justjoseph63

Sorry I'm late to the party, and please don't hate me for this but has anyone noticed the back plate on the game images? In looking at the caps below, there is a separate plate sitting inside the O II area as seen in the corners and right side in the second photo as well as what appears to be a screw/rivet at the bottom. The color of the inside plate is also different, (light gray). If you look at the surrounding areas, you can tell it's not a shadow, as the gray color is consistent on the entire interior and differs from the bluish hue that the shadows cast. To take it one step further, The I I lines are rounded, not the distinct 3-D rectangles as seen in the second 2 video game images and in regular OT armor. Since no-one makes this particular back plate (yet) it may be a stretch to add it as a requirement for L3, but imo it should be given some consideration as it's a pretty significant difference. OPTIONAL Level three certification (if applicable): Back plate shall have no, or minimal overlap of the kidney plate. AM back plate is replaced with a more screen accurate version. Vertical raised "I I" humps shall be rounded and not raised rectangles as seen on OT armor. (Suggestion) Interior of back plate has a separate plate (painted gray) which fits over the O I I raised areas. (Suggestion) Back plate has a small screw on the bottom of the gray insert. (Suggestion)

Looking awesome, Jonas! "By the way, does anybody else have problem viewing photobucket images"? Unless you have a PB account, it is difficult if not impossible. Many of the older threads here are being deleted, as the images were posted with PB and the images are blurred.

Welcome, Joshua. and great to see that you are going to get some help! If I could suggest a few things, they would be as follows: 1. Set up an imgur account (imgur.com). It's a free photo editing/hosting site which will come in VERY handy. Click here for help on that. 2. Make sure you have all your build supplies in hand and ready. 2. Start a build thread here once you begin. This will serve a few purposes... It will allow you to ask as many questions as you like (no matter how small) all in one place, and you can post lots of photos of your progress, as well as pics of any issues you may have. We LOVE photos, and they really do speak a thousand words. 3. Take... your... time. I'm sure you want to get approved and get out there and troop, but rushing a build usually leads to errors. Consider this a marathon and not a sprint. 4. Look over build threads. There are a ton of fantastic ones here, so take some time to check out what others have done, as well as learn from them. Tony has an incredible one here. 5. Measure twice (or 3-4 times), cut once. 6. If in any doubt, ask here on the FISD before cutting or gluing anything together. I cannot stress this enough. I have a few tutorials below my avatar which may help, especially this one. Best of luck on your white armor journey, and know that we are here to help every step of the way!

You could try contacting the person that made them for you to see if they could make another set, or as you suggested you could make them yourself. The only issue you may run into if you do make them is that the new snaps may not connect correctly with the existing ones already attached to your armor.. There are different manufacturers (Tandy, Dritz, etc.) and although they may look the same, the diameters of the actual connections may differ, causing them to be too tight or too loose. You will also need to replace the straps that connect your shoulder bells (second photo) for the same reason. If you can't get a new set from the person who made them or don't feel up to making them I can make you a complete set of everything you will need, but to ensure that they work/fit correctly you would have to remove all of the black nylon straps that are glued onto your armor (photo). Price would be $13.00 including tracked shipping. PM me if interested. The fact that you asked about this issue and posted pics is awesome. What I would strongly suggest at this point is before gluing any other pieces (including strapping) post up photos of the piece(s) held together with blue tape. This way we can save you sometime and heartache. We are here for ya', William, so keep up the great work! P.S. If you do make them yourself, remember that the snap that attaches to the shoulder bell should sit in the center of your shoulder, and the tops of the bells should be touching the ABS shoulder strap (or very close to it).

The white elastic will definitely need to be shortened, William. The back plate needs to come up quite a bit and the tabs should be a lot closer to the tabs of the chest plate. Your connections look great, so doing this will also bring the entire rear (posterior/kidney/back) into a much better position.

It could use some tightening up as well.

Yes, we make a certain amount of sport of those with kits like this, but let's face it, not everyone can afford to spend $1000 + dollars on TK armor/accessories but still want to live the dream we all had of being a Stormtrooper. I bought my first kit from ebay to use as a Halloween costume. Did I make mistakes on my build? Good GOD yes! When I got it done I thought I was the coolest cat alive, but being an accuracy nut I did some research, found out about the 501st/FISD and it opened up a whole new world I never knew existed. I have seen many folks with ebay type kits while trooping (especially at SW movie premiers). I always hand them one of my trading cards and tell them a bit about the 501st in case they want more information. Some people are happy-as-clams to wear non "approved" armor and just want to get out, have fun, (I say more power to them) and don't care about being approved, then there are the rest of us, lol. To put it another way, what if a person with wonky looking armor decides to check out the FISD in hopes of joining and sees their photo(s) posted with deriding comments. Ouch. Just something to think about....

GREAT to hear! Eventually you may want to trim down the return edge(s) under your thigh bottoms, Nadas, which will give you a bit more room, Also, at some point before you submit for Centurion level you will need to either fill in the gaps with ABS paste, or glue a piece of white ABS behind them (easier). Keep up the great work! Reference images

Those lines will need to be a bit tighter, Alan. The trick to getting the rounded ends on the tops of the vocoder ridges is to use a "Filbert" style brush. These have a rounded end and will make it much easier to get the right results. Yes, I know what you are thinking.. "OMG, yet another item to buy"? But, it will make a difference, I assure you. Before using it in the vocoder, I suggest practicing with it first.

Things are looking much better, sir! Although it won't affect basic 501st approval, 2 simple items would be to cut down the sides of the posterior plate. It looks as if those sharp points could poke into you or snag your under suit. The other is the one Jay mentioned about the drop boxes. Both easy fixes!

PERFECT! Great job, Jonas!!

The posterior plate should ride under the kidney, Jonas, and the belt can come up a lot.

Nice work, Mario. Thanks, and a big CONGRATULATIONS on your Centurion rank, mi hermano!!

Can you post up a few pics?

E-6000 is forgiving for sure, but I suggest posting up pics of all areas to be glued (held together with painter's tape) before actually attaching them. The same goes for potential cuts. I know posting a lot of photos can be a bit of a pain and extend your build time a little, but it's better to make sure it's done right on the first go-round to avoid having to re-do them later if there is an issue. I know you want to get your armor done as soon as possible, (we all did, lol), but patience is the key.

Just as Jay mentioned, the cover strips should be 20-22 mm maximum for the front. Note how there is a small amount of the ridge showing on each side: DEFINITELY remove 100% of the return edges on the bottoms of the calves before fitting. Remember to leave room, as you will be wearing boots. If possible, wait until you have your boots and wear them during fitting. Trust me. For the shoulder bridges, those can be tricky to trim. One thing you can do is take a scrap of ABS (shown in blue) with a straight edge to use as a guide, clamp it to the edge (orange ares) of the bridge along the cut line, and then SLOWLY make several cuts to score it. It may take more than a few passes with the razor knife to get it deep enough, but then you should be able to snap off the excess afterward. After that, some sanding (use a sanding block to keep the line even) and you are done. I don't normally suggest using lexan scissors for this, as they can leave a line that is not straight.

Looking sharp, Mario! One thing you will need to do is touch up the paint on those ear screws, brother. As per the CRL, they must be painted white. A quick fix that will take less than 5 minutes! Reference image CRL image

The present belt position will definitely get you to EI, but will need to be raised a bit if you are (hopefully) aiming for Centurion.

Do you have a photo of how high the ABS belt will be sitting once attached, Jonas? It should sit just under (touching) or slightly overlapping the bottom button of the large ab-button panel.

Apologies for the delay, Katie! One of us will be with ya' shortly, I promise!

You shouldn't have to create an account for each photo. When using imgur, you should see the name you used to create the account on the top right of the page. When you scroll over that, does a dropdown menu show like this? Images Gallery Profile Favorites Etc?

Are you having trouble getting your images to load on to imgur or into your posts?

Do you mean the black ribbed piece that is between the hovi-tips. Bill? Not sure on that one, as 99% of helmets have that built (molded) in. The only one I am aware of that has it as a separate piece is SDS, so you may need to contact them directly. It's known as a "vocoder" if that helps.

I would do 3. One toward the end of either side and one in the center. For this area I suggest using nylon instead of elastic. There's really not a ton of movement for that connection, and it helps prevent "trooper butt", where the posterior plate sticks out too far away from the kidney.