Aradun

Dude, that looks great!!! Awesome! I was cringing while reading your helmet posts and seeing photos of you peeling the weld from the bucket. At least it peeled away without messing up the ABS. Hopefully it’ll be easy to redo now that you have what you need. A little set back, but you got this in the bag.

These are the clips typically used. https://smile.amazon.com/Bluemoona-Sets-54x25mm-Holster-Sheath/dp/B07MR3CQCC/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=UGTYLTGZOK69&keywords=belt+clip&qid=1640907192&sprefix=belt%2520clip%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-4

Looking good!!!

Roger! Roger! And VERY much appreciated. I hoping to tackle the harness in the next week or two. That, for me, is the most complex part of this build. BTW, I saw what you did with your belt, and how you used a dress belt with ratchet buckle. Ingenious. If memory serves me right, the belt itself ran through plastic loops built into the plastic portion of the TB belt. Again, ingenious! I might go TK and use snaps glued to the inside of my belt and then Velcro the back like a traditional TB belt. I may tap you for some suggestions on that too when the time comes.

The Cummerbund The CB for the JFO Scout is constructed the same way as the ROTJ Scout. It should ideally be between 8" - 9" wide, but does not require pouches and instead of 5 ribs has approximately 20. I made mine 8" wide and used the same construction method as in my ROTJ Scout. Here's the post from that build. Here's the finished bund. Although I just now realized that my bund has 23 ribs [emoji45]. I must have had too much eggnog when counting them off. Worst case would be having to unpick the last two ribs if my GML has issues. Depending on how far it wraps around my sides when I suit up for a test fit, I may just unpick them anyway. As for that little tab on the far right in the photo. That's a 1.5" piece of elastic that has hook on one side and loop on the other. It will get sandwiched between the Velcro of the new belt and keep the belt from sagging in the back. I used one for my ROTJ and it keeps everything locked together nice and tight during a troop.

So thanks to the latest round of quarantining coupled with a little vacation time, I've been able to crank out some of the new soft parts for this build. Neck Seal The fabrication of the neck seal was posted in a separate thread for easier reference for those looking for info and can be found here. Flight Suit I'm using a Kolossus overall for the flight suit in this build. My ROTJ Scout uses a RedKap. Owning both, I prefer the Kolossus for comfort and fit. I did a full review of both suits which can be found here. I removed the two back pockets, and the large utility pocket found on the right side of the suit. That pocket is seamed into the outer leg seam so you only have to seam rip the bottom of the pocket and the one side. The other side must be carefully cut along the edge of the leg seam. (Sorry, forgot to take a pic of this.) As there are no riding patches with this version of the scout, there is no need to seam rip the outer legs seams, which is good, because the seam used on the Kolossus suit I'm using uses a seam similar to what you'd find running up the inside seam on a part of jeans - the thick folded type of seam. This Kolossus suit is good to go for basic approval once you remove these pockets and there is no L2 for this build, BUT...it's really easy to create a tapered fit for this suit and should take less than 10 minutes. It's worth the time because even though it's not required, it will give you a much cleaner and tailored look, and you won't have baggy pants blossoming forth from your boot tops. This little additional step will make a HUGE difference in overall appearance. How much should you take in? Grab a pair of comfortable jeans or pants that have a tapered fit, lay the leg out flat on the table and measure the width at the bottom of the leg. For me, it was 8" for a total circumference of 16". The leg width on the Kolossus was about 10.5" for a total circumference of 21". That's a lot of extra real estate in fabric! Now that you have your desired measurement, simply turn the suit inside out. Make sure the legs are flat with the seams running along the edges of the leg and mark out your new desired width measuring from the inside of the leg to the outside. Then using a yard stick or other straight edge, place one end on your mark at the bottom of the pant leg and the other end on the outer seam near the bottom of the pocket opening (or about level with the crotch if you have a suit without side pockets). If you run it to the top of the pocket you'll seam your side pockets closed and if you run it up to your waist you may create a tight fit around the buttock. The bottom of the pocket opening is the sweet spot. Then mark with chalk, pin, and run it through the sewing machine. Once you have your new tapered seam finished consider adding elastic straps to the opening that will run under the arch of your feet. This will make getting your boots on much easier and keep your pant legs from riding up in your boots. There’s no need to cut the excess fabric either as you won’t likely feel the material. You can see it in the above photo. Of course this is a pic with the leg still turned inside out. Neck up...the Cummerbund.

Thanks. Good choice on the fabric. It's what I would have went with, had I not had this extra material lying around. You'll get nice seams and crisper edges with that fabric. To get that clean look with with the material I was using requires a special sewing machine that does an overlocking stitch, which I do not own. IMO, Velcro would be a bit easier, especially when getting suited up. You might not even need assistance depending on how you do it. I went with the zipper only because it was how the vendor made the neck seal I bought. Ideally, if I were constructing this from scratch (which I may do sometime in the distant future) I'd use a hidden zipper so that the zipper is not seen at all, giving it a cleaner look. I think Velcro could also provide a similar hidden look.

So I cleaned up the back by removing the Velcro. As I had about 2.5” of zipper extending below the collar, I just attached the top portion of the bib to the zipper itself, and seamed the remaining portion of the center pieces that hung below the zipper. There’s enough of an opening when unzipped coupled with the stretchy bib material to pull it over the head without issue. It lays much nicer now. If I were to do it again, I’d avoid the t-shirt/stretchy material only because I personally wasn’t fond of working with it, but YMMV. I may trim it or round off the bottom once I suit up and see how it looks.

I concur with Chopper! What an awesome development. It’s one that will bring joy to you both, and being able to troop together will be a great experience with many shared memories for you and your son! Looking forward to his becoming a Pathfinder.

Happy holidays everyone! Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2022!

Here’s a pic with the Velcro attached. I’m not too keen on how the Velcro looks at the base of the neck seal. There’s about 2.5” of zipper that extends below the seal and it is pushing the Velcro out a bit, as both are rather stiff. I’m going to remove the Velcro completely and attach the top portion of the bib directly to the zipper. I think the remainder of the bib can hang free like it does on my amice. It won’t matter for my TK b/c it will be hidden under the compression shirt and that free hanging portion should be hidden by my armor for the JFO. Probably won’t be getting to this final adjustment until early next week.

No problem! Happy this helps.

Here’s the initial test fit. I used a stretchy athletic fabric we had lying around which posed a bit of a challenge for seaming and connecting. If you stretch this fabric while running it through the sewing machine the seams can get wavy or bunch a tad after running it through the machine and it relaxes. I’m fine with that, as the seams and edges won’t be seen under my armor and will be covered by my compression shirt when using it with my TK. The important thing is that it lay flat. The bib lays much nicer now. I still have to add Velcro to the back portion of the bib to provide a proper close to the bib in the back. Correction, my minion, I mean my daughter, still needs to add Velcro to the back portion. That’s in progress now.

My pleasure brother! I have to confess, I’m cheating a bit with my remake. As I’m sitting here on my sofa getting ready to watch the latest episode of Hawkeye, my daughter, who is a fashion design major and currently quarantining in our basement, and going a bit stir crazy, has been tasked by this taskmaster with making the bib and refitting the neck seal 🤣🤣. It’s nice to have access to a pro 😉.

Okay, so I thought I’d post this in a separate thread so it’s not lost in my WIP in case it may be helpful to others looking to make their own neck seal. I purchased a neck seal from a vendor on Etsy and while I’m very pleased with the construction of the seal itself, I want to redo the bib portion because I’m not happy with how it lays. You can see from the photo below that the bib’s design prevents it from laying flat and causes it to bunch up. Nothing against the vendor. This is well constructed and in fairness the vendor offers an upgraded version with a different style bib. I elected to save $10 bucks instead and went with the basic version. Live and learn. I’ve been toying with how to construct the bib and have viewed a couple of tutorials online and in the FISD forums. All have varying methods of construction and patterns. A luck would have it, I wear a particular clerical garb for ministry known as an amice, and as I put it on last week I realized with excitement that this is constructed like a neck seal. There are different versions of this garment but the modern version pictured below is similar to what I use. The bib is a three piece construction with a single front piece and two back pieces that are seamed along the top of the shoulders to the front. The collar has a Velcro tabbed closure. Here’s a few pics of mine so you can see how it is laid out and how the seams run. Here’s the front view: Here’s the view from the back: My amice only has a Velcro tab in the collar itself with the back portion free hanging. There’s a 1/4” overlap on each side to minimize any gapping in the center. However, some have Velcro running the entire length down the back. Those are a pain to put on without help. Here’s a top view pic with it laid out: You can see that there’s a seam running along the shoulders. The front is one solid piece and two separate pieces form the back. Here’s a pic of the shoulder seam which is 1/4”. The collar portion of the bib is actually sandwiched between two pieces of fabric that form the collar. Here are two pics of the pattern I made from the amice itself. Front piece with measurements: Overall dimensions 13”w x 12.5” l The amice I have does not have seamed edges. The edges are overlocked with a special stitch to prevent the edges from fraying. However, overlocking requires a special sewing machine so you may need to tweak the measurements above for seam allowance. The neck opening itself is “universal” one size fits all and measures 17.5” which is plenty of real estate for padded neck seals, but you may want to try a mock up to ensure proper fit before sewing everything together. This is a really great, simple design for constructing a bib. I’m reconstructing my neck seal now and will post pics once finished.

I’ll grab mine later today and make a separate post with photos of the seams and with it on front and back.

That’s great news! Now the real fun begins! You’ve got a nice and clean build with your soft parts (incredible job btw), so I’m really looking forward to seeing your armor build. I like what you did with the neck seal. “IF” you do decide to redo the bib, consider modeling it after a modern clerical amice. I say modern, because the original style of this garment wrapped around the neck and tied around the back, but the modern ones are smaller and use Velcro. While wearing mine the other week, it hit me that they and are like mini neck seals without the ribbing: There is seam that runs across the top of the shoulders, and the back is split down the center. Some just use Velcro around the neck seal portion, others have Velcro running the entire length down the back. This style lays very nice and flat across the front and back. You can adapt the width to your liking and even taper it towards the bottom if you want. It’s a very easy way to do the bib. I bought a bib from an Etsy vendor after failing at making my own for a JFO build I’m working on. The seal itself is great with a hidden zipper and ergonomic fit around the neck, but I really dislike how the bib portion was done. I hope to redo it over the Christmas holidays using my amice as a template.

Looking at your photo, you MIGHT be able to remove your paint with light rubbing using a toothpick. Over at FISD they suggest using Goof-Off (a citrus based paint remover), a toothpick or two and a few cotton swabs to remove the extra paint from the tops and bottom of the teeth on a TK helmet for those aiming for level 2 cert. I’d avoid using the goof-off because I own a RS kit and I’m not sure if RS paints their helmets, so you wouldn’t want to remove any of their paint along with your repair. Most TKs are bare ABS so there’s nothing to worry about. If you want to try it, dull the point on the toothpick and try using it with some rubbing alcohol. I think most of that rough paint should come off and then you should have a smoother surface to work with if you want to give it another try using Corey’s suggestion to smooth it out and blend it in. Just go slow. If all else fails, weathering is the easiest way to go and it wouldn’t take much effort or time. Just a rattle can and light application:

I was most impressed with Johan’s constant tweaking to get this just right. Glad to see it cross the finish line. Excellent job everyone, and congrats!

Hey Ron, that first link that Bikerscout007 noted is the “industry standard” for Lancer that just about every Lancer, including myself, used as a primary reference for their builds. It’s a great WIP. When building my kit, I also searched for builds that had the most views, the logic being that they were likely to contain a lot of details or info. Various tutorials and sticky threads are also an invaluable resource when planning your build. Then there are the Lancer apps themselves. Give them a read to see what details you need to pay attention to during your build. That being said, the second post Bikerscout007 noted is of equal importance. It’s really easy to get hung up on the details to the point you drive yourself nuts and are redoing things again and again. Then, what should be a joy and lots of fun can quickly become a source of frustration. My advice, build your kit with an eye towards Lancer, but get your kit basic approved so you can get out there and troop and live the dream. Once you’re out and about you’ll inevitably find that you need to make adjustments to fit and comfort, and during that “fine tuning” process, you can tweak and finalize things for your Lancer app. You’ll also find that we really like questions here, so ask away. The armorers are quick to respond, as you’ve already seen, and they know their stuff better than anyone in the Legion. You’re in excellent hands!

So this came in today. I completely forgot about it. Some special effect lighting for the riot baton. It looks a bit purple in the pic but it’s a true blue led. If anyone can recommend some cheap sound boards for light saber effects, I’m all ears. Neck seal came in today too. Fits well but I don’t care for how the bib portion was done so I’m planning to redo the bib.

The coveted blasters are the rubberized ones, but they've kinda of gone the way of the dinosaur due to 3D printing being so readily available, cheaper, and with the 3D printing hobby growing, you can just buy good files and print and finish it yourself. Hellhounds Props is the only one I know of that makes rubber ones, but like Chopper said, he isn't taking new orders until his current backlog is complete. He had some life issues that set him behind, but he is working with the help of others to clear the backlog. If you can wait it out, and are in no rush then just hang tight. There was someone here on the forum who was making resin blasters recently, but I'll be darned if I can find the post. @Chopper do you recall? You can also post on the 501st Legion forums that you are interested in buying a rubber DLT19. You'll see a Praetorian or Hyperfirm come up from time to time, but they go quick! If you post you're interested in buying one, and then bump the post maybe monthly, you might get someone who is either retiring or looking to sell off costumes or accessories that they no longer use and they'll reach out. I think one guy did that this year, and after months of waiting finally got a bite. I'd be cautious in ordering 3D prints from merchants on Etsy or Ebay without vetting them first. Makes sure that you ask for feedback from the Pathfinder Community or FISD (whitearmor.net) if you find something. FISD's Heavy Weapons Troopers usually carry the DLT19 and would be able to provide some guidance. There's a guy I know who bought a DLT off of Etsy, not sure the vendor, but you can see the quality difference right away. The stock is thinner, the barrel a smaller circumference, etc. Keep in mind also that if you get a fully finished blaster that it will run you around $300 or more, which is also the price of a really good 3D printer. My advice, which I followed myself, is to invest in a 3D printer and print your own. There's not a huge learning curve and printing one will probably take one roll of filament (about $20-$25). If you want to make post processing quick and easy, buy some XTC-3D, ($20 - $40 depending on the size bottle you get). It will cut down on your sanding and provide a nice smooth surface to paint. There's really good files for free online, so with paint, your looking at around $60 - $80 give or take. I bought mine in January of this year and it has literally paid for itself saving me hundreds of dollars buying finished props from vendors. As to durability with 3D prints, it varies. ABS and PETG are the most durable, but ABS needs special ventilation if printing indoors (nasty stuff), and PETG needs a lot of fine tuning to get it dialed in for perfect prints, but once dialed in you're always good to go. PLA+ is the easiest, but it's also susceptible to warping if left in the heat (like the trunk of your car during summer) for several hours. Keep in mind that if damage does occur, it's can be pretty easy to repair or worst case you just print out a new part and replace the damaged one with your nice and shiny 3D printer. Most props on Etsy and Ebay that are 3D printed use PLA or PLA+.

A couple of questions to help provide you with the best info…What options/vendors have you looked at? Are you looking to buy a completely finished and ready to troop right out of the box prop, or a kit that you put together yourself? Is 3D printing an option for you?

Post some side profile pics with it on so that the armorers can see what it looks like. Sometimes the helmet is sitting too high and just needs to be dropped down (e.g., removing padding or moving the head band) and the chin strap magically disappears. Keep in mind also that the chin strap is optional even for lancer, so if you don’t like the look you can go without it.

John that's awesome news. Glad all those tips paid off for you. Don't get too hung up on matching exact shades of white. You'll never get it exact and it sound like you've dropped a lot of cash on paint already. As Chopper said above, most will never notice the shade difference when you're all suited up. You will, but not the fans. They're just to giddy to get their pic taken with you. My RS bucket does not match my RS Armor. That's how RS makes them. The former is a flat white and the latter is semi-gloss, which is not just a shade difference, but also a finish difference, and no one (fans or fellow troopers) has ever mentioned anything to me except how awesome the armor looks. Don't stress yourself. Close will be good enough.