I ordered the Episode II style Clonetrooper outfit through Amazon. In fact I also ordered a seperate helmet which cost a little more than the entire outfit (which came with it's own helmet) but that'll be explained in the review that I'll post here that was originally submitted to Amazon. I will in fact edit it a bit so as to flow on from the backstory I'm giving.

I had got a few affiliate commission sales, in addition to the revenue I've been getting here at Squidoo and thought I'd treat myself to something special. Since a kid I had always wanted a Stormtrooper outfit. Still do in fact. And while I knew the quality of this product would not compare to the authentic ones made with fibreglass I thought it would be a good start.

So I ordered those two products AND also 5 Star Wars novels (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). I've read almost every single Star Wars novel available since the early 90's, and it's been a while since my mind had gone on a decent trip to a galaxy far, far away so I thought while I was getting the outfit and extra helmet I may as well go all the way and really spoil myself.

I had the items shipped to my aunty in California, where she got the four seperate packages (Amazon sent the books in two lots) and repackaged them into one box before shipping them to me here in Australia.

By doing it that way I saved around US$80 to US$90.

Between her getting all the parcels and sending them off in one box and it arriving to me it took about a week and a half.

The merchandise arrived in good time and in good order. I can't fault the seller. The product however was another matter.

The 'armor' is a thin foam. Which is sewn onto the bodystocking (it too is of cheap manufacture). There is no zip up the back, just a velcro tab at the top. So you'd have to wear a black t-shirt underneath or run the risk of exposing a large patch of skin.

It also came without gloves. It didn't say in the product page that it came with gloves, but neither did it say it didn't. In fact the photo clearly shows black gloves. But it also shows that the model is wearing footwear, which you don't get either. So you'll need to source and purchase black cotton gloves. Or get ahold of some black rubber gloves. I got some from the supermarket, they were alongside the dishwashing gloves but they're for working in the garden.

I can't impress enough upon the potential buyer how thin the 'armor' is. It is thin and flimsy. It can be folded over onto itself. Some parts are moulded, but don't expect it to stay in shape. The shoulder pads were creased and I'm not sure how I'll get them to sit properly. And there is no armor on the back. It's just black bodyglove exposed back there. With a chance of skin if you don't wear the black t-shirt as I suggested.

It's a little ill fitting, but then again I'm short for a stormtrooper. But that's the least of the concerns. In fact I didn't factor that into my overall rating. You've got to expect that one size fits all is usually one size fits almost no one.

I wore it for all of five minutes and already there was tears in the foam. The stitching isn't giving way, the foam is actually ripping apart next to the stitching. I saw only one other review at Amazon for the product, and it would appear the product reviews only show up for the seller from whom you got it through. I was checking to see if my product review showed up for all five sellers, but unfortunately not. The one other product review was a lot shorter than mine, and they commented that the knee and elbow pads (which are seperate) started to rip apart as they took it from the package. Though had I read it I would have had thought the person was exaggerating. But after first hand experience I believe every word they say.

I'll point out again this isn't due to the seller, as it was bought brand new and I inspected the goods upon arrival and they were still in the original packaging and there were no rips at all.

Now this five minutes worth of wear, didn't involve a getting active, play fighting or commando rolls. Merely walking around the loungeroom and showing it off to my kids. ButI made the mistake of also sitting down and trying to put on some shoes. Which might explain how the legging was starting to rip on the right leg. I stopped trying to put on the shoe at that point. But there are two other points that had ripped when I inspected it after I took it off. One on the other legging, which was on the side where I didn't try and put on the shoe. Each are approximately two to three centimetres long. Any more walking in it and I'll rip further.

The helmet is flimsy. The vision is terrible. I had bought an Episode II Clonetrooper helmet which cost a bit more than this entire ensemble and it is great. Originally I had ordered the Episode II Clonetrooper outfit but after making payment I got an email the next day from the seller informing me that it was sold out. Not only that but the manufacturer was no longer making them. So that's how I got the Episode III Clonetrooper outfit instead. With the original intention I had a feeling that the helmet would be less than average as I had researched it and on the sellers site it said it was in two parts. They actually suggested getting the more expensive helmet to complement the outfit. So that's how I ended up with Episode III Clonetrooper full length body costume and helmet and the Episode II helmet.

I can't fault the Episode II helmet, with exception of it needing a bit of sponge like foam put on the inside so it sits a bit better and the final product is not as shiny as the one in the ad. But I'll discuss it further in a review of it's own a little later.

Back to the Episode III Clonetrooper mask... it's made of a thin plastic.

You know the cheap plastic masks you can get at the supermarket in the party goods aisle with the elastic to hold it on around the back of your head? It's not much thicker than that. And the two halves stick together with velcro. At five points along the join.

As soon as I got it on and prior to strutting around the living room to surprise the kids my wife took some digital photos so I could see what it looked like. Surprisingly, despite my description, it looked great. In fact it looks fantastic. But wearing it is another matter.

I intend on wearing it just one more time along with the gloves and posing with some water guns (which have been sprayed matte black) for another
'photo shoot'. So expect to see them displayed here soon.

Of more concern is I'm unsure if this costume would last a night at a fancy dress party. It would come home in tatters. It didn't last five minutes of wearing in a spacious living room without already tearing at the seams. Which is a real worry, because I was going to wear it to markets, fairs and car boot sales while handing out flyers for people to come check out my Star Wars websites. Now that plan for promotion and marketing has been somewhat delayed.

If you intend on getting this costume to look cool then I advise that you already be married because you won't be picking up any chicks with it on. Not even a die hard Star Wars Geek Girl would fall for you, they'd be less than impressed with the quality.

I gave the Amazon review 2 stars, because as much as I want to hate it I can't. I can't help it, I'm a Star Wars Geek. But if you're after something that looks authentic and will last, then you'll be sadly disappointed.

Really, the only saving grace which kept it from a 1 star rating is that my wife will be cutting the foam 'armor' from the body glove and using it as a template to make one from fibre glass (she had done a course in fibreglassing prior to knowing me) or from EVA, PVC or some other composite. Nevertheless it's an expensive template, considering I'm still without knowing what the back of the legs and the back of the upper torso should look like. And the two piece mask would drag down the overall appeal of well made Clonetrooper armor. Though the other one will do it justice.

If you want to look good for 2 or 3 hours at a party then by all means go ahead and buy it. Just be aware that you'll likely be throwing it in the bin once the night is done, which makes such a purchase for a one off wear quite expensive. If there's alcohol at the party I would expect the life expectancy of the Clonetrooper outfit to be measured in minutes rather than hours.

But if you want something that's quality then all I can say is "Move along, move along".

So you need to do something with your hands.

Buy one of these and that way you can stand around looking cool, rather than fidgeting.

And fidgeting is very unbecoming of a cold and ruthless killing machine.

Imagine playing this game while wearing your Clonetrooper armor? It's the next best thing to being there!

This helmet is a bargain for the price.

Be aware though, what you get (at least what I got) isn't as shiny as the one displayed in the photo at the site. Not that that's a bad thing. A duller appearance even dirtied up a bit may make it look more realistic. The appearance of the one in the Amazon photo makes it look like it's made of fibreglass.

It's not.

But by the feel of it it won't break or crack if you were accidently drop it. And that can only be a good thing.

The only other thing to mention is it doesn't sit quite right on a persons head. But with a little extra foam padding up the top on the inside of the helmet will fix that. In fact while writing this I got some crumpled up paper that was used in the packaging and put it in there and it now sits fine. A temporary measure, but evidence that with a little extra effort this purchase may alleviate some of the heart ache and pain caused by the sub-standard deluxe outfit that I purchased at the same time.

I've listed two here just in case the cheaper price has sold out (but they're identical products).

I got these delivered too with the Clonetrooper outfit and extra helmet. I like a bit of light reading before going to sleep at night. I'll write a review on it later.