MaskedVengeance

In keeping with my tradition of lightning fast L2 and L3 submissions after approval, today I have prepared for you @Deployment Officer Team my L2 EI application (with some L3 photos) for the newly-established Beach Trooper. I know I'm blazing the trails with this submission, but hopefully I meet all the requirements as noted in the new CRL. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out! I'm always eager for feedback to improve my kits! UPDATE: I appear to be having some issues with my Photobucket account. If anybody has any tips on how I can remove the watermarks and regain access to my original images it would be much appreciated! Thanks! (@Sly11 and @gmrhodes13 I know you guys have worked on this during your forum cleanup project) Name: Caleb 501st Unit: Venator Squad, Georgia Garrison Helmet: ATA Works Swimsuit: Official CRL bottoms E-11 Blaster: Hellhounds Props (rubber) circa 2019 Height: 6' 0" (183 cms) Weight: 192 lbs (87 kilos) at time of photos. CRL: Beach Trooper Shout out to @TheRascalKing, TK-97253, TK-42077, TK-82077, TK-62345, Casey Kwock, @Morgi, @revlimiter, among many others, for whom I'm forever grateful. Full Body ** * I had some image rotation issues on this one. Sorry didn't have time for a real fix. Action Shot (for the EI Gallery) @gmrhodes13 Suit Details Note: It's unclear if the color of the suit is Humbrol 14 French Blue. It appears to be more of a cross between French and Mediterranean Blue. Definitely not Midnight Blue. Helmet Details Blaster Details Optional Accessories Proposal I know that CRL has only just been developed, but I thought I might take this opportunity to propose an amendment to the optional items currently approvable for this Beach Trooper. I know that screen references are a bit slim, but in the interest accessorizing this minimalistic trooper, I propose the addition of the optional items listed below. Note that I've preemptively modeled the implementation of these accessories for consideration by the appropriate authorities. OT-style thermal detonator (TD) OT-style pauldron (specific color open for discussion) Imperial binders (with belt-clip) * Once again, apologies for the image rotation issues below * * Action Photo (image rotation issue again) Please let me know if any of you have any feedback on any adjustments that the DOs may require for IE, or even Centurion. I figure I might as well shoot straight for the top and aim to be the first L3 Beach Trooper! If only I could look as good as @justjoseph63 at his beach shoot*. If anybody knows a caricature artist local to me or in the Atlanta area, please put me in touch! * * And that's all for now! If all goes well I hope to submit for Centurion very soon, and who knows, maybe I can finally get my first trading card and show off my dad bod. TK-75276 standing by

Bring the rain, guys! (Looking at all you March to 1000 EI troopers) @Sly11 I know you had to have gotten one.

I second what Kyle said. Some gaps are certainly normal. Have fun on your troop!

Look at those beauties!

That's fantastic news, Gary! Welcome! I see that you've already requested the proper forum access, so hopefully in the next couple of day's you'll have Stormtrooper status here on the forum. A great place to start to prepare for EI submission to to post up your basic approval photos for us to see, or even better--take the photos that you'll need to submit for EI so that we can evaluate all the pieces. You can post them here or even start start a build thread in the ANH section. We're looking forward to helping you along on this next step towards EI and hopefully Centurion after that!

Fantastic print work! I need one of those TDs...

Yeah you can almost guarantee that the TKs were practically invisible!

You know, I don't currently own a refillable lighter... To save you guys .02 seconds on google, here's the direct link to the mini-saber. https://hacksmith.store/en-us/products/hacksmith-mini-saber

Man I love seeing blue tape and Lexan scissors! I don’t see anything alarming with your lines. My only suggestion would be to related to photographing for feedback. It’d be easier for observers to have a full body (or upper torso) shot of both arms featuring the biceps and forearms to look at. This would give a true context to each piece, and help with proportional estimations. =)

Yeah buddy! EI on the horizon!

So much L4 going on. Also the camera image distortion sure is making your AP detonator look like a 68mm! Panel isn’t an AM and the end caps aren’t MonCal (FAC), so unless you went out and found an Anovos or RS one I’m still gonna have one in the mail to you this week! Actually you’re getting it regardless; I gotta spread the 68mil religion. Final coat of 1238 enamel goes on tomorrow.

Another platform on which to discuss shiny white plastic!!

Already mentioned it on fb, but congrats on here is also in order! Welcome to the ranks! Now on to your higher level submissions!

Dude these are freakin' amazing shots! to all those involved! Man I can't wait to get my own DLT someday.

And don’t forget to use black ABS or paint the inside of the v-tabs black, so they blend in with your undersuit!

Excellent! Rock on.

Looking good, Terry! And to address the comment about the paint gap near the two ends of your frown/teeth, yes, there were actually gaps on the screen-used suits. I can't quite tell, but it looks like you may have painted over the grey paint with white (which might be acceptable), whereas most builders would just leave a gap in the paint between the two grey areas. Here are the full images that Mario previously shared crops of, from the FISD Gallery.

I need to move to a more densely populated area so I can get in on this armorer action. Keep up the great work, Arthur!!

You're doing great, Jonathan! +1 on Gerald's advice on the forearm rotation. Basically the cover strips (though out your entire body) should be in alignment. Biceps with forearms, thighs with shins. When you do make your cuts, you can either use lexan scissors or the score-and-snap method with a hobby knife. I'm a perfectionist, so I scored-and-snapped, but in reality the straightness of the trim lines isn't important since they will be hidden by the exterior cover strip. Joseph makes a good point about the order of gluing cover strips, and there are actually two schools of thought on the matter. Gluing inner strips first PRO: Slightly easier clamping access if gluing the strip to only once side of armor first PRO: Provides a good base of already-attached armor pieces for placement of the outer coverstrip. Essentially the inner cover strip provides the functional structure, and the outer coverstrip can be installed solely as cosmetic piece and with aesthetic in mind. CON: Related to the point above, this also somewhat sets to plane/curvature of the armor to the flatness of the inner coverstrip, which in reality you want the armor to bend to seat properly to the outer coverstrip. Gluing outer strips first PRO: (see CON above). A perfect (as much as can reasonably be achieved) mating of the armor pieces and the coverstrip can be achieved since the form of the armor isn't influenced by already being glued to the inner cover strip. CON: Can be more difficult to achieve perfect placement of the outer coverstrip since it needs to serve as both the functional attachment piece, but you're also wanting to get it positioned properly for aesthetic purposes. I personally combatted this by taping my limb pieces together on the inside while gluing the outer coverstrips first. Thus the tape held the armor together and I achieved optimal outer coverstrip placement and an excellent seal between it and the armor. To answer your question about where to trim, I suppose that depends on how confident you feel about your lines. If you want to play it safe, don't quite trim to the lines, and then do another test fit to ensure you're happy. You can always trim again, but adding plastic back can be quite difficult. Note that if you do find you've trimmed to much, you can sometimes hide it with a gap between the butt-joint pieces under your coverstrip. This is easiest on your leg pieces that have 20-25mm coverstrips, whereas your arms have less coverage at 15mm. That being said, you can also use wider cover strips on the backward-facing armor pieces (back of biceps, back of thighs, calves) to gain extra extra circumference.

Excellent decision. Cut myself several times, one of which likely should have warranted an emergency room visit. And I literally had my gloves sitting next to me but thought, "these are just a couple small cuts to make." And instead I made a massive cut through my knuckle.

L4 baby!

Haha, just pulled down two of my plug-in ceiling shop lights and clamped one end to the rafters. It's really dark in our storage closet right now; I should put the light back. lol.

First meme of the week on here. Base image by Luca. Soon you will all know the madness.

By @revlimiter Here by popular demand is MaskedVengeance's ever-illusive "Troop Log" 24 September 2022: Not-A-Troop Kit-Up in a Basement/Garage, ANH-S 15 January 2023: Not-A-Troop Kit-Up in a Basement/Garage Photoshoot, ANH-S Total: 2 Breakdown ANH-S: 2 01: Kit-Up in a Basement/Garage The Lead-Up: On the night of September 23rd through 24th, 2022, I attended an overnight armor party in the dining room to continue armor assembly in preparation for my first Not-A-Troop Kit-Up the next morning. The night started off with some cover-strip bonding and every individual [armor] piece in attendance was excited to participate. The whole crew stuck together like glue. Clampers eventually got locked in with their duties and my ABS definitely got a workout. Participation waned a little as the hours stretched on, but strong energy from several dedicated members continued into the early morning. Until the incident. A little after 5:00am a knife got pulled and all Mustafar was let loose. Blood was spilt. It looked like all hope was lost and that the Assembly of Armor would have to disband. But I, the fearless recruit, persevered, shedding all calls for medical attention. The weight of magnets were shed and I belted out/up. The Kit-Up: At approximately noon, after moving to a friend's garage, my 501st buddy helped me suit up for the very first time, blood still dripping as evidenced on the floor beneath me. Shoulder bridges and drop boxes were absent. Arm strapping called in sick. Achilles Thigh Ammo pack was neither raised nor lowered. Belt dangled, snapless, by elastic bands. ANH holster required ESB mods. Rotation and spacing issues were prevalent in the formation. A substitute bucket was called up, sporting a minor league lazy brow, and an orange pauldron crashed the party(foul). But I had done it. I Not-A-Troop semi-Kitted-Up for the first time. (If it could even be called Kitting-Up with so many assembly atrocities). Mission accomplished, for the glory of the Empire. Hopefully I'd be able to Kit-Up again sometime in the future. 02: Kit-Up in a Basement/Garage Photoshoot On January 15, 2023, fours months after my first Not-A-Troop Kit-Up event, and after three years of anticipated participation, I finally FULLY Kitted Up for the first time ever. During my previous Basement/Garage Kit-Up several components of were absent, but this time every piece was in attendance. After all, this Not-A-Troop Kit-Up was a photoshoot for the upcoming Basic, L2, and L3 productions. It was time to look my best. @paradoxb3 was in attendance once more to provide dressing and image capture support, and after several hours of setup and shooting, we were all set. Fun ensued. Great conversation was had. Everybody in attendance loved the program. And thus my second ever Not-A-Troop Kit-Up came to an end. My next planned Kit-Up is scheduled for the week of April Fools... By @Morgi Yo @jsilvius

For truly lineage kits, both the inner and outer forearm pieces are unique. However, some armor makers (such as AP) standardize and make all the arm pieces identical. Here is an image that I clipped from Panda’s build on MEPD which shows TE-derived armor pieces. Dave’s AM armor may not be identical, but there certainly may be some similarities.