Trooper question for all the experts

MattMunson

MattMunson

Master Member
Don't worry, this isn't going to be a "What's the best armor" thread. I've been reading the "AP Trooper Kit Assembly" thread, and I'm thoroughly impressed. So impressed, that I want to give it a try myself.

So here's the question, but there are some constraints:

Which suit should I buy?

Constraints:
I think I want to go ANH style.
I am 6'2" and about 180 lbs.
I'm not too worried about price.
I want it to fit me.
I think I want it pretrimmed.
I'm not TOO hung up on accuracy. I just want it to look like a storm trooper. (I know... blasphemy...)



So, what suits out there meet those criteria, and which ones will I actually be able to pick up. not to be too pushy, but please answer in terms of the constraints. An argument about which suit is overall "best" won't help me decide on what to get. i'm still a noob at the whole troopin' thing.


If anyone wants to PM me with contact information for sellers, I'd really appreciate it.
 
Hi Matt,

Not that I'm some great expert just an enthusiast.

Firstly do you want a hero helmet or stunt helmet?

Of the armour I have owned if you want something to wear that looks great the GF is pretty sturdy and looks great not sure about avaiability but Ebay is a good shout. I think AP does the same or similar stuff lately maybe somebody could chime in on the lineage of AP.

TE looks amazing but not sure how available his stuff is I think somebody else bought his moulds and is carrying on the suits. This info should be easily found out I would think (sorry I haven't looked into it myself)the only thing is it might need a lot of work.

Dare I say it SDS armour is made ready to wear pretrimmed and all the snap fixings already added I believe. It looks pretty sturdy but because of the armour colour you may have to stick with an SDS helmet whether it is a battlespec or whatever else is on order.

You could also go with armour F/X and a more accurate helmet if you aren't too hung up on detail. There is plenty of F/X on Ebay and it is cheaper but if you were to sell later it probably wouldn't hold its value.

No matter what route you go down I would make sure you got a really great looking helmet it is definitely the cornerstone of the outfit.

Good luck in your search and I am sure you will get some more constructive help from some of the other guys with other types of armour.

Cheers Chris.
 
I have an AP set and i love it. I think its from the GF molds, though not sure. It looks great though.
It is in kit form, so not pre-trimmed. I still have to finish the trimming on mine.
 
Being a noob myself, and from lurking here and scouring other sites, if this is your first suit everyone seems to be in agreement that the F/X is the way to start. Everyones right, its not movie accurate but you will look like a stormtrooper. Once you have the armor built, practice on building the helmet that comes with it, and if your not satisfied with the way it looks then you can pick up a better looking helmet. The 501st mostly uses the F/X suit, and some people get a better helmet, some dont. I guess what it all comes down to is your own preferences, and the time you can put into working on it. Hopefully this helps.
 
I agree that FX is not accurate but it is cost effective and looks great.
And usually you need to get your own black body suit, gloves, boots, and gun. You may even look into getting the neck seal for accuracy but once again, its not needed.
 
A lot of 501st troopers are migrating to FX with AP or RT-Mod helms. Cost effective and less bobble-headed look.

IMHO, a full set of AP, Troopermaster, or RT-Mod armor would be the next affordable step up from that.

I'm 6'4" and 225lbs - not that fat. I fit in FX w/o modding and in AA/SDS armor, but had to mod the thighs to fit.

That's my 2 cents. ;)
 
In my opinion I'd opt for a full AP setup. I've got two AP helmets along with two sets of old GT armor and they are a VERY nice compliment. But if I could do it over again I'd go for entire AP setups .....it's just more accurate armor.

Hands down AP.

Oh and I've had my armor since my weight has changed over the 7 years I've owned it from 165-195 and haven't had to make one alteration other than not pull the belt as tight ;) I'm also 6'1" for the record.

Steve :)
 
....get an AP kit....however, you're in for a lot of trimming (as shown in my thread)...A LOT of trimming and filing/sanding. The maker may be willing to pre-trim for an extra charge....not sure tho...

Failing that, there's an assembled TE kit in the JY right now. The only complaint that I have with the one TE kit that I've seen in person, is that they're a little thin. Thinner pulls even than the FX kits that I had....but the detail is very sharp.
 
For the money I would go RT-MOD. It comes pretrimmed, grows with you if needed, the helmets more accurate than the FX and fully assembled, and the armor is .93 thickness. All this for about $200 Bucks more than the FX at its cheapest. PLUS, the maker is a great guy and pretrims all the armor almost to a finished stage. I never even sanded mine it was perfect. NO JOKE. He boxes it up nicely and wraps everything. awesome

I bought both the AP and the RT now. The AP may be more accurate. But the RT is better made and delivered. I like both.

Oh yeah, the AP mic tips are crappy faucet heads. RT-MOD mic tips are Hovi pa2's accurate....

Bottom line.. For the money RT-MOD. Just my opinion.

PM me for his email :)
 
Guys.

Thanks for all the input, but from this thread, i've pretty much gotten a vote for every suit I know of.

Let me restate the question, so I can nail it down:

Without worrying about price, what suit can I get that will be close to assembled, and will fit me.

It sounds like all of the suits are accurate enough for my purposes. So forget accuracy. I don't care about price. i'll pay whatever it takes. The things I need to be MOST SURE OF is that it fits me, and that most of the work is done. I just know that if I get an untrimmed suit, it will sit in the garage for three years, and then I'll sell it :)

OH, and unless a good argument comes up to the contrary, I'm leaning towards RT-MOD at this point.

Bad choice?? Convince me. :)
 
...sounds as if you've made up your mind. :p
All of the suits should fit you...so if it comes down to ease of assembly....get one of the TEs in the JY that are already assembled.
 
RT-Mod is like a smaller version of an FX. The helmet I had was very narrow, almost vertical in front, so if you have a big noggin' you'd better make sure it's gonna fit. It's still a very nice suit. I personally would go AP or TM at this point in time. I figure pay a couple hundred more for something that has some connection to an original suit (except for the TM, but that thing is prob. more accurate than a real suit. :)).
 
Might be worth bearing in mind that AP paid for his moulds unlike RT-Mod.

By buying through AP you won't be supporting a recaster...
 
<div class='quotetop'>(The Dark Side @ Jul 7 2006, 01:21 AM) [snapback]1275142[/snapback]</div>
Might be worth bearing in mind that AP paid for his moulds unlike RT-Mod.

By buying through AP you won't be supporting a recaster...
[/b]
Click to expand...

I'd like to ask that further comments of this nature be held on to for this thread. i REALLY don't want this to erupt into a war about armor history. I just want opinions about what armor best meets my criteria. Though I appreciate the historical aspects of the many suits out there, I'm trying to limit the scope of my quest. Please read the first post for a refresher :)
 
I own an SDS suit and it was ready to wear straight out of the box and looks great. I'm 5'11" 170lbs and it could easily fit you with no alterations. It's thick plastic and a great off-white color, not like some of the bright white armor I've seen over the years which doesn't seem 'accurate' to me. Plus it seems to come with a black undersuit now, unlike mine which I bought a few months ago before AA changed his pricing.

So, that's my opinion.
 
<div class='quotetop'>(MattMunson @ Jul 6 2006, 02:07 PM) [snapback]1275070[/snapback]</div>
Without worrying about price, what suit can I get that will be close to assembled, and will fit me.

[/b]
Click to expand...


If you are worried about size the TE has plenty room. There is a guy on the RPF who is a giant of a man 6'5" (I think) and heavily built. I have seen his armour in a few posts and it looks great even considering he is a big guy. Sorry can't remember his name if anybody knows who I am talking about or the person in question reads this please post pics to show the size you can be to fit TE armour.

My GF is a bit too small for me and AP and RT Mod come from the same source I think so may be too small also.

Cheers Chris.
 
Hard to say. You're probably thin enough to wear anything, and FX are a bit overtall and oversized so that's probably your best bet. I don't advocate bobble-head helmets but you may need it to fit in with your size and suit. I'm short and just barely fit in a TE so that's what I wear. If you're not worried about accuracy, the world is your oyster :) Check the Junkyard right now, there's a couple TE there that I think are complete. The ebay FX and such are all kits so that's an obstacle. The field is yours.
JJ
 
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