Chopper

Hey Edwin, I can see the photos now, thanks. What are you using as a gap filler, ABS paste? Were you intending to paint it after finishing the filler? From where you are right now, you can probably start sanding the excess filler down using a sanding block and some 220 grit sandpaper. From there you can move to higher grit sandpaper, like 600 and 800 to smooth it out. Assuming you're intending to paint the helmet afterwards, you can spray one or two passes of Rusto Gray Filler Primer on the seam, which should take care of some of the unevenness, as you sand it down.

Hey bud, your photos aren't displaying. You might want to try hosting them on flickr or imgur or a similar site.

No need to do any heavy surgery. I used some Scotch Exterior Grade double sided tape. The snout part isn't going to fall off, but it's also not horrifically difficult to take the greeb off if you need to. https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Products-Weather-Resistant-Double-Sided-Weather-resistant/dp/B004E2PS5M

Hey Hausi, nice work! I especially like the scratch work you did on the top of the dome. The scouts in ROTJ used rattle cans for the weathering. However, having painted (and re-painted) more Scout helmets than I'd care to admit, I've converted over to using an airbrush myself. There's just so much more control, especially if you're trying to emulate the markings of a screen used helmet. Again, fantastic work. I hope to see you both as an approved scout, as well as a Level 2 (Lancer) applicant in the near future!

If you’re a prospective scout looking to buy your first armor kit, or a ROTJ Lancer Scout applicant, then it’s important to be aware of the different vendors who produce the ROTJ Scout Armor kit. Most vendor kits can be viewed here, in the "Ultimate Armor Comparison" thread. When it comes to a ROTJ Scout Level 2 (Lancer) review, the Armory Team is checking to make sure that the armor parts are generally accurate to what was depicted in the Return of the Jedi. As with approvals at any level, simply having an accurate kit is only part of the battle -- the kit must also be properly constructed and fitted correctly. In order to help clarify and inform prospective ROTJ Lancer Scouts on the armor types that are considered Level 2 accurate, the Detachment is providing a list of known accuracy issues, categorized by vendor. We have determined that the items on the following list are not considered accurate enough to clear "out of the box" but, in some instances, they can be modified to meet Level 2 accuracy. The following list has been compiled by the Detachment Staff and ROTJ Scout Armory Team. If you have any questions at all, or other concerns about clearance, please feel free to reach out to one of our friendly Scout Armorers! IMPORTANT NOTE: Just because an item isn't on this list doesn't mean it meets Level 2 standards. We can't evaluate every piece of gear offered by makers. We only list the items that we know have issues as a service to our membership. ALWAYS CHECK THE LEVEL 2 STANDARDS TO SEE IF YOUR ITEM MEETS THEM FIRST. Kropserkel: Belt - improper shape, oversized Chest Plate - improper shape Drop Boxes - improper shape, oversized Knees - improper shape Shoulders - improper shape Holster - improper shape Detonator box - symmetrical MLC: Helmet - improper shape; vent holes in upper snout detail would need to be filled in, sanded flush, and covered with the correct decal Cybercraft: Helmet - improper shape, incorrect eye cutout, incorrect visor shield thickness WTF: Biceps - improper shape Helmet - improper shape Knees - improper shape Shoulders - improper shape Tank - improper shape (only for the original tank with the molded ridge) Tank Topper - improper shape, oversized Detonator box - symmetrical Mon Cal/Far Away Creations: Detonator box - symmetrical Helmet - helmet has 9 rear indents, 7 or 8 are specified in the CRL, so one will need to be filled in 3D Prints: 3D printed scout parts can vary widely, depending on the model used. We recommend that you check with the Armory team first for verification. Soft Goods: Imperial Boots/Keep Trooping: Coveralls - the older mandarin collar coveralls use a faux suede riding patches and flap; current open collar version uses real suede which is ok Bund and Cod - depending on the version, uses canvas or twill fabric, as opposed to smooth white cotton fabric Pouches - pouches are "yellow"/"beige", when they should be "off-white" Boots - "Biker OT" boot dogbone is improperly shaped, horizontal stitch mark on velcro tab needs to be concealed, has raised vinyl strip on rear closure, and toe strip is improper width. Note: RS Props uses Imperial Boots for the soft goods in their full commissions. RS Props: Full build commissions use elastic for drop box strapping. Will need to be replaced with white cotton webbing.

Congratulations Eric, great job!

Hi Eric, Thank you for your continued patience. In our final review we wanted to bring up a few remaining items: Question: Can you please clarify if your drop box straps are elastic, or cotton webbing? Dressing Issue: Just a FYI, but we noticed that you forgot to loop your side straps into the loop for the chest armor (see photo). Dressing Issue: As a suggestion for the future, you might want to add some stirrups to your coveralls, which will help to take some of the slack out of your legs. The primary remaining item for your application is the question about the drop box straps. If you could let us know, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again for your patience!

Thank you so much, Eric. The team will review and get back to you soon!

Hey Eric, I'm very sorry about the technical difficulties and apologies for any confusion. I wanted to re-post what I had drafted earlier -- You're doing a great job so far! The re-glued end caps on your thermal detonator look great. Excellent work! For the rivet holes in the boots, we think you could trim around the fringes of the hole with a small, sharp pair of scissors to clean it up, then touch it up with some white acrylic paint or white shoe polish. I've attached a photo of the butt flap and marked in green at about where you should trim it. The green mark looks pretty close to the white chalk mark you had on the left side. I hope that's enough guidance for you to trim your flap accordingly! Reminder -- try not to tuck your bund under your belt in front and back. Ideally it should sit on top of both. And one final item -- now that we're able to more clearly see the black on black details of your coveralls, the team thinks that your thigh straps are slightly too loose. Bring them in approximately 1/2" to 3/4". They shouldn't be so tight that they're cutting off circulation, nor should they fit loosely on your legs. You can get a sense of the fit in the attached photo from the CRL model. Before opening the seam, you can pin some of the strap excess to find the right fit. You're doing a great job, Eric! Almost there! Please let us know if you have any questions, or need additional clarifications!

Thank you, Eric. The team will get back to you shortly.

Of the three boots you posted, the third option looks best for a scout boot build.

Hi Eric, Thank you very much for your questions. 1) You can stick with the Altmann helmet for your application. No further photos or modifications needed for that particular item. 2) For shortening your butt flap, it's really hard to tell from a photo of the unworn coveralls. If possible, you should really give us a look with you wearing it while folded. You don't have to wear your armor, but the belt would help. Up to you, but I'd hate to have you trim it too short, just based off of an unworn photo. If it helps, I've marked approximately where it should be trimmed to on the side photo from your application. 3) Your holster trim marks look like a great improvement! Great work, Eric!

Hi Eric, Thank you very much for your application. You've done a great job and it really shows in your photos. The review team has gone over your application and we have the following items that we'd like you to address: Helmet We would like a photo of the top of helmet. The Altmann helmet uses a two part dome, which needs to be flush as per the CRL. We would like additional, close up photos of the helmet decals. The lines on the snout look more widely spaced than most of the ones we've seen. Did these decals come with the Altmann helmet? Balaclava When you re-take your photos, please take care to tuck in balaclava material so it doesn't stick out from underneath the bottom of the helmet. Flight Suit Would it be possible please retake your photos with better light? We can't see the riding patches and thigh straps, or how they sit in relation to the rest of your kit. Both are important considerations for the review. Your butt flap is about 2" too long vertically and will need to be trimmed Shoulder Armor Please move shoulder armor out about 1/4" to 1/2". Cummerbund Your bund is getting tucked into the belt, please position it so that it rests on top of the belt. Bring your chest pouches up maybe a half inch, so they're just over the belt as well, though the bund adjustment may take care of it. Belt and Detonator The caps on the detonator tube look like they're glued unevenly. The one on your left side seems high and the one on the right seems low. These will need to be re-glued. Please tighten your back thigh box straps, as they appear loose Holster The plate on your holster looks long, especially on the lower portion. You should trim about 1/2" to 1" off the top and bottom edges of the holster. Check against the CRL photo for some general guidance on the proportions. We suggest you use a 1/8" cobalt tip drill bit to drill out the rivets. You can close up the remaining lower holes with some patches made from white marine vinyl glued inside the boot. Again, you've done a really good job! Just a few items to address. Please let us know if you have any questions, or need any clarification. We're here to help!

Nice work on the helmet build. Strider makes a gorgeous helmet.

Hi Dave, if you use look at the CRL photo, it should give you a pretty good idea of where the holster is mounted. Aligned along the right side of the boot, and, going off the image, approximately 1/2" to 3/4" from the top edge. The holster is mounted with 4 silver colored rivets. I suggest you use 1/8" rivets or a close approximate to what's depicted and available in the UK.

Yeah, that position looks good. Nice work.

Thank you for your application, Eric. The team will start their review and get back to you. One request -- could you possibly link to higher resolution photos for at least the overall shots? It's difficult for us to zoom in at the current resolution. Thank you!

Listen, Phil, I know it probably sounds like it's been a lot of rough feedback lately. I really don't want you to get discouraged and give up. Take a break, get some take out food or something, do what you need to do to decompress not feel frustrated. Believe me, we really do want you to succeed here. Sincerely. Keep in mind that the CRL is not purely a textual document, it's a combined image and text document. The general centering I mentioned about the seam is because you have been asking about a Level 2 build -- so in our feedback, we have been giving you Level 2 advice. If you're looking for basic clearance, then the centering of the bund in the back is less of an issue. That said, having two visible sewn strips of velcro in the back of either the vest of the bund would be an issue As per the CRL Level 1: Vest: Secured at the back using 50mm (2") black hook and loop fastener. Bund: Closes in back with 50mm (2") hook and loop fastener. If the second set of sew lines were not visible externally, then you can close the back with as much velcro as you wish.

Hi Phil, thanks for clarifying. Again, I'm terribly sorry to say this, but you'll need to remove the stitching for one of the velcro strips. Only one should be showing externally, which is why I asked if this was the inside or the outside of the bund. Don't worry, as this shouldn't be too bad of an adjustment! The velcro on your bund, when fitted properly, should be about at the middle of your back. Regarding the excess portion, you'll need to open the vertical seam at the end of the bund and trim and fold the extra fabric. Then you can resew the seam closed again. As with all things, measure twice, cut once!

Hey Phil, is that the inside of the bund or the outside? Which velcro strip is the new one?

Congrats boss!

Of course.

You could probably close the holes up with a carefully glued vinyl patch on the other side.

Don't give up, dude. If you get a 1/8" cobalt steel drill bit, you should be able to drill out the aluminum rivets.

Phil my dude, I hate to say this, but you may want to check the placement of your holster on your boot -- especially if you're looking to apply for Lancer after you clear basic approval with UKG. While there isn't an exact measurement for where the holster should be positioned, if you look at the CRL images, it's maybe a half inch from the top of the boot. That isn't an exact measurement, and there's some leeway, even for Level 2, but it should be generally positioned in the ballpark of the CRL image.