what kind of armor to buy

[alexisrosado]

Ok, I'm pretty new to all of this but I'm really excited about this and im wanting to get into it. I'm not sure what kind of different armor types there are, and how they fit. I'm 5'9.5'', bout 180. and I'm wanting to get a kit so I can put it together myself, but I dont even know where to begin to find any of that lol....any advice?

[Runnriottt]

Welcome to all things white and plastic.

 

 

First off... Take a sec and read through some stuff on here. All you seek is discussed in one way or another. Second, contact Firebladejedi, Staff. He is the man on armor knowledge.

 

Welcome.

[FIVE[501st]]

Hey man.

Take Runnriottt's advice and check out these forums... they're amazing.

 

You can also have a look at StarWarsHelmets.com to get a major education on what armor is what. (Check out the fan-made section.)

 

And for a quick run down there's always my short and sweet Armor 101 page.

 

Hope that helps!

And we're here if you need us!

Edited July 23, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[alexisrosado]

Alright, thanks guys. I appreciate it!!

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Here's some armor tips I wrote a while back, these might help in making your decision.

 

====================

 

Selecting armor:

 

If I have any advice for people wanting to build a TK, I would really research what YOU want to DO with your TK based on a checklist, and evaluate which armorers supply what you need. *if this is helpful, maybe this can even be a checklist stickied somewhere?

 

Eg:

How screen accurate do you want your TK to be? How sharp do the details need to be? (100% screen accurate / EIB status, needs to look good, or needs to be recognizable as a “Stormtrooper”, needs to be acceptable in the 501st?)

 

Do you plan to troop heavily in your TK? This may help you decide on what plastic would be suitable (constant use, mild trooping, display only)

 

Do you intend on painting your TK? Are you prepared to sand, clean, prep, mask, primer, paint, etc.?

 

Have you considered the cost of materials / having the right facility to paint your TK? (cost of paint, sandpaper, masking, respirator / fabric mask)

 

Does the TK come trimmed? Will this save you time or cost you headaches? Is this worth the cost to you?

 

Are you ready to do more detailed work like heating and bending plastic that doesn’t fit? (using a heat gun, heat sealing iron, Dremel, sanding, polishing?)

 

Will you need to add shims to make the TK fit your body type? (you need extra plastic, and will need to cut, Dremel, heat, sand, etc..)

 

Does the “Body” armor come with everything you need? (few come with everything you need – things like elastic, webbing, buckles, rivets, Velcro, glue, etc..)

 

Does the helmet come with everything you need? (lenses, mic tips, stickers, rubber trim, etc..)

 

What tools will you need? I found that having most of the tools already saved me a lot of headache. (Dremel, rivet gun, heat gun, heat sealing iron, glue, tape, clamps, etc..)

[Tech151[TK]]

Welcome man. Like everyone has said... there is tons of information on these boards, and if you still didn't find the answer to your question(s) everyone is really helpful. Im currently shopping around for armor myself, i think one of the first questions you should answer is: what's your price range. Once you know that it might be easier to help narrow down the selection. PM Sent though about other info and such.

[RogueTrooper[TK]]

Hey Alexis,

 

 

With your size and build, you should be fine to wear about any armor. My first bit of advice is to stay away from Ebay. Most armor on Ebay is re-cast (re-cast is where someone takes someone elses work or armor and makes a copy or simulation and trys to pass it off as the original or as good.

 

There are a lot of armor makers on this forum that have a good reputation for making a good product. You can find armor here that can usually meet anyones budget.

 

Armor kits are like model car and plane kits. It depends on the skill level and how much time you want to put into it as to which kit you would choose. There are two different types of material that the armor is usually made from. ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) and HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene) also know just as Styrene.

 

One of the other things that you need to look at, when trooping, is the thickness of the material. Most good suits of armor are made out of 0.080/2.0mm to 0.090/2.25mm material thickness. Any material thinner than the 0.080/2.0mm, will not stand a lot of trooping. Any material thicker than the 0.090/2.25mm material is running the risk of loosing major detail in the armor.

 

 

The pros to the ABS are that it is very durable, solid color through, with a gloss finish that needs no sanding or painting. Minor abrasions or scratches (when trooping this will occur) can be easily buffed out with a rubbing compound, back to a gloss finish. The con to ABS is that it has more of a rubber content in the makeup of the material. ABS usually loses some of the sharpness/detail when casting.

 

The pros to the HIPS (Styrene) is that it has less rubber content than the ABS. When casting, the HIPS makes for a sharper pull of the armor, giving more detail to edges. The con to the HIPS is it is not as durable as the ABS. When trooping, it is possible that after a few troops, the HIPS will get little stress cracks/tears around certain edges of the armor that will require repairs. Styrene armor will need sanding and painting, etc to make it accurate to the screen used armor.

 

 

Some of the armor makers that you might want to look into are: TE2 (Trooper Expert generation 2), TM (Troopmasster), AP (AuthenticProps) and ATA (Affordable Trooper Armor).

 

 

You can look through some of he builds and discussions on these different armor ktis and see which one you like the best.

[alexisrosado]

ok, I'm looking at getting this, what do you guys think? is this good to start with? EBAY

Edited July 23, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[RogueTrooper[TK]]

BTW since you are new to the FISD, you might want to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself

 

[alexisrosado]

RogueTrooper said:

BTW since you are new to the FISD, you might want to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself

 

 

alright, it's done haha...not the greatest intro but it's something

Edited July 23, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[RogueTrooper[TK]]

RED ALERT... RED ALERT... Maker of Things is a re-caster. His armor comes off of TE2 which is not condoned. His armor is not only a re-cast, but is also too thin (HIPS material). His is 0.060 gauge, which will not withstand a lot of trooping and his helmet is very poorly made with a lot of tears and cracks, which means he does not know his way around armor making. The thickness of armor that you want to look at is from 0.080 to 0.090 gauge, so you can withstand trooping.

 

 

alexisrosado said:

ok, I'm looking at getting this, what do you guys think? is this good to start with?

Edited July 23, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[alexisrosado]

well crap...I got too excited and went ahead and bid last night...argh...im really upset now.

[RogueTrooper[TK]]

You can retract your bid. Go to this Ebay link 

 

They have a contact tab and tell them after you placed the bid, you found out that this is a bootleg piece of merchandise and you do not want anything to do with it.

 

 

Ebay frowns on people selling bootleg merchandise.

Edited July 23, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[alexisrosado]

RogueTrooper said:

You can retract your bid. Go to this Ebay link

 

They have a contact tab and tell them after you placed the bid, you found out that this is a bootleg piece of merchandise and you do not want anything to do with it.

 

 

Ebay frowns on people selling bootleg merchandise.

ok, and if he feels like being a jerk and canceling my bid am i stuck with it?

Edited July 23, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[TK-7980]

Just don't pay.