Commando Load Bearing Vest - WIP

[cavx]

I wasn't going to start a thread until I had more done, but I have wanted this vest for ever ever since the move came out in 1985.

So I bought my wife a new light industrial sewing machine about 2 years ago and it worked fine on normal cotton but would jam up with the industrial #40 poly threads I has bought. Quite frankly, I was about take it back to shop because it just would not do what it was bought for.

So anyway, I decided to take a look at this thing, gave it good clean out, changed the needle, threaded up the #40 and ran some tests on some Vegan Leather (microfibre) and it worked. So after some tests and tension adjustments, it seems to be working now.

I don't know what the material of John Matrix's vest is. I am guessing it is a Kevlar reinforced material which i don't think you will ever buy at a fabric store. I've been looking at this Pet Mesh at the hardware store and decided I might give this a go given I had a square meter laying around.

I just used a ribbon to trim the inside. It was only 9mm wide and there is supposed to be double stitching, so I cheated. I took two lengths and sewed them together along one edge, opened that up and placed it over the edge of the mesh, then sewed it down. It has given me a look closer to what I want.

I double rolled the arm holes to hopefully match the real vest. Mine don't seem to be sitting quite right, so maybe I didn't allow enough fabric.

Now I've seem images of the 1/6th toy that has vents at the sides. After he gets wounded by the grenade and just before he then takes the vest off, you get a good look at the back, but there does not seem to be vents on his jacket. Anyone have any info on that?

I have made up the two long webbing straps that form the repelling harness, but the one thing I am having a HUGE challenge right now is finding the 50mm (2") D Rings. None of the local fishing or camping stores seem to stock them anymore. And the one place that has D-Rings had one left and it is not the quite the same as in the picture. Surely they would have been stand D-Rings for that film and not a special custom made thing.

I accept that my vest won't be 100% screen accurate, but it would nice to get it at least close. I know the collar is wrong but in all the screen shots I've looked at, it either not on the vest or folded down. The purpose of the collar to add protection to the neck, and in my case, add some strength to the top of the vest. I will hem the bottom tomorrow.
Besides all that, I am still learning to sew, so this is quite a complex project to take on at my skill level.

 

[gothic]

Re: Commando Load Bearing Vest

cool idea, a chessey film but I do like that scene where he gears up

 

[cavx]

Re: Commando Load Bearing Vest

cool idea, a chessey film but I do like that scene where he gears up

Yes it is cheesy, but I find it quite funny as well. I don't think a movie like could be made today without causing someone, somewhere, somehow (see what I did there?) an upset in this PC (gone too far) world and why I think DEADPOOL did so well at the cinemas. It steps on toes and does not apologise for it. Only Arnold could say some of those lines and actually get away with it.

And yes, you'd have to be Arnold just carry all that stuff.

A few weeks back, I got the ultimate "Bennett spotting" experience when I got to meet Vernon Wells. Yes he is wearing my 501st shirt and would have kept is if i had let him.

He is really laid back, happy to chat about any films he been involved in (197 to date) and he confirmed a story I had heard about the film COMMANDO - that every cast and crew member got one of the vests. He then told me he gave his away.

 

[cavx]

Re: Commando Load Bearing Vest

Hemmed the bottom and added the zipper.

This Zip is #5 chunky. I would have preferred to get #10, but for some reason, all the places that used to sell upholstery stuff no longer stock it and I have had to take what I can when a I find it. Annoying actually.

Out of all the placed I have been, this is the only D Ring I could find in 50mm. Bargain at just $2.00.

Even eBay doesn't seem to have much better. The problem with eBay is I have to buy up to 100 units to get the price down.

 

[cavx]

Re: Commando Load Bearing Vest

It seems the 1/6th Hot Toys John Matrix Commando is about the best place to find clear detailed images of the vest.

So it looks like the leather (suede?) covers go right over the webbing harness. So much for this staying a budget build.

 

[cavx]

Not really happy with the progress today.

The machine just would not play at all today. Note how tight the stitches are? This is on the widest setting and it seems it was not feeding properly as it kept jamming up every few minutes today. I might have to hand sew these parts on because as they are, they look crap.

 

[gothic]

awesome that you got to meet Vernon Wells (Bennett) would have had to say the "stick around" line to him .........then run lol

 

[cavx]

awesome that you got to meet Vernon Wells (Bennett) would have had to say the "stick around" line to him .........then run lol

Wrong film That is Predator.

"Let off some steam, Bennett" is the line from Commando

I was standing at the table with another Commando fan doing the Matrix/Sally lines -

Matrix - Remember Sally when I told you I would kill you last?
Sally - That's right Matrix, you did.
Matrix - I lied.

 

[cavx]

I've unpicked the leather parts and will re-do them. I broke all my needles and my quick un-pick, so after buying more, I decided to give this a rest.

 

[gothic]

:facepalm lol yeah that was the line

 

[cavx]

:facepalm lol yeah that was the line

All good. I got part of the line quoted above wrong. It is promised, not told.

So I will run a small test today. I think in order to get a really nice looking stitch from this leather will require double layers (one over the mesh and one under).

The machine can do it because here is what the stitching looks like from the same setting on a pair of leather MAGs I am working on.

 

[cavx]

The issues I am having must be the thread, which is super annoying given the cost of the stuff.

Anyway, unpicked all the work I did the other and re-sewed it. Not perfect, but better.

 

[cavx]

Broke the sewing machine - timing is out, so won't pick up the bottom thread. It is at a service centre now. I wonder what that is going to cost me?

 

[cavx]

$160 later...

 

[Apollo]

So MANY great one liners in that Movie! :lol

Vest is looking good! :thumbsup

I was standing at the table with another Commando fan doing the Matrix/Sally lines -

Matrix - Remember Sally when I told you I would kill you last?
Sally - That's right Matrix, you did.
Matrix - I lied.

 

[cavx]

So MANY great one liners in that Movie! :lol

Vest is looking good! :thumbsup

It is going to look good once it all done.

I found the machine I really need - $1990 and it only does a straight stitch

 

[cavx]

WOW. Machine is sewing like it is new.

I decided to see what the lighter thread looked like and I am liking it better then the black.

If the D-Ring was the right size, this would look really cool.

 

[Splat762]

"Hey Sully. Remember when I said I was going to kill you last? I lied."

Looking good man, one of my fav Arnold movies.

 

[cavx]

Almost 3 years on and I am revisiting this project.

First up, if you want to sew industrial materials, you need an industrial sewing machine. The machine I bought has a servo motor (really good control and very quiet) and a walking foot. These clamp the job and "walk" along the job rather than slide like other machines.

 

[cavx]

Pet mesh is a fibre glass reinforced screen door material that is light weight and really strong. A roll of this is less than 20 bucks and was enough to make the jacket.

I bought all these products years ago when I was building my wife's TK stormtrooper. It works out way cheaper buying this stuff in 100m rolls than by the meter at a store like spotlight.

I'll redo the zipper when my eBay order arrives with the #10 chunky. This is only a #5.
I'm waiting on the D-Rings, so I can't really do much more until those parts arrive. I'll reuse the snap hooks from the earlier version and today I made up part of the repelling harness. I can't believe the parts that hook on the hook snaps can only be orders in from the US. They are almost 100 bucks after shipping and dollar conversion. And they don't even appear to be stainless steel.

It seams the movie used 2 of these jackets, one with the collar and the other without. So I made my colour detachable using velcro.