TE2 and/or HIPS help

[Darth Sigurd]

Hi all,

 

I may have a good deal lined up for a used TE2 kit and wanted some more input on durability, upkeep, and replacement. I know from research here that ABS is more durable, but assuming I go TE2:

 

1. What can I do/not do in the armor such as sitting, flying commercial, displaying in lit basement, brisk jog in case I need to catch up with others, etc.?

2. If it cracks, what are cost-effective ways for repair?

3. Would ATA HIPS or even ATA ABS serve as viable replacement for individual parts?

 

Thanks for all of the help on this and the other questions I have asked so far!

 

Chris

[Daetrin[Admin]]

I owned two TE2 kits. The second I took to Celebration 5, DragonCon, and China. Here was my experience:

 

If you travel with it, get a hard shell suitcase. I was able to get everything but the helmet in mine, including blaster, boots, repair kit, underarmor, etc. For my helmet I had a helmet bag and took it as carry-on.

 

The better the paint job, the longer it will last. If you live in a warm/dry area where you can let the paint cure for a day between each coat and use multiple coats, you can get a finish that's as good as ABS IMHO, and even get it to shine. If you live in Seattle where it's always moist and almost never warm, count on having to re-paint your armor about once a year as it will never truly cure well.

 

Most of the armor held up really well. I got cracks in my ab plate and had to replace it with an ATA one. I also got cracks along the top front return edge of my thighs, and along the back bottom of the thighs. These can be repaired, and I suspect if I had reinforced them more it would not have happened.

 

Otherwise the kit holds up just fine, and I don't baby my armor. As for sitting...well I had no fear of this in ABS but only sat gingerly in the TE2. In hindsight I should have been a bit more cavalier to see what I could get away with, as it's a cheap and easy piece to replace if it cracks.

 

ATA HIPS works well for replacements. As I said I replaced the ab plate and they were close enough no one noticed. ATA's details used to not be as good, but after upgrading his vac setup it wasn't an issue.

[TD-3425]

Our garrison GML started getting cracks in his HIPS, reinforced, other cracks formed, he's now reinforcing everywhere.

 

If you want to it last, go ABS.

[Darth Sigurd]

Our garrison GML started getting cracks in his HIPS, reinforced, other cracks formed, he's now reinforcing everywhere.

 

If you want to it last, go ABS.

 

Is his TE2? And if so, how old was the armor and how active was he in it?

[Darth Sigurd]

I owned two TE2 kits. The second I took to Celebration 5, DragonCon, and China. Here was my experience:

 

If you travel with it, get a hard shell suitcase. I was able to get everything but the helmet in mine, including blaster, boots, repair kit, underarmor, etc. For my helmet I had a helmet bag and took it as carry-on.

 

The better the paint job, the longer it will last. If you live in a warm/dry area where you can let the paint cure for a day between each coat and use multiple coats, you can get a finish that's as good as ABS IMHO, and even get it to shine. If you live in Seattle where it's always moist and almost never warm, count on having to re-paint your armor about once a year as it will never truly cure well.

 

Most of the armor held up really well. I got cracks in my ab plate and had to replace it with an ATA one. I also got cracks along the top front return edge of my thighs, and along the back bottom of the thighs. These can be repaired, and I suspect if I had reinforced them more it would not have happened.

 

Otherwise the kit holds up just fine, and I don't baby my armor. As for sitting...well I had no fear of this in ABS but only sat gingerly in the TE2. In hindsight I should have been a bit more cavalier to see what I could get away with, as it's a cheap and easy piece to replace if it cracks.

 

ATA HIPS works well for replacements. As I said I replaced the ab plate and they were close enough no one noticed. ATA's details used to not be as good, but after upgrading his vac setup it wasn't an issue.

 

Would you consider it a bad investment to purchase a completed set of TE2 from someone with my exact measurements when I could get an ABS kit and complete it with local Garrison help for about $200 more? I am currently a pending member looking for my first set of armor.

[Daetrin[Admin]]

It depends on how much your time is worth to you, and how much of it you have.

 

If you enjoy building armor and have the time to take a kit from nothing, doing it yourself and getting ABS for $200 more may work out. If you work a lot and have family/kids on the weekends and the only time to work on kit is between 9-10pm and maybe an our here or there on weekends (er, like me), then getting something near completely done for $200 less and just having some small dial-in work can be a very convenient way to go. Besides, $200 buys an awful lot of replacement parts.

[Femtrooper Julie[501st]]

To me, if you can get TE2 for $200 less than something else, I'd get the TE2...it is really nice looking stuff!

[Darth Sigurd]

Yeah, I am 36 with a wife and two kids. Believe me, the time factor is a big one. Thanks for the reassurance,

[Darth Aloha[Admin]]

I really read this on my phone as "TE2 is really nice looking"

 

To me, if you can get TE2 for $200 less than something else, I'd get the TE2...it is really nice looking stuff!

[Femtrooper Julie[501st]]

Ha, well Guns is a good looking guy too!

[Darth Sigurd]

 

ATA HIPS works well for replacements. As I said I replaced the ab plate and they were close enough no one noticed. ATA's details used to not be as good, but after upgrading his vac setup it wasn't an issue.

 

Is it possible to mix ABS and HIPS at all if/when one part cracks?

[Daetrin[Admin]]

You can and I actually used RT-mod shins instead of TE2 shins. You just need to paint to match. Hmmm....that would have solved that butt plate issue