***How to get a stormtrooper armor, 501st standard!***

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***How to get a stormtrooper armor, 501st standard!***

Post by mosske » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:06 am

Hi all, I thought I'd put a little write up together to share with anyone who's thinking of getting stormtrooper armor. What I'm sharing here is of 501st entry standard so you can easily join the 501st once you have everything up and running....of course you still have to be 18 to join. ;)

I'll cover everything in the following sections:
1. Armor & helmet.
2. Additional
3. Putting it all together
Last edited by mosske on Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by mosske » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:27 am

Armor & helmet

There are a number of prop makers worldwide that make stormtrooper armor. Some of them even peddle their wares on eBay. They're not difficult to find but with a little bit of knowledge, you'll be better equiped to make an informed decision on what yr buying and how much to pay for it.

There are basically 2 types of armor out there to sum things up. Movie accurate which has a history of being casted off an original screen used suit, and the other is fan sculpted which is to put simply not as accurate as the movie accurate ones.

Movie Accurate Armor:
The are a few makers within this category and you may even hear these names form time to time over eBay or in other trooper forums. They go by names like TE, TE2, GF, Follano, TM(VERY accurate eventhough its fan sculpted), CAP, ANON, VT, AP(Authentic Props), MovieFX, etc. These suits normally aren't cheap and can cost between USD$600 - USD$3,000. They come in kit form, trimmed or untrimmed and include a helmet. what this means it that if you order a kit form these makers, you will get the helmet and the full hard armor parts. If you are on a budget, you could get the VT kit which is a beautiful armor kit pulled in white gloss ABS plastic. This kit comes untrimmed and only costs USD$600 (USD$700 including shipping to Singapore).

Fan Scupted Armor:
I place in this category, the FX armor. This armor is not as accurate but is still acceptable in the 501st as it suits the bigger framed trooper. If you notice, the stormtroopers in Star Wars were more medium to slim built. If you are bigger built, the FX armor would better suit you. This suit normally comes in kit form though some sellers have on occasion offered completed suits over eBay. My advice is not to go for the completed suits - they are very expensive and you'll find out that its always better to build the suit to fit you from the get-go! The kit comes with or without the helmet depending on whether you want it. PLS DO NOT GET THE FX HELMET! It is oversized and incredibly ugly. Also it is no longer accepted for 501st entry. If you do decide to get FX armor, pls get a movie accurate helmet. The FX kit sells from USD$350-USD$450 without the helmet.

If you need a screen accurate stormtrooper helmet, I highly recommend getting a CAP helmet. It is pulled in styrene which is thin and therefor makes a helmet with VERY sharp detail. It is in my opinion, the most accurate helmet I've come across, besides TE. The helmet costs USD$150 which is also the cheapest out there. It comes assembled but you need to have it painted white. What we do is send it to Bukit Merah for professional autopaint which costs SGD$30. All the decals, lenses and everything you need to finish the helmet are provided for you in the package so you should be able to complete it straight after collecting it back from the autopaint shop.

Total price (Minimum) for getting a stormtrooper armor & helmet kit: USD$550- USD$600. Shipping usually costs an extra USD$100-150 depending on rates.

PM me and I'll put you in touch directly with the sellers.
Last edited by mosske on Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:52 am, edited 6 times in total.
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Post by mosske » Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:00 am

Additional

These are the additional things you will need to complete yr stormtrooper.

1. Boots: The legion is pretty strict about boots. One of the most popular places to get stormtrooper boots from is Champion Attitude Boots, or CABoots. Here's the link, http://www.caboots.com/product/1SCSSTOR ... BOOTS.html
A set of these boots costs USD$70, not including shipping to Singapore.

Another option which alot of troopers are saying is even better than CA Boots is TK BOOTS. :arrow: http://tkboots.com/
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They are way way better than CA Boots. Very affordable too. Only USD49. Shipping cost to Singapore is around USD38.

It's highly recommended by the FISD and the Detachment Leader himself. (You need to sign up an account to view the pictures there.
:arrow: http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=11412
:arrow: http://forum.whitearmor.net/index.php?showtopic=8446

Boots are made of real leather with a non-shinny finish, just like the troopers in the movie. Unlike the glossy CA Boots.
No smell like CA Boots.
TK Boots' sole has more fiction.


2. Body suit: This is simply a thin lycra dive suit. Make sure its black and make sure its thin lycra - anything thicker and you'll get heatstroke! ;) A suit usually costs btw SGD$85-SGD$130 depending on brand. See this thread: viewtopic.php?t=2234

3. Gloves: The most accurate pair of gloves to wear are black Nomex Flight gloves. You can easily get a pair of replicas from the Beach Rd Army surplus market for $18-$20 - See the post by Recon below with the address. The original Nomex gloves are far more expensive and the only difference is that they're more flame resistant than the replicas. As far as sizes go, size 10/11 is for an average sized hand. Another option is to use any pair of plain black gloves. Dive gloves are also very popular and you can get a pair locally for SGD$20-28.

4. Ribbed Neck Seal: These are also available over eBay. Do a search for 'Stormtrooper neck seal' and you should be able to get a list. They cost btw USD$12-USD$20. Make sure you use measuring tape to measure yr neck so you know what size to order.

5. E-11 Blaster: There are a few options here. Generally accepted by the legion is the Hasbro Stormtrooper blaster. You could get it from Simply Toys or Toy 'R' Us....and hopefully they have stock. Simply Toys does bring in new stock from time to time so it might be a good idea to ring and check with them ahead of going down. Else, they are available from eBay. Though the blaster is accepted the way it comes, in order to be more movie accurate, you may order the upgrade kit from eBay. Do a search for 'Hasbro E11 conversion kit'. Conversion kits normally cost about USD$30.
Option 2, besides the Hasbro blaster is to get a Hyperfirm E11. Its made of stunt rubber, very accurate looking to the movie prop but kind of expensive. A hyperfirm E11 costs USD$250. If you are interested, pls contact me. They do not ship directly to Singapore so you need to have a US VPOST account, if not some of us here have an account you can use.
Option 3, is to get a resin E11 blaster from eBay. I don't recommend this unless you are using it for display. Resin tends to chip in time so not very good if you are trooping regularly.

6. Blaster holster: You can get this locally for SGD$30. One of our members has provided the designs to a leather maker. Its made in fake leather so its lighter weight and costs less. If you wish to get a holster, pls contact me and I'll put you in touch.
Last edited by mosske on Wed Jun 30, 2010 6:33 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Post by mosske » Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:36 am

Putting it all together

Once you have the armor & the helmet, now comes the fun bit! Putting it all together...or what we call assembly. :)

Normally we throw 'armor parties' for the newbies. An armor party is basically where we get together at one of our members' homes. Newbies bring over their armor and the seasoned veterans help them to assemble everything. :)

It usually takes 1 session or 2 at most to complete a stormtrooper kit. You can get in touch with me or any other 501st member to check on the next armor party for stormtroopers.

Before attending an armor party, you still need to get some stuff which you will require to assemble yr armor.

1. Velcro: Get only VELCRO brand velcro. Its the best and any other brand will probably fall apart in our tropical heat. Its self adhesive so you can stick it directly onto yr armor where you need to. You can get this from Homefix stores island-wide.
What you'll need to get are:
a)The thin white Velcro. Its about 1.5cm wide. You will need 15 feet of this. I usually buy a whole box, though they do sell it by the feet. Here's what the box looks like:
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b) The wider black Industrial Velcro. This is about 3cm wide. You will need about 8 feet of this.
Its always good to buy extra. Don't buy the pre-packed velcro, always buy from the box - its sold according to how many feet you need. Here's what the box looks like:
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2. Black elastic: You can get this from any seamtress or cloth merchant store. The elastic should be black and be about 1.2cm - 1.5cm wide. Get about 5m of this.
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3. Suspenders: You can get these from Daiso, the $2 store. Get the kid's suspenders in black. These are the suspenders that are worn over the shoulder to keep yr trousers up...the kind 'stock brokers' or 'bankers' use. ;)
The kid's ones are shorter and more than enough bcos you only need them to hold up the abdominal front and back armor plates.
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4. Plastic buckles: You can get these from army surpluss shop, like the Beach Rd army market above the food centre. Get 6 of these. They cost a few cents each. Make sure they are just wide enough for the thin Velcro and elastic to go through...not too big and not too small.
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5. Plastic sheets: This is available from Art Friend. They are thin glossy sheets of white plastic. They are officially known as PVC Sheets. Get about 2 sheets in A3 size. You will need them for the belt straps and for some other stuff.

6. Canvas material (OPTIONAL): This is optional. The movie stormtroopers wore belts with canvas belt straps. You will need to wrap the plastic belt straps with this canvas. The plastic on the inside makes it more rigid. If you don't wrap in canvas, the plastic straps alone are still acceptable even if not fully movie accurate. You can get the white canvas material from any cloth merchant. Thin or thick canvas is acceptable. Make sure its either white or off-white. Personally I prefer off-white as it looks more accurate. Get about 3m of this.

Once you have these, you are good to go! :)

Stormtrooper armor is one of the faster Star Wars armors you can put together. Also, its one of the cheaper ones to get...for full head to toe armor. You could get the full armor for SGD$1,200-1,300 and you can complete yr entire stormtrooper in under a month (two at the most), from the time you decide to give it a go!

Once yr armor is complete, you can put through yr application for 501st membership. Also, you can then work on the additional stuff like in helmet voice amplification systems (voice amps), helmet fans, in-suit walkie-talkies, etc.

I hope this guide helps anyone interested in joining the ranks of our Fighting 501st Stormtrooper Legion! Here's a little something to further entice you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nOFW-_-Sz8
Its our stormtroopers at Chingay 2008. Enjoy!

If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to post here or PM me. :)
Last edited by mosske on Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:12 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Post by mosske » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:54 pm

SeriouslyKiller wrote:Er... So... Can you help me check how long do they take to ship the armor and helmet ?? I am getting it once i have enough money...
Sorry, I'm not sure what you want me to check for you. Normally stuff from the US takes about 3 weeks to arrive. It could be faster if they send via priority or courier. Normally its just by USPS.

The Empire is always looking for fresh stormtroopers! I hope you are 18 and above. ;)
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Post by mosske » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:49 pm

Kyrios29 wrote:hey mosske... i saw some clone troopers in the 501st... do they get the costumes from overseas as well? n does it cost more?
Yes, there are some clone troopers in the 501st with more on the way. Yes, unfortunately it is more expensive and complicated to do. It costs roughly about USD$2500 to put a good quality clone together. I won't discuss clones here in detail bcos this thread is meant for stormtrooper armor but if you are interested I'll start a guide similar to this one for clone armor. In the meantime, you can PM me if you are interested. :)

Most of the 501st guys get a suit from the original trilogy to start off with and then start a clone project later. Reason is, its much cheaper and easier to get a stormtrooper suit together. Once they're in the 501st, they can then take their time on their clone or any other more complex costume. Hope that helps, bro.
Last edited by mosske on Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by mosske » Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:39 am

Kyrios29 wrote:yeah... i saw the 501st video in USA... there were ALOT... ahaha... too merry already... n then they were holding up flags... very cool stuff...
You mean this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDZNc9bStWE
They had over 200 stormtroopers, biker scouts, snow troopers and clones.
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Post by GetzJedi » Sun Feb 01, 2009 12:29 am

Housekeeping done 8)
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Post by recon » Mon Feb 02, 2009 10:23 pm

To add on to Keith's thread, came across something which i didnt expect to find at a army surplus shop at Beach Road Food Centre, opposite Golden Mile Cmplx.

Black Nomex Gloves Replica

Shop: Wing Kee, Owner Mr Lee
Location: Beach Road Food Centre, #02-139, Singapore 199583
Contact: 6297 2481 (Tel), 9654 4048
Opening Hours: Weekdays/Sat/Sun/PH 10am-8pm, Tuesday - Closed

Price: $18

Note: These Assault Tactical Flight Gloves used in Airsoft, which are constructed of thermal resistant fibre with a non slip leather palm and are almost close 100% resemblance to the real stuff in terms of design, cut and fabric except for the flame redundant factor.

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Post by mosske » Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:45 am

Thanks, Recon. I have a real pair of Nomex gloves and I can only say that I would NOT be able to tell the difference if I was just looking at both being worn! That's a great find. And very useful having the address posted here.

On top of accuracy, I find Nomex gloves (actuals or replicas) are the most comfortable gloves I've used...plus they give great traction - great when you need to handle things, like yr blaster or signing autographs with a pen for a kids. :)
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Post by recon » Tue Feb 03, 2009 3:44 pm

Yes i agree Bro. When i tried them on, i was amazed at how comfortable they were. I usually imagine Nomex Gloves to be bulky or thick. Anyways this was a very lucky find as i didnt expect the army surplus shops to stock this type of gloves, whether authentic or replica.

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Post by mosske » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:00 am

Its a really great kit. Ron, hope you don't mind me sharing some photos of yr TK suit. :)

Here's how the kit comes straight out of the box. If you look closely, you will see that he gives both TK(stormtrooper) and TD(sandtrooper) parts. That way you can choose which one to build....OR you can decide to switch from a stormtrooper to a sandtrooper later without having to search and order the additional parts.
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And here's what it looks like after assembly:
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You'll notice how accurate it looks compared to the screen used suits from Episode 4....esp the bottom warp of the chest plate:
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Actually, the following photo isn't a great example. This promo photo has sandtrooper shin parts mixed in with the stormtrooper armor. Just look at those dirty shins with the sandtrooper sniper knee plate.
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Last edited by mosske on Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:00 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Post by Sev-like » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:36 pm

It's no problem.. :D

Wow, nice pics.. never noticed some of them did not have their drop boxes...
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Suit pics

Post by Vano » Fri Apr 17, 2009 8:17 pm

Hi Keith,
is this what the VT suit would look like out of the box?

hmm... one question. How rigid is the plastic? Is it solid enough to really feel like armour?

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Re: Suit pics

Post by mosske » Fri Apr 17, 2009 10:14 pm

Vano wrote:Hi Keith,
is this what the VT suit would look like out of the box?

hmm... one question. How rigid is the plastic? Is it solid enough to really feel like armour?
The plastic is thin but pretty standard. With the exception of MovieFX armor which is pulled in 3mm thick HIPS plastic, most other armor, including VT is thinner so as to be lighter weight and more flexible. It does feel like yr wearing armor for sure but its still light. Very comfortable to wear.
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