Should I get this Star Wars Stormtrooper Outfit?

[Whettestone]

I have a $500 Gift Card (Cabelas) for an over-priced store. I got a guy in a Pawn Shop who will trade it for a Stormtrooper costume. I want your feedback as to whether I should or not. I haven't seen it in six months, so I need to go back and look it over.

It's on a mannequin. I figure the mannequin alone would cost $100 separately. I need to remove the helmet to see the mannequin. The mannequin is on some kind of base because it was standing up. I don't know if the previous owner put it on the mannequin or if it came with it.

It has a holster on its right, with no gun. I have a Star Wars gun that should fit it.

It's been six months but I THINK it had the shoulder pad off to the side, don't remember what color (I've seen orange and grey on action figures).

On Ebay I saw a helmet with electronics in it (a 9 volt) that I'm assuming is a speaker. I don't know if this has one. Are electronics common in these things? How would I install one on my own?

Costumes I've seen on Ebay are missing the "boots" (shoes). I need to look if this one has them.

What else should I look for? Is there a tag or copyright date or company name somewhere on it? Things that are easily broken or lost?

I've seen them on Ebay for $199 to $1,099 (without boots and mannequin), not counting shipping.

My only alternative is to use my gift card online and get overpriced paint guns from Cabelas, with shipping costing $18. My third alternative is try to sell my $500 Cabelas gift card on Ebay and get maybe $450 or more.

Anybody have a Stormtrooper costume? Want to help me out?

 

[ALF]

Whatever makes you happy.
I think it could be heaps of fun.
Check it out first, make sure it's decent.

 

[Holdfast]

It's on a mannequin. I figure the mannequin alone would cost $100 separately.

If it helps your decision-making, you should be able to get a mannequin off eBay for about half that. I bought a tailors-dummy style mannequin for a total inc shipping of about $40. A full mannequin is probably a bit more, but I doubt a tremendous amont more.

 

[Tulin]

Yes.

Yes, you should.

And you should wear it to "Furry Night" at my place.

 

[Whettestone]

Gee guys, thanks for nothing. I'm looking for somebody who actually has one of these, not "Whatever floats your boat Dude" or comparing a six foot tall Stormtrooper to a sewing torso on a pipe stand. This is a $500 item. I need somebody who knows about it.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/0/0d/Storm-CHRON.jpg

And you should wear it to "Furry Night" at my place.

Stormtrooper are not furry.
Ewoks are furry and the Stormtroopers slaughtered millions, just off screen.

 

[Tulin]

I forgot to mention it's an S&M Furry Night.

 

[doubleohfive]

Gee guys, thanks for nothing. I'm looking for somebody who actually has one of these, not "Whatever floats your boat Dude" or comparing a six foot tall Stormtrooper to a sewing torso on a pipe stand. This is a $500 item. I need somebody who knows about it.

Hey Whettestone! Welcome back. Nice to see you're still the same. Point of interest for you around here, hard learned lesson from my own experience: Its generally bad form and will engender a lot of not-fuzzy feelings if you pose a question to a group of people and after they take the time to answer, you come back and bite their collective heads off.

I'm not saying I'm perfect, but yeah.... don't expect any fuzzy feelings, or the goodwill of anyone to offer any more insight or help to you.

And you should wear it to "Furry Night" at my place.

Stormtrooper are not furry.
Ewoks are furry and the Stormtroopers slaughtered millions, just off screen.

Putting aside the thoughtlessness of the membership of this board not to recall the genocidal atrocities of this fictional army, what if the stormtrooper had a beard?

 

[Mike Farley]

Putting aside the thoughtlessness of the membership of this board not to recall the genocidal atrocities of this fictional army, what if the stormtrooper had a beard?

Then he's just dapper.

 

[CaptJimboJones]

I'm curious, are you planning on just displaying it, or are you going to wear it?

 

[Venardhi]

Unless you want to wear it, and to do that I'd say hook up with your local 501st, I would lean towards passing on it. Display pieces don't do much for me though, and perhaps you already have a collection of stuff to put it with.

Check the thickness of the plastic, and if there is any yellowing or cracking. Also figure out of it is painted or not, since the painting(usually with white automotive paint) reportedly makes the plastic last a little longer. Make sure the little bits and pieces are still on there. The 'thermal detonator' on the back, all the right bits on the helmet, etc.

A lot of these armor sets are customized slightly for comfort of whoever wore it originally, you may not fit right so ask the guy if you can try it on first. It shouldn't be comfortable exactly, but it shouldn't be so uncomfortable that you can't stand to wear it for as long as it takes to figure out how it sits. You probably won't be able to sit down, but thus are the sacrifices for serving the empire.

The boots aren't that hard to find unless you're anal about being exact, but if this one comes with some that is an extra $50+ or so you don't have to spend.

If I had 500 bucks sitting around I know how to get a hold of one of the kits to make my own, but being "just another stormtrooper" doesn't hold much appeal to me these days. I also live in an area where every con has a dozen stormtroopers at it though, so YMMV.

 

[Gepard]

Also, who made the armor? There's a bunch of manufacturers out there, of varying degrees of quality and accuracy. I don't know much about them, but can say: if it's made by Rubies....RUN. Run far, far away.

EDIT: In fact, there's still two days of open registrations here. Join and ask them. They'll know.

 

[Misfit Toy]

Gee guys, thanks for nothing. I'm looking for somebody who actually has one of these, not "Whatever floats your boat Dude" or comparing a six foot tall Stormtrooper to a sewing torso on a pipe stand. This is a $500 item. I need somebody who knows about it.

Then perhaps you should ask your question on a Star Wars board? Then you can insult them and not the fine people here.

 

[Thurisaz]

From what I've read, abs ones are the best, most durable and they usually go for about $800. And that's without boots, neck piece and the body suit. If it's in nice shape I say go for it. I would love to have a full size ST display. Also I would see who manufactured the helmet Master Replicas makes a great one. Check to see if it has smoked lenses also.

If it looks anything like this one here I would say go for it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Star-Wars-Prop-...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

 

[backstept]

considering what these costumes go for on ebay I'm inclined to tell you to just do the trade!
if you decide that you don't want to keep it you're sure to make a decent sale

 

[Super Grover]

Keep the Cabelas card.

 

[Whettestone]

Can't go get it for a week, the snow is too much.

Hey Whettestone! Welcome back. Nice to see you're still the same.

Yep.

Then perhaps you should ask your question on a Star Wars board? Then you can insult them and not the fine people here.

I'm not signing up to yet ANOTHER board. You guys will do just fine.

I'm curious, are you planning on just displaying it, or are you going to wear it?

I plan to be buried in it.

Or bury someone else in it.

...and to do that I'd say hook up with your local 501st,...

Who? Where?

so ask the guy if you can try it on first.

Uh, no.

...but being "just another stormtrooper" doesn't hold much appeal to me these days.

Is this one different enough for you?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330298527952

I would see who manufactured the helmet Master Replicas makes a great one.

Also, who made the armor? There's a bunch of manufacturers out there, of varying degrees of quality and accuracy. I don't know much about them, but can say: if it's made by Rubies....RUN. Run far, far away.

Where do I look for to find out who made these? Where would the tag or labels be? I don't want to stand there an hour taking the thing apart in the store looking like an idiot.

I found the Rubies website. I ran. After I downloaded the picture of the girl in the Slave Leia outfit first.

http://www.rubies.com/landingpage.cfm?ItemNumber=888611

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-58335627202752_2033_2607626

I think they oiled her up.

 

[Gepard]

^Like I linked to in earlier post, go to the RPF and have a look around,. They have tons of experts on just this subject.

The 501st Division of Stormtroopers are these guys. Lucas actually named the division of Clonetroopers in ROTS that slaughtered the Jedi after this group.

 

[Johnny Rico]

Well, if it were me, I'd go for a Phase II Clone trooper armor set. To me, they're much cooler than your standard issue Imperial Stormtrooper armor.