Generally speaking, this impression is an outlet for my interest in real-world military aviation, with the goal of pushing the boundaries of Original Trilogy pilot style in a simple, believable way: take the iconic ANH look and swap the orange flightsuit for a tan one. It may be a minor change, but I believe it’s also an effective one; here’s how the kit breaks down layer by later (for full details see our original post)
Base pieces: the Flightsuit and Footwear:
The tan flightsuit was purchased in 2019 from Wampawear for a hypothetical New Republic Archeological Corps impression; I still need to shift the comm badge pocket down an inch or two for better screen fidelity.
Weathering is 100% honest and natural (worn during five or six years of car maintenance and repair):
Footwear is my old standbys- Finnish military jackboots purchased in 2018 from Varusteleka ($70).
Ejection webbing:
This was one component I really wanted to do in as authentic or realistic a manner as possible, so instead of just safety pinning or Velcroing the naked top end of the harness to the flak vest or flight suit (as Rebel Legion folks typically do), I came up with a simple over-the-shoulder design that would still remain unseen under the shoulders of the flak vest. Material is 1″ and 2″ silver webbing from Strapworks, dunked in black walnut dye for a little extra character.
Flak vest:
this was a $40 Amazon piece which I retooled for improved accuracy.
Belts:
-Classic OT style made from silver webbing (same material as the ejection rig) and a British roll-pin buckle from eBay, OR
-Modern-style, khaki PLCE belt with roll-pin buckle:
Gauntlets:
Base deerskin gloves found on Amazon, to which I added cuffs:
There’s actually one more piece of mostly-soft kit I want to add to make this impression really feel complete, but as it’s mostly superfluous it has to wait…plus I ran into a big headache after I got it put together (darn twill fabrics!) and have to figure out how to fix it first!
Living History in the Star Wars Galaxy 