Warning about commercially available Stormtrooper Armor

[Daetrin[Admin]]

FWIW, I've gotten a bunch of PM's and emails lately about ebay or craigslist armor. I said this in my first post on the "Where to Buy" thread, and I'll say it again is at seems people keeping asking the same question:

 

There are tons of recasters or other dubious sellers no ebay and craiglist. Yes, sometimes you can find a bargain and you are certainly free to spend your money anywhere you want. But, we can say that people on the first post have been vetted numerous times, and at the least you are sure to get quality kit from a quality vendor.

 

Anything *not* on the "Where to buy" lists, you swim at your own risk. The FISD staff stays incredibly well informed of who is reputable and who is not. We've done all the homework to take the guessing out of it. It's up to you to leverage it. Or not...

[TKUK]

Hello Guys,

 

By way of introduction, I am the person behind TK Armour UK and my name is David.

 

There seems to be alot said about me and I thought I would give the opportunity for you to ask me any questions directly as there seems to be a few Chinese Whispers happening.

 

I have been making armour since about 2004 when I started in Australia. I have studied materials engineering and am fairly familiar with plastic and rubber processing.

 

I initially started with armour of the FX variety which I made for many years and sent out many units at a very affordable price. I guess my entry into the market at my price range was compared with Aldi supermarkets, the big supermarkets didn't like it! 

 

I later evolved the helmet to a more desirable design as the FX was considered big and not accurate enough.

 

As I supplied larger companies directly with armour i needed to become a Limited company as many corporate buyers will not deal with some guy making armour in his shed. TK Armour UK Ltd was created with an office in central London and a Barclays company account to deal with transactions with individuals and larger companies.

 

I spent some time in 2015 changing my molds to be closer to the ANH style of armour with all the faults. 

 

I have exhibited at a few comiccons around the world to just show that I am here and this is my armour. I was at a Comiccon in Belfast in 2015 when I met a member of the Irish 501st legion. He commented that the armour was a good effort and not far off. I asked him if he could guide me as i was open to constructive criticism. He brought across to me kits from 3 of the more significant makers and advised me to make changes to mine that would reflect similarities with the other makers making mine more accurate without being too close to the others. I followed his advice and have kept mine individual and different to the others.

 

Whilst I was changing my molds I supplied the Britains Got Talent golden Buzzer act Boogiestorm with my first version armour. They came in 3rd and had 80 million hits on youtube. Since my changing of the armour I have also changed their armour to my new version. These guys are doing a great job with sick children etc.

 

I have made mistakes on the way and sometimes I have disappointing some people. But I have never ripped anyone off. I have had many people rip me off. I have been all around the world to places where armour makers would never bother to go. I have gone to visit costume groups all over the world and many people know my name and many have many thanks for me.

 

I will be at the MCM London Comiccon as an exhibitor this weekend if anyone wants to see what I am about or just to see my armour parts. You can also catch an autograph and photo of Boogiestorm at my table on Saturday as they are performing there if you are lucky.

[Hukato]

Hi there looking to purchase some armour I was wondering if the sds battle spec ready to wear armour would get approval to join?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[starsaber25[Admin]]

Hello and welcome to FISD!  Here are a couple of good links for you to read:

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/29241-is-originalstormtroopercom-good-quality-for-its-price/

 

Essentially there are other sets of armor that you would probably rather consider over SDS.  Also head over to the New Member Area and introduce yourself to this awesome forum.  Good luck!

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Hi there looking to purchase some armour I was wondering if the sds battle spec ready to wear armour would get approval to join?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

it can be made to clear but you can get easier armour for less money.

 

I'd recommend starting an introductory thread in the correct s cation and we'll be able to give you some proper advice.

[Hukato]

Ok thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Trooper fan]

Hi all,

I am very new to this, as I've enjoyed meeting many from the 501st at local events, and for years talked about having a set of armor, my wife completely surprised me for my birthday with a Rubies set of armor.  I can't get the link above to open, and I know it would take work and money to get this set Legion approved. Could you please let me know some of the things that must be changed to make this set Legion approved.

Thank you

 

Paul

[tkrestonva[TK]]

1 minute ago, Trooper fan said:

Hi all,

I am very new to this, as I've enjoyed meeting many from the 501st at local events, and for years talked about having a set of armor, my wife completely surprised me for my birthday with a Rubies set of armor.  I can't get the link above to open, and I know it would take work and money to get this set Legion approved. Could you please let me know some of the things that must be changed to make this set Legion approved.

Thank you

 

Paul

 

Pretty much everything unfortunately. In the end you'll spend more time and money getting the kit up to spec than your wife spent on the kit itself. Better to start over with one of the vetted armorers.

 

Your wife seems like a real keeper for her to surprise you with a set of stormtrooper armor for your birthday. But to be honest, a Rubies Supreme kit (assuming that is what you have) isn't good for much more than a Halloween or con costume, or for a mannequin display. Your best option is to sell it and use the cash to get something legitimate. The way you figure that last part out is to spend as much time here as possible reading the threads here, especially in the Getting Started - Read This First section. Also, you'll want to join your local garrison's forum and/or Facebook group so that you can meet up with them, attend troops as a handler, attend armor parties, and generally get a hands-on feel for this stuff.

 

As for the what to do with the Rubies Supreme kit, think of it as that Christmas present that while is was purchased out a place of love and caring, is still totally wrong for you and needs to be returned to the store for something more appropriate.

[Trooper fan]

Thank you so very much for the advice!  I honestly had no idea what she was up to.  We had members of the 501st at our local minor league baseball team for Star Wars night on Saturday, so after talking to them, I came home and started reading threads....then on Sunday, she surprised me with a set!  Yeah, she's a keeper!  Unfortunately just the wrong set as I'd love to eventually be approved by the 501st.  I'll take your advice and send it back, but also to contact my local garrison and continue to read, read, and read more.  Also, thanks to all of you for being this passionate about this great world George Lucas gave us. 

[Jdg]

Hi I am a newbie and am in Australia where would be the best place to by a kit in oz

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

21 minutes ago, Jdg said:

Hi I am a newbie and am in Australia where would be the best place to by a kit in oz

Have a read through the Getting Started Section this thread, lots of info there. There are no suppliers in OZ at this stage.

[BTCost74[501st]]

I just watched a YouTube video with someone comparing a $10 Stormtrooper costume to a $1300 Stormtrooper costume.    The $1300 was from Shepperton Design Studios.  I was shocked by how bad it looked.  The guy had it built to wear out of box, and there were so many inaccuracies. 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

5 minutes ago, BTCost74 said:

I just watched a YouTube video with someone comparing a $10 Stormtrooper costume to a $1300 Stormtrooper costume.    The $1300 was from Shepperton Design Studios.  I was shocked by how bad it looked.  The guy had it built to wear out of box, and there were so many inaccuracies. 

Yea most armor looks pretty bad if assembled incorrectly SDS is no exception however, IF built correctly even SDS can be built to the higher standards. Take a look at the Centurion section 

[Helotech[TK]]

Hi all,

Kind of a long rambling post with some questions near the end, so please be patient.

I've never  posted here before, but have been creeping this and various other armor sites for a long time. 

This may not even be the proper place to post this.

This is not a true criticism of this or any other site, but there is such a thing as way too much info. LOL

I became overwhelmed with the amount of separate forum topics, criticisms and comparisons of one armour over another, and trying to get past peoples biases. Also, some of the info was several years out of date.

 

I originally thought to purchase a good quality set of TK armour for display and occasional wear. Not that money was no object or that I'm lazy, but I wanted something with minimal fuss that  I could pay for the convenience of having it pre -assembled and look decent.

People consistently posted that you should order the basic pieces, be willing to trim plastic, source small snaps and buckles and build the armour from scratch to truly enjoy this amazing hobby. Sorry, I don't buy that.

I was not sure of joining the 501st for various reasons, so absolute complete screen accuracy was originally not too much of a concern. I soon learned, amongst other things, that there were various definitions of what screen accuracy is / was. Who was right in this respect?

 

Anyways, after I had gone down every rabbit hole I thought I could find, I decided to take the plunge and order a complete Hero set from SDS. (Some of you probably just spit out your blue milk...)

Only after paying for it and having confirmation of shipping (more on this in a bit) did I go down further rabbit holes. I then discovered mostly older but some new posts from various sources saying the AA / SDS armor is " No good!  Stay Away! Avoid at all costs! Not screen accurate! Cobbled together from ESB or ROTJ pieces with lots of inaccuracies"

 

Also, no matter what many people think of AA's business practices, he eventually did win the legal right to make the armour. Lets please not harp on this in this post...

Various reviews I've seen on other armour manufacturers listed worse problems, so I felt relatively safe ordering this armour.

 

Yes, the SDS armour is expensive, but:

- The customer service was excellent

- The complete armour, boots, body glove, neck covering, gloves, E11 blaster and holster plus display stands were ordered from the UK last week on Wednesday and just delivered to my front door in Canada. They are sitting in my dining room waiting for me to get home from work.

- SDS seems to be one of the only makers that has the correct colour for the armour (once again, I'm not a complete expert here)

 

Anyways, the questions are:

 

1) Is SDS sill considered bad?

2) More importantly, why?

3) It looks like a very good representation of TK armour. It may be missing a few rivets, snaps or buckles here or there, but these are easily added if I choose to. Is the basic armour still acceptable for 501st?

4) I think the armour comes with a complete solid / ABS belt. (main bad point I've noticed) This will be confirmed once I open the boxes. Was the movie TK armour only supplied with a fabric rear portion? It is hard to discern in movie stills. Sometimes it looks like fabric, other times it seems to solid and plastic like

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

Dave (Hopefully future TK.........something.... something ......something......)

 

 

[Frank75139[501st]]

Hi all,
Kind of a long rambling post with some questions near the end, so please be patient.
I've never  posted here before, but have been creeping this and various other armor sites for a long time. 
This may not even be the proper place to post this.
This is not a true criticism of this or any other site, but there is such a thing as way too much info. LOL
I became overwhelmed with the amount of separate forum topics, criticisms and comparisons of one armour over another, and trying to get past peoples biases. Also, some of the info was several years out of date.
 
I originally thought to purchase a good quality set of TK armour for display and occasional wear. Not that money was no object or that I'm lazy, but I wanted something with minimal fuss that  I could pay for the convenience of having it pre -assembled and look decent.
People consistently posted that you should order the basic pieces, be willing to trim plastic, source small snaps and buckles and build the armour from scratch to truly enjoy this amazing hobby. Sorry, I don't buy that.
I was not sure of joining the 501st for various reasons, so absolute complete screen accuracy was originally not too much of a concern. I soon learned, amongst other things, that there were various definitions of what screen accuracy is / was. Who was right in this respect?
 
Anyways, after I had gone down every rabbit hole I thought I could find, I decided to take the plunge and order a complete Hero set from SDS. (Some of you probably just spit out your blue milk...)
Only after paying for it and having confirmation of shipping (more on this in a bit) did I go down further rabbit holes. I then discovered mostly older but some new posts from various sources saying the AA / SDS armor is " No good!  Stay Away! Avoid at all costs! Not screen accurate! Cobbled together from ESB or ROTJ pieces with lots of inaccuracies"
 
Also, no matter what many people think of AA's business practices, he eventually did win the legal right to make the armour. Lets please not harp on this in this post...
Various reviews I've seen on other armour manufacturers listed worse problems, so I felt relatively safe ordering this armour.
 
Yes, the SDS armour is expensive, but:
- The customer service was excellent
- The complete armour, boots, body glove, neck covering, gloves, E11 blaster and holster plus display stands were ordered from the UK last week on Wednesday and just delivered to my front door in Canada. They are sitting in my dining room waiting for me to get home from work.
- SDS seems to be one of the only makers that has the correct colour for the armour (once again, I'm not a complete expert here)
 
Anyways, the questions are:
 
1) Is SDS sill considered bad?
2) More importantly, why?
3) It looks like a very good representation of TK armour. It may be missing a few rivets, snaps or buckles here or there, but these are easily added if I choose to. Is the basic armour still acceptable for 501st?
4) I think the armour comes with a complete solid / ABS belt. (main bad point I've noticed) This will be confirmed once I open the boxes. Was the movie TK armour only supplied with a fabric rear portion? It is hard to discern in movie stills. Sometimes it looks like fabric, other times it seems to solid and plastic like
 
Thanks for any help you can provide.
 
Dave (Hopefully future TK.........something.... something ......something......)
 
 

I agree about the too much info statement. There is a lot but most of it is based on different peoples armor and how to build that specific armor. Basically if your not joining the 501st you can build what you want. The 501st has a set of standards they like to uphold due to closely working with LFL and now of course Disney. I personally built my own armor which was bought from AM. In the end I was happy I did build it because my body size isn’t average so I was able to get a better fit plus there is a satisfaction most people get from building something and being able to say I built that when someone comments on how cool it is.
I don’t know much about SDS armor and I’m sure people will chime in but I looked at the site pics quickly and it looks like a few things would need to be changed to join the 501st. Again if that’s not your plan your fine. I’d recommend when you get home and unbox it. Start a thread in the build thread section with pics and we can help you out with anything that’s needed if you do decided to join the 501st.


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[PhilBobTheFish]

1 hour ago, Helotech said:

Anyways, after I had gone down every rabbit hole I thought I could find, I decided to take the plunge and order a complete Hero set from SDS. (Some of you probably just spit out your blue milk...)

Only after paying for it and having confirmation of shipping (more on this in a bit) did I go down further rabbit holes. I then discovered mostly older but some new posts from various sources saying the AA / SDS armor is " No good!  Stay Away! Avoid at all costs! Not screen accurate! Cobbled together from ESB or ROTJ pieces with lots of inaccuracies"

 

Also, no matter what many people think of AA's business practices, he eventually did win the legal right to make the armour. Lets please not harp on this in this post...

Various reviews I've seen on other armour manufacturers listed worse problems, so I felt relatively safe ordering this armour.

 

Yes, the SDS armour is expensive, but:

- The customer service was excellent

- The complete armour, boots, body glove, neck covering, gloves, E11 blaster and holster plus display stands were ordered from the UK last week on Wednesday and just delivered to my front door in Canada. They are sitting in my dining room waiting for me to get home from work.

- SDS seems to be one of the only makers that has the correct colour for the armour (once again, I'm not a complete expert here)

 

Anyways, the questions are:

 

1) Is SDS sill considered bad?

2) More importantly, why?

3) It looks like a very good representation of TK armour. It may be missing a few rivets, snaps or buckles here or there, but these are easily added if I choose to. Is the basic armour still acceptable for 501st?

4) I think the armour comes with a complete solid / ABS belt. (main bad point I've noticed) This will be confirmed once I open the boxes. Was the movie TK armour only supplied with a fabric rear portion? It is hard to discern in movie stills. Sometimes it looks like fabric, other times it seems to solid and plastic like

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

Dave (Hopefully future TK.........something.... something ......something......)

 

 

If you check out the Vetted Armor Sellers list in the getting started page ( https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/ ), it lists the armor sellers whose armor has been validated and good quality, and the sellers are reputable. Not all armors are at the same level of accuracy, and the differences are in the list.

 

One of the major problems people have with SDS is that he has lied about his work and the origins of his armor. Also, it is not very accurate in terms of overall assembly and shape of armor. Once you look at screen used or very accurate armor enough, the many inaccuracies are very evident, just compare it to the CRL (https://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:TK_anh_stunt).

 

To be approvable in the 501st, you have to accurately represent an original stormtrooper... to an extent. This doesn't mean you have to look like you walked off screen or are the same size as the originals (just look at aubmissions), but this is why there are levels past basic approval like EIB and Centurion. So as long as armor meets the basic requirements outlined in the CRL, the armor can be approved. In addition to meeting CRL standards, the armor also has to fit the wearer well and can't look out of place to be approved. So all in all, SDS can be approved if it meets the basic standards and fits you well, but more modifications would have to happen to reach higher levels of accuracy. This is part of the reason people build their armor feom kits instead of buying already completed armor. You get to choose armor based off of the level of accuracy you want to achieve, price you are willing to spend, and any other factors affecting you (like different size troopers buy different size armor). Building armor makes sure that the armoe is tailored to the builder and fits well and comfortably.

 

The front of the belt is plastic and is riveted (I believe) to white canvas which wraps around and velcroes in the back. To reach basic approval, the back portion of the belt must be white canvas.

 

In reference to you statement about color of armor, this varies and is taken in to account when people buy armor. Differences in color may be because of different material used by sellers for armor, but it is usually ABS. Some people prefer a cleaner look, and choose a brighter white set of armor, while others who like the screen accurate look choose a creamier, duller set. There are quite a few sellers that have an accurate color for their armor (TM for example), but in the end it is up to personal preference.

 

If you are going for accuracy of assembly, armor, and color, as well as having the stormtrooper be completed already, then SDS is not one of the best choices for this. Check out the previously mentioned Vetted Sellers List and some people offer commisioned armor build. RS Prop Masters is one of the most (and arguably the most) accurate set of armor out their. It is cast from an original set of armor (what SDS claimsof their own, but has been proven false) and validated by the original sculptor of the armor (again, a claim that SDS made about themselves, but proven false) Brian Muir. It is one of the most accurate in terms of ABS color and assembly, and they offer completed armor sets built to the buyer's specifications. TM is a fan-sculpted armor set that is near identical to RS, but less of the beat up screen used look. It is also very accurate armor in terms of shape and color, and I believe they offer completed commisioned builds.

 

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

I do feel that to really begin to understand and get a grasp you need to build a TK, bit of a chicken and egg problem.

1 hour ago, Helotech said:

1) Is SDS sill considered bad?

2) More importantly, why?

3) It looks like a very good representation of TK armour. It may be missing a few rivets, snaps or buckles here or there, but these are easily added if I choose to. Is the basic armour still acceptable for 501st?

4) I think the armour comes with a complete solid / ABS belt. (main bad point I've noticed) This will be confirmed once I open the boxes. Was the movie TK armour only supplied with a fabric rear portion? It is hard to discern in movie stills. Sometimes it looks like fabric, other times it seems to solid and plastic like

1: Yes
2: Mainly for the false claims, it's not what he claims it is. But also the armour isn't all that accurate.

3: There's better starting points (there's also worse) but they do clear basic and some have been taken to Centurion.  How much work you will need to do depends on how it fits and the standards of your Garrison. Due to the distributed nature of Garrisons doing basic clearance it does vary a bit.

4: The front bit, with the bumps on for want of a better description, is plastic.  This is then riveted to a canvas belt that Velcro's up at the rear under the TD.  Those rivets are covered by small ~1" covers.  The holster attaches to the canvas belt (for ANH anyway), in the film they were riveted on but there's a number of acceptable ways such as Chicago screws or I riveted on a snap so it looks accurate but can be detached.
 

If the main belt is rigid then it's for the bin I am affraid.

[CableGuy[Admin]]

Hiya,

 

Honestly, I wouldn’t choose SDS myself due to the quality of the moulds; however, if it looks good to you when you look at it, and it fitted your budget and your delivery needs, then you’re all set. As you now have the armour, I’d probably leave the ifs and buts behind and make the best of what you have.

If you do choose to join the 501st with this armour, check with your local Garrison for what changes they might need for basic, then check out the EIB and Centurion applications for this armour.

 

Best of luck in your journey.

 

Dan

 

 

[JFarwell]

4 hours ago, Helotech said:

Hi all,

Kind of a long rambling post with some questions near the end, so please be patient.

I've never  posted here before, but have been creeping this and various other armor sites for a long time. 

This may not even be the proper place to post this.

This is not a true criticism of this or any other site, but there is such a thing as way too much info. LOL

I became overwhelmed with the amount of separate forum topics, criticisms and comparisons of one armour over another, and trying to get past peoples biases. Also, some of the info was several years out of date.

 

I originally thought to purchase a good quality set of TK armour for display and occasional wear. Not that money was no object or that I'm lazy, but I wanted something with minimal fuss that  I could pay for the convenience of having it pre -assembled and look decent.

People consistently posted that you should order the basic pieces, be willing to trim plastic, source small snaps and buckles and build the armour from scratch to truly enjoy this amazing hobby. Sorry, I don't buy that.

I was not sure of joining the 501st for various reasons, so absolute complete screen accuracy was originally not too much of a concern. I soon learned, amongst other things, that there were various definitions of what screen accuracy is / was. Who was right in this respect?

 

Anyways, after I had gone down every rabbit hole I thought I could find, I decided to take the plunge and order a complete Hero set from SDS. (Some of you probably just spit out your blue milk...)

Only after paying for it and having confirmation of shipping (more on this in a bit) did I go down further rabbit holes. I then discovered mostly older but some new posts from various sources saying the AA / SDS armor is " No good!  Stay Away! Avoid at all costs! Not screen accurate! Cobbled together from ESB or ROTJ pieces with lots of inaccuracies"

 

Also, no matter what many people think of AA's business practices, he eventually did win the legal right to make the armour. Lets please not harp on this in this post...

Various reviews I've seen on other armour manufacturers listed worse problems, so I felt relatively safe ordering this armour.

 

Yes, the SDS armour is expensive, but:

- The customer service was excellent

- The complete armour, boots, body glove, neck covering, gloves, E11 blaster and holster plus display stands were ordered from the UK last week on Wednesday and just delivered to my front door in Canada. They are sitting in my dining room waiting for me to get home from work.

- SDS seems to be one of the only makers that has the correct colour for the armour (once again, I'm not a complete expert here)

 

Anyways, the questions are:

 

1) Is SDS sill considered bad?

2) More importantly, why?

3) It looks like a very good representation of TK armour. It may be missing a few rivets, snaps or buckles here or there, but these are easily added if I choose to. Is the basic armour still acceptable for 501st?

4) I think the armour comes with a complete solid / ABS belt. (main bad point I've noticed) This will be confirmed once I open the boxes. Was the movie TK armour only supplied with a fabric rear portion? It is hard to discern in movie stills. Sometimes it looks like fabric, other times it seems to solid and plastic like

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

Dave (Hopefully future TK.........something.... something ......something......)

 

 

I can totally understand that over the top information. I want to look awesome but not scared if I don’t have it exactly. 

[Helotech[TK]]

Hey all,

 

Thanks for the info. It is truly appreciated.

I will post detailed pics of the pieces and how they fit together by this weekend. I'll aim for a new post in the build section? I'll also copy and paste allot of this info there.

 

I am 5' 10, and about 190 lbs, so the armour should fit okay. This is incentive to lose that extra 10 or 15 lbs to get closer to that typical British actor size they used in ANH

 

After getting home I only unboxed the helmet (of course!) before heading off for a work function. 

People have complained about the odd shape of the SDS helmets. And I can attest to the fact that it seems warped. However, from my readings most of the original helmets were all oddly shaped and individual. 

 

No matter how much I love the movie, I've never had the opportunity to even be close to a set of armour before. 

I've gone all these years thinking all the armour was the same between all the movies, not realizing there were differences in design, fit, shape of helmets, paint jobs, etc. I hadn't even noticed after watching all the movies dozens of times that the teeth colour had changed!

 

I thought I had researched this to death before buying. I downloaded pics  of the SDS, plus images from 501st, movie screen grabs and other sources. From online, I could make out some of the differences, but some other differences described by users eluded me.

As I mentioned before, there is way too much info out there. Many forum discussions go back and forth "No this armour had this feature" " No, you are wrong. This armour was different during this scene, with features such as this..." All very confusing.

 

Things like the complete plastic belt will be fixed before trooping. I'm pretty handy and this should be an easy fix.

 

From my reading, it seems like every original suit was an individual work of art and not the same as any other suit. That's what makes this confusing.

 

Some sites I've gone to briefly describe what is wrong with the SDS, but from my understanding it is a recast of ROTJ and ESB parts.

After talking with the VERY HELPFUL customer rep in the UK, he told me the suit was based off of ANH armour. I have noticed the following:

1) This is listed as a hero helmet and has most of the features, (like the bubble eye lenses) but there are 4 ear bumps not 3.

2) Tear drops, rear vent trap details are very neat decals, not painted

3) The holster is a ESB design. Black loops meant to fit over the belt

 

I'll know the quality of the molding once I get everything unpacked and laid out, but even if I think it looks good, somebody may say "Nope. It's wrong"

 

As to the licencing and claim for design rights, that is a topic which I don't really want to discuss in depth. But like details about the armour, from what I've read (and it is not an exhaustive study by any means, so be gentle on me) there are many varying stories about this saga, some which go along with the theory everyone states of AA lying. However, I've also read parts where AA states he didn't do the complete design, he just designed the molds to better suit production. 

 

Anywhoooooo,

 

More to follow this weekend. 

 

Cheers

 

 

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

1 hour ago, Helotech said:

From my reading, it seems like every original suit was an individual work of art and not the same as any other suit

It gets worse, by the end of filming most of the armour was in a dire state and it was mostly a grab bag of parts.  Thing like 2 right shins or parts held together with tape are everywhere if you look. 

 

The thing to bear in mind though is the 501st trooper is to some extent the idealized version of what we saw.  No tape, no 2 left shins, no "Mr No Stripes".

 

Given you have a Hero helmets you will need to follow that CRL.  So you will need new ears and a new holster (attached with 4 fastenings as per the CRL).  Most garrisons don't care about decals vs hand painted at basic levels but it's a question for your future garrison.

2 hours ago, Helotech said:

As to the licencing and claim for design rights, that is a topic which I don't really want to discuss in depth. But like details about the armour, from what I've read (and it is not an exhaustive study by any means, so be gentle on me) there are many varying stories about this saga, some which go along with the theory everyone states of AA lying. However, I've also read parts where AA states he didn't do the complete design, he just designed the molds to better suit production. 

As with most legal things this is never as clean as most would like and there is 2 sides to each story.  He certainly made the armour, and probably had a part in the mold process.  What is clear to anyone with eyes however is that the armour he's currently selling is not made from those molds, too much stuff isn't right.

[TheSwede[TK]]

13 minutes ago, themaninthesuitcase said:

no 2 left shins,

Actually RS armor comes with only outer parts for the shins and is approvable to Centurion.

 

14 minutes ago, themaninthesuitcase said:

Most garrisons don't care about decals vs hand painted at basic levels but it's a question for your future garrison.

As they shouldn’t as the CRL clearly states that decals are allowed all the way to Centurion as long as they emulate handpainted. Basic and EIB that don’t matter.

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

3 minutes ago, TheSwede said:

Actually RS armor comes with only outer parts for the shins and is approvable to Centurion.

Well there's that as well, the Anovos kit is the same, but I am sure there's a screen capture of a trooper with a pair of 2 left arms or 2 of something.

[Frank75139[501st]]

As I mentioned before, there is way too much info out there. Many forum discussions go back and forth "No this armour had this feature" " No, you are wrong. This armour was different during this scene, with features such as this..." All very confusing.
 

 
 

For what it’s worth you probably just summed up the problems with this forum (well most forums). It’s gets tiresome reading the back and forth. They all have valid points but most people just give up cause it seems harder then it actually is.


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[Helotech[TK]]

1 hour ago, Frank75139 said:

 

 

For what it’s worth you probably just summed up the problems with this forum (well most forums). It’s gets tiresome reading the back and forth. They all have valid points but most people just give up cause it seems harder then it actually is.


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Totally agree.

 

I can't wait to see my armour beside someone else's at a 501 event. The comparison pics I've found online don't seem to show that much difference, if any at all.

I want to see the quality of the molding, sharpness of casting, etc.

 

It may be splitting hairs (and I ABSOLUETLEY LOVE STRIRRING THE POT!!!!) , but I do find it funny how people say that certain armour is not screen accurate, but theirs is. Then you find that their armour has added straps and buckles on the inside to make it fit better. They've added a helmet suspension system inside to make it more comfy, as well as comm boxes, micro phones, screen mesh behind the teeth, black fabric gloves instead of rubber, on and on and on...

None of that was on the screen. My little dastardly soap box 2 cents.

 

I'll be doing an unboxing review with a ton of pics this weekend.

I'm just deciding whether I should do a Youtube video of the unboxing. Never done one before.

 

I'll have to source new ear caps. Hopefully not too hard to find.

 

Things like the complete plastic belt (if it is still that way as I haven't opened the box) will be an easy fix.

 

I'm still waiting to hear back from my local Garrison to see what they require.