davej

I'm with you there Pablo , the American folk don't know how good they have it . Australia has it's own oil fields , and we refine our own fuel ,yet we still pay almost twice the price for our fuel .I spend about a quarter of my wage on petrol . Btw , my 1970 Falcon has a 36 gallon tank , and would cost me $263 to fill all the way to the top ... if I dared ...

I paid $1.80AU /L yesterday .With the exchange rate so good at the moment , works out at $7.32US a gallon. My pathetic 60L fuel tank cost me $108 to fill up and does just on 400km (250 miles) .I do 600-800 km a week , so $150 -$200 a week on fuel .

Got mine yesterday Thanks Scott , they are great . You deserve a pay rise Really appreciate all the work you are putting into this .

Congrats Smitty , well deserved . Top work mate !!

Well done Kevin , welcome to the Elite ranks

Congrats Thayne , nice work mate

Quantity Vs Quality ? Nah mate , your stuff is all gold !!! Well done Paul , not bad for an old bloke

Wow Smitty , way to go mate !! TK ID one day , Elite status the next ? Looking great

Indeed , but sometimes you get the chance to carry a bigger gun as well ... and size does count I've gone the velcro route . I've been lugging a BFG around lately , so my holster is getting a good work out , and holds up quite well .

Congratulations David , job well done !

Another thing I love is when at the start of the day there is a little kid who is scared to death of you , and at the end of the day is your best friend in the world . Nothing like it

I love doing guard duty , seeing how many people I can make jump when they finally work out that there is actually someone in the suit .Depends on the event as to weather we keep our buckets on . Most events we do , but there are times when they come off . Our squad has done a number of charity walks (8km and 15km ) and the buckets come off every now and then for these . The full day events are also a bit less strict , unless there is somewhere to go that is out of the public eye .

No worries , mate . Just wait until you strap on the white plastic . It's awesome !!

They are one and the same . Thats why it's called a folding stock . It folds away when not in use . Folded Unfolded . Try your local hobby shop . You can buy A4 sheets of white styrene for about the same price as fabric . I'm one of those guys , and I can tell you now , I have white elastic holding up my drop boxes .

Kent , the folding stock doesn't actually have to fold out , just be there under the barrel . There are numerous ways you can do it .There are folk on this forum that make folding stocks . There are resin kits you can buy , or you could make it yourself . To close the side gap , I think you would be better off getting a couple of strips of ABS or some other white plastic to do it with . It will look more like your armour than white cloth will . I'm pretty sure that all of the Elite troopers so far have white elastic for their drop boxes . Dave .

It certainly doesn't hurt to cut your ab , but I'm not to sure how much it helps . The belt keeps it all pretty tightly together anyway . Trimming your thighs does help . I've done a 10km , and a 15km walk in my armour , and the only problem I have is the same as Paul's , armour kisses on the inside of my elbows .

Congrats Brad , well done mate

Peter , that is awesome work ! And only 2 hours ! Well done mate

Thanks Scott , everyone , you guys make me proud to be part of the best detachment in the 501st . Scott , I've got the lenses out of my bucket now , and I'm off to the shops to see if I can pick up a couple of money clips . As always , a work in progress ...

Paul , thanks heaps . It's really great to hear comments from the people who understand the need to improve on the basic model . Most of the TK's I know are happy as Larry with a basic kit , and good luck to them . I like to get it as right as possible . If I knew when I was buying what I know now , I'd have spent my dollars on a TE /TE2 / AP kit and been done with it . I've been waiting on a set of "screen accurate " bells to come from the UK since Feb , but so far ... nothing .I've been putting off my application for Elite status for so long , I couldn't wait any longer . When they finally get here , I'll be a happy lad

Bernard , you my be right , hope this helps . They are from Ruff Terrain . The photo doesn't do them justice , it washes them out a bit . Yeah , the holster aint bad ... some bloke by the name of Bernard whipped it up for me in his spare time Boss , I've just thieved a new set of thighs . I'll cut them less , but this set is really comfortable . And yeah , I love my E11 . It took me months to make , and cost me way too much money

Post number 2 Hmmm , I really should have dropped one on the last post . Oh well , such is life . Hopefully I've got everything right , but I await the word from my peers . David .

Hi , brothers and sisters . I've been working on this for some time , and finally got my act together . Please have a look and tell me what you think . I'm a bit bent in some pics , I tore my right quad a couple of days before , and was having trouble standing straight . I hope you can see my butt crack in that shot if not , I'll get a better shot . Oops , I've tried to post too many pictures .... double post it is

Hehe , Paul , thanks for adding those extra age brackets in . I don't feel so old now Like quite a few others here , I saw Star Wars in the theatre when I was 12ish , so that makes me what , ... 43ish ? I'd like to say that I'm having a mid life crisis , but I'm the same child I've always been . The only difference is that I have more disposable income now

Nice work , Greggy ! You've been a busy lad