Aradun

Looks like he’s wearing an unmodified racing suit collar too.

The elastic for the chin strap is usually just glued with e6000 to the bucket but you can also use Velcro. Glue a tab of hook into the helmet and stitch the loop on the end of the strap. The RS photos above will show you the placement.

Hey Keith. This is a great WIP. You’re doing a great job! Just to share my own experience. My riding patches are done in four quarters too. I seemed the front and back patches together where they meet on the inner thighs, but did not attach that seem to the inner seem of the coveralls for that very reason you mention. It’s too thick and will break needles. I just stitched the outer edge of the patches to the coveralls and have no issues. There’s no sag or anything.

That looks good! Check your weathering on the grip and cooling fins along the barrel. The grip was Bakelite and the fins were rubber. They shouldn’t have any silver weathering on them. You’re right about the silver collar between the butt stock and receiver and the red line around the scope. You see those in the BF game versions. Adding that shouldn’t be a problem.

Please No! [emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787] I was able to pulled that off 30 years ago, but not today. Not sure my wife would want me to go back to that. She’s invested too much time and effort to get me where I’m at today [emoji1787].

Phil it’s awesome to see you in your first suit up! Kudos on achieving that milestone. It’s really coming together. I’m super excited for you!

The payoff in the end will be well worth the wait and seemingly endless sanding Alex. Hang in there, you’re making great progress and things look really good! Keep it up!

Jeremy, all I can say is “Wow!” Everything looks fantastic and what a job you did on the bucket. Very clean and pro looking build. You should be proud brother! I’m lovin’ that interior strap system you built to prevent boot droop from the weight of the holdout blaster and holster. I’ve got to admit a little boot envy there. That looks sweet. The armorers will chime in if anything catches their eyes. My only suggestion is to give the draped cloth behind the ear holes as test run on a troop once approved. You may find that they inhibit you ability to hear clearly. You may also find that they block your main source of airflow into your bucket. But like I said, wait until you test drive that bucket on a troop to see if it poses any issue. It’s an easy tweak if needed.

Everything behind the front edge of the ear hole that can be seen when peering inside. Here’s a shot of an original ROTJ bucket for reference.

Fantastic job on the helmet. [mention]Chopper [/mention] will be able to tell you if it’s good for basic. The one thing you’ll want to do is black out the inside of the helmet behind the ears. You can paint it or use black gaffers tape, but no white should be seen through the ears. Again, really impressive job there for a first time build. Looking forward to seeing your progress. Be sure to ask those questions, we’re here to help!

Nice Phil! You have been busy. I’m looking forward to seeing photos of your first fitting. You’re gonna be stoked when you see yourself in full regalia. Can’t wait!

It’s really great to see you back in the game Phil. Looking forward seeing your updates!

Given that you’re scrapping the boots and getting a new pair, you could just cut the fabric around the rivet which will free the holster from the boot. The rivets should be loose and have some play in them at that point, so if you don’t have access to a cobalt bit or if they are steel rivets (they’re steel if a magnet sticks to them), then you can use a pair of wire snips to cut the back side of the rivets and that should allow you to push them through to the front. You may need a pair of needle nose pliers to squeeze the cut end so they slip through the hole in the holster. I’ve done it this way without issue because I was lazy and didn’t have access to a cobalt bit. Takes patience though.

Welcome to the ranks Conrad! Glad to see you cross the finish line! Well done!

As a guy who never touched a sewing needle let alone a sewing machine prior to my scout kit, I can tell you from experience it’s not as intimidating as you think. If you decide to make your own we’re here to help because many of us have been where you are at.

Jeremy, every time you suit up the overall look gets tighter and tighter. Well done brother! Looking good and great job on the new cod piece. It looks sharp!

That’s great news Edwin! Congrats brother!

I glad to hear your plan is to eventually shoot for Lancer! Awesome!!! I’ll leave it to the armory team to comment on your thigh and strap placement, but as to the TD issue... Consider putting the soft part of 2” hook and loop on the inside of the belt that rests against your back. That will thicken the belt and give you a tighter fit for the clips. If your eventual goal is Lancer then another related suggestion would be to consider adding a small tab to the bottom of the back of your bund with hook on one side and loop on the other. This tab gets sandwiched between the Velcro attachment of your belt and keeps the belt from sagging under the weight of the TD while trooping. Here’s mine. You can see the tab on the bottom left side. I think I got that suggestion from Chopper awhile back in this thread: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/18894-some-tips-for-keeping-your-scout-costume-together-while-trooping/ This prevents your flight suit from showing between the bund and belt/TD because the belt sags with the weight of the TD.

Congrats Mickey. Thanks for your willingness to serve in this capacity, it’s a time consuming job for a volunteer. I’m grateful for all you do brother!

Dude, for a quick first fitting, you’re rockin it. Looks good. I’m sure the armorers will chime at some point. The only thing I can note is that you may want to loosen your cod strap just a smidge in the next go around. I don’t know if you have plans to shoot for Lancer down the line, but if you do, keep in mind that the rank bars on the tank are limited to your choice of 1, 4, or 6 for Lancer. You’re gold with 3 if you plan to stick with basic. Nice job Jeremy!

That’s interesting Manoah. I never saw anyone do that and would not have thought of it myself. [emoji1303]

Awesome Nathan! Congrats! We knew you had this in the bag. So glad you decided to stay the course.

Tacking down the dog bone with some glue will greatly improve the overall look. I’m not sure how the CP boots are constructed but can you lift the entire tube up and then glue the bottom edge to the heel so it stays at the height you want? If not, can the excess be trimmed? As for the toe, that’s the one thing that bugs me about these boots. You might be able to trim the excess material overlapping the sole with an x-acto knife. They do look good and you can’t beat the sole!

That looks fantastic Gertjan! Excellent job rendering it. I’m really looking forward to seeing it printed!

Hey Nathan, first glad to see your mom up and about. She’s been in my thoughts and prayers. Second, glad to see you didn’t let your frustration get the best of you and that you’ll soon be an official Pathfinder. Your submission photos look good and like Mickey said, looks like an easy pass. As to Joe’s reference to my strapping for the cod, I folded the end of the strap in on it itself 3x’s and stitched it. This removes the elastic’s ability to stretch. Attaching that part to the cod reducing the tension and pull from the cod itself and puts it about 1 - 1.5” below where the strap attaches. This greatly helps with the dreaded cod crunchies. Check to make sure the bottom of your cod has some form of stiffener in there though. If not, adding some will definitely help. I just used a thin sheet of craft foam. As for tightening everything up to keep it from shifting, I highly recommend checking out Chopper’s tutorial below. It’s a lifesaver for trooping and will probably address many of the shifting issues you are experiencing. http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/18894-some-tips-for-keeping-your-scout-costume-together-while-trooping/ Good luck with approval brother and looking forward to hearing good news soon! You got this!