SOME ARMOR TYPE QUESTIONS

[Darth Voorhees[501st]]

Ok so, in the fall, im planning on upgrading to a more accurate set of armor. Im looking at either TE2, AP or Rt-Mod.

 

! thing i dont know alot about is whats the best material for longevity? I know the TE2 is HIPS and needs to be painted. not sure how i feel about the painting thing, but how does the HIPS hold up over time? Does it deteriate? I know ABS is good for color and i think it holds up well over time, and no painting is needed. So that would be the AP or the RT-Mod

 

Ok so heres ther second issue, right now im 5'8" and around 205lbs. im mostly a bit round in the middle. Im working on thinning down my middle but am not sure what i can get to fit me well. my limbs id say are average size. the FX thighs were trimmed quite a bit and the calves fit pretty much the way they came, altho i may traim a half inch off the bottom to make stairs easier.

 

So what would you think would be my best choice? I was thinking AP as i like the look, and its .80 ABS. But am i too big for it? I can add side platesto the mid section and i think id be good, no? If not, i know RT-Mod is a bit bigger, but i dont want it to be too big, cuz at my ideal weight im not a big guy at all. You can look at my "first troop" thread and see how the FX fits me. I also like the TE2, but im thinking its closer in size to the AP.

 

I will be keeping my current AP bucket for my upgraded TK, and will convert the FX to a TD, and will be using either a TE2 or another AP for that bucket.

 

Any opinions are greatly appreciated and will help me in my decision,the pricer range for all three seems about the same so its just the best fit, and longevity id think. thanks to anyoine for thier input

 

**EDIT, I WEIGHED MYSELF IM ACTUIALLY 205,NOT 215 LOL***

[SuperTrooper]

RT is made form ABS as well. It's actually made on the big side so it should fit you well, but you may have to trim a little off the length.

 

Also remember all armor can be modified for any body type. CMA Navy modded a TE2 to wear and he is 6'4" and at the time was 260+.

[Darth Voorhees[501st]]

RT is made form ABS as well. It's actually made on the big side so it should fit you well, but you may have to trim a little off the length.

 

Also remember all armor can be modified for any body type. CMA Navy modded a TE2 to wear and he is 6'4" and at the time was 260+.

 

Thanks Terell..did you mean trim the length of the leg and arm pieces on the RT?..or like the top of the ab plate?

 

Hm, im thinking i may wanna stick with the ABS...so i may be leaning more towards the RT or AP.

[SuperTrooper]

I was referring to the length of the legs, and possibly the forearms. RT sculpted it to his body type and he is 6 foot 210 lbs.

[Darth Voorhees[501st]]

I was referring to the length of the legs, and possibly the forearms. RT sculpted it to his body type and he is 6 foot 210 lbs.

 

Cool thanks Terrell, thats what i thought, but just wanted to make sure. So RT may be a good way to go for me, as i can always trim as i get trimmer,lol.

 

i m going to research a bit more photos of the AP and the RT and see which i truly like better. I like that the RT sides are longer so you dont need gap plates. Of course if anyone wants to post pics of them in either, that would be great also.

[Smitty]

RT for sure! You might even consider a mix and match. Like see if you can get some RT thighs. That would dress that FX up quite a bit and its not gonna break the bank. You also said that you were trimming the waistline a bit, so when you do that reward yourself with RT Lower torso pieces. Also in that regard I recommend the Southbeach diet. My wife used it to shed the baby blubber. It works like a champ and its not the agony of Adkins.

[TK-4510[TK]]

I am 5'8" and 190. My first set of armor was an RT-MOD. I didnt trim it at all. I loved that set! I didnt know any better so I never trimmed anything on it. Just took it out of the box and glued it togther. It does come pretrimmed.

 

My second set of armor was my AP. I had to trim an inch off the bottom of the back plate. Trimmed all the "edges" off the ab, back and kidney plates. I also added a one inch spacer between the ab and back on both sides. Trimmed an inch off the bottom of the calves and the inside of the thighs and back of the thighs. Trimmed a little off the bottom sides of the cod. After all those minor adjustments it fit snug but it looked great.

 

In this picture I was about 180. The helmet is a TE2 #7 signed and dated

 

[Smitty]

That's all the convincing I'd need, plus you already have the TE2.

[Darth Voorhees[501st]]

AWESOME! thanks guys!

 

Smitty i was thinking of mix-matching, but i want a sandy as much as i want amore accuate set or armor, so i full set of armor is what im after right now. Though i probably will replace the thighs and shoulderbells on the FX eventually, even after it goes sandy.

 

So, does the RT have the "return edge" like the AP does, since its already trimmed? One of the things i like about the AP is that i would need to trim allthe pieces and can leave that edge. One of the things i didnt like about the FX is that it didnt. I know i can make that return edge with the hobby iron, but wouldnt want to loose size in certain areas to get that look. If the RT does have that, it seems that may be what im after.

 

TK-4510, is that the AP in the pic?

 

Oh and Smitty, thanks for the suggestion of the southbeach diet, i think i may try that. I did atkins a couple of years back and lost 30lbs in 3 months, but i think the south beach is more healthy.

 

you can sort of see how the FX fits me here. The second pic you can see my "roundness", lol, which is what i need to get rid of

 

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Edited February 15, 2021 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2021

[TK-4510[TK]]

heres my rt-mod I am almost 200 lbs here. The armor edges have no returns really...., the one above was AP. On that AP I cut the thighs wrong on top and cut most of the edge off. Wouldnt do that again, but it was comfy for the rose parage

 

 

[Amish Trooper]

the RT looks like it swallows you compared to the AP..Still looks good though

[Darth Voorhees[501st]]

Thanks Mike, your really helpin alot! Both suits look good. The RT doesnt look too bad considering you didnt trim anything. The AP looks like it fits better though. I do like the return edge on the AP, but also like that the sides are extended on the RT so i wouldnt need side plates. Tough Call! Ill be thinkin more about it, and may be getting the upgrade sooner rather than later, but we shall see. If anyone has anything else to add about these 2 kits, lets hear it! Thanks again Mike, your info and pics helped alot!

[SuperTrooper]

Paul posted a link to a thread on CTN about how to put a return edge on ABS. I stickied it somewhere around here .

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Don't know about AP, but TE2 certainly has the "lines of illusion". ABS will eventually yellow. We just had a guy return after an absence and it's pretty obvious, so if you'll have this for years as a TK painting isn't that much of an issue perhaps.

 

ABS will take more abuse than HIPS will. I was willing to play a few downs of football in ABS armor, sure wouldn't in HIPS. OTOH, HIPS feels lighter and more comfortable to me after a long troop, and reinforcing stress areas from the inside is easy.

 

There are some small detail differences between AP & TE2 as well such as on the forearms. I think in the end it's mostly a personal preference.

[TK-4510[TK]]

heres a better relaxed shot of the RT

 

[TK-4510[TK]]

And my AP that was toast after the Rose Parade, became a TD. You can just see the extra plastic in the gap in the side plates.

 

[TK-4510[TK]]

One bad thing about the RT is the back -hate it...

 

[Darth Voorhees[501st]]

Terrell, yea i saw that thread about the return edge mod, im going to get that iron and do some of that to some of my FX pieces. And anything i may need to trim on whatever more accurate kit i get.

 

Daetrin, Yea i figured if it was to yellow, i could always paint it. But the durability is what id want, over the painting factor. Pinting isnt that big a deal, i am rather good at it haha.

 

Mike once again, thanks for the pics, im not liking that RT back either! Im leaning more towards AP at this point. My bucket is AP and i love it.

 

If i get a full armor kit, and go with AP, i can use the bucket that comes with it for the sandy i will be converting my FX kit to. OR i may get a bucketless kit and a TE2 bucket for the sandy.

 

Again thanks for all the input guys, this is really helping me out!

[Daetrin[Admin]]

To clarify, I think the TE2 will be durable *over time*. It is not as durable to abuse or violence as ABS. So it's more a matter of what you do in your kit than how long you have it, methinks. At least, that's been my experience so far...

[Darth Voorhees[501st]]

To clarify, I think the TE2 will be durable *over time*. It is not as durable to abuse or violence as ABS. So it's more a matter of what you do in your kit than how long you have it, methinks. At least, that's been my experience so far...

 

 

Cool, well im thinking if i troop in NYC who knows, its a jungle out there, so i think id rather the ABS.