Hello From Canada

[Arvin[TK]]

Hi there, 

 

Just joined the forum as I am starting the process of getting the Stunt Stormtrooper suit and join the 501st.  The forum has been a great source of information. 

 

Hope to get everything together by September for approval, etc. 

 

(waited 45 yrs for this) lol!

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

Welcome, Arvin! I saw on your other posts that you purchased an ABS kit from RS. Did you commission them to build it, or are you planning to assemble yourself? Once you have BBB (Big Brown Box) Day, post up lots of photos and questions on a build thread of your own, and troopers will help you along on your journey! Here's a thread I compiled with quite a bit of helpful info!

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Hello and welcome aboard, with joining the 501st your costume must reach basic standards, these are known as the CRL's (costume reference library) make sure you reference these when you are building https://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:FISD_CRL

 

There are also FISD's higher level approvals, EIB and Centurion, you will see these in the CRL's as blue and red font, easier to build to the top level from the start.

 

Good luck with the research, hope to see a build from you soon. 

[wook1138[TK]]

Hi Arvin.  Welcome to the FISD.  

[Sly11[Admin]]

Welcome to FISD Arvin, we are here to assist you where we can.

[Arvin[TK]]

Thank you everyone.  Sorry getting the hang of this forum from a technology perspective.

 

The RS package is a prebuilt version that I purchased - they said they were building a centurion version (so from what I understand that is the one in red font) - is this everyone's recommendation?  I did visit the requirements link (CRL) and actually sent it to RS to show what the requirements are supposed to be. 

 

I was thinking of asking RS to maybe send photos as things are made before they ship.  So if we capture any issues prior to shipment we can have it fixed.  Thoughts?  Maybe there are areas that are common areas of concern that you have seen before that I can ask them to send photos of.

 

*I will have a question eventually about the fan in the helmet - trying to decide whether to buy or build myself (my oldest daughter is in engineering robotics and also a Star Wars fan so maybe I will put her to work!).

 

From the threads and local discussions I have seen that generally people have been quite happy with the RS package.

 

Thank you everyone for your responses.

 

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Taking a look through some Centurion RS threads will give you a better idea of what they provide and their commission builds have been approved in the past  

Here's just a couple

 

The DO's (deployment officers) have spoken to RS about a few details and they weren't interested in making any changes to FISD's standards, they build it their way or not at all  

 

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

6 hours ago, Arvin said:

 

 

The RS package is a prebuilt version that I purchased - they said they were building a centurion version (so from what I understand that is the one in red font) - is this everyone's recommendation?  I did visit the requirements link (CRL) and actually sent it to RS to show what the requirements are supposed to be. 

 

I was thinking of asking RS to maybe send photos as things are made before they ship.  So if we capture any issues prior to shipment we can have it fixed.  Thoughts?  Maybe there are areas that are common areas of concern that you have seen before that I can ask them to send photos of.

 

From the threads and local discussions I have seen that generally people have been quite happy with the RS package.

 

As far as I am aware, RS doesn't delineate between different types (Basic/Centurion) of commission builds.  While they certainly aim for Centurion level, we more often than not have issues of some sort for those aiming for Level 3.

When approving armor at higher levels, we consider not only the CRLs for that costume, but we reference official screen caps and images as well.  Some of the issues we see regularly are:

 

Ab/kidney rivets not placed correctly-  Too far from the edge and not spaced properly.  They can be moved, but not an easy task, and this is a blocker for Centurion.

 

Commission set            RS set (screen used)         Lucasfilm archives set

       

 

They tend to put the ammo pack rivets WAY too close to the corner.

 

  Current RS placement                  Reference image

  

 

 

The canvas belt. The square buttons are way too far toward the end, the canvas belt in this particular trooper's kit is not attached correctly, and is way too wide to meet the 45 degree angle requirement.

 

 

Not to worry, though, Arvin.  You should have no issues for Basic, but if you are (hopefully) aiming for higher levels we are here to help!

 

 

[Arvin[TK]]

Thank you everyone,  I have to say the help and comments offered has been amazing.   

 

I think my approach will be one step at a time - I will get all my stuff and if I meet the basic level with the order I receive then that is where I will begin my journey.  

 

I think some of the fun will also be always trying to improve to get to the next level.  (I hope the DO's would be ok with that).  

 

Have a great day everyone.

 

 

 

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

9 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Some of the issues we see regularly are:

 

Ab/kidney rivets not placed correctly-  Too far from the edge and not spaced properly.  They can be moved, but not an easy task, and this is a blocker for Centurion.

 

They tend to put the ammo pack rivets WAY too close to the corner.

 

The canvas belt. The square buttons are way too far toward the end, the canvas belt in this particular trooper's kit is not attached correctly, and is way too wide to meet the 45 degree angle requirement.

 

As usual, Joseph nailed it and hopefully made this easy to watch out for!

 

I've been noodling with an RS-commissioned suit to get it ready for EIB over here, and ran into those exact issues, as well as needing to:

- replace the helmet lens material and liner (the acetate sheet and starfish are accurate, but not ideal for trooping)

- add mesh behind the frown

- modify the plastic belt as above and replace the frayed canvas belt with one from Imperial Issue (holy heck their rivets are hard to remove and they use CA glue everywhere)

- remove all of the brackets in favor of snap-based strapping (return edges are thin and not reinforced)

 

I also prefer to build my armor with inner coverstrip reinforcements everywhere, which is extra challenging to do after the fact. We always recommend building your own, but those mods aren't more than a couple hours work if you decide to pursue higher approvals. Most GMLs will approve them at Basic out of the box if it fits you well though. Once you have it in hand, let us know what you need help with!

[Chemi[Staff]]

Welcome to FISD Arvin!!!

 

There is no doubt, RS is a good choice. Their customer service is outstanding. 

 

I am sure the Centurion badge will be under your name soon.

 

 

hace 6 horas, Arvin dijo:

I think some of the fun will also be always trying to improve to get to the next level.  (I hope the DO's would be ok with that).  

 

Totally agree Arvin...And as Joseph rightly says, we are here to help!!!

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

7 hours ago, Arvin said:

I think some of the fun will also be always trying to improve to get to the next level.  (I hope the DO's would be ok with that).  

 

I like your spirit, Arvin!  As for "If the DO's would be OK with that..", of course!  In many (if not most) cases, commission armor always needs a few small tweaks here and there.. that's to be expected, so not to worry.

 

Once you get your armor on for the first time, I would suggest walking around the inside of your house for a bit.  This will give you an idea of what areas may need some attention or alterations for comfort as well as getting used to your new range of motion.  I also advise wearing your helmet while doing this.  The reason for that is because your field of vision will be a fraction of what it normally is, so be careful and take your time.  After you get a few troops under your belt it will be second nature.  

 

Just know that we are here to help in any way we can so never be shy about asking for assistance for Basic or above.  It's what we do best!

[Arvin[TK]]

Brilliant - looking forward to connecting again once I receive my delivery!  

[Twosolitudes[TK]]

Welcome to the FISD Arvin!

 

Where in Canada are you located?

[Crampeat[TK]]

Welcome Arvin! As Glen mentioned, check out other RS centurion threads and you can always send me a message if you have any specific questions related to your RS kit. My biggest issue was a sniper plate that was attached too low by RS, but with some patience, all fixes are doable. 

Edited July 18, 2022 by Crampeat

[Arvin[TK]]

On 7/17/2022 at 12:24 AM, Twosolitudes said:

Welcome to the FISD Arvin!

 

Where in Canada are you located?

Based out of GTA.

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

47 minutes ago, Arvin said:

Based out of GTA.

Cool. Me too 1 hour from Toronto. Hope to troop with you sometime. 

[Arvin[TK]]

7 minutes ago, Doggydoc said:

Cool. Me too 1 hour from Toronto. Hope to troop with you sometime. 

Great!  Yes look forward to getting all the help to get ready. (Doggydoc -- love it! - named my company after my dog - you will see her when I model my suit!)

[Arvin[TK]]

2 hours ago, Crampeat said:

Welcome Arvin! As Glen mentioned, check out other RS centurion threads and you can always send me a message if you have any specific questions related to your RS kit. My biggest issue was a sniper plate that was attached too low by RS, but with some patience, all fixes are doable. 

 

Thank you - everyone is so helpful - can't wait for the first round of reviews.

[Twosolitudes[TK]]

15 hours ago, Arvin said:

Based out of GTA.

Awesome, we’ll see you on a troop eventually!

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Welcome aboard Arvin!  Looking forward for your BBB day and 1st suit up  photos.  

[Arvin[TK]]

On 7/20/2022 at 6:51 PM, TKSpartan said:

Welcome aboard Arvin!  Looking forward for your BBB day and 1st suit up  photos.  

Yes looking forward to it as well.  Have started a do list with all the great advice...from taking lots of photos to walking around in the suit and getting oriented.  Looking forward to sharing and getting feedback!  September can't come fast enough!  

[MaDDN3ssX6[TK]]

Catching up in the forums.  

Welcome from another that waited 45+ years for it. 

I just got my approval, you will too.  

[Arvin[TK]]

I have a new question.  A suggestion was made to me to install a "fan" inside the trooper helmet as it could get hot in there when you are trooping.   Is there a forum/thread that I can be directed to or anyone with experience with this.  Is this something that is built from scratch or purchased specifically from a vendor?  

 

I would like to do as much research / get feedback on this as possible. 

 

thanks.

[wook1138[TK]]

Hi.  Yes, fans are a good thing to have.  There are kits out there and I'm sure somebody on the forums provides kits as well. https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/16-ongoing-sales-project-runs/

 

For my first couple builds, I ordered fan kits from Henry's Fans.  https://henryshelmetfans.com/.  They worked out great and were pretty easy to install.  

 

Here is a recent post on fans and helmet electronics in general.