Compare TM, RS, and ATA armor?

[Techne[TK]]

Wow this is great information.  I wish I had this when I started instead of when I am just about done!  Athough in a way it's only now that I could really understand some of these details.

[gazmosis[501st]]

 

As the thread name says, Always in motion, the future . . . and keeping true to that, the AM (Armor Master) kit is now evolving  into NE Armor - No Excuses.     

 

That is a quote from the NE maker himself.  The lineage of their molds is known but this is NOT a thread about recasting. Their service is great, their shipping is fast, the quality of their armor is great. All at a good price. The helmet still needs some attention but overall the armor has been well excepted.

[TK5144[TK]]

On 9/9/2013 at 4:38 PM, vecspeed12 said:

 

 

you guys are more than welcomed to look at the photo album for comparison pics. there are pics of limbs and torsos.

 

 

is the RS helmet much bigger than the TM?

looking at your pic here

 

 

the one on the left looks ALOT bigger???

Edited December 15, 2020 by Sly11
Edited to restore the image by Sly11, 2020

[Hermanator]

Holy cow, the one on the left could eat the one on the right!!  This is confusing because the RS and TM buckets I've seen looked similar in size.  I can't imagine TM using a bucket that much smaller than the screen used suit.  Perhaps one of the buckets were specially made for a smaller/larger person?

[Locitus[Admin]]

It's more likely down to how you trim and assemble it. I have TM and have handled multiple RS's and they seem the same to me.

[Hermanator]

Yes that makes a difference too, but everything in the cast is scaled larger on the one to the left.  it's not just at the assembly points.

 

I'm flipping through the rest of this photo album, and there's quite a few differences!!  Thanks for posting this; this really details the differences.

 

I didn't realize how much the molds have been sanitized till seeing this.  I like the sanitized look though.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Kilryth

[Rich330[TK]]

It's a slightly misleading photo. The RS is slightly bigger. The most noticeable area (just to me subjectively, i.e. I've not measured it) where the RS is bigger is the chin/jaw area. The part that curves forwards in the chin area comes steeper and lower than on the TM. With the helmets in this photo both resting on the chin area, teh RS is made to look taller and thus bigger all round. The difference is less drastic in person and from other angles.

I'll take some photos later.

[SorenM[TK]]

My short answer is this: if money is no option *and* you can get it, TM is IMHO the nicest looking kit. If budget is more of an issue, then ATA is usually what people go with. RS falls in the middle and the impression I get is it's more connoisseur armor, e.g. for people who know exactly what they want and are willing to spend more than on ATA but not as much on TM.

Not aiming at correcting you, but I looked quite seriously at RS before choosing TM. Their prices are very close, I think the difference between a fully assembled kit, came down to approx. 150$....so IMHO not a reason to choose one over the other.......:-)

[longboard8]

The RS trooper in the above collage looks so bummed out.

[vecspeed12]

When i owned a RS pp helmet, that too was bigger in size compared to my TM. But only slightly. Both RS's ive had were built differently and by different people. But still bigger than TM.

[Rich330[TK]]

As promised, here are my comparison shots. It's a less than scientific excercise but I think it illustrates roughly what I was saying about the main difference between the helmets being the relative steepness of the curve in the jaw/chin area and how deep the chin reaches.

 

The ESB is a TM, assembled and painted by Paul in Octoiber/November 2010

The ANH is an RS, assembled by RS in June or July of 2012 and painted by me recently 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2020 by Sly11
Edited to restore the image by Sly11, 2020

[Hermanator]

Accidently Posted

Edited September 28, 2013 by Kilryth

[Surftrooper]

Taking the TM/ATA comparison a bit further...

 

I love the TM armor, it's a beautiful piece of art, but due to finances I was considering ATA armor with a TM helmet (the TM helmet is the best, IMHO).  The question is, to all you ATA and TM owners, would the color shade be off with these 2 components combined?

[rhapsodyred99[TK]]

I have both an RS suit and a TM suit.

 

I prefer the TM for all the reasons posted (especially the shins) but I do use an RS ABS lid for my ESB Tk on a TM suit  I also Use an RS khaki fishpond lid on my ANH Stunt TM Suit.  I do use a TM helmet for my Hero version..

 

My RS I made into a sandy, which I think helps offset some of the grumps I have with the suit itself.

 

If it were up to me to buy another TK, I would buy a TM and with an RS Lid again.  Not that TM's lids are not great, but its hard to knock the honest to god molded from the real helmet deal RS has going on.  The problem with the suit is that it was a pieced together incorrectly assembled suit to begin with, and IMHO what they have done to 'correct" the suit is not all that grand when compared to the great work TM dis on his suit.

[Surftrooper]

Interesting, Frank.  Thanks!

 

On the subject of shades of color, which armor builder, in your opinion, makes a shade closest to the orirignal ANH movie armor (I'm guessing RS is disqualified since it basically IS the original)?  If this is taken up on another thread, apologies in advance.

[rhapsodyred99[TK]]

Non acrylic capped TM.

[Sn4k3]

This post is very helpful for choose what armor to buy

Edited December 19, 2019 by Sn4k3
Mistake

[giskard8[Staff]]

21 minutes ago, Sn4k3 said:

Does the TM need to be painted?

No need, you can assemble and wear it as is.