I just have a few questions and I just want to get the general opinion of the variety.
I have seen the different shades of khaki for possible flightsuits plus the gray ones. Which do you guys prefer? The yellow khaki, the tanner khaki, or the gray khaki?
Does anyone know how reliable or the quality of this captainamericas flight suits on ebay?
Whats up with the hose connector coming out of the leg of the suit? Where does the other end go and what do I do with it?
I love the movies and I want to get more into this stuff but I am so confused. I want to get my first honest to god gb uniform for pke surge but Im afraid of online shopping to be honest cause I dont particularly know what Ill end up with. I have had some bad experiences so if some one would be kind enough to help me out here it would be great.
The hose should go from your leg to the back of your belt in the small of your back. Don’t forget the belt gizmo (mother and daughterboard), elbow pads, belt, and belt hooks.
The only reliability with captainamerica is to not buy from him. View his feedback thread for the full story.
Commonly the hose is tucked through the back of the belt, however some members (myself included) have used a set of keyring attachments to attach it and hold it in place on the pistol belt.
As for the color of your suit, the choice is entirely up to you. I’d stay away from the yellower khaki, as it generally looks pretty bad (you should only have that problem if you go with a Rothco flight suit). Most folks tend to go with “desert tan” khaki or will use a bit of grey RIT dye to match the suits in GB1 (although the GB1 suits were khaki, the lighting and film stock make them appear a bit grey in some scenes).
For a GB1 suit, I’d recommend a used Nomex CWU-27/P flight suit. These can be found for about $20-40 on eBay or local surplus stores. TruSpec suits are also very good and inexpensive, especially if doing a GB2 khaki suit (however, they lack the leg pockets, which may or may not matter to you).
Remember to have fun with GB costuming and to only make it as screen-accurate as you want. That said, we look forward to seeing what you come up with. If you need any help, just use the search feature, browse the many prop/costume pages, or ask a fellow member for advice!
The best khaki color, in my opinion, is somewhere between a greyish and a tannish khaki. It should look warm and tan under natural sunlight or most incandescent lights, and greyish under fluorescent or halogen lights.
The Desert Tan Nomex suits do a pretty good job of replicating this color, though they’re a bit on the pinkish side, as do the Tru-Specs, though their fabric is a little shiny and not quite warm enough in color to my eyes.
Ultimately, your best bet is to watch the movie, settle on the color you feel looks best, and experiment with dyes to replicate that color.
Just as the Star Trek guys are torn over whether the TOS command tunics should be replicated in avocado-colored velour to match the original costumes or gold velour to match the on-screen appearance, you’ll ultimately have to go with what you feel is the best representation of the color.
Avoid buying one of CaptainAmerica’s suits. You can score a Nomex suit for far less, and it actually looks much better. Of course, since you’re in Florida, you may want to look at a Tru-Spec; they’re a LOT more breathable than Nomex, which can get pretty uncomfortable in the heat. A Tru-Spec that’s been given just a rinse in dilute purple looks very close to the proper shade of khaki to me.
A Nomex, a Tru-spec & a Rothco & the Nomex is definately the way to go for screen accuracy & comfort
Stay away from CaptainAmerica as the feedback he has recieved in the past isnt very proffessional & picking up a Nomex on Ebay is relatively easy & cheap, plus putting together your own personal suit is such a buzz so id go with buying your own, besides there are plenty of good people who can offer advice with completing the look from the patches down to the hose connector 8)
