Chopper

No, the velcro tabs are on both ends and there's some corresponding adhesive velcro inside the tank.

Yeah, I made them. I used some leftover 2" elastic and sewed the hook side velcro to it. You can see a bit poking out on the left side of the image.

Looks perfect

A few millimeters, eh? Those are some pretty exacting measurements 😁 The best photo we have of the tank topper is from the Magic of the Myth exhibition. I would go with your third photo, but I'd bring it just a tiny smidge closer to the back armor. Also, here's how I have my front and back armor connected:

From what you've shown, I would go with position B. You can always shim the gap a little bit. That said, before gluing anything, you might want to tape the faceplace assembly in place, so you don't have to hold it with your hands, and then give us a look at how it appears from the front, left, and right.

Great work on the tank, Phil. Looks A+! Your tank topper placement looks ok too. My front and back armor are connected with a strip of velcro underneath the shoulder bridges. It's easy enough to disconnect one side and pass your head through that way. My shoulder bridge coverings are wrapped around the top and then velcroed on the bottom, so those come right off and get get re-attached fairly easily as well.

James, you're always welcome to post your Lancer application at any time. I would still like to point out a few items, which are primarily dressing issues -- Your right knee is higher than your left. From the side, your belt is drooping downwards. Both can be remedied with some velcro. Your cod looks wrinkled and could use some steaming prior to your app. Your cod still seems wide to me, which I think is why you're getting some crumpling along the edges from your drop box straps. From the side, your bund is untucked from the belt, while in the head on shots it looks like your bund is tucked into the belt. The bund should sit just on top of the belt, not tucked behind. This may be an issue of the bund slipping down, in which case the answer is to attach some velcro to your flak vest. Again, this is just what I'm seeing. The review team is comprised of multiple sets of eyes and we come to a consensus before posting our reviews, so what I've posted may not be totally comprehensive. Please feel free to post your application at any time and I have no doubt that we'll successfully work through it -- same as the many Lancers who came before you!

Very nice, Clay!

Yeah, I've been there. I actually bought one of a 1/8" cobalt drill bit just for removing them without melting the plastic around it.

Are you using backing plates with the rivet? I can't see the cracked area in the photos?

The trick is to try and find the spots that are causing it to ride higher up. I've circled a few from your photos. Remember, this is a lot like the helmet. Go REALLY slow and only trim a little bit at a time. It's pretty close as is -- you don't need it to fit absolutely perfect, like lego blocks.

Off the bat, I'm going to tell you not to use filler to attach the tank. It should remain two separate pieces, b/c that's the way it was on screen. If you don't want it super loose, there are some tricks you can do to secure it, beyond the 1/2" strap: I cut two slots on the back armor and fed velcro tabs through from the inside of the tank, to the inside of the back armor. Using tabs to secure the tank keeps it fitted flush and prevents anything from flopping around.

As Dennis mentioned, was this a fully made suit with the suede patches, etc, or just a set of coveralls? If this was a fully made suit, there are some tricks tailors can do to lengthen the torso for you, especially since none of it will show under the flak vest and bund. I've seen some folks basically add a cut with spandex at the shoulder blades and lower back that allows for more stretch when bending or sitting. RedKap is notorious for having a short torso for their coveralls and even their "long" sizes just mean longer legs. If it's just a plain set of coveralls that you plan to mod, then you may need to size up and then see what needs to be taken in on the arms and legs for a proper fit. You could also check out the Kolossus coveralls, which fit a bit better than the RedKap, they breathe easier as well: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BK87DYM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I haven't seen anyone use anything more than the 4 pop rivets to attach the holster. Usually the cracking tends to happen because aluminum back up plates aren't used on the inside part of the boot and the plastic gets stressed and eventually cracks.

Hey James, I took a look at your photos and here's some tips for you - I tried to do some markup in the photos as well, if that helps. 1) I think your belt might actually be positioned a bit too high. Not by a lot, but I think it can come down slightly. 2) Are you tucking your bend under the belt? Ideally it should sit just on top of it. Does lowering your belt slightly allow the bund to sit on top? 3) I know that armor can shift a bit when your arms are out like they are in the photos. Your rear armor does look a bit low in back, but that just might be how it's riding due to your arms. If it is indeed a bit too long in back and needs to come up, then you might need to trim your back side shoulder bridges a bit. 4) The ends of the ridge underneath the bottom of the chest armor can get trimmed a bit so it tapers on the side. 5) Check your right rear drop strap, it's twisted. 6) I've marked two parts on the cod that you should look at -- it looks like there's a hard angle, especially on your left/photo right? Or is that just a funny bend while you're wearing it? 7) You might want to adjust the angle on your pouches a bit, so they're not canted upwards so much, but slightly moving your belt down a bit may help with that. Great progress, dude. Keep it up.

Hmmm, it doesn't look like there's any crackling reactions, which is good. It's hard to tell though, the bumpiness underneath could just be from unsanded primer? Pete, what do you think? @Retrofire

The issues Pete is describing are related to incompatibility between primer and glossy top coats. Incompatibility between paint types can lead to crackling or crazing in the paint. If you've already selected your top coat you can do a test on some sheet plastic. Spray some primer, let it dry completely, then spray your top coat as if you were painting your helmet. Watch for reactions and go from there.

The positioning of your dogbone looks ok in the first photo, but it looks short in the second photo. You may need to cut a slightly longer dog bone.

Hey Phil, for the top of the visor, you might want to trim the bottom of the "U" a bit more. Remember that filler primer and paint will add thickness to the dome portion. You don't want to scrape paint off every time you lift your visor up! As I showed in the screen used helmet photo, the margin between the dome and visor doesn't need to be razor thin, so you have some leeway to trim a bit more.

I think he means "extinct".

They're a recent addition and the first batch are currently in production. There's no in-hand reviews of the boots yet, so if you have concerns about plunking down that much cash, I'd hold off on purchasing them until we get some feedback from the troops.

You can paint or plastidip the interior of the bucket black if you want. Some people do that, but the original helmets weren't painted black on the interior -- they just put some black gaffer tape near where the ear holes where. If you choose to paint or plastidip the interior black, I'd do it after assembly. The faceplate is easily removable and it's easy enough to mask the edges. Plus glue tends not to adhere as well to paint over plastic.

Hi Dennis, yes you could take up the bottom of your butt flap about and inch and see how that looks. The length of your sleeves appears to be within the 1.5" specified in the CRL. so that looks ok. The circumference might be a bit wide, yes, which is why you're getting some flaring with the elastic.

Hey bud, to start you're going to need to start carefully trimming back the U-shaped cut on the top of the visor. I've made some rough marks on your images, but this part of the build calls for small steps and micro-surgery, so go slow! I think you can also take down the return edge on the top of the faceplate a bit as well. You'll need to leave enough so that you'll have some decent surface area to attach it to the top of the visor. Again, slow and steady on this one. Also, here's some overall shots of one of the original buckets (compiled photo from Mon Cal), so you can get a sense of spacing and clearance for the faceplate vs the dome portion.

No problem dude. Keep the questions coming.