JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 Hi everyone! This year I'll be 30, and my family is proposing to cash in for me to help buy my 1st armor. I'm seriously torn between a TK and TB armor, so I'm questioning on both side to maybe help myself! And to be honest, it's a matter of which one I get first So far I'm eyeing more toward the RS prop masters Scout trooper complete commission, and most likely the weathered version. And would like a DLT 20a with it at some points. I've watched their videos on youtube, and read the topic here where Robert answered some of the issues on the prototype I believe, and from what I see I really like their way of thinking and doing all of this. But I have few questions / concerns that I'll ask below if I may! I hope I'm not going to ask the obvious, I scrolled through and I haven't find answers so far. -ABS : This is my main concern .I'm worried from what I've read here and there, that over time the ABS will yellow. And even if it's something less important than owning the armor, it would have been cool to display it! (That's why on the TK, I kinda feel I want the PVC version) -Helmet : Red label or not? I feel like yes. I've seen people here saying that their RS helmet was a different shade of white than their armor. Someone mentionned the 501st asking them to match their armor, so is it still the case? And I saw another video on youtube about a RS helmet having cracked the enamel layer where it opens. Giving the fact that I'm not made of money, that sounds like a big bummer to me for the price of the kit. It's late so I think I've forgot something, but well enough time to comment later Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadmaster Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 I own a full commission RS TK (PVC) and a full RS TB (ABS) with the Red Label helmet. My own two cents. The TK PVC is the way to go, and I had the same concerns over yellowing. The important point is to always keep your costume out of UV exposure and climate controlled. You need to be careful with PVC, in it as it's not as felxible . I've had my suit for 3 years and no cracks. It looks great, nice and shiny and won't yellow. Super durable if you treat it right. This is my go-to and my wife's preference, but you will need a handler to get suited up. The TB is very "off-white" in color. It's ABS, but the plastic is not painted and very much a semi-gloss and so off-white it's almost heading towards egg-shell in color tone. I got it clean and instantly regretted it, as it's so off white that it really doesn't look right compared to shiny true white TKs or TBs. Depending on how "true white" the soft-goods are, you may almost look two tone. Thus, weathering to make it blend is pretty much a must in my book. Outside of some basic help to get my flack vest on, I don't really need significant help from a handler to get in and out of costume. The red label TB helmet is perfectly serviceable and in my opinion prefered as the construction will be far more durable than the "true to screen" construction. And yes, it was me who had the helmet and it came in a true white and my armor was egg-shell. They paid for shipping and they sent me a new helmet right away that was color matched. When you order, add a note that mentions you would like the helmet match the armor, you can then follow up with an email to RS and they will confirm they received the note on the order. I've never had an issue with these guys in terms of service or communication. I like the RS kit enough that I purchased a second set of the hard parts for my wife. I went with another vendor for a full commission of the soft goods to get a custom fit. Please feel free to ask any additional questions. I'm also happy to send pictures if you'd like. you can see some pics on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/james_that_501st_guy/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 Thanks a lot of the precise answe, really appreciated! Your kits are great, your wear them well! Yeah it pushes me even more toward PVC when I'll get my TK Does it stand out a lot next to another ABS TK? For trooping that was something worrying me a bit too. No UV sounds logical, so need to buy a case for it, but is it needed to have something to prevent humidity in the room for exemple? Right now I'm living in a place where it get super hot in the summer, and I'll move this year in a region where there is a lot of humidity... Does someone know if having a weathered TB changes something regarding possible yellowing? No idea if the paint or process could affect that. Hard choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadmaster Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 The PVC doesn't stand out compared to other clean TKs. It blends really well. The cool thing about being a TK is you can change it up and go for the Heavy Weapons Trooper CRL. You lose the white ammo boxes, and get a ton of new accessories. Even have the option to do some light weathering. Regarding the TB weathering, there are a couple routes you can go. You can do the light misting with a flat black spray can (something they actually did on ROTJ). Or you can pick up some black eye makeup and a chip brush, apply it and seal it with clear hair spray. Neither should really accelerate the yellowing process as the yellowing is mainly due to UV exposure. The makeup is fairly removable compared to the spray can. (I'm on the left as a Heavy Weapons Trooper) (On the left again as for a Christmas event) (I'm on the left, the weathering is makeup and hairspray) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 Nice, sounds good The weathering looks very good on the last pic! For the TB I think I would go with the weathering option of RS, from what I saw on reviews I like the result a lot, and actually was wondering the contrary, does the process protects the armor more against yellowing, but I think not, as you said, it's UV and would go through any varnish I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadmaster Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 Yes, that's correct. The weathering doesn't really protect it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 So now I guess it's a matter of choosing the worry free way TK way, or the TB way Since how long do you have your TB armor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadmaster Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 Roughly 6-8 months I've owned the TB armor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 Ok so I guess no sign of the dreaded yellowing since it's new 501st approval out of the box for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerScout007 Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 I don't know guys, in my 6 years of doing this, the only TB armor I've seen yellow is the older MonCal kits. RS Props is the most accurate armor out of the box -- I would pass on the Imperial Boots soft goods though. There are much better options out there. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 Ahh, that's reassuring Thanks! Only the boots? Or the whole soft parts? If only the boots, you can't not select them I think, so by better do you mean more accurate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerScout007 Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 I mean all of the soft parts, including the boots. And yes by better I mean more accurate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 Does that mean that the RS full kit isn't good for approval ? Or maybe not at a higher level? Will have a look for alternative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerScout007 Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 3 minutes ago, JohnReillis said: Does that mean that the RS full kit isn't good for approval ? Or maybe not at a higher level? Will have a look for alternative! It is fine for Level 1 approval. The issue is not RS's armor, which is bar none the best armor out there. The issue are the soft parts, which are made by Imperial Boots and distributed by RS. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 Noted, I have some learning to do then Do you know from the top of your head what are the things that are less accurate on RS ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 Less accurate on the armor? It's cast from a screen used set, so it's pretty much the standard for scout armor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 I meant soft part on my comment! And I think BikerScout007 meant the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerScout007 Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 8 minutes ago, JohnReillis said: Noted, I have some learning to do then Do you know from the top of your head what are the things that are less accurate on RS ? Okay let me be 100% clear on this because I don't want anyone to get confused. RS Props armor is the absolute best, most accurate armor out there. Nobody does it better, as Carly Simon would say. I'm going to buy a set as soon as I've put aside enough money and my wife is not standing over my shoulder! RS Props does not make the soft goods. The soft goods are supplied by Imperial Boots. They are lacking in a variety of ways. Most importantly though are the boots themselves. They are not made the same way the original film boots were and therefore would not be passable for Level 2. I also find their soft goods need a lot of tailoring to make them look really neat, and I don't think they are using the correct materials for Level 2 approval. Also, $800 for a complete set of soft goods seems very steep to me. You've got @Chef next door in the UK that would do a much better job. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 Got it! Does he have a website? Apparently he hasn't connected here in a while, and I don't know better, if he's to be found elsewhere or something Thanks for the insights, very helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerScout007 Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 7 minutes ago, JohnReillis said: Got it! Does he have a website? Apparently he hasn't connected here in a while, and I don't know better, if he's to be found elsewhere or something Thanks for the insights, very helpful! You can try here: https://www.facebook.com/Chefs-Creations-1034504319941133/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerScout007 Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 We've also got other vendors listing soft goods for sales here: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/156-vendor-sales/ I know it's not as convenient to get different items from different vendors, but some vendors are better are some things than others. Please also check this: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/19003-biker-scout-vendor-list/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 15 minutes ago, BikerScout007 said: We've also got other vendors listing soft goods for sales here: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/156-vendor-sales/ I know it's not as convenient to get different items from different vendors, but some vendors are better are some things than others. Please also check this: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/19003-biker-scout-vendor-list/ Thank you very much! Yeah, searching on Facebook wouldn't have been dumb before asking haha. Now, time to read and search! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerScout007 Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 That's always the best thing to do! Read and research before spending your money. It's very tempting to try to do the quickest, easiest thing, but more times than not you end up having to spend more money to get where you really want to be. Especially if Lancer is your goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnReillis Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 Indeed! Not in a hurry at all, so I have well enough time to do my researchs! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffs92 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Outstanding thread and feedback. Just had my 50th bday yesterday and the family all also did the "chip-in" and told me to use it to get my first armor started. This is exactly what I needed. Now need to help my 19 yo daughter get her ESB Boba Fett going...she decided to go much more complicated than me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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