G'day there - new TK recruit from down under

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Again I'm not a @Deployment Officer Team so you could wait for a response from them, but my thoughts

 

1.  Posterior plate currently has one snap. I'm going to install the second, but am worried the first is somewhat in the middle of where the two should go. Would you place it behind the first one or closer to the opening (cod piece?). I'm leaning towards behind and assume it won't be visible. Is there a spacing recommendation? I agree and I'd put the other behind, you could always trim a little material from the front if they are deemed too far back.

 

    

 

2. Shoulder Bridge table - I know it's recommended to remove the tabs at the rear if possible, but I've got quite broad shoulders and they won't otherwise reach. Would that get a pass? (provided they're squared up and sitting correctly). Only recommended so that's not an issue, BUT the placement on the backplate should be central, either some tighter elastic to hold them or I would remove from the front, reposition so they sit straighter (over a box works for me) and reglue. 

 

  

 

3 - My Han snap - It's not perfectly in the corner of the chest plate. I don't want to damage the armour by moving it. I assume there would be some indentation. How much leeway do we have on that? (This is Centurion level, but I thought I should check now, while everyone is being so helpful!) I feel like a shim would look worse than the snap being 3-4mm to the left.  This one has come up a few times for centurion, recently here in this EI application,  If you did remove (which shouldn't be too hard) you would need to fill with ABS paste, sand and polish so that should also take care of any imprint. Yours is quite a distance from the edge and I doubt it would pass for L3, I'll add a few references.

    

 

How to make ABS paste

 

You would also need to add some shims on the sides between the Ab and Kidney which would also need filling with ABS paste, sanding and polishing as you can only have one join on the sides: 

OPTIONAL Level two certification (if applicable):

• Any gap between the abdomen and kidney armor is no more than 1/2" (12.5mm) wide.
  • Any shims used to achieve this effect are of a similar material and color as the abdomen and kidney armor. Shims fit flush and seams are allowed.

OPTIONAL Level three certification (if applicable):

• Ideally there no gap between the abdomen and kidney armor. Abdominal and Kidney Plate align horizontally at top.
  • A single visible seam line is present.

[Deployment Officer Team[Staff]]

On 9/5/2024 at 11:35 PM, Slouch said:

Quick question as I couldn't see anything in the CRL around cover strip specs, but as pointed out above, my bicep cover strips don't cover enough of the raised section. From memory, those cover strips are supposed to be 12-15mm. They're currently 15mm and match the forearm cover strip width.

 

Do I need to cut and shut them closer (they are extremely snug as it is) and then shim the back of the biceps, OR can I simply put a slightly wider cover strip, say 20mm on the front to cover more of the raised portion? 

Hi Chris,

 

With respect to the biceps cover strips, they are a bit thin for the raised edge proportionally but I think the overall look would be better by trimming some of the biceps seam on both the front and the back to bring the raised edges to the coverstrip instead of widening the coverstrips as this would put them out of proportion with the forearm coverstrips.  He seems to have enough room on the biceps to make this trim.

 

 

On 9/5/2024 at 11:35 PM, Slouch said:

Same deal with the ABS button covers on the belt. I read someone else's EIB application that they needed to be shaved down flush. Is that recommended or compulsory for higher levels of approval? Mine are probably 4-5mm thick, but unsure if I should remove and do them again. 

 

Glen's advice was correct to shave down the edges to create a flat base.  I see you have already done this.

 

9 hours ago, Slouch said:

Posterior plate currently has one snap. I'm going to install the second, but am worried the first is somewhat in the middle of where the two should go. Would you place it behind the first one or closer to the opening (cod piece?). I'm leaning towards behind and assume it won't be visible. Is there a spacing recommendation? 

I would add the snap behind the one in place.  In front may leave too small an area.  As Glen mentioned, you could always trim a bit in the front of the armour.

 

9 hours ago, Slouch said:

Shoulder Bridge table - I know it's recommended to remove the tabs at the rear if possible, but I've got quite broad shoulders and they won't otherwise reach. Would that get a pass? (provided they're squared up and sitting correctly).

Try to get the shoulder bridges more central to the back plate tabs as Glen mentioned.  The larger tabs on the back of the shoulder bridges will not affect approval, just overall look.

 

9 hours ago, Slouch said:

My Han snap - It's not perfectly in the corner of the chest plate. I don't want to damage the armour by moving it. I assume there would be some indentation. How much leeway do we have on that? (This is Centurion level, but I thought I should check now, while everyone is being so helpful!) I feel like a shim would look worse than the snap being 3-4mm to the left.

For basic approval, this would be fine, but we would ask for  it to be moved at Centurion level approval.

[Slouch[TK]]

11 hours ago, Deployment Officer Team said:

Hi Chris,

 

With respect to the biceps cover strips, they are a bit thin for the raised edge proportionally but I think the overall look would be better by trimming some of the biceps seam on both the front and the back to bring the raised edges to the coverstrip instead of widening the coverstrips as this would put them out of proportion with the forearm coverstrips.  He seems to have enough room on the biceps to make this trim.

 

 

Glen's advice was correct to shave down the edges to create a flat base.  I see you have already done this.

 

I would add the snap behind the one in place.  In front may leave too small an area.  As Glen mentioned, you could always trim a bit in the front of the armour.

 

Try to get the shoulder bridges more central to the back plate tabs as Glen mentioned.  The larger tabs on the back of the shoulder bridges will not affect approval, just overall look.

 

For basic approval, this would be fine, but we would ask for  it to be moved at Centurion level approval.

Thanks so much for the feedback - super helpful. 

 

I did manage to cut about 20mm out of the left bicep and reglue it. It looks so much better. I trooper this morning and here's how it's looking. I still need to do the left, but that's slightly cosier, so I'll see how I go. 

 

 

I'll try to heat and slightly redirect those shoulder bridges to get them sitting correctly/centred. 

 

I've lost a couple of kgs/pounds since those original pics were taken and have 2-3 more to go. I'm REALLY hoping I can bring the waist in to avoid shimming. 

I'll add that extra snap tonight, but it's all coming together.

[JBar[TK]]

That bicep looks great now. 20mm is a pretty significant visual change in a good way. My biceps were also small and I found if I squeezed them by their size they fit me better so I used a heat gun to alter their shape slightly and it made a big difference. Obviously you gotta be careful if you go that route but if they feel comfortable as is I'd leave them be. That one looks great

[Slouch[TK]]

On 9/11/2024 at 4:56 AM, JBar said:

That bicep looks great now. 20mm is a pretty significant visual change in a good way. My biceps were also small and I found if I squeezed them by their size they fit me better so I used a heat gun to alter their shape slightly and it made a big difference. Obviously you gotta be careful if you go that route but if they feel comfortable as is I'd leave them be. That one looks great

Thanks for that! I cut about 10mm out of the left. It was always a lot smaller ( i bought a kit that someone had done about 10% of the trimming on and that was one of the few bits that has stuffed me). 

 

Looks HEAPS better, but it's pretty cosy. I've removed pretty much every bit of return edge and reshaped a bit with a heat gun as best I could. The bottom of the bicep is pretty damn tight, but it's fine. If I find it restrictive on troops, I may go back and shim the back edge by 10mm, which won't be visible. 

 

 

Getting closer now!

[JBar[TK]]

No more bicep curls for you! Apparently there aren't dumbells in the Empire.

Glad you were able to find a solution