Advice for female trooper

[Starbeam_Antarctica]

Hey everyone,
I just asked his question in the intro section, but I think this is a more suitable place.
So I'm 5"7' and 60kg, I'm on the slightly taller side so height isn't as much of a concern as my small frame. Would an overly trimmed kit look weird? 
I noticed the standard for Stormtrooper kits is 5"10' and obviously built for men. So what's the recommended seller for smaller/easy to assemble kits?  

Also I noticed some troopers have a microphone system going through the helmet. How do you hook all that up? It just makes the costume SO much more legit. 

I have no building experience or room for tools as I live in a small apartment (that situation will change soon, but I'm still a klutz with measurements and anything involving costuming...) and what do I use to trim? How do I know how much to trim?
I know all this info is probably discussed somewhere on this site - but my god, it's overwhelming and confusing having to sift through everything.

 

I'm not in contact with a 501st garrison YET as I will contact them when I move interstate in a few months, I'm aware once I chat to someone in person things will start making more sense.

[Sly11[Admin]]

So, what state will you be living in, the Redbacks cover Queensland, so I'm assuming that is where you are heading.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

There's a couple of shorter women in my garrsion who are TK, once kitted up you'd never know.  One has the chest plate at a slight angle but you'd need to know to tell.  It's all in the fitting and there's actually a reasonable amount of room in the chest plate.

 

Building your own armour is always what I'd recommend.  Start reading now, have a poke through the various builds and ask questions.  Most armours are, within reason, the same so other then a few details due to female anatomy differences you don't need to focus on anything specific. Even then some of us guys have the same shape issues in places.

 

Read through the getting started section, and ask questions.

 

As for the sound theres a few options but roughly: 

 

Mic in the helmet, speaker is usually in the chest cavity and optionally some means to do the voice changing and static clicks.  Some people fit it all inside the helmet with speakers in the hovi tips.

 

I use a wireless mic velcro'd in my helmet but also have a wired one.  Speaker is an Aker unit in the left of my chest, iphone running an app on the right. My wired mic is a backup, this would go on before my balacla and neck seal, wire runs down inside those and simply plugs in.

 

I use an iPhone app for the voice changing but there's dedicates boxes and even an all in one system.  My personal recomendation at the moment is the Tramp (Trooper Amp), not the cheapest but the all in one means less wires to pop and crackle. Also have a look at TrooperTalk, TK Talkie, iComm and Rom-FX.

 

If you have any specific questions ask them and I can be more detailed, this was a bit of a gloss over.

[Locitus[Admin]]

I'm 5"10' and 60 Kg and I'm using a TM with good results. I had to slim down the arms and legs a fair bit since I don't have the girth but it doesn't show at all if you do it correctly.

 

I built my kit mostly on my bedroom floor with a blade and a pair of lexan scissors. For the gluing you'll need some clamps but mainly lots of strong neodymium magnets. And masking tape.

Also get yourself a piece of wood to put on the floor so you can hammer the snaps together nice and tight.

[Starbeam_Antarctica]

Yep! In Adelaide now, will be moving to Brisbane sometime in May.

 

So, what state will you be living in, the Redbacks cover Queensland, so I'm assuming that is where you are heading.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Starbeam_Antarctica]

Thanks for the advice. The armour sounds very roomy for mics and phones to fit in it.
The mic sounds a bit confusing, but I'm super excited to try it out!

 

There's a couple of shorter women in my garrsion who are TK, once kitted up you'd never know.  One has the chest plate at a slight angle but you'd need to know to tell.  It's all in the fitting and there's actually a reasonable amount of room in the chest plate.

 

Building your own armour is always what I'd recommend.  Start reading now, have a poke through the various builds and ask questions.  Most armours are, within reason, the same so other then a few details due to female anatomy differences you don't need to focus on anything specific. Even then some of us guys have the same shape issues in places.

 

Read through the getting started section, and ask questions.

 

As for the sound theres a few options but roughly: 

 

Mic in the helmet, speaker is usually in the chest cavity and optionally some means to do the voice changing and static clicks.  Some people fit it all inside the helmet with speakers in the hovi tips.

 

I use a wireless mic velcro'd in my helmet but also have a wired one.  Speaker is an Aker unit in the left of my chest, iphone running an app on the right. My wired mic is a backup, this would go on before my balacla and neck seal, wire runs down inside those and simply plugs in.

 

I use an iPhone app for the voice changing but there's dedicates boxes and even an all in one system.  My personal recomendation at the moment is the Tramp (Trooper Amp), not the cheapest but the all in one means less wires to pop and crackle. Also have a look at TrooperTalk, TK Talkie, iComm and Rom-FX.

 

If you have any specific questions ask them and I can be more detailed, this was a bit of a gloss over.

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

A picture is worth 1000 words, so have 2.

 

Audio system fitted in chest plate by Christopher Pearson, on Flickr

 

And wireless mic is in like this though I've also got velcro at the end of the boom now to stop it moving.

 

Front fans, battery and mic locations by Christopher Pearson, on Flickr

 

Wired mic as I mentioned replaces the thing plugged into the green one. I don't have a photo but headset mic on, then I put on my balaclava and neck seal (goes round the neck) wire runs down inside and comes out in the chest.  The connections get pulled on a bit so the pop and crackle which is why I'm using the wireless again.  The speaker I use is this one which is where the headset mic came from ebay

(I don't know what seller I used this was the first that came up when I searched, probably can be found cheaper if you look)

Edited July 27, 2021 by gmrhodes13
updated text

[A.J. Hamler[TK]]

Welcome, Veronika!<br><br>

Check out "Cricket's" build. She's done a magnificent job of adapting larger armor to a smaller body frame. Lots of photos and advice in her build. You'll find it in the ANH Stunt build section.<br><br>

A.J.

[Cricket[TK]]

Welcome Veronika!

There is certainly no shortage of info here in the FISD, so I completely understand how overwhelming it can be to get started.  I'm 5'4" and 108lbs (about 49kg), and I was able to cut my RS Props kit down to fit my frame.  During the course of my 8-month build, I worked mostly alone (although with HUGE virtual help from the troopers here in the FISD).  I learned how to make cuts/trims to every single piece of my armor to get it to fit properly (read everything you can in here!).  You're not as small as I am, so you shouldn't have to reduce things as much (lucky you).  So if I can do it, you certainly can, too!  The key is to keep the pieces in proportion to each other. 

 

When I began searching for armor, I read good things about ATA (Affordable Trooper Armor), RS Props, and TM (Troopermaster) all being able to fit smaller body types.  I've been very happy with my RS kit (and their customer support is amazing).  If you haven't read it yet, make sure you look through the Where to Find Armor post.  Great tips in there.

Good luck with your build, take your time, and HAVE FUN!!!!  

 

 

[Starbeam_Antarctica]

Thanks guys for all the info. Very, very helpful and I will almost definitely go through with a TK now