Aradun

Congratulations on your approval. As I said, this was a fantastic build - great mods - great detail! Love it! And you look awesome. Great photos!

Brilliant! You just saved me $60 until I decide to pick up a second pair myself!

Those animatronic Grogu toys are about 1/2 to just under 3/4 scale of the live action version, which is about 16.” I’d love to see a full scale animatronic version as detailed as a Hot Toys version. It would cost big bucks for sure, but would be super cool.

We have a pre-beskar Mando in our Garrison that carries a Hot Toys Grogu. Always a big hit with the fans, and one pricey prop, but that’s about a close as you’re going to get to the real thing without going the animatronics or the puppet root. The problem is that Grogu is a character not a prop, so I don’t see how he could be added to a CRL. Of course GMLs are free to make the call locally if a Mando Scout or the Mandalorian can use a Grogu toy of some sort as an accessory on a troop, but that’s becoming a problem too IMO. Again, he’s not an accessory, but a major face character even if he is a just a puppet/animatronic. When you have two or more Grogus running around at a troop it does get a bit silly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a kid ask, “Why are there so many Baby Yodas?” when that happens.

This!!! This right here is one of the things that makes this detachment so great, and why I love this detachment; scouts willing to share their builds here, and their innovative ideas, so that future scouts looking to join the ranks, and even veterans looking to expand their costume lineup may benefit. Not all Pathfinders do a build thread, and that's okay, but I am always grateful for those that do and read through every one. Ricky, your mods have been FANTASTIC. I was initially frustrated that my build stalled due to winter weather not cooperating with painting, etc., but now I'm glad, because I'm getting to sit on the sidelines and watch all that you are doing, soaking it all up, and taking copious notes for when the weather breaks and I can get going again. I'll be referencing your build A LOT and incorporating it into my own build. Thanks for your contributions brother and your willingness and eagerness to share!

Did you glue the back panel on? I mounted rare earth magnets in those four holes and the another four on the front box where the holes matched up. This way I can use the box for storage (wallet, keys, etc.) because this build has no pouches. I’m thinking that was Justin’s intention when he designed the box.

Great mods! I’m a bit jealous. I’ve got everything printed and most of it primed but I’m stalled from finishing the paint and assembly due to winter weather. Blah! Looking forward to seeing what else you have in store!

Dude, that was a great video! Thanks for doing it. I learned a lot.

Dude, you’re good. This is more common than you might think but an easy fix. Like Chopper said, make some ABS paste and fill the hole as directed. You’ll be good as new in no time. Just make sure to verify the placement of your new rivet with the armorers before popping your new one in, otherwise you may have to fill a second hole if you miss the mark [emoji6]. Check out Scoutpedia for visuals of placement. I know you had many issues with your kit and I get your frustration with the vendor, but keep in mind that vendors aren’t making kits to satisfy Lancer requirements. There’s 1500 or so Scouts in the Legion and less than 100 active Lancers. Who are vendors going to cater to? They are concerned about their kits meeting basic clearance not Lancer. Even RS Propmasters which touts lineage armor and charges a premium for the distinction has to be tweaked to meet Lancer requirements. I had to move my tank rivet on my RS kit because they mount it too low for Lancer. It was good for basic as was yours, but Lancer is all about fit and detail (with emphasis on the former). I’ve worked with ABS paste before, especially when repairing cracks in my kit, but for my tank, I used a little GreenStuff to plug the hole, but my hole was much smaller than yours. The nice thing about GreenStuff is that it’s pliable and I was able to get it pretty flat and smooth with the tank, so there was minimal sanding once it dried and hardened. I used a 400 grit Emory board for Jewelry polishing to give better control while sanding the GreenStuff smooth so as not to scuff the ABS. Then I just put a dab of white paint on it to mask it.

Hey Scot, I used Strider’s method for my kit. In the photo below you can see the faint outlines of where I stitched Velcro to secure the webbing to the back armor. There are two addition spots off camera where the other red arrows point. They are located about a 1/2” behind the side edge of the back armor. The purple arrow points to the end of the webbing which has Velcro attached to it. That gets slipped through the slot on the chest armor and folds back to Velcro to the back of the webbing that spans between the front and back armor. Strider’s pic lays out where the Velcro should be applied in this regard. Doing it that way, there’s no need for false stitching on the side. I also find that Strider’s method is easier to put on. I generally only unattach one side, slip it on and then reattach it. Best of all, I can do it myself if there’s no extra hands available. Others may have their own preferred methods, which would probably work equally as well.

Thomas, welcome to the Pathfinders. I'm just chiming in regarding your question on filling and sanding methods. Filler and sanding is always tried and true, but I find it to be a lengthy and at times a tedious process. Who likes sanding? My preference is to use XTC-3D, which greatly reduces the amount of sanding needed IMO and experience. You just need to be careful in applying the XTC-3D. You don't want to go too heavy because it will pool along the edges of your print, which will require some heavy sanding to remove. Apply it in light coats making sure to spread it around with your chip brush or foam applicator. I've also learned that applying it with brush strokes that run parallel to the print lines reduces the air bubbles that sometimes occur when brushing against the print lines. Once it drys, a little light sanding is sometimes all that is needed to get things nice and smooth. For finer greeblies like those on the bicep armor, you can just use a couple of coats of primer filler spray paint. XCT-3D can mute the finer details in greeblies.

Nick, in case you haven't seen this yet. Here is the link to the pouch patterns on the forum. Feel free to post up any questions you have. Most of us started in a similar fashion with little experience in sewing, but it's not as daunting as it seems. There is a learning curve but once you get rolling you'll find it manageable. The pouches are a great place to start your adventure!

Awesome John! A lot of trial and error, but you nailed it in the end and the result looks fantastic. Well done.

I’m just popping in to say hi and welcome! You’ve already connected with the armorers and the detachment leader so your in excellent hands. As you can see, the team is quick to respond and solid in their knowledge. These guys will see you through to attaining that dream of becoming a live action Biker Scout and you’ll find plenty of support from members of the detachment to cheer and support you along the way. As these guys have said, ask any and all questions. We’re all here to help you succeed and look forward to helping you become a Pathfinder!

Your soft parts may have taken longer than you hoped but the final outcome has certainly be worth the effort. You’ve got a solid build Arne!

Great work! Adding the scrap piece of sign to reinforce the seam on the underside of the visor should do the trick! Nice!

Mike if you’ve got access to a sewing machine tapering the legs is pretty easy to tackle yourself. I just recently talked about in my JFO build thread below. Look for the post from 12/28/21. http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/22829-dennis-jfo-scout-build/ If you have any questions just hit me up.

Perfect. Then that’s the way I’ll go. Thanks.

The weather is holding up painting and finishing work for the armor parts and riot baton so I knocked out some work on the belt. The belt still needs another coat or two of paint but in working out how to attach the black belt I decided to use the remnant from the 2” black leather belt used for my wife’s Tie Reserve. I had just enough for what I needed. I glued some spare snaps I had from my TK onto the back of the belt boxes. The snaps were already riveted to ABS strips from that build so all I needed to do was glue the snaps to the belt using e6000. There was just enough of a ledge between the boxes on the belt to secure the snaps. Some may have to secure their snaps to the recessed portion of the boxes themselves depending on the 3D print model or ABS belt they are using because it may not provide a flat or wide enough surface. I drilled holes in the leather for the snaps. They’re pictured above with just one snap on each. Once the glue set and clamps were removed I was able to attach the belt. Then lining up the belt over the snap on the edge of the belt I was able to press the leather onto the snap to mark where to drill the second hole on the belt. As you can see in the photo above I could add an additional snap on the last ridge next to the center of the belt and I have enough real estate in the leather to make it work, but I think it’s not likely necessary. The two snaps seem pretty secure. I’m not going to trim the leather yet because I want to wait until the painting is finished so that I can attach the straps for the belt boxes and get a clean fit. I’ll use Velcro to allow for more flexibility for any weight gain/loss. I’ll whip up a little ABS paste to fill in the rivet hole that was designed into the print to attach the nylon webbed built for the traditional ROTJ Scout. [mention=80362]MrPoopie[/mention] - Justin I noticed in your build, and in your CRL photos that the nylon strapping for the belt boxes wasn’t run through and behind the buckles the way a traditional ROTJ does. Your strapping was sewn on each end of the buckle allowing it to be functional. My question is, was this by design? The CRL makes no mention of how the strapping should be run, and granted, it’s only noted in the L2 description for ROTJ, but a GML with discriminating eye may expect it to be done your way given that is how it is depicted in the CRL photos.

This is really coming along. Great tweaks and I’m digging the snaps to secure the bund to the chest armor. Velcro is such a staple here for builds that I for one often forget that there’s other options. Great idea and reminder! I might do the same for my JFO bund and armor. Thanks!!!

You’re off to a great start! Looking forward to seeing your build and eventually joining the ranks as a fellow Pathfinder. Be sure to post up any and all questions you may have along the way. The armorers here are top notch and will help you succeed. You’re in great hands.

Arne, your tailor did a great job on those patches. The undersuit looks great. Is the tailor going to add the thigh straps too? The CRL calls for them to be sewn in under the front and back thigh patches. You could probably do it yourself by seam ripping just enough of an opening to slip the strap in and then run it through the sewing machine. Just making sure it’s on your radar for when your ready.

I thought about that, but it won’t work in my case because RS makes their tanks with 6 bars which doesn’t have a trap. So I’d needed to remove the 6 bars and replace with 4. Adding the trap detail would be easy though. RS also uses a CA cement on their greeblies that’s next to impossible to remove without ripping chunks of the armor’s ABS along with it. Nice to know, I’ll never have to worry about anything falling off, but modifications are a bear. I’ve printed a new tank. So, rather than just swap out the tank topper, which was my original plan, I’ll just swap out the entire tank between kits. Easier than messing with the rivets, glue, and rank bars on the RS tank.

Excited to see this come together!

As NegativeEleven said, they are not ranked, but most would agree that RS Propmasters is the most accurate armor for the Scout because it is “lineage.” But it’s also one of, if not the most expensive versions you can purchase. Others, like CFO for example, come real close. Best bet is to take a look at the ultimate armor comparison thread here: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/17774-the-ultimate-armor-comparison-thread/ You’ll be able to see how various vendor offerings stack up to the Original BS Armor in side by side comparison images. Then do your research on cost, production time, and price. Budgets may require you to sacrifice accuracy a bit you’ll still get great quality for any of the vendors listed. All of the vendors listed will get you approved at Basic Level when built correctly per the CRL. If you have any questions about Pathfinders experiences with a particular armor or vendor just ask. You’ll find many willing to share to help you make an informed decision for your own purchase.