MrPoopie

We know that the buckle is a found piece so that helps minimize the variance of straps. The buckle is an RAF parachute buckle and these were modeled up precisely for the Shoretrooper and Deathtrooper kits. That being said the tab on the back is approximately 4.6cm wide which means that the straps should not be wider than this. https://blasterfactory.com/product/death-trooper-rare-shoulder-buckle-set/ My shoulder straps are 4.4cm wide and 18cm long. The recessed areas on the back that the straps fit into are approximately 4.5cm wide and 0.85cm tall at the opening. It tapers inward so that's a difficulty measurement to get.

Each side (left and right) have 2 pieces which when glued together equal 48cm. The section with the holes will be facing the front of the body and the holes are for attaching the triangular sections. The picture of the model (in purple) that you see above is of the left side of the abs. The right side would be a mirror copy. If you look closely just to the left and right of the back plate you can see the seam where the pieces are glued together.

You can see the image below. there are 2 sections on either side of the back plate. The whole bund zips in the front behind the front ab plate. There are also a couple of shoulder straps to keep everything in place. If you look you can see the seam between each of the printed sections. The extra space on the bottom has velcro which is where the belts attaches.

Thanks. I might update my files to reflect this change. Any way to help minimize post processing on TPU is good.

If you know how much more length you need I can easily adjust the models to extend them for your size while keeping the scale correct.

There are 2 TPU Ab panels per side. They don't meet up in the back and are covered by the back ab armor section. The front also has the front ab section. The larger TPU section is 25.1cm x 22cm and the smaller section is 22.9cm x 22cm

Got some more work done this weekend. Pouches The Pouches are complete and I was also able to get the snap tape added to the trousers belt. The trouser belt will be hidden underneath the armor belt. I was originally hoping that these pouches would be the same size as the ROTJ Scout pouches but alas these pouches were 8.5"H x 7"W x 2"D. These pouches were a bit of a headache to figure out how to make the small side triangle work properly. It seems easy but in reality remembering which flap connects to what and also which side the velcro strips need to go on is a lot to figure out at first. When you build pouches you build them inside out and then flip everything so that the seams and selvage are not visible afterwards. This can be a bit confusing when building something for the first time. At least it's done now. Pattern for main pouch body. Pattern for pouch front flap. Pattern for pouch back attachment flap. Attachment flap with snap tape to connect to the Tassets. Attachment flap and front flap pinned to the main body of the pouch ready to be sewn together. Another picture of the arrangement before sewing. After sewing the 3 parts together as well as a closer detail of the side triangle piece on the front flap. And the backside with the snap tape. It can be difficult to see what's going on here. The finished pouches. Now a couple of pictures of the completed snap tape on the trouser belt where the Tassets will connect to. Test fitting after the Tassets, Pouches and trouser belt were completed. The pouches still need some foam or filler to give them some body but that's an easy fix for later.

I was also able to finish my Tassets today. They have snap tape on the reverse sides to attach to the belt on the trousers. There is also more snap tape on the front where the Pouches will attach. Snap tape is very strong but also allows things to be removed for cleaning. I have an aversion to velcro and try to only use it where it's absolutely necessary. Tassets For each Tasset I cut out 2 pieces of white canvas duck cloth. I had to extend the pattern out about 2.5" since my original pattern was cut too short. I also cut to 2 layers of medium weight batting to fill out the tassets as well as help with the top detail stitching which comes later. I pinned everything together on the sides in preparation for sewing. Remember that everything is sewn inside out so that it can be flipped and the seams and selvage will be on the inside. I almost forgot to sew the snap tape on before sewing the Tassets together. The longer snap tape sections will attach to the belt. The short snap tape is for the Pouches. After sewing the edges you need to cut away as much of the extra batting as possible without cutting into the stitches. This will help a lot when you turn everything inside out so that there isn't a load of bunched up material on the seam. You should also clip your corners. This also helps to create sharper corners when flipped inside out. I now needed to add the detail stitching. The horizontally placed pins help me line up a ruler when sewing to keep as straight a line as possible. It can be a little tricky to get this right. You can see that this is the front of the Tassets because of the short snap tape. Finished detail work. Left side Front. Left side back. There will be more pics once I get them attached to the belt and get the Pouches finished.

A couple of updates. I got my trousers in a few weeks back from another helpful Trooper. They were originally made for a Tanker but they're the same for the Mountain Trooper. The trousers were little large around the waist for me so I added a couple of pleats and a set of belt loops. My plan is to have the Tassets and Pouches attached to the belt using snap tape so that I can get some of the weight on my hips instead of everything on my shoulders. The pleats will be hidden by the Tassets so I'm not worried about the them showing. Trousers

Agreed. My helmet does touch the tip of my nose once it's on. I have a fairly tall head and a large nose.

I may have printed my own armor files but I went with Troy's helmet. It's great quality for the details and wearability. I also have his Mountain Trooper which I'm currently working on.

The CRL does not require it. The shirt in the CRL is from ArmoryShop and they took liberties with some things which we originally did not have enough detailed images for. This means that either a ribbed or smooth collar is acceptable.its very difficult to see once the helmet is on anyway. For reference the Hot Toys model has a smooth to collar.

The TPU ab sections are velcro backed and they stick to the inner bund via velcro sewn on. I also have suspenders attached directly to the bund to keep everything in place. I will say that I do geta bit of a shoulder ache after about an hour when suited up because of the weight of the abs, belt, chest and back. All the 3D printed material weight really adds up and can be a little heavy. When I designed my Mountain Trooper files after this one I learned a few things about how to cut down weight and mount the internal bund to the undershirt directly instead of using suspender straps which can cut into my shoulders causing the aches. I'm currently in the middle of that build and will be posting pictures soon of what I'm talking about.

It's been a busy day at work otherwise I would have gotten back to you guys sooner. I used a combination of 2 fabrics. The first was a ribbed pleather (faux leather) sold by JoAnn's Fabrics (US) and it was a part of their Yaya Han cosplay line. Sadly this fabric is not sold anymore. The other fabric is a smooth black pleather (faux leather) which was used for the main body as well as the sections between the ribbing on the sleeves. Before using the ribbed fabric I did some tests with the smooth pleather to see if I could have a go at making ribbing myself. It's totally possible although it's tedious and can be pretty frustrating. Basically what you need is pleather as well as a mid-weight backer fabric and piping cord. I also used a special foot for my sewing machine that helps hold everything in place when making ribs. All this being said, I do still have 2 yards of the ribbed pleather that would be enough to make 2 sets of sleeves. I'm willing to sell this off if anyone is interested. It's not cheap fabric though at about $35/yd. You would still need to get smooth pleather for the main body. Depending on how you cut everything and how long your arms are you might have enough to do the ribbing for the neck seal as well. If not, the neck seal is a pretty easy thing to make without ribbed fabric.

Can you turn the vest inside out and take a picture? We're trying to see if the sleeves are padded or just have sewn on ribbing directly onto the fabric by itself.

Not that I'm aware of. We still really don't have a maker for the jacket. The only real option is to make it yourself or find a someone to make it for you. We did recently lower the bar for Lvl.1 jackets. They have a much easier ribbing pattern now and this should help anyone who wants to make the jacket themselves. Jacket Smooth semi-gloss black material. Sleeves are ribbed. OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable): Jacket should be tailored to wearer so as not to be too loose or baggy. Sleeves consist of ribbed, smooth and stitched sections. See image for details.

I've never been able to fully dress myself in this armor. The chest and back are awkward to align once the abs and belt are on. I'll see if I can dig up a picture of my belt. It's basically 2 belts in one. There is the outer rubber belt and an inner belt made from canvas and Velcro. All of the boxes and TD are attached using Chicago Screws. I also used leather straps and snaps for my baton. It has enough tension to hold the baton very securely. I can't put it back without help once I've taken it out so I don't do it very often.

The side buckles will be attached to the chest piece. If they were functional they would be connected to the elastic/cloth straps that are on the "wings" on the chest piece. You can see they in the images below.

The side pieces can be set inset like you have it, just make sure that its' trimmed so that it doesn't stick out farther than the chest or back when underneath. I know it may be a bit too late but if those were my files there should have been an alternate back file that had the extra triangular sides removed and a TPU side that could be attached to it that would bend around to fit like you have shown.

Great to hear.

You've corrected the pouches, chest and general spacing of the front armor as well as the biceps and everything there looks good. The only thing remaining is the vest which currently will not pass Lvl 2 standards. The disqualifier is the secondary stitch line giving it a faux raglan sleeve look as it states in the CRL "Vest sleeves have the appearance of being raglan". Since this stitch line is visible from the front (1st Image below) when your armor is on this will not work. Your vest needs to have the appearance of a raglan sleeve such as the example vest pictured (2nd image below). Please let us know if you have any questions about this or need a more detailed explanation. You're very close a this point and the vest is the only thing left to sort out. Great work so far. Example Vest:

Can you please repost the vest pictures as they are not available any more. We're trying to use them for comparison.

Weirdly, this has been my greatest gift to the Pathfinders.

Here is our assessment. Your application is very well put together with a good attention to the details and CRL. That being said, the list below is our remarks. Let us know if you need clarification on any of these items. Chest Try to see if you can bring the chest up a bit (maybe an inch or so). Before you start cutting just see if you can get it to sit a little higher in the front. This will help bring the pouches up as well as the bund. If you are unable to do this you may need to overlap the shoulder bridges a bit and then cut off the excess from the chest and back shoulders bridges. Start by overlapping the bridges a little and tape everything in place to see how it looks and feels and if it brings the chest up a little. If everything works then you can remove a small amount of the bridges. Cummerbund Cummerbund should be moved up 1-1.5". This will help bring the pouches up and move them off the belt. Biceps Biceps should be moved up 1/2" to 3/4". They are a tad too low. Vest Can you provide us with a couple more pictures of your upper body in better lighting (outdoors). We're trying to evaluate the vest but are unable to see well enough to make a full assessment. You vest appears to have a secondary stitch on the sleeves and does not appear to be a raglan sleeve. If this secondary stitch is not visible when suited up with the chest and back covering then it's passable.

The shots in the CRL are of my blaster and I'll be using that one. I may build an E-22 at some point but we'll see how I feel later.