Aradun

Woohoo! Congratulations! Well done Pathfinder!

That looks awesome and it was a cool solution! I actually dig the red. With the black. it’s very imperial looking.

Good luck!

Looks good. For your submission photos if you have someone taking the photos or if you are doing it yourself, make sure to review each photo as it’s taken so that you can make any adjustments needed along the way. Your biceps can come up about an 1”. It’s okay if the flak sleeve covers them a bit. Your forearms can rotate in towards your body a bit. Center them on the V of the gauntlet. Make sure your shoulder bells are evenly spaced. Your right one is rotated back further in this set of pics. And then adjust the tension on the cod as needed. All simple dressing issues for a cleaner submission, but I’m not seeing any issues with the build itself that would hold up approval. Great job!

You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished and how you tackled some of the challenges in your build. Well done! My observations were the same as Chopper’s. You’re in good shape with the finish line in sight.

I think you’re good. The gap between your shoulder and the bridge will likely be filled with material from your flight suit and vest and won’t be as noticeable if at all.

Here’s a couple of posts to help you regarding the posting of pic. http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/22990-sharing-photos-with-dropbox/#comment-215704 http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/23053-faq-how-do-i-post-images/ Most will use either a hosting service like Imgur or there’s the free Tapatalk app that allows you to post nice res pics straight from your phone into the post.

I’ll second the build your own method Paul. Boots, vinyl, some e6000, measuring tape and scissors and you’re pretty much set. If you wanna carve the boots soles to resemble the original Hi-Tec’s used then add a narrow chisel blade for an X-Acto. I’ve made my own and others for Garrison mates and the tutorial provided above walks you through everything you need. Of course we’re here to help if needed.

As a fellow scout with RS armor and bucket, you’ll definitely be pleased! As for a blaster, check out Blasterworks. It’s a rubber cast blaster that’s excellent for trooping and passing off to kids for photos (no worries about it dropping). I have one and it’s a nice fit in the RS holster. Snug as a bug! https://blasterworks.net

You’re dialing everything in nicely. Personally, I think your issue with the pouches hanging too low is now resolved, although I’d still follow through on Chopper and Retrofire’s recommendations above. Your chest armor sitting just under your pecs is where you want it. Looks good. If you’ve never used a heat gun on ABS before, I’d recommend using a hot bath on your shoulder straps first before going the heat gun route. If not managed properly it can melt the ABS and completely ruin the armor piece.

Looking over your earlier photo below. Your pouches should be set about 1” from the outer most rib on each side. They can definitely move up. You have about 1.5” of tab exposed beneath your chest armor. Ideally, the tabs should only be minimally visible if at all. You can definitely move them up. As mention in my previous post, if you stuff them with foam, it’ll eliminate the sag which should save you another 1/2”. Combined with the adjustments you already made to your shoulder straps, I think you’ll be good. Give these adjustments a shot, post up some new pics and we can guide you from there.

Are your pouches removable from the bund? If they are, set the bottom of the pouches even with the bottom of the bund and then readjust the Velcro at the top where the tabs attach. You’ll like have some of the tab sitting above the bund, but it’ll be covered by the chest armor and won’t be seen. A slight overlap of the pouches over the belt shouldn’t be much of an issue. The top of the belt should rest just under your naval. If your eventual goal is to shoot for Lancer, you may need to redo the pouches if they’re currently too wide, but I’d stuff them with foam first to get a more accurate measurement and then post up dimensions.

Awesome! Looking forward to seeing your build unfold. Regarding your gloves, don’t forget to remove the clips on the side [emoji6]. Hit us up with any questions.

Congratulations Micah! Welcome to the ranks!

Hey Matt! Glad to see you’re thinking about Lancer. I can sense your excitement now that you’ve finally crossed the finish line and are approved. Keep in mind that Lancer is as much about fit as it is accuracy. My advice would be to get a couple of troops under your belt to see what adjustments you need to make on your kit to improve comfort and fit. I know I made numerous adjustments to my kit once I started trooping. Then once all that is sorted and you’re happy with the fit and feel of things, then begin preparation for a Lancer app. It’ll make things a lot easier.

I’m not crazy about the design of his butt stock. There were hand carved wooden butt stocks that had that side protrusion detail, but his is much more angular and sharper than the originals. Most stocks lacked this detail and were completely smooth on the sides. I would avoid getting any painted version too as his weathering is way too heavy and it’s inaccurate. He has weathering on parts that shouldn’t be weathered because they were rubber or Bakelite. There’s better options as noted above.

Tank looks fantastic!

Hey Micah! It sounds like your experiencing information overload. Advanced research and planning is great but don’t over think it. Once you have stuff in hand and can see how things fit together I’m certain you’ll be more at ease. When the time comes, don’t be afraid to lean heavily on the armor team here. We’re always happy to help and we’ll get you across the finish line.

Woohoo!!!! Congratulations Matt! I can't begin to tell you how happy I am for you. It's be a looong journey my friend, but you've finally crossed the finish line! Proud of you bro! Now go make us proud Pathfinder!

Thank you! Looking forward to taking a look at these!

Hey Micah! Retrofire provided great feedback. To that I recommend that you touch base with Chef. I think he recently put a hold on taking new orders so that he could clear his current workload, so you may want to inquire about his current lead time for production. He’s certainly worth the wait, but it depends on what your time frame is too. As for blasters, I highly recommend https://blasterworks.net. His blasters are rubber and he uses the DarthVoorhees molds that have been a staple around here for years. He generally ships in 2 days so there’s no lead time for production. You’d be surprised how often the blaster gets banged around being mounted to your boot, but there’s no worries with a rubber blaster. As mentioned above, make sure to request FedEx shipping with Kripton Tops. Let us know if you have any further questions. We’re happy to help.

Looking forward to hearing the good news! Good luck brother!

For your pouches if they are white when you receive them you can give them a tea bath to get them to turn off white. There’s a few WIPs that have details on how. No need to shell out additional cash for an off-white set.

Not sure if you’ve seen the RS video series for the scout helmet build. Here’s part 1:

Matt, you rock brother! I know you're a bit self conscious about appearance, but as Bill noted above, this hobby is all about bringing smiles to the faces of young and old alike, and the first time a kid hugs you, or a dad gives you a high five, all that anxiety about what others may be thinking will just melt away. Trust me brother, once you get your kit sort and dial in the dressing issues with the help of a handler, you're gonna look kick arse and you'll be doing the Empire proud! I'm stoked for you bro and can't wait to see you cross this finish line. It's been a long time coming! The end is in sight!