RAIDER

Okiedokie. Whew. Now...if I did insert a fabric inside the bucket to cover the hole would that still be ok for specialist? I think the bucket is painted...going to post a pic on Saturday after the paint has cured a bit and I've glued the snout greeblie on and the lens. Broke a visor bolt already but I have one at least to hold it all in place for now. I had to order replacement decals as well from Trooperbay which I can put on as well: https://trooperbay.com/sw-shadow-scout-helmet-decals.html Would you be able to tell me where each of those goes though? I know where the 2 trapezoids go and the "C" logo. Do I use all the long stripes on the back? Not sure where the "fishhook"? Am I supposed to use BOTH of the nose bridge decalsn and both of the 3 bar decals or just one...whichever fits the bucket best in proportion? Is that snout decal even necessary or is that for somewhere else? THANKS!

Wait TIMEOUT lol!!! So that's correct then? I should leave it open though or glue a fabric on the inside of the bucket to cover that (not mesh)?

I actually cut out the earhole. Sigh...

ARGH!!! I misinterpreted the CRL then "properly shaped earholes" as they had to be properly shaped/trimmed. So now I have holes. Ugh...did I just screw up the specialist requirement? Or can fabric there still work as long as it's not mesh per the crl?

should have a bucket pic this week...i totally forgot the earholes though so need to go back and cut em out. does the type of black fabric placed there matter or can it be whatever so long as it's black?

Why would people try to take it off? Is that common? Sheesh lol. I'm going to try just rolling with the clips...they seem pretty secure...if anything, I'll add velcro to the back and tube if it turns out to be a problem. Thanks!

Sweet...thx Chef...got the clips curved and riveted. Is that the only way I should be connecting this TD to the belt...the clips? It should be removeable that way on and off by just sliding the clips? Just making sure there's nothing else (the Panda tutorial w/ all the metal and magnets is too much for me) I should do before I get my hopes up and call it a day on all of the body work and move on to completing the helmet lol.

Bucket aside...almost done with belt...hopefully everything but the TD box sewed and put together. How to curve and attach those clips? Bund...attaching the pouches...can the flap be placed over the top of the bund and sewed or does it need to be velcroed to the front (w/ velcro sewed to the bund)?

Yes...makes sense. Not confident I can pull it off lol but the arrows and measures help give me an idea of what to look for. No gaps in the corners...25-35mm gap from brim of visor to faceplate...flush from plate to bucket at the bottom. That WARNING sign on the last pic...quite fitting hahaha.

Dove into the bucket build at an armor party yesterday. Here's what we accomplished (had a lot of help from a guy). Used some plastic strips and fiberglass to seal the interior of the bucket and visor. First round of bondo applied to exterior of bucket seam. Needs more in some spots after sanding probably. Drilled holes for visor bolts. Trimmed mask. Before I attach mask...take a gander at the side view please. See how it's not in line at the bottom with the bucket? All the buckets I've seen are but when I push the mask up higher it pushes the visor up out of alignment. Not sure if I should trim more (if these pics help see that). Oh and happy Valentine's Day to all you wonderful lads who have been tossing me advice!!!

Hey guys...started the belt today. About how far should those drop boxes be coming down from my waist? On the CRL I don't see measurements so I'm just trying to eyeball it from pics of all your suits I can find lol. Looks like maybe 2" from belt to clip and clip to box...does that seem right? More/less?

I didn't like the cotton webbing so switched out the drop strap for elastic this morning before work lol (I'm addicted). Yea...not sure if it's a Florida thing but the scouts here all seem to have the t-strap setup (as seen in the Panda tutorial on BSN). Anywho...gonna see if I can convince wifey to do those velcro patches today while I start the belt (got your msg Chef thanks!). You can see in that pic the helmet (far left) pre-trimmed and taped. I'm not ready for that though

So found these foam ear plugs while at church today that they hand out and they fit perfectly over the rivet (and form around the rivet as well)...glued em on and set the duct tape. Done! Wife sewed up the fabric shoulder strap covers (check the pic). Done! Quick question...I do have a t-strap coming down from the chest/back shoulder join that connects to the inside of the shoulder bell. Does the type of strap used there matter? I used the same black cotton webbing that was used to do the shoulder strap from back to chest figuring it should match. That ok you think? Lastly...installed the stickyback velcro on the inside of the forearm, bicep, and knee. Wife is gonna sew the adjoining velcro to the jumpsuit later this week and that'll be done...just shoot me some input on the positioning of the armor as I have it on those pics above. If they're good, we'll set the velcro to that. THANKS THANKS THANKS!!!

Yes! THANKS! That helps. Velcro patches in the sleeves and knee...check. Foam on rivets...will do the duct tape idea. As far as armor positioning...does it look good or does any of it need to be higher? Lower?

So here's where I stand (pics below). Missing bund/pouches (en route), belt, and bucket, and fabric shoulder strap covers. Everything prepped for belt just need to size it up once the bund is on. Bucket I've pre-trimmed (pic to come as I feel like I did a crappy job and not sure where to fix). I don't have sewing skills at all, but learned how to install poppers so went that route for the majority of strap connections. Will be using velcro on the belt and shoulder strap covers I make. Issues I've noticed just in this rough fit: Bicep and forearms seem to slide down. Suggestions to keep that from happening? I feel the rivets in the boot. I've been told to use foam covering but what kind of foam won't wear out quickly with lots of walking/trooping? Knees don't slide much but still looking for an option to reduce risk of that even further. I've been told put padding on the lower part of the knee...again, what type won't wear out fast? Other than those 3 things does anything else look not-so-kosher? How is the noob doing?

Some minor tweak questions if any have time (thanks as always for the input you've been giving up to this point): 1) Inside of the knee armor...does anyone have a pic (I'm a visual person) of the padding/foam method you use to line the bottom of the knee guard? I've heard foam not only helps pad but helps prevent slipping as well...I just want to use the right kind so it doesn't wear out after a few troops...also would like to see how you place it. 2) When you put on your helmet...do you do so w/ facemask up or should it be able to fit over my head w/ mask down? This weekend I am making it a point to put up more pics so you all can see and give better feedback. Thanks!!!

It's the pulse cannon from Battlefront. P.S. I'm almost strapped up. I suck at taking pictures and posting them though...hopefully I can have a body shot up soon of everything but the helmet and belt done.

Speaking of cute and small...have you guys ever seen a build on this: http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/8/8e/DTL20-A_Pulse_Cannon_DICE.png/revision/latest?cb=20151106043833 Daddy wants one ; )

Think the boot armor mount is finished. I will post a pic tonight when I get home. I'm not sold on the blaster fit. Feels like it will bounce out. So Griffin...under your "trigger" there is a magnet or the magnet is the piece on top (glued and painted)? Do you have pic of how you rigged the opposite magnet/metal to the holster where it secures? Should the blaster snout be protruding from the bottom of the holster or no? Mine isn't but the holster doesn't feel like I can force the blaster down further.

Thanks. Do you guys have pics of how you rigged that magnet system? I'm a visual learner lol. I'm half-Asian Chef...so karate side-kicking is totally within the realm of possibility ; ) And how do you do the weathering...sounds interesting...pic and technique?

Thanks guys. And sand and paint the blaster or leave it as is?

I need to color that rivet on the top of the tank. I also had severe glue drip when putting on the topper...caused a mess on the tank which I had to try and sand and resand out. I got most of it but there are a few small "dings" on the armor where the tank and plate meet on the left hand side. Looking back...I would have glued the topper before riveting the tank to the backplate...rookie doing things out of order. Going to rivet holster to boots today and meet up a trooper to do the strapping. Only 3 questions for my next step: 1) The pin stripe detail on the back...is that a solid stripe or can I cut the decal strip where the stripe curves? 2) The blaster...is that loop screwed in to secure the scope or is it glued? 3) The blaster seems to fit well into the holster cut I did and feels secure...any suggestions on how to get it secured even more for trooping and extensive movement? I think that's it for now. Will update with strapped armor...and then on to the thing that scares me most...the bucket!!!

Updates. Fixed crack at bottom of tank. Retrimmed tank to fit better on backplate. Retrimmed holster. All armor painted and ready for strapping (the blaster isn't done...just there for decoration).

And I need to sand down that corner...but figured I'd clean that up after in case this isn't right.