Pandatrooper

Great discussion. On FISD, there were also issues with sellers so some of the suggestions Marcel made were implemented such as minimum posts, etc. My personal feeling (having seen some products sold on this forum - some great and some way below par) is: - 501st member: if they are really in it to help fellow scouts and not just make profit, absolutely - they should be 501st members. - minimum membership status: having a set duration like being a member on the forum for 3 months and 25 posts minimum. On some forums I was on for paintball, you had to have 50 posts or more, mainly to combat me too sellers. - how about vendor rep points? On a paintball forum, you had a review section for good or bad sales / service, and rep points based on your performance. Kind of like Ebay ratings, 4 stars, 80 transactions happily completed, etc. - for those new to the forum, I wouldn't lock down the for sale section (eg: how can they become a scout if they can't buy armor, or blasters, or boots, etc.) But perhaps new members should have a minimum post count as well. Maybe require an introduction thread where they describe what they want to do, how to join, etc. and a minimum post count of 10 or more. This helps newbies become more of the community, and not just buy something and leave. - Just an idea, but the astromech.net R2 builders group has a very stringent process, where staff have to approve a seller and their product before they can post it. Maybe we don't do everything they do, but its worth looking at as they had to deal with the same issues. Thanks! Terry

My head / hat size is 22.5" and I can still fit a hard hat liner inside with a little bit of room to spare. Based on this chart, yes you should fit no problem. http://www.hatsandcaps.co.uk/images/articles/hat%20size%20chart_new.jpg

Philipp, not sure if you want any help, but I can also model in 3D. I could clean up your scan if this would lead to the original manufacturer being able to use the model for CAD and making a run of boots!

I would be willing to create and provide vector drawings to them if we could agree on all the design details.

Congrats and very solid vision for the detachment, Marcel.

Most impressive!!

Turned out great Patrik! Nice work.

When you use the zip tie to mount it inside the TD vac formed shell, it will pull the center of the tube inwards bending it into a curve.

For those with access to 3D printers, heres a hold out blaster you could print out! Looks like another option for lightweight blasters. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:40356

ABS plastic can yellow over time due to sun UV exposure, exposure to heat or chemical reaction due to contact with other materials. Eg: vinyl material gives off out gas fumes that can turn armor yellow. I have had that happen from storing armor in gear bags or hockey bags. You could try and polish it out or paint it as suggested. Heres some more bold methods but I have never tried them. http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-to-whiten-yellowed-plastic/

According to the image of an original helmet in the gallery, its 1". http://www.bikerscout.net/forum/uploads/1155956514/med_gallery_1_13_464329.jpg

Use a soldering iron to seal the hole in the webbing before you rivet the belt armor on. Back the rivet with a washer so it doesnt pull out.

Hi Erik, I did a quick photoshop comparison for you based on what I think are some the major fixes. Might help as pictures are easier to understand than our descriptions! Your original photo is on the left, the updated version on the right. For the shoulders, they need to be brought up (shorten the shoulder elastic, and make sure you have the elastic that goes around the bicep / vest. This will prevent them from flopping around. I would say shorten the shoulder elastic by at least 1.5" I would lower the chest armor by about 1.5" too. It seems to be hanging too high. Lower the belt about 2" lower, it seems too high and too tight. Its currently sitting at your waist (narrowest part) you want it above the hips, like where your jeans belt would sit. The bad news is I think the cummerbund and pouches will need to be remade. The bund is not nearly long enough from sternum to waist, I'd say make it 4" longer. The cod piece could be reused, but it might be a bit wide in the crotch. There's some camel toe action going on. You can pad it internally to make it less wrinkly, narrowing the width helps in the crotch area. The pouches look really small, are you using the forum templates? You can judge by the size in the photo above, they actually are quite big on the screen used costume and they stick "out" the sides quite a bit. Hope that helps. Terry

Thanks Marcel. Yes, its real suede from tandy.

Question for Lancer status: is it OK for the riding patch to have a vertical seam up the inseam? There would be a back half and a front half (along with left and right of course) which means 4 pieces of suede. I found that it's hard to get the riding patch to conform to the shape of the inseam, butt and crotch of my flightsuit without it bunching up. I have the 4 pieces cut up, sewn together, and I'm about to sew them to the flight suit. I just want to check before I do that and sew the thigh elastics on. Thanks!

Thanks Angela, glad you like the build so far. Would love to hang with you guys in person at some point Still working on my boots and pouches, they are taking forever!

I used vintage elastic for the loops and T strap velcro and elastic under the loops. You can see how I did mine here http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=9781

Good feedback so far. To me, the cummerbund and pouches look too small for your size. The belt is sitting a bit too high, which makes the torso look small. I think a bund and pouch upgrade would help a lot.

Hey Ang. I use small gloves too. I havent posted pics yet, but I modified mine. I de stitched the outer seams, removed the liner which was way too thick, then restitched everything and used thin glove liners for jogging. They fit way better. I bought 2 pairs to experiment with and I may sell the first pair if you are interested.

I used the T shoulder strap method and the elastic around the bicep as well. Its the screen accurate / Lancer way of doing itt. Heres a pic of mine Heres my build thread for the how to. http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=9781&st=60

Ditto, looking good!

A front and back photo showing the relation between the waist and chest would help, as well as the front neckline. Shoot some full body photos. That would be clearer.

Also keep in mind that the shape of the cap is quite different from motorcycle to the movie design. Also, from a safety and legal perspective the limited visibility of the eye opening and side visor blinders would not be street legal. Believe me, I have considered a similar idea as a secondary helmet but it would not be safe for street use.

Yup, that's the right kind. The size will depend on your personal measurements. Approx width of your hips, and the height from your belt to the bottom of your butt cheeks. Make sure to have some material for the attachment to your undersuit (sewn on, velcro, snaps, etc.) The riding patches also depend on your size. Approx. length would be about middle of where the zipper would be on jeans to about 3" above your knee pads. Again, just approximate measurements.

Glad my shoulder bridge elastics worked out.