kiyotei[TK] Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 Hi All, I'm only 5'8" and about 160lbs. I'm sure I'm not the only short trooper wanna be out there. Do any of the short guys have suggestions on armor size? I know the FX is recommended for beginners but it might be a bit big for my frame. If you cut it down to fit better would that not affect the look of the suit? Or are the arm and leg pieces not a concern its mainly the chest plats which can be cut shorter on the side that is hidden? AP armor is another choice but its suppose to be much harder to build and also costs a lot more. RT armor is now made bigger for guys over 6' so it will probably be too loose on me. So any short guys out there want to share their armor fitting experieces with me would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteCommando[501st] Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 Since you are a new guy, it is my opinion (especially since I have assembled quite a few suits, including 2 MG ABS clone suits, 1 Styrene MG clone suit, 1 scratch-built Jango with Sintra and Bondo suit, and 2 styrene JM clones suits, and my very last, most recent trooping suit... an FX lite ABS suit of armor) that a first time kit should be an FX lite. Of all the suits I made, the FX was the easiest by far. I did it in 2 weekends. I bought the suit and took possession of it after the 20th of May (this year), and trooped in a completed suit on June 9th. The FX lite comes without a helmet (the item that almost every TK will replace in an upgrade, like me with an RT-Mod). And yes, the FX is made for bigger guys, but I trooped with a girl who had to be no more than 5'5" and 140 pounds and she wore an FX suit that was well trimmed. The stuff goes together like a model kit. If a piece is too big, butt-joint and glue the pieces, trim excess length, and pad it to fit tighter. This will add size to you. As with all suits you could get and assemble, for all you will need to know how to Dremmel cut, sand and glue. If you say "whoa, this is too hard." it is better to realize it on an FX than on $1,200 suit... especially if you screw up. Good luck! Ask questions before you spend. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigturc Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 You can also see this thread for more answers: http://whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiyotei[TK] Posted October 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Hi Guys, I've already read that link. Unfortunately all the guys in that link are taller than me. As I've found with just regular old clothes, if the sleaves are too long the shirt looks bad on me. My big concern is not padding a suite but having the parts too long and not being able to trim them with out making them look odd. I do work with guys who build plastic models for my company so I do have access to guys who know how to work with plastic models (our models are computer terminals, handheld scanners, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efreng Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Hi Guys,I've already read that link. Unfortunately all the guys in that link are taller than me. As I've found with just regular old clothes, if the sleaves are too long the shirt looks bad on me. My big concern is not padding a suite but having the parts too long and not being able to trim them with out making them look odd. I do work with guys who build plastic models for my company so I do have access to guys who know how to work with plastic models (our models are computer terminals, handheld scanners, etc). heya jim...this is me in my AP (sorry for the low res pic)..im 5'6".. i did not do any "shortening" of the armor whatsoever..although its almost impossible to sit in it..hope this helps ef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efreng Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 heya jim...this is me in my AP (sorry for the low res pic)..im 5'6".. i did not do any "shortening" of the armor whatsoever..although its almost impossible to sit in it..hope this helps ef oops..heres the pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin[Admin] Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 LOL - if you're tired enough you'll find a way to sit in the armor. I'd say go for the AP or TE2. They're certainly more work for the beginner, but you'll be happy with the results. Also, there are tons of tutorials now online, so you should be able to find most any answer you seek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiyotei[TK] Posted October 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Efreng thaks for the pics, thats great. I'll guess its the AP for me. I figure if I buy the FX and have to replace the helmet right off the bat for a smaller one, then I'm almost up to the price of the AP armor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiyotei[TK] Posted October 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Daetrin, you look like you just had a really bad run in with some rebels in your pic. LOL. Though I'm not sure what hit the guy behind you on the bus, kinda looks like....well crap. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin[Admin] Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Daetrin, you look like you just had a really bad run in with some rebels in your pic. LOL. Though I'm not sure what hit the guy behind you on the bus, kinda looks like....well crap. LOL. Actually that's not me in the pix, but two other members of Bravo company. Lots of people stood on the way to the Parade, everyone sat on the way back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efreng Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Efreng thaks for the pics, thats great. I'll guess its the AP for me. I figure if I buy the FX and have to replace the helmet right off the bat for a smaller one, then I'm almost up to the price of the AP armor. youre welcome..5'10'' supposedly is the ideal height..but at 5'8" youll definintely look better that my 5'6".hehe good luck! ef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiyotei[TK] Posted October 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Efreng, Was AP the first armor kit you assembled? If so did you do it alone or did you get help from someone with experience assembling armor kits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK8280 Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 AP armor is another choice but its suppose to be much harder to build and also costs a lot more. the AP kit is not that hard all you have to do is take the time to trim it, then glue it together, then trim it again to your size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin[Admin] Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 The hard part - at least was for me, was the legs and arms, which I admit I farmed out. Also, doing the base trimming is very time consuming. For me at least. Someone like Wyatt could wack it out in an hour ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiyotei[TK] Posted October 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 when you say trim, glue, and trim again, is the second trimming refering to length of parts? I know you have to trim off the extra plastic from the molding process before you can glue it. Then I guess you may need to trim the length of parts to fit the lenght of your forearms, legs etc. Did you have to trim the chest and back plates to fit you? I'm hoping a coworker of mine who does prototype modeling for my company will help me out some, at least to get started. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt-Lynch Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 I'm only an inch taller then you (5'9") and got the FX. There is lots of room for trimming and fitting, and it's the cheapest thing going. I'm just finishing mine up and the only pieces I needed to trim more then an inch were the forearms. The helmet is a tad large so I'll be getting a RTmod down the road, but I'll be good for halloween this year easy. Lots of good info here, couldn't have done it without all the help. L. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efreng Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 Efreng,Was AP the first armor kit you assembled? If so did you do it alone or did you get help from someone with experience assembling armor kits? yup..it was my first armor assembled..did the assembly myself but with a lot of research here at fisd and some helpful tips from the philippine outpost members ..everything you need to know is all here- modifications, trimming, everything.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiyotei[TK] Posted October 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2007 Hi All, I bought an AP suit today. I decided that it was better to go with the smaller style suit plus if I'm gonna have to replace the helmet (FX would look really big on me) the extra $$ for a new helmet pushes me up to almost the same price as buying the AP armor up front. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efreng Posted October 7, 2007 Report Share Posted October 7, 2007 good luck with the assembly...you can follow the thread made by curtis.. itll be a big help for you..let us know when you get your armor..till then.. ef tk5710 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin[Admin] Posted October 7, 2007 Report Share Posted October 7, 2007 It will be the first AP suit in GT - hopefully the results will encourage others to take the plunge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
even sung[TK] Posted October 8, 2007 Report Share Posted October 8, 2007 I'm 1.8meters, maybe 5'9" ? I picked AP suit,hope helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson[501st] Posted November 5, 2007 Report Share Posted November 5, 2007 1.8m would be around 5'10" or so. My armor is FX, and I'm 5'7" - 5'8". I've cut the forearms at the wrist end about 3", the thighs about 1-2", and the shoulders about an inch (so that it wasn't covering so much of my arm ). I got a replacement belt that doesn't have the canister on the back for non-canon, informal events so I can actually drive to the event in armor now. Eventually, I'll upgrade the entire suit to a smaller, more accurate set because I've seen some of the other troopers around my size wearing RT and AP, and I'm jealous now over how good they look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Steve Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 I myself am 5'8" and also new to trooper armour, and found the FX kit, ( i have completed one and am waiting for my second set to ship now) and found the main thing is the thigh plates. They are the part that will stand out the most if not trimed too well. Also the joint parts, knee's,arms are what will make or brake you even enjoying wearing this stuff. The challenge i have is I don't have some one to help when it comes to fitting. If you get the thigh and arm plates just right, the FX kit wears well with shorter troopers like us. Like I said before I just wish I joined here first before working on my first set. One thing that really works well for me is useing the garter system for the thigh plates. I found that with me it has helped out so much. Before that I just could not get the legs to work for my hight useing the hooked to the lower half of the ab plate. When trimming I mostly use tin snips, or score and snap. I really don't like to trim too much of the parts because of the cost, like cut down the shoulder bells to be a little bit better. Being 5'8" has not beiing too bad with FX with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Force95B Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 As you may or may not know, I'm currently working on my FX kit. I've started with the 'sleeves' part and have completed one. It was some trial and error because it's almost to small to fit around my forearm and still have suitable areas to glue. Which brings up several questions I hope can get answered. 1. How much surface area of the plastic is the bare minimum needed for the glue to make a secure bond? For example the forearms, when attaching the pieces and you glue along the long part, I've got it glued at 3/8''. The other side is velcroed with a oh, about 1/4'' strip. Because the two pieces didn't close to nice and if I tried velcroing it like that it would pop open soon, I heated that up under boiling water, for 30 seconds and bent it to line up with the other side. Unfortunately, it warped a tad in the middle, but it shouldn't be to noticeable and it's on the back side. 2. Are there any specific guidelines or measurements for the individual pieces? Again, using the forearm armor as an example, when I put it on and bend my arm so that my hand is in motion toward my head, like removing the helmet, the end goes over my wrist bone. I think that it will knock up against the hand armor. So is there a typical length that pieces should ideally fit? Like from above the wrist bone to the curve for the bend should be such and such a length according to your arm length? If this forearm piece IS to long, I now have to cut down the wrist area on a band saw because the two halves are glued. I worry about this. This is why I've halted my build of the kit, I was going to begin the second sleeve, but I want to make sure that necessary cuts are done before glueing. If you have any further insight to this or know someone who does, let me know. I need all the help I can get. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychotropic Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 yea i am 5'6'' so i know i will have to do some trimming on the fx. but i am scared that i wont know how much to trim or that when i do it wont be the the right shape. and another thing what tool do you use to trim it. but how do you know how much to trim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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