justjoseph63

Amen, brother.

Can you post up a pic of the area you are concerned about? Thanks!!

My concern was that it looks like the rivet holes are on the bend and may not be far away enough from the edge of the ab plate. It may just be the angle of the photo, though.

Nice work, Garrett! I'd be interested in seeing the outside view of your ab/kidney connection (left side) if you get the chance.

You nailed it, Jon. Thanks!

Hi Jon! Sha Sha will be with you as soon as possible, but in the mean time can you post up some photos of your forearm openings? There were no clear pics in either of your submissions, but it appears that the return edge is still present in the "hump" section, and this must be removed before we can proceed. No return edge on the inside of the front of the forearm is allowed 4 minutes with a Dremel tool and you are all set! Reference images

And we have a winner! I will be sending them a PM, and the name will be announced in the Newsletter. Congrats, and thanks to all those who participated!

As Daniel mentioned, most of the sizing will be done on the back sides of the calves, thighs and forearms. Using his photo, you can see that the ridges on each side of the front run closely parallel to the cover strip on each side. Once you get that lined up/cut correctly you can adjust the sizing in the back as needed. This applies to the calves as well. When cutting down the height of the thighs, just follow the existing contour. You will definitely need to remove most (if not all) of the return edges on the majority of the pieces, but do this before final fitting/gluing.. (don't worry, doing this is screen accurate). Note in the reference photo the absence of return edges in most areas. This thread may help. Normally the return edges are left on the top/bottom of the kidney plate, the top of the posterior plate, the top of the ab plate and bottom of the chest plate. But Luke's armor had to be cut down as well, so in the image below you can see that the bottom of the chest has no return edge, so this is perfectly acceptable at Centurion level. You will probably need to trim the top of the ab plate as well to cut down the height, but again, no problems with approval there. Just make sure the top of the ab/kidney connections on the sides are level. In posting these pics of your build, you are doing the perfect thing. It's always better to ask before cutting, and remember there is absolutely no limit to the questions you can (and should) ask. We are here for ya'!

Wow... In these uncertain times uplifting stories like this are just what we need, Cricket. Your son's generosity and spirit are quite simply amazing to say the least, and I think I can speak for us all when I say that we are as proud of him as you are. Kudos to you for raising such a noble young man, and my very best to you, your son and Jimmy. Thank you for sharing this with us! Smiles like this are what we are all about.

Answered in your other thread, Matt.

Hi Matt! By "abdomen to belt" connection do you mean the ones that hold the canvas belt to the ab plate? If so, these are hidden, so you can use any size you want, but I would go with the larger line 24 type. Interior strapping (connections that can't be seen) have no bearing on approval at any level. As long as the belt sits evenly on both sides across the front you are good to go, but remember (especially since you are thinking about Centurion level () the top of the ABS belt "should sit at or just above the bottom of the ... ab button panels" as seen in the photos below. For the "Han" snap and the ones that are on the lower tab of the posterior plate you should use the line 24 size (9/16 cap diameter) as opposed to the line 20 (7/16 cap diameter). 1/8 of an inch may not seem like a big difference, but it would be noticeable. Remember that the bottom of the snap faces out on all 3. The black line 24 size you have may get you to Basic approval (this would depend on your GML as snaps are not required for L1), but for Expert Infantry and above I would suggest picking up some of the nickel plated type. You can pick up a set of 10 on Amazon for 6 bucks (link here). Alternatively, you could sand them down a bit and hit them with some silver spray paint, but a can of that will run you just a bit less than buying the snaps and would not look quite as good If you don't already have one, I would suggest getting in imgur photo sharing account. It's fee, easy to use, and will allow you to post all the pics you want to (posting up images of any issues you may have will really help when you ask for advice)! Keep the questions coming, and know that we are here to help!

Some outstanding advice from @CableGuy there, Carter. The belt button covers are available from Trooperbay, but you have have to buy them in a set that includes other items. Link here. The holes in your armor can be filled with ABS paste. This may seem a bit daunting, but will definitely get the job done. @kman has a fantastic tutorial here on how to make it, but you won't need nearly as much as he makes in his thread, lol. A teaspoon or so of finished product should take care of the all the holes. When using this stuff, here are a few suggestions: 1. Glue some small ABS scraps on the inside behind each of the holes. 2. Add just enough paste to fill the holes with a TINY bit of a raised area on the top. The more you add, the more you have to sand off. 3. Sand down using progressively finer sandpaper (I would start with 180 and go up). 4. Finish/polish with Novus scratch removal products (or something similar). Will it take some work? Yep. Is it worth the time? Definitely! If you follow Dan's advice, once you are old enough to apply for 501st approval you should be good to go! If you have any other questions.issues, always feel free to ask.

MUCH better on that TD, sir! As for the rubber gloves, for EI the ones in the center are a no-go (cloth showing) but the other 2 sets are perfect. Side note: I remember that blaster... When we did a troop at Disney for May the 4th a few years ago and kept having to stop for photos with our E-11s raised (for what seemed like ages) I recollect you wishing it was a lot lighter, lol. We trooped onstage with Weird Al as well if I remember correctly. Did you change Squads?

Looking GREAT, Michael, and fantastic to see that we have a future HWT joining the ranks. You should post up some photos of the complete pack so we can see your hard work!

Looks MUCH better, Damien! Now that you have the right shape, don't forget about removing those return edges at the bottom. Keep up the great work!

Welcome, Derek! Glad to hear that you are using the lock-down to your advantage (as many of us are) and as others have mentioned, don't be shy about asking questions! If you haven't done it yet, I would strongly suggest getting an imgur account to post photos. This way if you have a problem you can post up a few pics of the issue which will make it mush easier for us to help.

@husky68 is right on the money, Chris. The biceps are a good place to get the hang of cutting, sizing, etc. and are a great starting point. If I could offer some advice, it would be: 1. If you have a question or are unsure about moving forward on a particular piece, ask (and post a photo) first before moving ahead. 2. Measure twice (or 3-4 times), cut once. You can always take more off in most cases, but putting it back is a different story. 3. Take.... your.... time. Rushing things leads to mistakes, so consider your build more of a marathon than a sprint. 4. Don't be shy about asking questions, no matter how small you think they may be. This is one of the advantages of having a build thread of your own... we've all been in your position and we are here to help, not judge. We want you to get it right the first time! I have some tutorials below that may help, especially this one, and will be following your thread. While you may be thinking of just Basic 501st, approval so you can get out and troop with the Tampa Bay Squad, hopefully you will consider going the extra mile toward screen accuracy and aim for EI/Centurion. It's really not as hard as you may think, and much easier to do during your build rather than after. This link will show you some more details.

Hi Diana! AWESOME to hear that you are getting ready to submit for EI, but before you can do that you will need to apply for Legion access here. It should take less than a day or so, and once that is granted we can go from there! You did a super nice job on this build, but there are 2 small items to deal with before we can get that EI badge under your name. The tube stripes are quite a way from the cheek. Ideally, the tube stripes are positioned approximately a pencil width from the side of the cheek. As Mario mentioned, there can be little to no gap between the clips and the end caps The right side is spot-on, but the left one needs to be brought out to where it matches the right one as in his suggestion. The paint on the teeth will also need to be taken back from the gum line. The references he provided show what they should look like. 15 minutes with some (NON acetone) paint remover and a toothpick and you are golden! In looking at the overall build, I honestly see no reason why you can't get this set of armor all the way to Centurion! There are few issues you will need to work on, but I have faith in ya'! If you have the time, below are some suggestions to think about for level 3. If we can be of any help with anything at all, just let us know! The shoulder bell/back plate gap is perfect, but the front could use some tweaking. To get them closer, this is what I would recommend: 1. Remove ALL the return edges from the bottoms of the bells. This will allow them to sit closer to the biceps. 2. Tighten up the shoulder bell straps. It looks as if your ab-plate is sitting a little askew, which may be the reason that the top of the thigh gap/cod are overlapping on the right. What you may want to think about is simply adding some strapping inside at the chest/ab connection (I suggest Velcro for easy adjustment) to even them out on both sides. Side note: Fantastic alignment on the thigh/calf cover strips!! As you know, your back plate is overlapping the kidney quite a bit. Raising it may take a little work, but it can definitely be done! What I am suggesting is to reduce the length of the tabs on the back plate by at least an inch and a half and raising it up closer to the tabs on the chest plate which will raise it a lot. You can (and should) remove the large tabs on the rear of the shoulder straps. Hopefully @Cricket can weigh in on this. I see you used Velcro to hold your canvas belt in place (smart idea!), but it actually needs to come up a bit. Easy fix!! As I mentioned, those are just some things to mull over for the time being... This armor has a LOT going for it, and you nailed most of the items we look for so hopefully it will something to seriously consider!

Welcome, Chris! I am a fellow Floridian but moved here last year. What area of the sunshine state do you call home? Something I always suggest is to start a build thread in this thread. That way, you can ask all the questions you need to in one area, post photos of your build progress as well as pics of any issues you may will run across. We are here to help every step of the way, so never be shy about hitting us up if we can be of service. It's what we do best!

UPDATE: To give more folks a chance, the build start date has been changed to March 22. If you have started on or before that date you are now eligible to guess the number and win the swag. Other rules still apply.

GREAT to see you getting on these requests, Gaines! The TD screws need to be painted black (easy fix) but you have a lot more space on the left side between the end cap and plate. Looks like it's glued on, but if you get in touch with Gary jr. at the TK Sweatshop I'm sure he can help you get this down closer to 7.5 inches. I have every faith that you can get all this done so that we can add that EI badge under your name soon! The total length is approximately 7.50" Clips shall be attached with slotted type, flat or dome top style screws, and be black

How to attach flexible hand guards to rubber gloves For those aiming for Expert Infantry/Centurion level or just screen accuracy, the flexible hand guards will be need to be attached to your rubber (chemical style) gloves. Many folks have asked me the best way to do this, so here is my preferred method. Note that I am using the silicone guards that I make which have a heavy-duty cloth backing in order for glue to adhere to, but this should work for most other types including ones made from natural latex. ****Instructions for Nomex gloves at bottom Supplies needed: 1. E-6000 glue- I highly recommend using this product instead of CA (super) glue or epoxy, both of which can (and will) get brittle over time, causing the bond to fail. 2. Rough grit sandpaper (80 to 120 grit) 3. 2 or more heavy books. 4. Thin point Sharpie marker or soft lead pencil. 5. Blue painter's tape. Step one- Determine placement. The front end of the guard should sit right at the end of your knuckles, and in the center of the back of your hand. NOTE: Placing them too far forward will put undue stress on the glue in that area when you bend your fingers down and may cause separation. Step two- After measuring both sides and determining proper alignment, attach the blue tape to mark where the bottoms will be. Note distance between end of guard and bottom of glove fingers. Reference image Make sure that there are no wrinkles in the rubber glove. Step three- Using the Sharpie or pencil, mark a line around the guards. Step four- Sand down the area inside your lines. Doing this will rough-up the surface and allow for better adhesion. NOTE: Clean the area thoroughly afterward and allow it to dry. Step five- Place a generous amount of E-6000 around the perimeters and inside, then rub it around the entire center/edges to even it out (you can go a little heavier on the edges). Leave a small area around the edge to prevent seepage. Step six- Lay the gloves side by side and place the hand guards glue down in the outlined areas. Place at least TWO large books or other heavy, flat objects in top. This is necessary for proper adhesion. IMPORTANT: Leave them under the weight for at least 12-24 hours to allow the glue to completely cure/set. If you do have any seepage of the E-6000 it can be removed by rubbing it off with your thumb. DONE! NOMEX GLOVES- When attaching to Nomex gloves, use the same method as above But be SURE to put a piece of wax paper inside the gloves. Otherwise, the glue will seep through and bond them closed. NOTE: Please be aware that Nomex gloves are not permitted for Expert Infantry/Centurion approval.

Welcome to the FISD, Jakob! Glad to hear that you have started your research, and know that we are here to help every step of the way, sir. Aiming for Centurion is actually easier (and better) to do right from the start, as you may have to make modifications down the road. When you eventually receive your kit, I highly suggest starting a build thread where you can ask all the questions you want to as well as add photos of your progress and any issues. Another suggestion while you wait is to copy your present post into the "New Member Introductions" thread located here. With it posted in this thread you may not get many responses, so moving it there will definitely help. Best of luck on your white armor journey, and keep us in the loop!

Welcome back, Tyrone, and thank you for your Centurion application! CRL and Centurion Application Requirements: All required submission photos are present, and GREAT job on your build Trooper We are pleased to announce your armor displays all the necessary requirements as set out in the CRL. On behalf of the Sha Sha and myself, congratulations and welcome to the rank of Centurion! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: Nothing to see here... move along. Buckets off to you, Tyrone... you did a brilliant job on not only the required items but the suggestions as well, and for that, kudos to you brother! Your hard work has paid off, and I am very proud to welcome you to our highest level. Good on ya"!! Once you are able to get out and troop again, I'm sure you will make both the Redback Garrison and the Empire proud as it's newest Centurion. You earned it, sir.

GREAT to see this, Tyrone! I'll be with you VERY shortly.