mikedwelle94

Good info here. I'll leave the suit red. My only concern will be the reaction of the general public; there will be those few people who question the color of my suit or mistake me for a Power Ranger. Once the armor arrives at my doorstep, I'm going to take one of the handguards and bring it to an auto shop. I'll have them make me a can of spray paint that matches the shade of red that I need, and use that to paint my helmet. I already have the eFX/MRCE replacement decals on the way from Trooperbay. Also, I've been refreshing the USPS tracking app on my phone every 30 or so minutes I'm a little obsessed with it right now! Thanks again for the suit, Lou. I'm sure it will be quite a gem, and a great deal.

On my most recent visit to the SpecOps detachment, I came across a thread in which a guy was selling off his ATA Magma Trooper armor kit for a very generous price. I opted not to have the helmet included, as I already have plans to modify the EFX helmet that's already in my possession. I bought from him for two reasons: 1. His armor was cheap. 2. I wouldn't have to wait the 8-months that I would buying directly from ATA. So all I have to do at this point is wait for the red armor to arrive. I'll post pictures when it gets here. I plan to eventually paint the armor a glossy white, because with the red armor, the question "why is your armor red" will inevitably be sprung upon me. EDIT: I had NO idea the Magma Trooper is as rare as it is. I might even paint my EFX helmet red after I'm done modding it. I haven't made a final decision, but I'm going to look into this a little more.

I turn 19 in less than a month. A lot of people think it's unrealistic for me to start dumping all this money into my armor, with all these expenses I'm about to incur. College tuition, a car, gas, insurance for the car, phone bills, food, etc. With you being 17, it's going to be hard setting time and money aside to take this hobby on if you plan to do so. I assume you're still in high school. I'm on the waiting list for an ATA armor kit, and despite the cost, I believe it will be worth it when I put it on and step out in public with it for the first time. Patience is key, which most of us young kids seem to lack. In short, while many things may be more important than hobbies such as this one, being patient and setting a little bit aside every week will get you to where you want to be. Good luck.

How long did you have to wait for your ATA armor kit? I read that it could be 8 months, which I think seems a bit too long. Still, it's the only affordable option for me to consider, and by the look of these pics, it looks easy enough to work with.