shashachu

Really lovely build, Shuan. As @giskard8 mentioned, please update your original post with the following information: Required: <Your Name> <Your TK ID> <Your Garrison / Squad> <Your 501st member profile> (i.e. your member page on 501st.com) (optional but helpful): Height: Weight: Armor Maker: Helmet Maker: Blaster: Boots: Canvas Belt: Neck Seal: Holster: When you've posted photos of the painted left side rivets, we can proceed.

Hi James! Thanks for your patience! One last thing - could you include a clear photo of your blaster D-ring?

Congrats!

My guess would also be clamps or maybe unintentional bending when you pulled up the pieces?

Hi Mathijs, I apologize for the delay in your review - real life has been busy! Thanks for the quick turnaround with the additional photos, and we appreciate you addressing some of the suggestions from your EIB application. CRL and Centurion Application Requirements: All required submission photos appear to be present. Fantastic job on your build. On behalf of the FISD Deployment team I'd like to welcome you to Centurion. Congratulations! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: In this area we discuss any areas still needing some improvement. Although they did not hold you back from Centurion, at this level it's all about the small details that will really make your armor look its best. As suggested in your EIB application, we'd suggest trying to reposition the ears. Almost more important than the trap/ear alignment, it would be great to cover up the helmet seams. Moving along, nice job cleaning up the teeth and fixing the mic tip screens. We still feel the vocoder paint is a bit soft, so we're still suggesting you add some definition: Reference: Your shoulder bell fit is definitely improved since your EIB application, but if there's anything else that could be done to bring them closer to your chest armor especially, we're suggesting you give it a shot. Make sure, for example, that all the lower return edge is removed. We certainly understand that everyone is different and it may not always be possible, short of getting larger shoulder bells. Reference: Your right thigh armor is still hanging quite a bit lower than the left (it's especially noticeable in the side photos), so we're still suggesting you look into evening out the strapping if possible. In the right side photo I also noticed your posterior armor is popping out a bit, but it should sit below the kidney. You should look into adding or tightening the strapping between the right side of the posterior armor and the kidney to try to keep it in place. The left side looks perfect. Reference: And that's it! Your garrison attaché spoke very highly of you, and it's clear you've trooped hard in your kit, so we have the utmost confidence in your ability to make these changes. Congratulations again from myself, Dan, Tony, and Joseph. Now get out there and make the Empire proud!

Hi Mathijs, thanks for your submission and your patience as we review your photos! CRL and EIB Application Requirements: All required submission photos have been posted, and I am very pleased to announce your armor displays all the necessary elements to qualify for ANH Stunt Expert Infantry. On behalf of Tony, Dan, Joseph and myself, congratulations!   Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: In this section we review observations made by your fellow troopers and ourselves. Some observations may lead to suggestions to improve the overall look of your armor. Really beautiful job on your build! It's clear you have put a lot of time and effort into your kit, so I have what really amount to small nitpicks that make you and your armor look their best. Starting at your helmet, I know Anovos helmets come with their helmets pre-assembled, but the ear position could be improved. First, the Stunt helmets generally have their ears tilted a bit more so that the screws are roughly in line with the edge of the traps (the green line.) Additionally, you can see that the seam between the front and back pieces is exposed. It would not be an easy fix, but if you're up for the challenge, we're suggesting you reposition the ear. Reference Image: Additionally, the shape of the vocoder could be cleaned up a bit - yours looks a bit soft. The mesh in your hovi tips also looks pushed back just a bit too far. If it's possible, we're suggesting that you pull them forward so that they're closer to the edge of the hovi tips. Reference Image: Some of the paint and decals could be touched up as well - there is a bit of overspray on the teeth, and some of the decals aren't lined up well with the edges of the plastic. The decals you'd have to remove and completely replace, unfortunately, or change to hand-painted. Reference Image: Moving down, it looks like your biceps and possibly forearms could be pulled up just a bit (likely just a strapping adjustment). This should improve your arm mobility as well as improve the look, as the bottom of your bicep pieces look a bit large compared to the thinner part of your arm at your elbow, and your forearms are running into your handplates a bit. Reference Image: Continuing on the torso, your belt is a bit low. Ideally, it should touch or even slightly overlap the ab buttons. (I had to make the same adjustment during my own build.) Reference Image Moving along, your canvas belt has a lot of loose threads. Although the screen-used belts definitely had imperfections, we're suggesting you trim them a bit for a slightly cleaner look. Reference Image: Finally, a really small detail, but the corners of the TD clips should be squared off, not rounded. Certainly not a big deal, but worth mentioning. Reference Image: Moving to the lower limbs, this is definitely a small detail, but it looks like your right thigh hangs a bit lower than your left: The advantage of bringing it up is that it should also help prevent your belt drop box from getting caught in your thigh armor: Reference Image: And finally what is likely just a dressing issue but worth mentioning is that your right calf closure is overlapping and a bit misaligned. The left one looks great. Reference Image: And last but not least, very nice job with your E-11, especially smoothing out the print lines. If it's possible to move your Hengstler counter and maybe even your scope forward, that would make it match the screen-used blasters more. Additionally, really great paint job, but some areas are a bit over-weathered, so we're suggesting you cover up some of the weathering: the scope is indeed brass, but we're suggesting you take a bit of black paint to it so that not too much brass is showing. Additionally, the t-tracks and grip were black plastic, so they should not have any metallic weathering. Finally, it might just be the lighting, but we'd also suggest toning down the weathering on the end cap. Reference Images: Original plastic Sterling handle Sterling end cap Hengstler position Hengstler position Plastic T-tracks, no weathering Centurion Suggestions:In this section we prepare you for Centurion. More photos are requested that allow us to make better decisions on possible adjustment etc. If there are any areas of concern they will be discussed here. Because Centurion photos show much more detail than EIB, items pertaining to Centurion might be seen there and not here. We try to point out all we can from what is seen but the final accuracy is the responsibility of the trooper. For the shoulder bells, the CRL states: There should be a minimal gap between the shoulder armor and the chest/back plates. It's probably partly a dressing issue since the back gap looks good, but it does appear your shoulder bells can be brought in further. Tightening the strapping connecting the bells to the white elastic shoulder straps should hopefully do it. Reference Image: And that's it! I want to emphasize again that you've done a fantastic job on your build - these are just suggestions that will help you look your best when you're out there representing the Empire. Congratulations from all of us again, and we'll see you soon at Centurion!

@TK-23181 Apologies for the delay, Mathijs, but could you update your post with one more closeup photo of the vocoder area and the hovi tips? Just so I can see them more clearly. Something like this: Thanks for your patience.

Thanks for the screw repaint, Mathijs! I'll be with you soon.

Yup. I used to carry it every troop in the beginning, but my last several troops I've gone blasterless or had my blaster holstered at least part of the time. Leaves my hands free for high fives. And I tried stretching my holster with some soup cans for a really long time (I have the Darman 8oz) but I still can't easily get the blaster in and out myself.

Yup, just the adhesive, and so far it's held up just fine. Velcro industrial strength. I don't, however, often troop with my blaster in my holster (if I don't want to hold a blaster I'll usually just leave it in my bin) so not a ton of weight is on my belt typically.

Belt position looks great. I put a couple small strips of Velcro in addition to the snaps to keep it from sagging during troops.

Congrats!

Yup - these ones from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EL938E6/ You can see the final setup here: Actually on my last troop of the year my fans stopped working, and I realized one of the solder points on the switch had broken. But they lasted a dozen troops over the year until they had to be repaired, so I was reasonably happy with that. Re: fan on top of your head, that sounds delightful, but my helmet has to sit right on the top of my head, otherwise I can't see out of it, so I don't have any room for a fan on top. As I'm sure you're realizing, you'll be continuously tweaking your armor.

This is awesome. Electronics is a huge blind spot for me and I've always wanted to learn. I did manage to make the fans myself but that's about the extent of my abilities. How many fans are you planning on using? I use the standard 2 fan setup (mounted at the edge of the frown and pointing up at the eyes) and I haven't (yet) found myself wishing I had more. There are at least a few guys in my garrison who don't use fans at all, which seems like madness.

Congrats!

Great work, Eric!

Hi Fernando, thank you for your EI submission, and thanks for the quick fix for the TD screws. CRL and EIB Application Requirements: All required submission photos have been posted, and I am very pleased to announce your armor displays all the necessary elements to qualify for ANH Stunt Expert Infantry. On behalf of the entire D.O. staff, congratulations!  Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: In this section we review observations made by your fellow troopers and ourselves. Some observations may lead to suggestions to improve the overall look of your armor. Starting with the helmet, just a few nitpicks to really improve the look. As was mentioned by your fellow troopers, the brow is a bit low. While the screen-used helmet brow position was a bit all over the place, the Stunt helmets tended to have a bit more white showing above the eyes. Next, there's quite a bit of white showing at the tops of your teeth, so you might consider extending the gray paint. Finally, it might just be the photo, but your left side tube stripes appear to be a bit lower than the right. Both sets should be about a pencil width away from the cheek. Reference Image: Continuing on the helmet, the paint on the traps seems a bit small, so you might consider extending it more to the edges of the plastic. Reference Image: Additionally, the Stunt helmets generally had the ears positioned a bit more slanted than you have yours, following the edge of the trap, while yours are positioned more vertically: Reference Image: This is certainly one of the more difficult corrections to make. Continuing down, as others have pointed out, your forearms appear to be a bit high: As you can see, there is little/no gap between your bicep and forearm, and a significant gap at the wrists. Sliding the forearms down if possible would improve the look as well as improve your mobility. Additionally, it's probably just a dressing/photo issue, but your left forearm looks a bit large in this photo. Finally, just to get a clean look, it's nice to align the coverstrips vertically: Reference Image: As others mentioned, it improves the look of your armor to have the tops of the ab and kidney aligned. It is likely just a dressing issue: Reference Image: I also wanted to point out that the tops of your thighs are touching and even slightly overlapping the cod/butt in some places: There's such a significant gap at the knees, that I'm wondering if slightly dropping your thighs might fix it. This should also improve your mobility and prevent painful pinches. Reference Image: Very nice painting job on the ab buttons. This is a very small detail, but if you like, you could adjust the paint so that it does not reach the edge of the buttons: Reference Image: Moving along, as has been pointed out, we suggest that you remove the white paint from the cod and posterior snaps: Reference Image (sorry it's so small): Finally reaching the lower limbs, this is likely another dressing issue, but your calf coverstrips are a bit misaligned, especially the right one. Reference Image: Centurion Suggestions:In this section we prepare you for Centurion. More photos are requested that allow us to make better decisions on possible adjustment etc. If there are any areas of concern they will be discussed here. Because Centurion photos show much more detail than EIB, items pertaining to Centurion might be seen there and not here. We try to point out all we can from what is seen but the final accuracy is the responsibility of the trooper. The CRL states: There should be a minimal gap between the shoulder armor and the chest/back plates. Your shoulder bells show a gap at the top. It should be a simple strapping adjustment to bring them into place. Reference Image: For the left side ab/kidney rivets, the CRL says: Rivets are equally spaced along the depth of the armor and about 10mm from the edge. It could just be the photo, but I would double check how far the ab rivets are from the edge of the ab plate; they look to be a bit far. Reference Image: Moving the rivets would involve filling the holes with ABS paste, but I have the utmost confidence in you and your armor building skills. And that's it! Congrats again from all of us! Now get out there and make The Empire proud!

Fantastic! I was just about to reply that we don't recommend nylon screws for durability reasons, but that if they were painted black and looked correct, that would be fine since the CRL does not specify that they have to be metal. Thanks again for the updated photos - I'll be with you soon.

I will check with the other DOs and let you know. Thank you!

Hi Fernando, Thanks for the extra photos. Unfortunately as @gmrhodes13 pointed out, your TD screws will need to be replaced. Yours are close, but note in the reference photo that he posted above, the top of the screw is flattened, not rounded like yours. I believe that @justjoseph63 has TD screws available, but if you need help locating some, let me know OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable): Clips shall be attached with slotted, pan head style screws, and be black (two per clip). Since you will be replacing the screws, if it is possible to slightly reposition the clip to get rid of this gap between the clip and the TD end cap at the same time, that'd be a nice touch. Thermal detonator belt clips are positioned with little to no gap between the clips and the end caps. Finally, could you please add photos of your left side ab/kidney connection (with no belt - you don't have to wear the armor) so that I can see the rivets? Sorry I missed that the first time. Thanks for your patience.

Hi Fernando, thanks for your submission! I'll be working on your application. Your fellow troopers have already made some good suggestions. Could you also post the following additional photos just so I can see some of the details better? * Close-up of the thigh ammo pack rivet (inside and out) * Clear side view of the sniper knee * Close-up of the thermal detonator screws * Close-up of boots * Close-up of belt/holster attachment Thanks!

Awesome progress on your build! Re the forearms, are you planning on trimming off a notch? If so, something you could also consider is taking apart the forearms and aligning the tops more, and trimming them even on the wrist end, since you don't want any return edge on the wrist end anyway. I don't have an ATA kit so I don't know how well it would actually work.

Hey Daniel, welcome back and thank you for your Centuriom application. Thank you also for making several of the suggested corrections and for providing updated photos. CRL and Centurion Application Requirements: All required submission photos appear to be present. Fantastic job on your build. On behalf of the FISD Deployment team I'd like to welcome you to Centurion. Congratulations! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: In this area we discuss any areas still needing some improvement. Though they will not hold you back from Centurion, Centurion is the elite level of accuracy and what we suggest here will help you reach that. First, great job on the vocoder repaint! It does look like you might still have some paint smudges left, so just a quick pass with a cotton swab and some paint thinner could clean that up: Next, this is almost certainly just a dressing issue, but I thought I'd point out that in one of your updated photos, your ab plate is peeking out from under your chest, so I'd just double check that the strapping there is tight enough to keep everything in place. Reference Image: Another small thing I'd point out is that now that your belt has been given a haircut, you might want to trim the corners of your plastic belt just a touch in order to align them with the canvas. Reference Image: Moving along, I apologize for not pointing this out during your EIB application, but we noticed that the thigh ammo rivet is a bit bumpy. It could just be excess paint, but the original rivets were smooth head single cap rivets so it'd really make things look clean if that fastener was either sanded smooth or replaced: Reference Image Finally, just for completeness, I'll mention again that the corners of your TD clips should be square not round. (I know you said you would get to that; I just thought I'd mention it for the benefit of those who might be viewing your application in the future.) Reference Image: And that's it! Congrats again, Daniel, and get out there and make the Empire proud!

How close are the chest and back tabs to each other (area in rectangle)? I've been staring at your photos for a while trying to figure out what to do with your chest plate positioning, and I'm wondering if actually it might help to drop your whole chest plate a touch: Then it should 'hang' from your shoulders a big more vertically, and I think that will help it sit against your ab plate more closely. Does that make sense? And actually looking back at this post in October, the chest plate seems to sit a bit more snugly against the ab in that fitting; do you recall what you did back then?

Hi Daniel! Thanks so much for your patience, and for making the adjustments suggested in your EIB application. Could you include the following photos: closeups of your boots, as well as closeups of the front and backs of your shoulder bridges. Thanks!