dougefresh

Brandon -- if painting is an insurmountable obstacle, I would honestly recommend extending your waiting period a bit, and saving up for an AP or a TM suit. There's also a new kit coming from the current producer of FX armor that looks promising. Those options are a bit more expensive than the FX, but trust me... almost everyone who gets seriously involved in this hobby gravitates towards screen-accurate armor at some point. Might as well get the good stuff right off the bat. I owned my FX suit for a whopping 4 months before I sold it on eBay for a more accurate kit. The more I learned about the real stormtrooper armor, and the available reproductions, the more and more dissatisfied I became with all the discrepancies in the FX armor. And mine's not an uncommon story... just somethin' to think about. Corey -- I've also heard the Movie FX is next-to-impossible to procure if you don't live in Germany. As Pablo said, there are plenty of customer stories floating around about horrific delivery schedules.

Movie FX is made in Germany-- I've seen quite a few pictures, and it's ridiculously thick armor. I saw a couple shots of it in the trimming/assembly stage, and couldn't believe how chunky the plastic is. I'm not 100% sure, but it definitely looks to be based off the TE-lineage, although the helmet has been really heavily modified. There's something very "off" about it. R2-Dan, here on the board, used to own a set... he would be a good person to ask.

I know there's a lot of men and women on this board-- in America, and elsewhere -- who have served, or are currently serving in the Armed Forces, so I just wanted to take a moment to convey my gratitude for all that you've done, and continue to do. Thanks for your bravery and valor! Much love and respect!

Amazing job, as always, Mark. Very inspiring!

I think that's very well put, Paul.

It gets kinda complicated, doesn't it? Also seems like we get the goal-posts moved on us every once in a while. What's totally contraband one day is suddenly acceptable the next, with not much offered in the way of explanation, unfortunately. Gets kinda confusing at times. Being that armor molds are ostensibly considered private property, a lot of the agreements and transfers happen behind closed-doors, and the prop-buying public has to play catch up sometimes to figure out who's who and what's what. While some shake-ups in the TK armor world have been more transparent than others, I often end up kind of scratching my head, wondering what the hell just happened. As for my lame $.02-- It seems to me like CAP-West should be regarded no differently than ATA, provided he replaces the TM, Crashmann and TE2 parts, or arrives at deal with those makers. It would be pretty glaringly inconsistent, in my opinion, if ATA got the green-light and CAP-West got labeled as taboo, since they're based off the same kit. All that said -- I think it would be nice for both CAP-West and ATA to make some sort of compensatory gesture towards TE2, being that he's the only maker who's "supposed" to be pulling new armor from the TE source material. I dunno-- maybe such a deal has been struck already, who knows? I know it's not my business, and I'm probably being a bit of a Pollyanna about it, but that would be the fair thing to do, IMHO.

Posts like this make me realize what a hopeless nerd I am. I enjoy stuff like that entirely too much. SOOOOOOO cool.

Rolf -- From Scootch, in a post here, about a month or two ago: " I'm in possession of the CAP bucks. I'd like to clarify what I have: Armor and faceplate 2005 TE Sandtrooper cap n back modified 2007 TE2 * Stormtrooper bits ie ab buttons and knee plate TM * TD cannister keypad Crashmann * * = to be replaced winter of 09 I do not limit myself to vac-forming trooper stuff exclusively, it is something I do for my friends and aquaintances. To date I've done more scratch build buck making and forming for people outside of Star Wars. I would like to be clear here that I am speaking for myself....... any pieces in my buck stash which are not 2005 TE will be replaced with hand made bucks by myself over the winter before I will offer suits to the 501st. I will not stoop to the lowness others have to report how CAP got the TM, and TE2 parts, I know who and why but it's not important. As far as the helmet I have been given the green light by the 501st to offer it to fellow members as it has been altered / improved. I'll have a new helmet in 2010. Mike is correct that there are so many ANH kits out now the concern should no longer be of "recasting" but more of quality assurance. What is necessary to the future of ANH trooper armor and getting people into it is Quality. Personally I'm more interested in the quality of a product than who has made it. "

I would strongly recommend it. You want to use really fine-grit (1500 or so) wet/dry sandpaper though-- that way you'll avoid a rough finish. Between that, and the priming, it will be smooth as glass. At the very least, if you get ATA armor, make sure you wash it really well before you paint it. He uses baby-powder as a release agent to help get the plastic off the molds, and if you don't wash it, the paint finish will be horrendous. A sponge, some warm water and a little Simple Green, or mild dishwashing soap will work great!

I have too many awesome toys. Boo hoo. Whatever will I do with this entire garage filled with Star Wars bada$$ness? Sure-- let me squeeze out a tear for you.

I did the same thing on Halloween -- baby wipes and a single fan; no problems whatsoever. My buddy didn't have a fan, and just used the wipes, had no problems either. I'm gonna carry a box in my armor tub from now on.

Agreed-- there aren't enough ESB troopers! I just ordered another lid, and am going ESB. Need to find handplates now.... And am wondering how to get dual utility out of a belt to make it interchangeable for ANH and ESB. Any suggestions?

Congrats, Terry! Absolutely fantastic armor! Well done, my friend!

Christoph-- I'm absolute crap with a spray can, and I got pretty decent results with the helmet I painted this summer. It's easier than you think. All you really need to do is take your time-- and be willing to do things over, if needed. I think you'll surprise yourself. Honestly. Follow the last set of videos in this link to the letter, and you'll do just fine, I bet: ------------

Hmmm... I guess the chest plate isn't FX, is it? Well now I'm just confused-- and curious. Why the weird notches in the backs of the knees on the thighs? And the single, undetailed ring on the back?

Fairly sure that's old-school GT / FX armor, Trevor.

Unfortunately, I can't answer that one-- I've only had the painted kit (ATA) for a couple months, and haven't really kicked the tires yet. I'm not even finished assembling the body armor! It seems like it's pretty resilient paint though. I put down 4 coats, so I suspect I'd have to rough it up pretty good to require a repaint. I kind like things scuffed up though, so I may not be the best guy to ask. My other 2 kits are ABS and High-Gloss HIPS, and they've held up brilliantly. You could ask Smitty about his lid, or Daetrin about his armor, as they both have been trooping in their painted TE2s for a long time.

TM's using ABS as well now. I want to say it's either 1.5 or 2mm. Paul -- please correct me if I'm wrong.

Haha! "Just wait! The Great Pumpkin will rise from the pumpkin patch and bring toys for all the good boys and girls! You'll see! He's coming! You'll be sorry!" How's that vindication feel, Paul? :D

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that little kids are usually pretty sweet and well-behaved when you're in costume, but they do tend get excited and often come rushing up to you, so it's easy to lose track of 'em. Once they get close to you, it becomes really hard to see where they're at. As we all know, it's damn-near impossible to look down when you have the bucket on, and if they try and hug you, or latch on to your leg, they're pretty much invisible. I have to be careful not to "glomp" THEM. Kids are usually nothing but fun -- unless they have toy lightsabers. Then they just can't wait to take a swing at ya'. Nip that crap in the bud. If you see a little ankle-biter squaring off in a batting stance, just shake your head or wag your finger. The helmet generally freaks 'em out a little bit, so it usually does the trick. I've only been out a few times, but I haven't really had any problems, thankfully. The only people I got any static from was 1 or 2 meatheads on Halloween, and that was 'cause they were tanked. Even then, I gave 'em a "WTF?" gesture and they knocked it off. 9 times out of 10, people just want your picture, tell you you're cool, or ask about the armor. It's definitely a kick. I hope you have a blast!

I haven't used the regular Rustoleum, but I have tried the Krylon "Fusion" paint before-- it's supposed to be chemically engineered to bond with plastic. It looked *okay*, but didn't have anywhere near the same luster and depth as the enamel.

Nope. It's really nice paint! It's enamel based, so you get a really cool candy-like shell when it cures, almost like auto-body paint. When you're finished, it will look like the helmet is made from super high-gloss ABS. You need prime first, to fill in any surface irregularities, and so the enamel has something to adhere to. The Rustoleum enamel doesn't bond well to bare plastic, apparently.

It does: Rustoleum Professional High Performance Enamel. Mike also suggests using sandable Rustoleum Painter's Touch primer. I had really positive results with that combo. Just make sure that whatever paint you use, you select the same brand for both the primer and the top coat. If you use Krylon primer, use Krylon paint. If you use Rustoleum primer, use Rustoleum paint, etc. Apparently, mixing brands with primers and paints can yield some pretty gnarly results.

I hear ya'. The acronyms get a little overwhelming sometimes. We're worse than teenage girls sending text messages TE stands for "Trooper Expert". -- He was basically the guy who started the whole "screen-accurate" phenomenon in the hobby. He was the first person to get his hands on an Return of the Jedi set of armor and a couple helmets from A New Hope. He has since sold those moulds, and is now only producing ROTJ armor and helmets. TE2 stands for "Trooper Expert 2", and is the moniker being used by the maker who purchased the original TE's set of moulds. He currently produces armor in HIPS, but usually does so in limited runs. The advantages of ABS are durability and strength. It's a bit more rugged, and more tear & crack resistant than HIPS. The disadvantages are that it typically doesn't yield as much detail and sharpness as HIPS. It's a little bit more difficult to cut and bend during assembly as well. ABS comes with a high-gloss finish, and doesn't require painting. HIPS, although somewhat less resilient than ABS, lends itself to very sharp detail. It's also an easier material to vac-form, which is why you see more armor being made from it. During assembly, it's very easy to trim, and shape... slightly more so than ABS. It is, however, a bit less durable and may require reinforcing, or periodic maintenance, if you troop a lot. Lastly, HIPS typically comes in a matte finish and requires sanding, priming and painting to achieve a high-gloss finish.