Addertime

Great work, Sam! I have one more note to add to your Centurion list: Swap out the round head screws for pan heads on your TD. Best of luck on your application!

Noted. And, thanks.

I started out with a more serious padding job but quickly realized that it's unnecessary and decided to lighten it up. Less weight, more air circulation and more room for toys is my current choice.

Looks really good Michael! I have a few suggestions on things to improve your kit: The kidney plate alignment looks a little off. The snaps and rivet on the crotch should not be painted Screws on the Thermal Detonator should be painted black The painted areas on the ab plate buttons could be a little larger Aside from those little things, I think the fit looks good and I wish you the best moving forward!

Looks really good, Josh! I think you've got EIB in the bag with a few minor adjustments and Centurion level if certainly in your future. The TD screws jumped out at me but that's an easy fix. Good luck with the submission!

I really appreciate seeing hand-painted tears and traps. They're a bunch of work but people notice and they give you more stories about your build. Well done.

Very cool idea and awesome execution!

Quite a vast library of accumulated knowledge there! I used a few of these during my build.

Lookin' good! Congrats on your approval! Before you know it you'll have your EIB!

Looks good! I know it was probably heartbreaking at first but much like the first scratch on a new car, the later ones will be less traumatic. The Novus polish set works wonders. My face plate got partially crushed in the overhead on the way back from SWC. I got it mostly fixed save for a few wrinkle lines. Now it has character.

Please see this thread: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/ FX armor is generally a no-go these days. It may or may not be acceptable. You should consult you local GMLs before spending too much time on this suit.

Hi Michael, Welcome to FISD and welcome to the awesomeness of trooping a TK. Yep, you're doing it right! If you hope to obtain the Centurion level, the best way is to build for that from the start. As an FISD member, you should already have access to the Imperial Commissary / PX section of the forums where you can find supplies like rivets, belts, etc. If you can't, contact one of the Admins in the Tech Support area of the forum. That having been said, you don't have to acquire everything here. Acquiring screen-accurate, sew-on snaps, bifurcated rivets, chicago-screws, elastic, etc. are just a Google search away... once you know what you need. So... do your research, start a build thread, measure twice, don't stress and have fun. We're here for any questions you have. Cheers!

Many people come here looking for a little knowledge and advice and then either run screaming from the room because of the details and cost OR they rub their hands together, grinning madly as they plan their kit because of the details, in spite of the cost.

Hey! There I am! Famous at last.

Being tidy and organized makes the whole job move smoothly. You're doing excellent work!

Congrats on your approval! You did a great job!

Wet it. And I mean really wet it. Then crush it in your hands. Roll it into a tube in both directions. You will be surprised at how soft and malleable it becomes after just a few minutes of working it (don't worry, it'll stiffen back up when it dries). Then put your blaster in it and let it dry overnight. You'll find that it fits really well after that. As far as holstering the weapon while in armor... it still takes some effort and it often takes a second hand to help, either yours or someone else's.

From my experience, you can ship parts as long as there are no pieces of the firing mechanism involved. I've ordered pistol grips, scopes, scope mounts, etc. from the US to EU with no problem. Complete replicas are a different story. According to a TSA agent I spoke with, they are treated like real firearms for the purposes of shipping and travel. But even with parts and kits, things are not always cut and dry. Here's a little situation I had recently... I work at the USG facility overseas. Ordering firearms or replicas through our diplomatic/military mail system is a no go as they would be stopped Stateside but local mail is fair game because local (EU and German) laws are in effect. So, I ordered a DoopyDoos DL-44 kit ("kit", as in solid, cream colored resin... in pieces, is the operative word here) and had it shipped from England to Germany. There were no customs issues as it was within the EU but our own security had a conniption fit when it arrived at Post. A buddy of mine in the mailroom called me and said, "You need to get out to the mail screening room NOW. You got a package and security is flipping out." I, of course, knew exactly what it was so I wasn't the slightest bit concerned. I walk into the room and there are two armed local guards and a federal agent, all looking very nervous and waiting to question me about the package. Undaunted, I said, "So, I hear I have a package?" At that moment I saw it and walked over to examine it. One of the guards stammers, "Do you know what's in this?" "I do indeed. It's a resin replica kit of a blaster prop used in Star Wars." I noticed by this point that the package is open, so they've not only x-rayed it, but opened and examined it as well. I'm grinning and trying not to laugh. I open the box and pull the ziplock bags containing the resin parts out of the box. "The pieces are SOLID resin. See? No moving parts." The guard says, "But... but... it has a firing pin." "Nope. No firing pin. No springs. No bolt. No ammunition. Solid plastic. The metal parts are just screws and couple of decorative pieces." They looked at the pieces carefully and became very apologetic. I scooped up my box and was on my way. The point of this story is that these are people who carry weapons all day, every day and yet they couldn't determine that these were hunks of plastic after examining them so it's easy to see that postal workers or customs officials may also err on the side of caution and reject the package.

All those previous lessons should make this a snap.

Per day, huh? Nice. Wish I had that kind of time.

Congrats! And this... Ok, that's it. I'm building a Greedo starting as soon as I finish this post. See you at the Cantina!

Fandom is a journey not a destination. Through your whole build you feel anxious to finish it but then, once you finish, you quickly begin to miss the adventure of the build... and so it goes.

That's cool! I've been wanting to put together a Greedo. There are so few around. Nice work.

What Robert said. Much easier to use than split rivets to be sure. Those rivets are available at most craft stores like Michael's and Joann's and sometimes hardware stores too.

I have a pair of Joseph's hand guards attached with E6000 to rubber gloves like he mentions above. I wear them for trooping. After almost a year, they are still tightly attached.