Dart

Out of curiosity, how well does the shade 5 do against camera flashes? Just wondering since I know how goofy it looks when the flash penetrates the lens and you can see the trooper behind the mask.

I've had the magnet in the blaster/holster - worked great. Currently, I rock a Hyperfirm but I have a bit of white foam stuck to the inside right of the holster to keep it tight.

You might also consider moving your shoulder bells up a fair bit as they look like they're a bit too far down your shoulder. I'd also bring up your hip boxes about 2 inches. Also, your leg straps are a bit too low - might consider moving them up if possible and tightening them up as well. You've got a great start, otherwise. Keep going and you'll be ship shape in no time!

The extra belt webbing that comes with the MC armour is 1.5", just a touch less than 40mm. From all the images I've seen, that looks closer. I also have an MC armour set and that's what I've done. Looks good.

I use a hockey bag that's also a backpack that also has wheels. Makes it easy to carry around. For the long distance troops, I've got a Pelican case that I can fit everything but my helmet in. For that, I just put it in a motorcycle helmet bag.

Just be sure you don't pull the vinyl too tightly over the laces or you'll have a heck of a time getting the boots on.

KS armour is a bit wider but overall, SC is probably your best bet.

It's not a bad idea to use a bit of heat. It'll let the vinyl grab the shape a bit better than just stretching.

Sew some elastic straps to the pant leg opening so that they'll stay tucked in.

Hip boxes look about right. Question for ya: does your TD greeblie fit inside the groove or did you have to shim it? Just wondering if Cal's widened that part.

Just by eyeballing it, I'd say no more than an inch. With my MC armour, I trimmed one inch off the shoulder straps and it sits well for me. You just want to be sure that you've got a good amount of space below your neck. Velcro on those other bits makes a huge difference. I do the same thing and it means my arm straps don't have to be super tight.

Take a good look at the gallery. There's some good shots of the black bars. When I did mine, I tried to get them more or less at the same level as the indented bars and about as far from the center line as they were as well. Do a test fit (by holding that bit up to the helmet, clean the area with some isopropyl alcohol (a dirty surface won't allow the optimal "stick"), maybe mark the bucket with a pencil (very lightly - it can be removed) and just go for it. Try to stick the middle of the decal first (middle area of the bars - lengthwise) and then start sticking down the top and bottom edges. Use the back/top of your fingernail or the back of a plastic spoon and work every bar, up and down, all edges, until you don't see any air bubbles or gaps. Then, pull the masking tape off, carefully. Doing this stuff can be really tedious and nervous but if you take the time to really map out where they're supposed to go, it makes things easier. One last thing: make sure the bars are straight. By that, I mean that they don't angle downwards towards the bottom front of the helmet. Good luck!

You might consider dropping the front chest armour down just a bit. Maybe move the bicep armour up a bit higher so they're not banging your forearm plates. Also, when you make the cut for your shoulder straps, make sure the cut is at the center of the shoulder so that when you put the fabric cover on, it's in the right place. Otherwise, it looks like it's coming along nicely. Good job!

Goop, E6000 or any equivalent will work just fine. I used E6000.

I'm thinking that the satin would definitely be too shiny. Beaver nylon looks (and sounds from what I can find) to be the same as nylon Cordura. I've got something similar that I might be using for my new 'bund. It's 1000 denier (thickness/weight) and it's plastic coated on the back (you can barely see it). I don't think it'll be too hot but then again, I won't know until I try, hahaha! But I'd go with the "beaver" nylon. I think it's closer to the original than duck cloth/twill.

Actually, it's the other way around. The SC bucket runs smaller than the KS. SC is (apparently) in the same range as an MLC lid.

To the best of my knowledge, each kit is pulled in ABS so if you've got a KS helmet, it should match.

That's a flight suit, right? Lots of zips and openings - including that one with the snap. The riding patch is way too small and the mud flap isn't wide enough. If you're planning on redoing the suit, there's better options out there than military flight suits.

For the MC armour, be sure to size the chest and back correctly. By that, I mean to make sure the shoulder straps aren't too long. I had to cut 1 inch from the chest straps and then heat them a bit to bend them into a more gradual curve. Be sure that you don't get a huge gap underneath those straps. Other than that, good luck!

Lookin' good so far! Just playin' devil's advocate, but have you ensured that the shoulder straps are going to be long enough?

So, would it be frowned upon to have the vest sewn to the cummerbund? True, we have no proof that it was, but do we have proof that it wasn't? Asking because I've got the front half of my vest sewn to the 'bund. Helps keep everything up.

Looks good! How does it handle a wash? That'd be my only concern with the construction method. Please let us know.

Sometimes KS takes a bit longer to reply but Scott will get back to you. I've got a 24" head and my KS fits comfortably. It can be a bit tricky to assemble so just take your time and watch where you cut.

Hahaha, Tarkin's trousers? Lots of cool images on that page. Thanks for the link!

Definitely keeping an eye on this one. Looks good so far!