Volksjager

Looks great, and sits nicely on you too. Great Job

Agree with bigwam, I also screwed into it from the inside of the seed trays once it was in the right location, using a screw with an aggressive thread so it bites into the plastic. Because of the larger opening on the bottom, from memory, I used a bolt there, just so I knew it was secure and not relying just on the screws.

Thomas has some good advice there. I also used the same colours as I used on my armour, which I had made into a wash (very watered-down acrylic paint mix, with a little dishwashing liquid mixed in to break the surface tension) and would dab on and off with a cloth or let it wick into corners with a brush.

Awesome, looking really good

I did much the same as Thomas, but rather than velcro, I made a loop on the end of the web strap that is attached to my pouch. Then run my shoulder bell elastic strap through the loop, then snaps onto my armour. To stop any pouch rotation or movement, I have a magnet on the inside of my chest piece and a magnet in my pouch. The 2 hold strong enough to keep the ammo pouch in place and offer a little more support for the shoulder too.

And now the march on to 100 starts - 51. Perth Oz Comic Con 2026 Day 1 - 28/03/26 First Con of the year and the first opportunity to bring out the Sandie once again. Was nice to get the gear on again for 2026

The EVA foam is a good idea! I hadn't thought about that Vincent, and it might be something to try out. Do you get much movement of the EVA foam while trooping? Here are some pics of my strapping on my pack I used wooden dowels for strengthening the joints where the PVC pipe meets the copper connectors. The screws that hold the polyester webbing are going through the pipe and into the dowel, so they are very secure.

Nice, I had a garrison buddy who bought an RS kit, and he was very happy with it, though it didn't come with the extra. Building blasters and packs isn't too difficult, though and makes for a great project.

For mine, I used Black polyester webbing, which is 50mm wide. I also installed sliding buckles to adjust the length of the straps and clips so that I could take the pack off in a hurry if need be (I put my pack on after my chest and back armour is on, but before I put my arms, pauldron and pouch on, so when taking it off, I need to deconstruct a few parts first). The straps are just wrapped and screwed to the pack frame, at the top and down on the sides, towards the bottom. Happy to take some pics if you would like to see After 50 troops, it all still works well.

Like Vincent, I also stand corrected. I hadn't noticed them either, so thanks for providing that information, so we all can learn from it Again, as Vincent has mentioned, the tube stripes are a little on the dark side, so going back over them to lighten the colour slightly and neaten them up will do wonders.

Well done and welcome aboard! Always nice to see another Sandy join the ranks.

Yes, Vincent is correct here. Because those depressions look like straight lines in the middle of the tears/traps, it throws off the look of them, as they should be flat. Best to do the work and smooth them out now rather than down the line when going for basic or L2 approval. Remember, the CRL is your go-to, but look at both the text and the pictures for reference, as that's what your GML will use when approving your suit. If your ultimate aim is also to go for Police Officer or SWAT clearance, consider those extra little upgrades now to make life easier in the future.

Parts are hit and miss, depending on where you are in the world. I built mine back in 2018, but most things are still available/able to be built yourself. For my pack, I built my frame from PVC pipe, using copper plumbing fixtures for the bends. Seed trays could be purchased in a little seed greenhouse kit from Bunnings and painted (I am in Australia). The boxes and syphon will all depend on the pack you replicate, but I used a 3d printed Syphon as it's just easier & PVC pipe for the motor tube, with details from the TK Thermal detonator. I also bought Tupperware pudding cups & a medium box from eBay (and they are screen accurate) and a Lionstar canteen, also from eBay. Finally, my radio's faceplate is a resin cast of a Sonix Victory 75 (although you could 3d print now), and I built the box around it. Here is a link to my build thread for my Pack (which is pack version 4) Have a go and see what you can find. Hope it helps!

Very nice progress so far! Love seeing people's build threads, something that doesn't get posted up as much as they used to. Everything is looking good so far and glad you overcame the tearing issue. Looking forward to the next update. The medium blue you posted above, I would be cautious using this shade for the tube stripes, as it looks a little to Grey Blue to my eye. I would go with the French Blue for the stripes, which is what I used. You want a bright, rich Blue, but stay away from navy Blue or anything too dark Just regarding posting picture pictures, they can be posted to the thread. You just need to click on the "Other Media" button at the bottom right of this reply box, then click insert image from URL, then add the address link for the image that the image posting website gives you, then click ok. I don't use Imgur, and the addresses you provided above don't work for this method. If you can, Imgur should be able to give you a link that ends in .jpg (or similar) for each picture; it should work for you then. I use Flickr and don't have too many issues (sorry for inserting a pic into your thread, just demonstrating)

Sorry, not in the states, so can't recommend stores, but I keep mine in a rolling suitcase, one with the 4 wheels on the bottom. Holds the kit nicely minus the bucket, which I keep separate in a helmet bag and the backpack, of course, which I just store on top of the suitcase in my closet.