Chef

Just discuss it with Marcel and the rest of the head-shed. There are some who like to push for better detail and higher standards, and there are those who would prefer to keep it as is, or loosen the reins even further. Everything is purely down to discussion. Some will agree with you, some won't. That's the nature of discussion. The release of the Blu-Ray and even harsher scrutiny has thrown up plenty of new ideas and discoveries. The increase in the base standard considerably narrowed the gap between the two, so maybe it is time for a review? The forum is here for you guys, we're merely here to keep it running on the rails and help you chaps on the way.

Being on the Lancer Panel, I can categorically say that I WILL FIGHT TOOTH AND NAIL to make sure that bit does not stop your lancer application. It's the screen accurate way of closure, it's proven by screen grabs and how it should be done. So despite what the specs say. Fear not Eric. I'll give it the nod. And I'm 99.9% certain all the others would too.

SC stuff is fine, lids included. As with all costumes, it's not purely down to the armour alone, it's down to all the parts together, and how they are finished.

If Novus polish isn't touching it, then you may want to try a slightly harsher cutting compound, something like Farecla G3 or similar. If that doesn't do it then your only real option is going to be painting it. I wouldn't go with a clear coat, I'd go with straight white (appliance white they call it over here).

The two helmets are pretty much constructed in the same fashion, so there won't be much between them. What is more of a concern that you should be aware of is that some of the more recent KS pulls have been less than up to par, with forming defects and/or the use of damaged bucks when producing them. Personally.... I'd go with the SC stuff because we know that is still good. If you choose to go with KS. Ask to have a picture of the stuff you'll be sent prior to shipping or purchase and make it perfectly clear that if you're not happy with it, you'll be sending it back.

Yup, semi-gloss. 'Matt or flat' would be Matt surely?? Good job on the lid bud. Looks like you've had a torrid time of it. But well held in the end.

The pouches, if you line up the inner edge of the pouches with the outermost edge of the bund stripes you'll be good. It's only an inch either side. Ideally your bund stitches should be a little tighter and dropping down to 5, but it's nothing to worry about now. One of those 'as and when' mods. The pouches sit under that grey indent on the chest piece. As we've subsequently found, there are only 5 ribs on the bund rather than the previously thought 6. 6 is still ok for the CRL, so don't panic. Also, if they're not quite an inch wide (as yours appear to be), then they tighten up further, so as that happens, the pouches do appear to be about a rib width away from the stitch lines. It's all a matter of scaling, and it can never be truly right because everyone's frame sizes are different. And remember, here at BSN we're being ultra critical and we make a habit of being around scouts so we know what we're looking at. A less keen eyed GML might not pick up on half the things we've noticed and you'll probably get cleared as is. But that's not what WE are about. It's not about just being 'good enough'. It's about being the best you can be.

NI is New Image.

Pull your pouches in bud. They need to sit pretty much on the outermost lines of your cummerbund. You need to have at least 1 rank stripe. Pull your bicep armour around to the sides more. They ideally want to sit on the outside, not towards the back of your biceps. I'd also raise them up an inch or so. Forearm armour, raise these slightly. You want the upper part of the forearm plate to rest of the elbow. Marcel will say you'd need to shorten your flak vest sleeves by about an inch. I'd drop the front of your belt down a little, just so it hides that uppermost seam line on your cummerbund I can't actually see the crotch patch on your suit? Straps check... but I can't see the patch. Your bund strap, should be 2" it looks like 1.3/4" For a sense of completeness you could add in the 1/2" straps to the upper part of the knees. Boot closures need to both face inwards. Whilst you're at it, you could cut the sole details. Now don't be disheartened that the list seems pretty long. I'm basing these observations on what I would suggest for Lancer. You've done a nice job and the armour sits proportionately well on your tall frame. My suggestions are just those finessing tweaks to make it brilliant.

LW is by far the most accurate out there. Anything else does just have their own foibles and minor inaccuracies. MLC is made by Mardon, and is sort of distributed through MonCal (I think), it gets very confusing. MC doesn't make the lids himself. I could sit down for a day and point out all the various inaccuracies with all the various different helmets, but we'd be here forever. There are a number of different lids out there. MLC, SC, KS, CUC, NI, LW, Ch and dare I say it Star Fortress. It's easier to say AVOID the Star Fortress one like a dose of the pox. Just be wary if ordering the KS one too, as his recent pulls haven't been all that good and I think his bucks need some renovation.

pretty...

I won't bother repeating what I've put on the Garrison boards about the small alterations and stuff as you know them already. We'll see you straight.

I'll send you a PM Tomas.

http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=10737 Check it out... The forum is your friend!

Now I'm not claiming recasting.... but it looks incredibly similar to SC to me.

Just to illustrate my point. I still think the neck line should be wider. But that's just me!

Whereas I would say the neckline is far too tight. The screen used suits had a neckline that extended to almost where the shoulder bells were, and on the back it was noticeably lower than the shoulders. It'll clear 501st easy, but Lancer... I'd have some reservations.

Yup, mine's been washed aplenty.

indeed.

Yup, sewing is the best way. You could use a fabric glue to hold the patch in place, but best to sew around the edges as well. The rear flap, again, just a single stitch line sewn across the top edge to hold it in place.

I like your style though... Blowing stuff up is always a +1 in my book. Remember kids, "when you pull the pin out, Mr Hand-Grenade is not your friend any more"

Here is a little montage to help explain it all. As for the pouch spacing... It's a relatively subjective thing as people's frames differ from those on screen. The general rule is that you should have all the ribs showing and the inner edges of the pouches should sit pretty close to, but not covering the outermost stitch line on the ribbing. sort of like this... Obviously it can vary a little... as peoples waist line and pouch sizes vary ever so slightly, but you don't want the pouches under your arm pits or covering over the ribbing on your bund.

It's never easy trying to get a large suit to fit the smaller frame. The armour parts have gone together quite nicely. (knees...) Talking of knees... Consider putting on the 2nd upper strap... and the right way up! Your pouches are probably a bit on the big side. They should fit between the bottom of the chest plate and the top of the belt. It's not a major issue. But one to be aware of. Also make sure they sit level and in line with the ribbing of your cummerbund. I can't quite see how many ribs your cummerbund has (my eyes aren't what they used to be) but there should be 5 (for some reason I can only count 4). The arm armour should sit on the outside of the limb, rather than towards the back and try to keep the forearm parts out of the gloves. They'll always sneak in on a troop... but what can you do! When you do the lid, pad the top, so it sits up a bit. That'll alleviate the 'no neck' syndrome. You may want to consider changing the chest/back straps to something a bit wider. It should be closer to 45mm, rather than the 25mm that it looks like. But coming along nicely.

Interestingly, that DLT-20A you've pictures IS the Hoth version. Well, the very similar Blastech A295 which is the Hoth Rebel Long Blaster (based on the StG-44) The Endor Rebel Blaster version of the DLT-20A (the Blastech A280) was based around the Armalite Ar-15.

EVERYTHING is repairable... It just depends on how much time and cost you're willing to put into it, and what you want the end result to look like. Cracks: Cracks appear at natural stress points, and by that very fact, they are likely to occur in the same place again. With that in mind, I tend to glue an extra bit of plastic over the rear of the crack to reinforce it. Carefully heat up a bit of plastic so it's malleable. Then press it onto the back of the affected area, so it takes on the same shape (important so it doesn't try to distort the original plastic when gluing). Rough up both mating faces with a bit of sand paper and then glue down with some 'ABS Weld' style glue. Clamp together if possible. Holes: If you're planning on using the same hole again, carefully drill the top of the rivet head until you just remove the crown. (don't go mad with the drill... the heat can melt the plastic underneath). When the crown has gone, just pop the rivet out the plastic. Insert new rivet, use a backing washer. Job done. If you're not planning on using it... Back with a bit of plastic as above with cracks. Then on the outside, fill the hole with a tiny bit of baking powder (enough to fill the hole). Then drop on a drop of superglue. This will react and go rock hard. Sand flat with a bit of sandpaper. The end product: Now this is the difficult part. If you want a perfect finish, then you'll probably need to paint the entire armour panel. But Scouts are forgiving. With some sympathetic weathering you can cover over any cracks or holes and render them nigh on invisible.