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 Post subject: AP's New Armor.
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:58 pm 
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I am posting this info for AP.

From AP - We found a new plastic supplier who can make custom color for our ABS plastic, so no more blue hue color ect... these will be high gloss pure white and will always match in case people need replacements parts or a extra helmet in the future to match their armor color 100%.We are currently debating on using .80 gauge or .60 like the original, details using .60 will be much sharper, our only concern is the customer complaining about it being thin is some areas. We also resolved that obvious stretch-mark around top/cap from our last batch.
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:18 pm 
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Location: Orlando, FL
Wow! that .060 helmet is soo sharp, like styrene pull sharp. Those will make awesome stunt buckets. I got to hand it to AP they sure make a good product!

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:21 pm 
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So... dumb question?

Do people typically paint over these, or just use the native ABS material as the finish?

Second question:

I notice that the mouth areas is comprised of a series of holes. Well, once the recess is painted gray, the holes are larger than the gray area, making the mouth bevel look serrated. Is that right, or is it acceptable for someone to putty up that area to make it look smoother?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:59 am 
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That's some absolute kick-ass looking armor... thanks for showing it here! :thumbsup

CSMacLaren wrote:
So... dumb question?
Do people typically paint over these, or just use the native ABS material as the finish?
Second question:
I notice that the mouth areas is comprised of a series of holes. Well, once the recess is painted gray, the holes are larger than the gray area, making the mouth bevel look serrated. Is that right, or is it acceptable for someone to putty up that area to make it look smoother?

1: people generally don't paint the AP ABS suits. You can do it for accuracy, but the AP suits are imo so good, that they don't need painting.

2: I'm wondering a bit what you mean here? The black areas are the cut-out areas and are iirc the correct size - if you are wise you back it with small sized grills so people can't see through the helmet, but so that you can still get air in - and the grey are as it should be too. Why would you wanna fill in the black areas and then lose a ventilation option? Also... you could also simply choose not to trim the mouth - but I would seriously advise against that as the helmet will simply get hot and with no air-flow.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:07 pm 
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That's a sweet kit. I like the .60 gauge better.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:15 pm 
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The 060 looks great esp. for people that are looking to troop in the southern states. It will be much lighter, not that the 080 is heavy, but piece by piece it adds up. Plus ABS has great strength properties so even at a thinner stock it will hold up just as well.

I am seriously considering a set for a summer time project I think. Probably after SWW is finished. I wonder if AP can mold the ab detail pieces directly onto the part upside down like the ROTJ armor? I really want to make an ROTJ Trooper and I know that these molds were the GF molds made from Te's original ROTJ molds then slightly modified. I would then just need to get the proper helmet, since the size and shape of the ANH and ROTJ are completely different. Hmmm.............

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 4:23 pm 
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If I'm not mistaken, then the ab-pieces are separate pieces, so there shouldn't be any problems there.

Also, seems like the have dealt with that excessive bulge at the left eye that are found on the earlier AP helmets. Looking real good.

Can anyone PM me with prices on helmet alone and with armor please as the prices I know may be a little tad out of date. Thanks! :thumbsup

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:31 pm 
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NoHumorMan wrote:
Can anyone PM me with prices on helmet alone and with armor please as the prices I know may be a little tad out of date. Thanks! :thumbsup


Ditto.
Also, would the price be the same for the .60 and .80 gauge?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:18 pm 
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Okay, so if the .60 was shunned because of being too thin in certain areas, but that the stretch marks are now resolved, is this going to be an issue still at this present time?

Could someone share exactly where these areas are that are allegedly too thin? Is it "thin" to the point that it might break if dropped on this spot? If so, I think a little AquaMend to the rescue would be called for to reinforce the interior.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:22 pm 
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Hey, I noticed the stickers in the cheek hollows aren't a perfect fit. Is this due to the stickers being designed for a different provider's helmet?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:20 pm 
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I must say that recently i have seen a couple of AP suits and the detail is nice, if i upgrade my armour i may sway towards AP. This thinner abs looks nice.

I think in the past ( correct me if im wrong ) that the helmets have been a little thin so as when in direct sunlight or bright lights you can see thru them? Is this what you mean by being a little thin?

CSM the cheek decals are suposed to be like that, the originals were hand painted and no two were the same, so they dont fill the hollows exactly.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:34 pm 
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AP is referring to thin in spots from the pull. Often under the chin. You cannot see through an AP helmet. I troop in the 80 and it is very thick. The 60 has never been sold before by AP, this is something new.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:06 am 
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Ditto...I have an earlier AP kit and it is fairly thick even under the chin/vocoder where other makes are perilously thin. That area is notorious for cracking as the ABS gets really paper thin when pulled underneath in the vac-table.

The .60 kit looks good but I don't think it's particularly sharper than my .80 kit. Regardless, you can't go wrong with the AP kit....best of both worlds....accuracy and durability.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 3:35 am 
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The difference is negligible depend on who your audience is. For most people watching you from 12 feet away as you're trooping, the answer is zip. But up close I can see that the .60 provides better under-eye sharpness as well as the edge of the recess of the mouth-chin-microphone area.

I think the .60 will give AP an edge over SDS for those who want better detail. Personally, I'd rather not pay SDS prices and have never seen an SDS up close, but if the photos indicate competitive quality, the AP looks mighty interesting at the moment.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 3:37 am 
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firebladejedi wrote:
CSM the cheek decals are suposed to be like that, the originals were hand painted and no two were the same, so they dont fill the hollows exactly.


Is there high demand for super accurate stickers? If so, I have a good relationship with a label maker as I provide them with Adobe Illustrator art and they laser cut them according to my .EPS file. If I end up getting an AP, I'll be able to determine the precise size and shape the labels need to be, only that a run of even 50 could be expensive, but if there are people willing to share the cost, then whoo-hoo! Let me know. I'd need someone to volunteer and manage this project for me (in terms of names, commitments, etc.) I only want to do the label design.

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