The various types of armor and where to find them UPDATED 2023

[Minuteman]

99% of the stuff on eBay is crap, except CAP, MTK and CfO.<br />Remember that CAP is HIPS armor and needs massive polishing or painting. If you're okay with that it's great armor.

[pretroop]

Thanks for the help Minuteman. I've seen the link and was considering ATA but there's a long wait.

But i'm in no rush so i'll probably go with it anyway.

[TheWilhelmScream]

I hear that pretroop, I just put in a request for ATA too...I just figured I'd wrangle until it's done

[Locitus[Admin]]

Building a blaster and get the other accessories (boots, holster, undersuit, etc) is a worthwhile task while waiting for the kit.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Building a blaster and get the other accessories (boots, holster, undersuit, etc) is a worthwhile task while waiting for the kit.

Gentlemen... THIS. ^^^^^^^^ THIS Right here, is a solid bit of advice, from a guy that knows what he's talking about.

 

I'll only chime in as a relative newb myself. That's the path that I took. Just yesterday, my last soft part arrived in the mail. I'm just about done with my Doopydoos E-11 build, and I've got only one more piece of electronics to order for my armor kit - which will finally arrive in May sometime (after being on a wait list since August).

 

Do your research, figure out which armor kit/maker is the right fit for you, get on the wait list and then start collecting accessories and knowledge. Before you know it, you'll be excited about the arrival of a big brown box, and you'll be ready to go as soon as you're done with your assembly.

[Buffstormtroop]

Is fx armor from tk1336 any good?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Minuteman]

FX armor is no good, not nowadays. Full stop.

[pretroop]

Much appreciated guys! Keep the advice and notes coming!

[octoberhungry]

Hello everybody....This is my first post on whitearmor. So I'm seriously considering taking the plunge and getting into Trooping or at least trying! So I've just started doing my research and have a few questions. Oh firstly thank you for this thread. I was very close to buying a complete kit from stormtrooper-costumes.com and originalstormtrooper.com (wow expensive!) but that would of been a big mistake.

So now I'm trying to figure out where to buy from. I live in the USA so a North American dealer would be preferable. I'm not much of craftsman so I don't really fancy doing any hardcore painting and constructing of my armor..I'd be so worried about messing it up and breaking it! ha...However I am willing to give trimming a shot if it's not too hard? I do like the sound of the ABS armor rather than the HIPS style..

Now I'm 5'11" and weight 170lbs...Reading through your list of vetted makers I like the sound of authenticprops (AP) in Canada. Do they sound like a good match for me? I found this link which seems to be them; http://www.tk409.com/update0405.html I'm not sure if it's out of date. I haven't emailed them yet but they list a full armor and helmet for $799. My budget is $1500-2K absolute max including all props etc. I really want an authentic, sturdy kick an impolite person armor that I can troop in or display at home.

Much thanks!

[TheWilhelmScream]

Hey OctoberHungry, if you message ATA armor (his contact info is at the very beginning of this thread), he sells a full kit for $***... that's who I'm going with cuz I'm just starting out as well email him and good luck man

[octoberhungry]

Hey OctoberHungry, if you message ATA armor (his contact info is at the very beginning of this thread), he sells a full kit for $XXX... that's who I'm going with cuz I'm just starting out as well email him and good luck man

Ah cheers fella....I emailed them and they got back to me right away. So yeah sounds like for $XXX you get the full kit minus decals for the helmet. But you've still got to build it and trim it yourself. Looks a bit daunting to me! Not sure I'd trust myself and then I've wasted $XXX. They did send me a couple of email addresses of guys that will build it for you so I might see what they quote.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Gentlemen, please remember that we make a serious effort to not discuss armor prices in the open forums.

 

Some things are better suited to private messages.

 

Welcome though, to FISD!!!

[TheWilhelmScream]

Ahh I apologize, won't happen again!

[Sarlacc]

I am wanting to become a member of the 501st and I want to buy a quality Stormtrooper costume. I'm 5'7" 300 lbs and my chest is 54". I was considering RS Prop Masters, but they are bit out my price range. I was thinking about going with RT-Mod since thier armour is oversized. Any help would be very much appreiciated. 

[sskunky]

Without sounding out of order you will find it quite hard to get a suit of armour to fit. 5"7" is fairly short so a screen accurate suit would be best for that but 300lb is too large without serious mods. RT MOD is more suited to the larger trooper but not so much the shorter trooper..... I had to go on a serious diet to get a suit on....... Good luck!

[Hemitrooper]

Hello all,

 

I'm not new to the costuming world, but been out of it for long enough that I'm practically a noob again. Long story short: Been in 501st since 2005, own FX armor that was the standard back then. A few years ago life got really busy and major changes happening, and left my 501st status lapse into retired status.

 

Now my FX armor is no good without some modifications, but I feel is a waste of time since it's now frowned upon. Especially when the helmet will more than likely be completely phased out in the near future as 501st acceptable. It's a shame really. I spent a chunk on it back then initially, then more with improvements I made to it over the years. I want to kick myself now for letting my status lapse, but it sounds like even if I didn't, the FX armor is looked down upon now anyhow. Frustrating. I have mixed feelings about it, but I have always realized the helmet is truly quite inaccurate so part of me understands my costume becoming obsolete.

 

So where to go? I found this place and it's nice that TKs finally have a "home".

 

My head is spinning on all the different ways to go on reputable sources for armor. So far in my brief research to re-educate myself on TK armor, I am curious though to ask this first question: I realize originalstormtrooper is expensive, but is it really not "turn-key" ready for 501st approval and trooping?

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Hey Troy - there is still life in that FX suit. As long as it's not yellowed, you can easily make it EI for about $50 and a weekend of work. Put on an AP helmet and call it good is your best budget way to go, IMHO.

 

Anything turn-key is probably a bad idea. There are several people who will build to your measurements ATA, AP, TM, etc. armor if you have more money than skillz/time.

[Starfox2010]

I hope I dont Sound like Smalls from The Sandlot, but who is AM?  This post talks about him but doesnt have the info (or I didn't see it) like the others. can someone shoot me his/her contact info.

 

 

Edited April 1, 2014 by Starfox2010

[NoVATie[Admin]]

AM was the successor to FX.  Now it's NE, though they are not listed as a seller because of the unsavory origins of the kit.

[bleh242]

As a heads up, his next batch is supposed to be a mix of AM and NE parts

 

Edited for typo

Edited April 2, 2014 by bleh242

[Corex]

I'm a little confused. Then again, I am new so bear with me a moment. eBay is bad, that much I understood. There are so many different vendors it seems, though. That's where I am getting lost. I've done a little bit of research as to how much the armor will cost, but now I'm thinking that I need to keep digging for the most affordable price I can find.

[Britton[TK]]

Did anyone ever get their replacement NE ear pieces?  After many emails of blowing smoke up my butt about them perpetually "shipping next week" since last June, they never came and my emails have gone unanswered.  I was told the ear pieces are a tad too small and they'd send new ones, but they never arrived.  

Edited April 6, 2014 by Azcraig

[ryan0275]

Ive noticed that there are 3 types of materials that kits are made from; ABS, HIPS, and PVC. Are the only differences price and durability?

[MightyTank[501st]]

Did anyone ever get their replacement NE ear pieces?  After many emails of blowing smoke up my butt about them perpetually "shipping next week" since last June, they never came and my emails have gone unanswered.  I was told the ear pieces are a tad too small and they'd send new ones, but they never arrived.  

Craig you should have received some ears, please send me a pm with your details and i'll get a set out to you asap with tracking. 

[Britton[TK]]

Just got your email!  Thanks for the follow up. Much appreciated.