shashachu

Hola Guillermo! Good to see your application. There are a couple changes that will be needed before continuing with your approval. First, thanks for posting new photos. However, your shoulder bells are sitting too far away in the front (they look fine from the rear). It might be a dressing issue, or you might need to shorten the strapping that is holding the shoulder bells on in order to bring the tops in closer. There should be a minimal gap between the shoulder armor and the chest/back plates. Reference Image: Next, I know you're struggling with the ab/kidney gap, but it's still larger than we'd like to see for Centurion, so we're asking you to try to reduce it furtaher. The gaps in the full-body photos look better than the closeups, so again it might be a dressing issue before you take your photos. Ideally there no gap between the abdomen and kidney armor. Reference Images: Finally, I think you have corrected it, but can you post new close-up photos of the backs of your thigh armor to confirm that you've filled the gaps? Thanks!

Hola Guillermo, Thanks for your application and for the quick fix with the helmet tube stripes, as well as the adjustments to your shoulder straps, shoulder bells, and cover strip alignment. CRL and EIB Application Requirements All required photos are now in and, after review, we are pleased to welcome you to Expert Infantry rank. On behalf of the DO team and myself, many congratulations! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly In this area we review observations made by your fellow troopers and the DO team. Some observations may lead to suggestions to improve the overall look of your armor. Note that we consider both text (CRL) and pictures (screen caps/reference images) when reviewing submissions Starting from the top, the tear decals are quite a bit smaller than the molds of the AFP helmet. Not a big deal at all, but if you're able to find decals that are a bit larger, it would look cleaner: Reference Images: Next, the rank bars look better, but they could still be thicker. Additionally, the outline on the left one is a bit squareish, and could be repainted to be rounder. Reference Images: Additionally, the shape of the vocoder paint could be adjusted to better match the screen-used examples. The AFP molds may simply have a different vocoder shape, but you could consider extending the paint as shown. Reference Images: Next, your helmet is sitting quite high. This may be necessary for visibility, but if you could remove some of the padding at the top, there would be less of a gap between the bottom of your helmet and the top of the back armor and will make it less likely people are able to see into your helmet while trooping. Reference Images: Moving along, your belt is sitting a bit high in the rear. Of course everyone's body shape is different, but if you could move it down in the rear, that would better match screen-used examples. Note that the position of your belt in the front is perfect (barely overlapping the lower ab buttons) so moving the rear down would also change the position of the front of the belt, you shouldn't do it. Reference Images: (Edit: looks like you've already fixed this since I wrote this review!) Next, as was already pointed out, your butt plate isn't fitting you as well as it could. I think you might be able to add or tighten some strapping, but I'd also consider using a hot water bath to increase the curve of the piece so that it wraps around your body better. Especially viewed from behind, you can see the armor piece is wider than your waist. Reference Images: Next, we're suggesting you touch up the paint on your thigh ammo pack rivet. Reference Images: Finally, your blaster grip should not have any weathering on it, as they were black plastic. Reference Images: Centurion Requirements In this section we prepare you for Centurion. More photos may be requested in the future that allow us to make better decisions on possible adjustments. If there are any areas of concern they will be discussed here. Because Centurion photos show much more detail than EIB, items to pertaining to Centurion might be seen there and not here. We try to point out all that we can from what is seen, but the final accuracy is the responsibility of the trooper. Starting at the top, the L3 CRL states: Ear bars shall have only two to three bumps painted in black (rank stripes). Since your ear bars have only one painted black, you should paint one or two more. Reference Image: You've already posted updated photos for two issues that would have been Centurion blockers: the shoulder bell gap and the lack of the shoulder strap white elastic: There should be a minimal gap between the shoulder armor and the chest/back plates. The plastic shoulder straps need to be held down in the back via a white elastic band to the white fabric that connects/bridges the chest and back piece. However, please note that you should take new full-body photos with the corrections for your Centurion application. Next, for L3, the gaps at the bottom of your thighs should be filled or backed with a small square of ABS. This isn't something that's called out in the CRL text, but it's clear from reference images. Reference Images: And that's it! You're essentially already there, so we hope to see your Centurion application soon. In the meantime, please accept our congratulations for reaching the rank of EIB!

Yup! Glen is correct that on ESB helmets the tube stripes should be a single decal. I know Trooperbay sells ESB decal sets, but I'm unsure if there's a better supplier for Europe. There are a number of your fellow Spanish Garrison troopers who have ESB armor, so hopefully they can help you find a supplier.

Hola Guillermo! Could you please post a close-up photo of your helmet tube stripes? I can't tell if they are painted on or decals; for ESB helmets they should be decals: Traps/tears and tube stripes shall be decals (with the correct ESB details), no hand-painting or decals that replicate hand painted. Thank you

Hi Craig, Thanks for your application and the quick turnaround with the frown paint fix and additional photos. CRL and EIB Application Requirements All required photos are now in and, after review, we are pleased to welcome you to Expert Infantry rank. On behalf of the DO team and myself, many congratulations! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly In this area we review observations made by your fellow troopers and the DO team. Some observations may lead to suggestions to improve the overall look of your armor. Note that we consider both text (CRL) and pictures (screen caps/reference images) when reviewing submissions. Starting from the top, we noticed that your tube stripe decals are lifting a bit, so just make sure those are laying nice and flat: Reference Image: Additionally, your ear screws could be countersunk to sit more flush. Reference Image: Next, as was already pointed out, your shoulder straps are floating a little high. You might be able to correct this simply by making sure the white elastic is over the rear of the straps, or you can do a hot water bath to increase the curve of the straps. Reference Image: Next, your shoulder bells are sitting a little high. Note that on your kit the tops of your shoulder bells appear to be floating above your shoulders, when ideally they should sit on top. Reference Images: On the rear, your back plate and shoulder bells are overlapping each other. It's correct that we want minimal gap between the shoulder bells and back/chest plates, but we should avoid overlapping. Reference images: Continuing down, there appears to be a bit of elastic between your hand plate and the forearm. Not sure if this is necessary strapping with the way your kit is assembled, but I'm not aware of the existence of this strapping on the screen-used suits, so worth mentioning. Reference Image: Moving along, as already mentioned, your TD is sitting a bit high: Reference Images: Next, the paint on your TD screws could use a light touchup. It's certainly screen-accurate to have them weathered, but in general we tend more towards the 'fresh off the Death Star' look. Reference Image: Similarly, it's screen accurate to have a worn/weathered belt, but it's a bit sloppy to have loose threads hanging out, so we're suggesting you snip those off. Reference Image: Next, similar to the TD screw paint, your thigh rivet could use another coat of white paint just so in blends in better. Reference Image: Finally, a couple dressing issues on your leg armor. First, your right thigh is hanging a bit lower than your left, and ideally everything is as symmetric as possible. On my own kit, I had the same issue so I added an additional piece of strapping to the rear of my right thigh only to keep it from sagging. Of course once you take a step everything is going to shift around, but we like to have everyone looking their best in their L2 and L3 applications. And as was already pointed out, your right calf closure has come open, so just make sure everything is closed when you take your Centurion photos. Reference Images: Centurion Requirements In this section we prepare you for Centurion. More photos may be requested in the future that allow us to make better decisions on possible adjustments. If there are any areas of concern they will be discussed here. Because Centurion photos show much more detail than EIB, items to pertaining to Centurion might be seen there and not here. We try to point out all that we can from what is seen, but the final accuracy is the responsibility of the trooper. Again starting with the helmet, the L3 CRL states: Thanks for the updated photos of your ab/kidney. For EIB it's ok to have a slight gap, but for Centurion, there should be no gap. Additionally, the tops will need to align, as stated in the L3 CRL: Ideally there no gap between the abdomen and kidney armor. Abdominal and Kidney Plate align horizontally at top. In your case I think this is definitely just a dressing issue since we already know you can close the gap even more than necessary, and of course everything will sit better when you're wearing your actual undersuit. So just double check the alignment before taking your Centurion photos. Reference Images: Next, the L3 CRL states: Drop boxes are vertically aligned with the end of the ammo belt with minimal gap between belt and box. As was already pointed out, your dropboxes tend to wander a bit inwards sometimes. They actually look perfect in your Pajama TK photo, so it could be simply the photo angle, or you might need to add a drop of glue to the drop box elastic to keep them in place. Reference photos: Finally, unfortunately your ab snap is placed too far inwards. This isn't something that's explicitly pointed out in the CRL text, but we do use reference photos when doing our reviews. In order to fix this, you would need to drill out the snap, set a new one in the proper location, then fill the old hole with ABS paste. It's a bit tedious but many troopers have done similar fixes and if done correctly, it's totally invisible. Another slightly unorthodox suggestion would be to trim some excess off your ab plate so that the snap is sitting in the correct place relative to the edge of the right side of the Ab. This is a relatively drastic change and I'm only suggesting it because you appear to have a lot of room in your ab/kidney area based on the amount of overlap you had in your submission photos. Again, I'd think pretty hard before doing this because it could also misalign the right side seam, but it's an avenue you can consider. We won't break out the ruler to confirm the placement for your Centurion submission, but it should look visually correct when compared to the reference photos. Reference photos: And that's it! You have a great build that fits you really well, there are just a few items to take care of before your Centurion application. Until then, please accept our hearty congratulations in reaching the rank of EIB!

!! My mistake. You're completely right. Be with you soon.

Hi Craig, Thanks for your patience. I apologize, but I do need another photo of the rear of your blaster to ensure there's a D-ring, which is a L2 requirement. I swore I posted about it already but I must not have submitted the post. You're almost there!

Hi Craig! I'm the DO who will be doing your review. Really nice job on your build, and thanks for already jumping on some of the issues that Glen has pointed out. Before we proceed, I'm going to need a couple small changes. First, as Glen pointed out, it appears your frown paint needs a little cleanup, as the frown paint shouldn't leave the 'teeth' and go onto the 'gums'. If you look at the reference photos, the screen-used helmets were actually almost underpainted. I've pointed out a couple areas that I can see, but definitely take a close look and see if there are any other areas that need cleanup. It hopefully should be a relatively simple fix; just a few minutes with some paint thinner or mineral spirits. (Note that for ESB reviews, we sometimes use ANH reference simply because of the lack of clear reference of ESB suits.) Reference photos: Next, could you please suit up again to demonstrate how your kit fits without the ab/kidney overlap? I'm fine if you only do the torso area (i.e. no need to do arms and legs or helmet), I just want to get a better photo of how the kit fits you without the dressing issue. Ideally the ab and kidney should sit flush with no gap, but also no overlap. Reference photo: Finally, can you post a photo of the *inside* of the rivet that connects your thigh ammo pack to the thigh piece? This is simply to confirm the type of rivet used. Thanks!

No worries. Thanks for the update, Justin. I just never want people to feel like they've been forgotten. We will definitely be here whenever you all are ready.

Checking in again - let us know if you need anything from us!

Hi KC, I appreciate your patience. Thanks for your application and for the frown paint fix. CRL and EIB Application Requirements All required photos are now in and, after review, we are pleased to welcome you to Expert Infantry rank. On behalf of the DO team and myself, many congratulations! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly In this area we review observations made by your fellow troopers and the DO team. Some observations may lead to suggestions to improve the overall look of your armor. Note that we consider both text (CRL) and pictures (screen caps/reference images) when reviewing submissions Starting with the helmet, I know Anovos helmets come pre-painted and pre-assembled, but the vocoder paint could be cleaned up: Reference Images: Moving on to a couple dressing issues, keep an eye on your arm cover strip alignment when getting dressed. Of course it's going to change the minute you move around, but we like to look our absolute best during the L2 and L3 submissions. Next, as was already pointed out, your biceps are sitting a bit high. This may be necessary for mobility, but ideally we want to minimize the black gaps showing, and if you dropped your biceps and forearms you might be able to reduce the gap at the elbow and wrist. Reference Image: Next, it's correct that the belt should touch or slightly overlap the bottom ab buttons, but your belt is sitting just a touch too high. This is an area of some degree of variation, but most of the screen-used examples we can find don't have the belt covering the bottom buttons quite so much. Reference Image: Continuing on, it again could just be the photo angle, but your TD is sitting quite high, so you might see if you can push it down further, or possibly 'unroll' the clips so it sits lower. Reference Images: Next, your butt plate is sticking out just a bit so you might try double checking the strapping. I also noticed the return edge is quite thick, so you could consider trimming it back some so it lies flatter. Reference Image: Moving along, as was also already mentioned the sniper knees were trimmed in a more angular manner vs the softer curve you have. Should be a pretty quick improvement. Reference Image: Finally, another dressing issue. Next time you're getting suited up, have someone check the alignment of your calf closures. A very small detail, but it helps clean up your look. Reference Image: Centurion Requirements In this section we prepare you for Centurion. More photos may be requested in the future that allow us to make better decisions on possible adjustments. If there are any areas of concern they will be discussed here. Because Centurion photos show much more detail than EIB, items to pertaining to Centurion might be seen there and not here. We try to point out all that we can from what is seen, but the final accuracy is the responsibility of the trooper. Starting from the top, the L3 CRL states: There should be a minimal gap between the shoulder armor and the chest/back plates. Your shoulder bell gap from the front looks great, but on the rear the gap is larger than we'd like. It may even be just a matter of adjusting the bells slightly so they are positioned more evenly. Reference Image: Next, your arm armor is very large compared to your arm size. We absolutely welcome troopers of all different body types, but we do expect that for our highest level of approval, the armor is sized appropriately to the wearer's body. From the side the arm armor looks the right size, but from the front and rear, they're quite large. We've noticed this a lot recently with Anovos armor so it may be a matter of how the arm pieces are shaped. In order to size down the biceps and forearms, you'd need to carefully remove the cover strips, trim back the pieces some, and re-glue them. A hot water bath may also be helpful in re-shaping the curve. Reference Images Next, I suspect this is actually more due to the angle of the photo than anything, but your dropboxes don't seem quite aligned with the end of your ABS belt. The L3 CRL states: Drop boxes are vertically aligned with the end of the ammo belt with minimal gap between belt and box. If necessary, you can add a drop of glue to the elastic holding the boxes on to keep them from wandering. Reference Image: Finally, a couple issues with your blaster. First, your Hengslter counter is mounted too far back. As you can see in the reference photos, the rear edge of it does not go past the rear of the sight. Second, as the T-tracks were black plastic on the real blasters, they shouldn't have any metal weathering on them, so we're asking you to just cover up those weathering spots with some black paint. Reference Images: And that's it! You do have a bit of work to reach Centurion, but you truly have a lovely build, and I have full confidence in your abilities to make the necessary changes. As always, please reach out to us or any of your fellow troopers for assistance. Until then, please accept our congratulations in reaching EIB!

Hi James, Thanks for your application and for the fixes with the hovi tips, paint, and shin. Those weren't small fixes, so we appreciate you taking the time to go the extra mile. CRL and EIB Application Requirements All required photos are now in and, after review, we are pleased to welcome you to Expert Infantry rank. On behalf of the DO team and myself, many congratulations! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly In this area we review observations made by your fellow troopers and the DO team. Some observations may lead to suggestions to improve the overall look of your armor. Note that we consider both text (CRL) and pictures (screen caps/reference images) when reviewing submissions First, a couple dressing issues. When getting dressed, ideally the left and right sides of your armor are as symmetric as possible. In your photos, your biceps are sitting at different heights, making your left forearm lower than the right, and it runs into your left handplate. Obviously everything is going to shift around once you start moving, but we like our EIB and Centurion submission photos to represent the ideal state of your armor, so keep an eye on those when getting dressed, and adjust any strapping as necessary. Reference Image: Next, as was already pointed out, your thigh armor is sitting quite low, leading to pretty large black gaps at the top of your thighs. Ideally we want minimal black showing, but when there are gaps, it helps to have them even. The current thigh position could be necessary based on the shape of your body/mobility, but if you can bring them up further, it would even out the gaps between ab/thigh and thigh/shin, leading to a cleaner look. Reference Image: Next, on the screen-used suits the ends of the TD clips are squared off, and the screws sit closer to the end of the clips. Obviously to correct this it would require getting new TD clips, so it's not a big deal but worth mentioning nonetheless. Reference Image: Moving along, your butt plate is sticking out a bit. You might consider tightening the strapping at the sides of the butt plate to keep it closer to your body. Reference Image: Another small issue is that on the screen-used suits, the sniper knees tended to be trimmed in a more angular manner, rather than rounded. Finally, really nice job on the coverstrip fix on your shin armor. As was already pointed out, your cover strip is a bit long so should be trimmed. Reference Image: Centurion Requirements In this section we prepare you for Centurion. More photos may be requested in the future that allow us to make better decisions on possible adjustments. If there are any areas of concern they will be discussed here. Because Centurion photos show much more detail than EIB, items to pertaining to Centurion might be seen there and not here. We try to point out all that we can from what is seen, but the final accuracy is the responsibility of the trooper. Starting from the top, the L3 CRL states: There should be a minimal gap between the shoulder armor and the chest/back plates. Yours actually look quite good, but we'd like you to try to reduce the gap even further, especially at the top. You can tighten the strapping holding the bells on, and I also noticed that your lower return edge on the shoulder bells is quite thick; trimming that back or completely off will really help bring the bells closer to your body. Reference Image: Next, the L3 CRL states: The top of the ABS ammo belt should sit at or just above the bottom of the central and vertical abdomen button panels. Yours is sitting just a bit too low. On my own kit I added two small strips of Velcro to keep the front of the belt from sagging. If you check out the reference images, you'll notice that the ABS belt should touch or even slightly overlap the bottom ab button. Reference Image: Next, you've done a nice job on your left-side rivets; unfortunately the placement of the lower rivets are too low. The L3 CRL states: Three rivets, approximately 5/16"(8mm) diameter, are present on the left side of the abdomen armor. Rivets are equally spaced along the depth of the armor and about 10mm from the edge. Looking at the reference photos, you'll see the lower rivets are a good bit above the ridge separating the ab/cod so yours will have to be moved up. Note that once those are moved up, you may also need to move up the middle rivets as it could throw off the spacing. You don't need to take the measurements in the reference image as hard measurements (we won't take a ruler to your armor) but it they should look correctly spaced. It will require drilling out the rivets, then filling the holes with ABS paste. A good bit of work but many troopers have done it successfully. Reference Image: The last issue we're going to have you fix before applying to Centurion is your bicep and forearm sizing. There isn't anything specifically called out in the CRL text, but we use reference photos to do our reviews as well, and compared to the screen-used suits, your arm armor is very large compared to your body. Fortunately, this should be a relatively straightforward fix. You should be able to remove the cover strips, then trim the armor equally where they meet. A hot water bath to reshape them may also help. Reference Image: There are a few fixes necessary for your Centurion application, but we have every faith in your skills, and the DO team as well as a whole army of troopers is here to help you along the way. Please feel free to reach out if you need anything. Until then, please accept our congratulations on reaching EIB!

18 to go, congratulations to Scott, TK-41469 of the Dune Sea Garrison, Centurion #482!

Hi Scott, I appreciate your patience through this review process. Thanks for the quick fixes as well. CRL and Centurion Application Requirements All required photos are now in and, after review, we are pleased to welcome you to Centurion! On behalf of the DO team and myself, many congratulations! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly In this area we discuss areas that could benefit from additional improvement. Note that we consider both text (CRL) and pictures (screen caps/reference images) when reviewing submissions Starting from the top, your vocoder paint is a little rough around the edges. Of course there was a lot of variation on the screen-used helmets, but in the 501st we err more towards the 'fresh off the Death Star' look, so next time you're doing armor maintenance, we're suggesting you spend a few minutes to clean up the edges. Reference Image: As mentioned above, your helmet is sitting pretty high compared to the screen-used helmets, so if it doesn't affect your visibility and mobility too much, we're suggesting you reduce or remove the padding at the top of the helmet to get it to sit a bit lower. Reference Images: Finally, your biceps appear to be sized a bit large compared to your arms, so you could consider sizing those down to maintain a slightly sleeker look. Reference Image: And that's it! Congratulations on reaching Centurion. On behalf of the DO team and myself, please accept our hearty congratulations.

Hi James! Looking closely at your submission photos, I can't tell what color your TD screws are. They appear to be silver, but it could just be the lighting in the photo. If they are silver, they will need to be painted black for EIB. If they are indeed black, we'd appreciate another photo with clearer lighting so we can confirm. Thank you

Hi @Crow2xs, just checking in to see if there's anything you need from us. There is certainly no hurry, and you should work on your application on your own time, but I want to be sure that we're not blocking you. Thanks!

Thanks, James. Nice job bringing in the frown paint but after some discussion the DO team is requesting you clean up the edges a bit. We don't expect perfection, but we'd like to see it a bit cleaner. Should be just a few minutes with some mineral spirits and a cotton swab. Additionally, we noticed you missed painting the last bit of the frown.

Awesome work, James! If you wouldn't mind, could you please post a photo of you wearing the new shin armor? I'm fine if you just want to wear the boots and shin armor. Would just be nice to see the finished product on you.

Hey KC! Thanks for the closeups of the frown. It does appear that the teeth are *touch* overpainted. I've indicated in the photo where I can see, but you should check the tops and bottoms of each tooth and make sure there's no paint at all on the gums. It should be a pretty quick fix with some paint thinner and mineral spirits. If you look at the reference images, you'll see that actually most of the screen-used helmets actually err on the side of underpainting. You're almost there. You have a beautiful build, and you're definitely in good hands with Ardashir helping you out.

Hey Scott, Thanks for the ear screw fix, and apologies for the initial miscommunication. Could you please post close-ups of the wrist side of your forearm armor? The L3 CRL states No return edge on the inside of the front of the forearm is allowed. I can sort of see them in your arms raised photo, but a closeup would be helpful to confirm that there's noreturn edge. Next, this was listed as a suggestion in your EIB application but per the CRL should have been a Centurion requirement. The L3 CRL states: The top of the ABS ammo belt should sit at or just above the bottom of the central and vertical abdomen button panels. Yours is sitting a bit low: Reference Images: I had this same issue with my Centurion app and have added a couple small strips of velcro to the front of my ab armor to keep my belt from sagging. I really appreciate your patience in this review; I have been swamped at work and have been peeking at applications on short breaks so I'm definitely not operating at full capacity. You have a great build and you're almost there - we'll get you over the finish line soon. Thanks, Sha Sha

I have no problem with these gloves. I'd wait for another confirmation from Mario or Joseph but I'd personally pass those.

Apologies; I looked at your application too quickly - I just saw you do have a photo showing the Han snap. To proceed with your application we'd still need an updated photo without the back/kidney overlap. I also noticed that it looks like your lowest right helmet screw is sticking out a bit more than we'd like. L3 CRL states Ear screws shall be slotted, flat topped, countersunk and painted white. It wasn't obvious if your EIB application because the screw was partially covered by the helmet S-trim. Reference Image:

Hi Shawn, Thanks for your patience and for the fixes with your belt. CRL and Centurion Application Requirements All required photos are now in and, after review, we are pleased to welcome you to Centurion! On behalf of the DO team and myself, many congratulations! Other-Armor Fit/Assembly In this area we discuss areas that could benefit from additional improvement. Note that we consider both text (CRL) and pictures (screen caps/reference images) when reviewing submissions Nice job with the belt fix - it looks much better now. Ideally it'd still have bit of a firmer appearance - the originals were thick canvas. Not a blocker, but something to consider should you find yourself needing a new belt in the future. Reference Image: And that's it! Really beautiful job on your build. On behalf of the DO team, please accept our hearty congratulations on reaching Centurion!

Hey Scott, Looking through your photos, it still looks like you're missing the photo showing the 'Han snap', which is an L3 requirement: A single male snap on the top right corner of the ab plate is present. Reference Image: Finally, as Glen mentioned, we'd like no or minimal overlap between the back and kidney. The overlap isn't present in your EIB application which makes me think it's a dressing issue. Could you take a look and post updated photos? Thanks!

@Rob .T . It's really a formality, but could you please copy in the required information and the photos from your EIB application into your Centurion application? A lot of troopers used these threads as guides for their own builds, and your EIB thread had a lot of great updates to it, so we'd like to see all the latest and greatest photos here in your Centurion application. Thanks!