justjoseph63

The D.O.s may ask you to rotate the pauldron back a bit. Just wondering where you are going to holster your E-11. On second thought.... nevermind.

Greetings to all Troopers (and future troopers)! On behalf of the staff, I would like to be the first to announce that we have now completed the next CRL to be added to our roster of approved FISD costumes (making a total of twenty)! As a bonus, a new weapon (the Ascension pistol) has been approved for this ensemble. A link will be added to the existing 501st FISD CRL site on 4/3/23 at 09:00 GMT. As with all costumes, please note that requirements are subject to minor updates. Those aiming for Basic 501st approval are urged to review this CRL for any such changes before submitting to their GML. Requirements for Expert Infantry (listed in blue) and Centurion (listed in red) have been included for those wishing to attain higher levels of approval, and may be submitted to the the D.O. department only after Basic approval is granted. Any questions for the staff or comments can be made on this thread. An announcement (as seen below) will be made on all of our social media platforms: SO, without further ado, we present the newest addition to our approved costumes:

Those are shoulder straps that would be used if you were doing a Sandtrooper build (no ribs) You probably received a strange sniper knee as well... also for Sandies. Hint: Be sure that the top of the ABS sits in the right place. Ideally it should cover part of the bottom button(s) on the ab plates.

If you keep your E-11 stored in your holster it will eventually take the shape of it.

My Hero armor is Anovos, and one thing I was really surprised to notice when I got the kit was that the holster really is superb. Super thick leather. Some makers are made with thin(ner) leather, which can cause an issue when actually trying to insert your E-11 as they just don't stay open enough. Especially tough when you can't see what you are doing with a bucket on, lol. The one with the black straps could be sold to someone doing an ESB build. "Also - save money when you have a hobby as this - said no one ever"! So true. Unfortunately many purchase armor from unscrupulous sellers on ebay for a "great price" then find out it can't even meet Basic 501st approval and are gutted when they find out. An inexpensive hobby this is not, but when done right a nice set of armor from a reputable maker looks truly spectacular and is something to be proud of.

If by "all black" holster do you mean the straps that hold it to the canvas belt? While there was an exception or two (see last pic below) the majority of the straps were the natural tan color, which is what it looks like you are wearing in the photo. Although the CRL doesn't specifically mention the color of the straps themselves, I would stick with the tan ones. Looks like one of the prop makers attached this one on the wrong side, lol.

That turned out GREAT, Chris! You may have already noticed, but make sure before you attach it to the ABS belt that it lines up with the 45 degree angles on the corners. The left side if perfect!

Welcome to the true home of shiny white armor, Brandon! Dave makes an awesome kit, and I'm sure you will be pleased with the quality. As Arthur mentioned, the key to a successful build is research. One way to do this is to look over other people's AM build threads. 2 are now in progress and can be found here and here, but there are lots of others. Fantastic to hear that you are aiming for Centurion right out of the gate! The best way to achieve this is to start your own build thread. That way, you can (and should) ask all the questions you want. Lots and lots of questions. Posting photos will help immensely, especially if you have an issue. A few more hints: Measure twice (or 3 times) before cutting. If you have an issue, don't just "forge ahead". Stop and ask for help. We are here for ya'. When in doubt, ask for advice before cutting or gluing. (Trust me on this one). Posting photos is easy. I have a tutorial here that will help. Lastly, take..... your.... time. Consider your build as a marathon, not a sprint. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Nice job, Shane! I gotta' ask, though.. how does it fit?

While we can't be 100% certain at this point, if it can be proven that this is FN it should certainly be a case of "Buyer beware", and some more research would be in order for sure. BUT, keep in mind that this person is selling 30 of these kits as one package, which I imagine will end up being individually sold on ebay or the like at some point. While all armorers have unique little nuances in their designs, as seen below this one has it's share as well, and to be honest, I'm not a fan of this kit. Depending on the GML it might be fine for Basic approval and maybe even EI with some work, but not for Centurion if that is what someone is aiming for. Here are a few items that would need some updating for screen accuracy: The ab plate button covers are integrated and not separate pieces. The buttons themselves are not integrated into the design and are separate (like SDS and Maker of Things). The small button plate is way too tall. Reference 1. Separate cod. Not a big deal but should be part of the ab-plate. 2. Oddly shaped ridges on lower thigh rears. 3. Overlap design on all limb joins, not cover strips. 1. 2. 3 1. Zero return edges on limb pieces, posterior plate and kidney. Not ideal for those that like a thicker look to their armor, and could cause kidney/posterior plate overlaps 2. Large center button on TD is convex, not concave. Again, not the biggest of issues, but the buttons look more square than rectangular. Length needs to be reduced (easily done). 1. 2. Reference

I always glue/attach the inside cover strips first, and suggest making them wider than the outsides. The reason being is that there is a lot of strain on those seams from opening the calves when suiting up and that will add some extra strength to the join. Another tip is to sand down all surfaces to be glued with heavy grit sandpaper, which gives the glue a better surface to adhere to (be sure to clean them thoroughly after sanding). Be careful on the outside ridges when sanding as to not scratch your armor.

You can definitely go black with the interior as many of us do. It can be a bit tricky, as you will need to mask off any openings (eyes, frown etc.). Many of use Plasti Dip spray, which is a rubber-type sealant. It stinks like crazy for a day or two but then goes away 100%. No matter what type of product you use, be sure to sand down and thoroughly clean the interior beforehand so that the product has a good surface to adhere to and wear a mask or respirator. Overspray can be removed with a NON acetone paint thinner or sometimes even rubbing alcohol. I have a set of extra large black rubber (flock lined) gloves if you want to see if they fit better. If interested just let me know via PM and I will send them to you (no charge).

Overall not a bad fit at all, but there is some tweaking that could sharpen things up for you. One of the first things I would think about is removing the padding from the inside of your bucket (or at least going with a thinner type). It should ideally ride much lower, and this should give you a better field of vision. Having it seated lower would prevent anyone from seeing the inside as well. One thing to consider is the strapping. In a perfect world each side should be pretty close to symmetrical. Raising the right bicep a bit and lowering the forearm would help. As for the thighs, it has to be considered that not all troopers are the same size so allowances should be made. The left side should come up a bit to match the right, but as you can see from the reference images below the gaps are not unprecedented, To keep the posterior plate from riding up, our resident expert on this is Glen @gmrhodes13 so I'll let him show you his awesome method of preventing this. The gloves you are wearing are the rubber type, which is required for Level 3 (perfect). The hand guards that are attached are the flexible type and look to be glued on. Perfect for Level 3 as well.

It looks as if you should be fine here, Terry. Nice job!

Exactly. This should be written in stone (or at least carbonite) somewhere.

Hopefully you can get those separated fairly easily, Terry. It looks as if you may have trimmed a bit too much off of the outside pieces (but let's hope not). Note how the outsides are normally higher: Once you get them apart you will be able to tell better, and If that is the case don't sweat it too much or let it get you down. I've seen far worse setbacks, and I'm sure Dave can get you sorted out with some new ones if needed.

GREAT start. James! I think you could use a few more clamps, though..

Nice work, Jonathan... looks like you are moving along quite nicely!! Excellent job on the tops of the forearms. Just enough (but not too much) of the return edges, which will give them that thicker appearance but not cut into your arms. I noticed that the edges of the cover strips are a little ragged, but it's not that big of a deal since the shoulder bells will cover a lot of it. Your left one has a smooth edge which is spot-on. For the remaining cover strips, I would suggest using a sanding block*** with some 180 grit paper using long strokes to give them a clean straight edge, Smart move by wearing gloves during fitting! A few things to keep in mind: 1. The wrist opening should be just wide enough to get your hand through and leave a little extra room for the glove. 2. Remember that since the hand guards are glued to the glove you will have to put the gloves on after you suit up and tuck them in. It looks like you have the Nomex gloves, and hopefully they are the ones with the longer wrists, which keeps them from popping out during a troop. 3. The forearm should be tapered as much as possible but still allow for comfort/mobility at both ends. My personal rule of thumb is if I can fit 2 or 3 fingers in between the armor and my wrist/upper arm I am good to go. 4. The openings on all your pieces should be sanded super smooth (220 grit or higher) to prevent snags. Trust me, lol. *** A small piece of scrap FLAT wood will do nicely.. just wrap the paper around it. The foam type sanding blocks are great for curved areas, but not really so good for flat ones. Looking forward to seeing your next steps!!

It's best to take off a bit at a time until you reach the desired size/shape of the eyes and teeth. When in doubt, post up a few photos and we can help get you exactly where you need to be!

"@justjoseph63 hopefully will be impressed with the lack of return edge on the wrist! Man, this AM armor really is for the bigger guys! So much extra to cut off". Impressed I am! Looking awesome, Terry. One thing to consider is taking a bit more off of this area: The reason I mention that is because we spend a lot of time with our arms bent while holding a blaster. If it's even a little tight in that area it will start to chafe/cut into your actual bicep. Ouch.

I get the feeling that this build is going to turn out spectacular, Chris! Many folks just forge ahead when they have an issue without asking any questions, and many times they have issues when it comes to approval. You are doing all the right things by asking lots of questions and posting photos, sir, and for that I commend you! Keep up the great work, keep those questions and pics rolling in as well as that positive attitude and before long you will be sporting a fantastic set of armor!

Looks AWESOME, Chris! Not sure how far along you are with the lower parts, but when you get the chance could you post up a photo similar to this?:

Looking good, sir! You can use the excess from the sides for interior cover strips, but glue those in before the outside ones. Nice to see that you removed most of the return edge.. looks perfect!

Nice work, Luciana! If you follow the "guidelines" when trimming you will have a lot of return edges. On some parts that is fine (and expected) but in some other areas more can be taken off. Example: On your bicep tops, removing the excess return edge (as shown) will help prevent them from digging into your arms during a troop, which can get mighty uncomfortable. Reference image You don't have to remove all of it. Some folks like the thicker look, but as seen in the reference image it's actually screen accurate to cut it down. If you decide to reduce/remove it, it's VERY important to do it before final fitting/gluing. If you glue everything together and then find it cuts into you, after taking off any excess you will find that the opening will be too large. This applies to many other areas as well, and I have a thread here that can help. Keep up the great work, and be sure to post lots more photos!

Congrats on your BBB day, Jonathan! Here is a copy of a post I just made this morning on another AM build thread which you may find useful: I know you aren't quite at that point yet, but I wanted to give you a heads-up on something.. The ABS that Dave uses has a UV resistant layer on the outside, meaning that the chances of it yellowing are next to zero (I have a set that is going on 8 years with no discoloration). The reason I bring this up is because it can affect your cover strips. Note that one side will have a smooth, glossy finish and the other has a similar but ever-so slightly scuffed finish (hold it up next to a light to see the surface). The shiny side is the one with the UV protective layer and should face outward, so keep this in mind when sizing/gluing.