TheRascalKing

Welcome, Derek! Congrats on your approval, and I see that you found the proper place to post in order to be granted proper permissions, so you're off to a great start.

Welcome to the FISD, Marcel!

Heck yea. You look phenomenal, my dude. Very exciting to see someone finish this costume to a high level and grace our boards with it so that others can follow in your footsteps and look similarly awesome. While I'm still not a fan of 850's sculpt and ABS in general for these, this is genuinely the best I've seen their armor look yet and is a fantastic build. I agree about the underarm area (difficult just due to the shape of the 850 chest plate/connectors), and would check the trim of the lower section of your posterior against reference photos as well. Only other thing I can see is that the backpack appears to be riding very low and should sit up above the back box. Couple of little adjustments and you'll make for a heckuva CRL model. Great work.

74. Community Science Night - Orange, CA - Fri. 4/28/23 (ANH-S TK #47, FTE #56) Mere seconds later, poor @TattooedStormtrooper walked right into a chair lol

****WIP 23 Thigh Holster Assembly 24. Thigh Assembly

***WIP*** 25. Shin "Kit-Kat" Assembly After prepping and painting your white of choice, it'll be time to attach the resin "kit-kat" accents that go on the LEFT, outer shin. NOTE that the holes on the included template ARE WRONG, DO NOT USE THEM. But you can still use the template to get the kit-kats positioned correctly on the paper, then poke new holes with a pencil into the predrilled recesses on the parts. Then use the template to drill out those NEW holes on your shin armor. You'll note that this is step 25 and comes before shin assembly, as I learned that this is much easier to do BEFORE gluing the two halves together, and had to use a phillips bit with a ratchet to screw them down, after adding a few drops of CA to the faces and kicking with NCF Quick. 26. Shin Assembly Let's build a shin. I'll try to take some additional photos in the future, but trim your two legs out, overlap them, and glue them together, using the clip recess as your guide for alignment and spacing. I used E6000, clamps, painter's tape, and a whole bunch of n52 Neodymium magnets. It's a prestigious award.

Mannn, there are a million different brands of ABS-specific glues and bonding agents, so there's no 100% "right" answer for this, and the one you linked might work great! Many of the products you're going to hear suggested in here are suggested because they are easy to find for most people and have worked consistently well for builders when used correctly in specific situations. Doesn't mean something else won't work even better - it just might not be tried and true. Everyone has their favorite brand from personal experience as well. Same as to what glue to use overall - you just have to look at the different variables and figure out what you need from that bond and what glue is right for the situation. Most of the time, this info is on the product label or can be found online, but you gotta be thinking about things like: - How long does it take to bond? - What type of materials is it made to bond? - How strong is the bond (psi?)? - Will the bond remain flexible? - What viscosity is it and will it run, spread, or craze? - How much product is required and are runs or seepage removable/easy to clean? - Is the bond reversible or removable, or permanent? - What color is it once dry and does it cause discoloration or damage paint? - Is it sandable or gap-filling? - Does it expand or produce heat that may cause warping? - Does it require clamping or a catalyst? - Is it a single or two-part you mix and how is it dispensed? - How does it age? Does it become brittle or weaken over time? I'm decently into this as a hobby but am not an expert by any means, and I still probably have 10-15 different types of glue in my drawer (but use 3-4 regularly). You may not be able to check every single requirement box with the products you have available, but it may be worth buying a new product, or seeing if you are able to compromise to make it work. But that being said, since we're talking DN FOTKs and we're both based in California (glue, like paint, can be regional) - I've mostly been using E6000 (I like the medium size tubes with the pointed tip) on the overlapped areas of the arms and legs where they will need to remain flexible. In areas where I am adding ABS slurry to fill seams (shoulders and ab sides), I wanted the pieces to be a little more rigid and not flex much or ever come apart, to avoid potentially cracking the slurried areas. I used a 2-part Loctite plastic bonder, but I'm not sure I would recommend it due to the color and seepage, but in general it wasn't bad and produced a strong, pretty stiff bond. I put down a couple strips of tape on my bench, then dispensed and mixed/applied it with a small popsicle stick. To apply the greeblie clips and such, I used Satellite City CA Hot Stuff Special T and kicked it with NCF Quick with positive results. Hope that helps!

Awesome work, Marek!

I have quite a few updates to include at some point, but I have been focusing primarily on actually finishing my suit and less on documenting, especially as I can add to this thread with additional photos of mentees I'll be helping build once I've kind of got this all figured out (hopefully). But let's go on a tangent real quick to hopefully help clear some things up - as much as Denuo Novo got right on this suit, and the fact that is a massive improvement in quality and design over the original "Alpha" TFA suits that were briefly somewhat available(?) from Anovos... they still messed some stuff up pretty bad. On a few of these, I remember early on thinking that I was going crazy, but they turned out to be just known errors in manufacturing. Consider this all constructive feedback but unlikely to change, as it's not uncommon for even licensed makers to make concessions in order to make manufacturing easier or less expensive, or to appeal to a broader customer base. In addition, sometimes things are just lost (sometimes literally) in translation between the design (usually stateside) and manufacturing (usually in China), and other things are simply just missed entirely. Let's take a look at what DIDN'T go right on these suits (or at least the one delivered to me) and how we can potentially fix or improve them. I'll flesh this out more and add pictures or any others that I'm forgetting, but let's start with: - The forearms are shaped incorrectly at the wrist and should be larger and more square - The forearms are molded incorrectly at the elbow and are indicated in the instructions to be cut in a shape that is not accurate (not TFA/TLJ/or "Finn Mod", really) - The tall belt pouch is too short to accommodate the ABS panel - All gaskets are sewn inside out, without velcro attached to a potentially L1/2 usable shiny side - Forearm rails provided are TFA style, without a provision for a hex-headed bolt for TLJ - The ABS Standard line TLJ helmet features TFA-style clips (fiberglass Premier seems to be correct) - Several of the included templates in the instructions (like for the "kit-kats" and thigh holster) are just not remotely accurate for drilling holes - The included screws for the belt boxes and holster are too long and will protrude through and damage the part if installed all the way tight. Both should be replaced with shorter ones or a different solution. Though these are almost certainly intentional manufacturing concessions, let's acknowledge that: - All of the resin pieces are beautifully cast, but very HEAVY - I will be replacing several of them - The single-piece resin thermal detonator is more suited to TFA-style, than the 2 piece tube/carriage style for TLJ - Many of the clips need the bottom of the casting reshaped to lay correctly where they go - The included resin holster is not functional - There are visible seams at the sides of the barrel at at the top of the chest/yoke at the shoulder necessary to allow for vacuum forming I'll propose solutions for each at some point in each section of my build, then link them back here in the future, but hopefully at least making people aware will help!

Also, just for the sake of transparency... I'm doing the freakin' slurry on my own suit seams. But I'm doing it for my own interest in accuracy and possible EIB submission, and I'll be documenting the process in my build thread as others have done to try to help future builders. So I have no real personal skin in this game. For me, it's just a logical thing to question (ask me how I feel about rubber gaskets too), and is about recognizing the potential value it may bring to others, even if it doesn't affect me personally. That's dope that the 400 previously approved FOTKs did it, and I'm sure they all look great. I encourage them all to submit for EIB where this requirement belongs.

I'm a bit concerned that a few vocal individuals still seem to be really missing the point of this thread and the core argument being made. WE ARE ALL AWARE AND AGREE THAT THE MOVIE SUITS DO NOT HAVE SEAMS. No question there. No reference needed. The matter in question and the point that is trying to be made is: Disney and LFL approved the Parks suits, the LICENSED Denuo Novo suits, and the Resistance version to represent their character, the First Order Stormtrooper, WITH SEAMS PRESENT in the aforementioned areas for practical reasons. If Disney and LFL are okay with it, why aren't we at Basic? Is the hyperfocus on this detail at the Basic level worth the exclusion of new members and perceived elitism? This proposal is an acknowledged concession in accuracy in order to remove a potential blocker to membership and to help extend the service life of the ABS armor for more troops, and overall imo, isn't something that makes a significant difference to the appearance or impact of the suit. It is not a question of what is accurate or not, of new CRL creation, or even if the seams SHOULD be filled or not, it's about whether this requirement belongs at the Basic level. I'd like to see it go to a vote of the general Detachment. I acknowledge and agree with this as well, but I see this proposal as a possible effort to increase those numbers and show support for builders of FOTKs now that we DO have a consistent, quality, licensed supplier of what SHOULD be one of our CORE costumes. These kits have been out for over a year now, and ONE SINGLE PERSON has submitted for EIB on these forums, which is telling. Some people just want to troop and don't care about the seams. And the Star Wars-loving public doesn't either. Instead of turning people away from Basic membership, let's welcome them to these forums and encourage them to learn more about how to improve their accuracy while we make our push for 1500 EIBs. I can't see how we're going to hit that number any time in the next several years with the ever-increasing difficulty of DO review and revision of existing CRLs. Per the current administration, they "have never dumbed down a CRL to suit one manufacturer"... but I think this is a prime example where there is precedent, a clear argument, and some level of demand to make a logical exception to a standard of questionable value. I appreciate the debate and everyone's input. I feel like the case has been made, and this can always be revisited under future leadership.

Personally, I would remove the reference to requiring rubber gaskets at any level. Given that this costume has no real-world reference, there is no way to confirm that the gaskets should be made of rubber from the toy. Plus, it's a dumb rule anyways, imo.

The list provided by @themaninthesuitcase has been completed up to current for EIB, and then for the last 5 years of EIB approvals with additional data available in the threads that may be beneficial for analysis. Please reach out to @Sly11if additional Staff members would benefit from the information. I hope it helps and I'll continue to add to it as I have additional time, but bringing the EIB list up to present was the real first push.

Shoddy, inconsistent placement of the ear screws - just like the originals, check! haha The glue residue is unfortunate, but at least it's slotted and countersunk. Would probably be best to redrill and move it above the neckseal trim line for those who are going for higher levels. Interesting, thank you for providing!

I appreciate that clarification, Caleb - this really was Todd's idea that I helped push across the line to reality, then several additional folks jumped on it after I shared it with you. I'm delighted they ran with it, but yea I was the one who brought it to the Detachment and wrote the "CRL". The goal is always smiles on faces so I'm glad people got a kick out of it! Here's the Amazon link to the "official" speedo if anyone wants to grab one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G2THW89

Hey Daniel, I don't think anyone has actually submitted or posted a build thread utilizing the proper shock cord and anchor method. I would do some research on the Pathfinders forum to check how people have rigged their MrPaul's shoretrooper pieces, as that system was designed to use them. If you figure it out please post and let us know!

I'll echo the above and request that you only have your blaster in your "action pose" photo. Holding it or even having it holstered blocks and/or changes the way the armor hangs, which is where you need the most help. The suit itself mostly looks good, and we'll do our best to help you get it adjusted properly and across the line! It absolutely helps to have someone who knows TKs adjust you during your photos, so if you haven't reached out to your local unit for help, it definitely is worth it too. Please also include a photo of you from the back. Your shoulder bridges look crazy long but it kinda depends on how they sit as to how much you'll want to trim them.

AWESOME! I'm lazy - what does the Aurabesh say? (But dang, I actually want some of these now.... it doesn't say 501st or FISD on it, soooooo.... challenge coins are a delightfully silly tradition in and of themselves and this is super fun!)

Outstanding job, and big ups to @MaskedVengeance for providing additional reference! Looks like we'll have enough here to add this as an official variant to the proposed CRL!

Thank you all! The Orange County Squad and I send our love. This was in the works for months before we finally worked up the nerve to buy matching "budgie-smugglers" and make it happen. Kudos to Todd M. (@thebearded1ne) for the original idea, Manny D. (@rekked), Scott S. (@TattooedStormtrooper), and Dwight S. (@Dsposato0) for suiting up with me, and to Ryan B. @TKBatchy for providing the perfect jacuzzi location and coordinating with our photographer, Casey K.!

Outstanding submission, Caleb! Though I'm gonna need to see some additional canon reference material to support those accessories, and those Parks binders can get the heck out! haha Got you covered, dude! I have a feeling he knew exactly what he was doing... we're all very impressed lmao

Shoot it over and I'll update and fix it as needed! Email should be in my profile for staff. Noted.

If it doesn't exist already, and y'all can send me anything that does... yea sure. In fact, I've already started and have linked Andrew my draft to see if he thinks it would be helpful.

@Deployment Officer Team If the above exists, I'd sure love a copy just for my own curiosity.

Curious - is there an Excel spreadsheet that contains all of the specs on the EIB and Centurion award recipients over the years?