Thanks for the idea [USER=51041]MicaHusky[/USER] . I already have some "tactical" buckles that I'm going to try first, but the latches seem like a solid option.
Meanwhile, I've made some progress with the battle rifle. I think I got it pretty close to the Infinite 'Breacher' variant, with some small additional accents to make it extra obvious this is not a real weapon.
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Next up: adding some wear and tear, dirt and grime, then sealing the whole thing with matte varnish 