Dart

The stuff you want is marine vinyl. You don't want the stretch vinyl since it's wayyyy too thin.

The covers are 7/8" in diameter and about 3/32" in depth (22mm x 2.5mm)

When you're doing the top straps for the chest/back, just wear a t-shirt or your flightsuit. Most of the adjustment will be from the bottom soft strap anyway. One thing you can do to check how it fits is to put the chest and back on, tape the top straps where they are and check things out in a mirror from the side. Ideally, you want the bottom of the chest and back to be about the same height or so. Take a look at the screen grabs and you'll see what I mean. Now, I don't know if you're a big dude with a deer gut or just a spare tire, but make sure you don't bring the chest armour up too high. Don't wanna look like it's chokin' ya. BTW, nice TD. Looks good.

When I did mine, I attached the ends so that the boxes were hanging no lower than the bottom of my cod (buttoned in place). I also made sure they were on the side of my leg, not closer to the front or the rear. I think I just measured the distance of the strapping between the front of the box and the buckle and then made it the same length on the back side.

Yeah, that's because they're made of spring steel... super tough. I was lucky enough to have a machinist friend drill the holes with one of his hole-drilly machines. Good luck and try not to hurt yourself! As for your glue question, I used Goop (same as E6000). Also, because you have the MC armour (like myself) make sure you trim the shoulder straps accordingly. Ideally, you should have a gap (1/4" - 1/2" gap is ideal) sitting at the top of your shoulder. Might wanna get some help marking your pieces to cut. I actually just trimmed the straps on the chest piece - took about an inch off. I also bent the straps up a bit so they'd fit flatter to my chest/shoulder area, but use your discretion on that adjustment.

When you're doing the thigh straps, it's good to pull them a bit tight. Measure how long they need to be to sit against your leg (when wearing the suit) and then pull in about another inch. That'll also help keep the baginess of the legs under control.

I can tell ya right now that they're probably spot on. If you can get a part number, that'd be awesome.

Congrats on the achievement! Cheers to the new Lancer!

Looks good! I wish my right boot stood up on its' own with my blaster in it, ha!

I've got something similar too. I also tossed on a 6" x 3" strip of velcro on the inside there for good measure.

I use an Aker amp and I love it. No sfx boards are necessary. It's nice for people and my felow troopers to actually understand what I'm saying.

Fortunately, scout armour really isn't bad as far as assembly goes as compared to a TK or anything else. You really only have to assemble the chest/back and the belt. Even then, it's pretty straight-forward. I have MC armour and I thought it was pretty simple to put together.

Actually, the triktoys snout is bigger than the MC snout (the round bit). I'd honestly recommend MC's snout pieces. Get the one with the plate (I've got the hollow one) and just sand down the back at the top a bit to fit the KS bucket. I've got one and I love the way it looks.

If you're getting blisters, it's because your socks are retaining the moisture from your feet. You need to wear some moisture-wicking socks. Pick up a 3-pack of underarmour socks and you'll be set. I wear the short socks everytime I troop and I've never had a blister. Pair that with a good set of gel insoles and you'll be super comfy anywhere, anytime. That all said, if your heel is getting rubbed, it's probably because your laces aren't tight enough (or the boot is too big). When you put your boot on, make sure your heel is well seated in the heel cup of the boot before tightening the laces. Worst comes to worse, go to the drug store and get yourself a couple of moleskin pads and slap them on your heels.

Awwww... I mean... Congrats!

Actually, the MC armour comes with pretty much everything you need to make it look Lancery. However, the true test is how you fit it to yourself. No such thing as "Lancer approved" armour or anything else. If it looks right on ya, that's the important thing.

Well, I think you might be right about the "collectable" part. My supplier no longer has the old style. They're waiting for the new batch to come in and they figure they'll be the black ones.

Hmm... I might have to double-check my supplier to see if they've changed over. What's the part number for the newer ones? BTW, that is one heck of a beautiful bucket! I would easily sell a kidney for one of those.

Throw a riding patch, mudflap and leg straps on that sucker and you'd probably be ready to apply for Lancer. Nice work!

Well, you get pretty much everything you need for assembling the armour, including a CD with some instructions. You get enough pop rivets for the belt and holster, you get the greeblies for everything (t-bits and TD buttons/knob)... I could go on, but the only thing you'll need that isn't included in the kit is all your soft gear and a bucket (and boots).

Actually, you can install the 3M bolts fairly easily on the KS bucket. It's just a matter of drilling out the rivet and drilling two holes (visor - 1/2"; helmet - 1/4"). As for where to get the bolts, I usually do a bulk order run a couple times a year. Once I get paid this year, I'll probably put up an interest thread, so keep yer eyes peeled.

Nice gloves! I wouldn't worry too much about the quality of the vid, you explained things pretty well and you showed what you did. Good stuff!

Yeah, the boots that are in the tutorial have changed universally, it seems. Now, they've got a couple of colours on them instead of just being a solid tan. I'm not sure if it'd affect any Lancer application but I'm not the one to ask...

My MC armor is about 1 3/4" wide with the nylon connecting strap being 1 1/2" wide.

PM'ed ya, Matt!