A few things

[devious]

Over the past week I've been reading the various stickies and build threads on this FANTASTIC forum.

 

This reading has helped me understand the various armor types and their attributes. The one that caught my eye was the AM or Armor Master kit. From what I saw, though it does not have a helmet, the kit is easy to build and the plastic is ABS making it strong and glossy. I'm OK with it not having any ANH lineage, and as I've heard it is a fairly detailed sculpt. Another thing that makes this kit attractive for me is that is is for slightly larger troopers, I'm 6 feet and 185 LBS so this should accommodate me well. The best part of course is the price, so far I have only got a response from trooper supplies and they quoted me a very attractive price for their "lite" kit, which includes armor elastics and some hardware. I have heard that tupperwaretk is good also, but I have not yet got a response back from him yet.

 

Now my questions:

 

Is AM a good kit for a beginner like me?

What is a good helmet to compliment this suit?

If AM is not the best what would you recommend instead?

What things is AM not good for?

That other materials do I need to finish the armor kit other then tools, undersuit, gloves, neckseal, etc...?

Any other advice?

[ELP]

Just my 2 cents ... Bear in mind I'm pretty new as well so I might not be able to give you as much info as you'd like.

 

And tupperwareTK is one of the two people who organizes AM kits.

 

Is AM a good kit for a beginner like me?

- From a building point of view I understand that AM (the new FX) comes trimmed and is pretty straight forward to assemble.

 

What is a good helmet to compliment this suit?

- That's a good question I've seen a white AM suit with an MR lid ... The post is around here somewhere. Sorry I can't be of more help. I'm pretty sure most helmets will go well just make sure they fit your head first before you decide.

 

If AM is not the best what would you recommend instead?

- I just finished my wife's RT suit and it looks amazing. But for a first suit and a first build, AM is probably a good place to start.

 

What things is AM not good for?

-

 

(What) other materials do I need to finish the armor kit other then tools, undersuit, gloves, neckseal, etc...?

- Industrial Velcro, elastic strapping, snaps, E6000, rare earth magnets (a big help), clamps, masking tape, pencils, ab buttons or correct colour of paints, scissors or craft knife (maybe) ...

 

And a note on the boots: if you're thinking of doing TKboots order now as I belive they have a back order list going.

 

Any other advice?

[RogueTrooper[TK]]

Absolutely, AM is a good kit for beginners.

 

I got to see one of the helmets that AM is putting with it and liked it a lot. You might want to look into getting the whole kit and not just the lite kit. But if you want a list of some helmets that I personally like: TE2's (Bumpy Cap and Back Helmet) ATA, TM, AP. Basically any one of these will have that screen accurate look. The only thing is if you start mixing armor and helmets, the color tones of the material will not match up. But, if you are going for screen accuracy, the original helmets were out of a khaki green HDPE and then painted white. The suits were made out of a milk white ABS. The original suits and helmets did not totally match, except for the six Heros (The helmets that Han and Luke wore/and for close ups) that were made out of the same milk white ABS.

 

To recommend something is a personal preference. That is like telling someone what types of condiments they are going to have on their burger. I know that there are more accurate suits out there, like TM, TE2 and AP are some of the top choices in that bracket.

 

AM is still not as screen accurate as the ones I mentioned above.

 

My suggestions: A Dremel or Dremel like, a boat load of spring clamps, a lot of E-6000 glue, a good box cutter and a lot of blades, industrial style scissors, a good long metal ruler, some rare earth magnets, industrial strength velcro, black elastic, and rivets.

 

You have already mentioned undersuit, gloves, and neck seal. You will also need a canvas belt, a holster, blaster and a nice pair of boots.

 

Also when it comes to your helmet, YOU WANT FANS!!!

 

I know I have probably forgotten something on the grocery list. I know someone else will pick that ball up and run with it. Oh yeah, you will need a nice tub (like Rubbermaid) to carry your armor in to keep it from getting banged up.

[devious]

The main reasons I'm looking at AM as opposed to AP, RT-mod, etc is its apparently easy assembly and significantly cheaper price. I know this isn't a cheap hobby, but if I can get a decent kit (though not as detailed (AM)) for a good price, I have more money free to get all the little but equally important things, like the boots, voice amp, and of course the fans . I really like making things with my hands, so I'm going to have a go at making the holster, blaster, belt, and neck-seal myself. With all the amazing tutorials on here, it shouldn't be too hard.

 

Thanks a ton for the suggestions, keep em coming, I need all the help I can get .

Edited August 24, 2010 by devious

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Is AM a good kit for a beginner like me?

Yes. One of the best aspects is that it comes fully trimmed, no other kit comes trimmed. It still needs to be fitted to your body size, but it sounds like you’re the right size for one.

 

What is a good helmet to compliment this suit?

I would say TE2, AP or ATA (painted to match) or TM.

 

If AM is not the best what would you recommend instead?

You shouldn’t really refer to it as the “best†kit. The best kit is the one that suits your needs.

 

What things is AM not good for?

Some parts are very big (hand plates, shoulder bells, etc.), and not very screen accurate. The chest and back still really bug me, they are much bigger and the shape and proportions could be tuned to better match the screen look.

The helmet is still the FX helmet with a new dome. The armor is also an off-white color. Where as AP and others are "white".

 

That other materials do I need to finish the armor kit other then tools, undersuit, gloves, neckseal, etc...?

Undersuit

Gloves

Neck seal

Boots (TKboots.com or caboots)

Canvas belt

Tandy line 24 snaps

1/8†rivets

Industrial Velcro

Sandpaper

1.5†elastic for suspenders, harness, connecting armor bits

Drill

Dremel would be handy

Curved Lexan scissors (for trimming RC car bodies, found at hobby stores)

Exacto knife

Long metal ruler for cutting cover strips

E-6000 adhesive (Michaels has it)

Paint for the helmet details

Mesh for the teeth

Foam for the helmet

Green lens for the eyes (if the helmet doesn’t come with them)

 

Any other advice?

We really need to hook up, you know I live in Vancouver, right? I have an AM kit and an ATA, and an AP helmet you can check out. Here’s a couple of my builds

 

AM build

--------

 

ATA build

--------

 

Try to come out to our next troop in late Sept. and you can check things out. Please don't rush into buying anything. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Edited July 23, 2021 by gmrhodes13
link not working removed

[devious]

Yeah, I'm planning on getting out to the sept troop at the library with a few friends. I won't be rushing into any purchases, I need to make sure my finances and other such things are stable before going into something this big.

 

It would be good to meet up, so I can get better bearings. I'll PM you soon.

 

Thanks for the advice,

 

-Seb

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Correction Terry - RT comes fully trimmed too. And RT is near you guys as well in the Vancouver metro area.

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Correction Terry - RT comes fully trimmed too. And RT is near you guys as well in the Vancouver metro area.

 

I stand corrected! Thanks Paul. The RT armor is a good choice too, but it's scaled up for bigger troopers. You're just a hair taller than some of the people that use TE2 and AP and other ROTJ tour suit derived armor, but people have done it. In terms of sizing, I think AM would be bigger in size, and RT one step bigger.

[devious]

I was looking at RT and AP too, but at the moment I think AM might be the best option for me.

[poisonfox]

I rock a VT lid with my AM armor and the color matches almost perfectly! Great product.

[TK 5156[TK]]

I just finished my AP. I am 190 and 5'9". It fits me really well. I had to shim the side gap for EIB status but no extra shims on the thighs. Since you are taller and lighter. The AP should fit you perfectly. My goal is to lose 15 lbs and the side shims.