects, you toss this out there. Now I can't stop thinking about this, you rascal, you. Outstanding work on these, brother... your creativity is beyond belief. Well done, sir. Well done indeed!

How do you always manage to beat me by a matter of seconds, Glen?

For Basic 501st approval, ANH Hero, Stunt and ESB can use the overlap method (the type you currently have). If you choose to advance to Expert Infantry level or above, the joins must be separate cover strips. Overlap (construction)- As used on ROTJ armor, this is where one side of the bicep, forearm, thigh and calf connecting seams overlap the opposite seam, eliminating the need for a cover strip Cover strip- Plastic strip used to cover the bicep, forearm, thigh and calf seams on ANH and ESB armor " I think all I have left to do for basic approval is... fill in the side gaps..." Technically, there is no requirement for this at Basic approval, but it certainly looks better! Since you are getting a new bucket, at this point you can either go Hero or Stunt. I would check out the CRLs for each, as the holster placement is different (among other things). Hope this gives you some insight, and feel free to ask any more questions you have... we are here to help!

Definitely a personal preference, my friend, but what I should have said was jagged points. Those things would rip an under suit to shreds, lol.

You can (and should) trim down the rear of the tops as shown below, Rodney, for 2 reasons: 1. You don't want any jagged edges that can (and will) poke into you. The tops of the biceps are hidden by the shoulder bells, so no one can see them anyway. 2. As you probably know, I'm not a fan of return edges. As seen in the screen used ones below there are none on the rear tops (or fronts of the one in the last image). If you decide to remove them, be sure to do it before final fitting.

Please welcome to the ranks Centurion # 491- Josh (Silverback73) TK 20112 of the Star Garrison. Nice job, sir! Down to the single digits, folks. Only 9 spots left to be a part of FISD history!

Hi Josh, 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. Well done, brother.. We really appreciate all the extra work you put into this armor to get it to Level 3, and it has paid off! One area we noticed are your ab/kidney connections. As stated in the CRL ideally there is no gap, but you are close enough in this instance. Only 2 more quick items: The overlap of the shoulder bell is pretty small on the right side, making the bicep look as if may pop out at any second. I would suggest making sure the strapping between those stays pretty tight to avoid this. Since RS makes their left bells longer, that side covers more of the bicep so it should be no problem. Also suggested is to rotate your bells back a bit, which would give you more even gaps on the front and back. Reference images And that's it! Again, welcome to the ranks, brother, and our congrats for making it into the "Original 500" Centurions!

Welcome to the FISD, Joseph! (Nice name, by the way)! The link that Danny added (Ukswrath's Anovos build) is going to be your best reference, but you can glean info. from other build threads as well. As Glen mentioned, starting your own build thread is your best bet by far. You can ask all the questions you like and post up tons of pictures. (We LOVE pictures). Having those is especially helpful when/if you have an issue. Anovos armor has it's quirks just like any other kit, and we can help you through the entire process, start to finish. My main advice would be this: Take........ your.......time. When in doubt, always ask before cutting or gluing, and know that we are here for ya'. I have a few tutorials that may help listed under my avatar below, and I look forward to seeing your progress! Hint: Keep all the scraps when you trim the armor. Trust me.

A wise decision.

GREAT to hear that you are headed for Centurion, Matt! For the strapping, there are a couple of things to consider depending on where you want to use it. Different trooper have different preferences, but I personally use nylon for all connections except the shoulder strap that connects the chest/back where the 2 inch white elastic is used and the bicep to forearm (1 inch black elastic). Nylon does limit your mobility a bit, but for me it has never been an issue. Being able to bend and stretch (or even sit down) is not one of our strong points, lol. As mentioned in my tutorial, when using elastic the ends must be doubled over when inserting snaps for strength, otherwise the snaps can/will pull through the material over time. Elastic does allow for more movement, but will also eventually lose it's "stretchiness" depending on how much you troop and where you store your armor (heat will affect it as well). Many troopers use elastic for most connections, but that comes down to a personal preference. I can send you some of the thin white elastic for the shoulder straps as well as some of the 2 inch wide white required for the chest/back connection if you like (no charge). Just PM me your shipping info.

Hi Davin! One of us will be with you shortly. sir!

Hi Jeff! Posting up a photo would help immensely. Have you removed all the return edges from the bottom(s)? If not, this will help and is screen accurate. There are ways to loosen them, but they will more than likely require removing the cover strips (not as difficult as you may think).

Quest Design in Canada (link here) makes a darned nice blaster. Not 100% screen accurate, but lots of great details. If you want to go all out and REALLY jazz it up, you can order one of Tino's incredible E-11 completion kits and replace some of the pieces. I have done a couple of Doopydoo builds (and converted a Quest Design E-11) with his kits, and they really do make a huge difference in screen accuracy.

There are advantages and disadvantages to different types of blasters, for instance: Rubber- (Hyperfirm-Praetorian) Pros- Basically unbreakable. Perfect for trooping, and you can let folks who ask "Can I hold your gun" pose with you for photos without fear of them dropping it. Cons- Not as detailed/screen accurate. Can be expensive. Resin-(Doopydoos)- Pros-Comes as a kit, but can be modified with one of Tino's finishing kits to replicate a screen used weapon. Cons- Hard to get ds to be on the brittle side. Not recommended to loan to a fan. Difficult to get. 3D printed- (Various makers) Pros- Accuracy can vary between "Wow" and total garbage. Cons- Depending on how it is printed, there may be a LOT of filling/sanding involved. (Required for Centurion level). Tend to be very brittle, Not recommended to be loaned to a fan. There are other makers that tend to be on the accurate side but require some alterations, especially for the higher levels of approval. When in doubt, always feel free to ask and we will lead you in the right direction!

Excellent point, brother. Sorry that happened to you, but I have added a link to this post in #1 of the original post. THANKS! 1. ..... They also can (and will) shatter if allowed to connect from a distance, and flying chips can cause eye injuries. In a word, be careful. I highly suggest wearing eye protection. That is up to you, but please read this post from Glen located below.