How's this for a tracksuit?

[Nightbat]

Ey MW

Been a while, thought I might make my re-entry with something (subjectively) worthwhile

Got a trackday coming up this summer, but my old leather suit is not up for it anymore (old/uncomfortable)

So I figured I might as well splurge and get something tailor made

Which also gives me the freedom in colors and design

but no clear ideas of what I wanted,...except one thing

So I got creative with a template of a suit I found online

The whole idea got started with that I definitely wanted the Jolly Roger on the 'speedhump'

Though this exact design wont become reality

for starters,..white is one color you don't want to constantly clean the dead flies off and mostly,

since, my current bike being cherry red/black (and this definitely doesn't match) My next bike could be god knows what color I want a neutral color scheme

(Low-Vis anyone? )

Anyways, thought you guys might consider my PS skills and result entertaining, so here it is:

Edited March 10, 2016 by Nightbat

[Mr March]

Very nice work. I think the front upper body is a little too literal for a geek-wear product that I'd buy, but I like the idea. Good use of colors and details. I would have been curious to see it realized

[Nightbat]

Yeah, you're right

An earlier draft didn't have the cockpit

But I found the abdomen a little empty

Another thing is the wingmarkings

As is they appear too much like seen on old US WW2 planes

I should have done the same as I did with the legs

And the rondel and number on the upper arms

(Especially since half would be covered by the cuffs of racinggloves there)

Lastly

I first put the red triangles on the buttend

Then I realized it was referring to my 'exit' as 'intake'

"Beware of Blast" would be more fitting 😁

Edited March 10, 2016 by Nightbat

[Mr March]

Yeah, I didn't want to be critical of it, Especially because I don't know what else to have in the abdomen area.

I like the arm/wing markings as you've done them. They feel more naturalistic. As f they are symbolic of the valkyrie design without being too literal
Although to be honest, the more thought I give to this the more I think it might not be an issue. We as Macross fans will see the abdomen design, but how will non-fans interpret it? ALmost certainly not like anything we think.

Nothing wrong with "Intakes", if that's your thing. But I think "Beware of Blast" works for everyone

[Nightbat]

Heh

Oh well since it was nothing more than a prototype for ideas

I didn't put more effort in it

it now serves its function to swap colors to see if I can get a low-vis/stealth vibe

[MechTech]

That's a cool idea! Yeah, the white would be an issue and maybe the front is too much, but I think it's a great start! - MT

[Aurel Tristen]

Maybe there is a reason why you haven't done this yet, but styling it like a Macross flight suit would be awesome! The shape of it would actually work just fine for the TV version.

[Nightbat]

Hmm, the Roy TV flightsuit wouldn't have been half bad

Anyways, the endresult will be much more subdued and limited, since mostly: a suit designed from scratch costs a fortune and that any emblem or logo is an upcharge

So after €200 for just the skull on the back and the chest striping, I figured I'd contemplate anything else when I see the final design before conformation

(the UN spacy Roundel on the sleeve still is something I might add)

Went for measurements last Saturday, had the choice of 3 designs, went with this one, which will feature in best imagery the Yamato VF-1J stealth color scheme

(black/charcoal/gunmetal grey) I may ask to omit the vertical stripes, depending on how the chest striping works out

[Nightbat]

Alright.

Got the design for confirmation, went to work on it..

Found it containing a bit too much grey, so upped the amount of black.

There was a small mistake in communication concerning the chest, I never discussed it Shouldn't be in the black/yellow as in the artwork supplied

But also when I looked at it, the position of the bars felt wrong, and it was: In Battroid, the bars are the collar, not the chest

(Just take a look at that previous artwork I posted, it looks as if the entire front fuselage 'drooped' downward)

But anyway

Without further ado:

Edited March 23, 2016 by Nightbat

[Nightbat]

Well, here we are, 2 monhts later and it's done

[spanner]

That looks awesome! Id love to have a race suit done in Hikaru TV colors! Simple but still striking. My current suit is more of an Max DYRL color scheme.. kinda..

Edited May 28, 2016 by spanner

[Nightbat]

Yeah, well, the Roy color scheme doesn't work for my bike either, and I didn't want to be pigeonholed on buying a future bike based on the colors of my current suit

[spanner]

Yeah, well, the Roy color scheme doesn't work for my bike either, and I didn't want to be pigeonholed on buying a future bike based on the colors of my current suit

Love those knee sliders!

[Nightbat]

Love those knee sliders!

Time to get a set to match my leathers

[Nightbat]

Well, did my trackdays

Was lucky on the first day, riding between the showers on mostly dry track, fastest lap being 2:29, not bad for my first time there (and 9 years since last being on a track)

Second day, not so lucky, though it weren't the pouring showers of before, it simply was constantly wet, no talk about leanangles, fastest lap 2:54

Track Photographers did a sloppy job, don't have any copies of the pics a buddy of mine made (which were more amateuristic, but showed a lot more ambience/atmosphere)

but here are a few pics of those 2 days

In a small form of irony:

The bike held up great, mirrors and license plate off and she was the same superbike she was advertized as 10 years and 45000 miles ago when I bought her

but putting the beasty though her paces did end in a leak somewhere in the headgasket which revealed itself luckily after I got home

But since all my savings went into getting her and myself track ready (biggest cost: the suit) I'll have to postpone repair until I managed to replenish that money

Edited September 10, 2016 by Nightbat

[vincemoto7]

... But since all my savings went into getting her and myself track ready (biggest cost: the suit) I'll have to postpone repair until I managed to replenish that money

At least you kept it upright. What track were you at?

Here's me at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway just before I laid it down.

[Nightbat]

At least you kept it upright. What track were you at?

The Cathedral of Speed: Dutch TT track of Assen

And yeah, that "keeping it upright" was pretty hairy on the second day, luckily, knowing I wasn't gonna set any records (and unsure about the weather), I had not opted for Pirelli Supercorsas,

but was running on Michelin Pilot Power 3's unlike some other guys in my group

Like the guy on the R1 in the second to last pic, he at a certain point became afraid to even take corners, because his back wheel went everywhere when turning in or pouring on the throttle

Another guy running the SCs totalled his bike one corner before the finish flag

I quit after the warmup lap of the last session, I was starting to lose confidence in my grip in the fourth, and decided to at least do the warmup laps and if those didn't feel right

I rather throw away a session, than my bike, I still had to go 160 miles for home the next day

Here's me at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway just before I laid it down.

Ouch, too greedy? Or one of those "Unexpected sudden loss of grip" moments?