Chef

The boxes are about the right height. Maybe a touch high but nothing to worry about. Ideally they should connect to the main belt in roughly the same place as where the corners of the main thermal detonator box are if you get my meaning. Attaching them can be as simple as a couple of hand stitches just to keep them secure. I've seen them glued, poppered and riveted in my time.

Looking good. Remember the straps at the back join the belt much closer to the middle than where you have them now. (effectively under the corners of the Thermal Detonator) That might pull your drop boxes up a bit (which isn't too much of a drama), but be careful they don't go too high.

Welcome aboard buddy.

It's just because it's different detachments with differing levels of detail. A couple of years ago we pulled the details of the Storm Commando more into line with the regular Scout so the CRL's reflected each other better, but the level of detail that we know about the regular Scout has come on apace within the last 18-24 months mostly in part to the solid dedication of the chaps here on the BSN. Our CRL's have been updated recently to reflect that, I can only suspect that Spec Ops haven't felt the need to do the same, but I am sure they will do in time.

Not having done ShoreTrooper Armour, but having printed lots of things, I would suggest that the settings will be more particular for your printer/filament rather than what is being printed. Both my mate and I have identical printers (Prusa i3), but our settings vary to get the best results. What sort of things are you trying to achieve? fast/lightweight prints or sturdy armour parts? Thinner shells and higher print layers will give you faster prints, but at the expense of quality and they will probably require more remedial work to get them looking nice. I tend to use a 3 shell, 10% infill at a 0.2mm layer height and for most things this is acceptable. I went a bit heavier when I did some BB-8 parts, 4 shell, 50% infill. Discussing 3D printer settings can be a bit like asking how long is a piece of string or what the tastiest food is... You'll probably get a million different answers.

Yeah, it's always a bit of a common issue. The shoulder parts aren't exactly the right shape for your frame and you will get this happen. This will always happen, no matter how wide you make the shoulder bridges. In fact, if you male the bridges bigger, it will look worse. The best (although not easiest) way to combat this is to gently re-shape the 'over the shoulder' bits on the armour so they better suit you. Obviously there is always a risk when re-shaping armour, so this is only to be done entirely at your own risk and if you're 100% comfortable with it. As for stopping everything moving around... I have a strip of velcro on the inside of my chest armour which is then attached to the bund/pouches and the same along the back edge of the armour and the upper bit of my bund at the back. Velcro everywhere that can't be seen to hold stuff where it needs to be! As Alan has said, it looks OK in your sig bar, so there must be a way to do it without too much hassle.

The return edges only really want to be about 4-5mm. Just to give the appearance of a panel thickness. For the chest/back side straps, sew in a bit of elastic between the two at the back, this allows the strap to expand as you flex, reducing the stress on the armour parts. There should be some in the strapping kit.

Welcome aboard Pascal!

I'm pretty sure Jeff at SC can hit you up with a set.

Use the back pocket buddy (if it has one). Fold it in half and if it's pretty much the same as every other boiler suit I've come across, it will be the same height as the collar. Just across the collar will be fine.

Vinyl is pretty resistant to be honest. Some non aggressive cleaner (preferably as clear as possible... Ecover or similar) on a white cloth should usually get marks out. Just make sure it's not too caustic or acidic. Don't be a dork like I have in the past and cleaned them with a coloured cloth and simply transferred the cloth colour to the boots! Doh!

As part of this terms election pledge, we mooted a safer vendor policy to be introduced. This was as a direct result of some unfortunate issues arising from sales across the forum where those transactions had 'gone south' for a myriad of reasons. The prevalence of these incidents has been steadily rising and continues to do so every now and then. We don't think it is acceptable, and they just cause unnecessary trouble and bad feeling for everyone involved. So in response to this, we are implementing a simple policy for those individuals wishing to use this forum as a means to garner business for themselves. The function of this is to protect you the members as much as possible as we can. This is simply by highlighting some 'business best practice' which should be followed by vendors and puts both the vendor and customer is a clear position with regards to their consumer rights and any contractual obligations. As with all sales, the watch words are "Caveat Emptor" - Buyer Beware. This is just to reinforce that and hopefully provide you with a slightly more informed choice. The policy will be as follows. (it's also clearly listed at the top of the Vendor trade section. We have always tried to give out best practice for each and every up and coming Scout to minimise their risk of these incidents. And this can apply to both individual private sales as well as buying from a vendor. They are no limited to, but include the following. 1: Do Not "Pay Up Front". Certainly not in full... If the vendor has enough time to take your money, they've enough time to make your stuff. 2: If they do require you to pay up front. Make sure you pay on something that has buyer protection, credit card or paypal etc. 3: Set a deadline within the Payment Protection timeframe. 4: If that deadline gets close... Start that ball rolling. Be matter of fact about it. You can always withdraw it if your vendor pulls through. 5: Be clear about what you are buying. Ask for a detailed quote and shipping costs and ask to see pictures of the item so you know what to expect to receive. Be safe out there... The Command Staff.

That's not the best of it.... We've also got a 1929 Singer 29K Boot patcher. This machine works flawlessly and can sew through 6mm of HIPS plastic (we've tried it!). And that's nearly 90 years old! Decent machines are out there... My mate recently found a superb 99K in a charity shop for a fiver (£5). Complete with the original sales receipt, dated 1935. Stunning item, looks like it's only ever had two needles used on it in it's life (the original pack of needles in their wax wrapper was also with it!). Not too sound too much like a sewing machine nerd.... But I can't recommend one enough.

This is a growing problem that's for sure... As part of my election pledge I mooted the idea of implementing a safer vendors policy for advertising stuff for sale here on the BSN. We're just putting the finishing touches to that policy at the moment and it will be implemented soon. Obviously that doesn't help you Ken in the situation you're in now... But hopefully it will reverse the trend in future for everyone who comes after you. Everything is a bit 'caveat emptor' and whilst this is still unacceptable, it has gotten better recently. By having the 'vendor issues' section, this has highlighted instances of bad customer service or shoddy workmanship... Not to those who've got the items (that horse has bolted), but their misfortune has probably saved someone else some heartache. If your 'transaction' started with the individual concerned via this forum then we will assist as much as we can (although our involvement will be limited). If it was done outside of the forum and on a recommendation, then we will probably be even more limited in what we can do. Hopefully it will all get sorted out for you. Rob.

I would class that as one of the 'new' versions and whilst probably perfectly serviceable, might not be as bullet proof as one of the older variants. Just as an example, my old 457 is older than me (my mum bought it new in 1967) and still works as well now as it did 50 years ago. I can still get all the right parts for it should anything go wrong (which is hasn't in a long long time). They don't build them like they used to is a very apt adage when it comes to sewing machines.

Is it a decal or a vinyl sticker? Vinyl stickers are easy to get level. get it in the right place, run your finger down the centre of all the stripes to stick it to the helmet. Then go vertical in the middle to stick that down, then do the ends. Then half way between each stuck down part until all the vinyl is attached. The stripes will be ever so slightly closer together at the tops/bottoms due to the curve on the lid, but it will be hardly noticeable. If they're a water transfer decal, then I can't advise. Never done it.

You can get special leather/suede needles for most of the domestic type machines. The shape of the point is different and stops the potential for dropped stitches that you get with a standard needle. It's how the material reacts with the needle. On a standard cotton, the needle pushes apart the warp and weft of the material allowing the needle to loop the thread. On suede/leather, the skin simply isn't moved aside sufficiently by the point of the needle (unless it's blunt) causing the upper thread to be under tension and therefore miss the lower one when it loops. A leather needle has a 'chisel' shaped point to punch a hole in the leather rather than simply piercing it. It's difficult to say whether your material/machine combination will be OK with a standard needle because it all depends on what you have. But if you get problems, that is the second port of call to look at after the timing of the machine. They might seems blindingly complicated, but rest assured, they are fairly simple things just with some pretty fine tolerances. (just don't consider getting an industrial coverstitch machine... That's proper bad voodoo going on right there!)

Hi Morten, Getting yourself a cheap sewing machine will pay dividends in the long run. The money you spend on having your things made for you, will probably be very similar to what you would spend if you got a cheap machine and made them yourself. I would doubt there is anything that can 'easily' be done by hand. Sewing the riding patch on will probably be about the only process that can be done simply. Taking up any 'slack' in the suit is a relatively big task. Have a look on eBay for an oldish Singer sewing machine. They're bomb proof and relatively cheap. (don't get one of the newer ones). Something like a 457 or a 427 or similar will be ideal. Even one of the older hand crank 99K machines will reduce your work time by a massive chunk. (these hand crank ones are also great for sewing thick leather too!). They'll take a bit of getting used to, but it's easy once you get into the swing of it. If you see any, just throw up a link here and I can take a peek.

Palladiums are nice boots (I'm wearing a pair right now!). The gum sole and toe fillet are very similar to the original Hi-Tec Sierras, but the sole pattern is very different. I am sure they can be made to work in a similar fashion. The Palladiums are a commercial version of the Israeli Defence Force boot. The IDF ones tend to be a bit cheaper than the commercial Palladiums. http://www.ebay.com/itm/IDF-Scout-Commando-canvas-TAN-Boots-Made-in-Israel-/121052052083 (you can probably find them much cheaper than this...). The soles are a bit off in colour, but not by a huge amount. These are what the Endor Commando's (rebel scum) are using for their base boots instead of the Sierras.

Yup... I was Number 2.

I'm not particularly sure where this came from. I think it's just a bit of fan sculpt. It is pretty cool I'll grant you that, but without a suitable LFL sanctioned reference then I would doubt it'll fly past the LMO's. The Snow Scout itself is held over on Blizzard Force, and any additions to that particular CRL would need to be run through them.

I'm trying to recover what I can from my photo bucket account. It's a bit of a mission though, their bulk downloader isn't playing ball.

It's been a long time coming folks! We've been after this for about the past five years or so, and after a lot of research, a bit of prodding, we've finally been able to get it all done. The Sniper Rifles have now been officially added to the CRL's as a useable weapons platform. http://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:TB_Scout_trooper At this stage, the DLT-19 and the DLT-19x (scoped version) are the only two currently acceptable variants of the 'long rifle' that have been put onto the official CRL. We're still working on getting the DLT-20a and the E-11s (DC-15x) variants added on there, but we'll keep pushing for these. So buckle up buttercups! We're going a huntin'!

If you've access to a 3D printer (or know someone who has), then you can scale the files to suit your individual size. I'm pretty sure the files have been granted 'freeware' status by the designer? Just tweak them up in a 3D modelling programme.

The weight all depends on how the laminate has been laid up. If it is thin, then the helmet can potentially be very lightweight. But thin equals frangible when it comes to resin. So thicker lay-ups are better and that means more weight. My lid is still my original GRP one and it is a bit of a bruiser. But it's not uncomfortably heavy. If you've ever worn a motorcycle helmet or an Army one, then it's not much different to that.