Another Shepperton hot mess

[DarthVoltron]

So I was a newb when I ordered by Hero ensemble for Shepperton Studios.  I know better now, but I have a bad habit of doing stupid things so that others don't have to.

 

I've been poking around the forums for a bit and it looks like I've got some decisions to make.

 

1. The Shepperton Hero helmet offer terrible visibility, even after I replaced the bubble lenses.  I'm going to need to a stunt helmet.  I'm loathe to give them more of my money, but I also want the colors to match.
2. Obviously the Shepperton has accuracy issues, but it's also very difficult to get around in.  I am completely unable to bend my knees, which makes it impossible to interact wit kids.  Is this normal, or should I be looking to mod or get into another suit altogether?
3. I've replaced the rubber gloves with fabric ones.  Much nicer, but I have a feeling that's not CRL-Kosher,

 

Anyway, since I'm not spoiled for time, I'm trying to decide if I should pass this project along to another fan, and go for an RS Propmasters instead, or do the work, order the replacement pieces to fix it.

 

Thoughts, mocking and I-told-you-so's are welcome. 

[Sly11[Admin]]

Welcome to FISD ED!

 

Rubber gloves are generally only for higher levels of approval, many wear NOMEX gloves for trooping instead which are fine for basic 501st approval.

As to sizing, yes you can indeed mod your armour to improve walking.

Mobility cuts on the rear similar to what they actually did for the films is definitely permissible, but if parts are too long then you can trim them down.

 

Thighs you would trim from the top, Calves you would trim from the bottom if that makes sense.

 

Perhaps if you can add some photos we can give some better advice as well, but check out this gallery below

 

Bubble lenses are notoriously difficult to see through with little are to focus through, which is par for the course with Hero TK buckets in general.

Stunt lenses are easier for sure.

 

you mention keeping the colour the same, but what i can tell you from experience is ABS does change colour from batch to batch even from the same producer, so there is no guarantee the next SDS helmet will be a match unless it is made from the same batch of plastic.

 

 

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

Hi Ed! First of all, welcome to the forum! No need to worry as most will keep their thoughts on SDS away from personal build or introduction threads.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to hear that the three items you mentioned above are actually not unique to SDS armor.

1. In general, stormtrooper helmets have terrible visibility, and the bubble lenses on ALL MAKES (brands) of Hero helmets are are worse than the flat Stunt-style lenses. Changing armorers will not help on this matter, but one thing you can try is to remove any padding that may be inside at the top of your helmet. This will enable your head to be higher up within the helmet, and thus the eye openings should be lower relative to your eyes, giving you better visibility of the ground. The vision distortion from bubble lenses on Hero builds is essentially non-avoidable.
2. Mobility is limited in all types of stormtrooper armor, so this is once again not unique to SDS. If your armor is placed properly on your body then there are several modifications that can be made to increase mobility. First, if you're of shorter stature, you MAY be able to shorten your thigh or shin pieces to make some distance between them. But before even considering such reduction, I'd recommend starting a build thread and posting photos so that you can receive feedback. "Mobility cuts" can also be made at the rear of the thigh and shins/calves, as shown in this Gallery: 
3. Rubber gloves are only required for higher levels of approval, but many troopers wear NOMEX or other cloth gloves, particularly in warmer settings. Rubber gloves are notoriously hot and uncomfortable, but some users are insistent on them and wear thin cotton liners inside to achieve a little more comfort.

Here are a couple links that you may find useful on your journey. The second one is an SDS build that I very much enjoyed following along on.

 

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49412-all-in-one-tk-anh-stunt-index-of-resources-by-maskedvengeance/

 

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/48167-legoeatpokemons-sds-hero-build/

 

 

As I just finish typing this I see that Andrew just now responded with essentially the same information. However, I'll go ahead and add my comment to "second" him. Good luck on your build!

[Armor9[TK]]

Hello there.  I have a RS Props Hero TK and I can confirm that the visability out of the helmet is bad.  

 

The mobilitiy is meh as well.  I can bend a little at the knees and a little at the waist, but could not crouch to take a picture with a young child.  I can do stairs, but I have to walk sideways.  

 

Overall very happy with my RS Props TK.  If you do order from them, ask them to keep the right thigh ammo strap off and that you will do it yourself.  Trust me, you will take me later

Edited February 27, 2023 by Armor9

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Hi Ed, some photos would definitely help.  Take a look to the following tutorial using Imgur as Photo host.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nairy[Staff]]

Yoyo Ed!

 

I have an RS Prop Masters kit and I had no issues whatsoever to see through the Hero lenses that came with my helmet. Although the reason for this was that the lens material was so thin that distortion didn't really happen, and the downside of that was that they were not as dark as they "should have" been. Right now I'm borrowing my bubble lenses from a mate in the Swedish Garrison that are purchased from Troopermaster and there is much more distortion there as the material is thicker, but luckily they have a spot I can see through! I don't ever get dizzy which is a plus but you'll figure that out yourself when you are wearing the helmet for 30-60 minutes straight!

 

An easy way of going about it since their isn't a guarantee that a new helmet from SDS would match the armor you have, would be to just buy a helmet from any maker (RS, TM etc.) and if the shade of the ABS is way off, you could paint the helmet to try and match it as closely as you can! The TK's we see on screen had painted helmets so it wouldn't lose its accurate-ness in that sense 

 

I'd proooobably go for an RS kit and build it myself so that I could get every detail right from the beginning since RS don't automatically get every detail right when commisioning one, but you'll at least have a good looking armor that has lineage! Then you also have Troopermaster that has taken measurements from the screen used armor that the RS Prop Masters co-owner Simon owns, and he produces a wonderful armor too! Both of these makers has their pros and cons!

 

Being restless and eager to get things going I'd mooost likely commision a helmet from Troopermaster and try to get a sniper knee plate, thigh ammo strap and ab buttons and a belt "trown in" (A.K.A. purchased) with the order, so you'd have supply of all things you'd need to fix on the SDS armor. Why TM in this case would be because you talk to him directly and he seems to work quickly! RS seems to have long wait times at the moment. When I commisioned my suit in April 2022 I had to wait 12 weeks or maybe more.

 

Welcome! 

[DarthVoltron]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone!

 

I've replaced the bubble lenses with green cellophane and it helps; however, one of the issues with the Shepperton hero is that I find that my pupils line up with the inside corners of the eye holes.  I look like the gunner from Spaceballs!  I was hoping that the stunt helmet would have fixed this issue.  The visibility of the Hasbro Black helmet is miles better, but of course that's not a viable option.

 

I haven't heard of Troopermaster, but I'll look him up and potentially reach out.

 

I'll see what I can do for pictures.  It's hard to get pictures since we have virtually no mirrors in our house (don't ask; I have an autistic son...) and my wife isn't super supportive of this hobby. But I'll see what I can do.

 

Glad to know that buying a different suit isn't likely to fix the mobility issues.  Being able to interact with kids is important to me, so I'm going to need to figure out how to appropriately mod things.  I'm 5'10", 160lbs which, I gather is close to ideal Stormtrooper measurements.

I used to troop for years as a Cylon and I thought that costume was a pain in the an impolite person, but at least I had movement below the waist and could sit down.  Actually even with all the Stormtrooper helmet visibility issues, it's still miles better than the cylon, where I couldn't see below my nose and couldn't look down.

 

Anyway, thanks again for the input.  I'll do a bit more research and probably start a WIP thread.

[giskard8[Staff]]

Hello Ed,

 

Look into the mobility cut mod mentioned above, it helps a lot in general sufficient for casual event and trooping.

 

It's a more a "getting use to" thing inside a set of TK, you cannot see what's 3 steps ahead of you so, in time, you will learn to look 3 steps ahead "memorize" your path. 

 

Just a special note on the lower half of the suit, kids tend to spunk out of nowhere and grad you by the legs, just make sure all sharp edges are taken care of, you don't want to cut any kids by accident.

 

Have fun!

[FN1313[TK]]

Hi Ed,

A lot of information has been provided, but a few things that are realities of being a stormtrooper are vision is poor, not a lot a fixing there, but there are ways to make it better. I usually have just learned to look out on eye or the other and not straight on. Some troopers have mentioned they can see through the teeth a bit.

Mobility is tough, but the nice thing is you can make some adjustments for leg mobility in the back of the armor. As others have mentioned, so that helps a bit.

Glove wise, as a GML I’d recommend whatever you use in submission make sure it’s Rubber or Leather like material as noted in the CRL, but knowing how terrible rubber is to troop in all the time, most GMLs won’t mind if you had something like NOMEX gloves for the standard troop.

Also if you intend for higher levels of approval you’ll want to make sure you note what is required before modifying anything so you don’t accidentally make a change that impedes progress there.


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