Retrofire

Looks like you got a good stretch going on the toes. Looking forward to seeing some more on these.

Drop by the Special Ops forum SpecOpsdet.net there are a lot of good resources there too.

I reinforced the slot for my side strapping on my chest armor. The SC armor is a bit thin there and pulling the strap in and out started a small crack. I only did it on the right side as I keep the left strap attached when I put it on.

Keep up the excellent work! You’ll be joining us in the forest in no time!

Great job! Once you put on your balaclava then pull this over and attach it.

Your bund should be right at the top of your belt and not under it. It should go up to around half way between your strapping holding the chest and back armor together and no higher. You shouldn’t be able to see the bund above those straps.

Your chest is looking pretty good. You might want to wait until you get your strapping together before cutting on it any further. Here’s a side view of mine: The shoulders on mine have been trimmed and I used a heat gun to “flatten†them down a bit. Your drop box strapping is coming along ideally you want the boxes to be anywhere from 3-5 cm from your belt so you’ll want to bring those up a bit. It’s looking great so far!

That’s a fine pair of kickers there! Great job and good on ya for tackling the sewing yourself. Once you get some experience it becomes less intimidating and you’ll be able to do more yourself. When you go for the holster use a couple of scrap strips on top and bottom that run the length between the rivets. That will secure your holster tight to the vinyl and reduce the risk of the rivets pulling out. Other than my back tank that’s the one area I tend to “bonk†on things (chairs, tables, Ewoks) so you want that connection to be strong.

It’s looking great. Your chest and back armor are sitting at the perfect height on your torso. Your belt should be around the middle of your belly button so use that as your gauge. The height between the belt and chest are critically important since that’s the measurement you will use for your cummerbund. For your rivet connections in the knees I would glue in a small shim made of scrap plastic to strengthen that connection. Make sure you add washers over the rivet before you install as that distributes the pressure and minimizes the chance of cracks.

We are here to help you all make the best scouts possible with as little frustration as possible. Keep reading, researching, and asking those questions!

The boxes should be 1 to 2 inches from the belt. These might help

Here’s my aft end. Do a few dry fits to size it to you.

It would take quite a bit of work after you printed it to make it approvable. The knees are first generation and would need to be replaced, the tank topper is incorrect, and it looks like the TD is printed to the belt? Interesting too is that it looks like you can print a cummerbund! I can’t imagine that being comfortable on a long troop! While the printing has come a long way I would go with an established maker like WTF or SC. Between the cost of the file, material and the mods necessary to make it workable you’ll probably be close to the cost of a full kit anyway.

I would think that ABS would look better. As with the TK it can be glued on the chest side and we can use bands to hold it tight to the back piece once the armor is on.

We’ll have to do a strapping system like the TKs on those shoulder tabs so we don’t lose the flexibility in the armor halves. I don’t want to promote any sort of cracking there.

You cannot go wrong with SC. I’m 5’9†and it fits great. You don’t have to buy marine vinyl to do the boots. You can purchase vinyl from Hobby Lobby or other fabric stores inexpensively. It’s usually in the upholstery section. Leather is acceptable if that is the route you want to go in as long as it meets the CRL requirements for color and texture. It’s just not as easy as vinyl to work with. Research is key and it sounds like you are doing a great job and well on your way. Look forward to seeing your build thread.

With the redkap you’ll need to make a “mandarin†collar. You can use the fabric from the pockets that will be removed from the suit to make it.

The bund shouldn’t go any higher than the strapping between the chest and back armor and sit just above your belt at the waist. You can work on the flight suit, vest and boots if you want to wait for the armor to come in before you make it but you should be able to make some assumptions regarding length and width.

It looks more akin to the stormtrooper armor tabs. That's going to require some closer scrutiny. Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

Thanks Kevin! That makes two in the DSG! Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.....

Ha! I read this in John Mclain's voice.

Great idea to add the extra shim to spread the load from the rivets. Recommend doing the same to your knees as well as the slots for your strap between the back and chest. That area gets exercised quite a bit when you kit up/down. It will help to keep cracks from forming. Enjoy the little one at every moment! It goes way too fast. I brought mine home what feels like yesterday and he's 9 now😬 Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

Thanks bro I owe a lot to you. Thanks for being there. I'll ride your wing any day. Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

Thanks Jim! Guys like you, Constantin, Mickey, Chef, Tim, and a long list of others are the reason I made it. You are all a talented bunch of crazies and it's an honor to serve with you! Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk