troopermaster

Here's one.... ...and another

So how come they used to come with the oddly shaped bells and hands? I'm sure I read it on Matt's website or somewhere about the parts being shipped at a later date. One thing is for sure, the first sets did come with newly sculpted bells and hands. I will find the pics shortly. I'm not bagging on your kit Celab, it's really great I just doubt it is 'THE' first suit ever pulled.

The ankle area on the ROTJ shins are notoriously tight. It may help to tape up your boots tight at the tops to make them narrower. I had to do this with a pair of boots I had once. It's a pain, but it works.

Maybe someone who was around back then could comfirm this? (Not Matt )

I could be mistaken here but I am pretty sure the first run of the TE ROTJ armour did not come with the original shoulder bells or hand plates like you have shown, so I doubt this one could have been the first (or one of the first) suits pulled. From what I can remember, CO didn't send the original shoulder bells and hand plates and they were resculpted (not very accurately) to make them up while they made their way to TE. Either way, looks killer

A first rate maker doesn't make second rate armour, let alone sell it. I would never consider making inferior armour just to sell more kits. I can see where you are going with this but for me personally, I would charge the same amount for either quality or material used. A man who does a job wants paying the same money for the same job regardless of who he is working for. Asking him to charge less for the same amount of time and effort he has put into completing his job because the customer either doesn't want to pay much or use inferior materials is a bit selfish. If you want a cheap job doing, get the cowboys in, not the professionals.

You can strip the gloss from the caboots and paint the soles white. I think the original ROTJ boots were just sprayed white with no masking on the soles. I don't see any reason why the underside of the soles need to be white, just the edges that you can see. Trooper boots are more like jodhpur boots, so just because Dr.Martens are classed as chelsea boot style doesn't justify them for use as trooper boots. Not all chelsea boots are suitable to use as trooper boots IMO.

I might be wrong here Pablo but it sounds as though you are asking makers to lower their standards just to satisfy people who don't want to spend money on quality armour. Using the anology with the hairdresser, maybe if he loses clients to the cheaper guy, they are not the clients he wants. If the hairdresser decides to lower his prices to keep clients and do basic haircuts then he is lowering his standards in my book. The hairdresser should raise his prices to keep those other clients out of his salon!

If you want cheap, lesser quality armour there are guys who sell this all the time and you know who they are. If you want quality armour then you have to pay for it. Like everything in this world, you get what you pay for.

I wouldn't touch the white docs with a barge pole personally. I think if you want to look like a stormtrooper then you need to wear the right gear, not something that is easily obtainable or comfortable. I know it's different when you are trooping as opposed to displaying your armour but really, your boots should look reasonably close to what was seen on screen. Just my personal opinion of course

I think wider cover strips look better than adding shims inside. At least this way the armour looks finished rather than seeing where the original piece finishes and leaves the extensions/shims exposed. The wider cover strips may not be screen accurate, but at least they look part of the armour. Just my personal opinion

I agree Shawn. White soles and right hand holsters should be compulsory for ROTJ. On a side note- I read somewhere that white naval officers boots were used for the ROTJ troopers. I've never really looked for ROTJ boots so I couldn't say if there is any truth in what I read, but maybe worth a look if you want the real deal?

I'm pretty sure SDS/AA is 0.080 / 2.0mm ABS. No idea what ATA is.

He's a member here. Maybe he will let everyone know who he is and how he came into the armour business?

TM 0.080 / 2.0mm ABS

Not compared to an on screen ROTJ it isn't, it's way off. The actual assembly may good, it's the positioning of the face that's off on these TE's but, I doubt that can be rectified given the shape of helmet.

These new TE helmets are simply recasts of his old ROTJ helmets he made ten years ago. They both share all the same discrepancies though these new ones have been sharpened up more. They are all assembled badly too IMO. Definately not CAP originated.

You sound surprised. Seen any ROTJ troopers wearing their holsters on the left?

.....and the kink/dent in the side tube which is part of the original design, nothing to do with assembly.

Every helmet I have seen Gino offer is from modified moulds. Who actually cast the Brian R. helmet? I would love to know the full details of what actually happened when Matt decided to mould the original ANH helmet, from who did the moulding to what materials were used.

Question is....Does anyone have an unmodified mould of the original ANH Brian R. helmet?

You mean the AA face plate is a type of PP, not HDPE? I thought you was refering to milk bottles not being HDPE

Thanks Mark. That's what he told me a few years ago when I met him. What I can't fully understand is that he would have had to get this ABS specially made and would have come in a tonne supply which would have cost a small fortune. I honestly don't think that he would have been able to use all that plastic for the stormtroopers and whatever else helmets he made. Just doesn't make good business sense to me. I'd love to be proven wrong and only reciepts will do that.

Please do. Try and get a detailed answer and maybe see some reciepts of purchase if possible. I hear things like "It's ABS" as though it's fact, when in reality it's only hear say. While it is most likely ABS for the armour and HDPE for the helmets, there are some plastics with virtually the same properties as these two that they could be mistaken for quite easily, even if you have experience with them they are hard to tell unless you form them. Latex thighs.....(screen grabs courtesy of TKDUEUNO)

The plastic milk bottles are HDPE, I just checked in the fridge