Ruthar

Soft Goods Flight Suit - Part I - Collar There are two major modifications to the flight suit that are needed - the collar and the suede patches. I used this Red Cap coverall as a base for the flightsuit as I know many other fellow Scouts do. 1) The first thing to do is to remove the butt pockets of the suit. I just went around slowly with a seam ripper until the connecting thread is broken and the fabric can be removed. Keep the pocket fabric as you'll need them for the next step. 2) I cut the top off of one of the pockets to create a strip wide enough to match the width of the collar. Mine was just under 3". 3) Fold down and pin the cut edge to clean up the look. 4) I then stitched the pinned edge closed to finish the rectangle and make it look nice and clean. 5) Now that the edge is finished, pin one half of the rectangle to the left side of the collar. I'll be closing it left to right to match the other costume flight suits I have such as the Navy Trooper or Crewman. 6) Sew down the pinned area to get a good connection. I also folded in the exposed ends to make a clean looking pointed edge that matches other flight suit collars. 7) Finally, we need to install some velcro to keep things held down. First, install a piece on the end of the flap itself. 8) ...and match it with a piece on the outside of the right side of the collar. Then it's ready for deployment!

Soft Goods Cummerbund The white cloth adventure continues with the cummberbund! 1) As you can probably expect by now, I began with yet another template! For my body, my cummerbund turned out to be roughly 8.5" x 46" *. I like using the lawn and leaf bags to create my templates as it is sturdy enough paper to test on the body without a lot of risk of tearing. (*A note on cummerbund dimensions - the original cummerbund I made was a few inches too long as it was based on another pre-fabricated cummerbund. Knowing that they should be about as wide as the total length of the pouches, the actual cummerbund width should be 8-9 inches. I went with 8.5 to give a little wiggle room) 2) Instead of cutting two copies of the template out, I cut one copy of the template out with an additional folded layer beneath. This prevents you from sewing both lengthy sides shut which allows for an easier installation of the batting. 3) Before sewing anything closed, I installed the matching strip of velcro that will hold the cod piece. Find the center of the total cummerbund length and center the cod piece velcro strip 3/4" away from the open edge of the cummerbund. Pin it down and sew it in. Doing this now allows the velcro to be sewn into only the back side of the cummerbund, keeping the stitching completely hidden from the front. 4) Once the velcro is in, clip/pin the open side of the cummerbund together to create a lengthy fabric tube. 5) Sew the pinned/clipped size shut with a basic straight stitch. 6) Cut a long strip of batting the full length and width of the cummerbund itself (though slightly smaller so it can fit within). Then, slowly feed it into the middle of the cummerbund via the open sides. 7) Once the batting is in place, I drew 6 evenly spaced (1" apart) lines centered on the cummerbund. Once these lines are stitched, this will create 5 1" channels in the center of the front of the cummerbund. Run a straight stitch along all 6 of these marks. 8) Here is the front of the cummerbund after the stitching is complete. 9) Here is a picture of the cummerbund with the pouches roughly in position. The pouches should just about run the entire width of the cummerbund which is 8"-9". 10) To finish up, the rear of the cummerbund is closed with a strip of 2" sew-in velcro. It should close right over left, so be sure that your velcro is on top of the left side and beneath the right. And now the cummerbund is all set!

Soft Goods Cod Piece Moving along with the soft goods, I tackled the cod piece next. 1) Just as before, I started with creating a template. I am lucky enough to have a fellow Garrison Scout's soft goods on-hand to replicate (and we're pretty close in size, too), but it's not a complicated template to create. I made sure to give myself a 1/2" edge around the piece so that I had something to sew together. One the template has been created, cut two copies of the template out from the cloth. I am using a heavy white cotton upholstery fabric that has a similar feel (yet much more subdued) to waterproof fabric. 2) To give the cummerbund and cod piece some thickness, I am using a light batting between the layers. Cut a piece that matches the shape of the template (though a little smaller as it needs to nestle between the sealed layers). 3) I sewed the two cloth pieces together at the bottom and sides. Leave the top open so we can install the batting and stiffening. 4) In order to prevent the tip of the cod piece from bunching between my legs, I cut a piece of packing foam to slip into the very bottom of the cod piece. It is a rather flexible material so it does allow for motion, but it is far more sturdy than the batting alone, so hopefully it will make sure the cod piece keeps its shape. I slipped the foam into the very bottom of the cod piece ensuring that it nestles in tightly. 5) I slipped the batting in between the layers of cloth and down into the cod piece completely. 6) Right about where the cod piece angles inward, there is an arc that runs across the fabric. I used a pencil to lightly draw the shape before stitching anything. 7) Going slowly with my sewing machine, I followed the marking made with the pencil to sew the four layers (cloth, foam, batting, cloth) together. There are two parallel stitches that make up this arc. 8) Close-up detail of the parallel stitches. 9) Finally, I added some velcro along the top of the cod piece as this will attach the cod piece to the cummerbund. Fold in the topmost pieces of fabric to get a clean edge, add the velcro, hold it down with some clips (or pin it), and then sew it all down. 10) Lastly, I removed the pins/clips to reveal the finished cod piece. It is now ready to be attached to the vest later on.

Thanks! It's been a pretty fun journey learning all these things, and I find that doing threads like this really help keep things organized as I move along - otherwise I tend to bounce from this and that which slows down the overall process (and drives me a little nuts )

Soft Goods Gloves I picked up a marvelous pair from Wampa Wear. The only thing I needed to do is to snip off the clips as the CRL states: "There are no labels/logos, clips, or external straps" on the gloves. (even though it's still there in the pictures...) They're definitely a bit tight and warm, but I don't think I want to go removing the liner as a few others in my Garrison have done. I think they will look nice with the full thickness in tandem with the armour. Pouches Now begins some of the more interesting stuff! Making the pouches is a fun little adventure. I used a yard of heavy white canvas and white thread. 1) Create templates for the fabric. The pouches should be proportional to the wearer, but they should be in the vicinity of 5"x6"x2" according to all the awesome information available all around here. The templates are in three different parts - the attachment tab, front flap, and the box. Here is the template I used for the box, based on the templates Strider offers in the Lancer Build Tutorial. You will need one of these per box, 2 total. Sides that are sewn together I labeled with matching text (sew 1 to sew 1, for example). 2) Here's the template I used for the front flap and top of the box. (You will need two of these per box, 4 total) 3) And here is the template I used for the attachment tab. (You will need two of these per box, 4 total) 4) Once the templates are done, I cut the canvas to match. 5) I started with sewing the attachment tabs on the three sides with a basic stitch. I left a 1/2" border around pieces to be sewn together and then sewed the edges together near where the 1/2" border begins. 6) I inverted the attachment tab after the stitching to hide the stitch between the two pieces. 7) I repeated the process for the front flap. Sew the pair of flaps back to back and then invert again. 8) For the box component, I began by sewing "sew 1" and "sew 2" together (the bottom edges of the box). 9) I inverted the box to reveal the bottom two corners. Then, I laid the front flap upon the face of the box. 10) While I was still able to easily get inside, I placed a 1" square of sew-in velcro upon the face of the box and sewed it in. The placement of this piece is contingent on the previous step - the angle of the flap should determine the velcro's placement. 11) Along the top back of the box, I sewed in the front flap and the attachment tab. The attachment tab should be the rearmost piece (I messed that up the first time! ) with the front flap sandwiched between the tab and the box edge. 12) Sewing these pieces in this manner (finally!) causes the front flap to hang down over the front when the box is hanging from the attachment tab which I think is the intention... 13) then I inverted the box again and zip closed the two side pieces. 14) Invert the box (once again) now that the sides are closed to reveal a complete box. I used a couple clips to fold down the top edges of the box just to see how things sit. 15) Now it's time to install the matching velcro upon the front flap. I pulled the flap down across the top and face of the box and found where the matching 1" square of velcro needs to sit. 16) Pin the velcro piece to the front flap. There is a specific stitching that holds this velcro piece on, so I marked a diagonal line with a pencil that runs on the same angle as the flap's slanted edge. 17) I went super carefully with my sewing machine to get a stitch that doesn't pull too tightly on the fabric. That, in tandem with a thread that matches very closely with the canvas colour, gave me a hidden stitch like so. The stitch should go around the box of the velcro and then finish with the diagonal cut through the center. 18) I just used some clips and Fabric Fusion adhesive to glue down the top edges of the box itself. 19) While the glue is drying, I made a pair of frames to keep the boxes shapely as well as add functionality. I just cut up a bit of foam project board into a 4.75"x5.75"x1.75" box. The slightly smaller frame than the box size allows the fabric to relax around the edges of the box, giving the illusion that the entire piece is cloth instead of internally framed and rigidly square. 20) Once the frame is installed, I glued the top side edges of the box to the edges of the frame. This pulls the sides in and keeps them beneath the top flap as well as keeps the frame down in the pouch. 21) After some time to dry (and a lot of trial and a whole lot of error), I think I've got some usable pouches!

19) Once I finished the sewing, it's time to install the tall components to the rear of the boot. First, I tested to make sure they fit nicely. 20) Then, I punched a hole for a rivet where the bottom front corner of the rear piece meets the 1/2" covering strip. I just use an awl to push the hole in. 21) Next I installed the rivet and used the Shoe Goo to adhere the section just behind and above the rivet. Just like the boot tutorial says, don't glue too much of the rear piece on as you need it to flap open easily to slip your foot in. I used a pair of magnets to hold down the vinyl while the adhesive dried. 22) Then I did the same for the other boot. 23) Once the adhesive is dried, I had to test them out! 24) Finally, there is a bone shaped piece that hides the seam between the toe piece and the tall rear piece. I started by cutting out a template and testing the fit. Mine was just under 10" in total length. It took a bit of adjustment to find the right shape for the curved ends, but just going slowly with a pair of scissors and cutting little bits off at a time was enough to finally get what I wanted. 25) Trace the template onto the back of the vinyl and cut out the 'bones.' 26) At the very edge of the curved sections, there are two detail stitch lines. These are not functional in my build, but they are necessary for screen accuracy. I just went slowly with a sewing machine to get a nice, even curve. 27) I used a generous amount of the Shoe Goo on each curved ends of the bones to ensure solid adhesion. 28) Then I used painter's tape once again to hold the bones in place while the glue dried. 29) I made sure that the bone piece is covering the seam between the toe and rear piece completely before committing to the glue. 30) I set the boots aside for a while to let the glue do its thing (I did overnight again). 31) Lastly, I removed all the painter's tape to reveal finished boots. They are now ready for the final details later on - installing the holster, painting the soles one colour, and weathering.

11) Once the adhesive is dry, I removed the painter's tape to reveal a nice, clean edge. 12) With the toe region complete, it's time to craft the tall rear portion. To start, I created a rough template out of a lawn and leaf bag. I used 14" sides, a 16" lower edge and an 18" upper edge as that seemed to fit me proportionally. 13) Once I cut the template out, I installed it onto the boot with some painter's tape to test. 14) Then I slipped the boot on and closed the back of the template with some painter's tape to test the fit. It took a couple rounds of adjusting to get it to sit right, but eventually I got it sitting pretty well. 15) I removed the template and cut the vinyl out. 16) Before I installed anything onto the boot, a few things need to be sewn. First, the top edge needs to be folded back and finished with a stitch of white thread. 17) Then, sew-in velcro needs to be added at the rear so that the vinyl can be closed. The outsides of the boot close over the insides, so I made sure that I placed velcro on the top of the inside edge and beneath the outside edge. 18) Here is the finished rear with velcro.

Boots Part II - White Vinyl With the soles finished, it's time to get the white vinyl installed. I used the amazing boot tutorial here to learn how to do it - super helpful! 1) First, I placed a large square across the toe of the boot. 2) Then I pinned the vinyl down against the boot itself with a series of push pins stuck into the upper edge of the rubber sole. 3) Once the front of the vinyl is pinned, I cut the back of the vinyl to match the shape of the boot itself. 4) I pinned one side down completely, then pulled the rest of the vinyl over to the unpinned side. I used my heat gun to carefully heat the vinyl - this will allow it to stretch more easily along the top of the boot and conform to the toe's shape. 5) Stretch the heated vinyl carefully and pin it tightly. Allow the vinyl to cool completely so it keeps the shape. 6) In order to adhere the vinyl to the boot, I used Shoe Goo (pictured below). Simply remove the pins (one side at a time so it stays in place), apply the adhesive beneath, and then re-pin. I let the adhesive dry overnight, though it is pretty stable after a few hours. 7) Once the adhesive is dry, I removed the pins. 8) Using a sharp razor knife, I carefully cut the vinyl where it meets the very top of the sole. 9) The vinyl around the toes is finished off with a 1/2" covering strip, so I cut two long strips 1/2" wide. 10) Using the Shoe Goo again, I glued them down against the edge of the sole. I used painter's tape to hold the vinyl strips in place while the adhesive dried.

Boots Part I - Laces and Sole While waiting for my armour and other pieces to arrive, the first thing I tackled were the boots. I used these Amazon work boots as a base and went up one half size for comfort and room for insoles later on. Here's the box of the boots themselves: The first thing I did was cut down the laces. I want to be able to slip the boots on instead of having to tie them beneath the vinyl, so I cut the laces down and tied them off just before the ankle. To hold the top part of the boot tightly together, I replaced the lace hooks with two snaps. A piece of elastic runs between the snaps, pulling the boots closed around your foot once your foot is slipped in. I also used a bit of gaffer's tape to hold the triple knot closed to ensure that it doesn't unravel. With the laces taken care of and the boot now able to simply be slipped on, it's time to tackle the sole. I pulled up an image of the screen soles then drew a similar pattern onto my own with a pencil. Then, using a sharp utility knife, I carefully started cutting out the lower details. In order to get the upper details on the heel, I used a small engraving Dremel bit to carefully cut away the rubber. (You can also see the installed elastic at the top of the boot in this image) Here is an image of the cut out sole next to the original sole: And both of them cut:

Wow, that's beautiful - excellent work!

I just got mine as well - gorgeous piece, very pleased!

Strider's Scout Trooper Helmet While searching for which armour and helmet kits I was interested in, I decided to reach out to some of the armour and helmet makers on the top of my list to ask some questions, get some more pictures, and just say hello. Strider was the first creator I got to have a conversation with. I was very impressed with how close his suit and helmet came to the original model (as seen in the armour comparison photo thread), so I just wanted to offer my appreciation for his level of detail and investigate availability of pieces. I got extremely lucky as he told me he had one last copy of his v2 on the shelf that he didn't need that I could purchase! For my helmet, I narrowed it down to RS Props and the Strider bucket. The thing that won me over for Strider was the back of the helmet. On the right there is a series of imprinted grooves along the lower edge of the rear - the RS Props helmet has 7 while the helmets we see on-screen have 8 or 9. Supposedly this is because there were a lot of production helmets with variations, some being used on the screen while others didn't make it out of the shop (apparently RS Props scanned and had access to one of the latter). You can't really go wrong with either choice (or many of the vendors available), but that was my deciding factor for the Strider bucket. So, I very quickly pulled the trigger, and a little over a week later the first big brown box arrived from Germany! I prefer my lenses to be attached via velcro instead of glue (I like them being easily detachable and replaceable for cleaning or if they get scratched/damaged), so I cut out a wider piece of dark lens material and slipped that behind the face shield. There will be a lot more on internal helmet components later on in the build, but here is what the helmet looks like with the visor reinstalled.

Parts List Here's my list of parts for the build of note. I haven't included minor stuff like glues and adhesives, but I do mention that stuff along the way during the build process. This list just helps me keep track and make sure I've got what I need ordered. As the build progresses, more items will be added as they are purchased - hopefully I'll keep it up to date! Helmet Kit - Strider's Scout Trooper Helmet (v2) Armour Kit - CFO/Strider Scout Trooper Armour Holdout Blaster - there are a handful of great options including Hyperfirm, DVH, and Polymer Armory. I went with the PA blaster as they do a "hero kit" that is marvelously detailed. Gloves - Wampa Wear Flight Suit Base: Red Kap Coveralls Black pigskin suede - Tandy Leather is a great source for this (and they have a convenient shop not far from my house!) Cummerbund/Cod/Pouches pouch material - white canvas, 1 yard cummerbund/cod material - white cotton, 2 yards (so many options, but I went with an upholstery fabric that has some heft as well as a gentle sheen similar to that of waterproof fabric) cummerbund filler - lightweight batting, 2 yards Boots Base: work boots (I used these from Amazon) white vinyl, 1 yard Shoe Goo, 2 tubes All-purpose off-white thread Vest black knit fabric, 2 yards (so many options (again), but I went with a heavy knit with a gentle sheen and a pretty good amount of flex) lightweight batting (leftover from cummerbund) black thread Thermal Detonator Thermal detonator belt clips Tube Wire wrap (x2) [TO BE CONTINUED]

Choosing My Armour With nearly every build I have done, the number one question I am usually asked is "where did you get your armour?" I do my best to not endorse any specific armour maker, especially when there are multiple options available as there are with the Biker Scout kits. There is always a lot to consider when making a kit purchase - availability, price, accuracy, just to name a few. For me, accuracy is first and foremost the most important. To that end, the most helpful thread I've ever come across is the one I've found here - "The Ultimate Armor Comparison Thread!" This thread has all of the available armour kits pictured in their completed form next to a model of the screen used Scout Trooper ensemble. Huge thanks to Mickey for posting up all of this information - it's super awesome! With these references available, I did a whole lot of thinking and debating. The CFO and MC kits are, to my eyes, the closest to the screen accurate suit on the right. Unfortunately, those vendors are seemingly some of the least available ones. SC and WTF, while seemingly less accurate, are more readily available for ordering based upon the experiences of other troopers I've seen. After much internal debate, I decided to reach out to CFO and MC a few months ago. After hearing what they both had to say and chatting with them both a little bit, I decided on the CFO kit and shot along some money. The adventure had officially begun!

References/Resources 501st CRL: Scout Trooper Speeder Bike Chase from RotJ: YouTube (enjoy the genius that is Ben Burtt) Reference Shots from RotJ: photos from this always awesome website

Return of the Jedi Scout Trooper Build Greetings, Pathfinders! Just a quick introduction - I'm Taylor "Ruthar," XO of the NER here in NJ, and I've been prowling around here for a bit checking in on this and that. Return of the Jedi has always been my favourite film in the franchise since first being introduced to the series many years ago, and within the film the Scout Troopers are easily my favourite ensemble - I had a whole bunch of speeder bike toys, LEGO sets, and figures when I was younger. However, I haven't yet gotten around to actually creating the armour for myself as there was a surplus of Scouts when I first joined my Garrison and for a little while thereafter. It's definitely long overdue, but it's officially time to start my own adventure in getting my name added to the Pathfinder ranks with one of my favourite armour sets. Without further ado (or more needless personal history), let's dive on in! Just to note: my build threads are constructed as "how-to" guides in our Armory section of our Garrison forums, so that's why most of these posts will look similar to that. This is a new adventure for me, so I'm very much looking forward to the collective input of all of you Pathfinder specialists! There are a few goals I have set for myself at the outset of this build. First, all the soft goods will be self-made (I bought a new sewing machine and have been practicing my stitches accordingly! ). Secondly, I'm going to try to shoot for Lancer from the get-go. I have found that starting out with the accuracy goal in mind is easier than trying to make all the adjustments later down the road. Contents 1) References/Resources 2) Choosing My Armour 3) Parts List 4) Strider's Helmet 5) Boots Part I - Laces and Sole Part II - White Vinyl 6) Soft Goods Gloves Pouches Cod Piece Cummerbund Flight Suit: Part I - Collar; Part II - Suede Patches and Tailoring Vest 7) EC-17 Hold-out Blaster 8) Armour - Trimming Part I - Preparation Part II - Cutting and Sanding 9) Armour - Assembly Thermal detonator Biceps/Forearms/Shoulder Bells Boot Holster Knees and Chest Plate Back Plate and Tank (Part I, Part II) Belt Completed Parts 10) Strapping Initial Fitment Shoulder Connection Cummerbund/Pouch Connection Cummerbund/Vest/Cod Connection Chest/Back Side Straps Velcro Reinforcement 11) Complete Test Fit 12) Weathering 13) Additional Details Sole Painting Helmet Interior and Electronics 14) Submission Photos 15) Final Adjustments Holster Boning and Minor Tweaks Weathering Adjustments Lancer Submission

Here are pictures of the text. At least it is confirmed that it is more related to the Scout!

I just picked up my copy. Not much help, I'm afraid.