FencingCorvetteTrooper

Well, I know it's been a few weeks since we got approval and our first troop under our belt, but thinks have picked up with work, so waiting to get over the hump in order to start trooping again. In the meantime, picked up a few pointers and made a few updates that I felt would be good to share so others could use the knowledge as needed - troopers helping troopers! First up though - a few pictures from our first troop. It was the Miami Marlins Star Wars night, and it was a blast! While my son couldn't troop due to this being an official LFL event, he still attended and did an amazing job as a handler (looking forward to his first official troop alongside of us next month). With the adrenaline pumping, I don't think my brother and I could volunteer to go out over the course of the evening fast enough. We'd come back in, hydrate and then head right back out over the 4 hours. Here we are with our first actual troop moment as we welcome fans at one of the gates. It was outside in the heat, but we survived the 30-40 minute post with flying colors! After we came back, we got all of the TK's together and posed with our boss. My brother is to Vader's right and I'm peeking over Vader's right shoulder from the second row. Here I am, second from the left, with my comrades guarding the first base line before the ceremonial first pitch... On our way to a fan meet and greet, we all immediately noticed the industrial backdrop provided by the freight elevator and had to strike a pose. I'm on the far right and my brother is second from left. Here we are guarding home plate. I'm all the way at the top of the circle and my brother is third from left (amazed how I can tell us apart, huh? LOL) Finally, some of the group shots. We had an awesome turnout of around 30 legion members and can't wait for next year!

And thank you for always quickly getting back to us with our questions and providing invaluable assistance!!

Congrats and welcome aboard!!

We had the same thing. When the velcro is on there it helps to close the gap a bit, but you should be OK. The important thing is that the cover strip is doing it's job and covering the joint. If someone at a troop is looking that closely and points out a tiny gap like that, you're in your right to tag them with your blaster (set to stun of course)...

Awesome job and thanks for the shout out! as for the Velcro, ours is doing just fine with no sign of wear or looseness and I'd say we must have put them on and off at least 20 times between fittings, submission pics and one long troop so far. I find that instead of pulling/ripping the two sides apart, it seems better to get a finger or two wedged in and then slowly work your way up or down, separating the two halves with your fingers. Also, when storing the shin pieces, I don't Velcro them together. I just tuck one side under the other if that makes sense. Whether it helps or not, we'll see but for now it at least makes me think so! LOL

Thanks David! I wasn't sure about those holster straps as I could swear I've seen both tan and black being used. But that's an easy enough fix. As for the mic tips, I actually had that on a to do list early on in the build and that got completely missed in all the build activity. Again, an easy fix. Now just patiently waiting for that "welcome to EIB post"....

Congrats and the Florida Garrison just keeps getting stronger!

Yeah, just got this response when checking in our any less than perfect stock in our sizes: "At this point in time, it's not proven cost-effective to produce a high quality, handmade leather boot and try to sell them at a price competitive to the massive influx of low-quality plastic and vinyl boots which are flooding the 501st. While we helped to start and suit up the original 501st over 20 years ago with our armor and boots, the quality level of the club has changed tremendously, progressively declining. If something changes, we may fire-up production, but at this point in time, we'll probably be shutting down." As noted above, really curious as to the reference to the change in the quality level of the club. Since joining FISD back in May and going through our build, I only saw everyone striving for as high quality and perfection as possible!

Thanks Joseph! Although I would be wrong to not mention that with the exception of the ears, teeth and voice decoder, the rest of the helmet is finished with decals! The ab buttons are decals as well. Would I need to replace that with hand painting for Centurion? Definitely appreciate the feedback and yes, would like to aim for Centurion shortly after. I wasn't sure if I had removed enough of that forearm edge, so will definitely do that. As for the belt, I thought I was OK where I had placed it as I went off of Tony's threads (of course I could have misinterpreted the measurement). Recommendation for fixing that without having to punch new snap holes in the abdomen? Thanks!

Personal Information Name: Gary Cardenas Height: 5' 10" Weight: 178 lbs. FISD Name: FencingCorvetteTrooper Legion ID#: 72313 Profile Page: https://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=25957 Garrison: Florida Garrison / Everglades Squad Build Information Armor Maker: AP (Authentic Props) Helmet Maker: AP (Authentic Props) Blaster Type: E-11 QuestDesignCanada Boots: TK Boots Canvas Belt: AP Hand Plates: AP Electronics: Aker 50W Amp, TrooperTalk Neck Seal: Darman's Props Holster: AP Thank you for your time, consideration and feedback!! Submission Photos

All geared up and ready for my first troop tonight at the Miami Marlins baseball game! My brother, son and I started this build journey at the end of June with today as our goal, and we did it! Three TK's in 3 months! Met a lot of great people so far on this journey, both here on FISD and within our squad, and looking forward to serving the Empire alongside our 501st brothers and sisters! TK-72313

Just bought that same top as well as the pants. It's covered so shouldn't be an issue. The important thing is that the seams are black stitching. The original top I ordered showed black stitching but when it arrived, it was a light gray and wasn't going to cut it.

Glad my thread can be of help! I know it's nowhere near as detailed as some of the ones I have seen, but good to know it's still helpful. Troopers helping troopers! Really nice job on the bucket too!

We got approved!! Don't know what was more exciting - BBB day or 501 TK email day!!! So psyched for our first troop this Saturday at the Marlins game and grateful for everyone who helped us throughout our journey! I've already started tweaks and adjustments though (pictures to post later), and so begins the never ending saga of armor maintenance and modifications. Obviously, first stop is EIB, then Centurion, but definitely looking into possibly transforming into a HWT. One step at a time though... Long live the Empire!

Hello! Kindly requesting access! Gary Cardenas TK-72313 Florida Garrison/Everglades Squad https://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=25957 Thanks!

Happy Birthday! Love the way the forearms came out especially that cut up at the top with the cover strip. Apologies ahead of time, but I think I am stealing that and doing it to my forearms as well!

And we would be remiss to leave out my son. Even though he doesn't get to apply to the 501st for another 2 years, we built a suit that will hopefully still fit him by the time he's 18 and that can eventually get that EIB and Centurion designation. As with our other two suits, comments, feedback and improvement are definitely welcome! The smile you can only get when you don the white armor and become a living action figure! And of course the action shots... Just chillin with his DLT... And finally, striking a pose with his uncle... It's been a great bonding experience for the three of us and looking forward to many troops together as a mini TK squad!

Tonight, my brother came over and we got him suited up and took his submission pics. And of course a couple of action shots...

Of course, this wouldn't be a build thread without some submission pictures! I took care of mine tonight and my brother and son are up tomorrow. Enjoy and please feel free to provide feedback and critique. Our goal is Centurion, but we know we have to get to Expert Infantry first. We have all the required elements needed for Centurion, but understand there may need to be some tweaks to the fit of the armor. And of course the action shots...

And so here we go - we made it down the home stretch! The past week was essentially focused on getting our belts done. We first measured out for the snap holes on the torso...then we measured again....and then one more time. We followed UKSWRATH's build thread and used the measurements listed there. 15mm from the bottom edge and 59mm from the leftmost ridge and 28 mm from the rightmost ridge. Total distance between the two is 343mm. Once set, we drilled the holes, then proceeded to have some fun placing the snaps. I say fun because the curve of the torso piece and location of the hole didn't leave a truly flat surface to place the snap tool and hammer. From there, it was time to measure for the snaps on the actual canvas belt. Again, we measured numerous times and also ensured that we were installing everything on the correct side of the belt. Once installed, the canvas belt snapped in to the torso perfectly! From there we attached the plastic ammo belt... Then it was time for the drop boxes and holster.... We used velcro for now with the thought that we may use the drop box for storage. If it winds up not being practical, we'll go back and glue the front and back together. On the left side, we made sure to cut out accordingly so we didn't cover up the snap. We also used a little velcro between the strap and the canvas belt to help keep the strap in position. For the holster, we measured out and punched the holes and then used Chicago screws to secure the holster to the canvas belt. Not too shabby once it was all together... And after a little while we had three lovely suits of armor waiting to be worn... And so with that, my brother and I are proceeding with our submissions for 501 basic approval! In the meantime, my son just sits back and chuckles at us as he already has his Galactic Academy CTK number. While we know the build never really ends, at least we have reached this major milestone. Have to admit, I didn't think we would get here this quickly considering none of us had ever done this before, and we were attempting 3 builds at once! But looking back, it was an awesome experience and we couldn't have done it without the help of so many people here on the forum and within our local squad. We can't wait to get out there and start representing the 501st and bringing smiles to everyone's faces!

We wound up leaving ours on (good to know that either way doesn't impact Centurion), but so far, we haven't had any comfort issues with the return edge on the thighs. Guess we will know for sure when we've walked around for more than 30 minutes! Great progress and keep it up!

Aaaaaannnndddd, we're back!!! Continuing to send out positive thoughts and prayers though to everyone out there still dealing with the aftermath of that cursed storm. We got really lucky down here; got away with just a lot of trees down towards the back of the property, two days without power in 93+ degree weather (a big hurrah for our generator though!), and a huge cleanup around the pool and patio, but everyone was safe and sound. Of course as part of the prep, had to make sure all our hard work was safely stored away... But I actually did a little work on some of the minor stuff the night before the storm since we had nothing else to do and were hunkered down. Everyone got the needed velcro to attach to the straps that connect our shoulder bells to our shoulder straps, as well as the bicep to forearm connector straps... I also used a little velcro to help get a more precise and flush fit on the corner edges between our butt and kidney plates (the butt plates tended to have a little "flare" to them)... Finally, I started to tackle the belts, which along with gluing our thigh to belt straps, are the last items on the list. Found a little tip to mark the top of the belt to help avoid accidentally flipping the pieces while making hole marks and assembling. While I got a good head start, I suddenly realized I was missing more split rivets to attach the ammo belt to the canvas belt and the Chicago screws for the holster!! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get out to Home Depot or Michael's right as the first rain bands started, so I found what I needed on Ebay and Amazon and placed my order. Thanks to the storm they won't get here until later this week, so we will see how it goes. Hoping to be able to submit for approval by next weekend's armor party! And to make things a little more interesting, and keep us motivated, we had a special delivery hit our doorstep just today.... These Hyperfirm DLT's are AWESOME!! They are huge, but lighter than our resin E-11's. Can't wait to put them to some fun use, although if anyone has any tips or suggestions on how/what kind of strapping can be made or purchased for these, please let us know.

Yeah, just finished clearing everything out of the backyard pool area into the garage, and shuttered all the windows (accordion shutters - best investment I ever made!). Water and food supply in check, just need to see if I can top off gas in the wife's car on my way to work tomorrow. Trying to see if I get a chance to get my mind off things over the next day or two and just work on finishing up all the loose ends, but kinda tough to focus on anything else right now. At least I went ahead and cleaned up my office, which was a disaster with tools, plastic and boxes everywhere - now all the armor is sitting pretty in the Husky box and the torso's are on hangers in the laundry room LOL. If I don't talk to you before then, stay safe!!

Thanks Shane! Yes, may she head out to the open waters and leave us all alone!

Trying to! Now having to deal with all this hurricane crap; praying it heads in a different direction! By the way, when we're ready, do we apply at the 501 legion website and at the same time email our photos to the Florida Garrison Leader? Just want to make sure we can avoid any delay.