TK Monkus

Here are my initial questions. I need to shorten my shoulder bell strapping, if I remove the current straps can I re use those same straps or will the elastic be ruined from trying to remove it? They are attached via E6000. Arms and biceps-I know they are a bit roomy and I added some foam to the inside of the forearms to stop them from sliding around, but it then gives that look that they are to big (which I guess they are). My concern with trimming them back and making them smaller, is that they will look to small proportional to the rest of the armor. Am I looking to far into it? Ideally I would like to not have to have foam. The other issue is I am not sure if I will be able to fit my hand through the front if I make them smaller. What I may do is play around with some foam placement and see if that will be sufficient. Back piece- This is another tricky area. I don't think I have much room to shorten the back/chest elastic as it is already almost touching at the shoulders. I may need to look into bending the corners. Can I shorten my back piece by cutting some off the bottom? Ab/Kidney- Hopefully the double strap will take care of this. My biggest areas of concern are the ab/kidney (again hopefully double straps there will help that), and the back overlap. I will get to work on the other items in the meantime. Slowly but surely we will start to whittle this down! Thanks, M

After making EIB and seeing the work I need to do for Centurion, I figured I would make a new thread for the help I am sure I will need in the final push. See below the notes about what needs to be done. Other-Armor Fit/Assembly; In this area we review observations made by your fellow troopers and the DO team. Some observations may lead to suggestions to improve the overall look of your armor. Note that we consider both text (CRL) and pictures (screen caps/reference images) when reviewing submissions. Let's start from top . Your right ear bump shape looks pretty good , while the left one is a bit rounded at one side. It's just matter of a painting session to improve this detail Reference Images Your Vocoder paint looks pretty ragged and we suggest to add this item to the painting session too. Reference Images Looking closely at you Ab buttons panel it appears to have a little return edge in the top right corner (red line) that could be trimmed to get it flat and you could give a more accurate shape to the little one by trimming a little more. Reference Images As seen on screen , you could move the Ab belt down a bit to the top of the Butt plate . Reference Images Even thought it is not mentioned in the CRL, the Thermal detonator's metal clips should be squared (not rounded), on the control panel side. Reference Image This is a very small detail, but the rivet holding your knee ammo pack is a bit close to the edge compared to the on-screen armor. If you're up for it, we're suggesting you move it in. This would require filling the old hole with ABS paste. Reference Images *************************************************** Centurion Requirements; In this section we prepare you for Centurion. Because Centurion photos show more detail than EIB, items pertaining to Centurion might be seen there and not here and additional photos may be required. We try to point out all that we can from what we see, but the final accuracy is the responsibility of the trooper. CRL L3: There should be a minimal gap between the shoulder armor and the chest/back plates. This looks like a simple strapping issue. shortening the shoulder strap and a bit could reduce the gap. Another trick here is to remove the Shoulder Bell's return edge to allow them to sit close the chest armor. Reference Images Next, your forearms, The biceps and forearms armor seems very large compared to your arm size. We absolutely welcome troopers of all different body types, but we do expect that for our highest level of approval, the armor is sized appropriately to the wearer's body. In order to size down the biceps and forearms, you'd need to carefully remove the cover strips, trim back the pieces some, and re-glue them. A hot water bath may also be helpful in re-shaping the curve. As per the CRL, all costumes are "...proportional to the wearer in scale, fit and size". Reference Images CRL L3: No return edge on the inside of the front of the forearm is allowed. Looking at your wrists, there is a remaining little return edge. Just a little sanding job. Reference Images CRL L3: Back plate shall have no, or minimal overlap of the kidney plate. Continuing on, your back plate is a little overlapping the kidney. You might consider shortening the elastic connecting the chest and back just a tad, another option would be to bend bend the corners with a hot water bath or heat gun (with care) or even placing very thin foam at your shoulders so the back piece sits a touch higher. Reference Image CRL L3: Ideally there no gap between the abdomen and kidney armor. Abdominal and Kidney Plate align horizontally at top There is a pretty good sized gap at the tops of the ab/kidney connection on both sides, even with the arms down (pic 2). we think that some double straps would take care of that for a much better "ideal" look. Reference Images Please take a look to This tutorial . It can help as well. CRL L3: Drop boxes are vertically aligned with the end of the ammo belt with minimal gap between belt and box. This is a common issue and an easy one to fix. Moving them outward and then applying a dab of E-6000 on the rear of the strap will take care of this and keep it from wandering. Moving on, we have your thermal detonator belt clips. there is a noticeable gaps between the clips and the end caps and they will need to be relocated. Since the caps and control panel appear to have a little return edge, you can trim them down and move the clips sideways so they the gap get closed. If it was me, I would use a fine sharp knife or cutter to make the "surgery" . CRL L3: The blaster may have minor weathering or base metal exposure Finally Matt, we havo your blaster scope. A little weathering is fine and dandy (and expected) but that is WAY too much "brass" color showing. Time to break out the spray paint! That's all Matt. We are sure you're going to take the next step with those fixes and continue to the next level. In addition to what the DOs have mentioned, I’d also note that your neck trim appears to be applied the wrong way around. Currently, you have the thick side out, whereas the thin side should be on display.Hopefully, just removing it and flipping it should still fit okay.

Thanks Dan! I will check out the trim and see about flipping it. M

Thanks Kris! M

Matthew Landes 66007 EIB Letter Mario Thank you! My pleasure, and CONGRATS! Here is the link: https://www.whitearmor.net/eib/certificates/66007-eib.png

Thank you Joseph! I am going to start a new thread with the fixes I need to make as I am sure I will need some help M

Thanks Chemi! M

Thank you! M

Thank you Dennis! M

Thanks Glen! M

Thank you! M

Thank you very much Mario!! One step closer and looks like I've got some work to do. I will make a new thread about making the necessary adjustments and ask my questions there. For now I will enjoy my new EI status. Thanks, M

Thanks Glen. On the rounded edge front that is how it came from RS unfortunately so not much I can do on that front :/ Hopefully it passes inspection Thanks, M

Thanks Glen. I know you did mention this in my pre approval thread. Given I don't think I can get the ends caps off...should I just try to cut with a razor blade and then bang them in closer to keep them up against the metal clips? My control panel is actually at 4 1/2" so theres not much I can take from there and looking at that reference pic, it actually sites closer to the inside of the metal clips while mine sits at the outside. The other thing is the overall length should be 7 1/4" but mine is right at 7". I could trim some of the end caps, but they then wouldn't sit flush with the metal clips...would that be better than what it is currently? Thanks, M

Thank you Justin! And thank you for all you are doing helping out Hellhounds!! M

Hey Caleb, As Justin said it is! It took a little bit to get it, but boy was it worth the wait!! M

Hey Mario, Sorry about that! Please see below the additional pictures. 1- Left side of your Ab/kidney section to see the 3 rivets location (no need to suit up). 2- Complete Ab belt 3- Thermal Detonator showing the clips both screws 4- Interior side of your thigh ammo pack to see the correct rivet type. both sides Thanks, M

Thanks Joseph. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

First/last name: Matthew Landes Forum Name: TK Monkus TK ID# 66007 Garrison: Southern California Garrison Armor maker: RS Propmasters Helmet maker: RS Propmasters Cloth belt maker: RS Propmasters Neck seal maker: RS Propmasters Boot maker: Imperial Boots Blaster maker: Hellhounds Props Height: 5'9" Weight: 130 lbs TK type: ANH Stunt Front Back Left Side Left Detail Right Side Right Detail Action Shot Ab Buttons Cod Interior Strapping Wrist Helmet Front Left Right Back Hovi Tips Lens Accessories Neck Seal TD Holster Belt Boots Gloves Blaster Left Right D-Ring Additional Sniper Plate Thigh Ammo Belt Thanks for the inspection! M

Hey Guys, Well I did my first "troop" at Celebration and it was a blast!! I had such an amazing time and met many great people from the 501st. It was awesome to walk around in my armor, but it also helped me find a few other issues that need to be addressed. With Celebration behind us I now want to get my EIB application in, but I have a couple things to fix first. See below some cool shots from the weekend, but they also highlight the issues I am having. First issue is my backplate. I normally had it tucked "inside" the kidney but was told it looked better out, as well as it didn't make noise like it does when tucked in from scraping. After looking through pictures I see that when it is outside the kidney there is a huge gap that you can see through and does not look good at all. This was one reason I initially had it tucked in, but I think it is an issue that just needs addressing. I think this should sit almost flush against my back? Question: Can I trim the bottom of my backplate or is there a better solution? It is really the corners, but it could all probably come up a little bit. Second issue is my sides. Both sides of my ab and kidney still are not lining up. I cinched the belt fairly tight and that helped a little, but they still sit unevenly. I am not sure what the issue is. We thought maybe the thighs (when they were butting into the buttplate) may have been a cause, but those have been trimmed and there is still a mismatch. Question: Maybe I need additional strapping on the inside to hold these level on both sides? If you need any other pictures just ask and I can try and find some, or just suit up and take more. Thanks, M

I would also love to have the one taken by the photographer if anyone can find it. That being said I had a friend take one from my phone. See below M

Thank you! Yep that's the plan!

I added a piece to the inside of the butt plate over the crack so hopefully it stops it from getting bigger. Thanks, M

Thanks Joseph, will do. I was planning to use E-6000 so good to know that will kind of replace the ABS paste. I will post up a pic of the completed once it's dry. Thanks, M

My first crack! I noticed a crack on the top of my butt plate. Pretty sure it is from when I sat down trying to take a picture. My plan is to sand the inside and then score across to make a "T" as I have seen in a couple other threads. Then I think I am going to glue a small piece of ABS to the inside and ABS paste the outside. Once dry I'll sand it down but it will mostly be covered by the bottom of the kidney. Does that all sound like it will work or is there a better way? I saw something about t-shirt fabric and super glue? (in the pic I am pulling it open a bit to give an idea of size, it sits pretty flush) Thanks, M