70th Explorers Garrison: Forums

Hello everyone! I've been lurking on the forums and checking out other websites and it looks like most info is traded through PMs.

I've been digging around and I'm honestly a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information out there on Stormtrooper armor. I had no clue how much you have to sift through! There are tutorials on making your own molds to buying a 100% complete outfit. I'm more of an in between person looking to get a suit mostly complete yet wouldn't mind saving money by putting some of the stuff together myself. I'd LOVE to have it complete no later than Halloween, so no idea if that changes some considerations.

Obviously my goal is to have it as high quality as possible so I can officially apply to the 501st. Money really isn't much of an issue. I trust that many of you have been through this many times before so I'd like some advise/opinions on where I should start. I'd like to have a complete set of armor as soon as I can. I'm also looking for going ABS to withstand trooping, assuming the ABS armor can be modified to allow me to sit

Thank you again for helping a noobie like myself out LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!

Edit: I'd like to add that Curt graciously pointed me towards www.whitearmor.net. I've been looking over their site as well but again, a bit of an information overload. Specifically I think I like the ESB TK armor the best.

ok, here is a run down for you

AM-(ABS plastic) fan sculped armor ment for guys 5' 10" - 6' 2". this armor replaced the old FX kit. if you go this route, buy a lite kit (no helmet) and get a better looking helmet.

TE-(HIPS plastic) where to start..... matt has horrible buisness practices. his armor is cast directly off of a ROTJ screen used suit. it is horribly over priced and he has made people wait YEARS for their stuff. stay away!

TM-(ABS plastic) THE best ANH armor out there- fan sculpted, but ment to fit a guy 5'8-6' 130- 160 lbs. in other words, if your not shaped like a screen tk, forget it.

ATA-(HIPS plastic) makes kick a$$ helmets and armor. agian, screen sized, derrived from the TE suit and updated to TE2 standards. 5'8"-6' 130-160 lbs

CAP west-(HIPS plastic) known recaster, has not made any effort to legitimize his molds with TE like ATA did. it is exactly the same as the ATA suit. priced slightly higher.

TE2- same as TE but matt sold the molds to TE2. yet TE sells armor still? wierd huh?

DL-(abs plastic) when this armor is done (he is sculpting it now) it will rival the TM armor in accuracy and durability. screen sized suit like ATA, TE, TM....ECT

VT, PT, they are e-bay. also recasts like the CAP-west suits and very low quality. trik toys is another to avoid, he will rip you off with low quality as well.

Thanks for the info, thats quite helpful.

I've been thinking of going ABS based off of its durability. I'm about 5'-11" weighing about 175 lbs. If I got back into P90X like earlier this year I could get back down to 160 pretty easy

here is the thing about abs. it is strong, however its streangths are also its achilies heel. see, my mom has a set of very nice ATA armor in black HIPS. i painted this suit to be a TX, and it out shines anyTX ABS suit. i can also bend the plastic on the thighs and forearms to extreame angles without tearing or cracking. never ever do that to ABS parts, they will rip and crack because its an extreame the plastic cant take. the new TM armor is the first to have a new plastic on the abdomen and back that flex with the user. more like rubermade. the rest of the suit is still ABS. HIPS takes E-6000 extreamly well and since the glue and armor flex together its a great combo. ABS requires harsher glues. E-6000 still works, but you have to sand off the glossy layer on any surface you are bonding to. some HIPS suits are cheep, you can get a set of ATA for under 400 big ones, and has all the body armor and a sweet helmet.

in a nutshell, if you plan on playing tackle football in it, go ABS. normal trooping, a HIPS suit is better. its more affordable, lighter and easier to repair when failures happen. but, thats my opinion.

So ATA would be who you would recommend going with? Again, stupid question but who/what is ATA and how would I get in contact with them? Again, forgive my noobish questions but thank you very much for your help!

Forgot to mention two more types: RT-Mod & AP. The RT suit is ABS and is a fan-sculpt, like AM & TM. It is built for larger/taller folks in mind but can be sized down somewhat like AM. It is also is still more accurate-looking than AM, but not as much as TE2, ATA or AP. I have an RT suit as my TK and I love it. As I'm 6'3" it's difficult for me to fit correctly into the more screen-accurate suits, and although I have done it in the past, the RT is more comfortable and so I stuck with it. The helmet is nice and is somewhere between the asymmetrical style of the screen helmets and the symmetrical FX bucket.

AP is also ABS and can trace its lineage to an ROTJ tour suit like TE/TE2. Much of its makeup is like TE2 or ATA except for a few things, such as using the same pieces for both arms rather than having a distinct left & right. I had a set of this armor and assembled it and was in the process of converting it into a sandy when I changed my mind and sold it to help finance my clone build. It is quite nice, and AP is good to deal with. The helmet is definitely on the small side but looks great and is sturdy.

What choosing a suit really comes down to is how much work you want to put into it and how you are going to use it (heavy trooping vs lighter trooping). AM & RT are the easiest to put together and don't require as much skill as many of the parts have flanges that clearly mark where pieces are to be glued/Velcroed together. AP, TE2, ATA, etc. are all untrimmed and thus need more work before assembly. As long as you take your time and measure three times before making cuts, they will come out fine.

Lots of choices out there, but by taking into consideration some personal info you can narrow it down and choose the type that is best for you!

yep, i forgot those. sorry.... sounds like based on your size you would be better off with a screen accurate set of armor. i can send you ATA's contact info if you like. most screen suits need paint, or future floor shine works great. even novuis polis would be good. shoot me a line and i can get you in touch with him.

I thought I'd chime in on this also because I have a AP suit. It has a been a great suit to trooping in. It has screen linage if your looking for that and AP is great to work with. It's bit of process to assemble, but there a lot of tutorials over on whitearmor.net to help. It's a good fit for someone close to screen trooper size and wants something in ABS.
I have heard good things about AM, TE2, ATA, RT and TM. I really want a TE2 or TM set if I ever get a another set of armor. To get a really glossy look TE2, and ATA need to be painted. Not a big deal but just another step in the process of assembling your armor.
Like it been said before there are a lot of choices out there. Keep doing your research and find out what is important to you, i.e. ease of assembly, screen accuracy, fit to body type, etc and you'll find the suit that works the best for you.

While I'd love something really easy to build, I think in the long run I'd rather have something more screen accurate.

Can you modify any of the suits to allow sitting or can that only be done with a certain type of material? Also, that doesn't void being 501st quality, does it?

I would say that any suit can be modded to sit it. I can sit in my FX armor and I know others that can sit in their different brands as well. You just have to be more careful when you do sit in a non ABS set because the plastic is thinner and can crack easier.

Actually, most of the kits of armor out there are already set up so that you can sit down. FX was the only one I am aware of in which the kidney and butt pieces were one piece, and even its replacement (AM) now comes in two pieces just like they are in ANH & ESB. I had to cut my FX kidney/butt into two pieces to aid in sitting, but that's something you won't have to worry about anymore.

If accuracy is the main point your are looking for, I would look at ATA, AP, and TE2 (TM being extra-expensive because of shipping from the UK). For those you also have the additional step in butt-joining the arms & legs and cutting finishing strips to hide the seams. It really gives the suits that added screen-accurate look, and it's a solid fit that you won't have to worry about coming undone.

TK-1161 Curt wrote:I would say that any suit can be modded to sit it. I can sit in my FX armor and I know others that can sit in their different brands as well. You just have to be more careful when you do sit in a non ABS set because the plastic is thinner and can crack easier.

ATA pulls his armor in 1 mm hips now. far more durable and forgiving than CAP-W .80 or TE. really all that is needed to sit is what i did to andy's FX, split the butt and kidney plates (if you order a screen suit its alreday done) then split the abdomen from the cod plate using the belt to hide the cut. sitting is a lot easier with that little mod.

I just got in touch with ATA. Looks to be a wait list of 2-4 weeks which isn't bad. So in the meantime what tools should I be getting? Looks to me like the specialized glue, tons of clamps and a dremmel (can never spell that). What type of paint should be used for the armor?

Also he said its 80 gauge 2 mm HIPS.

looks like i need a new set, he went with thicker plastic! it will be just as durable as FX at 1.5mm.