Some finished shots of Volpone's TARDIS garden shed...

[Volpone]

OK.  A couple more.  I really tried not to take them, because at this point my phone is full of pictures of my dog and my TARDIS and (maybe a few selfies or home renovation pics).  But we haven't had snow like this in...ever sooo....  (I do have to crop the one down to make a better desktop, but for now I'll just put it up):

[galacticprobe]

Wow! That really does look like the far left corner of my back yard, minus my large maple tree! (Are you sure you haven't materialized her around my maple at some point in the future?) I don't know what things are like where you are, but here in Virginia Beach, the temps have gone from highs of 22F on Tuesday to mid 40sF on Wednesday, and are going to be almost 70F on Thursday... with rain. All of our snow is just about gone, and by the end of Thursday it will be; even the largest plowed heap of snow can't stand up to 70F and rain. (Come to think of it, neither can my joints when the temps change that drastically. )

Those are amazing photos, Steve! I may use one for my desktop wallpaper next year, if you don't mind.

Dino.

[Volpone]

I have realized, from my USMC gear, I've got about a 90% Brigadier solution.  I just haven't tried it out yet.  Olive trousers, Woolly Pully, khaki shirt, and...not the garrison cap.   The other one.  A friend called it the "Soviet bus driver hat."  I need some red fabric for the hat and the appropriate insignia.  My pistol belt and holster aren't right and all the leather is black instead of brown.  Still, for stuff laying around the closet, it should be good enough. 

Oh, and I need a moustache. 

[galacticprobe]

...not the garrison cap. The other one. A friend called it the "Soviet bus driver hat."

You could try searching eBay for British Officer's Hat and see what turns up. (You could even try searching for the Soviet Bus Driver Hat and see what that one yields.)

Here's one - not British, but it could be made to work. (I hope you get this in time; the clock says about 11 hours 45 minutes left, auction only, no bids so far, size 7 1/8):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-FIND-MILITARY-OFFICER-HAT-/252730433558?hash=item3ad7e86016:g:3YUAAOSwnHZYf9Jc

I need some red fabric for the hat and the appropriate insignia.  My pistol belt and holster aren't right and all the leather is black instead of brown.  Still, for stuff laying around the closet, it should be good enough.

If you're not a member of the Prydon Academy, you could join (free membership, like here) and get some help with ideas there. They've got a huge Costuming section.

Oh, and I need a moustache.

The Brig had a great moustache. That one would be easy to grow if you had the time. Some Halloween stores have a few to choose from when that season rolls around, or if you've got an actual costuming place that works with theatrical establishments you could try looking around there to see if there's a 'stache you could groom into a Brigadier 'stache. (Or go 'stache-less, and wear an eye patch! )

Dino.

[Volpone]

Finally got around to digging everything out.  The lines for the USMC cover are a lot more...imposing?...than the Brig's cap.  And it is fitted such that I'd need a crewcut to get it to stay on my head.  And the trousers were fitted for someone 20 years younger than me and 25# lighter.  Still, it isn't bad for "close enough" for what was lying around. 

(If I'd been thinking, I'd have rigged up the pistol for crossdraw.  I'm lefthanded and I didn't want to monkey around converting it over for one snapshot, but since I wound up using a mirror, it would have looked right.) 

[Volpone]

I guess I could bend the frame inside the cover to get the more relaxed shape.  Especially since I'm not in anymore--and double especially because even if I was, that isn't the right frame for me anymore--I need the "scrambled eggs" on the visor--but I think I'll pass for now. 

[galacticprobe]

Whoa! Scrambled eggs? That's one heck of an achievement, especially in the Marine Corp! If I may ask, what rank? The last I remember, the Marine Corp started scrambled eggs on the cap at Lt. Col., and that's high up there.

(A bit OT, I know, but from one service member to another, I'm curious, especially since Marines and Coasties have always had a great inter-service relationship.)

And to get back on topic, that uniform looks great on you. I'm sure if you search the net for UK army insignia you can find the appropriate ones to turn that into the Brig's uniform. That's what this guy did:


This is a crop from one of the photos in my Timegate 2013 thread. (I would have linked to the thread, but it's a long one and you'd have to scroll through it a bit to find that photo.) But this guy took a Marine Corp uniform, some red felt for the collar, red cord for the aiguillette (or aguillette; I've seen it spelled both ways), and searched the net to find the correct insignia for a UK Brigadier. I think he said he just used a photo of the Brig's uniform for the ribbons above the left pocket and made them out of different colored fabric glued to cardboard to stiffen it, but that was a while ago so don't quote me completely on that one. Unfortunately I can't remember where he said he got the buttons. His mustache is a bit thick (also a false one he found at a costuming store), but one like that could be trimmed down to match the Brig's.

He didn't have a hat, so I'm afraid I can't supply any details on how that could be done.

I hope some of this was helpful.

Dino.

[Volpone]

Interesting.  I wonder if he swapped out the buttons or just painted them gold.  Field grade is major.  I was a reservist so the way it works is, if you're still on the rolls in the reserves you're still kept in order with your peers that stayed active duty.  So when they get promoted, you get promoted too.  For the most part.  I did check the boxes and got a picture taken for my file and took the expected ongoing education courses (I was mobilized out in Hawaii so it was a no brainer to do those things). 

So yeah, I figured there'd just be stickers you could put on the visor, but it turns out you need a whole new cover frame--which was...$113, if I recall.  Since I wasn't doing much and I don't think I've ever worn the green cover, except in one photo, I just got a frame for the dress blues.  Speaking of blues, when you make major, active duty troops are expected to buy the mess dress uniform, which will set you back around a grand, so I was glad it was optional for reservists.  It's a fairly slick uniform, but I'm not anywhere rich enough to be able to justify dropping that kind of money on something I might have worn once. 

[galacticprobe]

Interesting.  I wonder if he swapped out the buttons or just painted them gold.

I honestly can't remember. If I'm able to make to this May's "Who-Lanta" convention (to see Colin Baker again, and meet Louise Jameson for the first time), if this guy is there again dressed out as The Brig, I'll ask him about the buttons... and write things down so I don't forget. It's still too far away to tell, but I'm still hoping.

Field grade is major.  I was a reservist so the way it works is, if you're still on the rolls in the reserves you're still kept in order with your peers that stayed active duty.  So when they get promoted, you get promoted too.  For the most part.

Ah, major: that's an O-4. Coasties and the Navy don't scrambled eggs on their visors until they make O-5 (Commander for us nautical types, Lt. Col for everyone else).

I did check the boxes and got a picture taken for my file and took the expected ongoing education courses (I was mobilized out in Hawaii so it was a no brainer to do those things).

It's always good to keep up with things, just in case. And at least you had a nice location in "The Pineapple Fleet"!

So yeah, I figured there'd just be stickers you could put on the visor, but it turns out you need a whole new cover frame--which was...$113, if I recall.

Well, there are places that sell them, but the problem is that when your visor gets the scrambled eggs, it also goes from being shiny leather to felt-covered and then the scrambled eggs go on top of that. So you do need a whole new hat frame. As for the price... woof! Does the Marine Corp have the same scrambled egg pattern as the Navy? If so you might find a frame cheaper in one of the Navy Exchanges, or one of their on-line uniform shops. (I always thought the Marines did: Marines, Navy, Coasties, all using the same scrambled egg pattern.)

Since I wasn't doing much and I don't think I've ever worn the green cover, except in one photo, I just got a frame for the dress blues.

Is the hat cover removable from the frame like the Navy hat's is? (Just curious because Coasties only have white covers, but the Navy has white and khaki.)

Speaking of blues, when you make major, active duty troops are expected to buy the mess dress uniform, which will set you back around a grand, so I was glad it was optional for reservists.  It's a fairly slick uniform, but I'm not anywhere rich enough to be able to justify dropping that kind of money on something I might have worn once.

Yeah, once you make E-9 in the enlisted world (where I retired) they expected you to get your "Dinner Dress Uniform". I kept putting it off because there was nothing on the horizon that would have called for it. I stashed some $$$ aside just in case, which was good because when I had to retire that gave us about a three-month cushion... then the home equity started building up while we waited forever for the understaffed V. A. to get my claim done. (They've at least started paying me, but I really need the retroactive stuff I've got coming - which will now take who knows how long thanks to the federal employee hiring freeze that's just been put in place.)

But on the matter of The Brig's uniform, I'll definitely find out about those buttons if I make it to Who-Lanta. (If I can't make it, I know a few friends that already have their tickets for it. I can send them that cropped photo and ask them to find out for me if they see the guy.)

Dino.

[Volpone]

Yup. The cover is in 2 parts:  There's a visor/sweatband, kind of the way that stereotypical poker visor is set up, with a front (the shape of which you can just about see on my photo) that is attached to a hoop.  Then the green part stretches over it (or the white for the dress blues).  The chin strap on the officer blues (but not the service uniform) is also gold and red, so it makes far more sense to have two frames anyway.  And some of the saltier Marines will buy a dress blue cover that is vinyl instead of polyester or whatever the fabric is that stains at (no pun intended) the drop of a hat.  There's also a braided design on the top of the officer cover that was said to help troops in the topworks identify officers in the tall ship days. 

It's too bad my TARDIS isn't at all portable or I could take it a couple miles east to a nondescript Pacific Northwest rainforest, put on my SG-1 togs (although I'd almost have to get a haircut then) and do a crossover shot of the SG12 team leader investigating a strange blue object.  (It loses some effect in a suburban backyard.) 

[galacticprobe]

Yup. The cover is in 2 parts:...

Yeah; they're made the same... except for the Air Force. I've known several USAF members and their hats are one piece; you can't change the cover on the frame so if you need a new cover, you have to buy a new hat.

The chin strap on the officer blues (but not the service uniform) is also gold and red, so it makes far more sense to have two frames anyway.

I'm not sure about Army Officers, but Coastie and Navy Officers have solid gold chin straps (no red in them, that is). Those are worn on all uniforms from the normal Dress to Dress Whites (a.k.a. "Choker Whites") to the Tail-coated Dinner Dress.

And some of the saltier Marines will buy a dress blue cover that is vinyl instead of polyester or whatever the fabric is that stains at (no pun intended) the drop of a hat.

I think the stain-prone cover is cotton. At least it was on the hats we had (and the Navy; we used the same covers for the frames - same frames, too, only the chin strap buttons were different). The problem I saw a lot of with the vinyl covers was the stitching would turn dark because you couldn't really wash them out thoroughly. At least the cotton ones you could throw into a washing machine, and with a little ironing they'd come out looking like new.

There's also a braided design on the top of the officer cover that was said to help troops in the topworks identify officers in the tall ship days.

That's exactly right. (I think the design is called a "quatrefoil".) From my days doing Living History I can confirm that what's on the Marine's hat is a carryover from the days of tall ships. Both Navy and Revenue Cutter Service (the Coast Guard's precursor) used the same flat hats, mainly for enlisted; Officers had "bell crown" hats. But each ship had its own design that the crew would embroider into the top so when they went into battle, the snipers in the fighting tops (the proper name for the "Crow's Nest") could tell who was part of their crew and who was the opposing crew by looking down, thus knowing which one to snipe at. This was most helpful during the US Civil War because contrary to popular belief, the Southern Confederate States didn't adopt the "Rebel Grey" for their Navy until late 1864; they were still wearing the same navy blue as the Northern Union States, which made things very confusing when ships of both sides were boarded and the fighting continued on deck. Those hat designs were a huge help then. Over the years the Marines are the only ones that never dropped the design, but modified it a little. (It still looks pretty sharp.)

It's too bad my TARDIS isn't at all portable or I could take it a couple miles east to a nondescript Pacific Northwest rainforest, put on my SG-1 togs (although I'd almost have to get a haircut then) and do a crossover shot of the SG12 team leader investigating a strange blue object.  (It loses some effect in a suburban backyard.)

What about getting some of those fake, decorative plants that make things look like part of a jungle? It would be worth it to rent some for a day and set them around your TARDIS and have those photos taken. You could still get that SG-1 look without having to move your Old Girl. (Just don't do too wide of a shot when taking the photos and I'd bet you could pull it off!)

Dino.

[Volpone]

Because me in my ersatz Brigadier costume makes a lousy thumbnail for this thread and because we've had more...interesting...weather in this infernal Ming the Merciless winter, a couple snapshots from tonight:  

[Volpone]

The black is the rubber roof patch compound I'm trying out.  It is messy and horrible, but it seems to keep the water out.  (knock on wood)

[galacticprobe]

...in this infernal Ming the Merciless winter, a couple snapshots from tonight:  

Boy, your Old Girl sure looks cold in those photos. Very pretty with those icicles, but cold! (And I love that reference to "Ming the Merciless winter". Might be dating myself, but I do remember that one! )

(knock on wood)

Ha! Good one, Other Steve!

The black is the rubber roof patch compound I'm trying out.  It is messy and horrible, but it seems to keep the water out.

Hopefully that icky stuff will work. It's always the icky stuff that seems to work the best. Not sure why; it just is.

Dino.

[Volpone]

I guess this goes in "Gallery," since it isn't any work being done.  Or maybe it is.  Actually the work happened before the photo.  I really need to get the dematierialization circuit working.  Getting a TARDIS into the back of a full height 26' van bed is a grueling chore for a pair of 40something men.  I'm glad my brother offered to come out to help and I'm glad I took him up on it.  We wound up with him in the van with a rope and me behind the furniture dolly with a 2x4.  I'd lever the base until it was able to slide forward 4-5" and he'd pull it forward.  Hopefully it will hold together for the trip with minimal repairs.  And hopefully I find the signal lamp back.  I pulled it and "put it somewhere safe, where I wouldn't lose it." 

(We shall see if galacticprobe needs to flip the image or not, as it is coming off the phone. )