bobafret

I just wanted to comment about how beautiful that bicep job looks. That is really fun to look at. So clean and pretty. You are going to have some NICE armor.

Looking good! That face is intimidating to cut into isn't it? You did great - cut a little wide then file to perfection - that's the path I took as well. Sounds like you've got the right attitude with research research research and then make the cut. I would encourage you to shoot for Centurion out of the gate. It's easiest to do it when you are doing the build, and the little extra steps really aren't much when you consider all the work you are doing to put it together. Keep rocking your build!

Excellent bro can't wait to see the update.

Yo Brian where you at on this one?

Good job on finding those cover strip spots on the shins. Anovos is a challenging mold with that but I found the same as you, when you get it in the light it's pretty good. Back of the shins look pretty close. 30mm might be stretching, but there is allowance on the cover strips for larger troopers. Have you been in contact with your local Garrison during this build and reached out to your local GML? The GML makes the call basically on suitability and some are stricter than others. That guidance during your build will be helpful. I am GML in Mountain Garrison and I love to work with any new applicants as they are going through their builds. That way you ensure whatever solution you implement doesn't impede any approval.

Build for Centurion. Much easier than trying to do it afterward. It's really very negligible additions to the work you will already be doing.

Your helmet has opposite rank bars painted - the right side has the furthest bar toward the back painted (accurate for Centurion) while the left side has the furthest bar toward the front painted. They should match. The decals on your helmet are also pretty sloppy. Particularly the back left side which doesn't seem to fit at all, and the left teardrop. You might consider hand painting these details as the decals look obviously "decalish" on this helmet.

Couple things for you brother: First on your forearms. There is a molded section on each forearm that the cover strip on one side should sit on top of. I believe it's the left forearm where this is VERY distinct on the anovos kit, and the right arm just has a flat section instead of the raised ridge. That ridge should be just wide enough for your cover strip to cover. The arms should be 15mm cover strips so you're basically looking at trimming all but 7.5mm from each side so that the total width of that ridge (or flat area) is about a 15mm width. Then when you glue on your cover strip, it will lay perfectly over that ridge. You can then size as necessary by trimming on the opposite side. With your biceps, you can remove ALL of the return edge at top and bottom of the bicep. That will give you more room. You can also cheat a bit if you need to by shimming under the cover strips (also 15mm) so you could get some extra room that way. Finally, make sure when you are fitting and trimming you are WEARING YOUR UNDERSUIT. Don't fit to bare skin. When you trim armor you should ideally have undersuit and shoes/gloves as appropriate. You want the wrist side of forearm to ideally have no return edge but then just barely fit over a gloved hand. This ensures you can get them on over your gloves, but also that you don't look like Popeye with huge disproportionate forearms on the other end of the spectrum. Anovos trim lines are WAY wide of where you ultimately will end up trimming to. Also if you haven't, check out ukswrath Anovos build thread. It is SO detailed, has pictures and measurements and everything. It was invaluable when building my daughter's Anovos kit. You can find that here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/35086-ukswraths-anovos-tk-build/

Yes that is perfectly acceptable. Return edge is all a matter of preference. The only place it is addressed in the CRL is actually where it requires REMOVAL of all return edge on wrist of forearm for higher levels of approval. All other return edges are personal preference. While I am a strong proponent of leaving edge where possible to maintain illusion of armor thickness, trim for fit is sometimes inevitable. Shoulder bell is definitely one of those areas.

You are doing good work with that kit man. The button fix was clever and your strapping system is looking good. Seems to be coming together nicely.

Looking really awesome Mike!

Unfortunately your armor is sub par and definitely not fit for Basic Approval. For anyone interested in details please see this thread: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/40067-tkuk-armor-is-it-a-rippoff/ You pop up just long enough to encourage sales but give no information about lineage or source of your molds. I personally have seen your armor and documented with pictures exactly why it is sub-par and unfit. When my applicant asked for a refund, he was given one but he was then told to send that armor off to another customer in the US "to save on customs costs". How could any reputable manufacturer take a sub par product and then with no Quality Control Checking ask one customer to send their return product to a new paying customer? In short, you are evasive, your business practices are shady, and the product that I have seen personally is not of sufficient quality for application to the 501st. Any prospective 501st member should surely look elsewhere. A list of vetted armor makers can be found here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/

All the items you mention yourself are good catches. Cuts in back of knee are fine but do more rounded they are like a longer rounded half oval. Check screen ref pics I am on iPad so don't have them here.<br><br> Anovos belt connection is the only glaring issue I see. Should only be connected with the bottom 2 Chicago screws. You need to remove the top two and repair fabric or just replace the belt. That is the only addition I would make to your own commentary.<br><br> Good job! Just a bit more work and you should be ready to submit to your GML!

OT TK is most likely going to be your best bet. Fitted and trimmed properly you have good mobility. I have ANH Stunt TK and I can do stairs, sit, kneel, and kit up and down completely by myself in less than 15 minutes. Add to this the fact that there are WAY more resources for builds and armor, I'd be strongly leaning toward ANH Stunt TK. It's also going to be significantly less expensive to build.

E6000 pretty much pulls apart. You can freeze parts if they are particularly stuck but normally patience and strength does the trick. E6000 on surfaces just rubs off like rubber cement.<br><br> I can only fit one fan in my AP bucket I would face both in. Will draw air through mouth and neck. Leave some gap in lenses to allow air flow and minimize fogging

On your cover strips check out reference and build photos for the proper place to end those. Basically with the front of the shin go from top to bottom. Back of shin you stop the cover strip at the top below the detail ridge. On the thighs, the cover strip goes all the way to the top, but it stops at the bottom by the knee before that ridge detail at the bottom of the thigh. Also check cover strip sizes - they shouldn't all be the same. Ideally it's 15mm on all arm pieces, 20mm on thighs and front of shins, and 25mm on back of shins. Shins should close from the outside in - so your left shin should have cover strip glued to the left side (as you are looking at the back) and close over onto the right. Right shin should have cover strip glued to right side and close over onto the left. That way the seams are not visible from the outside, they are to the inside of the legs. Hope that makes sense. I put my fans inside the chin of my bucket, in the space behind the aerators basically.

On your wrist question yes you can trim or sand to make the halves match up perfectly at the wrist.

Dave Adams TK-72569 Centurion Letter Tony http://www.whitearmor.net/eib/certificates/72569-centurion.png

Thank you so much gentlemen. This is the culmination of a long journey. I feel as excited as I did when I first got approved!

Hi Garry! One of the best places to see armor is right here in the EIB and Centurion submission threads. The applicant lists the armor in the heading of their request, so you can go take a look at REALLY detailed photos of the Anovos kit and feedback on the builds relative to EIB and Centurion standards. I found that REALLY helpful when doing my first build. You can get a feel for the optimal assembly of your kit this way. Here are a couple Anovos Centurion approvals: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/40784-tk-82666-requesting-anh-stunt-centurion-status-anovos-309/ http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/40333-tk-10998-requesting-anh-stunt-centurion-status-anovos-303/ As for your crack, you can most likely glue a piece of scrap ABS on the backside and then make some ABS paste to repair the crack. To make ABS paste you use scraps from your armor and cut it up into little pieces like confetti. Then add some acetone (you can get at the hardware store) and mix with a wooden stick. You're going for the consistency of toothpaste. You can then use this to patch cracks or holes. Once dried you can sand and polish and it will be all better! One final note on Anovos. Their trim lines leave you with a LOT of return edge. Again, look at the pieces in those EIB and Centurion submissions and you will get a feel for where people trimmed those back. Best of luck to you!

Looking good, but hand plates are on the wrong hands...

Mountain Garrison Represent! Hit me up with any questions and I look forward to seeing you at a build party soon!

That's a harder question. If I were you here's what I would do: First, send email to the vetted armor makers found here http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/and email them to ask if they would sell you just a button plate. Try Mark with AP he often has extra parts in the sales section of the forum. Next I'd put a post in the "501st only for sale or trade" thread "NEED 4-button panel!" - you may have someone who has an extra for some reason. Best of luck!

You also asked a question about shimming above that I don't believe was answered. For shimming you basically find matching material to your armor, so like ABS in the same color in a sheet. Then you cut a plate to extend whatever section you are shimming. Typically the shim is just done from one side to minimize the hiding of seams you have to do. You take the plate you cut and butt it up against the piece that isn't long enough. Use an extra piece on the backside to glue both pieces together (like a large internal cover strip). Then on the exterior you make ABS paste (a slurry of cut up pieces of ABS and acetone, mixed to about the consistency of toothpaste) and you use that to fill in the seam. You then sand and polish and if done properly you have a nice extended piece with an invisible seam. Hope that helps!