WIP wannabe Lancer by OnkelPaschulke

[OnkelPaschulke]

Hi guys, I thought before I continue with spaming other peoples threads with my questions I should start my own WIP. First because I almost got all necessary parts, second a WIP keeps the pressure up to go on with the build and third it's great to practise my english a bit. But because of my work I might not be able to update this thread every day but at least I want to try it regularly. I want to try not to jump that much between the different parts and maybe finish one part completely after going on to the next and than linking the parts in the first post. I know that's kind of hard expecially at the the end when the fixing and adjusting begins.

I'm kind of new to all this costuming and prop building. Last year I fullfilled a childhood dream and bought myself a RS Sandtrooper commission. Mainly because I wanted to have it fast and thought to myself that I really would be upset if I did something wrong while building it. So the armor arrived clean and I weathered it myself. After finishing the weathering I joined the ranks of the 501st september last year and became a deployed PO at the MEPD short after. But now I've got infected and wanted to go on with the next costume. In the meantime (thanks to COVID) I bought a Snowtrooper helmet, a Din Djarin helmet and a Darth Vader helmet just for display reasons. And than RS offered the helmet kits and I got one. And just after they didn't offered it anymore I decided to become a Scout... and of course I'm aiming for lancer... 😅

After reading loads of information in very interesting WIP and other tutorials I started gathering the parts and I'm about to start. Here are the parts I already have or which I want to buy or still need to be finished. I want to start with the blaster to get into the groove and after that going on to the softparts, starting with the boots and jumpsuit and than go on with the armor parts. I want to do most of the softparts on my own. My mother is helping me with the pouches because she's so much into sewing but I want to at least try it with the rest of the parts. If I'm getting to frustrated I might change my mind. We'll see... 😂

Hardware:
Helmet: RS - just recieved the package - Check
Armor: SC - after getting the conformation that it would match the RS Helmet - Check
Blaster: Printed with my own printer using the files by 3d-props.com - Check

Software:
Jumpsuit: Helly Hansen WW Sheffield Overall - Check
Gloves: Wampa Wear - Check
Boots: Part 1, 2, 3, 4 Kappa Kombo Hicking Shoes - Check
Balaclava: Got one from work - Check
Fabrics for pouches: Got some off white duck cloth and some white duck cloth but I'm going with the off white first - Check
Fabrics for cummerbound/cod/vest: Still looking for some good fabric - Check
Vinyl: Got some vinyl for the boots but it's to thin and already got feedback from the review team that the graining is to heavy - Check
Suede: Finding some matching suede in germany was kind of hard but I found a shop not ordered yet - Check
Pouches: Mom 😂 - finished, not in my hands yet
Cummerbund / Cod / Vest: Self made - not even started... 
Velcro / Strapping for the soft and hard parts: Already got all the necessary parts according to the CRL - Check

Ok, I guess that's it with the parts. The grip of the blaster will be ready at the weekend and than I'm good to go with the first part. That's it for now. I'm excited! 😁

Cheers!

[Aradun]

I'm excited for you Arne!  Looks like your off to a solid start with a good game plan for your build.  You'll quickly realize that posting everything in your own WIP will create a single repository of info, resources, and feedback, and you'll be able to go back and find things with ease.   As you've come to learn from your research thus far, the armory team here is excellent so be sure to post up any questions you have along the way in your WIP.  We're all looking forward to your joining the ranks as a scout and hopefully a lancer down the line!

[Retrofire]

Outstanding post Arne! Remember that we’re always here for you and remember to use your sources in the German garrison as well. @M.J is our resident master tailor so reach out to her if you got a sewing question. 

[M.J]

Arne ( must wear glasses 😊) Welcome and an impressive write up...I love it.

Sounds like your mum has you covered (she may even give me tips) , and Arne  you have to start somewhere if you've got that horrible bug for costuming ... you got this

If you need any help just yell, so many makers here with incredible advice. 

[OnkelPaschulke]

Thanks for all the kind words! I'll surely post a lot of questions during the build. And there's a first one right away... As I said, I want to start with the blaster. The CRL says that the "Blaster is lightly weathered" and as I was skipping through the WIP I got the feeling that the blasters where flat black most of the time. But I really like the used look and I want to weather the armor and the softparts anyway. So would it be ok if I try to replicate the used look of the EC-17 shown in the scoutopedia or would it be too much? I mean with all the chips and chunks and holes? Just asking befor tearing my finished print appart... 😄

And @M.Jit's Arne not a very common male name in Australia 😉

[M.J]

4 hours ago, OnkelPaschulke said:

Thanks for all the kind words! I'll surely post a lot of questions during the build. And there's a first one right away... As I said, I want to start with the blaster. The CRL says that the "Blaster is lightly weathered" and as I was skipping through the WIP I got the feeling that the blasters where flat black most of the time. But I really like the used look and I want to weather the armor and the softparts anyway. So would it be ok if I try to replicate the used look of the EC-17 shown in the scoutopedia or would it be too much? I mean with all the chips and chunks and holes? Just asking befor tearing my finished print appart... 😄

And @M.Jit's Arne not a very common male name in Australia 😉

Oooh sorry Arne, that will teach me not wearing my glasses 

[OnkelPaschulke]

No problem at all! ;-)

[Omaha Joe]

Hey there Arne!!  From one MEPD PO to another, welcome to the Pathfinders and best of luck with your Scout build..!!  

To echo the sentiments of the previous replies, you are definitely in the right place when it comes to anything and everything (and then some!) Scout related!!  

These forums here are a goldmine…and the advice, WIPs, and vast knowledge of Scout armor should be able to answer any questions you’ll come across in your build!!  

And no, never underestimate the powers of Mothers when it comes to helping their grown children create these amazing costumes!!  I know without the help of my Mom, my Scout would be a bundless, pouchless, codless atrocity…😂

I look forward to seeing your progress!!

[OnkelPaschulke]

Hello there, already saw your WIP here and that you used the same title as in the MEPD... Absolutely recognizable😄 

Mothers are amazing even though she is continuing to tell me to grow up... 😂

[OnkelPaschulke]

1. Making the Pew Pew - aka EC-17 - Part 1

Well, as I said the whole Scout Project came to my mind all over sudden because of the helmet and now it really started. 😂

I got the 3D Files from 3d-props.com. I've already got an E11 Bapty printed by them and than upgraded by myself. Now that I got myself a 3D printer I decided to print the blaster on my own. The files offer the option to add some electronics for light an sound effects but this is something I'm planing to do in the future because the are no triggers allowed and the muzzle needs to be closed. Maybe I'll do it just for fun. I've got myself an Ender 3 V2 for my birthday this year and I'm kind of new in the 3D printing. One important lesson I've already learned. Don't buy cheap filament! I've already had some major tantrums because of the printer but now I've figured out the main mistake.

As you can see the blaster consists of 3 major parts and the rest are some small parts and everything is assamble with glue or screws. I' ve printed the files using the standard profiles for my Ender with a 0,2mm layer heights. The grip took most of the time because in the middle of the first print the printer dediced to go on without filament because it got stuck in the bowden tube... Some cursing and ranting later the second print succeded. I finished printing all the parts on friday and after that it was time to sand down the print lines.

After some rough sanding from 120 to 800 grid sandpaper I used some sprayfiller on the parts in my little spray booth. The parts than spent some time in my "Groschen Mallorca" or "Assi Toaster" - some german expressions for a sunbed - but some ironic expressions... 😂 After drying I added some wood putty for some major gaps even though there weren't that much big gaps. After everything dryed it was time for some more sanding. The biggest gap was where the trigger was supposed to be. I took a piece of scrap plastic and roughly fitted it inside and than added some putty. I could have closed it digitaly but totaly forgot about it...

After more sanding I could assamble the scope with the body using a 30mm brass screw. The mount for the scope sits very tight inside the body. Some e6000 should fix it to body. The top mount was screws to the bottom using some brass screws. The capacitor and the trigger guard were screwd to the grip as well.

After that the grip was screwed and glued with e6000 to the body and that was it for assambling for today...

That's it for today. I sprayed the whole blaster with another round of primer and now it's hanging lazy underneath some UV lights in the booth. More to come with the next post.

[OnkelPaschulke]

1. Making the Pew Pew - aka EC-17 - Part 2

Well, some days later I'd say that this little bad boy is finished. I skipped the plan of recreating too much of the damage because I'll make another one for my display collection later on. The nozzle and the capacitor is still removable because I might ad magnets to keep the blaster inside the holster. I forgot to take pictures with the tape measure but it is 8 inches long, 4,5 inches high and about 3,2 inches wide. I used a brown base color and gave it another round of 1000 grid sandpaper. There are still some printing lines but overall I'm satisfied with the result so far. I used a satin black spray paint with structure pigments to get a nice surface which is not just simple flat black.

After the paint had dryed for two days and because I didn't had that much time I did the weathering yesterday. I mixed some water with black and brown acrylic color to give the whole thing a little wash but the results weren't that outstanding as I expected them to be. But nevertheless I imagine the the black looks a little bit more used. I did some dry brushing to the edges but as I said I decided not to exaggerate the whole process.

Tomorrow I'll seal the blaster with a varnish and that's it for this part. I think it should fit all the CRL requirements:

EC-17 Hold-out Blaster

Flat or semi-gloss black. (check) Blaster does not have any visible trigger. (check) Blaster is lightly weathered. (check)

OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable): Scope eyepiece has stepped circular grooves like the original. (check) Scope has no actual lens. (check) No decals representing cross hairs or similar. (check) That's it for today. Tomorrow I'll start with the boots and there will definately some questions regarding the carvings... 😅 Cheers

 

[Aradun]

Looks good Arne.

[OnkelPaschulke]

Thanks Dennis!

[OnkelPaschulke]

2. These Boots are made for walking - Part 1

Ok, after spending the whole day outside mowing, digging holes for wifey to put plants inside I finally found some time to think about the boots. It was kind of hard to find matching boots with a single tone sole. At least it was hard for me. I spent days looking through different pages and found nothing. Than I told my wife what I'm looking for and 15 minutes later I had these wonderful boots. She's really good in finding clothes and stuff online. I wonder why?! 😂

So I sat down tonight and tried to draw the carvings on one boot and I want to show you guys the results before cutting the sole and it's not right. I like the pattern in general but I'm little unsure what to do with the little bumps on top of it and how deep to cut inside. The edge arround the boot is about 3mm wide. I hope I can describe it properly in english. Should it cut / flatten all these bumps or should I leave them on top. And how deep should I cut into the sole. I made a drawing to show what I mean. I would prefer the red one. Cutting all the way up and into the sole 3mm deep to get nice cutouts. I hope you get what I mean.

I'm planing to make a template with my 3D printer for my skalpel for the deepth and angles of the cuts but before printing them I need to know if the pattern is ok this way. 😁

[Chopper]

Hi Arne, I think that, given the way that vinyl tends to lay when using a work underboot, those bumps on the top of the edges of the sole would be visible and should be trimmed flush -- at least for Level 2.

You should be able to carefully trim them with a sharp exacto blade. I would also consider trimming down that small ridge that runs around the sole of the boots as well.

I think your red outline from the sample is fine. And you shouldn't need to cut all that deep into the sole when you do your cuts -- I'd say no deeper than approximately 2mm is all that's needed.

[OnkelPaschulke]

Sounds reasonable. Cutting the bumps shouldn't be a problem. The rim is another thing because it's no simple rim actually. The lower part of the sole is a little bit thicker and this creates the edge but maybe I can sand it down carefully.

[Chopper]

Ah, yes I see what you mean now. There's a bit of an optical illusion with the light in the photos. I know that finding ideal boots has been a bit of a struggle where you're at, so just try to do the best you can and hopefully it won't be very obvious with only a little careful sanding.

 

[OnkelPaschulke]

2. These Boots are made for walking - Part 1.1

I started with cutting out the first sole. I didn't expect it to be such a time consuming process. Still need to clean up cutted parts with sanding paper. The rim arround the boot is really annoying because it is not the same on the different sides of the boot. On the inside the upper part is sticking out, in the bag it's pretty even and on the outside of the boot it's the lower part which is sticking out. We'll see... 😁

[Hiker Scout]

Welcome to the Scouts!

Good luck with your build. 

I found lots of success using the forums to build my soft parts. Great tutorials are available for boots and boxes. I figured the Bund out on my own by measuring a local scouts.

The Codpiece design came from Arandunff. But size differs based on height and shape.

Boots:

 This tutorial worked great for me with no issues. Followed it fairly easily. I used marine Vinyl from Joanns fabric. https://www.joann.com/marine-vinyl/4789087.html which you can probably have shipped to you. 1 yrd is more than enough. 

 

Vest: I used the tutorial here, but made the entire vest out of black duck cloth using the Tshirt pattern

 

Cumberbund/ codpiece: Got my designs from here. Size and shape may vary. I used plain cotton fabric for now, May try to find the mercerized/polished cotton at a later date. Most of my local fabric stores say they don't carry it. 

Undersuit mods:

I had a tough time getting the size/shape of my riding patches done. it took about 4 renditions with scrap fabric before i cut my sued. Sourced the suede from a local Tandy store but here is the link. https://tandyleather.com/products/pigskin-suede-split-chrome-free?_pos=3&_sid=b12b2db85&_ss=r

 

 

[OnkelPaschulke]

Edited the first post. Gathered some more softparts. Finally found some good fabric for the cod piece and the cumberbound. Didn't had that much time to work on this project because of my job. Now I've got two weeks of and I'm of to the mediterranean sea for some well earned days of and after that I'll continue the build.

[OnkelPaschulke]

Just got back from my vacations and had to work on my TD a little bit because of the upcoming troops. Now I can continue with the Scout. I'm currently working on the boots but I want to do a little timeconsuming step in between. I bought a Helly Hansen Overall. It already has a mandarin collar and only some pockets which need to be removed or closed. As I'm planning to go for Lancer status the CRL says that the overall needs to be tailored to the wearer. As you can see the overall is a little bit baggy. Especially the crotch (hope it's the correct word) needs to sit a little bit higher and all the parts need to be a little bit tighter in general. On the second picture I lifted the lower part a little bit and I think it would be much better. Is the mandarin collar high enough? I'll take the overall to a tailor because the tweaks are a little bit to complicated for my limited sewing skills... 😅

[Chopper]

The collar looks fine as long as it doesn't interfere with the helmet. Your neck just needs to be covered between the collar and the balaclava.

From what I can tell, the tailor needs to shorten the midsection a bit, which you've already self adjusted, and they should also adjust the legs and sleeves for a better fit as well.

[OnkelPaschulke]

Alright, adding a larger collar should be easy if it's to short in combination with the helmet.

[Chopper]

I think you can leave the collar alone for now.

[OnkelPaschulke]

Just ordered the armor at SC today. Very exciting! 😄 The real suede is on it's way, too. All parts are gathered some still need to arrive but just a matter of days (or weeks) and than I can go all in.