Imperial Uniforms and Insignia

[thedamnyankee]

Originally posted by Frank Lee Scarlett:
Regulation issue scout cowboy hat. Sweat stains and stomped in the dirt a hundred times look mark seniority.

No, I think a Fedora is more scout style. Of corse the regulations are poorly writen so a scout CAN wear a cowboy hat and still be in uniform... so many do...

Christopher Schroeder
Wanted: Cool Sig.

 

[Vargas]

Two suggestions:

Imperial Navy: Black uniforms a la "Hunt for Red October" (thanks to James M for the suggestion many years ago).

Imperial Scouts: Flight suits, BDU-like pants and shirts, flight jackets; for the most part practical/functional gear. One analogy might be the crew of the Nostromo in Alien with a few extra individual variations.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Black uniforms. Assuming Imperial Medecine beats dandruff

Scouts: I always imagined the Doctors in MASH, except slate gray instead of olive green. I like the Nostromo analogy, though. Hats... remember Walter Eckland in the movie "Father Goose"? He wore a yachting cap on his boat and a fedora on shore.

 

[Shadowdancer]

I've always pictured Scouts in the field and on ship wearing an assortment of baseball-style, mesh-backed adjustable gimme caps. Ones with the IISS logo on the front for contact missions and official occassions, ones with various sports teams-alcoholic beverages-firearms and equipment manufactures-bars and cathouses names and logos for on ship and startown tavern crawls.

 

[Scarlett]

B'sides ... sounds sorta economic if someone wants ta look the part to have the Imperial sun and the letters IISS put on a ballcap and go get themselves a Hawaiian shirt and maybe some olive drab pants and some old combat boots.

 

[Vargas]

Actually the Hawaiian shirt business really took off once Scouts in the Marches and Corridor realized that Vargr tend to act more favorably toward them when they do.

 

[PinkSplice]

Anybody who thinks that a beret is a practical piece of gear need their head examined. Glad I got out before that nonsense. And US insignia will certainly have some influence on future military dress- just as Roman and British insignia did on current US uniforms.

Twenty bucks says that generals and admirals in the far future will be wearing stars, not "scrambled eggs" on epaulets and collars, and an eagle will still mark O6. Stripes will still be around for enlisted, althought chevrons may be inverted or not, and devices added for functional groupings. Guess what pilot wings will look like- they will be RAF or USAF/USN style. It's the 01-05 insignia that are most in doubt. OD and tan and camo will still prevail for coloration on "field" uniforms.

Wally.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I always figured that tan/khaki was appropriate for militia/planetary forces. Maybr I'm just use to Texas Sherrif's deputies.

BTW, a good on-line Army-surplus store/outfitters will have BDU jackets and cargo pants. Beside the cammo, they are often available in olive green, khaki, black, blue and slate gray for police use.

I have been known to wear desert boots, gray BDU trousers a Hawaiian shirt, a leather jacket and a fedora ... uh, not my character, thats me on Saturday morning.

 

[Armmeggedon]

I've always envisioned the Scouts wearing grey. Lensman influence, I guess.

 

[BMonnery]

You must hate the scouts. A beret does not shield the face from sun or rain and blows off in a high wind. Indoors it has to be caried anyway. The US Army currently wear black berets and every soldier I have talked to hates them, hates them almost as much as the overseas caps they replaced. The larger berets used by the British are less stylish but slightly more practical)

You should try wearing a Caubeen (Bonnet, Irish, Green), you'll never be short of an emergency sleeping bag

Bryn

PS: Or an emergency feather duster

 

[themink]

I always thought that the Beret looked stylish - and much more practical in a track than a slouch hat.

But then we rarely wore "parade" headgear when actually in the vehicle.

Beret's also led to the phenomunomonum called the "Tankie top-up line". We would tan heavily upto a line accross the forehead - and be fairly white above that line - looked like we had been filled up with CJ!

 

[Uncle Bob]

I know British/commonwealth tankers love their black berets. American tankers did briefly, despite the fact that they were forbidden to waer them in tracks (too many cuncussions). IIRC, the Panzertruppen black beret was so big because it covered a small, hard leather crash helmet.

In the US Army the gunship pilots affect black Stetsons, which is perhaps the stupidist thing you could wear in or around helicopters, so they mostly wear it around the hangers.

 

[98badc]

Hey Garf,

In posting two, you mentioned uniform colors, and the Imperial Marine dress uniform being maroon.

I seem to recall something in the little black books that mentioned that the Imperial Marines Battle Dress (TL-12, powered stuff, not the Terran TL-8 fabric crap) was Maroon when the unit was assigned to either urban duty.

I believe that the gist of the text was that the color was attention grabbing, and intended to be in part a psychological weapon during crowd control, etc.

I know that if I was throwing rocks n' stuff (TM) and a formation of Marines in Maroon powered hard suits lined up against me, I'd pull 3 Gs getting away from them, even if I was on foot!

Cheers,

98badc

 

[Father Fletch]

I know that the scouts on my ship wear the ultimate in comfort and style while on and off duty. They only change to put on a space suit http://www.utilikilts.com/ Remember kids it comes in a varieity of colors and cloth choices!

 

[Prometheus]

My zhodani commandos towell off using Imperial marine uniforms ... let me check the hamper to see what they were....

 

[trader jim]

you do know that all uniforms are made out of compressed recycled paper.....last 3 years...

 

[Prometheus]

Spiff staple guns jims uniform to him .. good to see you again old timer!

 

[Uncle Bob]

Originally posted by Father Fletch:
I know that the scouts on my ship wear the ultimate in comfort and style while on and off duty. They only change to put on a space suit http://www.utilikilts.com/ Remember kids it comes in a varieity of colors and cloth choices!

Kilts. In zero-G. I can only pray they aren't Regimental.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Scout uniforms are mid-blue - they've been shown on a couple of MT book covers, and the branch insignia are in WTH (or was it WBH?).

Marines supposedly use maroon (IMTU CA/BD is maroon, dress uniform is maroon jacket & black trousers).

Navy has never been specified (IMTU it's navy blue - what else?)

Army has never been specified.

I'm currently working on Solomani uniforms for my web site.

 

[Mysterion]

Originally posted by Uncle Bob:
In the US Army the gunship pilots affect black Stetsons, which is perhaps the stupidist thing you could wear in or around helicopters, so they mostly wear it around the hangers.

Actually,that seems to a Cavalry thing. Was an ordanance specialist in the US Army, and at one point was assigned to 1st Sqdn/9th Cav at Fort Lewis,WA. The first time the Squadron had a big awards ceremony, I was totally taken-aback by the sight of the officers running about in BDUS wearing Cav-stetson hats, and (honest-to-god) spurs on their combt boots. And they trust these guys with expensive helicopters...