Chaos

@Allan1313 the silver does accentuate the eyes, I am impressed with your build.

@Trock Congratulations Anthony! Add one more TX to the Carolina Garrison. Now we need to get our CG Search and Destroy Teams organized.

I have just recently started following your build, I like the anomalous characters of the Empire so Triple 000 fits that description to a "T". After doing some comic book research of photos etc., it looks like in almost all the drawings, that the eye pieces themselves are glowing red with unlit or darker stripes/bars running vertically. I wonder if the eye pieces could be printed in a "clear" filament with the vertical ridges/stripes and then back lit. The thinner flat areas would be brighter with the thicker vertical raised bars a lesser lit contrast? Maybe even make the flat areas out of red Electroluminescent Tape EL Panels and cover with the vertical stripes/bar? I know 000 follows the C3PO model and C3P0's eyes have the triple light detail but in most of the comics, 000's eyes are solid red or single center pin point lit. Possibly a CRL change? By the way your build is going to be epic!

@LondonValient you can email me or send a message through the forums anytime, either way is easy for me, so its what ever is best for you.

@LondonValient London, Welcome to Spec Ops, your path to joining the 501st Legion is going to be an exciting one and at times overwhelming. There will be times when you feel like you are up against a wall and in need of some advice. When those occasions arise make sure you turn to our Community as there is a plethora of knowledgeable individuals here who have been where you might be. There are no "dumb questions" ever in our group and the only dumb question is the question not asked. Now, to your request for advice. There are several things a Trooper should consider when taking that leap to purchase their first set of armor etc. What is your budget? How good are your crafting skills? How accurate do you want your build to be? Do you have other Legion builders who are near you (Local Garrison/Outpost) that can assist? These are the biggies. Next you will want to do some research on the armor and supplier that you are considering. 850 Armorworks and The PlasticArmsDealer kits are both quite capable of being approved. Keep in mind that no kit is ever "approvable" straight out of the box. Some kits require more work that others, some kits are more "screen accurate" than others, but all kits will require trimming, assembling, and fitting to be "approvable." The best research you can do is search through the Death Trooper build threads that members of our Community have posted. Look for ones that have built the kits you are considering and see what their "pros" and "cons" have been during their builds. Some things to keep in mind about the materials that are used in the construction of a kit. ABS kits are light weight plastic kits that have been heated and then vacuum pressed against a mold. The end results can be very good on larger less detailed pieces, but for pieces that have smaller intricate details, the details are less "sharp" and considered "soft pulls." ABS kits tend to be less expensive than other kits due to the cost of the materials. Fiberglass or resin constructed kits are a little heavier than ABS but the smaller details are usually very sharp and look more like the kits used in Rogue One and the Mandalorian. These types of kits that are available now also require less "modifications" to achieve the higher level of "screen accuracy." Fiberglass and resins kits are a little more pricey but some builders have found that the money they saved buying a less expensive kit, they ended up spending on modifications to achieve that higher detailed appearance. If you want to get an idea of how much work a kit will need in terms of modifications etc, you'll need to read the Costume Reference Library or CRL for the Death Trooper and then look at each piece of a kit you are thinking about and see if the CRL details match the kit's details. For example ( I am not recommending any one supplier, only providing an example of how different kits can be from the CRL basic Level 1 and Specialist Level 2 requirements) the CRL for the helmet states that the center piece of the nose bridge has the appearance of a weathered matte black and brushed aluminum/silver surface as depicted in the reference and gallery photos. It also consists of the following: 4 to 6 small horizontal rectangular vent/ribs extending from the top of the nose bridge to approximately ¼ way down. 6 to 8 larger horizontal rectangular vent/ribs run from ⅔ towards the bottom. 7 to 9 vertical vent/ribs connect from the nose bridge to the snout. Two vent tubes in black rubber or matte black paint are evident on either side of the face plates. That is for basic Level 1 approval, then for Level 2 which is considered more screen accurate, the same piece must have "Nose bridge vents/ribs have in these number in order from top to bottom; 6, 8, and 9." So when you look at the two suppliers helmets you are considering: 850 Armorworks helmets vent ribs are top to bottom; 6, 6 (maybe 7), and 9, nit picky I know, but it is the difference of having a Level 1 or Level 2 armor kit. I have seen where 850 has been upgrading their kits with resin printed/cast parts that give the smaller details the crispness that this unique armor deserves so that should be researched. The PlasticArmsDealer's helmet is screen accurate but the body armor kit still has some differences that need to be addressed to reach a Level 2 build. There are a few other suppliers you can research by going to the Death Trooper Parts Vendor post at the top of the Death Trooper sub forum. One last thing, I know there are some Death Trooper build groups on Facebook and they are a great resource of information but as with any social media platform, there are also some posts that contain misinformation. When in doubt, use the Spec Ops Forum, any information you get here I guarantee will be the most accurate, thus saving you time and money. I know this has probably made you feel like you are taking a drink from a fire hose, but that's how it is sometimes, you just have to try and "gulp" down as much as you can and then just keep coming back until you have it all. One last thing, the best way to get your questions answered and have them all in one place is to start yourself a build thread way before you even purchase anything and then keep the thread updated with your progress and questions until completed. I can't emphasize that enough, it is the best way to do this, start to finish. Best of luck with your build and reach out if you need any advice.

You're correct you are good for CRL, I had to move mine back a little after my first couple of troops, the sharp corners of my boxes beat the hell out of my forearms and just wanted to pass on my experiences, just like the pinch area between the cod piece and thighs. Nothing worse than getting a good pinch in public and reaching down to sooth the boys. ???

@Lt. Dan Looks awesome Dan!!!! Great job on your build! Get used to sweating, this costume is hot! When I was in Hawai'i I would have my wife or daughter pour a bottle of water inside the back of my neck seal to cool me down during outside troopings. A few things I noticed which are not "glaring" but if tidied up, would make your build look more movie accurate. Your two hard square boxes on your belt look like they are on your hips and basically on the center side of your belt. They should each be moved backward just a little but more. From the CRL "There are two square boxes ...... attached on either side of the belt in a location between the wearer's hip and kidney." Also by moving them backward you are less likely to have them scrap against your forearms. If possible, the boot covers where they cover the toe are angled up just a little bit. Its not a CRL requirement but should you submit for Level 2 in the future the Level 2 CRL requirement is : The rectangular panels shall not be wider than the width of the top of the shoe and will lay as flat as possible against the shoe with the front edge not extending past the upper and sole seam. You could use small Velcro pieces on the corners to pull them flat against the sides of your boot or some folks put a piece of wire in the end to make the cover curve. Since your belt top is attached along your posterior piece top edge, and your lower back piece is under your posterior piece, I would recommend (if you haven't done it already) to put a piece of felt or soft material on the inside top edge of your PA so that it doesn't rub and scratch your lower back piece. since your tow pieces will float up and down the scratches/rub marks will be very noticeable. Also make sure that the top of the belt covers and hides the upper top edge of the PA, in your right side arms up photo you can see it has slid down. Velcro strips will hold the two aligned and together. If you get pinching in the groin area, you have enough space at your knees that you can lower the thighs an inch or two and it will still look correct. Your SE-14R holster may need to be reconfigured. The upper snap strap is good, (I can't tell if the lower loop strap can be rotated) but the lower snap strap is turned so that if the loop is around the scope it will twist the vertical support strap. (See photos for reference) If that makes sense That's all I noticed! You did an amazing job!

@Lt. Dan Also if you have an issue with your thighs pulling down the harness in the front, position the hip belt portion ok Tony's harness above your hip bones and tighten it up some. I had to do the same with his harness and my armor.

@Lt. Dan You have a few CRL requirements for positioning of the belt that are " must haves" 1. Lower back: Fitted centered and under the back plate and extends to below the top of the belt. 2. Abdomen: Shall be centered under the chest plate and the lower edge covered by the belt. (implying that the top edge of the belt covers the lower Abdomen edge) 3. Cod piece: Extends under the belt at the top. (Implying the the top of the cod piece is covered by the bottom belt edge) 4. Posterior Armor: Has a raised rectangular section in the center which extends up under the belt. (Implying that the top edge of the PA is under and covered by the bottom edge of the belt) So as long as your belt positioning meets those requirements it won't matter how far down your PA it goes as long as some portion of the raised rectangular section on the PA is visible. Hope that made sense.

Best thing to do since there are numerous changes is to take each piece and read thru the CRL and compare yours with the CRL and photos. I could send you my notes but you would probably be more confused than anything else as they are simply "notes" and not very coherent to anyone else but me.

Looking forward to seeing how your build is going!

This might help as well.

@nanotek ideas? I think what might have happened is when the forum was redone, you could no longer used the cc? code to link pictures as image files but would have to either upload the actual file or replace the upload with the actual file link or the photo hosting website you use no longer supports upload links to outside sites like our forums.

@Trock Anthony, I just saw this after I responded to your Carolina Garrison post. LOL Pretty much what David @RAIDER mentioned above is what I posted in the CG post. Looking Great Trooper!

That's great news that Gio can make the larger sizes. I never understood why IB never went that route but Gio came thru for the Death Trooper community!

I have a 3d file for the neck/ collar piece, you could cut off yours and attach this one to your back piece. The front just lays over the front, on the screen used suits it has front tabs that slips into the chest to hold them in.

@jc1327 do you have access to a 3D printer?

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Added "Crowprops" as a vendor for larger sized Jered replica boots and gloves.

@RobC_TX1138 Gio at Crowprops now makes larger sized boots for the DT. He listened to us when we told him he could get IBs business for larger sizes https://www.facebook.com/groups/108653819216581/permalink/4178905398858049/ He also makes the gloves, I just added him to the Vendor's list for boots and gloves.

@jc1327 Justin, Sorry it took me a few days, I am in the KSA working on a job, but I finally had a chance to take a look at your 850 back piece and compare it with a screen used back and the new CRL. I have attached a side by side comparison with things that you can fix with a dremel, auto bondo, or some ABS and ABS paste. (Sizes are approximate, I don't have my armor with me to measure exactly, maybe someone who has either Jimmi's, Denis's, Sean's or Andrew's kits can measure exactly for you.) *upper left corner: there is a small circle approximately 2-3mm in radius (can be backed with auto bondo or ABS paste and then drilled about 1.5-2mm deep *upper left center: there are two small squares the same size as the small circle and can be made the same way as the circle. *top edges of each large square details have two raised rectangles, approximately 1.5x3-4mm, these can be made with ABS paste or bondo and then shaped to size. Make sure when you position them that they are as close to the screen's back location as possible. *your COG has the correct number of spokes and has a good shape and detail, no worries with that. *the two small vertical greeblies in the right hand large square need to be worked on, the lower portions have some ridges that are supposed to be flat, then on the upper portion of the rectangles, the raised horizontal ridges' detail needs to be sharpened. You can fix this by back filling with bondo or ABS paste and then taking a thin dremel cutting wheel and deepening the grooves between the raised ridges, not too much but just enough to make them more obvious. *both large square's lower corners need a small angled 45 degree piece. This can be done with bondo or ABS paste and then shaped to match. *center / center of the back piece, there needs to be a raised rectangle approx. 2mmx15-20mm center of the ridge and aligned along the lower side of the horizontal ridge. This can be made the same way as the above smaller raised rectangles. *lower / center, the raise "bump" on your piece needs to have a smaller radius, should be approx. 2.5-3mm. You can back fill the dot with bondo or ABS paste and then add a smaller raised dot, this can be made with anything, a small piece of plastic dowel cut to about 2.5-3mm in height can be glued in place. ( Your GML might approve this as is.) *right / lower along the right outer edge is a three sided rectangle which is cur into the back as if you were engraving a block letter "C". This can be done back back filling and then dremel-ing the proper shaped grove into the back piece. Make sure the lines are straight and the groove depth uniform. The "NEW and improved" 850 back has one on each side which is NOT correct, so even if you bought that one, the left hand detail would have to be filled in and sanded smooth. I'm not too sure that the side "vents" details along the lower outside edges of the 850 piece are sharp enough but they can be sharpened just like the vertical rectangle raised ridges mentioned above. (Check with GML) I HIGHLY recommend getting with one of your Garrison GML's and show them this fix and your current pieces to see if they would approve your armor with these modifications made. If they give you a thumbs up, then you will need to decide if the above fixes are worth doing yourself or spending the $190. I can't remember if your version has the neck collar as 1/2 part of the front and 1/2 of the back or not. That would need to be a whole different undertaking. You might be better off getting someone with the collar files to print you one off and then you cut the 850 off and bond the printed collar to the back piece which is the correct way it is made. Let me know if you have any questions.

@wook1138 Greg ... any advice?

@wook1138 Greg, your kit was one of the original version kits that 850 put out. There is a guy named Justin who has I think the same kit, and is just now starting. He says that his back and chest as it is now is not approvable IAW the new CRL, but I am fairly sure the new CRL was written so that the legacy makers' kits would still be good to go. Can you hop over if you have a chance and see if you can give him some advice, I'd hate for him to buy 850's new resin back piece if it really isn't necessary. Thanks in advance. https://forum.specops501st.com/topic/5770-jc1327s-dt-wip/ His comment/question is dated Sunday 18 July 2021

Justin @jc1327 post a photo of what you currently have for the back plate and chest.

Good choices on your suppliers. If you like to build, I'd get Denis's unfinished kit, sometimes his prefinished kits, even though you send him your measurements, sometimes they need to be adjusted and then you have to repaint.