Greetings from Canada

[Michael from Canada]

Hello group. I just wanted to make my introduction. Well I came THISCLOSE to buying stormtrooper armour and joining the 501st, but decided in the end to go for the much rarer cylon suit. I trolled this site and got a lot of valuable information. For that I want to say thanks to everyone here.

I decided to go for the Kropserkel suit after writing several letters to Scott Maple with some concerns I had seen posted here regarding his collar and backpack design and construction of the undersuit. He told me the collar and backpack had been re-designed to make it more screen accurate and told me he has a new designer for a 2 piece undersuit that is of higher quality than he used to have. Also, I only live about an hours drive away from him so I will be able to visit his studio when the suit is ready and make sure everything is satisfactory before I leave. He is going to try very hard to get my suit ready before Canada's version of Comic-con that we call Fan Expo in Toronto the last weekend of August. Dean Stockwell is among the guests so it will be good to get a picture with him in full cylon glory.

I did have concerns over how well you can see with the helmet on. I noticed some have the small holes drilled above the brow and some do not. He told me you can see fine without the holes drilled, but if I want the helmet with the holes drilled he will do it when I pick up the suit. I'm not a purist so I do not really care wether the holes are drilled or not, as long as I can see where I'm going. Perhaps you folks could give me some opinions on that.

Scott also told me last week that his company is set to start doing work for a TV show soon. Here is the quote from the letter he sent me last week:

"With the offer of a national television series later this year, our offerings may come to an end, if perhaps only a hiatus. Dependent on the successes of the show, our direction may be permanently altered."

So my impression is he may not be carrying the suit for private sale anymore in the near future. I did order the suit with the sword and rifle, so hopefully by early September I will be posting pictures on this thread.

Well, that's about it for now. I'm happy to be a new member and look forward to future contributions.

Kindest regards,

Michael from Canada

[Cy]

Hi Michael, welcome aboard. I have a Krop and one suggestion for you. If you live that close, I HIGHLY recommend you go See Scott and have them measure you for your suit. My undersuit is 6 months old and I hope his new person has come on since then. I like Scott and he is a nice person to deal with, but bottom line is my undersuit didnt fit my measurements. Have them do it so you have half a chance.
Tom

[Cylon-Knight]

Michael - welcome! Post often and enjoy the site.

Keep us posted on your suit when you get it and how the build goes. Cool stuff.

[GoldCylon]

Micheal welcome on board, and glad you were able to talk with Scott, and have him address your issues with his suit, and he was able to answer in kind a good reply about correcting the suit. I am not sure I truly understand the quote from the letter, as it is left as a impression more than a comment is how I took it. A side ways answer to a question that deserves a yes or no answer. Anyway unless the eye scanner holder has been adapted with viewing holes I don't see what else could have been done to see while wearing the helmet. Yes there are a few minor tricks that can be done but this doesn't sound minor. Thanks for the Krop update, and thanks for sharing your information.

[Michael from Canada]

Gold Cylon,

Here is the quote from Scott's letter regarding seeing through the helmet:

"As we are using a narrow band array of 'ultra bright' LEDs in our helmets as opposed to incandescent bulbs that the originals used, we have benefitted from not only no generated heat, and much lower power consumption, but there is enough of a gap right at the level above the array that enables vision. The originals used only small holes that were drilled above the visor 'brow' extrusion, but we don't have to put these in by default. We could put them in to open up the options for vision, but we have found this isn't necessary. You could always have them made if you found that vision was a problem with your particular application, and I would be happy to do that while you are here."

So I am hoping someone who has this design can let me know how well you can see. Also, those of you with the holes drilled, how well do you see?

[GoldCylon]

The vision in the original design is like a blind man. Your vision is very limited to just a few feet at best. Later a few changes were made in the lower left, and right side of the helmet so you could see your feet, and a slit was made about the scanner section, and hidden with Mylar.

[Cylon-Knight]

Alas, Item #1 for classic Cylons is visibility is poor!

Ah, Michael, the visibility from a Centurion helmet is very poor compared to other costumes... nothing like a Stormtrooper would have been if you went that way. The slit above the LEDs is just that - a little slit. Cut a 1/8th inch slit in a paper and hold that up about 2 inches from your eyes. I think that would be close to how it would be in the helmet. A classic Cylon Centurion's helmet is CRAMPED. There has to be 1. your head, 2. you'll have on an under suit too, 3. the scanner electronics are designed to take up a little space as possible - but they do take up space. Other items might include the electronics that drive the scanner (but they could be outside the suit - depends on your build), and you may want a tiny fan or two in the helmet too for some air flow to allow longer periods of wearing it. Even without bulbs making heat in the helmet, your own body and breathing will make it pretty stuffy after a bit! (Gee-whiz, why do we even build these?! BECAUSE WE LOVE THEM - lol).

The "salt and pepper holes" (as they are affectionately called) were added to give more visibility. They are a fitting addition that one can explain away as "cooling vents" for the Cylon's brain circuits, etc. If a wearer relies on them a lot I notice that some Cylons tend to "look down" - as if one is looking over reading glasses. Trying to look out the brow puts the head in a downward slope that looks a bit odd to me, but it is a necessary evil to be an evil robot!

NOW - add giant, maybe 50% inflexible hockey glove hands - and it's no wonder the Colonials got away from us Cylons :frak:

[Cy]

I have the Krop helmet. The slit above the scanner isnt that bad actually. There is no peripheral at all and all you see is directly in front of you. Seems in a krop helmet that there is more of a problem of being blinded by the scanner while your looking out the slit over the scanner. So you will need to cover the LEDs to block the light. But I didnt feel the need for the salt and pepper holes.

[Cylon-Knight]

GOOD NEWS CY! Thanks for the info. The word from another Krop owner, Michael, good-to-good.

[Michael from Canada]

Thank you Cy,

Another couple of questions I wanted to toss out there while I wait for my suit to be ready;

Can you put the suit on by yourself, or do you need help?

Any room to stash your wallet in the undersuit? Pockets? Wear pants underneath?

How much trouble is it to release lubricant when you just have to go? Is there a fly in these things?

Enquiring minds want to know!

Regards,

Michael

[Cylon-Knight]

My thoughts:

Q: Can you put the suit on by yourself
A: Yes, no trouble there

Q: Stash your wallet, Pockets, Wear pants underneath
A: No wallet, no pockets, no pants... anything "else" but the person in the suit wouldn't give the correct look at all. It would be better to put your wallet into your chest armor or some other safe spot.

Q: Going to the bathroom
A: I think Krops suits are two parts (shirt and pants)... it would be easier in them. Other suits are sewn shut and you'd have to remove it to use the restroom.

[Cy]

Yep

[Cylon SF]

Q: Can you put the suit on by yourself
A: Yes, no trouble there
A II: See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqJbtkvNkYw

[Cylon-Knight]

Great video find! That is our very own nashslash who's sold his suit, but the new owner has joined BYC.net too. And nash still drops in from time-to-time. A great guy with MUCH knowledge. *HI NASH* *WAVES*

Now a 1:1 screen correct undersuit - that would probably go better with a helper for the huge zippers up the legs. A Krop under suit used to be a top and bottom. But I hear he updated a few items... not sure what "version" you may have Michael.

[Cy]

As of this last October, the undersuit was still a two piece suit. Now that the massive Doctor bills ive been getting hit with since May have slowed down, I think its time to go to shadowdale for a better suit. And I better gret on it soon if i want it for next summer.