JSmails

Thanks Paul. That is a CFO helmet I think, though I'm sure it's a crap recast. I got it from a Garrison member who got it off Craigslist from a guy who likely got it from makerofthings on eBay. Made the best of it. The small of the back suggestion is great. I'll have to take a look at some references. When you spend all your time working to get the front looking correct, other stuff gets neglected. Hmmm. There was a reason I needed to mount the biceps/shoulders in that configuration, but I can't remember it now. I'll have to experiment. I wish I could lower the ab plate. I'll see what I can do, but it's strapped, hard, in place there to preserve the relation to the chest piece. Otherwise when I raise and lower the chest piece, like raising my arms to put on the helmet, it ends up going behind the ab plate. I'll see if I can find a centimeter or two there. Is this thread going to be a record for longest active build thread withou being approved? . Lol. 8 years and counting. Thanks for the help!

Am I the first to move the Rubies knee ammo belt? Hmm. After I get my TD worked up, I think I'll be ready to submit. Let me know if that's the case or if you see something I should change. So today I cut the holes and riveted the knee ammo belt in place. I love the look of it. I know others have flipped the belt, as I had, but I hadn't seen anyone actually move the ammo belt to the correct spot. Next I addressed the greaves and their tendency to show too much black at the knees. I put Velcro on the inside of the greaves then sewed Velcro onto the suit pants. Stand alone greaves. So there it is. TD. Helmet electronics, and finish the E-11 a little better and I'm done. The suit fits really nice, is easy to move around in, and I can put it on and take it off by myself pretty quickly. Thanks for looking. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the help! Honestly, that's as far up as it'll go. The ab piece on the rubies just isn't that tall. I have to strap it in place so that the chest doesn't go too high and flip over and end up behind the ab plate. More work today. Some new snaps in place to cut down the black area in the groin and moving up my shins with Velcro on the legs of my suit to keep it in place. This is about as good as it's going to get with this suit. Pics from today's suit up. How's that for submittal? What shots do I need? I'll shoot them outside in the sun, but it was 25 degrees today. Ish. The right shin I have to bring up too high to cut down on knee black. So I decided to put the knee ammo belt in the correct spot and that will allow me to move the shin down a little. I took out the rivets that I put in recently. That left me with 4 holes. None of them in a spot for reuse when I rivet in place correctly. I was worried about filling the holes then color matching. Then I thought, "Why not just plug the holes with plastic from the suit?" Color match solved. I cut away a section that nobody will ever see: I backed the holes with some plastic glued in place. Then I cut the piece I stole from the shin into small squares and used my dremel to grind out small circles which I plugged into the holes and glued in place. The holes are plugged. I may take some acetone to smooth the edges a bit, but they aren't really noticeable at 6 feet. Tomorrow I'm hoping to rivet the ammo belt in the correct place and then I'll basically be done with all my wearability mods. I can put the entire suit on by myself, no help, in about 5 minutes. I can take it off in less than 3. Then I'll work up some helmet electronics and finish my pipe built ROTJ E-11. Always more to do. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And your TK number will be 5 digits. 4 and 3 digit numbers were taken long ago.

So I spent today adding longer elastic to my stirrups and new thumb loops for my one piece. It's nearly comfortable now. I decided to get dressed up... Here's my first effort after doing all the padding yesterday. I didn't like how much black is showing around the groin area. This is because of the padding in the thighs. My thighs barely fit, so I tore out all the padding and adjusted the strap system to bring them up. Here it is after raising the thighs up much higher. It looks much better IMO. Unfortunately there are large gaps at the knees. I spent most of yesterday trying to figure out a way to keep the shins higher with different padding etc. it seems nothing has worked. How should I pad that out so they don't fall down so far? It's also obvious due to my height, 6'5", there is going to be some black showing. The pieces just aren't big enough. I COULD lower the entire armor a bit, but then more black will be around my neck. Is that preferable to around the knees? If I could just get the shins to stay in place. Where the sniper plate actually covers my knee, I'd be in business. Lastly, besides painting the soles on the boots white, is there anything there that will keep me from basic approval at this point? If so, let me know. I think putting the knee ammo belt in the correct place will help cover some of the black on that knee. Let me know how to keep the shins up higher. Thanks! Always more to do. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was going to go to Walmart tomorrow to pick up some compression gear, but I'm too worried about the sides. Then I remembered that since I started this build, I've become somewhat competent with a sewing machine. So I'm going to try to mod my current suit first. I've been trying to wrap my head around moving the knee ammo band. The moving isn't the hard part, it's filling the holes left behind and somewhat color-matching it. I think I'm going to do it. If worse comes to worst, I'll just have a few holes. Though I should point out, Toddo got EIB with his Rubie's suit and only flipped the knee ammo. I guess I don't understand the EIB requirements if one is allowed to leave something in the wrong place. Basic approval, yes, of course. One should just have a quality costume that makes him look like a TK. But higher standards should be more nit-picky. I spent today just putting padding in in spots. I also got my Stelmax in. O-M-G does that stuff work. Gluing down elastic, what takes E6000 24 hours to do, Stelmax does in about 5 minutes. More to do.

ESB MK2 was white Velcro and not riveted. Some pics from one of the suits on display looks to be snaps underneath with what seems like no rivet on top. BUT, is there any guarantee that suit is anything more than a tour suit? Same molds, I'm sure, but probably setup differently than screen used suits.

You look great!<br><br> Just need to glue some abs into the backs of the drop boxes and paint the soles white and I'd think you'd be well on your way to EIB and Centurion.<br><br> Well done.

Thanks for the reply. I don't know if I want to move it. It's such a big hole. And as you mention, color matching to the armor when it needs to be painted will be tough. Will most likely have to go Endor and dirty up most everything. Also, what are most ROTJ using for undersuits? I've gone with a one-piece suit due to significant gapping on both sides of the armor. With a "shirt/pants" UA setup, I'd be scared the shirt might ride up and expose skin in those gaps. Is that actually a concern or not? Is there a preferred vendor for a 1-piece suit now? Mine is way too tight and uncomfortable. I'd love to go with "shirt/pants" UA heatgear, I just don't know if I should with the side gaps. Thanks!

You're getting there Greg! Nice build. How long did you make your thermal detonator, end to end, and what pipe did you use? Thanks.

I got a little bit more work done on this. I flipped the knee ammo belt and replaced with rivets and painted the rivets white. I also riveted on the shoulder straps and painted the rivets white. Always more to do, but I am inching closer and closer to the finish line, submittal, and possible EIB. Question, if anyone actually reads this.... Knee ammo belt rivets are supposed to be in the upper left on each side. Any idea on how to fill the previous, incorrect, rivet hole and rivet correctly? I could back the hole with something, fill it with bondo, then repaint the entire ammo belt but I don't know if the bondo will stay, and I'm not sure how close a color match I could get. I suppose I could go that route, paint it close, then just dirty everything up and go Endor trooper weathering on everything.

It seems my question from 2015 didn't get any answers. Shortly after posting that I bought a ROTJ helmet kit off a garrison member who went a different direction. Then I didn't have time to work on it until this week. Which is two years plus after my last post. So, not knowing if my modded MRCE will still get the OK for 501st, I got that kit and put it together. Brow trim and neck trim by Vaderpainter off of ebay. Bubble lenses I used a welder's shield and my heat gun. Decals are by TK-4510/Trooperbay. Aerator's are Stomper's with speakers. Some pics.... I hope to finish modding my Rubie's armor soon and submit. Always more to do. My new ROTJ helmet should be good enough for 501st submission I'm thinking. Let me know if you see anything amiss. Thanks for looking.

This is surprising to me. I would have thought we could at least agree that the photos in the costume book should be used as a reference. Every photo shows rivets. But if we need a screen cap, I guess I'll try and frame by frame it when I get time. <br><br> I agree about the TD's. The vast majority on Endor had them. Only the few that didn't were guys who were going to end up on their backs. <br><br> When they knew they weren't filming a fight sequence, on Death Star, with Vader and Luke, every TK had a TD and holster.

I'm glad this is getting resolved. The wording of the CRL in regards to rivets is just weird. Rivets should be the only way to attach to the chest armor for ROTJ. I also think visual assembly, the things you see on screen, should be correct for the higher levels above basic. Not internal strapping that isn't seen, but obvious stuff like the inner over outer forearms. The flat parts on the shoulder bridges cannot be allowed for ROTJ. I've never seen any evidence of the flat part being on any ROTJ costume. I'm not sure I'm behind "No TD" and "No holster" for an Endor variant. Sure, there are at least a few stunt men that didn't wear either, but that was because they were going to be flipped onto their back onscreen. The VAST majority of endor TK's had TD's and holsters. But then again, it's not like those guys were a one-off mistake like Mr No Stripes. It was the stuntmen that didn't wear TD's. It certainly wasn't a mistake. It was a safety thing I am sure. I absolutely know Mark puts his CFO armor together as screen accurately as possible to the best of his ability based on his extensive knowledge. Why anyone would have to mod their CFO armor to be less accurate to get approved is beyond my comprehension. Thanks for moving forward with this Daetrin! It should bring some closure, and sanity, to the often neglected and overlooked ROTJ TK CRL. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The reason we can say the director wanted it that way is because that is what ended up on film. In the hangar scene, every single TK is holding his E11 in his left hand. That's not an accident. ----------- Each and every TK in that scene has a TD and a holster. Again, not an accident. It's how they wanted it. -------------- And ------- Next is the capture of Luke on Endor. Three TK's this time. All left hand, all TD, all holstered. ------- TD as they walk away. --------- Finally Endor. On Endor, when in closed groups, the TKs hold with their left. When they are outside in large groups surrounding the rebels, they all hold right. So there are more holding right than I had originally thought, but the predominant theme is, everyone holds left or everyone holds right. It's definitely instructed. Looking at the surrounding the rebels part, so many TKs don't have holsters. They have TDs for the most part, and when you see a TK without a TD, you can be pretty sure that actor is going to be on his back after a stunt soon enough. In conclusion, rivets, especially for the higher levels. TD, required. Holster, required unless you are going to dirty up the armor and make an Endor trooper. Then it's hit or miss for a holster. But for simplicity, I could see the URL just using the hangar scene for the costume requirements for ROTJ and that's fine too. But you have to allow rivets at all levels and have the inside over the outside construction at the higher levels. Just my opinion of course. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes SOME of the TKs incorrectly hold the E11 with their right hand but the VAST majority hold it correctly as the director wanted it for uniformity. I'd bet it's 10:1. It's not even close. Additionally, in order to draw your E11, you need to reach across your body and pull it out with your left hand as it goes in the holster backwards. I can pull screen caps of each scene and we'll count how many are left and how many are right. It's not worth doing as it won't be close. When TK's are placed as the director wanted, for uniformity, they were instructed to hold with their left. Death Star hangar. Luke's escort on Endor. The only time actors are holding blasters with their right hands, and it's a vast minority, is when they are on Endor after and during fight scenes. When a director wasn't worrying about continuity. The guy Solo flips, I'm sure, was told to hold Solo's blaster with his right hand to do the stunt correctly. TD's and holsters is how they wanted the ROTJ TK to appear as evidenced by the Death Star scene etc. They could have a sub-CRL for Endor troopers that as soon as you weather your armor, you can choose whether you want the TD or holster. When there are official, paid, LFL events, they are going to look at every part of your costume anyway. If they want a TD and holster, and you don't have one, they'll just pass you over. Official LFL events are few and far between and only a select few get to do them. I don't think that part is worth worrying about. For EIB and Centurion, I think how the costume is put together should absolutely matter. Not the internal strapping, just the external what everyone can see. For approval, a TK should be able to have his forearms attached outer covering inner. For the higher statuses? No way. The forearms were built inner over outer. How can a TK be a centurion when I can take any screen cap and point out that difference? There should be NO differences. These are my opinions, of course, and are subject to change. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm a little late to this but I'll chime in. I'm with Mark and TM on this. The CRL needs to be rewritten for ROTJ. I used to be on the side of "TD Optional" for ROTJ, but when you study it as I have, you come around to the TD should be required. Unlike Mr. No Stripes which was a single helmet, there are plenty of ROTJ without TD's. And plenty without holsters. On the Death Star in ROTJ, every single trooper has a TD and Holster. Every single one. Also, every trooper holds their blaster with their left hand. That should be mentioned in the CRL somewhere. I cringe every time I see a group of TK's taking pics all holding the E11 in their right hands. Ish. So the argument is about Endor. The VAST majority of the TK's on Endor have TD's and holsters. If you break it down, the only TKs without TD's are TK's that are going to be doing a stunt where they end up on their back. Lucas etc. didn't want the stunt men hurt in the fall, so they removed the TD's from those stunt actors. The holster should be optional. While most all TK's on Endor have TD's, there are some that have TD's with no holster. Granted, most of the guys with no holsters and TD's are probably the stuntmen that were going to do stunts later without the TD, but had it on for a running scene. While there are "plenty" of TK's on Endor without the TD, many of those without it could be the same set of armor, same stunt man, in different scenes. A breakdown of the film shows that if you were a stuntman that was going to end up on your back at some point, you didn't wear the TD. But everyone else did. And in non-action scenes( DS hangar, Luke Escort on Endor), all TK's had TD's and holsters. Since we in the 501st aren't really "allowed" to base the costume off a stunt look, like a Vader trying to apply with a Bob Anderson see through helmet, the TD should be required. The only ROTJ TK's that didn't have the TD on were strictly doing stunts. But to the first point, the CRL needs to be rewritten to include rivets at all the levels of accuracy. That's how it was done.

See what I mean. I'm with you Skunky/Mark. The costume book clearly shows rivets. But the CRL differs. And before that, the accepted way of mounting them was white velcro like the ESB MK2. So rivets will be right for approval/EIB/Centurion? Thanks for the help!

Hello, I've seen it both ways and the CRL isn't exactly clear. How were the straps connected to the front chest plate? I've been told they were riveted, and the costumes book seems to show this, but the CRL says no visible rivets. The rivets were painted white, though they are visible. How does Skunky do his cfo builds? I'd guess that is the right way. Thanks!

SL-38421 requesting 501st access. <br><br> <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=18098'>http://www.501st.com/members/displaymemberdetails.php?userID=18098</a>

When did this come about? When I was doing my Rubies conversion, the info at the time pointed to only velcro, front and back. I've been through literally thousands of screen captured frames over and over and have never clearly seen the rivet. To contrast this, there are hundreds of frames where you can see the velcro on the back. To further support you though, in all the closeups of the front chest armor, the bridges are way too compressed, IMO, to be velcro'd. They look glued on, or riveted on. And they turn a bit side to side, so the rivet is more than likely, if not known. A bit about the CRL. Shouldn't the CRL cover the VAST majority of on-screen TK's? I know when I was putting my Rubies together, the CRL said that the TD was optional. Which is good, as the Rubies didn't provide a TD. If you look at the movie, about the only time the TK's on Endor aren't wearing TD's is when they are going to be thrown to the ground, or stunts. I'm sure Lucas didn't want them broken. Again, the VAST majority on Endor you can't see the bottom buttons. ALL of the TK's in the hangar scenes you can't see the bottom buttons. And the VAST majority have colored buttons. There are plenty of outliers, of course. The Endor scene was thrown together and Lucas was just trying to get it done. TK's with different boots, blank buttons, TD/no TD, etc. Even the TK holding his E-11 as they are leaving the bunker with the Rebels with their hands behind their heads doesn't have a scope on his ROTJ E-11. The scope mount is still there, but no scope. I will concede the point of rivets. Grudgingly. And now I have to find my rivet gun. Sorry for the hijack OP.

The shoulder bridges weren't riveted on. Not on any actual suit I've seen pics of. Or any closeup during the film. Or John's original suit that is stickied at the top of the forum. White velcro. Tour suits all had rivets from what I've observed. Also, when you get to it, make sure to cover the bottom two buttons with the top of the belt when you rivet it on. In almost no screen caps can you see the bottom two buttons, that is, the bottom one on the straight line, and the bottom, offset button. I guess a simpler way of saying it is you should only see one blue button, the second one from the bottom on the middle plate. I see so many ROTJ's where you can see all the buttons and it's simply not correct. There are exceptions, of course, but I'd say well over 90% of the TK's in ROTJ you can't see the bottom two buttons, and probably a higher percentage than that where you can't see the bottom, offset, middle button. Great start BTW.

Is there a standard go-to for a 1 piece? I am ROTJ and have open sides. I'm pretty sure the band would be showing on anything 2-piece. That or my love handles if the two pieces come apart. Thanks.

Okay, I'm back. After a LONG hiatus working on my Vader, I felt I needed to finish this up. I updated the pics in the first post to have SOMETHING there. All of my old pics are gone and Google wasn't even nice enough to cache them for me. I'm guessing the CRL has changed a bit since the last time I was trying to get this thing to meet approval standards. Is a modded MRCE still acceptable for basic approval, ROTJ? Or do we have to buy a wonky ROTJ to mesh with the Rubies? Or is that only for elite status and above? I'll get some full pics up tomorrow.

How did you do the white paintfill on the scope where the words are? Nice! Also, what glass did you use in the scope for front and back? Thanks! Great job btw.