So has anyone else attempted a scratch build from the official patterns yet?
http://www.therpf.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=493629&d=1435293477
I have been playing with these over the past few days and must say, very cool. It all goes together and actually fits. Once made up, the shape is sleeker than the V2 and about 1/2" taller at the same footprint size. The only part I changed out is the "footprint" where I have used the pink cardboard part from my (in progress) modded US8 to make a foot frame for this test pair. The actual footprint on the pattern is thinner at the same length and I guess this is why some people find NIKE shoes a bit hard to fit if they have wide feet. What I find interesting is that I can't get my foot inside the US8 V2 upper, yet this RD copy upper slips on and fits perfect. Both uppers are the same width and length, just this RD copy is slightly taller.
Assembly of these have also answered some questions that have been raised over the last few years since the V1 was released. One being , how is the cuff attached without the stitch line being visible from the outside of the shoe? It is actually a lot simpler than I first thought and I therefore have to wonder why the Chinese could not do this with the V2.
And something I found very interesting is that the inside half of the collar is the same size as the outer half. The reason it sit back slightly is because the arch makes it sit back once joined to the footprint.
Alignment is still a challenge but the trick is to start center of the heel, then centre of the toe and work around the shoe. There are several alignment points on the pattern. If you trust the pattern lines, you almost don't need a last. I have just used some 10mm EVA which glued and cut out to the same shape as the footprint and providing the trim lines are in the correct position, it works.
The toe is indeed a "slim toe" but there is enough ,material there to make a traditional boot as well. This aids in making the sock toe because there excess to slump if the shoe is assembled without support.