dougefresh

I'm hugely appreciative of the efforts Paul makes, as an artist, a supplier and a contributor on the board. He's awesome. But I think AP has a fantastic attitude as well -- he makes a great suit, he delivers on time, and he stays out of the mudslinging. Sure, he could bundle his kit with some nicer accessories, but the fact that he's dependable, consistent and low-key goes a LONG way. He provides a nice product, and he doesn't succumb to the kind of self-aggrandizing dumba$$ery we see from some of the other makers. What's not to like?

Okay, this probably reveals way too much about my level of nerdery, but does this thread remind anyone else of LEGO Star Wars? I feel like you've all been pulling the "helmet changer" lever. Just waiting for a Jedi with an Indiana Jones hat.

I'm dying to know -- did you hear firsthand from AP that his moulds originate from an ESB suit, and not the GF moulds? That'd be pretty earthshaking news. As far as I know it, all the screen-lineage armor floating around comes from 2 helmets and 1 set of armor-- Have we been wrong about that assumption this whole time? **Edit: oops, forgot about the ROTJ helmets out there **

Wow! Vern-- you must have been typing your post at the same time I was typing mine. Did AP really say that his moulds come from an ESB suit? It was always my understanding that AP was essentially a new name for the GF moulds, with a reworked helmet. (For the benefit of anyone who may not know, GF's armor was purportedly based on the same ROTJ suit as TE and Gino) Is that not the case? Whoa -- that would be HUGE news! Someone got a hold of a DIFFERENT original stormtrooper suit?!?!?

Hmm. Some interesting assertions made here. Just a couple notes: ATA isn't a fan sculpt. It's basically 4th generation TE. The Dan Laws helmets, and upcoming armor, ostensibly aren't fan-sculpts either, presuming he's working with *some* form of the moulds he created for TE. I'll preface my comments by saying that I *really* like AP kits-- they look amazing, but... Something to consider when calling them "the most accurate"... Being that TE/TE2 derived from the same ROTJ suit that AP did, but have the benefit of having unique arms and legs, and not duplicates, I would argue that TE/TE2 is a bit closer to what's seen on screen. It's also my opinion that the AP helmet (particularly the faceplate) has been cleaned up and sanitized a bit more than the TE/TE2 lids. Gino's stuff provides a good contender for "most accurate" as well, but being that it's so rare, and I've only seen it in pictures, I don't have a very educated opinion about it. All I know is Brak's Buddie's sandtrooper looks friggin' sweet! I dunno -- the TM may not share the screen pedigree the other armor does, but ironically, I think it actually benefits from that fact in some ways... The shoulder bells, for instance, seem far closer to the screen suits, IMO. And the same for the chest plate. The cod and ab pieces also seem *visually* more similar to the original ANH suits than the modified ROTJ suits to me as well. However, these are all purely esthetic similarities, since Paul built these from scratch and didn't cast them from an original prop. As for the thighs being overly curved-- yes, the curves are a *hair* exaggerated, but personally, I like it. AP/TE2/GF/ATA/CAP, etc. all seem a little blunted to me in comparison to the armor on film. ------------- Granted, I think it's pretty conspicuous -- and kind of funny -- that so far all the respondents have been TM owners (myself included), but that kind of makes my point: We all seem to have our favorites, and we seem to lobby fairly vocally that our favorite brand is "the most accurate". It's always fun to discuss this stuff though-- I'm glad you brought the topic up. I know I really enjoy hearing everyone's knowledge and opinions... I feel like I walk away a little smarter (or more obsessed? ) after these kinds of threads.

Bah, nothin'! Looks great!

I thought it was weird when I first saw it too, but it's actually really easy. I use the same method on both my kits now. The elastic follows the tops of your shoulders, across your back and neck. You slip in one arm, like normal, and then pass the other parts to your free hand, stretching the elastic across your back, behind your head. Then you slip in the other arm. Bamn! Done. It works AWESOME. Holds everything nice and snug in place, gives you a greater range of motion, makes less noise, and I imagine it will come in pretty handy during bathroom breaks, since you can remove the chest, back and ab plates if you need to, without ever having to disconnect the arms.

I'm 34, and I get pumped for Halloween. Most of my friends do too. Definitely one of my favorites. This year, I'm stoked to go out in my new TM. My girlfriend's going as Leia. Can't wait! Nate-- Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet! You need to come to Denver-- there's a guy who lives in my neighborhood who's built the Ecto-One and drives it around every once in a while-- and always busts it out on Halloween. I freak out every time I see it.

Do what ya' gotta' do, Smitty. We got your back!

Kev-- I got the exact same results with my left bicep. There's no return in the mould, so no return in the part. I'm gonna use a modeling iron to make my own... or at least try. Your butt looks good. ... ... wait a second... that didn't come out right...

Yup-- he's making lids now, and is reported to be working on armor as well.

Hmmmm.... the photos look suspiciously like items I've seen from Star Fortress. I'd be pretty skeptical about this stuff. I may be wrong, but this one sends up some red flags, IMO.

I have yet to see any of his helmets with the oval detail. In all the photos I've seen, it's been removed. Pretty ballsy, if you ask me, given he sells them for upwards of $1,000. He does really nice work, don't get me wrong. His helmets are beautiful... But if I laid out that kind of cash for "the most uber, crazy accurate helmet in the known universe" and discovered it had been deliberately tampered with, I'd be pretty friggin' steamed.

Good call, Christaan!

Dude-- we are totally on the same page then! It's completely possible to achieve that look with an ATA-- you just have to fiddle with it. The faceplate needs to sit a little lower in the cap-n-back, and be tilted forward. You can also trim a little curve into the brow line, so that it arcs up over the eyes a bit. Just BE CAREFUL. Only remove a *small* amount at a time, until you get the curve you want. The only downside is that you might end up with a small gap between the left ear and the cap. Just like the Dave M helmet. Do a search here for GundamZepplin and check out his rig. I think he NAILED the high brow look. I tried to get my ATA to look like his. And of course, Mike Harrison's Sandtrooper is just about the coolest thing on planet earth, so you might wanna look him up on the MEPD site too.

AP only sells on eBay occasionally-- typically if he has extras, or a "b" pull, which is pretty infrequent. FX body armor is acceptable to get you in the 501st, but I believe the guy from the UK in this thread is selling knockoff FX. No bueno. If you're interested in FX, do some searching for Tupperware TK and get the genuine article. I'd recommend getting the FX Lite kit (no bucket), and a screen-accurate helmet. Just my $.02.

Lookin' good! If you're going for the Stunt look, I'd tilt the faceplate forward just a little more, to raise the brow a bit. Then again, I'm obsessed with troopers with a higher-brow, so take my advice with a car-sized grain of salt.

GREAT photos, Billy! Thanks so much for posting these up! Can I ask who made the TX? TM? I don't quite recognize it. Looks fantastic! Ooooooooooooh ... I want one of the new TrooperMaster helmets so bad!

The guy in the UK is selling FX recast. AP is a reputable supplier who's been providing really nice, screen-accurate trooper armor for years now. Is AP in New York now? I thought he was still in Canada.

The Hengstler fell off my Hyperfirm after I dropped it, and I used CA glue to stick it back on. It's been holding fine for a year-and-a-half and counting.

You've always been one of us, Pablo -- congrats on making it official!

I had one of those in my bucket when I purchased it from Pete, and it's *very* well put together... however, in my experience, the eye-holes did match up with the lenses in the helmet, and all of my efforts to correct it fell short-- the lining would keep trying to shift around in the bucket and cover the lenses. You might have better luck, but I found it just wasn't a good fit.

I ripped the lining out of a tee-ball helmet and put it in my TM. Works like a charm. 15 bucks. Not bad! ----------- If you want, I can snap a couple of pics of it inside the helmet when I get home tonight-- just lemme know.

Whoah! Dennis-- that turned out incredibly! I agree with Paul... the only thing that would make this better is MORE of them! Really well done!

BADA$$!!!!!!!