Where, What and Whom To Avoid When Buying

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

2 hours ago, TK-413 said:

Just wondering, Why is this group so down on the Stormtrooper Store / Jedi Robe and why are they to be avoided. there kit seems pretty good it reminds me of Fx armor, Yes you might have to modify it a bit but it's a simpler for lay people and the seams are larger than most, i think it's better than the denuo novo kit. I have that kit and is has lots of warps in the parts and can be confusing to put together for the lay People, also the S.S. has a one piece lower back less snaps and parts to mess with. Shouldn't people make their own decision, I have also ordered some other kits just to see really what the differences are, I just think you shouldn't be telling people to avoid them I'm pretty happy with their armor, they were timely, responsive 

Firstly FX is no longer approvable, we have come a long way with costumes over the last 15 years as far as screen accuracy, Jedi Robe is very inaccurate compared to other makers on our vetted sellers list, Jedi Robe is also a known recaster.

 

Yes people can make up their own minds, if you are happy with what you purchased great, we just supply information for people to read and decide, we do not promote. 

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

I don’t think it’s a case of anyone being down on those kits as much as the fact, times change and more accurate and better quality kits have become available.

History shows, when that kind of thing occurs, older products simply become grandfathered, and general improvements become the norm.

Legion and Detachments move with the times, costume accuracy improvement is part of that so requirement standards become higher.

There are other clubs that follow simpler guidelines, the 501st is renowned for being the premier costuming club, so staying at the forfront, standards and basic requirements have increased across many costumes over the years.

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

There is a ton of nuance to stormtrooper armor, and when you have seen firsthand and built enough of it, you definitely identify makers you like and ones you don't, based on whatever criteria you set - lineage, accuracy, quality, thickness or color of the material, the material itself, the fit for your size/frame, customer service of the maker, price and shipping.... the list goes on and on and some prioritize some characteristics over others.

 

That said, the Jedi Robe/Stormtrooper Store armor falls short of other offerings in almost every category measured, other than price, from my direct experience. The pulls are inconsistent, inaccurate, and thin. The armor is recast and the makers are not involved in and give nothing back to this community. Of the 1,133 individuals who have received Expert Infantry Approval (L2) for the accuracy of their armor, I don't believe a single one utilized Jedi Robe/Stormtrooper Store armor that I could find record of (and I maintain a spreadsheet of this data). The data below doesn't lie, and most troopers would be well advised to pick from any of the other makers currently available.

 

Ironic that you mention them, but the Denuo Novo (formerly Anovos, same molds) armor is generally held to be one of the best on the market currently and the majority of us that are selected to work regularly with LFL for their appearance requests wear it (/Anovos). ANH Stormtrooper armor should be "warped" in certain spots, as the originals were hand sculpted, though the Anovos/DN has been "cleaned up" digitally and the surface imperfections aren't present as on say, an RS kit, which I describe as "accurate to a fault". The single piece lower back (kidney/posterior) and overlap construction may be easier to build but are also inaccurate to ANH and pretty significant errors, not benefits (unless you're building ROTJ). 

 

People are welcome to make their own decisions, and your experience may vary, but those who have knowledge and experience in this hobby, purchase from other vendors and try to guide others to quality makers, like (most of) the ones below.

 

 

*Chart updated to just show ANH Stunt and data for the last 10 years, which seems more relevant

Edited December 16 by TheRascalKing

[dblcross[TK]]

AM 2.0 FTW