buffalo Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 (edited) Hello fellow troopers, I'm extremely new to the idea of the 501st and building my own set of TK armor. I definitely need advice about choosing what set is best for my size and budget. I've been reading through all the threads about getting started and what to buy and what not to buy, and I'm extremely overwhelmed. I've been browsing on all the recommended sites, and nearly everything is entirely out of my price range or it's out of stock. The replica boots, for example, are not being sold anymore. I have also been searching for a completely black dive suit, but have had no luck so far. I have 0 experience when it comes to crafty things like this. I don't know how to form plastic, rivet things properly, or anything of that sort. There's no way I can build this suit completely on my own, so I'm turning to you guys (and gals)! The only thing that I've decided is that I'd definitely like to go ANH with my suit, and preferably have the hero helmet. I'd also prefer for it to be made of ABS. Looking through most of the different kit specs, I realized that all of the originals call for the person being over 5'10", which makes sense, but I don't fall into that category. So here's my situation: I'm a female who is 5'7", and I'm 16. I work a minimum wage job, so I'll probably be saving for 6 months to a year just to get started working on my suit. I hope to have it complete and ready to wear by my 18th birthday. What are my main options? What should kind of kit should I choose? It shouldn't be incredibly hard to modify a suit for my body type, however, as I'm not too short for a girl AND I have very broad shoulders. I'm not too curvy either, so that should make it a little bit easier. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you! Edited November 3, 2013 by buffalo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark PWF[Staff] Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 Welcome Tehya, to FISD! Personally, I'm new too - but not quite extremely new. I don't have my armor yet, but I'm on a wait list for it. In the meantime, I've been doing what you've started doing - reading. That's the best thing you can do as a new recruit, so hats off to you for that. There are a few points that you made, that I'd like to address quickly for you and hopefully I can help to clear some of them up for you a bit. The pros (Legion member TKs) will certainly be able to help with some of the others better than I can though. a: The TKboots are still being sold. I actually just received mine a little over a week ago. There is an issue that has slowed down the production though, so getting on the wait list is a good idea. b: The original armors were built for actors who WERE 5'10", not over 5'10". The getting started thread has some great info that explains that most kits will work for anyone from 5'1" up to 6' tall with modifications. It is over 6' that people need to look at some of the specific builders that cater to taller/larger troopers. At 5'7" I believe that you'd have no issue with most of the kits available though. c: Saving and waiting is probably the best route to go. The wait list that I am on for my armor will carry me over into late spring of 2014 or so, and I've been on it for over 2 months already. In the meantime, I'm reading and buying other parts like my undergarments which are just compression suit pieces - Eastbay.com has some, Walmart has some, Kmart has some, Academy Outdoor and Sports has some, Underarmour is an option. There are different price ranges for them, but you can get some of those for less than $20 per piece. I've got my boots, and I'm getting ready to order a kit to build my E11 blaster later this month. d: I just saw that you're 16, but that gives you some time to save, learn, and build as you go along and get closer to 18 when you can apply for Legion membership as you already pointed out. e: There are a lot of female TKs here at FISD and they are quite helpful. They can certainly give you good advice about which armors to consider from the female perspective. Hopefully I've helped you out some. Being 16 though, time is truly your best friend in this process. You have plenty of time to learn and read. The forums have everything that you'll ever want to read about Stormtrooper armor. If you can't find your answer by searching, then by all means ask questions. You're off to a great start, and we're all a little overwhelmed by it at first. Hang in there, and you'll be fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talan Kain Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 Hi Tehya Also very new to this so I can relate, I can't add much to Tims post above, we probably not anything you're going to want to hear anyway, so apologies in advance The advice given by Tim is golden, this is kinda second time around for me insomuch as I used to lurk this site and the UK Garrison site 8-9yrs ago drooling over armour I knew I couldn't afford and there wasn't the availability and quality back then that there is now, at least that's how it seemed to me at the time so life took it's turns and I stopped lurking only to find myself at it again a few months ago. The sheer amount of information here can seem overwhelming but you'll start narrowing it down automatically as you read, I fairly quickly narrowed my armour down to two possibles by reading this topic and looking through the EIB and Centurion applications as they give you a very detailed view of what the armour looks like and an idea of fit, I found those threads invaluable as they give the armour make with the troopers height and weight so you can get an idea of how good a fit it might be for you. I have chosen my armour and am now waiting, using that time to read more and concentrate on getting the other bits organised, I'm currently painting boots, have a blaster due for delivery on Tuesday and have been collecting tools, paints, soft parts etc. in the meantime. The level of knowledge and experience on here (and on your local garrison site, don't forget to join that) can have the effect of making you feel out of your depth, I do too but on the other hand it is reassuring and on the whole I haven't seen many other hobby/fan/lifestyle forums where the help is so forthcoming and experienced people are so tolerant of newbies like us and so willing to help. I'd put money on somebody in your local garrison being willing to help you with your build too so don't worry about that too much right now One thing I noticed is costs mount up quickly, there are costs I hadn't taken into account or had just brushed off as 'irrelevant' in comparison to the investment in the white stuff, I was wrong I'm keeping a detailed list of items and cost including delivery/import charges etc and it's getting to the point where I don't really want to total it up, this is definitely not a cheap thing to get into and yes, I may have been able to do some things cheaper but at the end of the day I'd rather spend the money right in the first place and then not be left with the feeling later on down the line that I could have spent the money better. I have made one mistake already on this score, I went too cheap on my boots, they will need to be replaced but they were only really intended to keep me going until TKBoots have their stock problems sorted, however once I realised just what a finish it is possible to get on black leather with Angelus paint I am wishing I had bought better boots to start with. So boiling this wall of text down, all the information you could possibly want is here, I found it helpful to break it down into chunks and concentrate on one aspect at a time. I concentrated just on armour and the EIB and Centurion applications first, that really is an excellent resource when trying to choose armour, then I started looking at blasters until that decision was made, right now I am looking at threads showing weathering and other techniques to 'finish' it. The blaster is definitely something I could have done cheaper but I am happy with the choice I made. Good luck with everything and don't forget to enjoy every step of the process, I am enjoying reading and learning, enjoying painting my boots (I didn't think I would) and am like a kid waiting for Christmas now I have a firm date for E11 delivery. This whole TK thing? I don't remember being this excited about anything for a very long time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuteman Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 (edited) Welcome Tehya! Both advice given before are very valuable. If you are on a budget and need time to gather your funds, I would recommend ATA armor to you. The wait time is around 9 months and it is the kit with the best price-performance ratio. Your height will be no problem, how absout your other proportions? Ingrid aka Ladyinwhite will be big help to you when it comes to modify armor for females. Good luck on your way! Edited November 3, 2013 by Minuteman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKido[501st] Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 Hi! I'm 17 y/o and I got my armor about a year ago. I was in the same position as you are now and decided that I knew what was best and bought the first cheap thing I could get my hand on... Please don't do that... As every one has already mentioned the key word is research, research and research a bit more. If I would have gotten a second chance I would so totally research before buying. If you research enough everything else will just work out fine. I know the position you are in with nearly no money but with a fair amount of spare time. If you research and find the right kit (ATA, TM, RS, AP...) you could get a great armor for not that very much (still a fair share though since this is an expensive hobby). So moral of story RESEARCH! Good luck and feel free to ask Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted November 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 (edited) Welcome Tehya, to FISD! Personally, I'm new too - but not quite extremely new. I don't have my armor yet, but I'm on a wait list for it. In the meantime, I've been doing what you've started doing - reading. That's the best thing you can do as a new recruit, so hats off to you for that. There are a few points that you made, that I'd like to address quickly for you and hopefully I can help to clear some of them up for you a bit. The pros (Legion member TKs) will certainly be able to help with some of the others better than I can though. a: The TKboots are still being sold. I actually just received mine a little over a week ago. There is an issue that has slowed down the production though, so getting on the wait list is a good idea. b: The original armors were built for actors who WERE 5'10", not over 5'10". The getting started thread has some great info that explains that most kits will work for anyone from 5'1" up to 6' tall with modifications. It is over 6' that people need to look at some of the specific builders that cater to taller/larger troopers. At 5'7" I believe that you'd have no issue with most of the kits available though. c: Saving and waiting is probably the best route to go. The wait list that I am on for my armor will carry me over into late spring of 2014 or so, and I've been on it for over 2 months already. In the meantime, I'm reading and buying other parts like my undergarments which are just compression suit pieces - Eastbay.com has some, Walmart has some, Kmart has some, Academy Outdoor and Sports has some, Underarmour is an option. There are different price ranges for them, but you can get some of those for less than $20 per piece. I've got my boots, and I'm getting ready to order a kit to build my E11 blaster later this month. d: I just saw that you're 16, but that gives you some time to save, learn, and build as you go along and get closer to 18 when you can apply for Legion membership as you already pointed out. e: There are a lot of female TKs here at FISD and they are quite helpful. They can certainly give you good advice about which armors to consider from the female perspective. Hopefully I've helped you out some. Being 16 though, time is truly your best friend in this process. You have plenty of time to learn and read. The forums have everything that you'll ever want to read about Stormtrooper armor. If you can't find your answer by searching, then by all means ask questions. You're off to a great start, and we're all a little overwhelmed by it at first. Hang in there, and you'll be fine! Wow, that was all some great info. Thank you so much. And sorry for misinterpreting the height thing! Hi Tehya Also very new to this so I can relate, I can't add much to Tims post above, we probably not anything you're going to want to hear anyway, so apologies in advance The advice given by Tim is golden, this is kinda second time around for me insomuch as I used to lurk this site and the UK Garrison site 8-9yrs ago drooling over armour I knew I couldn't afford and there wasn't the availability and quality back then that there is now, at least that's how it seemed to me at the time so life took it's turns and I stopped lurking only to find myself at it again a few months ago. The sheer amount of information here can seem overwhelming but you'll start narrowing it down automatically as you read, I fairly quickly narrowed my armour down to two possibles by reading this topic and looking through the EIB and Centurion applications as they give you a very detailed view of what the armour looks like and an idea of fit, I found those threads invaluable as they give the armour make with the troopers height and weight so you can get an idea of how good a fit it might be for you. I have chosen my armour and am now waiting, using that time to read more and concentrate on getting the other bits organised, I'm currently painting boots, have a blaster due for delivery on Tuesday and have been collecting tools, paints, soft parts etc. in the meantime. The level of knowledge and experience on here (and on your local garrison site, don't forget to join that) can have the effect of making you feel out of your depth, I do too but on the other hand it is reassuring and on the whole I haven't seen many other hobby/fan/lifestyle forums where the help is so forthcoming and experienced people are so tolerant of newbies like us and so willing to help. I'd put money on somebody in your local garrison being willing to help you with your build too so don't worry about that too much right now One thing I noticed is costs mount up quickly, there are costs I hadn't taken into account or had just brushed off as 'irrelevant' in comparison to the investment in the white stuff, I was wrong I'm keeping a detailed list of items and cost including delivery/import charges etc and it's getting to the point where I don't really want to total it up, this is definitely not a cheap thing to get into and yes, I may have been able to do some things cheaper but at the end of the day I'd rather spend the money right in the first place and then not be left with the feeling later on down the line that I could have spent the money better. I have made one mistake already on this score, I went too cheap on my boots, they will need to be replaced but they were only really intended to keep me going until TKBoots have their stock problems sorted, however once I realised just what a finish it is possible to get on black leather with Angelus paint I am wishing I had bought better boots to start with. So boiling this wall of text down, all the information you could possibly want is here, I found it helpful to break it down into chunks and concentrate on one aspect at a time. I concentrated just on armour and the EIB and Centurion applications first, that really is an excellent resource when trying to choose armour, then I started looking at blasters until that decision was made, right now I am looking at threads showing weathering and other techniques to 'finish' it. The blaster is definitely something I could have done cheaper but I am happy with the choice I made. Good luck with everything and don't forget to enjoy every step of the process, I am enjoying reading and learning, enjoying painting my boots (I didn't think I would) and am like a kid waiting for Christmas now I have a firm date for E11 delivery. This whole TK thing? I don't remember being this excited about anything for a very long time I didn't think about the local garrison thing, that's such a good idea. Thank you! Welcome Tehya! Both advice given before are very valuable. If you are on a budget and need time to gather your funds, I would recommend ATA armor to you. The wait time is around 9 months and it is the kit with the best price-performance ratio. Your height will be no problem, how absout your other proportions? Ingrid aka Ladyinwhite will be big help to you when it comes to modify armor for females. Good luck on your way! Thank you! ATA is what I was thinking, and I just emailed the maker last night on the specs of it! My other proportions shouldn't be a very big deal. I'm not too curvy, and weight shouldn't be an issue with the suit fitting. The only problem I have is that the forearms will probably be extremely large on me. Edited November 3, 2013 by buffalo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKido[501st] Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 Hey that's why you trim them and if they still don't fit you can simply put padding inside Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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