Frequently-asked Questions

It is the purpose of this page to answer some of the most frequently-asked questions about our merchandise...

About Westerfield Studios: In business in some sense of the word since 1980, located on the Gulf Cost of Florida, we specialize in armor and we sell uniforms and gear from Roman to Star Wars and Halo type games. Although most of our products are reproductions, we have some original items and maintain a small collection of authentic pieces for our reference. Since 2002, we have had our own plastic forming production line. Our production area is a hole in the back of the shop. Our customers are primarily fantasy fan clubs, but also include collectors, museums, film companies, some random weirdoes, sci-fi ethuthiasts and comic book reference artists too. Most of our business is done via mail order and we ship an average of 10 to 25 packages each day, worldwide.

SOP: Our standard operating procedure is simple.

1. We strive to provide the best quality products available at a reasonable price.

2. Orders are shipped ASAP (usually same week but could take up to 4 weeks depending on the order) Remember: We put the kit together when it is ordered/paid for.

3. If we don't have it, or have a place to get it, we won't take your money. Period.

We stand behind our products. There is a 10 day return policy.

4. If a product fails due to poor materials or workmanship (not to normal wear and tear or customer stupidity*) we will usually repair or replace it no problem even after the 10 day period.

*Examples of customer stupidity: Using plastic armor on the jousting field. Trying to fly with one of our jet packs and using our space suits costumes in Space. Leaving plastic costumes in the car in the middle of summer. The list goes on, we are sure you will donate more examples.

The Web site is the Catalog: Do to the internet we no longer have a printed catalog. The web site will always be more current. It is updated weekly. We have tried to keep the format and navigation clear and simple and have kept the fancy graphics and sundry eye candy to a minimum.

Most frequently asked questions:

Q: HALO COSTUME...how tough is the material? is it hard and rigid, or thin and over flexible?

A: I like it. ABS is a high Impact Plastic. .020 is as thick as a bank card. Stormtrooper armor is .060 and .090 ABS Halo is .060. Harder than? thin and over flexible? Less than steel more that a plastic 2 l coke bottle, It is the same stuff I make most of the LARP armour out of If that helps

Q: "What do you do make them as you sell them? It didnt state that on your, sight? Thanks Jim"

A: We make a mold and vacuform ABS and other (clear) plastic. Yrim and Paint then strap.Go to tk560.com for more info on that.

Q: "What is ABS?"

A: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monomers in ABS polymer Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS, (chemical formula (C8H8· C4H6·C3H3N)n is a common thermoplastic used to make light, rigid, molded products such as piping, golf club heads (used for its good shock absorbance), automotive body parts, wheel covers, enclosures, protective head gear, and toys including LEGO bricks[1]. In plumbing, ABS pipes are the black pipes (PVC pipes are white) and also in Plastic Pressure Pipe Systems. ABS plastic ground down to an average diameter of less than 1 micron is used as the colorant in some tattoo inks. Tattoo inks that use ABS are extremely vivid. This vividness is the most obvious indicator that the ink contains ABS, as tattoo inks rarely list their ingredients. It is a copolymer made by polymerizing styrene and acrylonitrile in the presence of polybutadiene. The proportions can vary from 15% to 35% acrylonitrile, 5% to 30% butadiene and 40% to 60% styrene. The result is a long chain of polybutadiene criss-crossed with shorter chains of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile). The nitrile groups from neighbouring chains, being polar, attract each other and bind the chains together, making ABS stronger than pure polystyrene. The styrene gives the plastic a shiny, impervious surface. The butadiene, a rubbery substance, provides resilience even at low temperatures. ABS can be used between ?25 °C and 60 °C. Production of 1 kg of ABS requires the equivalent of about 2 kg of oil for raw materials and energy. It can also be recycled[2].

Added It is the plastic that 501 First's Stoumtrooper armor and sports equipment is made from.

Q:  "Please give me a total."

A:  ALL prices are on the web site. There is a shipping chart.  The total depends on how you want it shipped.  Please note! The shipping chart applies to US domestic shipments only!  International shipping is completely different!!!!  Just add the cost of your items, then use the chart and there's your total. (If the order is heavy ie; 5 steel breast plates) it will be a little higher. We will let you know before we ship.

Q:  "Is this item in stock?"

A:  Most of the time we stock the ABS and our Hand made armor. Other items come in weekly . We update our web site almost every week.

Q:  "Do you have item X, do you have it in blue?  If so how much are they?"

A:  Again, check the site. It is very logical to navigate, and the descriptions we give on the site are much more complete than you will get via e-mail. If it isn't on the site, we don't carry it.



Q:  “Do you have A screen used Storm trooper Kit” or “I saw your Halo Armor on E-Bay for $1400.00 will you take $50.00 for it ?”

A:  Use your heads people. We get seriously nutty requests all the time. If it's not on the site, we don't do it!  Many characters seem to think that we have a special hoard of hard-to-find or super rare items that we forget to advertise, but if they hassle us enough, we'll give in and share the treasure. We may be rude, but we aren't stupid.

Q:  "I want to place a custom order."

A:  No way. Unless we charged an enormous amount of money, custom orders are not viable for a business that wishes to remain efficient. It sounds like a neat idea, until you actually try it. That's why we won't do them. We're not being mean, arrogant, cruel or snotty. We've learned our lesson and just know better than to let this monster out of the box. Been there, done that, not again. I have a list of armors that people would like to have. I try to get to one or two of them a year. It takes a lot of time to make a new set of molds. That is why we make armor that we can sell 20 kits a year so I do not go out of business. A new set of molds runs $3000.00 too $4000.00 dollars to make. So if you need that armor from that cool movie it may be the price of a small car. Please do not ask me to explain supply and demand, profit and loss, bad checks, payroll, rent, blood, sweat and tears, and 25 years of experience. If you don’t understand commerce, look it up.  

Q: “How accurate is this armor?”

A: It’s accurate enough to be immediately recognizable as whatever it's supposed to be. We're armorers, with 20 years experience in armoring and the engineering behind it, so sometimes we make changes to make the armor more comfortable, and to remove movement restrictions, to make it more realistic to be worn by humans. We also try to make some of the pieces universal so that Right and Left pieces are interchangeable not all the time, just sometimes, depending upon the armor. It's funny how people don't see the difference though. Just take a look at our pictures, before you buy, and decide if the product looks accurate enough for you, and/or your intended audience. Keep in mind that for stage work or movie work, you really don't need as much accuracy as you might think you do.

  Q: “How did you guys make such a cool web site? (steeldreams.net)”

A: Paint shop Pro, version 5. Notepad, Mountain Dew, and pizza. lots of pizza.

Q: ” Why do your auctions say "Armour does not enable user to fly?" that's stupid.

A: No. what's stupid is that professionally built costumes for kids, such as the bat man dress-up play sets actually have that warning on them, except that they say "Cape doesn't enable user to fly". Bat man doesn't fly. every kid worth his comic books knows he's got to get the Superman cape to do that.  

Q: ” Can I play paintball or airsoft with "x" armor?”

A: Sure, of course you will probably lose your eyesight, and/or die. but Hey! You'll look cool for the few moments before you throw yourself to the ground screaming like a little girl. Just remember... NOTHING is good for paintball, unless it clearly says it's Rated Protective Paintball Gear. Don't risk it.  

Q: ” Can you actually see thru the “Halo” helmet visor?”

A: Yes! It's not crystal clear, but it was designed to give a balance between form and function. It's definitely transparent enough to get around with, assuming average to good lighting. A good comparison would be to say that it'd be silly to try and read the newspaper with one of these on, but at least you could skim the headlines.  

Q: ”Hey! you ripped off a copy of my armor!”

A: We're all trying to build the same suits that we all saw on T.V. or in movies. In many cases we have the same construction restrictions, and each of us have similar experience. Is it potentially possible that we ended up with something similar to what you may have done? Of course it's possible, so leave us alone.

Not good enough for you? Here's solid proof:

Our molds are handmade, hand beaten, hand bent metal, cut wood, and plaster and body putty. Your molds are plaster ones that you probably stole from somewhere else if not directly from us. We're tired of you trying to make yourselves look better by making others in the community look bad. Go focus your energies on expanding what you offer the community, not trying to make other folks look bad. This IS a community, and we all have plenty to offer each other by getting along.

Q: “What sizes are available for your costume armor?”

A: UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED, our suits are sized for someone in the height range of 5'6 to 6'+, weighing between approximately 180 to 250 pounds. If you are within these ranges, you shouldn't have a size problem. Outside of those ranges, you'll need to make additional adjustments, and/or settle for something that doesn't totally fit you correctly. Metal armor is Sm. Med. Lg. and XLg.

Q: “Can I get a discount for buying alot at once?”

A: If for some reason, you want a lot of these costumes at the same time, like you want to outfit your school's cheer leading squad in them, we can offer price breaks to make it more manageable for you. Obviously, quantity determines the amount of the break you can get, and discounts begin when an order for that quantity is made. We don't offer discounts against possible future orders, it's strictly on a per order basis. Otherwise, you get 9 year olds promising to order 3000 after they order 1, and want the discount to apply to that first one. It's also because our costs don't drop unless we can order mass quantities. promises don't pay the bills. However, we DO reward loyalty, and if you buy a lot from us, you'll start seeing some discounts over time.

Q: “ Hey! does the suit come with that cool gun? ”

A: Guns, although sometimes displayed with the armor in the pictures, are not included with the armor itself. At a later date, we may begin offering weapon replicas separately, but at the moment, we recommend finding Airsoft guns that look similar, making your own gun, or just doing without. For Halo, some of the MP-5's look pretty cool with the costume, even though they obviously aren't "right". For Aliens I recommend a shotgun, and for Star Wars. well there ARE toys around to fit the bill.

Keep your eyes peeled for airsoft products coming out of China, it wouldn't surprise me to eventually find a set of SMG's coming from there, even if they don't actually SAY SMG, or Halo, on them. (kinda' like the SPAS-12 Shotguns they sell as ("airsoft super shotguns")

  Q: “Do all the “Halo” helmets come with lights and/or fans?”

A: Currently, that's all considered MOD work. We can add a light kit, and/or small fan, to a suit for an additional fee, if you are interested, please inquire. It definitely gets hot in there. One thing about the lights though. If you are in the dark, the cheek lights will actually sometimes make it harder to see out of the visor. Ironic, eh?

Q: .060 ABS is somewhat thin, have you ever thought of making them a little thicker with like .090? Or would that loose too much detail in the vaccuform? Dec-28-06

A: You lose some but not that much. .060 is easier to cut and we make the stormtrooper stuff out of it. My first kit was .090. If you would like .090 we can talk. Rob 727-523-1151

Added .020 is as thick as a bank card.



Q: From teddyrayj( 2) E-bay : why do you use cheap plastic? i happen to know a friend who purchased one of your helmets, and it was very flimsy, many of the parts flopped out, and there was many areas that could have been more fortified. all you used was 3 nine volt batteries to power your cheaply made fan and lights.....WHY?!?!?! Dec-28-06

A:Thank you for your insight in the would of costume making. Please tell me what kind of plastic you would use and how much you would pay for 100 4X8 sheets of plastic. The fan is by Radio Shack and the the lights are high end auto. so if you have thoughts on them you should let them know. How can a part flop out. And which part flopped out and were did it flop to? So as for why. I thing you should look at what you got and that what you think you should have gotten. We sell a nice costume helmet hand made of high impact plastic with high end parts. Each costume part is than hand painted for the battle damaged look. As for the priceing, you need to look up supply and demand and the cost of doing buisness in the USA. As for your friend he/she got this helmet on e-bay were he had time to ask about all the thing and more for a hole week. Where were you then? Plastic at .060 is as thick as a shin guard for soccer. Not all that flimsy. And on a leaser note please use the shift key now and then. Thank You Rob

Q:Where's my armor? I Ordered it last week!

A: We charge your card the with in 2-3 days of the order. We add you the the list of orders the we have, Make your order as it comes up. Then ship it. Most orders will take 2-3 week some longer. DO NOT Order the week befor Little Bruce's B-Day and think you are going to get it. We hand make Custom Costume Orders. This is not an off the rack shop. Custom.

Thank You for looking

Robert B. Westerfield Jr.

How Not to get on my good side

--- On Mon, 7/13/09, Elizabeth M. Muller "Lisa" wrote:

From: Elizabeth M. Muller "Lisa" Subject: Re: Order 847 To: "WESTERFIELD STUDIOS" Date: Monday, July 13, 2009, 11:21 AM

You are a complete moron.  Most people do have the same ship to as bill to address since that's where they get their statements and mail.  Duh.  I do not know how you remain in business, and I question whether you even had the merchandise to begin with.  I will be putting negative feedback out on you as a merchant.  If you can't fill simple orders within a 12 day period, you might seek another line of work which you could actually do successfully?  Had no problem getting another merchant to fill and overnight order today.  I predict you will not be in business very long. ----- Original Message ----- From: WESTERFIELD STUDIOS

To: uga86@bellsouth.net

Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 4:33 PM

Subject: Order 847

Order 847

Ship to 

Elizabeth M Muller

3 Rum Runners Alley

Savannah GA 31411

US United States

912-598-3729

Bill to 

Elizabeth M Muller

P. O. Box 2139

Savannah GA 31402

US United States

912-598-3729

Your phone message stated that the bill to address was for 3 Rum Runners Alley and when we pulled the order it was the ship to address.

I called to check on the Shipping address. I am making the last run to the post office Now and have not heard back from you. 

Since we do not have a good shipping address this order is now considered Cancelled. 

Thank You,

Robert B. Westerfield Jr.

 Westerfield Studios

8300 Ulmerton Road # 116

Largo, FL 33771

1-888-531-6401

My answer to this...

I see, your the moron that typed the order. So you need to work on your ordering skills. As I see from your ass-a-nine rant you should work on your people skills too.  You "predict" well I predict "You have no real friends" I can do this all day... This is fun!. By the way, We are 29 years it to this line of work and going strong. Just started a movie last month, that's that 4th in 2 years.  Please send more of this ranting We all got a good laugh at it. If you were nicer on the phone I would driven back to the shop and sent out your patch as I had  Driven to Tampa Air Port Post Office to do just that for the customers that answered there phone calls and e-mails that morning. You Have a nice Day. 

Home > ORDERING INFO PLEASE READ!

READ ME We charge your card the with in 2-3 days of the order. We add you the the list of orders the we have, Make your order as it comes up. Then ship it. Most orders will take 2-3 week some longer. DO NOT Order the week befor Little Robbie's B-Day and think you are going to get it. If you need an Item, any item for an event or con let us know. We may low or out of stock the weeks leading up to a movie release or Dragon Con.

Robert B. Westerfield Jr.

Westerfield Studios

8300 Ulmerton Road # 116

Largo, FL 33771

1-888-531-6401

and More...blah, blah, blah ----- Original Message ----- From: "Westerfield Studios (through Yahoo! Store Order System)" To: "Elizabeth M Muller" Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 7:47 PM Subject: order yhst--847 from Westerfield Studios

> Thank you again for your order. > > > The shipper's tracking number is Still Cancelled > > You can always find out the current status of your order by going to > https://order.store.yahoo.net/OS/stat?yhst-73629445586418+847+d8a2643a817ee05ff02d > > Name                     Code         Qty  Each  Options > ---------------------------------------------------------- > Harry Potter Gryffindor  HPPA07         1  6.99 > Patch > > UPS Tracking Number: > Still Cancelled >                                 Subtotal  6.99 >                                 Shipping  2.25 >                                      Tax  0.00 >                                    Total  9.24 > try to type in english if possible.  blah, blah, blah.  Patch is on its way from a REAL vendor. ----- Original Message ----- From: WESTERFIELD STUDIOS To: Elizabeth M. Muller Lisa Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 7:38 PM Subject: Re: Order 847

Sorry about that We were laughing so much I my have mist typed a bit. Thank for the insight. So that was the REAL vendor name that you got your patch from?

Robert B. Westerfield Jr.

Westerfield Studios 8300 Ulmerton Road # 116 Largo, FL 33771 1-888-531-6401

--- On Mon, 7/13/09, Elizabeth M. Muller "Lisa" wrote:

From: Elizabeth M. Muller "Lisa" Subject: Re: Order 847 To: "WESTERFIELD STUDIOS" Date: Monday, July 13, 2009, 9:01 PM

try to type in english if possible.  blah, blah, blah.  Patch is on its way from a REAL vendor.