Ooooo! I made some great progress yesterday!
I finished detailing the chest, belt, and knees !
First with the chest, I wasn't happy with the straps and hose on the front, so I tore them out
You will notice the hose on the side. That's because I replaced the foam one, with a camel back. More on that later.
Next was onto strap construction. Now that I had thicker foam, these turned out awesome! First I made patterns from the original straps here. Then started assembly.
Next was the hose. For starters, the right strap got a clip to hold the hose in the front. Then I added some mounting clip type things, just to hold the hose and make it look better. Next I wrapped the hose in medical tape, and did a lightly watered down black paint on it. From my experience, the watered down paint soaks into the tape better than standard paint.
The I let it dry and did a test fit!
Next came installing the bladder in the back, which ultimately worked the best with buckles!
Next came some scratched up bits, the burned in details on the side, and a few details here and there.
And finally the chest plate was done!
Next thing I did was sand the knees, for reseal and paint, as well as add a big gouge in one of them!
And finally, I Finnished details on the belt!
I think the next step for me is the thighs! Look forward to more building!