Hey Everyone,
Many thanks for the feedback. I actually went through each post and was taking notes on ideas and improvements. A few things that did not make my original posting:
My first flightsuit was olive-drab (to continue the WWII theme), but that made the vest practically indistinguishable from the flightsuit underneath. The two just sort of melded together. I picked up the digital camo this past weekend to add a little contrast. I have not even put the double-sleeves on it yet. I'm thinking about switching to a gray or tan flightsuit.
I was going to cover the external armor with the same color fabric of the vest, unfortunately I couldn't find matching fabric. I also tried putting the thigh armor beneath the cloth of the olive-drab flightsuit---resulting in the armor becoming virtually invisible. The shoulder bells are a recent addition. Military flak jackets are sleeveless, so I may discard these altogether.
I love the idea of a damaged vest with bits of exposed armor peeking through. This will have to be my next step.
Thanks again everyone for the ideas (the kudos are much appreciated too). Now that I have a digital camera I'll record the stages and post as progress (and problems) occur.
All the best,
Coda