Darth Voorhees

Hm, well the FX armor is the most common and probably the easiest to mod for height. you can trim the tops of the thighs, and if needed the bottom of the calves. depending on your specific build, that may be all you need to do. you will most likely have to taper the thighs quite a bit. But its nothing impossible. What may happen with the torso section is the chest may sit low and cover the ab buttons partially. You can trim a bit off the very tops of the back and chest plate(the part that would sit on your shoulders) and that should lift it a bit. other than that, you can also trim the bottom of the chestplate like in the thread i just posted about modding the FX chest. Other Armor like AP, TE2, TM etc, may be better if your thinner as you wont need to trim so much in the width of the thighs. those suits are ideal for someone 5'9"- about 5'11" or so, so, you will likely need to trim length the same as the FX kit. The AP and TE2 are more accurate than the FX though, so theres a plus, but they are priced as such also. TM is a complete original suclpt with very high accuracy, but the maker is located in the UK and the shipping could kill ya, on top oif the higher price due to what was oput inot making them. RT mod would be just to big for ya most likely as it was designed for the bigger trooper in height and girth. hope i helped somewhat, im sure someone else will chime in with more info..oh and btw, welcome to the FISD!

ok here you go: not the best pics, but you should be able to see how much of an edge i made. I just matched it up to the size of the original. You can see its a little wonky, but you cant see that when its being worn, so i didnt bother trying to fix it

thanks for the compliments! Chiefhawk, Yea i probably should have took pics as i went along, but i was so in the zone lol..but it really is quite simple, just trim and do the return edge with the hobby iron as per the other thread about that. Its not really all that much material being removed. tkrestonva: I did trim it a bit first, just on the outter edges. Make sure you leave a little more material than you want, as that will be what will become your return edge. i basically matched the edge to what was in the center. i just trimmed the side areas, the middle is still the "stock return edge". Other than that, its pretty straight forward i think. ill get a pic up for ya in a couple minutes.. Again thanks for the compliments!

Thanks Mark! Honestly i wouldnt have biothered since i have already ordered AP armor, but im converting my FX to sandy so i figured id give it a go. Haha good Question.... I think i may replace the shoulder bells, but other than that i think this is as far as i will go lol. The thought did cross my mind to make the back more correct, like as in the small sapce between the kidney and back plates, and i even thought about using a heat gun to curve the kidney plate a bit like the originals/AP/TE etc. But since thr FX kit is going sandy and ill have the pack, im not goiung to bother with all that. So, im probably done with modding this kit.....but then, i always say that....

One of the things that really bothered me on the FX armor was the way the chest plate curved to far down on the sides. So, after seeing the thread on how to make a return edge with a hobby iron, i went and got myself one and decided to take care of this bothersome thing on the chestplate. I didnt really document it as i went along as its quite simple to do, i just wanted to show the results i got. Its not perfect, but i think it looks way better than the standard FX chest. While i was at it, i also took in the thighs a bit more at the bottoms. Heres the pics: Before: After: and this one for fun:

as always,awesome work mike!

heh pretty cool!

Haha neil, thats why i sold my vader, im just too short to be an effective vader, and the platform look just looks silly. Thanks alex, i am super excited! Plus i just got an e-mail from AP, he will be getting his next batch in this coming week and shipping next week! woo!

haha yea, thats the story of my life THe bike was somethin i didnt ride much anymore and it was expensive to build up, so i sold that and the Vader gear i had i just realised would be better to sell and have someone use it. Im more into the troopers, especially since im not very tall. A vader helmet is fine for display, the whole thing is just too much for me. So it all paid off, and ill be getting my armor within a month, i will start a build thread in the AP/TE armor section once it arrives

Funny you should say that about the AP as a sandy... He e-mailed me saying he has a kit that some of the parts are a different hue and he can sell it to me at a good price. Im thinking maybe i should do that, make the AP the sandy, and replace my TK later on,altho im sure like daetrin said, it will look worse and worse the longer i have the AP haha. Hm well since a hate the kidney plate on the FX and it would get covered with the pack if it was sandy, maaaybe ill just stick with what i originally ordered lol But if anyone wants an AP for a sandy, hes got a nice deal!

Great to here your OK! As a fellow bike rider myself,and riding in NYC, ive had my fair share of mishaps, glad to hear your in good spirits and on the road to recovery! Get well trooper!

Thanks Lizzeh! im happy as a clam! yup AP is top knotch with communication! Also, for the record, Deckard and Mr X are also excellent in that department AP e-mailed me to let me know he hasnt any in stock tho so it will be a bout 3 weeks, but thats fine, i have my FX incase the AP doesnt get here and get done before my next troop! In the mean time, im going to start getting the stuff i need for my FX TK to TD conversion

Thanks everyone! im excited! ...oh and for the record, AP is GREAT to work with, always responded to my e-mails and answered all my questions quickly! Terry19D: yea it was a tough call as i also eventually want accurate armor for both the TK and TD. Went with the AP (bucketless)due to the fact it was ABS and its the one ive wanted for a while. Was thinking TE2, but i just prefer the ABS and i really liked the AP for a while, plus i will then have a full AP set as my current bucket is an AP and will remain TK. I will probably upgrade my VT sandy helmet to a TE2 in the near future though

Well, well, this is an exciting moment for me! Just ordered a set of AP armor, and cant wait to get it! This will be my new TK armor, which will be replacing my FX kit. Im going to go sandy with the FX as well. Ive sold my vader gear and sold my BMX bike, and that covered the cost of the AP with a few hundred left to spare! this will be a day long remembered!

What Jonah says is correct. Not the best idea if it will be your only costume. You can find more info about it here: SPECIAL OPS DETACHMENT

Cool, well im thinking if i troop in NYC who knows, its a jungle out there, so i think id rather the ABS.

Terrell, yea i saw that thread about the return edge mod, im going to get that iron and do some of that to some of my FX pieces. And anything i may need to trim on whatever more accurate kit i get. Daetrin, Yea i figured if it was to yellow, i could always paint it. But the durability is what id want, over the painting factor. Pinting isnt that big a deal, i am rather good at it haha. Mike once again, thanks for the pics, im not liking that RT back either! Im leaning more towards AP at this point. My bucket is AP and i love it. If i get a full armor kit, and go with AP, i can use the bucket that comes with it for the sandy i will be converting my FX kit to. OR i may get a bucketless kit and a TE2 bucket for the sandy. Again thanks for all the input guys, this is really helping me out!

Thanks Mike, your really helpin alot! Both suits look good. The RT doesnt look too bad considering you didnt trim anything. The AP looks like it fits better though. I do like the return edge on the AP, but also like that the sides are extended on the RT so i wouldnt need side plates. Tough Call! Ill be thinkin more about it, and may be getting the upgrade sooner rather than later, but we shall see. If anyone has anything else to add about these 2 kits, lets hear it! Thanks again Mike, your info and pics helped alot!

AWESOME! thanks guys! Smitty i was thinking of mix-matching, but i want a sandy as much as i want amore accuate set or armor, so i full set of armor is what im after right now. Though i probably will replace the thighs and shoulderbells on the FX eventually, even after it goes sandy. So, does the RT have the "return edge" like the AP does, since its already trimmed? One of the things i like about the AP is that i would need to trim allthe pieces and can leave that edge. One of the things i didnt like about the FX is that it didnt. I know i can make that return edge with the hobby iron, but wouldnt want to loose size in certain areas to get that look. If the RT does have that, it seems that may be what im after. TK-4510, is that the AP in the pic? Oh and Smitty, thanks for the suggestion of the southbeach diet, i think i may try that. I did atkins a couple of years back and lost 30lbs in 3 months, but i think the south beach is more healthy. you can sort of see how the FX fits me here. The second pic you can see my "roundness", lol, which is what i need to get rid of ----------

Cool thanks Terrell, thats what i thought, but just wanted to make sure. So RT may be a good way to go for me, as i can always trim as i get trimmer,lol. i m going to research a bit more photos of the AP and the RT and see which i truly like better. I like that the RT sides are longer so you dont need gap plates. Of course if anyone wants to post pics of them in either, that would be great also.

Thanks Terell..did you mean trim the length of the leg and arm pieces on the RT?..or like the top of the ab plate? Hm, im thinking i may wanna stick with the ABS...so i may be leaning more towards the RT or AP.

Ok so, in the fall, im planning on upgrading to a more accurate set of armor. Im looking at either TE2, AP or Rt-Mod. ! thing i dont know alot about is whats the best material for longevity? I know the TE2 is HIPS and needs to be painted. not sure how i feel about the painting thing, but how does the HIPS hold up over time? Does it deteriate? I know ABS is good for color and i think it holds up well over time, and no painting is needed. So that would be the AP or the RT-Mod Ok so heres ther second issue, right now im 5'8" and around 205lbs. im mostly a bit round in the middle. Im working on thinning down my middle but am not sure what i can get to fit me well. my limbs id say are average size. the FX thighs were trimmed quite a bit and the calves fit pretty much the way they came, altho i may traim a half inch off the bottom to make stairs easier. So what would you think would be my best choice? I was thinking AP as i like the look, and its .80 ABS. But am i too big for it? I can add side platesto the mid section and i think id be good, no? If not, i know RT-Mod is a bit bigger, but i dont want it to be too big, cuz at my ideal weight im not a big guy at all. You can look at my "first troop" thread and see how the FX fits me. I also like the TE2, but im thinking its closer in size to the AP. I will be keeping my current AP bucket for my upgraded TK, and will convert the FX to a TD, and will be using either a TE2 or another AP for that bucket. Any opinions are greatly appreciated and will help me in my decision,the pricer range for all three seems about the same so its just the best fit, and longevity id think. thanks to anyoine for thier input **EDIT, I WEIGHED MYSELF IM ACTUIALLY 205,NOT 215 LOL***

Lookin good! The only thing i can see you may want to adjust is the height of your biceps, cuz at that height you will get lovely armor bites, lol, trust me. As a matter of a fact i have to raise mine a bit as well. What i did was i attached the biceps to the shoulder bells which holds them up and if you position it correctly, it helps prevent the bells from twisting towards the back, as your seem to be doin in the pic. Alos if you are going to go elite in the future, i belkive the drop boxes should have the strap in the center top of them, it looks like you have them to one side, otherwise, its looking great my freind!

Mod fieldtested and approved! This weekend at the big apple comi-con, i field tested this mod, and it held up perfect, and you cant even tell the cod is cut in any of the pics. Not over-pulled crotch or tiny trooper crotch syndrome to speak of! woo!

Awesome rig dude! congrats!