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[Bowfanny]

Darn tootin you gotta finish you're too close now to stop short.

[Raestin Ke'Varek]

Been following things for a while now, and I'm really impressed with your kit so far vod!!  Glad you were able to get in a "test troop" to work out the kinks!!  But I think you looked great, even all shiney. 

Keep it up, you'll have those stripes in no time!!

[Shammah]

Wow, finally back on tonight. Fork, still can't believe you came at me with that fork. Looked great this weekend and can't wait for you to get those app pix in.

[aforklikeutensil]

I haven't had much time to post updates.  All I really lack is attaching my shoulder plates, a little weathering on soft parts and some touch up paint on my plates before preapp pics need to be taken.  I included a teaser of my back plate (everything else is in complete disarray atm).  Will do my best to post more with regards to the upgrades/changes that I've made since my alpha test last month.

Pic!

[Shammah]

You tease. Hey, how did the velcro come out? Really want to get with you and Justin maybe week before Christmas?

[Taakur Beroya]

That back plate looks amazing vod, love the colors and love that skull 

[aforklikeutensil]

That back plate looks amazing vod, love the colors and love that skull 

Thanks, man.  I'll have a bigger pic dump to post in the next few days.

You tease. Hey, how did the velcro come out? Really want to get with you and Justin maybe week before Christmas?

Velcro turned out great for pulling out the float on the back plate.  I wish I could get better pictures, but it's really tough getting good ones.  I will have to con my wife into taking pics for pre-app this week.

Question about weathering: Sweat stains on soft parts- yes or no?  If yes, go big or easy does it?

[Shammah]

I went as big as I could. Literally sprayed black spray paint and a bottle of fabric dye on the flight suit and vest, still wasn't as dark and grimy as I'd wanted. Think of where you'd sweat (pits, back, crotch), or have you been sweating? Think about if you sat or knelt on something dirty. What was it, and what color/shade of grime did it leave? Medics kneeling on the ground to render aid would be a big one. Shoved up against a tree or rock to take cover or ambush someone. What type of planet have you been operating on? Just think it through. Usually dirt is hard to overdo. In fact, the more there is, the more realistic it usually is.

[Havelock]

Looking really nice, vod.  Awesome job!

[aforklikeutensil]

So, clearly this video was filmed with a toaster and in poor lighting conditions to boot.  BUT, I wanted to put everything on just to make sure there weren't any glaring deficiencies.  The plate spacing is hard to discern due to the camera angle.  It has not changed from prior pics...only the paint and velcro are new.  Weathering isn't really visible either due to poor quality.  You'll have to trust me that there needs to be more.   

A few notes/explanations.  The black string on my back is there to help me get in/out of my vest, and the tension placed on it putting on my back plate caused the zipper to get pulled down a bit.  My Boba thong is clipped together with a large paper clip atm.  My chest diamond is a bit wonky.

Here are my thoughts:
- I clearly need a balaclava.  Way too much neck meat is visible. 
- I need help getting my back plate on correctly (bunching, slightly off center is most visible in shots of my back).
- My knees need to be velcro'ed.

Questions:
Is my revised girth belt acceptable?
Does the Boba thong look appropriate length?
Does the cod plate look appropriate size, and is its' placement OK?
Does my back plate appear to fit well?  (I realize it might be difficult to tell due to video quality)

I will try and get better pictures soon.  Feedback is welcome.

PS. The video seems most watchable if you watch it in Youtube on full screen.  Still pretty horrible, though.

[Bowfanny]

You may need a balaclava or a helmet seal but due to the low angle it might just be the camera. Other than that you're doing fantastic!

[Kris Jasra]

We should make everybody send us video pre-apps
From what I can see you seem to have caught everything already that I'd mention. More weathering needed, especially on the whitest parts as they're standing out a lot in the vid and balaclava are the main two visible.
As for your questions - the cod looks fine, although I'd move the bag from right in front of it. Girthbelt and backplate look fine from the video quality, unless higher res shots show something up... and the Boba thong looks fine - better question to ask is - does the cod still flap upwards at the bottom (too loose) or are your 'nads being crushed (too tight)?

[Shammah]

Yep, straps, particularly Boba thong, are a bit bright. Don't know if you want to spry dye grey then weather, or just take a shot at weathering it in. Lots of chin showing. You can have my old balaclava for now or get a nice one for $20 at a sports store. I have some thoughts on how to tighten up the look of the girth, and yes, if you have help putting on the back plate it'll look better. Let's get some pix and get you official vod!

[Bowfanny]

Yep, straps, particularly Boba thong, are a bit bright. Don't know if you want to spry dye grey then weather, or just take a shot at weathering it in. Lots of chin showing. You can have my old balaclava for now or get a nice one for $20 at a sports store. I have some thoughts on how to tighten up the look of the girth, and yes, if you have help putting on the back plate it'll look better. Let's get some pix and get you official vod!

$3 balaclava on wish.com

[aforklikeutensil]

Got a balaclava, finished Boba thong, and got my wife to take some better pictures.  Still some obvious issues.

- Needs more dirt on soft parts.
- I (still) need help getting my back plate on correctly (bunching, still slightly off center).
- My Right shoulder plate is pushed too far forward.  Again, that's a dressing issue and should be easy to address.
- Knees (still) need to be velcro'ed.
- Boba thong might have a bit too much slack.  It would be easy to add another hole on the strap so that should be an easy fix.

Any feedback is most welcome.  Please and thanks!

[Bariikas Talgal]

Looking good! I think chest plates and such are up too high, and your knee straps definitely need to match the same color as your flightsuit. They're close, so i don't know exactly how that'll go over. Personally I think the backplate is much too large for you but take that with a grain of salt as i am far from an expert on proper sizing!

be careful not to apply too much weathing to soft pats, and is more consistent with the rest of your kit, which is cleaner than others.

[Kruser]

Looks good vod.   You've got a good thing going on here.  Get those soft parts weathered.

[Kris Jasra]

Chest plates look a little close together in that set of pics, bit looser formation would help with the overlapping effect at the collar/chest.
Might want to give the underside of your shoulder plates a layer of black to blend in any excess velcro that can be seen from a lower angle.
Backplate is shaped well so not a problem there, but part of the not sitting straight issue may be it being a little on the large size. It's just on the edge of needing a trim, so up to you. But I'd take an inch off the bottom - keep the bottom of the backplate at the same height as the bottom of your ab plate.

[aforklikeutensil]

Almost feel like I'm performing some thread necromancy here, but I figured it was time to update my WIP a bit.

I did some slight trimming to my ab plate and removed the snaps/trimmed some velcro to re-position my plates with the help of our Ruus'alor (thanks, Rick).  I also did some work to conceal the zipper on my vest.  I don't have any photos of those things, unfortunately.  However, I have been working on weathering my soft parts and did take some shots of that.

I used some 80 grit sandpaper to weather cuffs and high friction areas (like the thigh pockets, elbows, knees), and got some grime on the flight suit.  I used a combination of black, brown, ochre, red and blue paints with various techniques (aibrushing, using the flight suit as a rag, dipping tools in paint and applying them to the fabric, getting my hands dirty and handling the pockets, etc).  I'm far from a pro at this, but it was definitely fun.  My vest needs a similar treatment next. 

Feedback is most welcome.  Pics!

[Raestin Ke'Varek]

That is some beautiful weathering my friend.  I love it.  8)

[Shammah]

That really is nice weathering. So are you ready for app pix?

[Havelock]

Nice and grungy, vod.  Bravo.

[aforklikeutensil]

App submitted.  And now...I wait.

Pewpewpew

[ConDar Ward]

Good luck my friend. 

[Kol Varek]

You've come a long way vod. Best of luck!