kman

Tandy's snaps didn't used to be branded. That actually changed about 2 years ago. Before that, they were plain. Old vs new: I'd feel fine using the Anovos snaps for these purposes. If any of them fails, replace it in the future, no big deal. Labeled vs. unlabeled makes no difference even for Centurion purposes. If someone's face is close enough to the Han snap (let alone the crotch strap LOL) to make out the lettering, we have other issues. You need a set of snap setting tools to install snaps. They're simple and inexpensive. You can buy them from Tandy or random Chinese ones online elsewhere. Personally, I bought a kit from Tandy that included a number of snaps and the setting tools. I paid less at the time (several years ago now) than the $15 they're asking now: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003W0IIJK/ I patched the back of my belt, after cutting out the Anovos buttton covers. Spare plastic works perfectly. (doesn't even have to match exactly since you can't see it from the front anyway)

And just to make sure we're all using the same terminology: These are what we (at FISD) commonly refer to as "popper snaps": (the ones you had pictured in your post, above) These are the style of snaps commonly referred to as "Line 24 snaps": ("Line 24" is technically Tandy's brand name / size designation for this style of snap, but it has become fairly ubiquitous and can be found referring to snaps of the same size and variety that were NOT made by Tandy, too. Anovos supplies "Line 24-style snaps" with their kits.) (Photos are not meant to be precise, and are not the right finish, etc., they were just handy on Wikipedia's page and show the two main variations nicely)

I've only removed my ammo pack from my belt once in the 3+ years I've had it (which was quite simple, with the Chicago screws), so I personally recommend the Chicago screws over the snaps that Justin is recommending, but either will do the job. Go whichever way you prefer. My belt hasn't been damaged, so I think you're fine as long as you're not trying to press sharp folds. I used a dab of e6000 on the back to hold the drop boxes in place, although I'll be changing that method to Velcro, since I need them to be removable for some alternate armor configurations. (HWT) There's no need for rivets. Use whatever method you want to attach the elastic to the boxes. The popper snaps are NOT what you want for the one visible snap that gets mounted into the corner of the ab plate. You need the ones Anovos supplied, or Line 24 snaps. Popper snaps don't have the right base. I'm referring to the upper snap, here: These same snap types are also used for the crotch strap snaps in the butt plate, NOT the popper snaps (and not the front cod, that's just a smooth dome rivet). Those are good for internal strapping connections (shoulder straps in particular) and for the belt connection. Butt plate: Otherwise, I agree with Justin's advice, above.

Or perhaps mix up a batch of Retr0bright, if you're going to be applying it regularly, to save some money over the commercial products. It's really simple. (recipe easily searched online)

Most armor ships as bare plastic. You can find a list of needed accessories in this thread: I would consult build threads here on FISD, especially pinned reference threads, before depending on any instructions from a manufacturer. Some might be fine, others not so much. You could end up with wearable armor but if it's not built to 501st specifications, you'll have to fix it before you can be approved. Even moreso for higher level accuracy approvals like EIB and Centurion.

Correct. Recasting is very much frowned upon, and we don't recommend giving business to recasters, on moral grounds if nothing else. But as long as the armor is accurate (whether that's true depends on the individual recaster), it's assembled correctly, and fits you correctly, there's no reason why any given armor would not be approved just because of who made it.

If you buy the real leather replica MP40 magazine pouches from Blaster8266 on MEPD, they come with black lightweight wood inserts already. They're a little more expensive, but I like that I can use them when I go Sandy someday, and already be at the highest accuracy level.

The curve in on the shoulders of the Anovos backplate is insane. Only the smallest troopers, who can literally let it rest on top of their shoulders, are going to be happy with the stock curve. I'd highly recommend removing some return edge, and giving the nubs a hot water bath to straighten them a bit.

The toy looks surprisingly close, but there are a few differences to the on-screen blaster. Fairly minor, but present.

What Sly said. There's no rules... however it fits you best. I like some, visually, but if it's causing problems with fit, have no compunction about removing some or all. Personally, I'd recommend leaving it like you have it, and waiting to see how everything fits together, once you have the rigging done. If all is well, no need to remove more. If you need to tweak anything, it's an easy fix, and doing it later doesn't cause any harm.

'Sup, Justin! I'm curious about this build... wish I had known about it! I look forward to following this, though, and seeing the final product.

You know, I just realized that you already put the sniper knee on. For some reason I was focused on the earlier photos, and thought I had time to warn you, but no. So it's your call, really. As long as they seem to fit you ok, it's one of those teeny tiny details that only 5 FISD members out of 100 would even notice, let alone the general public. Definitely doesn't affect approval, even all the way to Centurion. So it depends on how much it bothers you (if at all), as to whether it's worth fixing.

Just a tip for the shins: The longer edge goes on the INSIDE of the leg, counter to what most would guess. I think you were wearing them backwards when they were taped up, and they were also swapped in the finished photo. Definitely reinforce those brackets on the inside. Anovos armor is very thin, and the screen-used bracketing system is hard on thin armor.

Are you sure you don't mean 24-26 years? LOL

This is great! Thanks for sharing it with us!

Anovos plastic polish? Is that a new thing, or did you mean Novus?

LOL that was my first thought when I saw those. "Well, those aren't going to stay put very well!"

And some people thought Death Trooper armor was expensive... LOL

Thank you for the compliment. Hopefully those other plastics have another way to erase a seam (ABS paste is just one of many possibilities... the goal is erase the seam, not specifically to use ABS paste or bust), otherwise larger troopers who aspire to L3 might want to consider a different kind of armor that either fits them without need for a shim, or which is easier to alter to L3 requirements.

LOL Yeah, weathering is still on my long term list. At the moment I switch between regular TK and HWT too often to do any substantial weathering that takes real effort to reverse... and I don't want anything too loose that'll make everything else filthy. (including my pretty bin LOL) Besides, you have to think at SOME point they were clean, right? LOL Brinkhouse did a run of T21s some time ago, which he made all himself I believe. There was a sales thread here at one point, but I think he stopped making them. Mine was one of his first models.

You might want to check out my build, because that's exactly what I did with mine. The shim plates are glued in with E6000 so I can remove them if needed, and swap in (hopefully) smaller shims if I lose weight. You can't get to Centurion without using ABS paste to erase the seam, but it's fine for EIB. Details in my build thread, linked in my sig below. Note that I did it twice, for reasons, and you'll likely want to follow the second effort, but the first try has some good info as well (which wasn't copied into the second part), so I'd read both.

Yeah, definitely no-go on the E11 for approval purposes. Seems like most of the local guys in my garrison have added them to their packs, though, so I might end up adding it to mine, too (completely removable, of course), just so we all match better! I'm not a big fan of the cheap Rubies E11s, but this is one application they're good for, especially since you're not actually going to be using it. They're super light weight, even moreso than Hyperfirm / Praetorian, so not has hard on your back. Because Joseph is absolutely right, no matter how light you make your pack, after a couple hours of wearing that pack, you will it was lighter! I'm still dialing in getting suited up in my HWT, since I've only trooped in that configuration a few times. So far I definitely need assistance for the final steps of Pauldron and backpack. (Pauldron usually has to go on last since the pack strap goes under it) My pack straps seem to lay pretty nicely between the shoulder bridges and the bells, though, and on top of the bells, if anything, so my bridges don't seem affected (phew!). I'm not worried about the shoulder bells, they shouldn't be harmed. Where your pack straps run is going to directly dictated by where the tops of the straps are attached to the pack.

Dang, I missed those when I was there, too. Might have to grab one when I go next!

Downside to living in California, as opposed to Florida, perhaps. Your version of events happens, too, of course, but people here can be (pardon the expression) trigger-happy (LOL) here about anything remotely resembling a gun. Not that we'd actually get in trouble, in the end, but who wants to risk Swat showing up because some moron can't think clearly and got scared? It's a bit different once your fully-kitted up. But a big guy with a bin and a big gun can be misinterpreted too easily. Safer (and frankly, just as easy) to strap the blaster and wear the pack.

I like the big wheels of my Husky case, even though it's heavy. For troops where I can't fit my bin (very rare), I generally just opt for a simpler costume, rather than messing with repacking everything. It's easy to toss everything into the 50gal Husky bin, including extras, a substantial repair kit, helmet, etc... I could fit even more if I left out the padding, but there's really no need with a bin this size. I experimented with a lot of packing options, but have settled on this as the best comprise among ease of packing (with minimal disassembly), protection of the armor (I have 1/4" sheets of foam between each layer, and wanted to be extremely protective of the shoulder bridges so they're not under any strain), and fitting everything I need in there. Bottom layers: main clamshell halves, offset for betting protection of the shoulder bridges (also boots in the corners, not pictured) Next layers: Thighs, shins, arms, etc, all nested: Next layers: Pretty much everything else, including helmet: There's even room for a (plastic) mirror mounted in the lid! Super handy.