stasz

Did you sort out your side underarm elastic yet? I think I had the same issue (shoulder bridge behind shoulder bell center) but with the elastic snugging things up a bit, and the layers of flightsuit, vest, bund under the armor, things seemed to line up better. I wouldn't do anything permanent to your chest/back hard parts until you try it on with everything else. Looking great though, man! You're cruising along on this

To me, the CRL reads as though the elastic thigh bands secure the riding patch, but that's not the case. The riding patch (real or faux suede) is sewn to the suit and actually secures the thigh bands. The way I did it was: the thigh bands ends are under the riding patch and secured by the same stitching.

You can also drill out the circle (in red) on the hand grip and glue in a rare earth magnet, and sew a little pouch on the inside of the boot enclosing another magnet or metal piece to bind to, or even put Velcro on your trigger guard (in green), and corresponding Velcro in the holster. Honestly, if I'm trooping with my blaster I hold it 98% of the time. But I do think it looks Badass in the boot holster.

I got a Stanley gun from Home Depot for about $15 and I love having it. I've only used it a couple times besides my armor, but when you run across something around the house you can use it for, it's like "hot damn! I have just the thing!"

It's not that it's required to sew them shut, but that they're not visible. The belt does a good job of snugging it all up and the redkap doesn't have a white "pouch" inside the pocket like some slacks may have. It's all black, so it's barely noticeable.

No fan here. It does get warm, between the vest, bund, flightsuit and whatever you have on underneath, but the ear holes do give a fair amount of air flow, and we can always sneak away and flip up the faceplate I do have an issue with - I guess it would be condensation - here during Michigan winters where my warm breath collects as droplets on the faceplate. Not much to do about that except cover my mouth with my balaclava which I hate doing, so I just deal with it and wipe out my bucket after I troop.

I have a 12w Aker that I keep in my pouch, and a headworn mic from radioshack that's a bit more robust than the one aker includes. 12w is plenty loud for me, even at sporting events. You can just about turn it up all the way with very little distortion. Scouts didn't have a static burst like TKs, so a setup like icomm or ptt isn't really necessary.

Dang. Nice job!

What kind of armor do you have? The rivets with Panda's bridge method do hold it just fine, and at least on SC kit there are still gaps even though it has the "hump" guide on the back armor. There isn't as much surface to adhere to as it may seem. Panda's method will get you a securely mounted and screen accurate tank, gaps and all. I can't remember who it was, but someone put a little hatch in the back armor that could access the tank to stow some things. Snacks, maybe?

It was a Yamaha xs1100 "Midnight Special" kit. Here's a post about it I made for the Biker Scout Helmet Project fb page: That page, super-hobby.hu had a bunch of info on it. Also, our very own Darth Voorhees makes a beautiful snout greeblie. I have one of his on my bucket.

I've not looked into the lancer specs that closely but this is from the lancer CRL here on the forum: "Side under arm chest/back straps should around 45mm (1 3/4") white webbing ( off white if using off white pouches/drop boxe straps), but for trooping practicality, place elastic on the ends hidden by the armour." I'm not sure if that's a case of different words for the same thing... I've seen webbing used to describe all the strapping at some point. Perhaps one of our lancers can chime in?

No prob. I drilled two small holes, one at the top and one at the bottom of the existing slot, and then cleaned it up with a small rat tail file.

2" white elastic. I had to do the same thing. I think that's just part of the "rough cut" even though Jeff makes it so you have to do barely anything I just did 1/4" on the top and bottom to keep things even.

Jeff's the man

If you drill the lace hooks from the inside of the boot, they'll pop right off. Mark up for your heel cuts looks good. I recommend an x-acto rather than a dremel for that.

Thanks guys!

Does anyone have a line on Visor Bolts? We're looking for about 15 sets for the artists participating in the Biker Scout Helmet Project. Apparently the RS kits that were provided didn't include them. If I opted for regular elevator bolts, what's the best dimensions? I don't think length will matter as these buckets won't likely be worn. Thanks, y'all...

Well done!

Congrats, Brother! You won't be disappointed, and you'll have a bucket for life. Coming out of the gate strong. I look forward to seeing your build. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. Lots of sharp folks 'round here

The Altmann is good to go out of the box. I I don't think it really needs anything. Technically, so is the KS, but that one does have some minor modifications to really "get it there": new snout, new bolts, removing the black snout border sticker and painting that area instead... There are several threads on modding the KS. I've seen troopers who's chin cup peeks out beneath the faceplate when viewing from the front and/or side, but it doesn't look bad or wrong. I think that will ultimately depends on the height of your head and what type of suspension or padding you use in the bucket. The chin cup is optional for both basic clearance and Lancer (Level II). I don't use one, but some folks like the look and added security.

Belated Season's Greetings from Stasz and The Great Lakes Garrison!

I do just about the same as well. I put my cummerbund on backwards, Velcro it up and shimmy it around 180°. My vest I always leave Velcroed and pull it on like a t-shirt. Boots and knees before belt and bund since I can't bend over so well once those are on

You'd be golden with an Altmann, for fit and approval. Check out Spike's thread in the trade forum. (Looks like you'll need one more post to gain access to the trades). KS is a solid choice for the big noggins as well. If you find that your chin shows under the faceplate when your mouth is open, not to worry. The balaclava does a wonderful job of hiding it.

I always encourage folks to take a crack at making their boots. The tutorial is excellent, and it's really pretty easy. I just enjoyed making mine a lot, and it was a big confidence booster when it came time to get to work on the other stuff. And it's pretty inexpensive. Chris and Marcel make great boots too. Not trying to take away any business

Nice job! You may want to take in the sleeves and legs just a tad, as they get bunchy once the elastic is around them. I had the same issue, and it was a fairly easy fix with a sewing machine. Stirrups will also help reduce bunching on the legs. Remember to keep your forearm armor over your gloves. Looks good overall. Good luck!