Aradun

Kevin, welcome brother! You are off to a solid start, which shows how a little advanced recon goes a long way! We’ll done! I’m excited to see your build progress once everything is in hand. For your balaclava, the Underarmor logo shouldn’t be an issue. I have the same one and the logo is covered by your Mandarin collar on the flight suit. I think you’ll be fine.

This is a little out of sequence, so my apologies for those following along. SHOULDER AND WAIST PADDING I created patterns for the battery harness, shoulder straps and waist straps. Pictured below are the top pieces for the Shoulder and Waist straps. Waist Pads Measurements: Top Piece: 9”x4” (includes 1/2” seam allowance) Bottom Piece: 8”x3” Shoulder Pad Measurements: Top Piece: 13”x4.25” (includes 1/2” seam allowance) Bottom Piece: 12”x3.25” Your measurements will vary depending on your body and armor proportions, but the measurements will at least give you a sense of proportion when creating your own patterns. Why a 1/2” seam allowance verse a 1/4” seam allowance? It made it easier for me to fold the seam over the back piece and run it through the machine. I found that the batting made working with 1/4” seams more challenging. You can see in the patterns above that I cut the corners of the shoulder pads a little differently than the waist pads. This was done after seeing how the waist pad turned out. You can see from the photos below that the top of the pads fold over the bottom material. As the bottom will never be visible, it works, even though it isn’t pretty. My original intention was to use ½” foam for the padding, but it proved to be too thick with the vinyl for me to run through the sewing machine. That was $20 ill spent. Live and learn. I used leftover batting from my cummerbund and formed two layers which ran through the machine much easier. BATTERY HARNESS Below is the pattern for the battery harness. It measures 17.5" x 8.5" (which includes 1/4" seams) and is one piece. It folds back on itself to be seamed. You can see the fold in the crease in the photo below. For the battery harness, I kept counting four rows of padding in video grabs I looked at. I know others have done five rows. I could have added about 2 more inches to the length when all was said and done. I used 1" cotton webbing for the battery straps. TIP: When stitching this, turn the vinyl inside out so that the 1/4" seams are on the inside them you turn it right side out. Then insert your batting through the open end (the side that will be sewn to your harness belt). You can then run it through the sewing machine to create the stitch patterns running down the center of the battery harness. FIT AND FINESSE During a test fit, I found the vinyl waist and shoulder pads to be sliding on the cotton webbing, requiring constant adjustments. So once I got them in place, I pinned them to the black cotton webbing, and then tack sewed a few hand stitches through the edge of the padding and the cotton webbing to lock it in place. No more shifting/sliding. When doing this to the shoulder straps, remember that there is an additional piece of cotton webbing that slides through the straps and rests on top of the main webbing for the shoulder harness. This piece should extend about 2.5” from where it emerges from the vinyl strap on both sides. I make mention of it because you’ll want to tack this piece to the webbing beneath it to keep it from sliding or coming out of the vinyl shoulder strap itself. Just from the few times I suited up to test fit the harness, I realized that the shoulder straps do not want to remain on the shoulders. They will slide off of the shoulder bridges of your armor as you move. I thought about using magnets as RickyBoyBlue did in his build. It’s a great solution, but I went another route. When I troop, a lot of people have a tendency to throw their arm around my shoulder when posing for pictures, which means their hands would be resting on the shoulder strap, which also means that there would be a higher likelihood that a sleeve, watch, finger, etc. would snag the shoulder strap and pull it off of my shoulder even with magnets used to secure it in place. So, I used 1” cotton webbing to create a strap that slides through the bottom of the shoulder strap and then wraps around the shoulder bridge of the armor and snaps into place. I put a hand stitch in the 1” strap and the cut portion of the vinyl shoulder strap it slides through to keep it secured in place. The 1" strap was sliding out too easily when taking the armor off and putting it on. End result…these shoulder straps are not going anywhere now! TIP: Make sure to allow enough material in the 1” webbing so that it is a little loose when wrapping around the shoulder bridge. If you make it exact, you’ll find it challenging to get it to snap. Of course, if you use Velcro instead of snaps the strap will be much more forgiving. Lastly, I sewed the webbing for the shoulder portion of the harness to the back of the belt for the harness, but used Velcro on the front portion of the webbing to connect it to the front of the harness belt, which allows for some adjustments. TIP: It you are one whose weight fluctuates, using Velcro will allow you to add a little length to the webbing shoulder straps to compensate accordingly. If this is not a concern, then feel free to be exact in your measurements and stitch the webbing to the belt permanently. Next up: The tubing for the harness.

Another benefit of Velcro is that it allows for slight adjustments when positioning things. You won’t get that with snaps or magnets.

I had a similar issue with my holster although my cracks were not as severe as in your photo. I had to remove the rivets for my Lancer app anyway so I used a sheet of 0.80 mm ABS, cut out a portion to place behind each cracked corner and used e6000 and a clamp to secure each corner. Once dried, I used a Dremel with sanding tool to round off the edges as needed, drilled new holes for the rivets, and resecured it to the boot with washers. You won’t notice it. I even used gray ABS instead of white, and it’s not noticeable. It’s been a year and a half and no issues.

I might actually be able to make this one! My calendar is completely open on the 9th, which has to be a mistake. Hopefully it stays that way so I can pop in and say hi.

Okay, so I removed the battery harness and reattached it towards the bottom of the belt, but left the battery straps attached to the shoulder straps. Rotating the battery straps forward created the “pull” I needed to keep the staff mount on the battery perpendicular the way it should be. I’ll get photos of the reworked harness posted to tomorrow and try to update the harness construction.

Thanks Justin. The straps on the shoulders is brilliant. I might go that route. With regard to the battery, I don’t think I was clear on my issue. It’s not that the battery is rotating in the harness. It’s snug with the straps and isn’t going anywhere. The whole thing, including the harness is sagging causing it to roll forward under the weight. It seems like it needs something pulling from the top to keep it in place.

Okay…it’s harness time! What a PITA this is! So before I lay down the how to, I need to get some advice on how to secure this rig. Here’s what I’m thinking, but @MrPoopie, @RickyBoyBlue, and @Ammonites your thoughts having trooped in your kits would be most appreciated: 1. A a piece of Velcro to the back of the buckle and the center of the bund to keep the belt of the harness in place. I notice it wants to pull up towards the armor. 2. Use RickyBoyBlue’s method of securing the straps to the shoulder armor via rare earth magnets. 3. Put a few hand stitches through the webbing and shoulder pads to keep them from shifting. 4. Do the same above for the side pads to keep them from shifting. 5. I might put a rare earth magnets on the inside of the back armor about mid tank to help secure the straps on the back armor and keep ‘em nice and tight against the tank as they come up over the shoulders. Now here’s my Achilles heel. The dang battery pack rotates forward under its own weight. I could just rotate it into the correct position, but then the padded harness it sits in would be 1.5” - 2” below the cutout for the black coils instead of flush with it. Anyone else have this issue? Here’s how I have it attached. It is stitched to the belt along the top. In addition, I stitched about 3/4” of the battery strap to the shoulder harness to pull back on the battery pack. It helped a little. There’s gotta be a way to keep this from rolling forward. Any thoughts would be welcome.

And so it begins!!! Every purchase, no matter how small, is one step closer to becoming a Scout! Keep going brother.

Very cool! I’m digging the weathering and all the little extras you added. Well done!

I have system itself which is relatively small mounted just behind the left side of my head. The mic itself is embedded into a new snout greeblie, so you do need to remove the existing greeblie and possible make a small hole to run the speaker wire. If your greeblie is mounted to the gray plate behind it or it is one piece with the backer then you’ll need to grab a sheet of ABS and create a new backer. It not difficult. The speaker hooks up into the system and then the mic too so everything is contained in the bucket. I do have pics in my ROTJ WIP. It was one of the last things I added. If I can find some pics on my phone, I’ll add them to this post.

The typical one used by a lot of TKs is the Voicebooster MR 1506. I use this for my TK and it a solid device. https://www.amazon.com/VoiceBooster-Voice-Black-MR1506-Presentations/dp/B003FQ2X56/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?keywords=Voice+Booster&qid=1647923618&sr=8-10 Scouts put the speaker in the pouch and either run a wireless mic or run the mic wire out of the pouch and behind the chest armor. For my TB I use ukswrath’s Biker Scout audio system which is completely contained in my bucket. It’s a more expensive investment. I always get people asking me about it when trooping. It’s got great sound. https://www.etsy.com/listing/741836481/biker-scout-helmet-audio-system?ref=shop_home_recs_1&frs=1&crt=1&sts=1

It's go time brother! Looking forward to you imparting your wisdom upon me.

I’ve been able to get done a great deal of work on this kit since my last post, but have been delayed in updating my WIP. So here goes everything! TANK MODIFICATIONS I managed to remove the tank topper from the RS tank, but not without damaging the tank itself, as I expected. Of course no more than six hours afterwards, that same day, I was looking though my FISD feed and saw not one, but two posts inquiring about how to separate two pieces of ABS joined by CA cement. Ughh! A day late and a dollar short, as they say. For those interested, our very own Glen Rhodes (gmrhodes13), who is a major player over at FISD, recommended placing the piece in the freezer to allow the CA glue to become brittle. Separating it once subjected to freezing temps should be much easier. Another option he suggested was to soak it in warm salty water. Sorry I missed this. Here's what I ended up with after working at it with a chisel knife. It ain’t pretty, but like I said it was expected. The spot that ripped away the ABS from the tank was the portion where the clamp was clearly applied when glued. RS uses some strong CA. No worries though as the topper will cover the damage, and I cut some spare ABS sheeting to fit the inside of the tank, which I then glued in place with E6000. The bottom of the topper and the tank top itself were sanded to removed any CA glue so that I had a nice flat surface for remounting the topper. Next, I used a fine Dremel cutting tool to cut out and remove the dial from the resin tank topper. Worked like a charm. Once removed, the topper was resprayed flat black, and glued back onto the tank using E6000. I then printed two tank toppers from MrPoopie's files and cut out the dials from the toppers. They are slightly larger than the one removed to allow for a little lip to cover the opening rather than being set into the hole of the original topper. This makes for a more seamless appearance, and eliminated any gaps from showing in case my cutout job of the original dial was less than perfect. Afterwards, I used a sanding belt on the Dremel to create a recess in the bottom of the dial so that I could insert a 30mm rare earth magnet that was 3mm thick, which was then glued in place using E6000. Each topper was then provided with the appropriate paint scheme for the ROTJ and JFO kits, and another magnet was secured inside the tank on top with the 3M adhesive strips supplied with the magnets. Once in place, I have very little worry about it getting knocked off as the magnets are rated with 18lb pull. With ROTJ Dial: With JFO Dial: You’ll notice when looking at the strapping for the tank that it now has a parachute clip, whereas before the straps were glued to the inside of the back armor with CA glue. My original plan was to merely swap out the tank, but I had to bag that idea because the 3D files I had for the tank were not the same shape as the original RS. Lastly, the original six stripe ranks bars were removed, and the four ¼” ranks bars were applied along with the trap decal in the center of the tank. This combo makes the tanks acceptable for both the ROTJ and JFO builds. ADDITIONAL FLIGHT SUIT MODS I added additional Velcro to secure the bund, biceps, and shoulder bells to the suit. Still need to add Velcro to secure the cod to the suit. Won’t bore you with photos, as it’s just Velcro, and placement will vary between builds anyway. Edit: I realized after suiting up that I also needed to add Velcro to the flight suit for my knee armor, boot strap in the holstered boot, and forearms. BELT So, for the belt, as noted previously above, I used remnants of the 2” leather belt from Tandy’s Leather, which I purchased for my wife’s TIE Reserve, and used two snaps for each piece of leather to firmly secure to the belt. Then white webbing was used along with the 1.5” parachute buckles to connect the drop boxes to the belt. While not specified in the CRL the buckles were sown into the webbing, unlike the ROTJ Scout where the strapping merely passes through and behind the buckles giving the appearance of being functional. For the JFO Scout, the screen captures show the buckles to be functional so they were stitched into place and are in fact functional. Velcro was applied to the black leather and stitched into place using a sewing machine. The leather used was about 1/8” thick, but my machine managed to handle the stitching pretty easy. However, one must go slow and steady. I did break two needles, but I was my fault because I went a bit too fast on both occasions. I could have glued the Velcro, but I didn’t think it would hold up to being torn apart when taking off the belt. Now if I had access to RS’ CA glue…maybe a different story. TIP: Don’t forget to sew the strapping behind the Velcro when sewing it to the belt. I forgot, and then had to seam rip some of the stitching on the Velcro to slide the webbing behind it and restitch it. Lastly, I whipped up some ABS paste for a repair on my ROTJ belt that had some stress cracks, and used some leftover paste to reinforce the joint on the JFO belt where it the pieces were glued together (The belt was printed in three sections). Just an added layer of protection against any stress. The last thing to do now is the harness, which I plan to bang out this week. 1/2” foam is coming today, patterns for the padded portion are in hand, and I have access to the sewing machine now that my daughter is home between semesters. Hopefully, I’ll have the build complete by this weekend. Fingers crossed!

In addition to the two noted by our DL, there’s also Crowprops: https://crowprops.bigcartel.com/product/biker-shadow-scout-boots-accurate-soles A Pathfinder recently did an excellent comparison of the boots offered by Imperial Boots and Crowprops: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/22988-imperial-boots-and-crowprops-biker-boots-a-detailed-look/#comment-215677 All of the vendors noted above do quality work and will get you approved at basic level. However, if your ultimate goal is to go for Level 2 (Lancer) then check with an armorer before purchasing to see if there are any modifications needed for the boot you intend to buy in order for it to clear level 2.

@RickyBoyBlue did you remove or change the folder for your photos on imgur? The links above appear to not be working. EDIT: Scrap that Ricky. Just realized we have an over zealous IT guy at work and access to the images is being blocked on my end. You're good!

Thanks! I actually banged it out this evening. I’ll get photos posted in the next day or so. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Corey! That’s way easier than I was making it. One more question. I’m trying to get the new painted parts to better match the color of the RS ABS/Paint. I picked up ACE Ivory spray paint, which is actually Valspar. The stuff is garbage, but the good news is that it’s garbage. It takes multiple, and I mean multiple coats to get anything decent, but given that I’m trying to blend the color, the light misting of this paint is giving me the desired effect by allowing the undercoating of Rustoleum Blossom White to still show so it’s actually knocking back the brightness of the Blossom White. Here are side by sides in shade and sun for comparison. Blossom White is the left. Blossom White with ACE Ivory (three light passes) in the middle, and the original RS on the right? Thoughts, feedback? In Shade: In partial Sun: You can see the original weathering showing through the ACE. I think if I use an airbrush for weathering and a couple of coats of clear gloss to give it a smoother and shinier finish, we might have a winner, but I definitely what some expert eyes weighing in on this before I proceed any further. Edit: one more with indoor lighting

Thanks Peter [emoji6]! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@Chopper Corey, do you have any measurements for the trap decal used on for the four bar rank version of the tank? I need to convert my 6 stripe rank bars to the four stripe version in order to make my tank compatible for both the ROTJ and JFO versions and need to add this element. It looks to be about 1/4" wide, with the trap being 1 1/4" in length along the bottom and about 3/4" in length at the top. Does that sound about right? Also, just confirming that the rank bars themselves are 1/4" wide for the four bar version with 1/4" space between them.

Awesome news Pat! Congrats Pathfinder! Welcome to the ranks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good suggestions Corey. Thanks!

@Chopper @Retrofire do either of you have any thoughts on how I might be able to remove the tank topper from my RS tank? They use a faux rivet and merely glue it with some type of CA glue. Oh, how I wish it was e6000! I won’t be able to used Justin’s tank for this build. I printed it, but it just doesn’t work with the RS back armor, so mixing and matching isn’t an option. This leaves me with my original plan, which was to simply have two interchangeable toppers. I’m even thinking of just removing the large “dial” from the RS kit and creating two separate dials with appropriate paint schemes that would attach via magnets to the topper. Either way I need to remove the original topper, but past experience with the TD end caps and rotating the large greeblie on the TD has demonstrated that whatever CA glue RS uses is very unforgiving when trying to separate it from the ABS. I thought, as both of you are modelers, you might have experience with having to undo CA glue. The other thing I want to run by you is paint to match the RS. Blossom White Rustoleum paint is definitely better than regular white for the RS kit, but IMO it’s still too white. Looking at the comparison below, I’m think of testing Antique White. I can always spot RS armor in photos because of the armor’s color difference from other manufacturers. It has a much more creamy color than white. Thoughts? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Glove: My goal here was to NOT have to buy a separate pair for this build but to be able to swap out the JFO parts between the ROTJ costume. To that end I embedded magnets in the two glove greeblies. I used a 1 1/8” magnet for the large greeblie and a 1/2” magnet for the smaller greeblie. TIP: if you decide to go this route be careful of the magnet size and placement of the magnet on the large greeblie. If it’s too large or placed directly in the center, embedding it will have it set into the inner channel for the red tube. I have my 1 1/8” magnet off set to avoid interfering with the tube. Turning my Wampawear glove inside out to expose the inner lining, I marked where the magnets for the glove would mount to the glove, and glued them in place using e6000. TIP: Make sure your magnets are oriented properly otherwise they will repel the greeblie. I marked the tops with a Sharpie. I also used magnets on the reverse side of the glove to hold the magnets securely while the e6000 dried. After the glue set, I used some scrap fabric from the coverall pockets to create a patch which was sewn over the magnet. This will keep the magnet from being ripped off by your hand as you don the glove if left exposed. It will also allow this method to remain viable if the glue gives at some point because the magnet is now secured to the glove via the pouch. TIP: When sewing the patches, you’ll have to do so by hand, and you’ll need to make sure not to push the needle through the leather. It was pretty easy to sew this to the lining without snagging the leather, but it is still a good idea to be cautious. In case you’re wondering, you really do not feel or notice the magnets or patches while wearing the glove. Then using[mention=81867]RickyBoyBlue[/mention]’s method of inserting magnets into the greeblie’s holes for the tubes, and then inserting flat head screws into the tubes, the tubes are securely locked in place once inserted into the greeblie. I used 3mm magnets. You might be able to go larger, but 5mm might be the max. I did grind the screw heads to fit inside the greeblies. Here’s the final outcome. The magnets work like a charm. Those greeblies are going anywhere! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Riot Baton is complete with electronics. The build for the electronics is posted in its own thread to make it easier to find for anyone interested in adding electronics: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/23006-jfo-riot-baton-electronics/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk