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HeloTrooper

Member
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About HeloTrooper

Member Title

  • Position
    Centurion

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male

FISD Info

  • Centurion Granted Date
    20130207
  • EIB Awards
    1
  • EIB Cohorts
    ANH-H

Standard Info

  • Name
    Andy
  • 501st ID
    5224
  • 501st Unit
    Dune Sea Garrison
  1. Please put me down for 2 pairs XL. Thanks!
  2. The original theatrical releases were included as additional content on bonus DVDs at one time... I also have them.
  3. Interested in any Stormtrooper pieces or ESB Boba Fett items...
  4. Truly excellent, Niels... incredible detail and subtlety. Very cool.
  5. Looking good - a lot of subtlety there. I'm sure this is going to come out awesome!
  6. Are you asking if you should buy this kit, or you already bought it and you want to know how it looks? First, it's excellent that you're motivated to become a TK and sport the white armor. I've always been of the opinion that any Stormtrooper armor is better than NO Stormtrooper armor. Having said that, this armor has a LONG way to go to meet FISD standards. If you want specific recommendations, I'd suggest posting more pictures with more detail. I don't mean to be cague, but your pictures are grainy and not very clear... it's hard to make out some of the things we look for. For starters, you would need to address: *Helmet (way out of proportion) *Boots (not the correct ones) *Ab plate is very wrong - looks like one of the FX variations *Belt is way too big These are just very general observations. I encourage you to post more pics with more clarity so we can really get a look at ya. Don't be discouraged - making it right is a process, and one you will learn from. Dig in for the long haul, Trooper!
  7. Thanks, Ron. I'm by no means an expert in this... I really ought to defer to the the real veterans for their perspective and commentary. I believe "NE" stands for "No Excuses" (been asking around about this to verify)... I do know that NE is the latest iteration in a long line of armor that began its run many years ago as FX (just putting those two letters together on these forums can be blasphemous, so I hope you all will forgive me). FX eventually turned into AM (Armor Master)... and now NE is being offered from an updated set of moulds. It's very difficult to pin down the lineage of the moulds (it's fan sculpted, but the FX moulds have been cannibalized over and over again for over a decade), and many people take issue with the accuracy and proportions of the armor itself - whether you view these details as a problem is a personal choice. Let me be clear - I'm not suggesting NE armor is re-cast. I'm simply saying that the evolution of the FX family tree is difficult to map. These armors have always managed to be the most widely distributed (FX-style castings are probably the most common on eBay, and NE can be purchased from Troopergear and Tupperware TK). Perhaps it finds a very large market because the kits come trimmed and almost 100% complete (to include pre-sewn velcro on the elastic straps, and ABS cement). Out of the box, these kits do not seem as intimidating as other armors - they are well packaged, with excellent attention to detail. Overall, I believe folks find it to be a very good value. As for fit, NE is purported to best fit larger frames. It's ABS, and allegedly much easier to assemble than most of the other kits. The helmet is a bit bigger than it ought to be, with acceptable detailing. For the record, I have never built an NE kit (although my first armor was Armor FX 13 years ago). Hope this answers the mail... I no doubt left out something important or gooned something up, but hopefully others can chime in to fill in the gaps. Troop on!
  8. Mathias - Thanks for the corrections - I was a bit overzealous and impatient in responding. That's what I get for attempting to paraphrase... - Andy
  9. EDIT - there are a few corrections to this reply in the post following - please be sure to read. Kevin - Your questions is well-placed, but encompasses a great deal. There's no short list of answers that will really capture all that's different - and that CAN BE different - about the 3 armorers you're talking about. Generally speaking, each armor has a range of folks that it will fit best on (for example, RT-Mod is known to result in a better fit for larger/heavier troopers). The three armors you bring up here are best suited to folks in the range of the original movie actors, around 5'7" - 6', somewhere between 150-180 lbs. This doesn't mean you can't wear the armor if you are outsuide this range - it just means it tends to end up fitting a little better without adjustment (i.e., shimming or over-trimming). And, believe it or not, how the armor fits you has as much to do as anything else (i.e., accuracy) with whether or not you're approved at EIB/Centurion levels. All 3 can be built to EIB/Centurion standards - you'll find many among the thread here (take a look at the EIB/Centurion application threads - the kind of armor is listed in the application title). The things you listed (color, cost, wait time, shipping, and how the molds were made) do in fact make up the majority of the difference between the armors. It is precisely for these very differences that people often choose one armor over the other - lineage and cost being chief among them. To the untrained eye, well-assembled and well-fitting suits sitting side by side will be very very hard to distinguish. There are differences, but they are fairly subtle and difficult to detect if you're just beginning to figure this all out. I encourage you to read the info at the link posted above by Brenton, but in a very limited nutshell, here's what you need to know to start your journey... *Trooper Master armor is fan-sculpted. This means that Paul painstakingly recreated the movie armor look with little more than his well-calibrated eye, and a ton of research. It is nothing short of remarkable - the results are amazing. Paul is also one of the only armorers who does a Hero helmet in ABS, so if you prefer the Hero look, that may matter to you. TM armor is recognized as some of the most beautiful armor in existence, and for good reason - it is. TM is made in limited quantities and comes from across the pond, hence a higher cost out-of-the-box. You can also commission Paul to build the suit for you - but it will cost you. If I remember correctly, TM is acrylic-capped 1.5mm ABS. Insanely accurate when compared to screen-used armor. *RS Prop Masters armor is cast from molds that were taken from screen-used armor... for the most part (a few of the items were not available for casting). RS is recognized as the only viable and available first-generation casting of screen-used armor. You can get it in either PVC (which is a brighter white, and a bit more resilient in terms of "trooping") or their custom-batched ABS. RS is not as limited in it's production because Rob & Si have done a great job "commercializing" their operation without losing the personal touch that this hobby requires. Nonetheless, there's usually a bit of a wait because so many folks are signing on for their armor. Again, their armor is making the trans-Atlantic journey to you, so the out-of-the-box cost is among the highest out there, but it is worth it. RS can also be commissioned to build the armor for you, but it comes at a premium. Stunt is usually the only option, but it wouldn't surprise me if they had some off-the-menu capability to do a Hero helmet if you really wanted it. Insanely accurate when compared to scree-used armor. *ATA is Affordable Trooper Armor, not only in name, but literally. Terrell's armor is among the most - if not THE most - cost-effective otpions. Strictly speaking in terms of $$$, you cannot buy a respectable set of armor for less money unless you pick one up second-hand. What's more, ATA is screen-derived, meaning the original linegage of the molds goes back to the movie suits. It is not, however, a first-generation casting (like the RS suits) - someone else here can tell you how many generations the molds have gone through, but the numbers won't change the fact that Terrell still fields an excellent looking suit for an exceptional price. It is available with the Stunt helmet only. His armor is 2mm ABS, so it may be a little hardier than the 1.5mm stuff (it makes a little difference in weight, and - according to some - it stands up just a little better to trooping). I know that at one time Terrell was offering his suits in HIPS, but I think he hasn't cast a HIPS kit in a couple years. There is ALWAYS a long wait for white ATA kits - right now I think it's 8 months. But, that tells you something about his product too. Remember that, since all of them represent great quality in casting, how these particular kits are built has more to do with how they'll look on you, and whether or not they're approved. You're in the right place to find the info - just make sure you do your research before taking the plunge. Not just into the armor, but into how it all goes together, strapping systems, assembly techniques, etc. Finally, avoid the temptation to buy armor off eBay... unless you can verify the armor in some way. Way too many folks are re-casting armor and selling it without being truthful about where it came from or who made it. What's more, you'd likely be able to get a better suit here, from trusted makers with community support behind it. You can occasionally find a good second-hand kit on eBay, but usually it's just crappy armor that will give you a headache in the long run. Good luck, and welcome to your new obsession!
  10. Excellent build - should be an easy step up to Centurion. Nice details with the HDPE bucket. Troop on!
  11. You forgot the hand plates... Hero and Stunt are two different sculpts of hand plates. Both kinds were originally molded latex painted white, with slight differences in each. The Hero plates had a straight line across the wrist, like this: ------ Stunt hand plates had a curved line across the wrist, and an additional step-down on the fluting, like this: ----------- Hope that helps.
  12. Evilboy makes them, and Jesse (TK_LEPER) was talking about getting back into it...
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