Blackwatch

its Ok Shane, we know we are all excited. Ive been on pins, needles, tacks, broken bits of glass, all that over this and the LMOs vote. We will progress through each section. Once we have the helmet locked down Id like to add the soft cap option.

Creating a new detachment is no small undertaking. You need a fully trained staff, ready to go on day one, and right now AFAIK, we do not have the required staff within the ranks of the Army troopers who are ready, willing and able to go- right now- to form the new Eetachment, stand it up, get the website, forum and everything else funded and built. Its a big job, which is one of the main reasons the 501st hasnt built many new Dets. In time, perhaps, but until there is a trained Staff to tackle all of the jobs and staff positions in a Det, were remaining in spec ops. Im glad to hear that we ARE remaining in Spec Ops, and not being rebranded to the IOC. I AM for training up the required people to do the jobs, and that takes time. Ive gone from new member to worldwide command staff in a bunch of clubs, which did not happen overnight.

Gentlemen, first , welcome to the Spec Ops forums! As I pointed out in my first post, we need to discuss ONE ITEM at a time. We have not concluded the Helmet. Once that is finished, we will move on. Please STAY ON TARGET. While I do appreciate your research and insight and your enthusiasm for this costume, lets stay in order. Once we come to the right place, we will discuss each of these items IN GREAT DEPTH. Helmet Change log 1.1 An open-faced, flared helmet which consists of a dome with rim and helmet skirt. A telemetry unit is attached to the right side of the dome and is aligned with the rim. The telemetry unit consists of a rectangle box with detailing that should match the reference image. The telemetry unit is black. The lower end of the telemetry unit sits out from the helmet to allow the goggle elastic to feed underneath. A small tactical flashlight may be worn below the telemetry unit. A rubber trim, or the illusion of a rubber trim, raised lip covers the edge of the helmet rim. with the join made at the rear center of the helmet. Metal/silver Imperial code disks are positioned on both sides of the helmet skirt. These may be weathered. The helmet is to be painted in matte field grey black to match the armor. The helmet paint finish may be textured and is moderately weathered. The helmet has may feature a black chin cup with tan grey webbing strap. Tan webbing should be lightly weathered. OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable): The helmet has a black/dark gray polystyrene inner liner consistent with that of a skate or bike helmet. The helmet has a webbing style head suspension similar to work helmets. The telemetry unit may feature a tied length of elastic bungee cord, approx. 1/8" (4-5mm) in diameter, looped around the outer upper section. If worn, tactical flashlight on right side of helmet is approximately 3.5" (90mm) black aluminum flashlight with knurling at both ends and a rubber push switch. Flashlight need not be functional. Disks do not feature a notch or groove details. Green color is similar in shade to Pantone350U overlaid with Pantone 433U. I am asking for input on the helmet (and helmet ONLY) so that we may clear and lock it to move down the uniform, in CRL order.

Fraser, Welcome to the Spec Ops forums!!!! And THANK YOU! Your insight is invaluable. I will make the changes and post below. Did I say thank you for your insight?!? Helmet Change log 1.1 An open-faced, flared helmet which consists of a dome with rim and helmet skirt. A telemetry unit is attached to the right side of the dome and is aligned with the rim. The telemetry unit consists of a rectangle box with detailing that should match the reference image. The telemetry unit is black. The lower end of the telemetry unit sits out from the helmet to allow the goggle elastic to feed underneath. A small tactical flashlight may be worn below the telemetry unit. A rubber trim, or the illusion of a rubber trim, raised lip covers the edge of the helmet rim. with the join made at the rear center of the helmet. Metal/silver Imperial code disks are positioned on both sides of the helmet skirt. These may be weathered. The helmet is to be painted in matte field grey black to match the armor. The helmet paint finish may be textured and is moderately weathered. The helmet has may feature a black chin cup with tan grey webbing strap. Tan webbing should be lightly weathered. OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable): The helmet has a black/dark gray polystyrene inner liner consistent with that of a skate or bike helmet. The helmet has a webbing style head suspension similar to work helmets. The telemetry unit may feature a tied length of elastic bungee cord, approx. 1/8" (4-5mm) in diameter, looped around the outer upper section. If worn, tactical flashlight on right side of helmet is approximately 3.5" (90mm) black aluminum flashlight with knurling at both ends and a rubber push switch. Flashlight need not be functional. Disks do not feature a notch or groove details. Green color is similar in shade to Pantone350U overlaid with Pantone 433U.

@nanotek Mark and @RAIDER and @izzi Thank you for championing this cause and giving us a home. Beginning with Sebastion's efforts back in 2019 it got us of on the right boot. Its going to be a nervous week for us to know if we are going to bring in our black armor brethren, but I look forward to it having them join us. Mark the IAT and the IA are both super simple, super comfortable and fit in a large duffle or B4 flight bag. Its very easy to travel with.

Lets start at the top. The shape is the same as our mudtrooper, with obvious differences. Helmet An open-faced, flared helmet which consists of a dome with rim and helmet skirt. A telemetry unit is attached to the right side of the dome and is aligned with the rim. The telemetry unit consists of a rectangle box with detailing that should match the reference image. The telemetry unit is black. The lower end of the telemetry unit sits out from the helmet to allow the goggle elastic to feed underneath. A small tactical flashlight may be worn below the telemetry unit. A rubber trim, or the illusion of a rubber trim, covers the edge of the helmet rim with the join made at the rear center of the helmet. Metal/silver Imperial code disks are positioned on both sides of the helmet skirt. These may be weathered. The helmet is to be painted in matte field gray to match the armor. The helmet paint finish may be textured and is moderately weathered. The helmet has a black chin cup with tan webbing strap. Tan webbing should be lightly weathered. OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable): The helmet has a black/dark gray polystyrene inner liner consistent with that of a skate or bike helmet. The telemetry unit may feature a tied length of elastic bungee cord, approx. 1/8" (4-5mm) in diameter, looped around the outer upper section. If worn, tactical flashlight on right side of helmet is approximately 3.5" (90mm) black aluminum flashlight with knurling at both ends and a rubber push switch. Flashlight need not be functional. Disks do not feature a notch or groove details. Green color is similar in shade to Pantone350U overlaid with Pantone 433U. Suggested edits: Helmet An open-faced, flared helmet which consists of a dome with rim and helmet skirt. A telemetry unit is attached to the right side of the dome and is aligned with the rim. The telemetry unit consists of a rectangle box with detailing that should match the reference image. The telemetry unit is black. The lower end of the telemetry unit sits out from the helmet to allow the goggle elastic to feed underneath. A small tactical flashlight may be worn below the telemetry unit. A rubber trim, or the illusion of a rubber trim, covers the edge of the helmet rim with the join made at the rear center of the helmet. Metal/silver Imperial code disks are positioned on both sides of the helmet skirt. These may be weathered. The helmet is to be painted in matte field grey black to match the armor. The helmet paint finish may be textured and is moderately weathered. The helmet has a black chin cup with tan webbing strap. Tan webbing should be lightly weathered. OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable): The helmet has a black/dark gray polystyrene inner liner consistent with that of a skate or bike helmet. The telemetry unit may feature a tied length of elastic bungee cord, approx. 1/8" (4-5mm) in diameter, looped around the outer upper section. If worn, tactical flashlight on right side of helmet is approximately 3.5" (90mm) black aluminum flashlight with knurling at both ends and a rubber push switch. Flashlight need not be functional. Disks do not feature a notch or groove details. Green color is similar in shade to Pantone350U overlaid with Pantone 433U. These are my first pass observations of the helmet. The chinstrap looks dark tan or brown, its hard to tell with the reference images.

I suggest we begin with what is known. We know the armor is similar in most regards to our own Mudtrooper, and to the ICAT trooper. Parts of the armor on both are shared, with some minor (not quite obvious) differences. If you are unfamiliar with the armor and its layout, here are the CRLS: ICAT CRL Mudtrooper CRL While we discuss this, we will be best served by starting at the top, and working to the bottom. Stay on target. One item at a time. Discuss it, clear and lock, and move on. This will not happen overnight. It will not be done by next week, or next month. If you have not been part of a CRL discussion, I suggest you join the discussion, and understand that thats what it is, a DISCUSSION, to come to the end product. Here are the parts of the uniform, and the order we should be discussing this in, starting at the helmet and working to the boots. This is directly from our Mudtrooper Version 1, so there will be differences. Edits in Green New text in Yellow Removed text in red strikethrough FROM THE MUDTROOPER CRL: Helmet An open-faced, flared helmet which consists of a dome with rim and helmet skirt. A telemetry unit is attached to the right side of the dome and is aligned with the rim. The telemetry unit consists of a rectangle box with detailing that should match the reference image. The telemetry unit is black. The lower end of the telemetry unit sits out from the helmet to allow the goggle elastic to feed underneath. A small tactical flashlight may be worn below the telemetry unit. A rubber trim, or the illusion of a rubber trim, covers the edge of the helmet rim with the join made at the rear center of the helmet. Metal/silver Imperial code disks are positioned on both sides of the helmet skirt. These may be weathered. The helmet is to be painted in matte field gray to match the armor. The helmet paint finish may be textured and is moderately weathered. The helmet has a black chin cup with tan webbing strap. Tan webbing should be lightly weathered. OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable): The helmet has a black/dark gray polystyrene inner liner consistent with that of a skate or bike helmet. The telemetry unit may feature a tied length of elastic bungee cord, approx. 1/8" (4-5mm) in diameter, looped around the outer upper section. If worn, tactical flashlight on right side of helmet is approximately 3.5" (90mm) black aluminum flashlight with knurling at both ends and a rubber push switch. Flashlight need not be functional. Disks do not feature a notch or groove details. Green color is similar in shade to Pantone350U overlaid with Pantone 433U. Goggles Goggles shall have an aged chrome frame with detail painting and weathering to match reference image. The knurled nose bridge adjuster is brass in appearance. Goggles shall have a trim around metallic frame. Trim shall be rubber or foam. Goggles have dark angled lens featuring two flat panels on each side. Goggle Strap features two sizes of elastic - The thinner elastic strap attaches directly to the goggles and is sewn to the larger strap, which forms the main goggle strap. The goggle strap features a number of buckles: There are metallic buckles on each side of the goggles through which the 1" (25mm) elastic is threaded. A large buckle greeblie on the lefthand side through which the 1.5" (40mm) elastic is threaded. This greeblie features a beige square. Two black tri-glides on the right rear through which the 1.5" (40mm) elastic is threaded. Goggles may be worn over the eyes or on the brim of the helmet. OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable): Serrated 1" (25mm) slide buckles on each side of the goggles through which the 1" (25mm) elastic is threaded. Goggle straps are approximately 1" (25mm) and 1.5" (40mm). 1” (25mm) webbing should be used to attach serrated buckle to goggles. Tunic A long-sleeved, olive gray jacket that falls between upper and mid-thigh, with no visible zippers or buttons. Has a high mandarin style collar with an open space in front. Has two panels on either side of the front, extending to the bottom of the jacket. Has a stitched "cuff" on the sleeve that extends to around the middle of the forearm. Appearance of the cuff may be created by top stitching. If side pockets are present, they are built into the jacket with no covering flaps present. No outer stitched pockets are acceptable unless they are fully covered by the armor. Shall be moderately weathered. Chest Armor Chest armor matches visual references. Accurate shape/design to front of chest. There is an indented area around the outer edge of the center flat section. Buckles attach to upper chest plate. Shoulder straps are affixed to the chest plate at the buckle. To the lower left side of the center flat panel is a recessed area angled inward from bottom to top with a raised rectangle greeblie and a recessed horizontal elongated oval. Left of the recessed area is a raised square that extends from the center to the curved side of the armor. On the top left side of the raised area is a raised oblong detail that protrudes outwards. Chest and straps shall be painted olive grey and be moderately weathered. Back Armor Back plate has a collar that extends upwards and tapers to the chest plate. Chest and back plate meet at the sides. Black foam extends from the arm openings. There are two hose connectors located at the top of the back plate approximately centered above each rectangular cut out/greeblie. Back has two large cut out recesses with vent details and greeblies inside. The walls and floor of the recesses shall be olive grey. Each recess has a different and specific set of boxes inside. Bottom left features a smaller rectangle cut out with the left side stepped. The floor of the cut out and the walls inside match the color of the armor. Half circle indent detail beneath the backpack section must be present. There is a long thin raised greeblie positioned central and below the two large recesses. There is a small raised circle greeblie positioned central and below the above named greeblie. There is a raised slot on each shoulder for the straps to fit into. Shoulder straps are matte olive green with moderate weathering and are affixed to the chest plate at the buckle. Back plate is painted olive grey with moderate weathering. Shoulder Armor Each shoulder bell is a mirror image of the other. The detailing of each shoulder bell is asymmetrical. Shoulders should have a longer flat edge that covers top of bicep with a shorter flat edge that connects to chest armor. Shallow grooves are present in a pattern matching the photo. Shoulders are painted olive grey with moderate weathering. Bicep Armor Bicep cover strips are raised and beveled with an added strip layer on top. Each bicep may feature a slanted fishhook detail that is inset into the bicep top facing outward. The two costume versions have different sets of biceps:Version 1, Lieutenant Biceps are olive grey with moderate weathering. Version 2, Commander Left bicep is olive grey with moderate weathering. Right bicep armor is painted red with three yellow squares on the cover strip, with moderate weathering. Gloves Black gloves made of leather or leather-like material Back of glove has four detail lines across knuckles and a wider panel beneath. Middle, ring, and pinky fingers have a stitch 1” (25 mm) below the fingertip. Gloves have a U-shaped Velcro closure around the wrist. Gloves shall have all logos removed. Belt Belt is black and is made from two 1.5” (38 mm) nylon web straps sewn together. The belt features six boxes. One large drop box on the right side of the belt. Two small and two medium boxes worn in the center of the belt. One long drop box worn on the left side of the belt. Boxes shall be painted olive grey and be moderately weathered. Belt is worn high on the waist, close to the bottom edge of the chestplate. Belt closes with Velcro at the rear, right over left. Holster (not present on Andor troopers) Made of black leather or leather-like material. Worn on right side of belt behind the rightmost belt box. Pants Black pants with double reinforced thighs. The pants do not have visible pockets or other adornment on the legs. Shall be moderately weathered and washed out enough to appear charcoal/grey. Shins (not present on the Andor troopers) The shin plates (greaves) attach directly to the front of the boots using two rubber straps that thread through the back of the greaves. Each strap affixes on the outer edge of the boot via a cam style buckle. The rubber straps are ribbed and equal in size. Straps extend from each buckle and the inner side of the greaves. A “T¨ shaped knee plate is affixed to both greaves that may appear to angle slightly away from the knee. The “T” shaped plate features a slightly curved rectangle feature that follows the upper edge. The rectangle is raised. Two triangular ‘knuckles’ are evident beneath the “T” shaped knee plate. The greaves feature vertical indents and recessed rectangles that should match the reference image. The bottom of the greaves angle outward to follow the curvature of the boot/foot. Shins are painted olive grey with moderate weathering. Boots Jackboot or kersey boot style, knee high smooth black leather or leather like material. Free of laces, decorative stitching, buckles on the instep or any other embellishments. Boots may have a single adjustment strap at the top outside of the boot. This need not be functional. Zippers on the inside of the boot are acceptable, so long as they are concealed. Boots shall be tall enough to fit both shin straps. Boots shall be moderately weathered. Boots should form fit to the calf and not be loose.

Troopers Thank you for all the input. This is clearly taken seriously by us, the trooper, and that it matters. Our home IS Spec Ops, and I think Izzy put it really to the litmus test about the Sappers in particular. In my military years I only saw one SAPPER tab on a uniform, but I saw a helluva lot of RANGER and AIRBORNE.

The strap on the wrist is not in the source art, but most uniform coveralls have them. To me its not a big deal, and our CRL model simply didnt remove it when the pictures were taken. Its an "oops", however if you have your sleeves shoved into your gloves you should not be able to see that anyway. if your local GML wants it on the uniform, per the picture, thats fine. If he doesnt, then we can edit the photo to match the text and source art, where it does not appear. Again this was an oooooops, and your GML is the first to question it.

There is an old Army adage: if it dont move, PAINT IT. In the case of the IAT trooper paint the harness, belt, buckle, gloves, pouches, boots, paint it all. it should all appear to be uniform.

It seems we are in agreement (so far) to remain in Spec Ops, until such time that we become large enough, and well-trained enough to form such a Detachment. To that end, more Army troopers will need to begin to volunteer to take on roles within this community (or others ) to get that training on how the Legion and Detachments work on the inside, away from the public view that we see here. I just recently became aware of the Mandolorian Warriors as part of BHG, we just got our first MW here last month. I didn't even realize she had a Legion ID when she did an event with us. New designations do not exactly come along every day in the Legion, so thats a stepstone.

As one of the early-on troops who got a TX designation with an Army uniform, this is a near and dear topic to me. The Imperial Army continues to grow, and will continue to do so as long as we have easy to wear/ easy to build uniforms like the IAT and IAE. We have a significant amount of troopers joining the Army ranks, who are now making Spec Ops their home. When the Imperial Army was first standing up there was the attempt to create a new Det, but it lacked support. Not so much a lack of vision, but it did lack support. I have some of the original, first and completely unofficial "merch" that was created from that endeavor. The creation of a new Det is no simple task, and it requires a trained staff, with at least SOME experience running a Det, running a website, and interacting with Command. I'm sure we have Army troopers with those qualifications. Currently we are all grouped together with the same TX designation, like TKs and TI's pretty much have the same. The Armored Cavalry has different designations for their different troopers, TA , IS and CX. Perhaps, one way to begin to show a bit of differentiation (without physical separation) would be the creation of a new designation, IA. We know IS stands for Imperial Soldier, not that much different than the IAT. West End Games had these characters as canon fodder, and they wore the same coveralls , googles helmets and gloves as our IS classification walker driver. I am certainly not opposed to Jason's idea, and Im sure it has already been used in other Dets. I thought that the IGC was, but I just checked and it is not broken down that way. I would tend to not use Corps, since we have IOC and IGC already; breaking the Army and Mudtroopers into something like a Batallion (each) as a working unit within SpecOps as an administrative group only might be possible, if the troopers are behind it. Merch is not a consideration as I see it. Those are my thoughts on this. Its a topic that came up early, died off, and has recently resurfaced outside of this forum.

Congratulations Ty!

Welcome Matt Its typical coverall stuff, so twill is fine. If you are up to the challenge of sewing this, its actually a simple suit. You can use the typical coverall patterns, and make the stand up collar with neck strap and snap. There are only chest pockets with flaps, and leg pockets with flaps. My black suits are off the shelf black coveralls, Im a big guy too and I hae a LOT of coveralls since I cant wear armor (other than TI/TA/TS). The hat is the ever typical Officer style hat, but I wear mine US Army style, backwards under my Sapper helmet. So, its NOT one of those SUPER CRISP hats. Mines been to hell and back, and it shows. You can use the same twill for the hat, but this is not an officer uniform. The hat in the CRL is the standard WIKI hat that is used on all our CRLs so it says suiting material. Talk to your GML about which will be approved. Mine is a OLD Runya Jade hat, so its been around a LONG time and been through the washer a few times. In this topic you will find the vendor "buy" list. When you set your gear up, set it up to Level 2 from the beginning. I really want all of our Army troopers to achieve specialist. This really is a simlple, lower cost uniform. Hoda has a topic here on boots, and Kessel did as well, so theres a lot of resources there. Best of luck!

shoes to me are dirty white/ very light grey. You may be able to paint those shoes you got, or otherwise cover them with vinyl like making a scout boot.

oustanding work for an outstanding cause trooper

Yes lets get your Specialist submission in so the Staff can have a look at it for review.

the pair on the right, with the uvex strap look a little more like the CRL . I have and use both. I have the pair on the left on my Army Ground Commander.

thanks for posting!

yes there is, its at the top of the main part of the Scout topics. https://forum.specops501st.com/forum/16-spec-ops-scout-armory/

painting fabric like this in my experience never works. you are going from the darket color, black to something else. As soon as it stretches, the paint breaks. Try contacting the seller and see if they can do it in the color you need, they may be open to doing it. If they arent, find someone making something similar, and see if they are open to new work. I went to Sheevs Emporium and they did brand new items for me that had not been done before.

Great thread! Im glad we got to see your scaling efforts, you are using Armorsmith? I will remember that mesh trick for when I start assembling a helmet I am printing. The two helmet files are clearly different, both in original size and how they are laid out, I have to see, I prefer the GA file over the enlarged CK file, just from the look of it.

I am more in line with the "with visible texture" since thats what we would see. I work at a airport and I see a LOT of handbags, and some are clearly heavy woven canvas, because even at twenty feet I can see the texture.

nice work there. I have a hasbro DH17 that I cut apart and lengthened with PVC pipe to make it a little closer to the real length.

Ive read this twice, and its clear and understandable, at least to me.