Retrofire

So after I finished building my armor I found myself needing another project to feed my OCD and I found a nice KS helmet in the trade forum and have decided to give the old OCD reno treatment. I started by firmly yet gently separating the faceplate, visor, and main bucket into parts. It came with a DVH snout and the 3M helmet bolts and I bagged those and set them aside for later reassembly. They’re too nice not to reinstall! The lid still had remnants of the old foam and hot glue that needed to be removed. I pulled off as much as I could with my fingers and an X-Acto and then used a heat gun on low to warm up the glue. This made it easier to scrape off using a chisel blade. I had to work slowly as this material is way more sensitive to heating than my SC armor was. I don’t think it’s ABS. HIPs maybe? I also started to look over the helmet and square up the cut lines. I penciled in a new line on the top part of the bucket and trimmed it square.

Thanks for update Chef I appreciate it. That's going to really help this Detachment and it's good to hear that it's going to be addressed this year.

Nice work Brian! You look ready to mount up and chase some rebel scum! Looks great my friend I hope you have a TKID# in mind since I'm sure you'll be approved in no time.

I agree with you Blitz but the Lancer spec indicates a white rivet for the belt. I know Mickey is on point and it's silver but the spec calls for a white one. It's time for the Command Staff to take up the CRL(s) issue and get these items corrected. I'm not saying they're not busy but this really needs to be added to the 2016 agenda and get fixed. Folks working towards a basic or a Lancer approval shouldn't have to redo work because the CRL(s) either here or on the 501st main aren't accurate that's not fair to them. We need to lead the way on this and get our CRLs up to date and fix this problem.

Wow! Ask and you shall receive! Thanks brother! I'm painting the inside all black as well but got some bondo/sanding to do before I give it a coat. Picked up a lens from Trooperbay but much work to do before then. I guess I should start a thread. Thanks for the pics they're a great reference.

I did it a little at a time and worked my way up over a year and a half or so. Todd is right on point and while we love SW it's making a difference in people's lives that really makes the difference. Think of it as a really cool way to "pay it forward". When I first started I was going to be a Stormtrooper (TK) and I read this article about how a little girl fighting cancer was visited by a garrison and she asked the trooper if he would escort her to her chemo session when he did and waited till she was done and escorted her back. I saw this picture and I was all in: I've since become a Scout as that's my forte' but it's the people (here and in public) and the smiles that keep me hooked. We're philanthropists in armor

Jeff is right. the Lancer spec (http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=12081) defines a WHITE rivet under item #8 "With a 50mm (2") white cotton or nylon belt secured each end of the hard belt with a single white rivit." We as a detachment really need to get these discrepancies cleared up and bring both the 501st page and the det pages current for CB and TB.

Bring on the pics! I'm renovating a second hand KS that I bought here so I'm interested in how your bucket is progressing.

I'll bet all the Detachments are having that problem Daniel. SpecOps, White Armor, and Blizzard all direct their members to the CRL's on their forums. I would almost think it would be better for the main 501st site to caveat the CRLs there with something like "This CRL is for reference only. Most current CRLs are maintained at the Detachment level and found via their forums". I agree about the confusion and I was confused as well until the folks here directed me to use the CRL located here. Not sure why it's so hard to get the 501st CRL updated to current standards. Maybe a question for the Det head shed?

That's an understatement! I love the Pathfinders! This is like the best Det in the history of ever!

Welcome to BS.N Scott! It's great to have you with us. If there is any way we can be of help please let us know!

Oh Good Lord what has Grif wrought?!?!

I'm 5'9" 170lbs and the SC worked for me with minor mods. I love my armor! The armor fits smaller scouts just fine. Here's a thread where BlitzJager has a picture and he's 5'6" or so: http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=15258&hl=&fromsearch=1 I did some mods to fit the armor closer to my body shape and I talk about those in my build thread but they're not hard by any stretch. The soft armor is where the sizing really counts for obvious reasons. You want the vest, cummerbund, and flight suit to fit you comfortably and look good. The armor is relatively easy to modify with a pair of lexan scissors and a heat gun but cloth isn't as easy so you want that stuff to fit.

Thanks Todd. Yeah I got a 20% discount on my TB bag.

Haha! Thanks for the compliment Nick. Those words sound familiar.....I said them exactly when I looked at Panda's thread . I was like what the heck did I just get myself into? There is no way I could do something epic like that. Yeah I'm an aero engineer but that doesn't mean you can't make it look as good if not better than we did. You're doing exactly what all of us do and that's read and research the armor and building techniques. You CAN do it my friend we were all where you are and it's the folks around here that helped me along. If you noticed my build thread you also saw all the input and encouragement I was receiving while building. Ya just gotta jump in and we'll be here to help you every step of the way cause that's what troopers do.

Most folks I know go with the KS or SC kits due to the long wait times at MC. I love my SC kit. Jeff really does an excellent job with it and continues to upgrade it based on feedback here. It ships fast and his customer service is top notch. That's not to say that MC doesn't do good work the kits I've seen are nice it just takes awhile to get it.

Did you add any padding to your knees? I was thinking about adding some padding around the edge on the bottom as they cut into my legs. Even with the Velcro loose they still begin to get sore after wearing them for a bit. Any ideas?

You're right on point Cheyenne I think we hit the "post" button at the same time . Looking forward to going Lancer with ya'll!

I went with 1.5 cotton side straps per Chef (http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=14953&hl=&fromsearch=1). Attach elastic to each side and you'll get some flex in your chest armor. I think the general rule is that you'll want your bridge straps to match but best let a Lancer weigh in on that one. I'm giving away 1.5 (white) and 1.75 webbing (off-white) if you need some (http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=15065&hl=&fromsearch=1).

I got a helmet bag from Sgt Carida on the 501st Forum to protect my Altmann's from getting bounced around in my armor box. Here's the link if any are interested: http://www.501st.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=85460 He does them custom depending on the trooper. I picked up a deluxe version and I'll report on the quality when it comes in if ya'll are interested.

I'm a Lego SW junkie so I know exactly what you mean Nick!

Stasz is right on point. If you have any questions or doubts before dropping coin give us a shout out. The armourers are the best folks to ask as they are experienced in all aspects of the gear and are looking out for the troops but you can let any of us know and we'll do our best to help. We have a saying "troopers helping troopers" so we look out for one another.

I would suggest heading over to their website and go through their coupons and weekly deals you can save some pretty good money.

You secure that talk trooper! Awkward indeed! It all depends. Some folks are a wiz with a sewing machine (I don't like those people because I stink at it ) and some with armor. I enjoyed working my armor making it look as good as I could and my skills lie in scale modeling and building so that was natural to me. I used a heat gun and sealing iron to do things like returns and molded the armor to fit my body shape. I had all my soft armor made by the talented folks here but did the rest myself. None of it will matter when you suit for the first time because you'll look freakin awesome!

The first place to start is research, research, research. get to know the Costume Requirements Listing or CRL via this thread: http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showforum=63 . This will help familiarize you with all the various parts of the Scout armor and sundries. From there start looking through the Biker Scout Armory which contains threads on the significant pieces that make the Scout up. It seems that most folks begin with their boots and work up from there but you can certainly move at the pace that best for you (and your wallet ). The most important thing not to lose sight of is keep it fun and realize how many folks you can touch by doing something you love to do. Check out this thread for an example: http://forum.bikersc...howtopic=15255. Hope this helps get you started.