ProjectFirestart

The good: Extremely screen accurate in every aspect. Amazing how every detail is exactly the same. 501st approvable out of the box. Includes every item you need. Comes with gloves and hand guards , neck seal, E-11 blaster, and shoes. Custom fitted to your needs. Craftsmanship quality over all is very good minus one aspect (I will cover later) Communication with RS was always good. Prompt responses to emails and Facebook. When called they were very helpful. The bad: Price, after shipping expect to spend close to $2,500. Lead time was slow. I waited closed to 70 days for mine to be shipped. I have heard lead times of up to 100+ days with Ep 7 and Holidays. You will need to make some adjustments to make the armor more comfortable and wearable. Not sure if this is a necessarily a “bad” thing. I had a lot of fun upgrading and customizing. The ugly: Stitching and thread is of very low quality and poorly done. I have had to re-sew 4 of the snaps. The stitching on the calves, both shoulders, stomach, and chin strap have all failed and had to be re-sewed. I would recommend this suit and company to anyone who has a budget and can afford it. I went with them because I had no experience whatsoever making armor so this was a good fit for me. The minor upgrades and fixes I have had to make have been fun to do. (Minus the sewing). I came dangerously close to buying a Jedi-Robe suit and “Thank the Maker” I found this forum. Spent more money but feel like I got that I paid for and am very happy. I hope this helps.

The good: Extremely screen accurate in every aspect. Amazing how every detail is exactly the same. 501st approvable out of the box. Includes every item you need. Comes with gloves and hand guards , neck seal, E-11 blaster, and shoes. Custom fitted to your needs. Craftsmanship quality over all is very good minus one aspect (I will cover later) Communication with RS was always good. Prompt responses to emails and Facebook. When called they were very helpful. The bad: Price, after shipping expect to spend close to $2,500. Lead time was slow. I waited closed to 70 days for mine to be shipped. I have heard lead times of up to 100+ days with Ep 7 and Holidays. You will need to make some adjustments to make the armor more comfortable and wearable. Not sure if this is a necessarily a “bad” thing. I had a lot of fun upgrading and customizing. The ugly: Stitching and thread is of very low quality and poorly done. I have had to re-sew 4 of the snaps. The stitching on the calves, both shoulders, stomach, and chin strap have all failed and had to be re-sewed. I would recommend this suit and company to anyone who has a budget and can afford it. I went with them because I had no experience whatsoever making armor so this was a good fit for me. The minor upgrades and fixes I have had to make have been fun to do. (Minus the sewing). I came dangerously close to buying a Jedi-Robe suit and “Thank the Maker” I found this forum. Spent more money but feel like I got that I paid for and am very happy. I hope this helps.

FYI: I purchased an RSPropmasters suit on September 28th 2015 and to date (November 24th) it has not been shipped. Currently it has been just shy of 60 days. RS has told me it is due to demands from Episode 7 and the approaching holidays. I have also been told they are telling new orders their lead time is upwards of 90 days at this point. Just for informational purposes for those hoping to purchase the suit for the premiere or otherwise.

I looked over the forums and had trouble finding an answer, If there is one I missed please direct me there. What is the best way found to mount the sound amplifier in one's armor and where? The breast plate? The back plate? I am concerned mounting the amp facing my body the sound will be muffled. If mounted in the back the sound will be projected backwards and difficult for people you are facing to hear. Also, what methods have you used to mount it. Velcro or straps? Thanks in advance for your help.

Just for informative purposes. The lead time on a fully commissioned suit from RSPropmasters is upwards of 7 to 8 weeks at this time. When I spoke to them they cited heightened demand with the release of Ep 7.

I spoke to a manager at Cinemark and was told "inside" the theatre you can not wear "masks, face paint, or fake weapons". However, one can be outside the theatre taking pictures or whatever. I would imagine this would be a policy one will find in most theatres.

I think I will just leave it in the car, it's not worth the hassle.

Just curious.... I plan on attending the premiere on 12/17 and wearing my suit for a little before the show at 8pm. Unfortunately today we live in a time where we have shootings in movie theatres. Has anyone ever encountered push back for having your blaster with you? I think most people would realize it's fantasy but there always is that "one person". I can't imagine this would be an issue 5 or 10 years ago but things have changed. If you have encountered any issues how did they get resolved? It should be mentioned that I am going with my family and not a sanctioned 501st event. I was just going to go for a little before the movie and then go enjoy the film.

Is there an art to sitting in these things? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Right on. Thanks. I will leave them to it then.

Hello all, Quick question for the group. It was recommended to me that in building (or having built) my armor I modify it with a "split butt plate". The reason for this being beneficial is, as I understand, three fold. 1. It makes it easy to mount the armor on a mannequin with the supporting post going in the small of the back. 2. It makes it easier to sit. I know it is ill advised to sit in the suit but if I am standing for long periods of time I may find it necessary. I do not plan on making a habit out of it. 3. I have also understood some 501st(s) require this modification. I have reached out to RS Prop Masters as asked them to perform this modification and they only respond with "we don't recommend you ever sit down in the suit". I have been unable to get an answer as to whether or not they can or will perform this modification. So I guess I am asking for a consensus from the group if this modification is beneficial? What exactly is the modification? Have you all performed this modification on your suits? If RS is unwilling or unable to do the modification and you recommend it how would I go about having it done? This is my first suit and a very big expenditure for me. Based on my limited knowledge, skill, and tools the last thing I would want to do is damage a perfectly good suit unnecessarily. The reason I am asking this now, as I don't have the suit, is that if you all feel it is beneficial I will try and implore RS to do the modification. Thank you all in advance for your responses.

Hello from Maryland. I don't think one can get much more new than me but we all had to start somewhere. I recently ordered a suit from. "Stromtrooper-costumes.com" and whereas they were very pleasant something seemed not to be right. I did not have to look far to find that it was not the way I wanted to go about this project. I have cancelled the order in the 11th hour and from what I have read I made the right choice. <br> My question is before I embark on to trying to aquire armor that is 501st compliant at a reasonable price can anyone update me on these vetted vendors. I see this tread originated in 2010. Are the vendors listed still active and reputable? Are there any additions?