Hesikaya's Del Meeko WIP

[Hesikaya]

Hello all!  I am embarking on a new adventure to build a Del Meeko and Gideon Hask.  Del is for my son who is nearly my size and has been wearing my TI for the past several months as he shot up like a weed and outgrew his Jawa.  For fun I built a DLT-19X recently and guess that this will put it to good use.  It isn't exactly accurate as I decided to add electronics from TRamp and couldn't not have a hengstler display. 

 

Kit so far

Flightsuit: Crow Props

Patches: Endor Finders

Boots: Crow Props

Gloves: Crow Props

Hard Armor: Walt's Trooper Factory

Commpad: 3D Print

 

I'm going to jump right in and start asking questions.  We recieved our Flightsuits from Crow Props.  I am a little confused on the placement and size of the code cylinder pocket, compad pocket, and pouch pocket.  The patches look low to me. Since many SW patches are only an inch or so from the shoulder seam, I expect the same here and looking at screen grabs from the CRL work I think the 2 inches down this patch is, is a bit far.  Or am I mistaken? I know the CRL on Del doesn't specify how far the shoulder patch is.  And yes, I realize the patches are facing the wrong way.  

Both flight suits code cylinder pockets look rather large to my eye and they were placed much lower than I think they should be. 

Here are some screen grabs from the appearance Crow Props flight suits made on the Star Wars show showing the same pockets higher and compad visible above the glove.

 

 

 

 

Additionally, the compad pocket is a 2 inch by 2 inch square and the pocket is huge! My TI compad swims in the pocket and can hardly be seen through the window.  The pocket was sewn on about a half inch from the sleeve cuff so when I put on my glove it's nearly concealed behind the glove. 

 

 

Should I be concerned here and write Crow props about the sizing and placement of these things or do I have nothing to worry about?

 

[tipperaryred[CMD-DCA]]

Hi Scott, and I'm delighted to hear we've more Infernos on the way!

I can certainly understand your concern on some of the placements there. I'll do a quick review today to see how it compares to my own flight suit (from a different supplier), and to our references.

One thing I would say is not to worry about the references from the appearance on the Star Wars show. Even the manufacturers involved in that have themselves pointed out that was a huge rush job which made it impossible to get everything right. So you only need to worry about the in game references, and the CRL text.

Another note - the Inferno compad is significantly smaller than the standard TIE one, and lots of the current flight suits accommodate the larger pad. I myself sewed some velcro into a centre of the window and glued another piece to the back of the compad. That ensures that it is held in place and stays in the centre of the window. I also cut and hemmed back the edges of the window slightly to reveal more of the compad. With regards to it's placement to the glove, the glove should indeed overlap the majority of the compad when your arm is held straight. However if your elbow is bent then naturally the sleeve will tend to ride up a little, revealing more of the compad.

Also, as you point out, the patch placement doesn't have specific measurements in the CRL, so it shouldn't be an issue for GML clearance. However, I'd be like you and wanting to get everything as accurate as possible anyway 🙂 I'll do a quick comparitive review later today and get back to you.

[tipperaryred[CMD-DCA]]

Hi again Scott, after looking through all the references and having a chat with the team, I think it is worth your while writing to the vendor as you suggest. The images that best sum up the issue are these ones that you shared above:

While the written text in the CRL isn't specific about the relative dimensions, the majority of GMLs will (correctly) make a visual comparison their most important reference. I can confidently predict that while some GMLs would clear the above suit, a large proportion would not. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the first image on the vendors website seems to show the arm pockets sitting much closer to the shoulder patches. It is therefore possible that this was a bad batch, and all the more reason for you to bring it to the vendor's attention.

Please do provide us with an update when you have one, and don't hesitate to ask any more questions here.

[Hesikaya]

I printed a compad and wanted to make sure the dimensions are correct.  It's pretty rough still and needs to be sanded.  I am going to resin print the buttons since that will look better, but is 2.5 inches wide by 3 inches tall.

 

 

[tipperaryred[CMD-DCA]]

14 hours ago, Hesikaya said:

I printed a compad and wanted to make sure the dimensions are correct.  It's pretty rough still and needs to be sanded.  I am going to resin print the buttons since that will look better, but is 2.5 inches wide by 3 inches tall.

 

 

The Inferno compad is a little bit smaller than that.  The central portion that is visible through the sleeve window should be approximately 2.5" x 2".  Of course the "frame" around it can be a little bit bigger if it helps the compad sit in the pocket more securely.

There is a margin for error of course, and I think the Iden Versio and Gideon Hask CRLs still allow a full size TIE compad to be clearable.

[Hesikaya]

The cutting has finally begun.  Only had time for some basic trimming.