New Member - John from San Clemente

[Johnic]

Hello all, just wanted to introduce myself. Just started this journey and will be putting together a TK costume, stunt/hero version.

Not sure where to buy the TK costume or build one. 

 

All recommendations and advice are welcome.

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Hey John! I'm Justin/Rascal and am your Imperial Attaché for the Orange County Squad, along with fellow Armorer @Oztrooperin Garden Grove. I'm based in Placentia, run @Rascal.Works out of my garage, have mentored a good number of the TKs in our Garrison, and would be happy to assist.

 

What armor to buy is a complex question that is pricey enough to require a good deal of thought to ensure you're happy with your final purchase. It's like somebody asking - what kind of car should I buy? Well the guys who can afford Ferraris are going to say that's best, and they're not wrong persay, but that would probably be insane for a daily driver suggestion. Some guys prefer domestic brands over imports. And in the same analogy - there are a lot of guys out there have only ever driven one type of car or haven't driven in years - so be careful whose recommendations and advice you take on the internet. There will be positives and negatives about every maker, so just find one that fits for what you prioritize (accuracy/lineage, comfort, size, price, etc.).

 

That said, there are a lot of us locally that wear Denuo Novo armor (or the older Anovos variant). They're a licensed maker in the US and their armor usually ships quick when it is in stock, and it's a great kit - they retained all the accurate dimensions and asymmetry of the original suits but are made without the lumps/bumps of the inferior vac-forming work done at the time. However, their helmets have been out of stock for a hot minute with no end in sight, and they do not offer replacement parts or extra ABS, so if the kit does not fit your frame, it will be harder to modify.

 

There are also lots of great makers abroad as well, but with tariffs lately, who even knows the cost/shipping you'll deal with, so that's a consideration. Point being - there is no one right answer, but that's not a bad place to start, in addition to this subforum for getting started.

 

Budget about $1500 on average for it, and most builds take about 6 months, but it all depends on you. If you're not already in the SCG Imperial Recruits Facebook group, I'd definitely recommend it. You just missed an Armor Party (where we get together to work on our kits) this past weekend in Anaheim, but there will be more throughout the year. 

 

Let us know if you have any questions and we're here to help!

Edited June 16 by TheRascalKing

[Johnic]

4 hours ago, TheRascalKing said:

Hey John! I'm Justin/Rascal and am your Imperial Attaché for the Orange County Squad, along with fellow Armorer @Oztrooperin Garden Grove. I'm based in Placentia, run @Rascal.Works out of my garage, have mentored a good number of the TKs in our Garrison, and would be happy to assist.

 

What armor to buy is a complex question that is pricey enough to require a good deal of thought to ensure you're happy with your final purchase. It's like somebody asking - what kind of car should I buy? Well the guys who can afford Ferraris are going to say that's best, and they're not wrong persay, but that would probably be insane for a daily driver suggestion. Some guys prefer domestic brands over imports. And in the same analogy - there are a lot of guys out there have only ever driven one type of car or haven't driven in years - so be careful whose recommendations and advice you take on the internet. There will be positives and negatives about every maker, so just find one that fits for what you prioritize (accuracy/lineage, comfort, size, price, etc.).

 

That said, there are a lot of us locally that wear Denuo Novo armor (or the older Anovos variant). They're a licensed maker in the US and their armor usually ships quick when it is in stock, and it's a great kit - they retained all the accurate dimensions and asymmetry of the original suits but are made without the lumps/bumps of the inferior vac-forming work done at the time. However, their helmets have been out of stock for a hot minute with no end in sight, and they do not offer replacement parts or extra ABS, so if the kit does not fit your frame, it will be harder to modify.

 

There are also lots of great makers abroad as well, but with tariffs lately, who even knows the cost/shipping you'll deal with, so that's a consideration. Point being - there is no one right answer, but that's not a bad place to start, in addition to this subforum for getting started.

 

Budget about $1500 on average for it, and most builds take about 6 months, but it all depends on you. If you're not already in the SCG Imperial Recruits Facebook group, I'd definitely recommend it. You just missed an Armor Party (where we get together to work on our kits) this past weekend in Anaheim, but there will be more throughout the year. 

 

Let us know if you have any questions and we're here to help!

So awesome, thanks for all the great info. I def do not want to jump to fast into buying my kit so I appreciate the info but I can't wait to get it going.

Looking forward to being a Full member in the Orange County Garrison.!

 

PS: I did join that FB group- just waiting on approval.

Edited June 16 by Johnic

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Hello and welcome aboard, you may find this thread helpful 

 

[Johnic]

1 hour ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Hello and welcome aboard, you may find this thread helpful 

 

Awesome, thanks so much. Everyone is so helpful. 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

5 minutes ago, Johnic said:

Awesome, thanks so much. Everyone is so helpful. 

"Troopers helping troopers", don't be afraid to ask questions, there are no silly questions only silly mistakes from not asking 

 

Research is the key, we also have detachment levels, EIB and Centurion, these can be achieved in stages after base approval from you GML (Garison Membership Liaison) and it is easy to build to those levels of detail from the get go, more info here https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/113-advanced-tactics/

 

Also when looking through that area you may notice abbreviated maker name in the titles of the threads, this will give you a good idea of the different makes of armor and how they look worn correctly.

 

You may want to also start a build thread once you have armor in hand, you can post one here https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/80-anh-build-threads/

 

Looking forward to watching your journey 

 

[Johnic]

1 hour ago, gmrhodes13 said:

"Troopers helping troopers", don't be afraid to ask questions, there are no silly questions only silly mistakes from not asking 

 

Research is the key, we also have detachment levels, EIB and Centurion, these can be achieved in stages after base approval from you GML (Garison Membership Liaison) and it is easy to build to those levels of detail from the get go, more info here https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/113-advanced-tactics/

 

Also when looking through that area you may notice abbreviated maker name in the titles of the threads, this will give you a good idea of the different makes of armor and how they look worn correctly.

 

You may want to also start a build thread once you have armor in hand, you can post one here https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/80-anh-build-threads/

 

Looking forward to watching your journey 

 

Appreciate it!

I'm thinking of going with either Walt or Denuo Novo for my build. Any thoughts on either one of them ?

Interesting info on the abbreviated maker names in the thread titles, I didn't realize this.

 

I just started a build thread so I can document my entire build steps and research - great idea.

 

Thanks again all!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 hour ago, Johnic said:

Appreciate it!

I'm thinking of going with either Walt or Denuo Novo for my build. Any thoughts on either one of them ?

Interesting info on the abbreviated maker names in the thread titles, I didn't realize this.

 

I just started a build thread so I can document my entire build steps and research - great idea.

 

Thanks again all!

I've personally not seen either up close but you can find plenty of Walt builds on the forum, not so much of DN. Things to consider, price, accuracy, location, shipping, currency conversion and weight times.

 

Great thread here on some of the acronyms used on this forum 

 

[Nairy[Staff]]

Hello John! Welcome to the FISD!  Congratulations on taking the first steps on your journey to becoming a Stormtrooper! I see you're in good hands already!

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

Welcome John

[Johnic]

Well, I just ordered my TK ANH Storm Trooper Stunt Kit from Walt Trooper Factory....I'm 5 foot 11 170 lbs, I think his kit should be ok for me ??

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Welcome to the Forum, seems that you're well on your way and other members have been helping you out.

Once your BBB (Big Brown Box) arrives make sure you start a build thread and we can continue to help you along. Justin and the rest of the SCG seem to also be very active in the real world with armour building so I am sure they will jump at the chance to help you out.

[Johnic]

1 hour ago, themaninthesuitcase said:

Welcome to the Forum, seems that you're well on your way and other members have been helping you out.

Once your BBB (Big Brown Box) arrives make sure you start a build thread and we can continue to help you along. Justin and the rest of the SCG seem to also be very active in the real world with armour building so I am sure they will jump at the chance to help you out.

Appreciate the warm welcome from everybody. 

I started a build thread here: 

Walt's kit is ordered but will take 8-9 weeks.

[Sly11[Admin]]

Welcome to FISD John!

As you can see, there is plenty of support here to help you get sorted and approved as quickly as possible.

Your time in waiting for the Walt kit to arrive can be well spent researching the requirements for basic approval, but also, we have 2 higher levels of accuracy you can atain.

These are easier to build into your kit from the outset, saving you time and additional effort in the long run.

Enjoy your journey.

[Tzag[TK]]

Hello John, welcome to the FISD!! Don't hesitate to ask whatever you want!!

[Johnic]

Awesome, thanks folks !

[swibowoj[TK]]

Hello and welcomet to FISD. Looking forward your built. Good luck

[Shanester[TK]]

Welcome aboard John! 

[giskard8[Staff]]

Hello and welcomet to FISD.

 

Please have fun here and go fire questions if you need help with your build.

 

Enjoy~ 

[Johnic]

Thanks All! I'm super stoked to get my ANH Trooper built and hopefully get approved by the 501.

[Johnic]

14 hours ago, giskard8 said:

Hello and welcomet to FISD.

 

Please have fun here and go fire questions if you need help with your build.

 

Enjoy~ 

I def going to have questions for sure...I would hate to ruin my Walt kit.

[Oztrooper[TK]]

We are here to help.  Denuo Novo is a good  kit to get you started on, but I see you ordered Walt's ...let us know  when it arrives and we'll go from there..

Edited Monday at 04:12 AM by Oztrooper

[Johnic]

On 6/28/2026 at 9:12 PM, Oztrooper said:

We are here to help.  Denuo Novo is a good  kit to get you started on, but I see you ordered Walt's ...let us know  when it arrives and we'll go from there..

Awesome, I will def reach out for help on the build. Would you know when the next build party is ?

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

45 minutes ago, Johnic said:

Awesome, I will def reach out for help on the build. Would you know when the next build party is ?

 

OC Squad just had one a few weeks ago, so probably not until Q3. We almost always post them in the SCG Imperial Recruits Facebook group, so I would keep an eye out there - especially if you don't mind driving up to another squad's that may be sooner.

[Johnic]

On 6/30/2026 at 1:35 PM, TheRascalKing said:

 

OC Squad just had one a few weeks ago, so probably not until Q3. We almost always post them in the SCG Imperial Recruits Facebook group, so I would keep an eye out there - especially if you don't mind driving up to another squad's that may be sooner.

Thanks!