Chef

Way to go Ash... Get it on!

Dark green on all of them.

It's not no... The wife made me cover up the female mannequin. I think it was giving her a complex.

After Jim bought my old Storm Commando lid, I've been without the Black Hat! I had pulled a new kit at the time, but never managed to find space in the schedule to get it completed. But I've now done it. The Shadow has returned. (the fish hook decal is so good, you can't even see it) And something you don't see every day! Spec Ops Rocks!

For the most part (Excluding the lid and the tank), it generally is just a case of putting some elastic on. Don't be over faced by it. I don't know what your instructions are like, but have a look at my Blog, it may throw up some bits that your instructions haven't covered. http://kgbairsoft.com/wordpress/?page_id=122

Why on earth will you not be able to finish it?? Post up what you've got, any issues and what you plan to do and we'll give you all the advice you need.

You just HAD to mention the Cricket!!

Righty... Here are the closest of the samples that I have. I still think the bright green is too bright (certainly more than the picture shows). I've put the armour and the bund/pouches on there too, so you can get the comparison. Opinions please.

Water, water and more water.... Oh and Haribo. I'm pretty notorious for my lack of need for 'intake' whilst trooping, but I am very very aware of it. The thing is to actually listen to your body. Know the signs. Sweating, lethargy, headache, tingling, feeling hot, dry mouth, dizziness, narrowing or blurring of vision, excessive urination. Any of these mean you're becoming dehydrated and what goes out will need to be put back in to come back out again. Your body will loose vital salts as a result, but that's nothing eating healthily won't put back in over the course of a day. Keep topped up. Water... Little and often. Listen to your body, you've lived in it for a number of years, you should know what it's saying. Know your limits. Don't try to be a hero. If you're thinking "F*ck my ol' boots, I'm boiling to death in here".... It's probably time to go get a drink. If you have to de-kit... so what. Better that than spending the rest of the event in the medical bay. Get a Scout. It's a quick whip the crotch flap up, zip down, undercarriage out. Job done (not the for ladies, I'll grant you...)

There's no reason you can't use plastidip. As long as it's black, it conforms to the CRL so you can't go wrong. If you get a slightly satin look, then alls the better.

Yeah, for sure... Just wouldn't want people to not attempt something because they can't find enough references, when in reality they probably have enough to go for it. Like Bro did with the Snow Scout... Get it built and worry about the protocol later!

Todd... it is my understanding now that they no longer require three consistent independent references, but merely one that shows 360 Degree detail around the 'entirety' of the costume. Such as the figure would provide. Obviously this will need clarification with the LMO's, but it's certainly what I have been lead to believe with a couple of the recent submissions.

Yeah... Agreed.. the suits are pretty similar, if not identical. The colour difference may be an issue. Are they grey on the toy?? Possibly not. It's certainly not the same green as the chest/helmet etc, but is it grey the same as the Pilots?? This might not be as big a hurdle as first thought though. Because you could get an AT-ST pilot jumpsuit and dye it the correct colour. The rest after that, as said... is peanuts. When you going to have it finished??

Hi Tobias. At Spec Ops we specialise in costumes that are not yet on the rosters. It's a bit of a slog, that's for certain, but we're well versed in the process and can help you along at every step of the way. As Todd has said, your build needs to be absolutely bang on for submission to the LMO's through your local GML. From your costume we can build a coherent CRL that can be added to the rosters. We would need to ascertain the provenance of the sources to see if they're LFL approved artwork or not. But we're on to a good start with the Hasbro figure, which I think will pretty much cover us for a main source of reference. But the main and important part is that someone has to make the first step and get on and build it. I think this is easily achievable. Probably the most difficult part to source would be the Jumpsuit, which essentially looks like a green version of the TIE/ AT-ST pilot suit. This would probably need to be a special order from someone who makes the TEI suits. The rest is pretty simple. Boots, belt and gloves similar to the TIE Pilot or AT-ST driver / Officer Helmet the same spec as the AT-ST driver or Armoured Cavalry Officer Chest plate same as Armoured Cavalry Officer (with rank bars) Back Pack, same as the Snowie, painted to match chest plate / helmet. Holster Thermal Det (TK version) E-11. Keep us posted if you go ahead with this, and we'll work with you to create a CRL and all the things you'll need to push it through with your GML.

Yes to the Decals... Speak to TrooperBay, he does a really good satin set, where the details are gloss black on satin backings. Really nifty. I'd paint your bolts and the snout a contrasting black. So if your main bucket is gloss black, then paint your snout Satin or Matte, and vice versa.

Cheers Jim. I'll get some samples ordered and put them up next to the armour. See how we go.

Righty chaps... After some input here. I'm a bit stuck on the vinyl for the boots. I can get two greens, but neither are an exact match for the armour green as the references would imply. Here are the two. https://www.atmlabel.com/artificial-leather-upholstery-vinyl/upholstery-vinyl/upholstery-vinyl-artificial-leathercolour-grass-green/a-185/ https://www.atmlabel.com/artificial-leather-upholstery-vinyl/upholstery-vinyl/upholstery-vinyl-artificial-leather-br-colour-hunter-green/a-80269/ I think the Grass green one will be too bright, and the Hunter Green one is too dark (but incidentally is closer to the bund and pouches). What do we think? Anyone got any links to any alternatives? I'm getting a bit stumped on my end. Is it worth posing this question to the LMO's to get their input? Cheers Rob.

That's really cool. For the neck, have you considered using a Latex or similar style neck piece that is flexible to allow the correct movement but still have the right detail. I've seen this done on Iron Man suits and seems to work nicely. You planning on Vac forming these or GRP? If you're going to Vac Form them then you'll need to look at the undercuts on your models as they may have trouble releasing. The last thing you want is to put all that effort in to making a superb buck and then it not come out of the forming. Superb work though. Loving the 3D work.

Here ya go Scott. Final hit of colour done the other day, bit of a polish, and stuff later... This last shot is a bit grainy due to the rubbishy zoom on my old iPhone. I'd tried to zoom, to get rid of the usual perspective shift and give a more accurate representation of the lid. I have to say the 3m replica bolts aren't too clever, so that may need a bit of thinking. But it all holds together. Just your vest and boots to go.

Jim beat me to it.

First hit of Green on the lid. This is in the brightest of bright sunlight, so the colour has picked up a bit.

Yeah, that's why I say it doesn't help you guys over there! I can't compete with the US guys on their home soil because I'm always fighting the weak dollar and material costs over here. Works great coming this way, because by the time you've paid shipping and import duty and VAT on something from the states, say $400.... we'll end up paying £400 or there abouts. But never works going back across the pond your way unfortunately, especially with extortionate shipping charges on top! That's just the way the cookie crumbles I guess.

Blimey... Jeff's put his prices up then! They were around the $300-350 mark last time I checked. I know it doesn't help you guys over there, but it makes my kit at £350 over here that little easier to swallow!

Getting a kit is going to be the simplest way for you to get one sorted. Doing Pep (that sounds like an addictive problem!) is a royal pain. Again, speaking from experience takes masses of time, and can work out just as expensive as buying a set of armour in the long run. There are lot of sets of armour out there, and they shouldn't cost you $600. If you're on a budget, keep an eye out on the 501st boards for a cheap set of 2nd hand Scout armour and just paint that black. Vacuum forming... I'd leave that well alone unless you're planning on doing multiple items. The reason I say this is you've mentioned the word 'cheap'. And going down the forming route certainly isn't that! A: You need to buy/make a former, which to pull armour, you need a big one and that means expensive (I know... I've done it) and then you need to make bucks to form over. If you're only making one set, this is effectively doubling up your work. Because by the time you've sculpted your bucks for forming, you'll have just as easily sculpted a set to wear! Then you have plastic to buy (which incidentally isn't all that cheap either, compared to resin etc). So whilst PEP is probably the 'cheapest' option, it's one that isn't likely to yield amazing results unless you've got plenty of time to sort the shapes out. If you're not crazy bothered about 'ultra accurate' looking armour, you should be able to pick up a set pretty cheap. Studio Creations armour (which is very good) should only set you back about $350 and then a lid on top. Find a cheap Rubies and do the mods to it. You're set.

It is grey... Just the crap camera on my old iPhone.