stasz

I slathered it all over the toe top, front and sides. The whole upper is going to be covered so it's not too big a deal. If you're using E6000, remember to put it on the boot and the vinyl and let it tack up like rubber cement.

Great communication, quick turn around, fair price, great gear. I sent Jeff a picture of me in my armor after I was approved and I think he was as excited as I was I didn't have any issues, but on the rare occasions when folks had something missing or damaged I know he made it right.

It's also worth mentioning that NO armor is approved "out of the box". It doesn't matter who the maker is. It's the accuracy of the components and the complete fit and finish of the costume *on you* that is approved. This goes for a used, previously approved rig as well. I've seen makers on the Bay and Etsy tout their gear as approved - which may well be *if* it's completed to the standard set by the Costume Reference Library (CRL). I believe Jeff at SC says almost exactly that on his Scout armor page. That being said, the Troopers and Staff here have vetted several makers over the years who have proven to make quality gear that can be finished into an approved Biker Scout costume. More information can be found on them in the respective sub forums. Poke around, read a lot, ask a lot of questions. We're here to help! Good luck!

I actually have a pair of L and XL from Wampa. The L is snug on me, but very comfortable and HOT. If it's a hot troop, I bust out the XL for a little breathing room. My XL also seems to have a slightly different lining than the L.

You're cruising, WV! Everything is coming together smashingly. Nice work, Brother.

It says something about custom colors available on request. A Magma Scout would be interesting. I'm not Gonna make one, but it would be interesting Imperial guard gloves are cloth if I'm not mistaken. Almost a velour like the robe.

Giddyup! I got my blaster from holeintheground productions: http://www.holeinthegroundpro.com/starwars.html I don't see them referenced very much, but it's a great looking blaster. 2 piece (scope and gun) resin, a touch on the heavy side compared to a DVH or Hyperfirm. Eric over there has great communication, decent turnaround and a fair price. Worth checking out. I don't know if DVH is still doing blasters, but his are freaking sweet and unbreakable. The Kenner recasts - to me - are way too big.

I was lucky enough to score a completed helmet from Darth Voorhees here - who has since defected to the TIE Pilots. I kid, Lou But I did the rest of my build myself with some sewing help from my mum. If you have the time and patience, the build itself is very rewarding. So much so that I want to get a new bucket in kit form just to tackle it. I'm looking forward to a second costume in large part for the build process. I loved working on my Scout. Just about every mistake you could make has been made. Research, research, research. I spent as much, if not more time reading than I did with an exact-o or needle and thread in my hand.

Yow! Glad it wasn't anything major, buddy. The Blade of eXact Zero is nothing to trifle with! Seriously though, ouch. I think everybody's got a couple boot boo boos.

Looking good! I really enjoyed making my boots as well. It gave me the confidence to keep tackling the next piece as it went on.

Here's a link to some discussion on this a few months back, when Grumpy got his build approved as a new costume: http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=13533 And here's another thread about the White Kashyyy. Scroll down for an awesome pic of Grumpy's armor: http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=12802&hl=%2Bdifferent+%2Bversion&fromsearch=1

I think you're talking about this area? If that's it, I just left it how the original sole was. I learned a lot making this first pair, and have enough material left over to do another, so I'm gonna make a new pair soon and tweak a few things. Squaring up the front of the heel will be one of those things.

As long as they have the appropriate mods. RedKap are basically mechanic coveralls, too.

Yessss! Looking great!

No prob, Brother!

Here's a link to my WIP thread. On the first page there's a little description of how I did the collar: http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=13066 And here's a pic of the modified collar on my suit using one of the removed back pockets to create the neck flap:

I defer to the vets, but I'm sure I've seen some of the folks say that they just wash the suede with no ill effects...

My holdout blaster is from Hole in the Ground Productions and I'm very happy with it. It's cast resin, and fairly heavy. I received it in a nearly paint-able state: well sanded, very few pits... I laid down silver primer and then flat black. Easiest party of my build It is heavy though, compared to HF or DVH which are both great options as well.

And I see you yanked the laces. If you do use laces, get flat sneaker type laces. They'll be more discreet under the vinyl. I left the regular round laces in, but can still slip my boots on and off without screwing with the laces. They're just tight enough...

I've since done full length cuts around the toe as you have marked out.

Killer, bud! I used the same boots. Your sole cut layout looks great. This is what I ended up with:

I was poking around a while back and someone has shared this link to a .pdf tutorial on modding the Rubie's lid: http://website.lineone.net/~hollis_wood/trooper/avatar/TB-RubiesMod.pdf Might find something useful there. Good luck!

I did have some assistance from my dear old mum who has a sewing machine. Most of the other stuff I did by hand, but I wanted to make sure it had good, clean stitch lines. Basically, put the suit on inside out, pin it more snug to your arm or leg along the seam you're taking in, run a stitch down that line and cut off the excess. Here's a before and after. In the inset you can see how bunchy the material was around the armor elastic: I wish I had taken pics of the whole process, but I guarantee there's videos on YouTube of taking in a seam

Yeah, you'll probably end up taking in the legs, I took in my arms a bit as well. Then you can use one of the removed back pockets to make a flap closure around the turned up neck (a "mandarin collar"). You'll add suede riding patches on the thighs, and a suede buttflap. You can use faux suede, but if you've got eyes on Lancer go for the real stuff right away. I wish I had. Elastic thigh bands, and I added stirrups as well to help keep the legs from bunching up above the knee armor. Then, Velcro or snaps to help keep the armor in place. It sounds like a lot, but it's not bad. Check out the soft armor forums and some build threads for detailed pics. Good luck!

As a fan of snaps, I'll say that I got a pack with a setting tool from JoAnn (a fabric store here in the States) for under $10. I made snap plates - similar but not exactly the same to the ones in Panda's build - to attach my thigh box straps to the belt "buckle", as well as inside the biceps, forearms, and knees to attach to my flight suit. But I use the tried and true Velcro to join the chest/back and hang the shoulder bells from that. Snaps take a bit more time in making the plates and getting the position spot on, but once they're in, everything will always be in the right spot. To echo Stroker though - it won't affect basic or 2nd level approval. Do what works for you!