Comparing MovieFX (Germany), RS Propmasters (UK) and Troopermaster (UK)

[Dday[501st]]

So, like I eluded to in another post that most likely led you here, I had the chance to spend about 6 hours yesterday taking photographs of a very recently pulled MovieFX, RS propmasters and a Troopermaster suit. MFX suit was pulled no more then three months ago, the RS propmasters suit is unknown when it was pulled but it was sent/received a week ago and a Troopermaster that was pulled in October 2012, so all very new molds, all new pulls all the most recent example of each crafters work.

Without further ado, the photos and comments as I go along.

Helmets in a row... Pretty obvious who a few of them are. Left to right TM, RS, MFX.
Some notes... The MFX helmet is considerably smaller then either the TM or the RS. I would say it's at least 5% smaller. There is no wonkiness to it.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Dday

[Dday[501st]]

Now onto the rest of the parts.

The TD's first.... Left to right: TM, MFX, RS untrimmed

MFX tube is WAY to small, the panel is not even close to the same as the other two.


Up close and personal, showing that the MFX tube is to small. It does not fit into the caps like it should, it is actually hot glued to the inside of the cap, not in the grooves. This was done by MFX, not the buyer. The TD was bought as assembled.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Dday

[Dday[501st]]

The bodies! Ohhh the bodies!
As before Left to right: TM, MFX, RS

TM Front

MFX Front (One thing that isn't readily apparent is that this armor is HIPS matte white. The thickness varies from piece to piece, some being thin, some being thick, some being flexible and some very very rigid.

The following puzzled me. The crotch piece is very orange peeled, and purposefully so. The orange peel continues on the rest of the cod piece but isn't on the ab portion.


RS front

MFX Back


RS Back

TM Back (and front too)


Strapping MFX
Poor trimming an strapping job on the MFX (done by MFX) not enough return edge was left for the brackets, and in some places it has already cracked without ever having been trooped in.

Straps are not sewn, but have snaps on them. Makes it easy to undo but the straps are wayyy to long. strapping comes from MFX as well.


Split rivets are HUGE, the prongs are so long... It's a dangerous snag hazard.

Brackets are long on the ab and long on the chest, and long everywhere else for that matter. Should be very short everywhere except the chest to allow for overlap. This puts a lot of undue stress on the armor when there is so much flex/pull.

Suit fell from about 2.5 feet when the hanger broke (several weeks ago) and since it landed on the crotch, due to the lack of flexibility of the HIPS and thickness of this area, it cracked instantly.

Strapping TM (done by suit owner, me. Brackets, bolts and elastics bought from Mr. No Stripes here on the FISD)


The suits laid out: Left to right TM, MFX, RS

 

Edited January 14, 2014 by Dday

[Dday[501st]]

Belts: Top TM, middle RS, bottom MFX

Edited January 14, 2014 by Dday

[Dday[501st]]

Now, after all of this, There is only one single piece so far that I saw where I really thought, wow, this is exactly the same piece.... A ton of tells are in the piece, lines that at the same, spaces from one piece to the other the same, bumps, dips, flares, all in the same places.

It was between the MFX and the RS....


The ab plate....

MFX

RS

Combined, MFX on the left, RS on the right

 

Edited January 14, 2014 by Dday

[Dday[501st]]

Legs and Arms

Left to right: TM, MFX, RS (sometimes the order is swapped but it's easy to tell them. the TM is long and finished, the RS is unfinished, and MFX is smaller and finished, and not shiny.

Note my TM shins are XL, so they look like a boss.

The scale of the arms and legs are smaller then all the others. This not not made for a bigger trooper, or even a medium trooper. They are small and will be tight on a normal sized individual, it looks like it's made to the original actors type proportions.

Note how poorly the MFX sniper plate fits on, the shin and sniper plate are not even from the same craftsman, it can't be. The sniper plate is so poorly made... The upper ridge is WAY to thin, it won't sit on the shin ridge, it is way to wide and shaped wrong. I don't think getting this sniper plate on would even be possible in it's current state.

Do you notice the spikes on the knee plate on the MFX, look a little crooked? Well here is why...
It looks like he put some ABS tabs on his buck and pulled it over them to form the bumps...



MFX was created to be an overlap


Yet he still overlapped then hot glued a cover strip down

Thighs


Shoulder Bells Left to right MFX, TM, RS

RS left, MFX right

MFX Left, TM right

MFX left RS right


RS top, MFX bottom


top to bottom RS, MFX, TM

Forearms Left to right MFX, TM, RS


MFX left, RS right

 

MFX Left, TM, RS right

Biceps

MFX left, RS right

 

MFX middle, RS outside

 

RS


MFX


RS on the outside, MFX on the inside
 

Edited January 14, 2014 by Dday

[Dday[501st]]

My final thoughts....

 

The majority of this suit is not recast from anything I compared it to, with the exception of a few parts.

 

The ab plate looks like RS and MFX are the same

The biceps, arms look very similar but I'm not 100% I'll leave that to someone else.

 

The helmets, well there is no comparing them there. to me they have no similarities. MFX is to small and shaped more idealistic then the others, which are more screen accurate.

 

If I was to go to someones house and look at these three armors, even in their uncut form.. which would I buy?

 

Hands down the Troopermaster. The pieces fit together, they look spectacular, the lines are awesome the material is hands down the best.

 

RS PVC is nice, shiny and robust but I still prefer the 1.5mm TM ABS, personal preference. It is more realistic.

 

Both TM and RS pulls are very very good. The material is evenly spread, similar thickness throughout and very very flexible. MFX material is dull HIPs, thick in some areas, thin in others, prone to cracks and not flexible at all. Evidenced by the crack in the crotch, the crack in the bracket edges. The crotch area is SUPER thick, the shins on the FMX can barely open they are so stiff.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Dday

[Minuteman]

Great, I like the idea of these comparison shots.

But the problem with the helmets is, that you compare the TM Hero to the MFX Hero to the RS Stunt.

Another problem at comparing the suits will be, that the MFX suit you got there ( the one from R2Trooper?) Is not the MFX ANH version, but a mix of the ANH and the more idealized MFX MFX ( strange name, I know). A comparison of untrimmed TM , RS and MFX ANH armor parts would be perfect.

Well, nevertheless I like this idea :-)

[SW1]

I still think the TM Junior rules over all these suit's Derreck nice compasion's mate againt's the TM , RS and MFX

[Felice]

What a wonderful thread my friend! I still own a mfx and ordered a TM armor with helmet and a RS helmet.

This comparison helps to get the right decision ( my decision is clear:) )

[Dday[501st]]

TM Junior for the win!

[TK-50101 Blue Snaggletooth[TK]]

Very great thread.

 

And the three best suits in the world.

 

Shins and sniperplate in your pics are not from the MFX ANH kit.

 

 

This are the ANH MFX shins with the ANH sniperplate.

 

 

This are the ANH MFX thighs.

Edited February 9, 2013 by TK-50101 Blue Snaggletooth

[Opi Wan[TK]]

Yes its cool to see each armor next to the other. I like all of them! The only thing with MFX is HIPS, my broke on the same parts. ok its easy to fix, but it would be better if Guidon would change his material to ABS.

He told me he dont like it because it turns yellow.

The crotch piece is orange peeled, because the HIPS was overheaten. I work in a dental laboratory and we do vacuum formed bite splints and when the material gets overheaten we have the same problem.

But I think Guidon will change the pice if you ask him, he is verry cool with this.

 

Greatings Alex

[Dday[501st]]

If those aren't his normal MFX shins and thighs that I photographed, I'm confused as to why he sold them as such...?

 

I think a replacement is in order...

 

The shins you posted look familiar though.

[R2trooper]

Between the all three types of material, HIPS is by the most fragile and stiff of the three. There is not a lot of "play" in it, and with out much stress, will break. It also has a dull white finish to it, and will not shine even with novus. ABS is a lot more flexible, and seems more durable, with a decent shine, and a little off white. PVC is pretty flexible, and seems pretty rugged, and is straight up white, and very shiny. After looking at all three types of material, HIPS is by far the "cheapest" of the three. Also, the quality and look of the HIPS seem to change a lot in one suit. the plastic must be from different batches, but on one set, it looks kind of weird. It may be the hardest and most "armor feeling" of three, but one good impact and it is broke. I can't even begin to imagine sitting down with the butt plate on. So while Dday says the TM is the best, it is only because he is like 14 feet tall, I can't really compare PVC to ABS yet, HIPS is defiantly grade "F" in my book.

 

As to the sets, it may not be fair to compare Hero to Stunt helmets, but so be it. Still my all time favorite is the eFX fiberglass Hero helmet, but anyway. Like I said, TM is built for a Goliath, the shins are like 4 feet long and look like an elephant thigh bone! no, TM is the largest of the three sets, but was made to be an extra large. The MFX suit is rather small, but I was told the biggest they had and could make. The helmet alone is about 5% smaller than the other two. The TM is wide and kind of squished in my opinion. But fits my big melon much better than the MFX, which with my gargantuan sphere of a head, leaves no room for fans or anything. The overall size of RS and TM lids seem about even.

 

Why the MFX is a mix of ANH and MFX armor is beyond me, but all three suits look vastly different from each other. No part of the MFX and RS begin to match up at all except for the left shoulder bell and AB plate. I can not speculate on what these parts of the MFX (ANH, MFX) were cast from, but the RS and MFX are not related at all. The left shoulder and AB plate look almost identical to each other, these two parts are without a doubt in my mind related.

 

I think the true test will be when the RS is finished up, to see how the three look together. But, if anyone out there has an untrimmed MFX, or any other kit, lets get together and have a photo shoot! This is the first thread that I know of that has such a complete and comparative look at three distinct makes. In conclusion, all three sets are very well done, but the material is what sets them apart, and it was great to see, not only the different makes, but plastics, the HIPS is by far the worst material of the three, and I am guessing the cheapest to get ahold of too. The ABS is good and robust, and very flexible, but to me, the PVC is the winner here, from the look, to the durability to the evenness of it throughout the suit, I proclaim the winner. ------DDay, edit your post, you say "the crotch area is super thick" I think you meant super thin. It is like an eggshell.

Good day everyone.

[Dday[501st]]

No, the actual crotch in the middle is thick, very thick. the very edges where it broke is thin like eggshell though. It just shows how uneven the pull is. thin at the edges thick in the middle.

[R2trooper]

Ah, apparently you pay more attention to my crotch, than I do. ok I agree with you, I just didn't understand... But yes you are correct, really thick, then thins out quickly...kind of like my hairline

[Opi Wan[TK]]

One thing about the glossy, the MFX does not shine at all. You can not get it glossy with Novus, but with a cheap Car or plastic polish you can get it to high gloss! I made it with Sarahs Armor some day ago, it´s hard work but ist works verry well.

 

The shins are different because MFX sells MFX ANH Kit and a cheaper kit called "MFX kit" the MFX kit does not need Coverstripes on the legs, because they overlap.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Opi Wan

[Locitus[Admin]]

I think the biceps and forearms of MFX and RS clearly line up up and it's obvious to me they come from an RS recast. As for the MFX Hero helmet it could come from the GF Hero.

[R2trooper]

I will have to put up some different photos of the biceps, when you look at both sets, you can clearly see they are not alike. They way they curve, the "thumb imprint", the entire thing is totally different, even how they go together.

[TK-50101 Blue Snaggletooth[TK]]

I will have to put up some different photos of the biceps, when you look at both sets, you can clearly see they are not alike. They way they curve, the "thumb imprint", the entire thing is totally different, even how they go together.

 

What I always told. But they don't want to accept.

[Stormy320]

Very cool. I look forward to seeing these on a trooper all suited up to make a further comparison of them all.

[HawkTrooper]

Hey Derrek, thanks for this great thread.

[Turrican]

My final thoughts....

 

The majority of this suit is not recast from anything I compared it to, with the exception of a few parts.

 

The ab plate looks like RS and MFX are the same

The biceps, arms look very similar but I'm not 100% I'll leave that to someone else.

 

 

On this point i would agree.

The mfx ab-plate does realy look like a RS recast to me ,too.

 

It's always great to see how close TM's work is compared to the screen used stuff.

IMHO his armour fit's ways better together as all other ones.

The overall look of the lines is better.

Edited February 13, 2013 by Turrican

[HawkTrooper]

Very great thread.

 

And the three best suits in the world.

 

Shins and sniperplate in your pics are not from the MFX ANH kit.

 

 

This are the ANH MFX shins with the ANH sniperplate.

 

 

This are the ANH MFX thighs.

 

It would be very interesting to compare the MFX ANH armor with TM and RS instead of the here investigated "budget"-model MFX MFX (sounds silly).

 

I agree with TM and RS being the best suits in the world - I am not sure about MFX though.