TK Monkus

Thanks Glen. See where the elastics are in red in the pic below. I will try and adjust the right side so it is more straight and sits along those cover strips and just adjust that forearm as needed for it to sit properly. Thanks, M

Thank you!

Thanks James. I see you are in the socal garrison, where about in socal are you?

Hey Guys, I have had a little bit of time and am getting my arm strapping set up. I think I have things almost where they need to go but want to make sure before I glue the straps in place. My right arm could probably use a forearm rotation a bit more forward? See pics below. Questions: I would like to align the dimpled ridge of the forearm with the raised edge of the bicep as much as I can. In order to do that I need to glue the elastic strip at a bit of an angle though. Is that ok? How perfectly aligned do they need to be, or is it more personal preference? I don't really see anything in the checklist pertaining to that. R arm L arm Thanks, M

There wasn't really much additional bend. It felt like the normal amount. I did think of the overcorrection and tried that, but still no difference. Maybe I will boil water and just try pouring it over the pieces? Thanks, M

I tried the hot water bath for the shins but either didn't leave them in long enough or maybe the water wasn't hot enough? Due to the size of the shins I couldn't boil water so I turned the bath as hot as it would go, which is hot enough you can't leave your hand in the water for more than a fraction of a second, and let them sit in there for about 15 min, then tried holding them in position. They didn't take. I am really just trying to bring the top so it is even. Right now one side sits slightly above the other on both the left and right. Maybe it is such a small distance that a hot water bath isn't enough? Or should they sit in longer? Any tips would be helpful. I did add the cover strips on to my forearms. I think one of them wasn't trimmed properly and so sits a bit oddly on my arm, but can maybe be fixed with foam inside. They were one of the first pieces I started trimming and so was still pretty new to the whole process. See pics below (not on my arm). Thanks, M

Thanks Glen! I will try the hot water bath and keep that in mind when adding the cover strip. M

Thanks Glen.

Hey Guys, It has been a while as work has been kicking my butt. I have the cover strips on my forearms, but realize one side isn't long enough so am going to amend that before I post. Question about my shins: The backside tops don't align perfectly, but will the strapping be enough to pull those even or will that be to much strain? Want to make any adjustments before adding the back cover strips. I am going to be using the 3 small hook method by the way. Thanks, M

I trimmed out the return edges of my shoulder bells as well as added my thigh ammo pack which means the thighs are ready for strapping! I do still need to paint the rivets white, but am thinking of just doing that all at once when I have the torso completed as well. Shoulder Bells Thigh Ammo Pack Thanks, M

I also trimmed down my shoulder bells. I am going to trim out the rest of that return edge in red. Thanks, M

Cut the thigh ammo belt to size and it is ready to be mounted. I made small ABS chips for the fronts of the thighs for a little extra strength. Once those dry I will mount the thigh ammo belt. Thanks, M

It has been a bit since I made any progress, but I recently taped everything up after making some cuts to my butt plate to see how the sizing all looks and did a test fit. @gmrhodes13 suggested early on that I wait to glue the cover strips on my forearms until I had the rest of everything ready so I could see how it all looks together. Well everything isn't necessarily ready, but I think this gives a pretty good idea of what it will look like. I think the forearms sizing looks good so I am going to start gluing the inner cover strips, then the outer. I don't think they look to skinny or fat. I realize the placement may be slightly off, but fine tuning can come later. I still need to size and cut my shoulder bells, but also wanted to wait until I had most of this done so I could size and make sure there was no gap between the chest and the bell. Below is a pic with everything I have so far taped on. Any pointers about anything are greatly appreciated. Everything does not meet up perfectly and there is major overlap in some sections, i.e. kidney and front ab. Questions: Do the forearms look ok compared to the rest of the armor (sizing)? The edges of the butt fan out as you can see in the pic, will that be fixed with strapping or is that a sizing issue? I will try and add the thigh ammo belt and size my shoulder bells next. Thanks, M

Darn! The width is just the angle in the picture but you are correct on the strip, it is not central I will remove and re position them. Thanks for the heads up. As for the butt plate I will only clean up that top area and leave a good amount. It may also be worth noting I plan to use the double snap method which not sure if that well help protect from cracking a little more than the brackets. Thanks, M

I think most of my torso armor has been cut for me, which is great, but the butt plate I think needs a bit more. See pics below and my markings as to where I think I will cut. I have been looking at @justjoseph63 thread on return edges and while I do have a bit more than what he recommends on the other pieces, I would like to see if I can keep those on. I will do a test fit at some point after I think I have things where I want them and can see what kind of input I get. For now I will start with the butt plate. The snaps were already in when I got it, also appreciative for that. Butt Plate cut marks Bottom/side Top Thank you, M

I forgot to post a pic of the finished back cover strips on my thighs, see below. Again, I think I will be adding mobility cuts back there. Thanks, M

Thanks Glen! Will do.

Hey Guys, It has been a little while since I was able to make any progress, but I finally got the thighs all glued up and drying and I have a question about the shins before I put the back cover strip on. Question: Do I need to trim the bottom and "round" it out because of that overlap on the ankle side? See pics for better understanding, red mark is where I would cut. This is just the Left shin pictured but it is the same issue in the right. If you need more or different pics let me know and I can take them. Drying Thighs Ankle end of L shin Thanks, M

I trimmed my thighs down again and they fit a lot better! I will trim the top edges off the back where the red lines are in the pics below and then I think my thighs will be done, minus the ammo belt on the right side. Please let me know if you see anything else that should be done to them, otherwise back cover strips will go on. I will also be adding interior cover strips. Nothing was done to the shins, I just have them on for reference. Front back Left Right Thanks, M

Thank you Joseph! M

I have a couple questions before doing the, hopefully, last sizing cuts on the backs of the thighs. I have three different color markings on the pics. Red is where the cut would be based on how I sized it on my leg. Yellow is where I would actually like to cut, it is the opposite side of where I marked so assume the distance would be equal, I just drew rough lines. The green circle at the top is where I am wondering if anything needs to stay. For instance on the left thigh top right side, does that little notch/ridge need to stay or can I cut that as seen by the yellow line? If I cut on the yellow lines as I would like, it would also help center the rear seam which is why I have not marked equal cuts on both sides. Really the main question is does anything in those green circles need to stay there which would make me alter where the cut lines go. Assume the yellow line is the cut line. Left thigh there is that ridge on the top right side. Right thigh there is that "bump" on the top right side that would be sized down because I would even out that top "scoop". Left Thigh Right Thigh Thank you, M

Thanks Jospeh. Yes, in those pictures one side was bigger as I hadn't adjusted it yet. I think I am going to adjust and trim both sides a little more to make them fit better and will probably land somewhere in the middle of what the two sides look like in those pics. They will both be the same when done. I will post up some pics. Thanks, M

The front cover strips are on the shins! Legs are almost complete. The shins seem to fit very nicely so I think I will add the back cover strip and call them done, minus the strapping and sniper plate. After adding the front cover strips the alignment of the top came a lot closer. Once the strapping is in place they should be able to sit even. I also think I will be adding mobility cuts to both the shins and thighs, but will probably do that once they are totally complete. I did another test fit and have a few questions. Questions: I sized my left thigh to be more of a tight fit and eliminate some gaps and would like some opinions on if it looks to "skinny"? I feel like the right has to much of a gap in the back and sides...(I marked with an "L" which is the one I sized down in the pics since they were taken in a mirror so look opposite) maybe it needs to be somewhere in between the two? From the side view, do the "v's" need to line up? (marked with a red line in the pics) Looking at screen grabs from the movies it looks like sometimes they do, and others they don't. If they did need to, my fix would probably be to add foam to the back of the thigh right above where my knee bends. Lastly, this may be a question for later, but do my thighs need to be sitting higher? Should there be a bigger gap at the knee between the shin and thigh? Any other insights welcome! Front cover strips on shins Shin fitting Test fit with thighs and cod Thanks as always, M

I added the interior covers strips to my shins. I also evened out the front ankle side so there are no points on both. I will need to do the same to the back but will do that after I put on the front cover strips. I decided which shin will be left and right. I removed a little more from the left one and think it fits better. I also removed a bit more from my left thigh and will do another tape up test fit after the front cover strips are on the shins. Question: If it all fits well, should I add the rear cover strips to everything or is it worth leaving those off until the whole kit is complete if anything needs to be adjusted? Only reason I would like to do them now is to save time. Since it takes 24hours to dry I could have those drying while starting to work on the torso pieces. Pics: Both shins interior covers strips drying Left Shin Right Shin Thanks, M

Thanks Glen. May try the elastic w/velcro method. Will see how it all goes when finished.