[woobiee] 1st and New build! (Lancer probably)

[Chopper]

Great work dude and thanks for the extra info on the IB suit suede. We'll keep that in mind for future Lancer apps. 

As for your butt flap, i think that doubling it up makes it a bit thick. The CRL model has stitching around the edges of the butt flap, but I belive that's just the edges. Gino's scout only used a single layer. 

[woobiee]

Just now, Chopper said:

Great work dude and thanks for the extra info on the IB suit suede. We'll keep that in mind for future Lancer apps. 

As for your butt flap, i think that doubling it up makes it a bit thick. The CRL model has stitching around the edges of the butt flap, but I belive that's just the edges. Gino's scout only used a single layer. 

Thanks chopper. You are correct, my current butt flap is rather stiff. I'll reduce it down to one layer. The CRL photo looks like there is stitching along the bottom edge of the flap. I can't tell if it's also on the left and right edge -- it's hard to tell. And is my assessment correct that the stitching is 1/4 - 1/2 inches away from the edge?

[Chopper]

Yeah looks like the stitching is only along the bottom edge for the crl photos. 

 

[Aradun]

Superb work brother! It looks fantastic!

[woobiee]

Here is another test fit. This is with the adjusted thigh patch shaping with real suede, remade cummerbund+pouches. Keep in mind these photos still uses the old cod piece. I will be making one from scratch in the next few weeks. Would love your thoughts!

This is what I think:

Front
-The thigh straps can be shortened by 0.5" more.

Back
-I need to put on the cummerbund more straight
-The butt flap needs to be one piece instead of two pieces back to back.
-The butt flap needs to be shortened by 0.5" or so in height and about 0.25-0.5" on each side.
-Is the rear thigh patches too wide?

Anything else I am missing?

[Chopper]

I think you're in solid shape with your soft goods progress.

Yes, I agree that you could bring in the thigh straps by 0.5" to make them a little more snug. They don't need much.

The dimensions of your butt flap are pretty good, remember there's no exact measurement, as people's builds differ, but the alterations you mention are ok as further refinements.

I think the back patches are a little big by maybe an inch or two in the back. I did some approximate marking in the attached photo to try and give you an idea of what I mean.

[woobiee]

On 7/31/2021 at 1:33 PM, Chopper said:

I think you're in solid shape with your soft goods progress.

Yes, I agree that you could bring in the thigh straps by 0.5" to make them a little more snug. They don't need much.

The dimensions of your butt flap are pretty good, remember there's no exact measurement, as people's builds differ, but the alterations you mention are ok as further refinements.

I think the back patches are a little big by maybe an inch or two in the back. I did some approximate marking in the attached photo to try and give you an idea of what I mean.

You got it boss.

[woobiee]

Today I went ahead and made the cod piece. As mentioned, my Imperial Boots cod piece was made out of a twill like material and would not pass lvl 2. I think overall my version came out just okay but certainly better than Imperial Boots'! I used 3 layers of 3/16" batting with a layer of buckram as people have suggested. Prior to adding the arch detail, I was really happy with the shaping. However, I did not anticipate how the stitch detailing would alter the overall shape; it is now a little too square. In the coming week(s) I'll attempt to create another one with a rounder silhouette -- perhaps even a little bit more narrow too.

New pattern on left, IB on right

I really liked the shaping here!

Left: new version. Right: IB version

Finished with velcro in the right places

Comparison: IB. New. CRL.

Now to address the most difficult part of the build I think: the chest armor. I did a test fit and unfortunately it's big on me. I knew going in this would be the case but I really wanted to get this to work! I think two main issues are at play, 1) it's too tall, and 2) it's too wide. In the photos you can see in order to get the front chest to fit, I had to raise the front and pivot it towards the back. This lowered the rear armor significantly, relocated the shoulder bridges off centered which caused the shoulder bells to not sit correctly. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe I can mitigate this by trimming the shoulder bridges on both front and back armor.

The more concerning issue is the width. Do you think the armor is just too wide to manipulate with heat/boiling water to fit my torso?

Oh and if it's not obvious, my flak vest has not been adjusted yet! I'm also working on the thigh straps and suede patch/flap updates too!

[Chopper]

Great progress as usual.

It's pretty common to have to trim the shoulder bridges a little to make the armor fit better on the torso. You can overlap the bridges and use some tape until you get the fit right. Then give us a look, mark it, and then you can trim. 

I need to adjust the chest on my RS scout too, as it's a bit wide as well. You can dip the sides in hot water and mold them by hand, as it's a bit easier to control the heat and shape that way. You can also bring it in a bit by heating up the center seam with a hair dryer. Either way, be careful and go slow, as that's a significant stress point and you don't want to weaken it.

[woobiee]

17 minutes ago, Chopper said:

Great progress as usual.

It's pretty common to have to trim the shoulder bridges a little to make the armor fit better on the torso. You can overlap the bridges and use some tape until you get the fit right. Then give us a look, mark it, and then you can trim. 

I need to adjust the chest on my RS scout too, as it's a bit wide as well. You can dip the sides in hot water and mold them by hand, as it's a bit easier to control the heat and shape that way. You can also bring it in a bit by heating up the center seam with a hair dryer. Either way, be careful and go slow, as that's a significant stress point and you don't want to weaken it.

Thanks as always. I'll definitely start with the shoulder bridges first before addressing the width.

Since my RS armor is weathered, will the hot water damage the paint?

[Chopper]

I'm not certain what kind of paint they used for the weathering, so I can't say for sure.

If they used enamels or lacquers, then it probably won't have any effect. If they used acrylics, maybe, but then again, I've dipped acrylic painted action figures in boiling water to remove parts and the paint was unaffected.

[Aradun]

Here’s a tip as you work on your build. I thought of it last night as I was measuring the rivets. I have the belt secured to my cod with hook and loop to prevent it from shifting and sagging while trooping, and I was only three troops in when I cracked my belt in two spots when pulling it free from the cod. I suspect that all RS vac pulls would have similar weak points in the belt.
 
I fixed it by making some abs paste and reinforcing the front and back joints in the belt as pictured below. You may want to consider doing the same now if those joints look weak or thin just as an added precaution.
 

 

Hey Andy, while working on your chest armor consider adding a little abs paste to the inside of the chest armor center bottom and center top. After 9 troops my RS chest armor developed cracks in these areas, which as Corey noted are stress points. Adding a little abs paste on the inside will thicken those thin areas up and reinforce them. I repaired my cracks the same as noted in my earlier post on the belt accept I did not apply any abs paste to the front of the chest armor.

[woobiee]

10 hours ago, AradunFF said:

Hey Andy, while working on your chest armor consider adding a little abs paste to the inside of the chest armor center bottom and center top. After 9 troops my RS chest armor developed cracks in these areas, which as Corey noted are stress points. Adding a little abs paste on the inside will thicken those thin areas up and reinforce them. I repaired my cracks the same as noted in my earlier post on the belt accept I did not apply any abs paste to the front of the chest armor.

Thanks for the reminder. Do you have a recommendation of which one to get on Amazon?

And for the hot water on paint, I'll ask the armor section of the forums.

[Chopper]

Frankly, I would reach out to RS and ask if they can tell you what type of paint was used for the scout weathering.

ABS paste isn't a commercial product. You make it from armor trimmings + acetone in a glass jar. I would also hold off on any reinforcements until you get your armor fit properly.

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/42866-how-to-make-abs-paste/

[woobiee]

2 hours ago, Chopper said:

Frankly, I would reach out to RS and ask if they can tell you what type of paint was used for the scout weathering.

ABS paste isn't a commercial product. You make it from armor trimmings + acetone in a glass jar. I would also hold off on any reinforcements until you get your armor fit properly.

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/42866-how-to-make-abs-paste/

Good idea. Just sent Andrea at RS an email.

[woobiee]

Food for thought. RS got back and said they use acrylic paints and believe the hot water method will NOT end well. So you all with RS kits, DON'T use the hot water trick!

[Chopper]

Well, it's a good thing you asked them directly, hah.

[woobiee]

Flight suit is back with the tailor for suede adjustments.

Today I successfully took apart the chest armor in hopes of getting fitment right -- quite a tense proposition! Now that they are separated, I might as well ask if the tank rivet is located fine for Lancer approval. Hope I don't have to do anything to it!

[Aradun]

It depends on what your goal is. I was good for basic with the current rivet placement, but I did need to move it for Lancer. Here’s a shot of the original hole filled with greenstuff and the new rivet installed above.


There’s some reference photos in Scoutopedia.

http://www.501stpathfinders.com/scoutopedia.php

A cobalt drill bit can be used to remove the rivet, which should be aluminum. If you decide to move it, double check with an armorer first on placement of the new rivet and tips for removal of the old.

I don’t know why RS just doesn’t put it in the correct spot.

Edit: one more thing to check while working on the chest and back. My kit had 1.25” elastic webbing and I needed to swap it out for 1.5” for Lancer.

[woobiee]

1 hour ago, AradunFF said:

It depends on what your goal is. I was good for basic with the current rivet placement, but I did need to move it for Lancer. Here’s a shot of the original hole filled with greenstuff and the new rivet installed above.


There’s some reference photos in Scoutopedia.

http://www.501stpathfinders.com/scoutopedia.php

A cobalt drill bit can be used to remove the rivet, which should be aluminum. If you decide to move it, double check with an armorer first on placement of the new rivet and tips for removal of the old.

I don’t know why RS just doesn’t put it in the correct spot.

Edit: one more thing to check while working on the chest and back. My kit had 1.25” elastic webbing and I needed to swap it out for 1.5” for Lancer.

Thanks. Yeah I was going to replace the 1.25" elastic with 1.5" cotton webbing already!

[woobiee]

Here is an attempt of getting the chest armor to size to my torso. My chest is naturally funky so getting it to look right is a challenge! Before I cut this down to size, what are your thoughts? Do you think I should rotate it forward by 0.5-1"? Is it still too wide around the arm pit areas?

Just to note, I have not done any strapping updates yet!

[Chopper]

I would start by trying to rotate the armor forward by about 3/4" to 1". In the front facing photo, the chest armor looks like slightly high. We can continue to tweak it though.

[woobiee]

Back at it again with some progress.

1) Adjusted the butt flap to be one layer, and sized down to size
2) Rear thigh patches sized down
3) Completely remade the cod piece with new shaping.
4) Shortened the thigh straps.
5) Adjusted the chest a bit.

Thoughts? Please disregard my bund not being aligned and my pouches flaring out here. After looking at these photos, I think the back armor can still be slid up by a fraction of an inch. I think the neck line is where it should be? The tape is currently placed where the two halves overlap and not the final location of the shoulder covers.

[Chopper]

Hey Andy, you're build is looking really solid. The front neck line looks good. As you said, I think you can bring the back up a little bit more and then you should be good to go.

What method did you end up using to adjust the chest plate to fit better?

[woobiee]

1 minute ago, Chopper said:

Hey Andy, you're build is looking really solid. The front neck line looks good. As you said, I think you can bring the back up a little bit more and then you should be good to go.

What method did you end up using to adjust the chest plate to fit better?

Whew good to hear! 

Actually I lucked out and did not manipulate it! The CRL had the option of going with 1.5" elastic straps for the two halves and that is what I used to leverage some tension. The tension is slight but enough to bring the ends of the two halves together -- I do not believe it's enough to bend/crack the ABS but time will tell. I think you and others used velcro over glue to attach the one end of the strap to the armor and that is what I did also. The velcro gave me further adjustments to fine-tune the tension.