Jump to content

Best options for having a FO Trooper ready to wear by Mid June for Awesomecon


rrosadob

Recommended Posts

Hello!

Slightly overwhelmed by all the great info available here. I hoping to have a first order trooper costume ready to go by Awesomecon in mid June.  .  so a couple things:

 

~ budget is any where from $500 -$1500.  Anywhere I can save by doing stuff myself would be great but I really don't have a garage or workspace of any sort to be able to do a lot but would be wiling to pay for commission work.

~I'm on the larger side,  5'8'' and 265lbs. Need to consider what armor would fit me best, if realistically any :)

~Local to Northern VA. I've initiated contact with the local 501st garrison (Tyranus), haven't heard back but figured I would go ahead and cast a wide net. was also hoping to see if anyone local would be willing to help me out.

 

I've looked at this thread : http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/34166-first-order-stormtrooper-resources/
and this one: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/

to get started, but like i said, bit overwhelemed! 

 

Help me FISD, you're my only hope!

 

thanks in advanced

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the FISD. :)

 

As you can see by my avatar, I'm also located in NoVA and a member of Garrison Tyranus. I'm in Reston - where specifically are you located? I assumed you've signed up for an account on the GT forum and are simply waiting for it to be approved.

 

I've got some bad news for you - unless you can somehow buy a complete costume (armor, helmet, boots, blaster, gaskets, neck seal, etc.) prebuilt and that actually fits you, it will be next to impossible to pull together a First Order stormtrooper by mid-June. Getting the complete ensemble for the price range you quoted puts it out of range entirely, and lack of a suitable work space also works against you.

 

For example, in addition to being an OT TK I'm also a First Order TK. I have the Anovos prototype kit that was sold to select 501st members prior to the premiere of The Force Awakens. All told, I personally put over 150 man-hours into the initial build, not including trimming assistance, the stuff I contracted out (I had my kit professionally painted at an auto body shop), and periodic maintenance/upkeep tasks. While the new Anovos TFA kits are much less expensive and are supposed to be much simpler to assemble, they currently aren't supposed to ship until 3Q17 and we won't really know how much easier they are to assemble until that happens. You may be able to get a fan-made kit faster from one of the two non-Anovos vendors, but it will still take at least a few weeks for them to arrive - and that assumes they have stock on hand.

 

In addition, TFA kits are made for a mesomorphic build. At your height, you'd need to lose about 80lbs in order for it to fit you properly. Unlike the Imperial stormtrooper kits (of which there are far more choices), the First Order kits are far less forgiving in terms of height/weight and body shape.

 

I'll be at AwesomeCon in costume on Saturday and I'll most likely wear my First Order kit. I may go Friday in street clothes as well. Feel free to hit me up to chat - or you can message me either here or on the GT forum (I go by the same username).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the FISD. :)

 

As you can see by my avatar, I'm also located in NoVA and a member of Garrison Tyranus. I'm in Reston - where specifically are you located? I assumed you've signed up for an account on the GT forum and are simply waiting for it to be approved.

 

I've got some bad news for you - unless you can somehow buy a complete costume (armor, helmet, boots, blaster, gaskets, neck seal, etc.) prebuilt and that actually fits you, it will be next to impossible to pull together a First Order stormtrooper by mid-June. Getting the complete ensemble for the price range you quoted puts it out of range entirely, and lack of a suitable work space also works against you.

 

For example, in addition to being an OT TK I'm also a First Order TK. I have the Anovos prototype kit that was sold to select 501st members prior to the premiere of The Force Awakens. All told, I personally put over 150 man-hours into the initial build, not including trimming assistance, the stuff I contracted out (I had my kit professionally painted at an auto body shop), and periodic maintenance/upkeep tasks. While the new Anovos TFA kits are much less expensive and are supposed to be much simpler to assemble, they currently aren't supposed to ship until 3Q17 and we won't really know how much easier they are to assemble until that happens. You may be able to get a fan-made kit faster from one of the two non-Anovos vendors, but it will still take at least a few weeks for them to arrive - and that assumes they have stock on hand.

 

In addition, TFA kits are made for a mesomorphic build. At your height, you'd need to lose about 80lbs in order for it to fit you properly. Unlike the Imperial stormtrooper kits (of which there are far more choices), the First Order kits are far less forgiving in terms of height/weight and body shape.

 

I'll be at AwesomeCon in costume on Saturday and I'll most likely wear my First Order kit. I may go Friday in street clothes as well. Feel free to hit me up to chat - or you can message me either here or on the GT forum (I go by the same username).

 

Hello and thank you so much for your reply and all the great info!

 

I'm located in Woodbridge, not terribly far from Reston. 

 

Bummer but I figured that might be the case with this endevour . Do you think it would be more realistic to try for an OT TK or am  I looking at more or less the same obstacles? I might be able to allocate more funds to expand the budget, just figured I throw  a ballpark out.

 

Ill shoot you a message on GT forums too!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our garrison CO lives in Woodbridge, and she and her boyfriend (who happens to be the Blizzard Force DL) host armor parties on a frequent basis. :)

 

Yes, an OT TK would be more realistic in that (1) OT TK armor is far more available than TFA TK armor, and (2) there are options out there that are specifically geared towards larger troopers. Furthermore, it's definitely doable within your budget although the timeline might not be unless you can devote a significant amount of personal time to your build between now and mid-June.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the classic stormtrooper armor, be sure to review the vendors in this thread to find one that would fit you best:

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/

 

Once you get your account with Garrison Tyranus, find a couple of events that you can attend as a "squire." You'll get the chance to meet folks and see the details that go into assembling the armor. You'll also see a variety of ways folks have setup the strapping for the armor - to keep it in place while trooping. Even more importantly, you will experience a trooping event from the other side of line. Your job will be to ensure the troopers can safely move from one area to another (Luke wasn't lying when he complained "I can't see a thing in this helmet!"). You will help fans get photos with their heroes of the Empire. You will also protect the troopers from over-zealous fans looking to cause mischief and mayhem.

 

Assembling a suit of armor in less than two months can be accomplished, but you don't want to sacrifice quality to beat a deadline.

 

Good luck!

 

Charlie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm thinking or selling my Jim TKFO kit and Anovos helmet if you would consider that route. I haven't started any work on it so you would need to sand and paint. On the plus side it's basically constructed. Just needs strapping.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the classic stormtrooper armor, be sure to review the vendors in this thread to find one that would fit you best:

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/

 

Once you get your account with Garrison Tyranus, find a couple of events that you can attend as a "squire." You'll get the chance to meet folks and see the details that go into assembling the armor. You'll also see a variety of ways folks have setup the strapping for the armor - to keep it in place while trooping. Even more importantly, you will experience a trooping event from the other side of line. Your job will be to ensure the troopers can safely move from one area to another (Luke wasn't lying when he complained "I can't see a thing in this helmet!"). You will help fans get photos with their heroes of the Empire. You will also protect the troopers from over-zealous fans looking to cause mischief and mayhem.

 

Assembling a suit of armor in less than two months can be accomplished, but you don't want to sacrifice quality to beat a deadline.

 

Good luck!

 

Charlie

 

Thank you! I actually started a build thread: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/41428-best-options-for-having-a-fo-trooper-ready-to-wear-by-mid-june-for-awesomecon/

 

 

I'm thinking or selling my Jim TKFO kit and Anovos helmet if you would consider that route. I haven't started any work on it so you would need to sand and paint. On the plus side it's basically constructed. Just needs strapping.

Appreciate it , i was able to score an AM 2.0 set :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...