Lozzer86

Here's another shot of the same pack in the move along scene .... And there's the hole (As seen in the footage). So having the hole in your Radar tube would be more 'SWAT' than not having the hole. I'm surprised that troopers want the tape on the shoulder bell (which is seen for about 4 seconds), but don't have the hole in their Radar tubes (which is there throughout). I'm only talking about Pack 3, obviously

See this hole ? I haven't seen a Field Pack with it, yet. But it's a hole. It's definitely there. And I'm pretty sure I know what it's for !!!!! Check out the top screw of my Karimor back pack frame.... It's how the cross bars are fixed to the uprights Now look at the photo again ..... That hole is for a Phillips head screwdriver to fix the mortar tube to the frame, using the same screw to hold the crossbar to the upright !!! *Takes a bow

It must be the alcohol in the hand sanitiser ! That makes a lot of sense I've dropped a message to someone that might be able to give me some pointers. The thing I'm finding about weathering (and this makes a lot is sense), is as you say, you can't just hit it once with a paint brush ! You need to apply, rub away, apply, rub away..... As much as I like the heavier weathering style (and I really do), it did look a bit like the boots from a Dewback herder Rubbing away at the weathering did make a massive difference. I'll get the rest of the armour weathered tonight and go through a box of toilet wipes over the next few days ! There's lots of discussion about weathering and 'does this look OK' type discussions, and I know it's really down to personal choice. That said, I want to stand comfortably between my new trooping buddy's and not look like I fell over into a pile of Banther poodoo Thanks for your advice and support everyone ! It's truly appreciated

Good advice, mate ! I'll try and find out who that is...

Thank you, buddy. There's more to come. Just need to find the time !

So last night I turned the volume down on the boots and shins I also found out that the Acrylic paint used on the weathering is no match for some moist toilet tissue ! I fully expect that I could get the armour and boots back to an unpainted state with enough sheets and elbow grease ! Good to know Here's a before and after comparison... The 'after' looks a bit more yellow only because it was taken inside last night. But the difference is quite significant. Thank you Andrex !

Thanks, Baron Yes, I'm working across the whole kit and will be adding and toning down to balance the weathering accordingly. It will be slightly heavier weathering at the legs to more accurately represent the effects of trudging through the dunes !

That is looking sweet, mate. I hope mine turns out anything like as nice Great work !

Hi Folks, Those of you that have been following my roller coaster of a Field Pack build will no doubt have seen my badly fitting armour As promised, here is a new thread dedicated to getting my armour up to code and ready for inspection. First things first.... Unlike my T21, my Bapty or my Field Pack, I bought my armour off the peg (sort of), from a reputable supplier. I would have liked to build the whole thing from a kit, as I have massive respect to all of you that do ! But I just do not have the time to allow it. To be honest, I'm very pleased with the quality and the initial weathering. But I'm an odd shape. I'm 5' 10" and 16st, so no lightweight. Even after supplying the manufacturer with my exact measurements, it's a little 'snug' for my liking. Particularly if I want to (for example).... breathe, or walk instead of wobble. 6 months it took to arrive and I'm not going to be sending it back for minor adjustments I can make myself. So I've decided to strip all the parts down to their individual panels and re-strap, re-shim and for some parts.... re-work. 6 months is a long time, but it's been in the planning for a year already. So I've learnt many techniques, seen thousands of build photos and read hundreds of submission threads. Time to make a start.... Straight out of the box and onto my ample frame.... We have a number of immediate apparent problems..... The shins do not close, the back of the thighs are pinching, the butt plate doesn't seem to fit right and you can park a small car between the Ab and Kidney plates ! Moving up..... The chest plate doesn't cover the top of the Ab plate, the belt is too high, the Pauldron is so tight it's choking me. It also sits too high, so that when the helmet is on I can't see out the eyes ! Forget about moving about. I can only describe it as putting your legs into 2 long tubes and clattering about 'Mummy' style. NB. Might make a good Halloween costume. On the upside, the arms are a good fit. I also liked the weathering But for me, 'Grubby' doesn't make a Sandy. So more weathering is necessary. Anyway, I've got my work cut out ! So, one piece at a time, I start dismantling the parts. Removing all the machine screws and prizing apart key glued areas until I have a box of components. Here's is my first attempt at the reassembly, ready for testing... Getting better ! So here is a list of mods that I have done so far, starting from the top down.... Lined the helmet to actually fit my fat head. Removed the overly long and extremely dangerous machine screws holding on the ears, cut them down, refitted them and covered the exposed ends with some hot glue. Fitted new green lens and added mesh grill. My apologies that some of these pictures are coming out rotated. It's an iPhone / upload thing. Helmet..... FIXED. I'm having my Pauldron 'opened up', to fit comfortably around my neck seal. That will sit flatter on my shoulders Reworked the chest plate, heated and bent the top tabs front and back. Added elastic on both sides between front and rear plates.... FIXED Separated all sections of the 'clam shell' mid section. Re-strapped all parts and added new, even shims both sides. Added a pair of black braces. I now have a comfortable pair of plastic pants ! Mid section.... FIXED Thigh and shin adjustment and trimming.... Cut out sufficient sections at the back to stop the pinching and enabling better leg movement. After a few attempts, I can walk around like a human. Much improved over the scooby-doo style 'Mummy' impression is was doing before I still need to close the gap at the back of the shins, as they don't fit over my boots too well. I've got some 1mm abs turning up for that. So that's it ! It's time to start some serious weathering to go from 'slightly grubby' to hardcore Sandy !!! Here's my boots, shins and pouches after playing with the paints for a few minutes.... More weathering on the pouches; There's more progress to come, so I'll pop up more pics as and when

Well, I'm going to start final assembly soon and I'm going to have to live with some parts that are not entirely accurate. I'll keep upgrading when I find better parts, but for now, I'll be putting it all together for my initial approvals. Photos to come

Cool. Thanks buddy. I'll get there

Something else has just become apparent.... The frame used to support this pack DOES NOT look like a Karrimor TOTE-EM ! My frame (which is a TOTE-EM) has a gradual bend to the sides of the frame. You can see this in the first few pictures I posted in this thread. This one deliberately kinks half way down. I doubt that the prop department deliberately bent this frame to make that shape. The TOTE-EM fits your back contour perfectly, so there wouldn't be any need to bend it. The only reason to do that would be if the gradual bend of the frame was interfering with something like a TK's Thermal Detonator (which we obviously don't have). Also, the sides on this frame are straight. You wouldn't be able to reproduce this accurately with my frame, as the uprights are curved. The frame is also unpainted. You can see the red product label. I think there was talk of a number of frames being used, a 'Boy Scout Frame' springs to mind. It seems that the harder I try to get close, the further away I become

Same Trooper, different lighting..... At this point in filming, it's clear to see that the CROSS of tape has now been added to the 'Tool Box'. Unlike the pre-filming black and white shot above.

Yeah, that's a cool build. Not sure if this is the photo you're referring to, but it throws up a whole host of different questions ! What's with all the duct tape ? That doesn't look like a sealed box to me now. Based on other discussions, I too think that the field pack from this shot is the same Pack 3 (Move Along Pack). There's tape in places I didn't see beforehand:)

Does anybody else think the 'Tool Box' looks like an upside down Drip Tray ? I might be seeing things (again), but I'm pretty sure it has a lip on it ? If it does, it's definately not a sealed box.... I'm also fairly conviced that it has slightly angled sides (like the seed trays only, less so). Almost like this plastic Drip Tray....

Thanks Brian. The different bits and bobs just had a coat of Matt Black spray once installed. Matt Black is my favourite of all the sprays. Dries quickly and is very forgiving.

By the way, if you want to twist a pair of wires perfectly and easily.... Take a long piece of wire, fold it in two and put the folded end into a power drill. Put the loose ends into a vice. Pull nice and tight and whizz away ! Not sure if you knew that, but it's a top tip and worth mentioning

Close enough ! Time to move along

Do you still have the 6 rivets fixed on the left hand side, or did you do away with them also ?

Brothers, I'm trying to squeeze into my newly issued armour and have a popular issue.... The gaps between the Ab and Kidney plate need shimming I can shim with equivalent ABS sheets, but I wanted to know if it's acceptable to use a 4" strip of white elastic strapping ? It would be good to have some flexibility, but not at the expense of PO refusal. Any thoughts ?

Thanks Sid

This is all great info ! Interestingly, the position of the 5 Pin Din mentioned above is exactly where the D Ring appears on the reference Sonix. This would then be inline with the wire wrapped around the radio and I'm pretty sure you'd see it in the reference photos if it was there. Makes me think the D Ring and / or 5 Pin Din were aftermarket modifications. All that being said, it hasn't stopped me adding both

Looking sweet ! Loving the foam interior

Oh... 1 more small thing .... MY ARMOUR ARRIVED !!!! Now, before you say anything.... No, it doesn't fit properly yet. I have many, and I mean MANY modifications to do to it before I can even wear it correctly But I had to try on what I could. The shins don't fit yet, the helmet needs to be made into a High Brow and the chest plate is too high etc... I could go on (And I will, but not in this thread). But..... MY ARMOUR ARRIVED !!!! I'm loving the weathering

We are BACK FROM HOLIDAY !!!! And it was awesome, but now i'm back it's time to crack on with the build. Now... thanks to Striders efforts of finding out more info on an actual SONIX, I can get more greeblies completed on my own Radio. Firstly, the measurements of a REAL Sonix are not the same as my cool little Crashmann Radio. But that's OK. I'm going to scale the position measurements of the Jack Plugs etc. to match my own radio dimensions, so that they sit in the same places as the original. For example, The original Radio is 240mm high. Mine is 210 mm high, so I'll adjust the positions of the first and second Jack plug and hey presto ! ..... Same places. For reference (and anyone else who has a Crashmann Radio), the Jack plug positions are (First Jack) 113.7mm from Top and (Second Jack), 26.2mm down from that. Interestingly, the position of the 5 Pin DIN socket mentioned (and you know I have to have that installed too ) is EXACTLY where the D Ring is supposed to be ! That leads me to think that there are many versions of this Radio. Not necessarily produced by the manufacturer ( 1 version with a DIN socket and 1 with a D Ring), but modified by the consumer. There's nothing to say that the radios used on the Field Packs are brand new. They could have easily been picked up at a local 2nd hand Radio Store. Therefore, I went with both the D Ring and 5 Pin DIN and kept the D Ring in the correct place (as seen) and moved the 5 pin DIN down the radio. I also took the liberty of adding a DC Jack charging socket underneath, as once the faceplate is secured with wire, I won't be able to remove it anymore for charging the battery. The DC socket runs to the charging port of the internal battery. Anyway, I think you'll agree it's looking quite nice I mentioned earlier that I found a pretty good approximation of the original antenna.... When you compare it with the reference photo's from the original Radios, it's not far off at all Mine is a 10mm Vintage Antenna with a washer to make the outer ring. I just need my D Ring to turn up and then i'll add the wire and it's ready to fix to the Field Pack