ScaryGuy

In photos the weathering is often less visible then in reality. So if it is in reality heavier then this I would say it’s too much. If it is like the pictures the amount of weathering is ok, although I would have focused on more dirt in corners and crevices and less in the “open” areas. Do you wipe the wash off instead of dabbing it? There are some streaks visible. There are still some print lines showing, and even more so the edge between several 3D printed parts. It’s up to your GML if it’s approvable or not, but it’s definitely something we will look at if you are aiming for level 2.

My straps are from Bone too. The webbing makes them stronger. I glued the webbing on one side to the shins, on the other side I glued some velcro to the webbing. I can open my shins so I needed to be able to open the straps. There is some residu on the webbing that makes gluing a bit more difficult. For example self adhering velcro would not stick. Some pictures from mine are here:

See the Vanguard standards post for reference images. The chin cup has to have the 3 correct holes as shown there.

Here’s the link:

Your pictures are not directly showing, you need to copy the BBCode link when posting images from imgur. Prep work is looking good!

I assume the horizontal area of the skirt at the front matches the height of the belt. If I compare that height with an imaging tool to the ref picture it's exactly the same height. Your skirt looks approx 10% taller than the ref picture. I think the front will look good, but I think you need to either rise it a little more until the top of the belt area, otherwise the horizontal area will show below the belt. Or you would need to cut some there. Would be helpfull if you also had your belt. I think the best way to determine the ab height is to wear it with the belt and pull it tight. The bottom of the belt should be at or just above the line where you body bends when you bend forward. I think the main issue is that it's too wide for you. Not sure what the best way would be to fix this. May be you should split it at the back and try what the best position is for those foam extensions.

I recently had an issue with delaminating that started out of the blue. It turned out the nozzle was a bit clogged so not enough filament was being extruded which resulted in bad layer adhesion.

Looking good Corey! I agree the shoulder bells can be a bit closer to the straps. There is some variation on the screen used costumes. For some they are next to the straps while other still have a gap, I think like 1 inch max. I have added some foam near the bottom of the chest the prevent the return edge from scraping that greeblie. It’s hard to see how thick the return edge is with all the black, but I think you can still remove 1 - 2 mm. The back will sort itself out when you connect the sides. Any gaps will near the chest or back will be hidden by the foam along the edge.

Welcome aboard Jenn!

Welcome Joe! Weathering looks great, I think you should leave it as is. One note: that extra ridge around the lens opening should be black. If you have the shirt form the dark side closet, you need to be aware that it might not be approvable. The vertical ribs below the neck seal have to be the same color and fabric as the horizontal ribs on the rest of the shirt. The Dark Side Closet still has been using black vertical ribs, not sure if they already have corrected this. The shirt is also very light grey whereas the CRL requires a dark grey.

Welcome Thomas! Looking forward to your build!

If you can get it darker and get the vertical and horizontal ribs the same color then it would be acceptable. I don’t recall exactly when this was changed. I think more then a year ago. There hasn’t been a shoretrooper CRL change in months, and the last changes were not related to the shirt.

It’s always wise to check the CRL yourself and not just follow a seller’s promise. You don’t have to remove the neckseal/bib from the shirt, it’s ok if it’s attached. The issue is the color of the shirt. The vertical ribs must be the same color as the horizontal ribs, and darker then the horizontal ribs currently are. Maybe that can be achieved with dye.

I think your shirt is from the dark side closet? It doesn’t meet all the CRL requirements: Dark grey ribbed material with Horizontal ribbing on arms and torso. Separate shirt and/or separate neck seal with bib (Neck seal is dark grey or black with horizontal ribs. The bib has vertical ribbing and is the same colour and material as the undershirt. They use a light grey instead of a dark grey, and the vertical ribs on the bib below the neck seal must be the same colour and material as the shirt. In the past dark or black vertical ribs were allowed, but that has been changed quite some time ago. They still haven’t adapted this to the current standard.

Eelco is very good with his customer service, so if anything is missing or if you have questions on how to assemble, just ask him! I prefer sanding everything by hand. If you want to use a machine, watch out with the speed. Otherwise it might melt the plastic instead of sanding it. I generally start with 120 grit, then down to 180 en 240. If it's really rough then start with 80. You can also use a spray putty to fill the print lines. e6000 works fine for large surfaces, and you will still be able to correct errors. For small stuff I would use CA glue, possibly with an accelerator to set the glue. For strong connections either CA glue + accelerator or an epoxy resin glue.

Welcome Jeffery! Looking forward to your build!

Yes, I think the chest can be a bit closer to the neck seal. When you have the belt you can also check if the ab section is not too low. When you pull the belt tight you should still be able to bend reasonably. Forearms and biceps size look good. I shortened the sleeves a lot to make room for the gloves. I think I made it 2 to 3 inch shorter then the forearm.

As Mickey pointed out earlier, your helmet does not have the correct snout. The lip around the snout is missing. Also, the second ridge below the lens opening should be painted black. Ideally the ridge should stop before the "nose" and then continue on the other side. Ask if 850 Armor Works can offer a correct snout, or you can add the lip yourself like in this thread:

A dark grey jet helmet visor is the way to go I think. Because it is curved you can try different angles to see which matches the best with your helmet, then cut it to size. I had to use some force to bend it into place but it works.

Welcome John, that's a great looking kit in a very completed state. Yes, it looks like a KW Design / Imperial Surplus kit. I'm not really familiar with their helmet so I can't confirm that one. Main things left are the strapping and completing the belt setup, assuming all the parts fit you correctly. Rather than writing a complete manual it would be easier if you pick something you want to work on and have questions about so we can answer those. I have a fairly detailed build thread, maybe it will give you some ideas on the strapping or how to attach everything to the belt. A few remarks on the helmet. The floor of the two slots on the side of the helmet needs to be painted black. The recesses next to the snout should not be painted black, but sahara beige with a lot of dirt / weathering to make them look dark. You can also make a small rectangular slot there if you like for something extra ventilation (it's in my build thread too). I recommend repainting the helmet symbol in Montana Gold Red Orange to make it more accurate. The greeblie on the top of the pringles can needs to be painted silver. The three ammo shells and the small oiler pouch need to be attached to the rear connection of the hip armor.

Yes, that one is very close to the pantone color required for Vanguard.

Good to see you joining the Shoretroopers Corey! Helmet looks great, go weather it 😀! What color are you using for the circle symbol?

The entire hip armor is created with foam, with the hard pieces glued on top of that. The rear connection is where the foam will mostly be visible and paint will flake off when trooping so it will weather itself. Here’s how I did mine: There are different methods to connect the hip armor to the ab section. I preferred using two halves, others use one single connected piece.

For the chin cup search for JSP AHV000-500-000. The oblong cut outs must all be horizontal, some other chin cups have the center cut out vertically. These are not correct. The lens it self must have a vertical curve, like a motorcycle helmet visor. For example, some have been using welding shields which are just flat. These have to be curved horizontally to fit the helmet, but they don’t have a vertical curve. Check this thread for a more detailed explanation of the Vanguard requirements:

Good job on the shins! When wearing the kama make sure you hide the flap behind the belt. A suggestion for improvement is extending the back plate so it meets the hard belt part, and fill the seams on the back.