BH 32700
Hunter
I submitted my 501st costume application a couple of weeks ago, and have been tweaking stuff based on the feedback.
- Gloves:
I've added new cuffs on the gloves. The CRL states they need to be white, so a seam ripper and a sewing machine was needed. My mother had both of these things, and wanted to help. Who am I to deny her that? Oh, and the white fabric was just 23 NOK at a local yarn shop.
- Ammo belt:
I have done some weathering on the ammo belt. I can't see much weathering on the ESB belt in the references, but some was needed to make the belt look a bit more aged. I went over with a fine grit sandpaper on the edges, made some nics and scratches with my finger nails, and rumpled up the belt, twisted and bent it. The garrison membership liaison (GML) suggested using hairspray and sand/dirt. Since the references doesn't show much weathering, I was unsure of how much was needed. This is where I'm at right now:
- Armor plates:
The armor plates is my biggest worry. I am happy with the placement on the vest. Everything looks fine when I only wear the vest and plates. But there have been some issues and head scratching.
First: The nuts I have are really lousy. The threads keeps ripping, and I constantly have to replace them. I had 20-30 spare nuts when I started. Now I have 2 left. New (and hopefully better) nuts are in the mail, but shipping these days takes forever. Because I have to make due with the nuts I have for now, I left them loose fitting when I mounted the armor plates. And, of course, I forgot to thighten them I did the photos for my submission, making the plates move and look aweful.
Second: When I mount the backplate and jetpack, the collar gets pulled up and start digging into me. It is very uncomfortable, painful even, and it messes up the vertical distance between the chest plates and the collar. I have reposition the screws a bit and added some padding under the vest. If I'm correct (and if those blasted nuts can hold on!), this should keep the plate from getting pulled up too much. But I won't know for sure until I can wrangle in some help putting on the jetpack.
Third: The collar studs is not very practical. There must be a better way to do this?
- Upgrades:
Even though I'm confident that basic approval is within reach, I'm looking ahead at things to do after approval. I have finally found the Paterson parts needed for the shin tools, so that's a project I'm looking forward to doing. I have ordered metal parts for my jetpack, which will be fun to tackle. A rangefinder light kit is also on the way here. And then there's the rifle and the sidearm.
Lots left to do!
- Gloves:
I've added new cuffs on the gloves. The CRL states they need to be white, so a seam ripper and a sewing machine was needed. My mother had both of these things, and wanted to help. Who am I to deny her that? Oh, and the white fabric was just 23 NOK at a local yarn shop.
- Ammo belt:
I have done some weathering on the ammo belt. I can't see much weathering on the ESB belt in the references, but some was needed to make the belt look a bit more aged. I went over with a fine grit sandpaper on the edges, made some nics and scratches with my finger nails, and rumpled up the belt, twisted and bent it. The garrison membership liaison (GML) suggested using hairspray and sand/dirt. Since the references doesn't show much weathering, I was unsure of how much was needed. This is where I'm at right now:
- Armor plates:
The armor plates is my biggest worry. I am happy with the placement on the vest. Everything looks fine when I only wear the vest and plates. But there have been some issues and head scratching.
First: The nuts I have are really lousy. The threads keeps ripping, and I constantly have to replace them. I had 20-30 spare nuts when I started. Now I have 2 left. New (and hopefully better) nuts are in the mail, but shipping these days takes forever. Because I have to make due with the nuts I have for now, I left them loose fitting when I mounted the armor plates. And, of course, I forgot to thighten them I did the photos for my submission, making the plates move and look aweful.
Second: When I mount the backplate and jetpack, the collar gets pulled up and start digging into me. It is very uncomfortable, painful even, and it messes up the vertical distance between the chest plates and the collar. I have reposition the screws a bit and added some padding under the vest. If I'm correct (and if those blasted nuts can hold on!), this should keep the plate from getting pulled up too much. But I won't know for sure until I can wrangle in some help putting on the jetpack.
Third: The collar studs is not very practical. There must be a better way to do this?
- Upgrades:
Even though I'm confident that basic approval is within reach, I'm looking ahead at things to do after approval. I have finally found the Paterson parts needed for the shin tools, so that's a project I'm looking forward to doing. I have ordered metal parts for my jetpack, which will be fun to tackle. A rangefinder light kit is also on the way here. And then there's the rifle and the sidearm.
Lots left to do!
