Chopper

Hi Nick. Using abs paste on the visible side does limit your options a bit. With the abs paste on the surface of the helmet, you'll need to sand it down to a smooth and shiny finish. This is possible, but it will take some work. Start with 400 grit sandpaper and wet sand it down until you get to about 1000 grit. Once you get above 1000, you're basically wet buffing the area with increasingly higher grits to get it back to a polish. You'd need to invest in getting the sanding kits below and it'll involve a lot of wet sanding. https://www.amazon.com/Sandpaper-Assortment-9x3-6-Automotive-Sanding/dp/B074VYL3M6/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1EEKPT76OHEXQ&keywords=high+grit+sandpaper&qid=1707574368&sprefix=high+grit+sandpaper%2Caps%2C279&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/AUSTOR-Sandpaper-Assortment-Automotive-Furniture/dp/B08JJ35RYH/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1EEKPT76OHEXQ&keywords=high%2Bgrit%2Bsandpaper&qid=1707574368&sprefix=high%2Bgrit%2Bsandpaper%2Caps%2C279&sr=8-7&th=1

Hey, welcome back! Just a FYI, but depending on what your current build goals are, be aware that the WTF armor cannot clear L2/Lancer spec, though it's okay for basic clearance.

Congrats!

Hey hey! Congrats Bill!

Nearly there, but first, check those pouches -- you've got them reversed!

Thank you, your application has been received. We will come back with our notes once the review is complete.

I cold bent the end to fit. Was pretty easy with just a pair of pliers and didn't take much effort to do.

When I affixed my clips to the det tubing, I used pop rivets with a metal washer inside the tube. Then afterwards I glued the caps on. I would not recommend adding resin or a dowel rod to the tubing as it will greatly increase the weight and you don't need it.

Aside from the bunching you mentioned, the front looks okay. You don't need as much material in back. Check my edit in green in the attached image. You might want to try using fabric fusing tape, which is like an iron on adhesive tape for fabric, instead of glue. They usually have it at Jo-Ann's Fabrics.

Unlike the TK or TD crl's we don't have a specific standard for the return edge. Based on where you've taped, I think you might want to add a bit more return edge, but it doesn't need a lot more. Check the Scoutopedia for more reference shots:

Hard to tell, it's in the ballpark but might be a little thin. Typically people use split electrical cord. You should know that, when it comes to trooping, the wrapped tube is heavier than the pool tubing. I made a wrapped tube myself and ditched it early on bc it wasn't practical when walking around.

There's nothing about the 3M bolts that keeps the helmet faceplate up. They only keep the face plate on and are more accurate. Some helmets, like the RS, Strider, Line Wolf, have a small bump on the sides of the helmet the locks the helmet in the up position. Some helmets, like Studio Creations, don't have this feature. In those instances, the only option is to use more tension, but that can cause plastic stress and eventual cracking.

Mesh or black pads over the ear holes is a no go for L2. Aside from that, the inside just needs to be black. Black gaffers tape, paint, either works as long as the visible inside of the ear holes is black.

As for the helmet flip up, the helmets that flip up and lock actually have little bumps that lock and hold the face plate up. The SC doesn't have this, so all you can do is add more tension to the rotator bolt -- but this can also cause additional stress points and cracking over time, so be forewarned.

Okay, that's actually good news, since if the plastic isn't bending or stressing, then odds are that the repair is more likely to stay intact. To repair your helmet, you'll need to brace the crack from the inside. Get some scrap styrene or sheet styrene from the hobby store and cut some rectangles to glue inside the helmet. With that bend where the crack is, you may need to cut a few pieces. Lightly sand the surface of the styrene where you're going to glue it to the inside of the helmet. For gluing, I recommend Devcon plastic weld. Glue the brace plates and let it completely dry. Make sure the crack is fully braced on the inside. This should hopefully keep the crack from opening again. The cracks may be small enough that, once they're glued and braced from the inside, they're not very noticeable. It doesn't look like you painted you helmet, so you might want to leave it as is. If you want to try and make the cracks less noticeable, you can fill the gap with some putty, sand it, and then try to paint match the ABS color. This can be very challenging with off the shelf paint, so you may not want to immediately go down this road. I recommend you brace the cracks first, then see how noticeable the cracks are.

Okay, so the cracks seem to be happening at stress points in the plastic. Let me ask you this -- when you close the face plate, is it bending the jowl portions near the ears when it closes? Or does it close and fit naturally? I can give you some tips for that big crack, as it'll need to be braced before a repair, but if it's still a stress point, then it's just going to crack again. Also, I can't seem to see the small crack on the left? And I'll tell you that "Visor does not sit open without being held" isn't necessarily a design or build issue. It is a convenience issue, sure, but it's not necessarily a requirement. My own helmet started getting stress cracks around where the visor bolts are inserted, which are made worse when the helmet is fully raised and locked. It still opens fine, but I just don't raise it up all the way anymore.

Congrats!

Hey Bill, just a FYI that the blaster should likely be okay for basic, as blasters are optional at that level, but the handle does look pretty off when compared to the screen refs and other blasters. Might want to check with your GML if they'll accept it.

The Lonewolf helmet uses a 5 piece helmet assembly, much like the RS one.

You can always try hitting up the trade group here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/501stPatchCollectors/

FYI, your photo is not displaying. For the knee armor, most folks sew velcro to their flight suit, though padding is an option as well.

The only item I see is that you might want to take some of the rigid reinforcement out of your chest boxes, as it's making them stick out at odd angles. This might also be addressed once you anchor the bund, so give it another look once that's done.

With the exception of the red stripe and white dot, the rest of the tank topper should be black. What is showing through near the "button" on the left side is the tank itself. And while the base of the "button" does have the resin color showing along its edge, you can just paint the "button" black and be done with it.

You're pretty close now. Just some refinements.

The elastic should not be drooping, but it also shouldn't be so tight that it's bunching and cutting off the circulation to your legs.