Z:CORPS ZAC (Zombie Armoured Combatant) Armour

[Twitch]

I put this in the wrong thread

I'm still working on armour, and i've done a few neat little designs, mainly for the comic, but also just to get an idea,



but do you think for simplicity i should basically rip off Gone with the Blastwave?


I plan to spend the next few months testing out design prototypes and gathering armour supplies. Once i build a definitive model, thats easy to modify with expanding technology, i will begin making as many as i can and begin shipping them out to all Z:CORPs members.
Also, i'll post instructions on how i built the armour, so anyone can make it themselves if they dont trust me.

Things that i plan to include in the amour:
Helm
*Gas mask, a filter on the actual mask will be in place in addition to a tube that will run to the main filter on the SAC, this is in case the tube is torn or damaged near a radioactive site, or a Zed grabs it, the ZAC is still protected. (not depicted)
*Head set for communication (if i can, both digital and analogue, so we can communicate with anyone using a HAM radio, and digital, for obvious reasons.
*Silver Sonic XL, Hearing an extra 30 feet will be very helpful.

*Fiber Optics in the Visor, this will allow important information, such as texts from HQ, Mission Objectives, GPS grids, building schematics etc to be displayed without distracting the ZAC.

Ideally, I'll include 2 headlights on the helm, allowing hands-free illumination, 2 more on the shoulder, maybe one in the chest, then another light on each weapon.

Body
*GPS (chip); if i use just the chip, it will be located below the neck on the back, otherwise, i'll simply include an entire portable GPS onto the wrist (i am able to get them very cheaply)
*SAC (i'l explain when i finish building it.)
*Hard Plastic armour (was changed from metal when i brought it up in /zom/)
*Either pleather (i'm a vegitarian) or an old scuba/paintball suit for underarmour, connecting the hard plastic plates
*Rooster thought of a clever trench coat idea. I might make it lead-lined or radioactive proof (my own dystopian fears, disregard this)

Weapons
*i found this on /w/
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6118520/expedient-homemade-firearms-bsp-9mm-smg-p
So i will make this the standard sidearm for all ZACs, i was originally planing it to be attached magnetically, but i was decried against it.

*I also plan to make some kind of rifle the main ZAC weapon.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Russian_Model_91_30_7_62x54R_Mosin_Nagant.html
found these, and since they're so cheap, i could get them and either simply give them away as they are, or mod them up first.
* I'll try to perfect my molotov grenades also.

I'm holding back on the EMP stuff for now(robots), because thats what got me laughed off /zom/ when i proposed this.

[Rooster]

I've thought that top pic was badass since I first saw it. Plastic armor underneath and rip-away sleeves and you're good-to-go. I know looks aren't what's important, but if I look like a badass, I will be inclined to feel/act like one as well. As long as you can keep enough fear to not be stupid, being confident and decisive will be very important come Zday.

[Dan Champion]

No offense, this is only my personal opinion. But I will not be wearing anything with a trench coat, any sort of tubes or wires, haha lead trench coat, Like I'm lugging around a lead coat, You've gone a bit overboard on headlights, I cant use a rifle which makes that a ton of dead weight, I did see these which relate to your paintball thingy pants arm masks. I just dont want ANYTHING a zombie can grab on, and it needs to be light

[Just Jack]

No offense, this is only my personal opinion. But I will not be wearing anything with a trench coat, any sort of tubes or wires, haha lead trench coat, Like I'm lugging around a lead coat, You've gone a bit overboard on headlights, I cant use a rifle which makes that a ton of dead weight, I did see these which relate to your paintball thingy pants arm masks. I just dont want ANYTHING a zombie can grab on, and it needs to be light

Agreed. You don't need to be standardizing weapons either. What we need to do is have a sticky describing the best choices for weight, handguns, rifles, clothes, packs, food, quality products like Ka Bar and CamelBak, and the proper skills to know well to survive the otbreak. After we give people the right mindset to survive a Zompocalypse, then they can decide how exactly to perfect their own plan.

[dthatcher]

I'm still working on armour, and I've done a few neat little designs, mainly for the comic, but also just to get an idea,

but do you think for simplicity i should basically rip off Gone with the Blastwave?

That looks better than the others. Simple, efficient, no unnecessary flair.

I plan to spend the next few months testing out design prototypes and gathering armour supplies. Once i build a definitive model, that's easy to modify with expanding technology, i will begin making as many as i can and begin shipping them out to all Z:CORPs members.
Also, I'll post instructions on how i built the armour, so anyone can make it themselves if they don't trust me.

How would you test the prototypes? Gather up a bunch of friends and have them pull/claw/bite at it?
And what are we talking price-wise?

Things that i plan to include in the amour:
Helm
*Gas mask, a filter on the actual mask will be in place in addition to a tube that will run to the main filter on the SAC, this is in case the tube is torn or damaged near a radioactive site, or a Zed grabs it, the ZAC is still protected. (not depicted)

Sounds good to me. Be sure it can pop away fairly easily, though, or being dragged away by zeds hanging onto it will be a problem.

*Head set for communication (if i can, both digital and analogue, so we can communicate with anyone using a HAM radio, and digital, for obvious reasons.

Good. Batteries may end up being a problem, but a good idea overall.

*Silver Sonic XL, Hearing an extra 30 feet will be very helpful.

Agreed. I'm all for this.

*Fiber Optics in the Visor, this will allow important information, such as texts from HQ, Mission Objectives, GPS grids, building schematics etc to be displayed without distracting the ZAC.

Seems like a little too much. A GPS unit mounted on the wrist would be better for this, and that is all we really need- Exact location of other ZACs.

Ideally, I'll include 2 headlights on the helm, allowing hands-free illumination, 2 more on the shoulder, maybe one in the chest, then another light on each weapon.

Far too many headlights. The helmet lights are good enough, MAYBE weapon lights if bayonets prove useless against the infected.

Body
*Hard Plastic armour (was changed from metal when i brought it up in /zom/)

Good, lightweight and durable. I like. [/quote]

*Either pleather (I'm a vegetarian) or an old scuba/paintball suit for underarmour, connecting the hard plastic plates

Hey, as long as pleather is tough and durable as real leather, I'm all for it.

Weapons
*i found this on /w/
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6118520/expedient-homemade-firearms-bsp-9mm-smg-p
So i will make this the standard sidearm for all ZACs, i was originally planing it to be attached magnetically, but i was decried against it.

*I also plan to make some kind of rifle the main ZAC weapon.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Russian_Model_91_30_7_62x54R_Mosin_Nagant.html
found these, and since they're so cheap, i could get them and either simply give them away as they are, or mod them up first.
* I'll try to perfect my molotov grenades also.

No need for standard issue weapons, anything a ZAC purchases would probably be better and more accurate than a homemade SMG.
The Mosin is a pretty reliable rifle I hear, no mods would need to be made. A good marksman would pop plenty of heads with one of those.

I remember seeing a recipe for a chemical fire-bottle on these forums. Basically a molotov, but no need for a cloth + lighter.

Overall, good ideas. Overdoing it in some places, but overall good.

[IronGeneral]

I don't know whether to say yay or nay to the trench coat. On the one hand, it's certainly baggy enough so that they won't get skin first time they bite or claw. But if the zeds get a good grip they might just pull you too the ground. I like the helmet idea although I think that some of the stuff, while awesome and useful, would be too hard to find, much less operate in a post-zompocalyptic world. I like that if I shoot a zed at close up, it's blood isn't going in my mouth.

[Twitch]

Thanks guys,
oh, and though i probably should've said it, Rooster thought of an idea for the trench coat in which it was actually 3 or 4 pieces buttoned, so on the offchance that it WAS grabbed, it could simply detached and pulled off. The idea for it was simply warmth, since most nights are cold and i imagine alot of work would be done in light, and it would help to keep blood spatter off you body (ALL of your body will be covered by the armour), meaning it's less likely to get caught in your armour crevices and infecting you or someone else through skin pores or scratches or whatever. Also, the pockets would be useful.

i just realized...if your close enough for a zed to grab...yea, your probably fucked anyways...so just make sure the trench coat is buttoned.

Dthatcher, yes, i pretty much was gonna have my friends test it like that, including baseball bats, and live munition (obviously it wont be bullet proof, but i would like to see if it would reflect a shot or too). I admit, it was alot of lights, and originally i planed on simply the headlights and weapon lights, but the idea of the lack 'o' batteries made me wanna put a few more, just in case, we've ALL seen what happens in the dark on zombie movies. The GPS on the wrist would probably be best, as i cannot for the life of me find some cheap fiber optics, and you all are right about the weapons.

Also, you guys idea about the lead-line trenchcoat, yeah, thats probably a no-go, just when this was first formed, i just finished watching the matrix and when i saw the video of self-aware robots, i became a wee bit paranoid.

The Gone With The Blastwave armour i would like to build, as it's VERY simple and straight forward, my designs are basically the armour that would be underneath, and the backpack would be metal, so it wont tear and is harder to grab.

The basic idea is i want a uniform look so survivors and other ZACs could identify us/ourselves quickly while having it MAX maneuverability for jumping/running/parcour/vehicles/etc. and on the offchance you are grabbed/bitten, you can last long enough to get away.

I dont wanna sound like i'm just going for looks, but i wanted to get an idea of where to go, and since all of you (hopefully) will be wearing this, i want ALL your opinions while i'm building, i'll post pictures and test results as i go.

[autonomous]

...
*Either pleather (i'm a vegitarian) or an old scuba/paintball suit for underarmour, connecting the hard plastic plates
...

If by scuba suit you mean a wet suit I have to advice against it. While a wet suit will make you near invulnerable from any strike that's not landed on open skin it will also cause you to sweat profusely and give you heat stroke within 2 hour unless its around 40 degrees out or you have a constant supply of water to move the heat. The breathability of a wetsuit is only slightly better then the business end of a condom so really unless your working in waist deep water all the time avoid the wetsuit idea.

Under armor on the other hand does breath so it would be an excellent idea if used with an outer layer of protection.

[Dan Champion]

Hey here's some ideas. This first one has a hood that comes up like a robe, it obviously wouldnt be as loose fitting on a normal person.
or this which is very official looking IMO, and would look nice if we did patches like the army describing out rank and stuff. It also protects the neck and has shoulder things stuff can clip to.

bolth look kinda nice. Both have nice protection and the second has pockets.

[♫GENJUÆ穴☼☢۞҉░♫]

Hey here's some ideas. This first one has a hood that comes up like a robe, it obviously wouldnt be as loose fitting on a normal person.
or this which is very official looking IMO, and would look nice if we did patches like the army describing out rank and stuff. It also protects the neck and has shoulder things stuff can clip to.

bolth look kinda nice. Both have nice protection and the second has pockets.

This reminds me of something.....

I like the hoodies though, who makes those??

[Dan Champion]

Some Korean Company. look on eBay http://myworld.ebay.com/modernlook_01/ and click items for sale. scroll down to almost th bottom "Turtleneck coloration hood T-shirt"
Edit: Remember to find a korean -> American size difference chart somewhere. Their XL is out L.

[weirdbeard]

what again is the mask for?

there are a few things that you must consider when incorporating a mask.

Filters - they don't have a long life, if used past the recommended date then they run the risk of higher contamination.

Mask alone - using a mask alone without a chemical/bio suit is only good with a handful of pathogens, and if your in a chemical environment you really need the suit.

restricted vision.

overheating - you will overheat quickly if you operate for any period of time in fully enclosed system.

it would be much more beneficial/cost effective to have the mask carried and only put into use if needed. the same for a protective suit, they do not have an indefinite use time either.

[IronGeneral]

Well I guess my point could just be served by wearing a bandana over the mouth. Seems the cons of a filtration system on a helmet outweigh the pros. But a helmet system with armour would be good to create when we are all settled into our respective regional fortresses and would be a nice thing to have if we ever decided to take an offensive footing. And weirdbeard, isn't the obstruction of sight the universal vice of all helmets throughout history except for a few small cases and those helmets protected against nothing but the lightest of hits.

[weirdbeard]

it all depends on the type of helmet worn, as far as visibility. the major factor in reduction of visibility when wearing a protective mask is the loss of peripheral vision as the eye coverage is part of the protective mask. if wearing a helmet alone, the type of helmet is the factor.

full face - motorcycle type - restricts vision the most

faceless - old school motorcycle - reduces hearing and some vision from above and sides

kevlar- pasgt type, heavy and bulky, some loss of hearing and vision is reduced when in the prone position

ach/mich - lightest, ears are not covered, and some loss of vision is reduced when in prone, allows for external sound amplification to be added.

Protech - lightweight, does not protect against shrapnel or high velocity impact

while all have their pros/cons the best protection for what the intended use mustbe considered, incorporating additional items, lights, night vision capability, HUD etc, remember weight is a major factor not only in increased weight causes fatigue but also increases the risk of injury to the wearer.

lights- battery life vs candle power - surefire makes a great system that can be mounted to just about any type of helmet, battery life is fairly long, but expensive and lumens can be adjusted.

NVD- these devices are extremely expensive and restricted purchase items, if they are incorporated i suggest that they are easily removed and stored when not in use.

HUD- still in its infancy but being developed not only to relay information to the person on the ground but the military systems (soldier 2020) allows for sending of information back up the COC.

[IronGeneral]

Now while a HUD would be cool I know that you've read WWZ and we know the effect of HUD's at Tonkers