Hopeful new recruit from Ontario

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

Hello everyone,

 

Just wanted to drop in and say hello and ask a question.  
 

I have been following the 501st for several years and now that my work career is winding down and I should have more free time, I am eager to try and join the 501st. I will be trying to join the Canadian Garrison once I get my armor completed for review. 
 

I have spent several hours mulling through your forums and am amazed at the wealth of knowledge there. The idea of building and having my own TK armor has been a dream since watching ANH in theatres in the summer of 1977. I am, about ready to order my stormtrooper armor and helmet but am looking for a bit of advice on the 2 options I have narrowed it down to.  
 

‘’I am looking to order from RTpanda or Authentic Props, as I am in Canada and feel it will be easier. I am 5’11 and weigh about 220 to 230 pounds. I believe this qualifies me as a “husky” trooper. LOL. I originally thought to go with RTpanda but I read that these armor builds are geared more for taller troopers as well as larger bodied troopers. Being average height,  would I need to do a lot of trimming to get the pieces to fit?  Is the AP armor a better option for normal height but slightly heavier set people?

 

From what I can see, both seem to be great options.  Just wondering if one would suit my body type better than the other.  I want to try for centurion level armor certification as well.  Is one of these better suited for that?

Thanks 

 

Gerald

[captsafe66[Admin]]

Welcome to the White Zone!

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

Thanks. Looking forward to joining. 

[CallMeMrTibbles[501st]]

Hi Gerald,
Welcome to the 501st and FISD. It's really good to have you here.

Finding the right armour to fit you is important, and it's great that you're asking about this before buying anything. I'm over in the UK, and have no direct experience with the armour makers you're looking at, so I hope someone else can chime in.

Whichever armour make you go with (even if you commission fully assembled armour) you can expect to do some degree of tweaking; I don't think I know anyone that's passed through this forum that hasn't had to do that. Don't worry about that though. There's a lot of help and advice to be had here and with your local garrison, and the sense of achievement when you're armour is cleared is amazing.

Good luck with it all, and please post questions and pictures anytime you need help.
Rich

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Hello and welcome aboard, take a look at a few of the build threads, you will find many have the makers names in the titles, will give you a better idea of sizing, you can also look in this area, information on sizing can be found there 

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

Thank you. 

[giskard8[Staff]]

Hello Gerald, welcome to the FISD forum.

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Welcome, Gerald!  If it were me, I would go with AP.  They make a great kit, and since the abdomen and kidney plates have built in extensions you shouldn't need to worry about adding shims to the sides of those pieces.  

Once you order your kit, I would suggest getting all your build supplies ready for Big Brown Box day.  Having everything you will need on-hand will save you lots of time.. trust me.  I have some tutorial links under my avatar below that will help.

 

When you are ready to start, I highly suggest starting your own build thread here.  That way, you can ask all the questions you want as well as post up lots of photos.  Posting photos is especially important when/if you have an issue.  Know that we are here to help every step of the way, and never be shy about hitting us up if you need assistance.  It's what we do best!

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

Thank you for all of the advice. I think I am leaning more to the AP armour. I have gone through many of the build forums and will for sure start my own when the time comes. This bunch of people is amazing 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Welcome Gerald and looking forward for your BBB day !! 

[Twosolitudes[TK]]

Welcome Gerald!

 

You’ll find a wealth of info and support here, as well as a few troopers from the Canadian Garrison who can also lend you a hand and or some tools if necessary.