Lorelei's 5'4" ATA ANH-S Centurion-Hopeful Build

[TheLorelei[TK]]

I got a brown box yesterday. Not THE Brown Box, but A brown box, it had my boots in it, and my heart fluttered when I saw it. I can hardly imagine how I'm going to feel when I see *the* BBB if just this little one made me feel so many feelings. I can't wait even more now.

 

(Grubby work bench didn't seem worthy of holding it - but such is work)

 

As seen in the title, I'm Lorelei, and Cricket's build thread has left me quite confident that I can attain Centurion as an ANH stunt TK despite being 5'4", 120lbs (thank you, Cricket!). I hope to make this an inspirational thread... or maybe it will all go to pot, and we can have a jolly good laugh while I order replacement parts. I can see it going either way. Regardless, I'm not going to quit until it's up to snuff. Join me! Joseph's list of required build items seems quite daunting, but I'm working on it. My build notes are getting longer and longer... but here's what's what with anything that's anything. Starting with the easy one:

 

BOOTS

Totally Killer Boots. Got my small female foot sized in a large men's Brannock device at a shoe store to have the best shot at a good fit despite the men's-only custom-ish nature of TK Boots' boots. They fit perfectly! I got some of their "less than perfect" ones, available upon request, and they're *hardly* less than perfect. So I'd say if they're out of your size, definitely investigate the "less than perfect" option.

 

ARMOR

On the ATA wait list as of 5/25. I read good things about ATA and the price was pretty good, too. Since I'm still working on my Seventh Sister garb, I'm fine with the longer wait time. I'm fine with it. I'm fine with it. Maybe if I repeat it enough, it'll be true...

 

SOFT GOODS

I'm going to make my own neck seal. Once I draft the pattern, I'll start the fabric hunt. I've read a couple posts with recommendations on fabric types - think I have a good idea of the desired effect.

 

I'll also make my own belt.

 

I need small rubber gloves. Heard there were some at Walmart a couple years ago. May add nomex later, but need rubber for sure.

 

I have had the worst time finding an undersuit! I don't want to spend a small fortune on UnderArmour, and the EastBay shirt I got was baggy around the elbows. I think my best bet will be getting a dancewear catsuit. I have these tiny little stick figure arms and I'm petrified of having baggy elbows showing between my armor... I've also heard good things about Lycra dive skins, but I'm sick of paying return shipping charges and am, sadly, not in surf shop country. Recommendations from other skinny-armed folks greatly appreciated!

 

BLASTER

What's the deal with the blaster, anyway? The 501st doesn't require them for admission, but do the EIB and Centurion qualifications require them? If they ARE a must then I'll pour more research into options and all. Frankly, I really like the DLT-19s, but are they only for heavy weapons troopers or something? I'm having a tough time finding info on that.

 

Lorelei out.

[Frank75139[501st]]

First off great start.

Secondly, any brown box is better then no brown box.

And third, I don’t think your ok with it at all...

Lastly I’m not a thin armed person but I know Amazon has some options that are less expensive, maybe go a size smaller? It’s always returnable. The catsuit is a good idea never thought about that.


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[yo_its_nino[TK]]

Congrats on your big brown box day! Glad to see another another vertically challenged trooper. Welcome aboard! We have a group on fb called “A little short for a trooper.” Look us up! Don’t hesitate to ask any questions or for help!


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[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Great to hear that you have your BBB day on the way, Lorelei, and even better to hear that you are aiming for Centurion!  Following Cricket's build thread will help you immensely, and there are several other "vertically challenged" Troopers like Shasha (shashachu) who have done outstanding builds and will be happy to help with details.

The blaster is indeed a requirement for levels 2 and 3.  Lots of choices to say the least!  You can go Hyperfirm, 3-D printed (a lot of sanding, though), Doopydoos resin kit, etc.

If you happen to run across one online, post up a link before ordering.  The reason being is that some are not approvable.

Amazon is an option for the undersuit.  Not sure is the sizes will fit, but the prices are great.  Here are some examples:

 

Shirt:   https://www.amazon.com/WANAYOU-Compression-Running-Athletic-T-Shirt/dp/B074S5GTN9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528528051&sr=8-1&keywords=womens+black+compression+shirt

 

Pants:   https://www.amazon.com/Homma-Activewear-Compression-Slimming-Leggings/dp/B07235BKW6/ref=sr_1_5?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1528528936&sr=1-5&nodeID=7147440011&psd=1&keywords=womens+black+compression+pants

 

Best of luck on your build, and be sure to ask questions if you have any issues!

[wook1138[TK]]

5 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

The blaster is indeed a requirement for levels 2 and 3.

Really!?   I've been on this forum for about a year and always thought a blaster was optional - as per my interpretation of the CRL.  I would propose a re-wording in the CRL to make this more clear. 

Mind you - I speak Canadian. 

 

Anyway, there are some very cheap compression shirts and pants on Amazon.  I have stick-man arms and found shirts that fit me very nicely for about $15 to $20.  I've been trooping with cheap amazon compression pants and shirts with no issues thus far - expect for a little bit of transfer of dye from a shirt - I recommend washing the garments a couple times before wearing on an extended (sweaty) troop.

 

And if you want a DLT-19, get one!  Just don't dirty it up like a sandtrooper's DLT-19. 

[TheLorelei[TK]]

22 hours ago, Frank75139 said:

Secondly, any brown box is better then no brown box.

And third, I don’t think your ok with it at all...

It totally is.

AND I'M TOTALLY NOT! But hey, I've still got a lot to prep. Once I'm all ready, then the real nail biting can begin. 

20 hours ago, yo_its_nino said:

We have a group on fb called “A little short for a trooper.” Look us up! Don’t hesitate to ask any questions or for help!

Thanks! I'm the last person on earth not on fb, but I'll borrow somebody's account and look you guys up.

18 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Best of luck on your build, and be sure to ask questions if you have any issues!

I haven't seen Shasha's build - thanks for all the info, Joseph! Good to know about the blaster, too.

12 hours ago, wook1138 said:

Really!?   I've been on this forum for about a year and always thought a blaster was optional - as per my interpretation of the CRL.  I would propose a re-wording in the CRL to make this more clear. 

Mind you - I speak Canadian. 

 

Anyway, there are some very cheap compression shirts and pants on Amazon.  I have stick-man arms and found shirts that fit me very nicely for about $15 to $20.  I've been trooping with cheap amazon compression pants and shirts with no issues thus far - expect for a little bit of transfer of dye from a shirt - I recommend washing the garments a couple times before wearing on an extended (sweaty) troop.

 

And if you want a DLT-19, get one!  Just don't dirty it up like a sandtrooper's DLT-19. 

I second that, Greg. It's not just the language barrier. 

Alright, you all win, amazon it is. I'll start digging around there. I've been afraid of the dye transferring, too, but I think I could set it with some stuff I have left over from a dyeing project. Maybe.

 

...but really, I can just get a DLT-19?! Be still my heart!

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

20 hours ago, wook1138 said:

Really!?   I've been on this forum for about a year and always thought a blaster was optional - as per my interpretation of the CRL.  I would propose a re-wording in the CRL to make this more clear. 

Mind you - I speak Canadian. 

 

I agree that it can look a bit vague, but note that on the CRL that levels 2 and 3 are "optional", as not all countries permit replica weapons, but Troopers can still be approved at basic level.  If you look on the EI and Centurion checklists they list the blaster type as part of the mandatory information, as well as left/right photos of it.

Hope that clarifies things a bit. 

[TheLorelei[TK]]

Gotcha! It was all the Centurion submissions with the blaster pics that got me to thinking they were mandatory in the first place. So would I have to have an E-11 as well as a DLT-19, or will a weapon of either type suffice?

[TheSwede[TK]]

You only need one  but...two is better

[CableGuy[Admin]]

Welcome aboard.

If the DLT-19 is good enough for Han, it’s good enough for us. ;-)


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[CableGuy[Admin]]

Welcome aboard.

If the DLT-19 is good enough for Han, it’s good enough for us. ;-)


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[Cricket[TK]]

Here's the link to ShaSha's build:  

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/42868-sha-shas-wtf-anh-stunt-build-complete/?tab=comments#comment-574174

Congrats on your BBB day!  Looking forward to watching your build.  

 

[Cricket[TK]]

42 minutes ago, TheLorelei said:

Gotcha! It was all the Centurion submissions with the blaster pics that got me to thinking they were mandatory in the first place. So would I have to have an E-11 as well as a DLT-19, or will a weapon of either type suffice?

I've got a Hyperfirm for my EIB/Centurion submissions, and a Hasbro/Doopys conversion with electronics to troop with (because it goes pewpewpew with lights and the kids love it!).  I've also got a Jawa Ion blaster with electronics (Lee Enfield conversion), and a T-21 in progress.  Blasters are addictive!

[TheSwede[TK]]

1 hour ago, CableGuy said:

Welcome aboard.

If the DLT-19 is good enough for Han, it’s good enough for us. ;-)


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Actually...he had both - threw the DLT to Chewie and drew the E-11 from the holster and blasted away

[TheLorelei[TK]]

2 hours ago, CableGuy said:

If the DLT-19 is good enough for Han, it’s good enough for us. ;-)

2 hours ago, Cricket said:

I've got a Hyperfirm for my EIB/Centurion submissions, and a Hasbro/Doopys conversion with electronics to troop with (because it goes pewpewpew with lights and the kids love it!).  I've also got a Jawa Ion blaster with electronics (Lee Enfield conversion), and a T-21 in progress.

 

1 hour ago, TheSwede said:

Actually...he had both - threw the DLT to Chewie and drew the E-11 from the holster and blasted away

My goodness, y'all, you don't even know how far beyond me all these terms are. I think I'm reaching critical knowledge saturation over here! I'll have to jettison some of those unimportant things like birthdays and algebra to make room for a ton of blaster research. I'll figure it all out!

 

Also, I've seen that people have different "grades" of items for approval v. trooping, sometimes. Like how you just said, Cricket (thanks for the link to Shasha's build, btw), you have a Hyperfirm for approval and a H/D conversion for pewpew appeal. Or rubber gloves v. Nomex. I take it it's allowed because I've seen it mentioned so much, but why/how/in what circumstances are you allowed to troop with the "lesser" item? Just wondering for sanity and legality's sake.

 

Thanks again for the info, all! DLT-19 it is. Assuming one of these other schnazzy weapons mentioned doesn't catch my eye... or wait, will ANY weapon do, or is there a special list I have to pick from? 

[wook1138[TK]]

TK is either E-11 or DLT-19. You can holster the E11 so it is nice having one for trooping. The BFGs are usually for heavy weapons trooper or sandtrooper. 

[CableGuy[Admin]]

 
Also, I've seen that people have different "grades" of items for approval v. trooping, sometimes. Like how you just said, Cricket (thanks for the link to Shasha's build, btw), you have a Hyperfirm for approval and a H/D conversion for pewpew appeal. Or rubber gloves v. Nomex. I take it it's allowed because I've seen it mentioned so much, but why/how/in what circumstances are you allowed to troop with the "lesser" item? Just wondering for sanity and legality's sake.
 

I think that’s only likely to happen with the gloves. The original method of rubber gloves can get sweaty and (sorry) a little stinky after a long troop. Nomex is better in this sense, I believe.

Most decent rubber blasters still meet CRL requirements so it doesn’t really matter which one you clear with, they’re just not (for the most part) as detailed when you look up close.

Personally, I like to troop how I cleared, following the same level of detail that I put into my build, so have to put up with sweaty gloves!! Lol

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Just remember that awards does not mean you have to troop that way.  For instance you can have rubber gloves/latex hand guards for your EI/Centurion and troops were you want ultimate accuracy, but then troop with nomex gloves and plastic hand guards the other 90% of the time for comfort.  Once you get a EI/Centurion award, how you troop is 100% up to you.

[Cricket[TK]]

I like wearing my rubber gloves trooping.  I use black Glam Gloves because they are small enough for my tiny hands.  You can easily remove the stitching to take off the decorative cuff, and voila...  Centurion TK gloves for smaller troopers.

I wear silk liners under the rubber gloves, and they are awesome!  I've never ended a troop with smelly or swampy hands- even in high heat/high humidity troops.  

[Frank75139[501st]]

I’ve got both nomex and rubber. I kinda see what others are wearing and go with the flow so it looks a bit more uniform. Nobody I’ve trooped with yet has worn the rubber gloves so it’s been all nomex. I also have small gloves for under the rubber gloves. They are white jewelers gloves. Small cotton gloves. They don’t cost much so if they get bad I can toss them.


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[TheSwede[TK]]

7 hours ago, CableGuy said:

Personally, I like to troop how I cleared, following the same level of detail that I put into my build, so have to put up with sweaty gloves!! Lol

+1   And...by wearing thin cotton gloves underneath there`s no sweaty hands

[shashachu[TK]]

Yeah another shorty TK shooting for Centurion! Thanks for linking my build, @Cricket! There are indeed a number of us miniTKs who have reached Centurion, so I've got no doubt you can do it as well.

 

Re: gloves, I personally troop with $5 Home Depot Gorilla Grip gloves, though I have vague plans to eventually glue my flexible handguard to them. For now, I just use the ABS ones attached with velcro.

 

I was approved with and troop with a Hyperfirm B-grade. Our garrison has pretty strict blaster handling rules (basically treat them like real firearms) so I probably wouldn't have any opportunity to make it go pew pew if I had one that had lights/sounds.

 

Looking forward to following your progress.

[TheLorelei[TK]]

20 hours ago, CableGuy said:

I like to troop how I cleared, following the same level of detail that I put into my build

I think that'll be my policy, too, though I see your point about uniformity, Frank! Ugh. So many decisions.

 

22 hours ago, wook1138 said:

 

TK is either E-11 or DLT-19.

 

Gotcha.

 

19 hours ago, Daetrin said:

Once you get a EI/Centurion award, how you troop is 100% up to you.

Hm. Duly noted.

 

19 hours ago, Cricket said:

I use black Glam Gloves

Glam gloves! That's what they were called! I thought you said it in your thread but hadn't dug back through it yet to check. Silk liners seem like the way to go, too. Hey do you wear silk socks in your boots? I saw that recommended.

 

12 hours ago, shashachu said:

There are indeed a number of us miniTKs who have reached Centurion, so I've got no doubt you can do it as well.

Hooray! You don't know how good that is to hear. When I first started looking into this, I wasn't sure I could be a TK at all due to my height (or lack thereof), let alone a Centurion! Thanks for the other recommendations, as well.

 

I'm all set up on my garrison's boards.

 

I now feel *super* bad for not having any real progress for y'all to follow... I've ordered a couple more things and will doubtless appreciate a second (third, fourth, twelfth) set of eyes on them so stand by! Thanks again!

[Frank75139[501st]]

It’s not a race we’ll all be here to watch


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[Pretzel]

Good to see a Garrison Mate (whom I have yet to meet) making a build thread here on the FISD. 

 

I see many great suggestions already. Measure twice. Then a 3rd time. Cut once. Take your time. We will see you approved in no time. Hope to meet soon! Good Luck! We will be watching your build thread closely!