Chef

VI. BLASTER 1. Kenner toy blasters, modified Kenner toy blasters or resin recasts of Kenner toy blasters are not acceptable due to the fact they are approximately 10% larger in scale than an accurate blaster should be. 2. Resin or hyperfirm rubber blasters are acceptable. 3. Blasters with triggers are unacceptable as no screen props had them.

Yup, pretty much what Lou said. The 501st site does take some updating. Here we can just make the edits we need to because we are in control of our own destiny, but on the 501st site we are at the mercy of the Web Admins over there, and they've got their hands full with other stuff, so there's a bit of lag. Knee rivets are white. I can't find a 'screen grab' of a chin cup being present... Yet as Lou says, there are pictures of one on a Scout Lid that's with collectors. So it's been deemed 'optional'. If someone can come up with conclusive screen evidence of it's use, then it may become 'required'.

Matt finish is perfectly acceptable.

It's not one I have heard of before, and looking at that cummerbund, I'd be a bit dubious. There are people on here who can make them yes... Just have a hunt about.

nope, knees work just fine with only the backing washer.

MonCal is the smallest, but expect to wait.... AGES.... and AGES.... to get a kit. And we're talking about 12 months at current rates. There aren't many others your side of the pond that are considerably smaller. The UK MicroScouts seem to have faired well, but their kit doesn't do you any favours, because of getting it back over to the states. The SC kit can be trimmed down, but it's some work.

Are you making sure the pilot hole is EXACTLY the same size as the rivet?? If you're using a 4mm rivet, you need to drill a 4mm hole. Also, are you putting a backing washer on?? It will never sit flat like the head of the rivet, that's not how they work.

The upper edge of the forearm should be right on the elbow. Depending on how long your arms are, it should practically touch the bicep armour when your arm is straight. If you've longer arms, there will be a gap. It will then rest where ever it sits in relation to your gloves. All good advice regarding the velcro or snaps.

Yup, belt is 2" (50mm) white NYLON webbing for that bit. 1/5" (38mm) COTTOM webbing for the drop straps. The bridge straps ideally want to be as small as possible about 2" max, but this ultimately depends on your build and how the straps of the armour fit over your shoulders. They should cover any gap between the front and rear. They are tight around the armour straps

That eggshell bubble in your laminate is a bit of bad laminating. Basically the first coat of glass hasn't been properly laminated down onto the gel coat forming a little air pocket between the two. They can be easily filled by dropping some resin or filler into the cavity. Not an issue in itself, but it does lend the question, where else are such cavities?? You won't know about them until they crack and expose the void underneath. The Gel Coat on GRP lids is just like a hard paint 'skin', forming an eggshell layer over the outer resin/glass layer. It has no inherent strength in itself. The Scout bucket is a complex shape and has some tricky curves, so it's by no means 'easy' to eliminate all these things, but where you do get them shows it has been rushed initially. That first layer is the most important part to get right, as it gives the structural integrity to the Gel layer. You'll find these mostly around the rim of the lid and in the ears as they are the difficult curves to get in. You will always get a weave pattern on the inside unless it's either given a gel backing or the layer is particularly resin heavy. So that in itself isn't something to worry about. Just be aware of any stray strands poking out, they will be like hypodermic needles. Run some sand paper round the inside to remove these. I have to say I am a little disappointed by the rather lumpy/bumpy nature of the surface finish (not of your painting... I'll come to that) in it's raw form. I don't know whether that's bad moulds, or rushed lamination causing some 'pulling' during the curing process. Impossible to say without seeing the moulds. Paint wise... You've done a good job in the time frame you've had. You're a braver man than I doing it in such short order, but them time became of the essence! Glad you got it all finished up and sorted in time for your convention. I do think the helmet is oversized compared to the screen used ones, but if you need a bigger lid then it's one of the biggest ones out there.

There were possibly 9 on the original buck, but the ninth was probably so close to the centreline that on the original buckets it may have been filled in or trimmed out, or a weak pull may have not shown the detail. Not having seen a picture of the original buck from the back, it's impossible to say for sure exactly how many there were, and this is speculation on my part. On the EFX one you can see the ghost of a 9th What we can say is there are definitely 8 "clear" indents, with traces of a possible 9th

Yup, they'll do (but I would say that! hehehehe). Marcel is away on Holiday at the moment, so I don't know when this will get processed or whether Chex can do it or not. Stay Frosty!

It's plenty sturdy enough!! The pipe will break before the rivet pulls through the aluminium. Attach in the same way with a rivet as you will with all the other armour parts. Rivet head = TD Clip = TD Tube = Washer. You'll need to get a washer over the rivet on the inside of the tube (it's a bit fiddly). I tend to rest the washer on my finger tip, poke it in the tube, get it over the rivet, then turn it over so the washer locates all the way down the shank. Then squeeze the rivet up.

This is the stuff that I use... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EMA-PLASTIC-WELD-POLYSTYRENE-GLUE-CEMENT-/251961783280?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aaa17b3f0 It's amazing stuff. You just need to dab it on with a brush. Capillary action draws the glue between the bits you're gluing. Sticks like the proverbial to a blanket. You should be able to get it in your local model shop. That's where I get mine rather than eBay.

Having them attached to the bund is more screen accurate, but they tend to 'droop' and pull the cummerbund down causing untold aggravation. Velcro'ing them to the inside of the chest plate works a treat as they have the same 'look' as being attached to the bund, but they don't drag the bund down. I've got them done both ways on my Scout and Storm Commando, and I find attached to the inside of the armour to be less hassle when trooping.

yeah, in the region of 38-40mm 1.5" is 38mm anyway.

Good start there Bro. You've covered all the bits that could do with tweaking. So you're well on track. Being your own worst critic is both a blessing and a curse. You've just got to learn to not let that get on top of you. The only other thing I can suggest is to change the bicep elastic to 38mm rather than the 25 of the forearms.

Not really... I have to crack mine open about 10mm to get it on comfortably. But it literally is just a crack.

Yeah, unfortunately my little home former doesn't have the 'blow' function. My industrial one, which unfortunately is out of service at the moment does, but I have to get the monster fixed first.

er... have been doing for ages John.

Being the best isn't easy.... Otherwise everyone would be doing it. You wouldn't hear about people climbing Everest, if it was the same as walking to the Kwik-E-Mart now would you? And water is the sweetest tasting thing to a man dying of thirst! You'll come good. And you'll appreciate it all the more.

Bund wise... For Lancer, you only want 5 vertical ribs on the front, rather than 6. Each rib should be around 1" wide (ultimately depending on your size), and the top edge of the rich part should roughly be around 10" wide. It's much wider than you might think. If you look at this picture, you can see that the cod section is much wider than the ribbed area.

The bucks were originally made from one of my Fibreglass helmets, which started out (all those years ago) based from a Don Post that wouldn't stay still (which in itself went through a few 'adjustments').

T-bits are cool... cross that one off the list!

Here's the list I would advise for Lancer. Some of which has already been pointed out and some already addressed. 1: Bring your pouches in and pad them out so they are a bit more 'full' and less droopy. 2: Shorten the Flak Vest sleeves, so they 'just' poke out from the shoulder bells. 3: Bring up the bicep armour to the bottom of the flak vest sleeves. 4: Twist both Bicep and Forearm armour around to the outside, they are twisting backwards. 5: Change bicep/forearm strapping to 38mm and 25mm respectively. 6: Cut the ears out on your lid (if they're stickers). 7: Put the cloth covers on your shoulder bridges. 8: Loose the white braces 9: Bring your belt up, or hide that black back fastening, cover any gaps. 10: turn your TD up the right way round, centralise the button. 11: Check T-Bit orientation (can't see if from your pictures... so would ask.) 12: Widen top of crotch part on bund (check detailing... again can't quite see it) 13: Pull up your drop boxes an inch or so. 14: Lower the elastic straps on your flight suit (they should be below the drop box bottoms) 15: Add in the Top strap on the knees and put in the rivets. 16: Change the belt for single rivet fixing rather than double. 17: Check real Suede on suit (rather than faux) 18: Loose the Holster Stripes. 19: Paint boot soles and cut ribbing. 20: Bund closure at the back doesn't look overly central. There's a few things you'll probably need to address for your standard clearance, such as the braces (suspenders) and the holster stripes and the rear bund fixing, but it shouldn't be a lot. Nice job though bud. most bits are just a question of shifting stuff about.