Shinyarmour1

There are load of troopers that have achieved Centurion level with AP kits. I have an AP kit and I am extremely happy with my experience communication with Authentic Props and completing the kit itself. Just like Mark, my AP kit was also my first ever build, I found lots of build threads from fellow AP troopers and everyone provides plenty of help and useful feedback. I spent a long time looking through the different armour makers, and made the decision to go with AP. My experience Authentic Props:- Excellent and quick communication/response time Not long wait time Accurate in detail Durable in strength (will last a very long time and many, many troops) A good straightforward build Eventually when my armour needs replacing in the distant future, I will be going with AP again. Good luck buddy, the FISD will help you every step of the way.

Requesting EIB Certificate Chris ToshTK-43118A4Mario https://www.whitearmor.net/eib/certificates/43118-eib.png

Thanks everyone, its feels good to know that my hard work is paying off. I'll get to work on those improvements and sign up for Centurion in the new year Nice work on the trading card cover Glen, that looks so cool.

Thanks Adam. I too struggled quite a bit getting it right, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. Its funny that you both mentioned this, because after uploading these images, I found that the snaps on the biceps and shoulder bells are holding everything securely in place, but one of the sewn on snaps for the shoulder bridge/shoulder bell connection popped off. So I have recently sewn on 2 more snaps under the shoulder bridges. After another test fit and moving my arms around, I found it to be much more secured in place. Once I pass Expert Infantry, I'll show you the improved connection in the Centurion Request.

Thanks for the compliment Adam and Joseph. I'm really please how well the ear placement turned out, especially when I look back, I was really nervous about the placement and hoping it would be correctly aligned. I'm also a perfectionist who is adamant about getting the detail exact. As for the snaps, I heard about other troopers that had an issue with single snaps popping out during an event. After reading about that, I decided to go with the double snap system as a fail safe. Thanks again guys.

Thanks for the feedback guys, here are the other photos

Name: Chris Tosh 501st ID: TK - 43118 FISD forum name: Shinyarmour1 Garrison: Knightfall Garrison Armor: AP Helmet: AP Blaster: Premier Props (Etsy) Boots: Chelsea (hand painted) Canvas Belt: AP Holster: AP Hand Plates: AP Neck Seal: Handmade

Thanks for the feedback, that's reassuring to know. I'll see if I can find some in a local art and craft store. Would a hair dryer work instead of placing the guards in an oven?

Hey everyone. I have a pair of AP hand guards that are yellowing along the edges. I can't remember if they are latex or rubber guards, but is it possible to paint them back to white with either of these products? https://www.amazon.com.au/Speedball-004620-Acrylic-Screen-Printing/dp/B0007ZJ8VA/ref=asc_df_B0007ZJ8VA/?tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=555195856543&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9378331033648085344&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9071206&hvtargid=pla-350913260375&th=1 https://artsuppliesaustralia.com.au/products/derivan-screen-ink-for-fabric-250ml?utm_campaign=Google Shopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google If these won't work, is there another method or suggestion to restore the white colour?

It's been a while, but I finally have my blaster complete (well...95% complete that is). I still need to get some screws to attach the scope onto the rail. But apart form that, is there anything else that might need to be adjusted or fixed? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Great suggestions guys, I'm still looking around for the dye. I don't use paypal, so I can't get the kittle belt on the Ongoing Sales page. The coffee/tea soaking sounds good, providing that the smell won't be too strong. To be honest it would only be a small amount of coffee in a large bucket of water, not enough to smell like a walking espresso trooper lol. I did have to remove some of my canvas belt to fit me better, so I have a test piece to use. The only other alternative I thought of was to purchase a tin of Humbrol paint close enough to an off white colour. Thanks for the ideas guys, greatly appreciated.

Hey everyone I have my canvas belt from AP which I am very pleased with, but would like to know if it possible to dye the belt fabric colour. The belt is white and when I wear it, it's quite noticeable on how white it is compared to the ABS kit. Other troopers have an off white canvas belts that blend in with the armour. Is there a product that can dye the belt fabric to be off white colour, and is there a technique to dying fabric? Would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks

Requesting 501st access please https://www.501st.com//members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=33474

Look what just arrived in the mail today...my 3D printed Blaster finally arrived. I'm going to sand the parts to remove the print lines, and so that the paint adheres better. For the difficult to reach areas, I'll coat those with a filler and then sand smooth.

And here is the complete setup. Straight away after taking these pictures, I could see a few adjustments that need to be fixed. 1. The left forearm is slightly higher up compared to the right forearm, it has to be lowered. 2. The left thigh had twisted too far, I only need to twist it back into the correct position. Apart from that, do you see any other tweaks and fixes that might be required?

Thanks for the kind remarks everyone, I'm glad to see my hard work is paying off. I've done the inner strapping for the torso

Hovi mic tips I had trouble getting the ears to fit on the overlapping helmet parts. Because the ears are trimmed flat and the helmet is curved. I found in a build thread about sanding the ears with a notch cut into it for a better flush fit. I was very nervous about doing this because the helmet is the most important part of the build and I so afraid of screwing it up. But, I took my time gradually trimming a curve shape on the tops of the ears and a notch for the overlap, and found this to work out well. They fit in much better now and the ear screws are aligned with the trap line. Now I paint the inside of the helmet. S-trim ''Thank you Trooperbay'' Here is the result, and it's been well worth it. There are probably some details that need fixing which I might have overlooked. Please let me know if any adjustments are required, I am open to all suggestions.

Tube stripe stencils that I printed off, carefully cut out and tape many times over and over again to get the position just right and even on both sides. After 2 coats and some tooth picking later, the tube strips are done. It took me about 1/2 hour on each side to carefully remove the paint bleed, and I am very pleased with the results. Now the last detail to paint is the vocorder. It was a little tricky to see where the vocorder lines would be on the edge, so after looking at several reference images, I used a pencil to draw the lines in. That helped me a lot and it made painting easier. That's all the exterior detail painted on the face plate.

The ear holes don't quite align in the drilled holes on the helmet, and the screws will not align with the trap. So I'm going to drill a new hole on the top to make it more screen accurate. Same for the other side I purchased a hard hat for the inside of the bucket and removed the unwanted parts. The inside will be velcro for a non permanent build. I don't want any glue inside my bucket (especially E6000), and it will back it easier to replace or upgrade any interior parts.

On to the most crucial part of the build...the helmet. It's been fun and exhausting all at the same time, but that's what makes it all worth it when it's completed. I am so glad I had the helmet trimmed, because I would be so nervous about cutting and drilling the faceplate myself. I did not want to use the decals supplied, so I went down the 'paint everything' road. I started small an worked on painting the ears. Then I painted the frown. And the traps.

Thanks, I try to be detailed in my build not just for me, but to help any future troopers with AP kits. Although it is not as descriptive and photo heavy as other build threads, I still want it to be helpful for those soon to be troopers. I've fixed the thigh ammo pack as you have recommended, I trimmed 2mm off the top and bottom so it looks more screen accurate. I got to work on drilling the holes for the split rivets; the ammo belt I measured 10mm from the top and from the edge. The thigh measured 7mm from the top and 15mm from the back edge. I used a dab of 6000 to keep the ammo belt in place. I took your advice Glen for the back coverstrips and trimmed to follow the edges. Are they good or should I remove some more?

Here are the thighs. The left was simple, the right took a little longer with the curve coverstrip. I did what others recommended and glue half of the bottom strip, leave for 48 hours, then slightly curve the top of the strip, glue and wait another 48 hours. Worked like a charm. Then I just had to glue the back coverstrip with the tab to keep the bottom ridges level and even. As far as it goes for the back coverstrips, how would I trim the tops of them? If I follow the direction of the two halves, that will create a point on top of the coverstrip that will stick into me every time I walk. So I'm going to do the backs the same as the fronts, I just don't know the height of the strips for this. The red line is under the return edge and blue line is the top of the return. Also, a question about the thigh ammo belt before I start drilling the holes. I've already given it a hot water bath to go around my thigh, but should I trim about 2mm more off the top and bottom? Would that make it more screen accurate or should I leave it as is?

Does my butt plate need to be tucked in a bit more? This is what it will look like, but I'm not sure if the snaps are okay to be seen. I could give it a bath to hide it better changing it to this. It doesn't look like it needs adjusting, but I wanted to ask before moving on.

See the thing is that the kidney plate is crooked. So when the Ab plate is straight, the kidney is on a slight angle leaning to the left, which means the canvas belt at the back will give the illusion of being on an angle and raised on the left side. And the buttons on the front, the large panel blue button would be slightly overlapped (screen accurate), but the small panel blue button would be concealed completely. Also, the Ab plate position is not too much on an angle and it feels comfortable and even for my thighs to sit in. When I have the chest plate strapped in and level, surly it won't be noticeable. I've looked at many Centurion pics and found it hard to see the angle of the Ab/kidney plates. I greatly appreciate all the advice and info everyone has provided to me. I did not expect something so simple like the snap placement on a belt to be so much trouble. Having a second look at the photo, the chest plate was not secured properly onto the ab plate. It's possible that the chest is on an angle, but it makes the rest of the suit look tilted.

Getting back to the belt/snap conundrum. I've taped up the torso to better display the belt placement. Here you can see it is level and even, but as I have mentioned before, the snap are not even. The snaps are lined with the rivets almost level in other builds. The snap on the left (my left hand side) lines up with the Chicago screw no problem, but the right hand snap is much lower. I'm thinking of drilling a new hole slightly higher in the Ab plate to even the belt and that would make the snaps level with the screws as well. Any thoughts about this idea?