Chef

yeah, the poor chap has his knees bent up (so he's effectively in a sitting position). The crotch bit is just stuffed between his legs. it does look a bit odd I'll grant you, but the curve is there, and it should be better when worn on me (rather than one someone who is a lot smaller). The belt should sit a little higher too. I stuffed it on there quickly just to get some comparison shots up of the material for peoples perusal and opinions. The bund is not nearly finished. I need to add the velcro, elastic and poppers yet. The top of the crotch bit is 10" wide.

well, I've done a quick scratch test with the new material and with the 5 ribs as opposed to the 6. The material I used was a Polyester Taffeta material. Here are the results. Please ignore the squiffy placement, Emelio (my mannequin) didn't want to stand up straight, and I just wrapped the bund around him over the existing cotton one. So it does look a bit wonky. Close up, Outside Direct Bright Sunlight. As you can see, there is a very slight colour difference, and a good textural difference. I'm reasonably pleased that this is likely to be a similar material to what was used. Thoughts/comments.

Looks alright to me. I'd trim up the return edge under your chin. It shouldn't go vertical again. I'd pull that left bicep up a touch so it doesn't fall inside the forearm. Your fish hook detail on your bucket WILL need changing. Speak to Mike at Trooperbay, he'll sort you out. Things I'd do just as modifications rather than affecting clearance. Change your webbing straps for cotton ones, not the nylon ones that came with the SC kit. they should be a little off white, but don't let it bother you too greatly. Pouches could be a tad smaller to suit your frame, but again, it's purely an over critical detail. Extra strap on the top of the knees.

I've had a good look at those pics, and you can't deny the lineage of the bucket. it is superb, but then it should be as it has (supposedly) come from the original bucks. I'm surprised to see that they have painted it, well, I'm not really. But you could achieve the same results with a decent Gel finish, and I'm also surprised to see that they have hot glued the faceplate to the shroud. A perfectly acceptable solution (I do it on mine) but I'd have thought for such a flagship product they'd have glassed the two together. I'm also shocked to see the gapping between the faceplate and the bucket. the lines are awful. Still, they'll sell like hot-cakes.

really nice, lay-up looks a little thin, but nice touch to see they've colour backed the inside of the shroud. Unless they painted it. Now, where can I get one.

I used to have a buckle, but after some serious digging, we worked out that it was Velcro, so that's what I now have. Yeah, the Thermal Det arrangement is a bit of a bind, but I've learnt to live with it.

yup, I can second TrooperBay decals. Superb, I use them all the time.

er..... depends on what he means by backing plate. The DJ snout comes with the round 'faucet' bit and the engine block bit only (they are joined together). But that's all it has. If he means the whole of the grey flat plate that goes up the front of the face-plate, then no, it doesn't have that bit.

Just eBay "rifle scope".... there are millions on there Grant.

I did wonder... at least this way you won't need to send a million PM's!!

Just search for Biker Scout on eBay... DonJarr does a cracking one.

Pretty much there, like everyone said, it really is now just a case of fit and finish. The bund, if you pull it up to alleviate the gap appearing between the chest, this should bring the bottom under your belt. Job done. Everything else has been pretty much covered. If you get the chance, I'd swap out the belt box straps for cotton webbing over the nylon, but that can be done after clearance. As for the greeblie, I think it can go either way. I've found screen caps that suggest both.

yeah, I can get my flak vest on like a T-Shirt. I just pull this over my head with it done up. I can happily get ready all by myself.

Well, better book me space at the loony bin too then John. The more you look at those pictures really close, and I mean really close.... you can hardly see the weave, which does for me, point towards a man made fibre rather than a natural one. That frontal shot on page one, clearly shows the texture difference between the bund and the pouches. And whilst the pouches might not be "off white", they are clearly darker than the bund, but I believe this is down to the texture difference rather than a colour difference. When I blag some material, I'll knock one up and put it to the camera test. Time to go ferreting around the local fabric store where all the old grannies think I'm some kind of weirdo.

And haven't people recently had issue with the quality of these with bad pulls and construction not quite up to par?? I haven't had one, so I would urge owners of recent purchases to pipe up and share your experiences.

First bit, pass. The tank topper I had came with all the bits already done. Rivets and stuff are all left natural metal. I used an automotive grey primer for the grey, nothing overly special. And a straight black. There is some argument for satin black over gloss, but I don't think either would cause you any issues. I'd say yes, you should be able to use the grey for the chest detailing too. hope this helps. Rob.

Well, I'm probably going to make a new bund, one with 6 stitches. That way, I'll at least have both, so can cover which ever base we end up with. And on that note, I'm concerning myself with the fabric type. If you look on this picture that Jeff kindly posted. rotj_bluray-00004_cropped_thermdet.jpg You can see that the fabric is ever so slightly shiny. The weave is certainly incredibly tight, to the point of not being able to see it at all. The way that the dirt spots have just settled on the top also lead me to believe that it's a nylon style material, rather than cotton. With cotton weave, the spots would have soaked in a little. Also the way it's creased doesn't seem all that consistent with cotton either. And this would also explain the contrast between the bund and the pouches. Feel free to debate.

well.... having been through this discussion, we think the Blu-Ray Det is on upside down. How this affects the orientation of the greeblie on the Det is still up for discussion though. There are screen grabs and references that suggest it could be either.

The rectangular bit should sit on the left as you look at the Det, Pete.

I think that's more to do with the belt sagging a little. The join line is definitely under the belt, but I agree that the top is definitely wider than you think. When I make mine, I do the top part at least 10" (covering a large part of the frontage), depending on the size of the recipient. I have to say I am leaning more towards 5 ribs. Damn... have to make a new bund. edit... Also, is it me, or does the bund material look a little shiny?? (especially in the BluRay exhibit). sort of like a nylon type material, similar to modern tent outers. And notice the bad pull on the belt.... hehehehhe. just between the centre box and the second set, you can see the web where the material hasn't pulled properly.

I personally think the ribbing is a bit too uniform to be just folds. When my Blu-Rays finally surface (someone has hidden them), I'll have a look. I have the same issue in that I cannot transfer them to a decent screen capture, but I can at least get a frame time to pass on to someone else so they can grab it. I currently am of the opinion that there may have been one worn, but not by all. So whether it classes as a 'must have' as part of the canon rules, I'd have to say no. Same sort of thing for Mr No Stripes, or the grappling hook utility belt in the TK world.

Maybe so Jeff, but the SC set is a much better set. More durable, better pulled (of late) and awesome customer service. Yes, so they both have issues, and if I was to recommend one of them, it's be the SC every day of the week!

I'm still on the fence. check this picture from our very own Gallery. To me, this looks like a balaclava that's been pulled down around the neck (probably because he was sweating like a pig in that lid!), so no neck seal. http://forum.bikersc...llery&image=347 I'd also use this picture to question the 'chin cup' thing too, as you can clearly see a fleshy bit under the snout of the lid, where you'd expect to see a chin cup (but that's another argument entirely. But then, check this one out.... http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?app=gallery&image=359 Just to the right of the snout as we look at it, there does appear to be a ribbed section. I'd like too check my Blu-rays, but they seem to me MIA.

I find that I don't need any fans in my Scout lid. I don't get any steaming issues. and my mic is rigged up through my balaclava, going to my speakers and ROM board set in my pouches. I don't actually have any electronics set 'in' the bucket.

Marcel, you should not feel the need to apologise for other people's failings. It is commendable that you take responsibility for it as the duly elected CO, but it's not necessary. It will come in time, and in the meanwhile, this will continue to be one of the best detachment forums.