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Saturday April 12th 9:00AM (PST) / 12:00PM (ET) / 4:00PM (UTC+1) Length: 2-3 hours (depending on interest and availability of staff) Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/iph-uxin-qag (No Download Required) Pathfinders Virtual Armor Party. Everyone is welcome to attend and bring any questions you have about any of the Pathfinders costumes. If you're new to the detachment and this is your first costume build or if you're deep in the weeds with a plethora of costumes but feel "just one more couldn't hurt," come join in. The time gives the best coverage for the US and Europe but everyone is invited to join. While the forum is a great source for just about anything you would like to know about Pathfinders costumes, it never hurts to have someone to talk to directly as well as being able to ask specific questions about your build while being able to see first hand the answers to those questions. Working on armor by yourself can be a daunting task, so let us help with some of that strain. Armorers and Command staff will be available to help you with your builds so come prepared with questions and be ready to work. Or if you just want to say hi to some of the folks you see posting on the forum all the time, now is your chance! If you are unable to attend due to timezone issues please let us know your interest. If there are enough people outside of the current timezone we can always schedule another Armor Party at a later date that will take this into account.

I don't know how much you can see in the picture, but today I finally had the opportunity to put on all my Shoretrooper variants and take some photos of it - I've put the pictures together here to make a group photo with myself ^^

Thanks Kris. I haven't totally lost my Star Wars mojo. I will try to make it to a Comicon sometime and give the Imperials some grief

You're close but I would knock the weathering down just a bit.

Looks warm. From the quick glance on my phone it looks good.

Larry I do hope to see you at an event sometime.

You know what's smaller than a DLT? The EC-17.

As per the CRL, the E-11 is not authorized to be used with any of the legion scout costumes. You own the armor, so, outside of legion events, you can carry any blaster you like.

Sooooo. It's been some time. I have moved from Italy back to the UK - Wales to be precise. Life is different, priorities change and with much soul searching I have decided to retire from costuming. I am 63 this year and although I dont have one foot in the grave, I do remember how tiring trooping was when I last did it in 2017. I loved it but it can take its toll. So, my part complete armour is up for sale. I have all the parts: 3D printed armour, jacket, trousers, gloves, boots etc. If anyone (probably in the UK) is interested, drop me a PM and we can discuss the finer details including price which I am very flexible on.

Work in progress. Testing my technique with the bells. Thoughts on this first go are welcome. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Flak vests are not typically that long. You should get it altered to be shorter in length.

Hi, it looks like you're nearly there. A few refinements -- Can you clarify what this black bit is on the back side? Is that the bottom edge of the flak vest? If so, the bottom of the vest should not be visible underneath the cummerbund. Also on the back side, the butt flap has a large gap between the belt and the start of the flap. There should not be a visible gap there. The flap is already long, but moving it up should shorten it's overall length.

Appliance white looks really good on the helmet. This weekend will assemble the helmet. Long awaited moment. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hello Folks, After a disastrous and time wasting experience with Sheevs Emporium which everyone needs to avoid at all costs, I I found a custom jacket maker who is in the process of creating a new leather jacket for me. Yup....made out of leather! I provide them with as many pictures of other jackets including some from the Armory Prop Shops and a few other fellow builders here. They are trying to follow the patterns for the stitch and rib counts for the sleeves and had provided me with a pic of one of the sleeve section. How does this look so far?

Well, here's the final jacket that I received over the weekend. The chest and back areas are pretty soft and smooth. The ribs on the arms came out good as I was concerned that the maker wasn't going to make them correctly. Instead of submitting custom measurements, I order the jacket in a Men's XL size as I could go to a local tailor to make small adjustments rather than get a jacket that turns out to be too tight and uncomfortable. What do you think?

When it comes to paint it's usually the clear coat that starts yellowing. I typically tell folks not to clear coat for that very reason. I've never used that particular type of Rusto paint before, but I also wonder if the epoxy aspect of the paint might be part of the issue. Unfortunately, short of sanding and repainting, there's no magic method to remove the yellowing from either paint or clear coats.

Hi Toby, I'm excited to hear we have another future GLG member in the works! Costuming in a post-Joann world is certainly going to be a challenge. To answer your questions, all of the elastic that I used is the Dritz brand. I brought mine from Joann, but it looks like their products are available on Amazon. I believe that is where I found my webbing as well. As for the fabric, I'm not sure where you are located in Michigan, but there is a pretty good fabric store called Haberman Fabrics in Clawson. I've visited there once, and they have a pretty good selection of apparel fabrics. Ordering online is an option as well, but I would recommend ordering a swatch to make sure it looks and feels right before placing an order. If you haven't already done so, I'd also recommend starting a build thread here and asking questions when you have trouble finding materials or need help with anything. The Pathfinders staff is AMAZING and was super helpful to me throughout my build. Best of luck with your build!

Thanks. Next up, soft parts. I’ll trial on an inconspicuous area first or on some extra fabric to get the technique down. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Final armor weathering. Heavy pic post incoming… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After over 50 events in my Shoretrooper Squad Leader, I wanted to rework the armor a bit, but then came to the conclusion that a complete new build would probably make more sense. Then the question arose as to which variant I should choose and the answer was “yes”! A few details are still missing, e.g. I still have to add the long belt box and the biceps parts are somehow too tight, so that I can't get them high enough in combination with the shirt - so I have to work on that again. Approval photos will have to wait a little longer, but all in all this should cover pretty much every Shoretrooper variant currently available. ^^ I'm missing an E-11 balster, but who needs one, if you can have an E-22?! But the best of all - I can actually fit all of this in a 190l Stanley box & the weapon case, which have of course been branded accordingly. I thought I've archived the pictures of the building process somewhere, but somehow I can't find them right now. It was actually a process during the last 2 years and I built 4 other armors inbetween/parallel for friends who are now members too. But at least, here is the result. As said, have to take pics for approval when I find the time to wear and change all those parts and I have reworked thos tiny parts still missing or needing a change. I can put on everything on my own, but it's easier with someone to help. And then I hope to find the time for more trooping again

If it's attached properly, that's not usually an issue. I know that some folks have used fusible web to help position and place the riding patches prior to sewing, but most people just open the leg and use lots and lots of pins.

If you choose to purchase a pair of gloves, the gloves from wampawear are near exact replicas of the original esprit motorcycle gloves. https://wampawear.com/product/biker-scout-gloves/

Knees..and stop for today. Tired old hands Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Biceps… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The overall shape of your riding patch looks good. Since the patches are already fully sewn on, I think the gap you show will likely be covered by your cod, the elastic strap, and the back flap. If that's not the case, then you can always adjust it later.

Adding to what Chopper said above, it always comes down to what your Garrison allows at troops. Most look to the CRLs for guidance. As the E-11 is not a part of the CRL, chances they will say no are high. LFL or non-LFL doesn't really matter; some Garrisons, like mine, ask for strict CRL adherence no matter what the troop. So ultimately, it's up to your GCO.

To get a sense of the weathering, usually the best lighting is outdoor lighting.

Just a little update... Chest and left shoulder are painted, just need to do the washes. Also, my Mr. Paul buckles and straps arrived so they're on. Check it out! I know the chest should sit higher...but obviously I'm just holding it all here more just to see how it all looks.

Yeah, it is. It's a shame to begin mucking up the paint job for weathering..... Anyway, I'm starting the weathering this week. Simple parts first, to get the hang of the technique. Using Christina and Nick's builds as a guide. Thankful that folks take the time on this forum to post progress for others. Very useful.

Your call, but the biker scout glove market isn't really one that's craving new vendors. Just ask John/plagu3is, who is still sitting on a stock of beautiful esprit replicas that he commissioned a few years back. The glove itself is tricky to replicate, due to the padding and seams. And anyone looking to clear privately made Esprit gloves is going to be evaluated against the high level of accuracy that's currently available on the market. Again, if you want to put the effort into duplicating something that's already available, that's your call, but IMO that time, energy, and cost may be better used elsewhere.

Your flap is bunching b/c it's attached too high. However, the back flap is best adjusted once the bund, belt, and detonator positioning is all set up. Leave it for now and do further adjustments once you have those other parts in place.

You will also need to move the thigh straps.

So, your patches are the back suede or faux suede area on the flight suit. Their current placement is fine. It’s okay if the patches extend a little underneath the knee armor. The CRL states that they end above the knee, meaning your physical knee, NOT your knee armor. As for the curve, the CRL doesn’t specify that the curve of the patches needs to match the curve of the cod piece. Your bund, belt, and cod have room to come up an inch or two. Once you dial in the placement of the bund, belt, and cod everything else will fall into place. You just need to round the hard corners of the patches as indicated above. If you look through Gloria’s thread, you’ll see a post from Chopper on April 20 with a green line indicating where the corner should be rounded. Gloria was using chalk to mock up the patches so she could make a pattern. The elastic straps merely need to be moved up so that they sit half way between the top of the knee armor and your drop boxes. The butt flap in the back just needs to be removed and raised to where Chopper indicated in the photo. That’s it. Easy fixes. I hope that I’ve cleared things up for you. If not let me know. Where here to help!

These are easy fixes Nes. Any seamstress will be able to make these adjustments and it should cost you far less than a new suit. For the riding patches you just want to round those hard corners. Give your seamstress a copy of the CRL and show her the pictures in the CRL so she can visualize what needs to be done. You’re very close to the finish line. Keep up the great work!

Suspension headset and chin strap (w/ bucket and Velcro strap) installed. Holding off on the lens until weathering is complete. Wrapping up helmet with stickers, then moving on to weathering. Completed a little side project - commlink. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

About halfway between your drop boxes and knee armor.

Those side straps need to come up so they're halfway between your drop boxes and your knee armor.

That’s correct.

Ok. So that there isn´t a big gap, could I unstitch the seam at the start of the butt flap and move it up where you indicate and sew it there?

Nice work on the assembly. Looks great! As for the chin strap, it’s not required for L1 and is only optional for L2. That being said, I do have one. Most scouts in my garrison have one, simply because most vendors provide it with their kits. The nice thing about is that it’s another feature, along with any padding or helmet liner you install in the bucket, that helps to keep the bucket from shifting.

Correct

The CRL says: Holster Gloss white or semi-gloss and may be lightly weathered. Attached to the outside of the right boot with 1/8th (3mm) silver-colored rivets. The blaster pistol fits into the holster. The holster must be attached to the outside of the right boot with 1/8th (3mm) silver-colored rivets for basic clearance. Attaching via velcro is not acceptable.

Yeah Neoprene is fine. That's what I started with

Finished weathering the chest and left shoulder! Also, working on the belt boxes, below. A couple print lines still showing up in the top one that I'll take care of, and I'm not concerned about the lines on that bottom box, as that'll be the base of the hinged longer box and those will be covered up. And yep, I am trying to go for level 2 as much as possible with all this!

Agreed with Corey. I wouldn't worry too much about that gap as it'll be covered up. Interesting pattern shape, looks like a giant comma.

Are you doing the oils technique? Slather on the oil paint, wipe it down and then stipple where appropriate? Looks good, although id probably remove a bit more. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here's a guide from Mr. Paul... Not sure if the link will be correct so I'm including a photo too. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1742353536003671/permalink/2205414926364194/?app=fbl Sent from my Pixel 8a using Tapatalk

More progress. Does anyone install the chin strap? Not mentioned in the CRL. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On behalf of Pathfinders Command, it is my pleasure to induct Z "Bikrtrash" Zinser (TB-32173) into the Pathfinders Hall of Fame as a Lancer Scout Trooper for the "TB - Scout Trooper - ROTJ" CRL! Great job, @Bikrtrash ! You have been sent a Certificate of Achievement to your email on file and your picture will be added to the Pathfinders Hall of Fame. Check out TB-32173's application here:

Well I got approved yesterday at 4:17 pm this my second Character!! Can’t wait to Enjoy being a pathfinder with the Florida Garrison Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk