Chopper

Hey Ryi, the only thing I see that's still outstanding is your cod crunchies. I don't think it'll be an issue for basic clearance, but you might want to try moving your cod up a bit so it lies flatter on your body? The other option is putting some posterboard behind it, or something else to keep the bottom from crumpling.

Hey Sebastian, so the Armory team has taken a close look at the CyberCraft helmet and our consensus is that there are a number of inaccuracies. Because basic approval is up to your local garrison's GML, you'll need to get in contact with them to verify whether or not they'll accept it. As a detachment, if a trooper were to apply for Level 2 (Lancer) with that helmet, it would not be accepted. So, yeah. I'm sorry to give you some not so great news, but a lot will depend on what your GML says. I encourage you to reach out to the Florida Garrison's GML to see what they say.

Hi Fabio, what helmet were you using before? We've seen the Cybercraft helmet you linked, and while basic approval is up to your local GML, our view of it was that the helmet is highly inaccurate. There are better helmets available -- you should check out the helmets from (for example) Altmann, Studio Creations, RS Prop Masters, Kropserkel, Cast From Origina (CfO), many of which are in the thread below. http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/17774-the-ultimate-armor-comparison-thread/&tab=comments#comment-159857 I'd you like our feedback on other potential helmets, please post away and we'll take a look.

Oh also, if your elastic is too short you can always find the spot where the elastic goes under the back of the bund, and then sew a bit more elastic onto the end. That should give you a bit more leeway, so you don't need to pull it so tight.

Yep, for basic clearance the CRL says the following about the rank bars: "Rank bars" present on the right side of the tank can number between 0 to 6 stripes.

Ah ok bud, up to you. Just wanted to check!

You weren't able to hem the sleeves on your existing vest?

Hey Mikey, I'd be happy to trade with you and I have a number of ART different patches. Shoot me a PM.

Congrats Scout!

Hey Ryi, just a few refinements for basic clearance -- The top edge of your belt should ideally be just under your bellybutton. Your bund might be a bit long, but try and pull it up a bit as well if you can. For basic you can put your belt over the bottom of your bund, if need be. Let that cod lay flat on the front of your body. Try not to let it crunch up like that. The bottom shouldn't be pulled through your legs -- leave it flat. I noticed you have only three stripes on your tank? That's ok for basic, but 1, 4, and 6 are the cannon arrangements. Up to you. Also, you can go ahead and cut the hook connectors on your gloves. Good work! You're really close!

There's no specific measurement for the rank bars and the center bar in the CRL, but they're about 38mm or approx 1.5". Drop boxes should be around 1.5" below the belt. Your left one looks ok, but the right seems to be drooping more. That might also be because your belt looks a little loose in back though. Watch the cod crunchies == try and flatten out your cod and don't pull the strap so tight. That'll keep it from crumpling.

Well, if it were me, I'd spray both the back and the faceplate just so they match. A few things could have happened with the less smooth part of the paint on your helmet -- 1) If it's an older can with less paint, then that can affect the consistency of the spray that comes out. Gloss white is also a tricky color to spray and the many angles and divots on the scout helmet makes it especially hard to make sure you've got an even coat overall. 2) How smooth was the primer layer underneath? Gloss paint reflect all imperfections, so if one part of the helmet was still a bit rough, then it'll pick it up 3) As you said, overspray can cause this effect too. Did you come back and spray only a portion of it later, after the rest had dried? 4) Humidity can do crazy things to spray paint. If it was especially humid that day, then the paint can start drying before it really gets a chance to even out on the helmet. I've painted a few scout helmets in my time and they're always a challenge to get perfectly right. I suggest you wet sand with 400 grit up to 800, clean it, then re-spray on a low humidity day. I also suggest you pick up a new can of paint and give that a try as well.

To clarify, the snout recess area should only be black. You can see how it should look in the photo below. The snout greeblie is attached to the snout recess and, with the exception of the mic tip, is painted gray. If you used Rusto flat grey, you could try cleaning it up with some 90% iso alcohol. I believe Rusto is a lacquer, so it really depends how thick it's on there and if it's cured or not. You may have to help it a bit with some wet sanding and 400 grit sandpaper. Fortunately, you're painting the whole recess anyway, so it'll get covered up. The black paint can be flat or satin. Don't use gloss. I used Rusto Flat Black Primer for mine and it worked well.

Good work sealing that gap!

This can happen if too much paint is caked on too quickly. Also if the paint is incompatible with the paint in the underlying layer. Removing the paint will depend on the type of paint that was used. What did you use? Acrylic? Lacquer? Enamel? What brand? I am a little confused -- are you painting the entire snout area grey? It should be black, with only the plate on the snout greeblie being grey.

You have two options. One is abs paste, which you can make from any scrap plastic left over from your helmet + acetone. The other is devcon. Which one to use comes down to personal preference and materials on hand.

I believe what you saw was in response to someone who had not yet purchased a helmet and was asking about different helmet vendors. Whether or not the helmet is approvable is a slightly different question and, as Stroker said, would come down to us seeing more photos of the product.

I would highly recommend against trying that method. As Mark mentioned: draw your outline in pencil, drill it out with a small bit, and then do some cleanup and refining with needle files.

I imagine that the original scout armor glued their elastic onto the armor -- that's what they did with the OT TKs. I used velcro, which was a bit more work, yes. However, it allows me to easily adjust the tightness of the strapping as well as allow for quick replacement of the elastic, if needed.

Thank you, Mark. It does appear that your tank topper is mounted at an angle, so we ask that you please align the back edge with the back of the tank.

Absolutely. Please do. And when you're finished, if you've got a head on shot, we can add it to this thread here:

Nice. I'd been following his mould building process on his facebook group. Interested in seeing how the final RWA kit looks.

Hi Mark, thank you so much for your Lancer application. I know how long you worked on your Scout armor and you've really done a great job. Our team has reviewed your photos and we have the following notes for you: Flight Suit Your butt flap is about the proper length, vertically, but as best we can tell it looks extremely narrow. If you have some additional photos, where we can see the suede flap and suit better, that would help. Based on what we can see, you should add approximately an inch on each side. (See markup photo) The legs of your flight suit need to be taken in a bit, as they appear baggy. However, before you start doing any tailoring, you might want to try putting some stirrups on the bottoms of the pant legs -- that might help take care of the bagginess and is less invasive. Your call if you want to try that option first. Also, your thigh straps are positioned low on your flight suit. Ideally, they should be positioned approximately halfway between your leg and belt, so they will need to come up. Vest The sleeves on your flak vest appear to extend more than 1.5 inches past edge of shoulder bell. You'll need to hem the ends of your flak vest. Also, there's some flare as your sleeves extend beyond the shoulder bell -- this usually occurs when the sleeve is getting pinched by the elastic. You may want to taper the sleeve a bit when you hem the ends to get rid of the flaring. (See markup photo) Also -- there's something black sticking up between your left shoulder bell and bridge? I'm guessing this is just a kitting up issue. Bicep Armor Your bicep armor is riding low, is positioned slightly backwards, and is overlapping your bicep armor. Once you get your vest sleeves hemmed, you should bring your bicep armor up approximately an inch and a half and rotate them so they're at more of a right/90 degree angle. You can sew some velcro on your flight suit to help keep them in place. (See markup photo) Back Armor Can you please take a top down photo of your tank topper? It looks slightly crooked, but it's difficult to tell from the photos. Cummerbund In comparison to the CRL and screen photos, it really looks like your cod is too narrow for your build. The sides should be tapered, as per the CRL image, and not straight. We also recommend that you add some stiffener to the cod (1/8" foam or buckram) and loosen the strap a bit, to get rid of the cod crunchies. Knee Armor Once you get your pant legs better fitted, you should bring your knees up about an inch, so they're not dipping into your boots. Again, sewing some velcro to the knees of your flight suit will help keep your knee armor in place. (See markup photo) Belt Just a fitment issue, but from the side it looks like your belt is riding high and the back of your belt is dropping low. This also throws off your drop box placement, which is slightly canted forward in your photos. Just try to keep the belt relatively level, horizontally, when suiting up next time and you should be good. (See markup photo). Alright, so I know it's a lot about the soft goods, but I want to emphasize that this is all doable and, in the end you'll end up looking that much better. Take heart in the fact that you did an excellent job with the hard armor. Again, I know how long you've been working on this, you should be proud! Please let us know if you have any questions, need guidance, or want additional clarification. Markup Photos attached.

I've been watching some of the builds in his facebook group, but I haven't seen anyone post a formal review or comparison.

Why don't you think you can go level 2 with Chef's kit? There have certainly been many other Lancers who have done so with Chef's gear? You can absolutely have the 4x thicker rank stripes and the center bar at Level 1. I can't imagine any GML would have any issue with it, but if they do, you have that screen cap I posted earlier. For the bicep armor, the armor itself is identical, however, you want the two vertical screws on the bicep greeblies to be facing forwards when worn. The screen used holsters had some curve to them as well, so your holster looks to fit ok on your boot.