Should I assemble my armor, or pay for the assembly?

[Hermanator]

This is my first build; although I have experience molding, cutting, and sanding my Mandalorian armor (sintra armor, resin helmet, and ABS gauntlets).  I've been reviewing some of the HOW-TO's, Builds, and finished armor sets.  This all helps, but I'm still left with the question:

 

Should I assemble the ABS armor myself, or should I pay for it to be assembled?  I would obviously like to save a large chunk of money by building it myself; but at the same time, I have no experience with it.  I don't plan to build multiple kits, but who knows what the future holds.

 

Are TK kits (such as TM) hard to build to Centurion level with screen accurate attachment methods?  Am I going to be racking my brain trying to get this built as well as he does it?

 

I'm selling off a good portion of my collectibles in order to save for the kit, so the money does not come easy... but it is obtainable eventually.

 

i.e. get the kit sooner and build it myself, or spend more money and get it later.. to have someone with more experience build it for me?

 

My only concern with the armor builder building it for me is that.. I'm not there for fitting.  Measurements can do a lot, but they aren't the same as being physically present for fitting.  At the same time, TK armor might just need measurements for a great fit... I don't know the answer to that.

 

Thank you all!!

[SorenM[TK]]

Hmm, being a total novice myself, any advice on the build will have to come from others.

I ordered mine built by TM, on my meassurements with no possibility to try it on before finished. I must say that it is a perfect fit, and it is build to meet all CEN specs, and then some...

I am totally ecstatic about my TM armour, so having TM build it for you should, IMHO, not cause you any concern whatsoever!......

Edited September 24, 2013 by SorenM

[Hermanator]

Your armor did fit you quite well from appearance. It looks fantastic!! Thank you for the reassurance. Anyone else have input on a first timer building a TM or similar to CEN standards

 

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[rarsenaux[TK]]

BondServant (Vern) is in the process of building mine now (AP AuthenticProps).  I had the same concerns as you, and with what you pay for armor, you dont want to mess it up!  You will find mixed reviews on this subject with most people in favor of doing it yourself.  The reasons vary from the fun, real trooper experience, getting the fit right, and build knowledge that comes from doing it yourself.  I can't comment on the fit yet, but Vern took all of my dimensions, and from his updates, I know he is taking care on the build and that it will be done properly.

Edited September 24, 2013 by rarsenaux

[ZacMuleer[TK]]

Easy to answer this.  Absolutely, positively assemble it yourself.

 

Yes, Centurion is hard.  It's supposed to be hard.  But that's what makes it satisfying.  Also, I can almost guarantee with 100% certainty that putting on a suit that someone else assembles for you won't fit to Centurion standards.  Even if you follow the CRL for Centurion to the letter, the award is given to those who have achieved "THE LOOK", which is entirely dependent on how well your armor fits you.

 

All this being said, if you still choose to go the route of having someone build your armor for you, which many have done, it is entirely possible to achieve Centurion with minor alterations to the armor.  But you may find that it's easier to assemble the armor from the start than to disassemble and reassemble.

 

You have the skills of armor building from your mando, you have your friends here on FISD, and you've got a good garrison over in Florida who would love to help you out.  You can do this.  

[gazmosis[501st]]

Like Danny said; ASSEMBLE IT YOURSELF!!! The satisfaction of looking in the mirror and saying "I ROCKED this F***ing build!!!!" There is nothing like it. The threads are here.....the information is here.....the tuitorials are here......the help is here........Do the research, look at the build threads, build the armor.

The experience is priceless. Then you can pass on what you have learned to other Garrison mates.

Edited September 24, 2013 by gazmosis

[SorenM[TK]]

I can only agree that making soething yourself is way more satisfactory in every way, no matter what you make.

The reason I chose to have it built for me, is plain and simple, that I have entered my pre-deployment training, and will be going to Africa on a ToD in Januray, thus leaving me no time to build it. Choosing to build it myself would have forced me to wait a year before being able to troop, and frankly I did not want to wait that long.....

[Tray[TK]]

I find the biggest issue with having someone else do your build is you won't be able to fix anything with quality on your own. Knowing how to trim and fit armor yourself after completing your kit will help you fix any problems you have in the future.

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Exactly what Tray says!

 

For your first costume, yes absolutely do it yourself.  You will 100% be guaranteed to make mistakes, but you will learn tons in the process.  I built my first TK & TD, but have outsourced nearly all other work since, so have been on both sides of the equation.   Still, at some point you will need to fix, tweak, etc. your kit, regardless of costume.  And, having done it once yourself, you begin to learn what you like & don't like on the various assembly methods.  Everyone has their own preference & style.

 

After you build the first one yourself, then personally I have no trouble outsourcing.

[Hermanator]

This is all great advice, and your reassurance has inspired me to build it myself. It was tiring but fulfilling to build my Mando. I love bring able to say i built it when people ask. Thank you all for sharing your experiences.

 

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[maxsteele[TK]]

Let me speak from a pure amateur view here....

 

I'm not having the easiest time building my armor right now.  I've had people say:  "Oh, you can have that done in a couple of weeks!"  But that is certainly not the case for me.  I'm struggling with cutting the armor correctly, trying to learn the techniques on how to fit and trim pieces to my body, and then I'm going to have a hell of a time with the snaps / strapping once the pieces are ready to be worn.  I also need to figure out how to carve the ears for my bucket (ugh, the ears) and I'm trembling at the thought of piercing holes through it.

 

I've never been in the situation that I am right now - unfinished pieces of armor strewn about my workbench, pieces of ABS and ABS dust littered everywhere, a clutter of scissors, xacto knives, and files....  but I'm learning a bunch about how all this armor goes together, and I will get it built eventually.  I'm taking my time making sure that the return edge cuts I've made are sanded nice and smooth with no weird raised edges.  I spent hours filing out the teeth of my bucket to get them to just the right amount of openings.  I painted a pair of black boots white over the course of a couple of weeks.

 

If I didn't have the experience I've had from working with my armor, I would probably suggest to someone just coming into this to have someone build the armor for you.  But now that I've been working with it myself, I vote for building it yourself.

[Darth Aloha[Admin]]

Like Danny said; ASSEMBLE IT YOURSELF!!! The satisfaction of looking in the mirror and saying "I ROCKED this F***ing build!!!!" There is nothing like it. The threads are here.....the information is here.....the tuitorials are here......the help is here........Do the research, look at the build threads, build the armor.

The experience is priceless. Then you can pass on what you have learned to other Garrison mates.

 

What he said!

 

Assembling your own armor is also amazingly addictive. You'll open up a whole new world of hobby you never knew you cared about. It's not that difficult. There are uncrafty people here in FISD that do it all the time and make it to Centurion... which isn't that hard if you do it from the get go.

 

Good luck on whatever you choose. We're here to help regardless.

 

Aloha,

 

-Eric

[Tolo[TK]]

I did not really build mine, i got it used from a friend and it's not build to my taste. The worst part, everything is glued with ABS glue, so I'm pretty much srewed.

 

But we are now building his new armor, well I'm pretty much doing it, he has a lack of time with the baby and I can't wait to get funds for a brand new armor. You can't imagine how fun is building everything. But, I'm not ready to trim it on my own.

 

 

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[Clamps[TK]]

I am in the "build it yourself camp"

 

I had ZERO experience and I put together the kit on my own with very little local assistance. i read, researched and asked when I was unsure.  I planned my build to be Centurion from the get go as it is much easier to build in the extra needs versus going back after the fact and trying to change/mod . 

 

I learned a $h!t ton putting this thing together and I have been able to mod and fix with ease. Somehow I have now become a GO-TO person in the garrison for TK related assistance despite only being in the legion for  year. 

 

Good luck with your research and build!

 

[longboard8]

I have three children, one of whom is a baby. My career is crazy. I imagine I'd pay to have somebody do it at the moment. Any takers?

 

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[Locitus[Admin]]

In my opinion, TM is actually the easiest one to build yourself just because the parts fit together so well. There's also no need for heat treatments to make parts line up, there are clear lines of where to trim, and we have great build threads from people that know what they're doing.

 

To get to centurion you then just have to pay some attention to what you're doing and why. Not just rush into things because you saw someone else do it. But it's not actually harder to do, just requires some thought put into it.

[Ditch[501st]]

Do it your self. How are you going to know how to fix something if you have a malfunction. Plus you wont have the proper tools to repair.

[DizzyStormtrooper[501st]]

buying your armor built is like the teens that buy civics with motor swaps already. you did none of the work, it doesnt fit you right, and (insert satirical joke about "swag" here)...

 

youll feel more accomplished and the armor will be more form fitting when you do it yourself.

[SorenM[TK]]

(warning, sarcasm may occur..  )...

So if building your armour yourself is so much better, for fit, knowledge on how to repair, better looks ect. ? then why on earth do we buy our clothes and shoes ready made, or get them tailormade? when the best option would be to sew the clothes or shoes ourselves, to make a better fit, know how to repair etc??    I fully agree on the fun and satisfaction part though..   

Edited September 25, 2013 by SorenM

[TK-50175[TK]]

Hi,

I payed TM for assembling my armor and it was perfect. I don´t have the time right now to make it by myself...thats why.

But with enough time I would do it myself...maybe next time...

[longboard8]

Did somebody say swag?

[maxsteele[TK]]

(warning, sarcasm may occur..  )...

So if building your armour yourself is so much better, for fit, knowledge on how to repair, better looks ect. ? then why on earth do we buy our clothes and shoes ready made, or get them tailormade? when the best option would be to sew the clothes or shoes ourselves, to make a better fit, know how to repair etc??    I fully agree on the fun and satisfaction part though..   

 

I would say because we can't walk into the local Stormtrooper armor shop and buy a new pair of forearms off the rack.  If that were possible, I wouldn't be building my armor right now.  

[SorenM[TK]]

I would say because we can't walk into the local Stormtrooper armor shop and buy a new pair of forearms off the rack.  If that were possible, I wouldn't be building my armor right now.  

where is that Like button when you neéd it?

[Daetrin[Admin]]

True, but for some makes replacement parts are cheap. I remember the first time I had to cut in to my FX ab plate when I converted it to a TD and it scared me to death, then I figured that WTH - I could just order a new ab plate. Parts wear out too. I think you should tell yourself it's OK to make mistakes. It's how we learn after all.

 

The reality is that time is the real arbiter. Some people have a lot of time, others not so much.

[SorenM[TK]]

True, but for some makes replacement parts are cheap. I remember the first time I had to cut in to my FX ab plate when I converted it to a TD and it scared me to death, then I figured that WTH - I could just order a new ab plate. Parts wear out too. I think you should tell yourself it's OK to make mistakes. It's how we learn after all.The reality is that time is the real arbiter. Some people have a lot of time, others not so much.

Like again...and ofcourse it depends on the skill level of the one building your armour for you.....