Long time lurker with armor troubles

[kernel]

Hello all,

I am a 22 y o female who has been dreaming of the day that I could own a suit of stormtrooper armor. A good friend of mine has decided to move across the country and, in order to do so, sell most of his worldly possessions--which includes armor! He knows I have been coveting it for some time, and offered it to me for a really low price. I'm so tempted to jump on it, but I thought I'd seek your advice first.

Here are the deets:

He bought the armor in 2003 off of eBay. I've seen it, and even put on some pieces (pretty awesome, seems to be of a good quality). However, my friend has no idea whether it meets 501st standards, although it is clear that it needs some work. Here's where the problem is: he's already on the road and the armor is in storage in our home town. I am two states away from said home town because of school. I really don't think I can fully examine it before I buy. My friend has already been kind enough to wait for me to "sleep on it" for the past month, but he wants to be rid of it and, I'm sure, realizes that there's probably someone out there who would pay a lot more than what he's asking me to pay.

My question: should I purchase the armor for a price around $300 and do whatever it takes to mod it to 501 standards, or should I save my money for a suit that I know will meet all requirements?

The only picture I have is of me wearing the helmet and the chest plate and abdominal plate. If that would help anyone get an idea of the level of quality of the armor, let me know and I can e-mail you the photo.


Thanks for any thoughts/advice. Looking forward to trooping with you all someday soon  

[Blue Leader]

I'm surprised no one has replied yet...

Anyway, I'm not extremely knowledgeable about stormtrooper armor and it's hard to say whether it's a good purchase or not without seeing anything. Does you friend remember who sold the armor? Perhaps someone could help that way-- they might know whether or not that person sells acceptable armor.

Does your friend have any pictures of him wearing the armor?

Another thing to consider is height/weight difference. I'm not particularly sure how that affects stormtrooper armor but I know that does have an affect nonetheless. Parts could be too big or small for you and not fit you right without modifications.

Hopefully someone else can give you some better information. However, have you tried http://www.whitearmor.net? Someone there should be able to answer any questions you might have.

Here's some advice... Play it safe, join the Rebellion! 

[stevo502]

Ouch! A Rebel is the first to respond? Oh, the shame of it all!

Sorry that nobody had posted here yet, but Blue Leader had some good comments there.

If you can post or email (info@cloudcitygarrison.com) whatever photos you have, we can offer a better assessment. My guess is that if it was originally purchased back in 2003 that it will need some modifications to be 501st-ready with current standards. But we can't say anything for sure without seeing it.

-steve

[Aysel]

There have been modifications to the CRL's since this armor was made, that being said the GML's will need to see picture to be able to better tell you whether it's a good purchase or not and how much work is potentially involved.

Ouch! A Rebel is the first to respond? Oh, the shame of it all!

Sorry that nobody had posted here yet, but Blue Leader had some good comments there.

If you can post or email (info@cloudcitygarrison.com) whatever photos you have, we can offer a better assessment. My guess is that if it was originally purchased back in 2003 that it will need some modifications to be 501st-ready with current standards. But we can't say anything for sure without seeing it.

-steve

[stuntmanmike]

It's better to do the research and not impulse buy. This hobby doesn't come cheap. I've heard about people buying armor from ebay with bad results. Usually if it sound to good to be true it is. A good set of TK armor (stormtrooper) can run you $800-1000. I recommend saving and doing more research , this will show in your final build. Another thing is, this is not something that can be completed over night. It took me 2-3 months of research before I bought any armor and a year to complete. Though it took awhile to complete I'm very happy the way my Scout turned out. As stated above if you have pics please post them, this will help us determine the maker and quality of armor your looking at. If you have more questions feel free to send me a message.

James
TB-7681

[Daverian]

I'm selling mine for $600.