RogueTrooper

The last time I heard, the full AP kit (helmet and armor) is around 628€ + 137€ for overseas shipping and handling. But, don't hold my feet to the fire, check with Mark Harrison first As for the color tone, I can tell a big difference...

TK Bondservnt 2392 1000 post!!!! CONGRATS VERN!!!! Happy 1000 post Vern!! Tom

Here are my two real scopes, M38 and M19. The M38 is 135mm or 5-9/32" long and the M19 is 108mm or 4-7/32" long. Hope it helps you out. Sorry for the RogueTrooper watermark, but I have had someone use these pix on ebay in a bogus auction to dupe somebody out of their money and I don't want to see that happen again.

I know you said your budget is 500€. The one thing that most of the armor vendors/makers will allow you to do is a lay-away. So if your are looking at painting or the polish method of the HIPS as something that you don't want to tackle, then like Terry said, ABS would be the way to go. It may cost you a little bit more to purchase it, but you should also consider the cost of buying the products to finish the HIPS (buying paint supplies or buying rubbing compounds and a buffer, etc.). You could put the money that you spend on the supplies to offset the difference that you would spend to purchase an ABS kit. Like Terry said and I agree, you might want to look into the AM lite and possibly any one of the more accurate helmets like TE2, AP and ATA, etc. In fact, right now Mark (ABS80) has a sale going on for his AP helmet kits with minor flaws at $110 USD. Here is the link:----- You don't have to buy everything at once. You can purchase your helmet first and then your armor or vice versa. One thing that I also want to ask, is your budget the 500€, just for your armor, or is it your total budget for everything? Have you considered the other things you must have like, underarmor, boots, neck seal, gloves, belt, holster and blaster. Not to mention if you want to have upgrades like fans in your helmet to keep yourself cool (I strongly urge that) and little add ons like the ROMFX voice amp/sound effects. Like I said, you don't have to purchase everything at once, but do not jump in to anything, until you consider all your options and what you want to put into it monetarily and physically.

The lid looks a little like the Rubies.. I hope that someone does not buy it that wants the jump into trooping.... that would not be funny.

Nothing against polishing HIPS, if that is a route anyyone wants to take. Anything can be polished or buffed to a certain degree of lustre, but one of the factors that I have to play devils advocate on is the normal white HIPS that most of these kits are made from are a stark white, which is not the same color tone as what the original screen used suits were. They were a "milk" white. So if you are standing beside someone that has a more accurate color tone, you will see a difference. The stark white will stand out and may look a little odd. That's just my two cents worth.

Here is another for the "Well, where do you get your suit/costume?" Answer: I have no idea what you are talking about??? I'm not wearing a costume...

Top notch job Keith

I got to mess with one of the Hyperfirm E11 (ESB version) at C5. I would say it weighs about one & half, maybe two Nerf footballs. VERY LIGHT!!

Hey Jessie, FX is really no longer being made. The only way to find them now is recast on Ebay. I strongly urge you to stay away from that. AM (Armor Master)also known as Tupperware has replaced it. It is made from ABS and it has much sharper details and is a lot more accurate than the old FX. AM is still going to be for the larger size Trooper like the old FX. They are re-working the lid, but no definite confirmation on it. You can get the AM in a "lite" kit, which means that you will receive everything except the helmet and mic kit. This means that you can then get a more accurate helmet, like ATA, TM, TE2, etc. The only drawback is that your helmet and armor may not match color tone, but the original screen used ANH and ESB Stunt lids were made from a khaki HDPE and then painted white. But, the armor was made out of a milk white ABS. So if you went with the AM armor and some one elses lid, you would be in step with the original screen used suits. Your height is OK for an AM, but you might have to do alot of trimming to the suit to fit your frame. If you want to see AM armor look into the newer builds by Terry and Brian. They should give you a lot of insight into the AM armor. ----------- ATA is a great kit. It is probably the cheapest priced kit. But, that doesn't mean that it lacks in quality. It is going to be closer to your body frame without having to do a lot of trimming to it. It is made from HIPS which will need to be painted. So that is something that you have to consider in that you will have a little more work to do with a HIPS kit. A lot of people swear by it. You mentioned TE2. It is also made out of HIPS. Both ATA and TE2 are very similar to one another. I have seen people mention that the TE2 is slightly sharper than ATA in certain areas. In my opinion the ATA and TE2 would be better suited for you size wise. The original screen used suits were cast for an aveage size man, 5'10" and around 160 lbs. and that is what ATA and TE2 were patterned after. You said that you are 5'9" and 125 lbs., so these should be a better fit for you. So this is my two cents worth, hope it helps.

I am glad to hear that your are out of your gear, Mike. It reminds of an old sitcom called I Love Lucy, where Lucy was playing around and got a trophy cup stuck on her head. She ended up riding the subway to get downtown to someone to help her cut the thing off. So that popped to mind when I saw the post. The motto here is "Troopers Help Troopers". I think the other motto should be: "Troopers don't let other Troopers get dressed alone".

Wasn't that a SPIKE TV ad for one of their SW marathons?

Soft, Loss of detail. Looks to me to be a recast of TE ROTJ LID.

Thanks for the complement Terry, I'm always glad to help

"Well, where do you get your suit/costume?" Answer.: A long time ago, in a Galaxy far, far away.... "Why are you so dirty?" Answer: Cause I just back from Tatooine and haven't had time to drop my suit off at the Imperial cleaners "When they ask if it's hot in there" Answer: Being hot didn't even occur to me. So thanks for bring that up!

To quote Master Yoda "Do or do not, there is no try". It is possible for a beginner to accomplish a skillful paint job. Let me give you some tips. Preparation is always paramount when it comes to painting. If you do get an ATA kit or any other kit that the armor is made of HIPS, don't try painting the parts before you have assembled your kit. Most glues do not adhere well to painted surfaces. So, once your kit is assembled and all is test fitted for you the way you want it to look, then follow these simple steps: 1.Lightly go over the surface of the suit with a Scotch Brite or Dooby style pad. 2.Clean the surface of your suit with a mild detergent and rinse well. This will help to remove anything from the HIPS that could compromise the paint job like oil from your fingers, and dirt. As an added step, use isopropyl alcohol 70% not 90% (like what you would find in a local drug store). 3.Once you have cleaned the surface and it is dry, go over it with a tack cloth to remove any dust or debris(available at hardware and home improvement stores). 4. Do not paint inside your house. The aerosol fumes are extremely toxic. Work in a well ventilated area, wear a dust/paint mask. Use a drop cloth or newspaper to help keep the area clean. If you do have to paint outside (like most do)then make sure you are not working underneath trees, work in an open area. Also make sure you are not near anyones vehicle because the overspray might blow on to it. 5. Anytime you are painting, the weather will affect the outcome of the paint job. Don't work in too hot or too cold temperatures. This will affect the way the paint flows. Also, humidity and rain will affect it, as well. Read the directions on the aerosol paint can and see what the manufacturers recommended parameters are to achieve the best results. 6. I always believe in priming the surface first with a good primer. This will help the paint to adhere to the HIPS better and help you spot any debris or problems with the surface before you start coating it with the gloss paint. If you do see any problems after priming, it is easier to fix before you spray with gloss paint. When it comes to aerosol primer, there are usually four basic colors: light grey, rust tone, dark grey and white. If you can get the white primer, that would be my first choice, since you are painting in white. To find white aerosol primer, you will have to go to a pro paintshop. But you can use the light grey primer. It will take a few more coats of the white gloss to cover the grey primer, but the grey is easier to find in most stores. 7. Once the primer is dry, and you are ready to start applying your gloss coat, before spraying any gloss, go over the surfaces with a tack cloth (to remove any dust or debris). Now you are ready to start spraying the gloss coat. 8.When painting or priming, always spray light, even, strokes, doing it is stages of several coats. This will help prevent any runs, overspray or splotchy looking paint. Read the directions on the paint can for the "do's and don'ts". If you do have any debris, runs, orange peel, do not try to correct until the paint has completely dried. Messing with it while the paint is wet will only make it worse. You can sand out and fix any small areas and re-paint them. 9.Once you have achieved a good even paint job, let the paint cure. Paint may look and feel dry, but it is still soft. Messing with an uncured paint job may result in getting blemishes, dents and fingerprints in the finished surface. So just set it indoors somewhere warm and safe. Do not set near any heaters, stoves, fireplaces, etc. The soft paint may need to cure for at least a week, maybe longer, depending on the temperature and humidity. A little tip; take a scrap piece of the HIPS and paint it in the same stages as you painted your suit. When you want to check and see if the paint has cured, you can test the scrap piece and not have to mess with your armor. 10.Once the paint has cured and if you see any blemishes such as dust, debris, rough areas, etc.you can wet sand the paint. Wet sanding is a process of using fine grit sandpaper with warm water. The type of sandpaper that you need is the kind that they use for automotive paint jobs (600 up to 2,000 grit). Do not use the regular sandpaper that you would use for wood, it is too harsh and leaves deep sanding marks in gloss paint. The process of wet sanding: Take the sandpaper and dip it into a container of clean warm water. Also slightly wet the painted surface you are working on. Using even pressure, go over the painted surface to take out any debris, dust, orange peel, etc. You will notice after a point, a murkiness to the water on the surface of what you are wet sanding and also on the sandpaper. Dip the sandpaper into the clean water and rinse the surface that you are wet sanding to remove this murkiness. Repeat this step often, changing the water periodically. The cleaner you can keep the surface and sandpaper, the better the results. 11. Once you have wet sanded the surface and achieved a clean even level to the paint job, you will then notice a dullness to the finish. To bring the glossy look back to the finish, there are different rubbing compounds that you can purchase at most automotive parts stores. The rubbing compounds are numbered. The number level indicates the level of the abraisivness of the rubbing compound. Usually the higher the number, the finer the rubbing compound. By working your way up to the finer level compound, you will achieve a higher gloss to the finish. Once you have returned the paint to a glossy surface, you can protect the finish by using a UV protected car wax. The car wax will not only give a lustre, but it will also help protect the paint from becoming faded/yellowed. A major tip: Always do test before painting the suit. My suggestion, if you have not done a lot of painting, is to do test to get familiar with the process. Purchase a few of the plastic "For Sale" signs that you can find at hardware and home improvement stores. The plastic "For Sale" signs are made from HIPS and you will get a sense of how the priming and painting will go. All I can say is don't sweat it if you make any mistakes. That is part of the process of learning. If you do have questions, just ask. Whatever kit that you decide on, whether it is made of HIPS or ABS, just take your time and enjoy the project. This is not a sprint, it is a marathon.

Nice build John, can't wait to see the red paint go on it....

Very Nice This kinda makes me like the prequels. I love the lines about Anakin: I pout like a small boy, why does she love? He pouts like a small boy, in him what does she see? good stuff...

Top notch looking SW group of weapons for got there, Derek They would look great in a lighted glass display case.

Hey Matt, For vario pliers and Snaps, check your local cloth shops, the Tandy leather and Craft stores, like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. For a Rivet gun, check the Hardware / Home improvement store. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/

Glad that you got your money back Jesse. Ebay/PayPal is good about that now. But for the first few years ebay was up, it was the Wild Wild West, anything goes...

Nice armor Steve!

Hi Stig, I see that this is your first post...Welcome to the FISD! I don't want to talk about this armor or seller anymore. I will state that there is alot of great vendors that are on the FISD, Like TM, ATA, TE2, T/MC, AM RT-Mod... Just start here:http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showforum=38 You will find what you are looking for.... BTW, Stig, you might want to introduce yourself in the new members area, so everyone can welcome you and get to know ya Here is the link:http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showforum=5

The seller just needs to get a portable device like a blackberry, so they can take care of business He can get one on Ebay

Bill, I wasn't trying to be harsh in this situation. I have had similar situations with items off of Ebay with people who have 100% feedback as well. By six weeks going by and not hearing anything from the seller, wouldn't you be bothered by that? Since the seller has not communicated with Allen in anyway, Ebay would like to document this, so if it is necessary to escalate the claim, Ebay will have all the information at hand to make their decision. The resolve center is not only to protect the buyer, but the seller, also. I wasn't trying to send anyone out with pitch forks and torches to drag this person out, but only to say that you do an option to resolve this.