Brand Newbie Intro and Question

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ProjectFirestrt

New Hunter

• Oct 25, 2015

• #1

Hello group. I am standing at the edge of this rabbit hole about to find out how deep it goes.
I am 40ish and in a place now that I can afford to acquire a Fett suit. Something, like you all, I have always wanted. I have no skill at modeling, molding, or sewing so building my own is out if the question. I don't have " deep pockets" but can afford a full commission suit with enough time to save. I do plan on participating in the 501st with the suit so I need something of high quality.
The pricing I am getting from the reputable producers on this site is in the neighborhood of $7,000 to $8,000. Is the about right to you all? I do understand that these are works of art and appreciate that. That is just more than I had anticipated.
Does anyone know of anyone or have themselves a used ESB suit? Is going that route something the group would warn against? Now I am not referring to going on Craigslist or eBay but rather would deal with someone on these forums and someone who I can deal with face to face.
Thanks in advance for all your help and advice.

 

Jc27

Well-Known Hunter

Preferred Vendor

TDH PREMIUM MEMBER

• Oct 25, 2015

• #2

If you buy parts rather than a finished suit it will cost less than that.

 

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ProjectFirestrt

New Hunter

• Oct 25, 2015

• #3

Jc27 usually when you buy in parts instead of complete it costs more right? Is this the exception to that? I don't have any experience with assembly or painting and that why I was asking about the " full commission" suits. Can you tell me more about the "parts"?

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 8, 2017

DeathProof

Active Hunter

• Oct 25, 2015

• #4

Typically buying parts will be cheaper in the long run instead of commissioning a full suit. I would definitely recommend trying to build it yourself. You may not know much about the hobby now but I guarantee you'll build a love and appreciation for it when you start

Full, used suits do come up in our cargo hold from time to time and they vary in price depending on the quality. More often than not, you will need to modify the costume to fit your build. This may work for you if you want it all in one shot, but building the suit gives you more control over the quality from the beginning.

 

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ProjectFirestrt

New Hunter

• Oct 25, 2015

• #5

DeathProof many of the venders are quoting me upwards of a year for completion of a full suit. Can you tell me, based on your experience, approximately how much building it yourself would run? I have limited time but can imagine I could finish it Ina year. I am very intimated with the entire process. Again, I have little skill, experience, or tools to complete this project. So, how hard is it to do this? Can one do the simple things and subcontract out the tasks that are above my expertise?

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 8, 2017

DeathProof

Active Hunter

• Oct 25, 2015

• #6

A full year for a full suit?....that's not that bad. Depending on the workload of some of the vendors, it could be that long or longer. Then you have to assemble, paint, etc. If you are taking it to a pro painter, you are then on their schedule. You really can't go into this costume with a specific deadline. Some of the Fetts on here have been working on their suits for 3+ years, slowly building it up over time as it's quite a burden to drop all that cash at once.

In terms of cost, I was able to put my suit together for about $4000. I saved a lot of money by painting all the pieces myself. Prior to this costume, I had NO experience with an airbrush, a dremel, all that 'hobby stuff.' No, it's not as good as a pro painter, but I'm happy with it I overcame a lot of my insecurities by researching the hell out of everything. The internet is a wonderful place my friend. And the fact that you came to TheDentedHelmet means you're in the right place.

It can be quite intimidating, yes. If you're interested, I would reach out to your local 501st garrison. You may have a Fett there that could help you locally, or at least have a few troopers that can give you advice and provide some of the tools.

 

syllander

Active Hunter

• Oct 25, 2015

• #7

Yup^^^^. First thing first is to decide how bad you really want it. Then commit to the decision and work thru what you can as you receive parts. There are varying time frames with getting parts, so learn who the vendors are. If you can drop the cash, once you know for sure what style and what vendors you're going with, order as much as possible to get in a queue for parts, then work on the parts you receive first, continuing as you receive them. Typically the hard parts take some considerable time ( jet pack, helmet) but the soft parts tend to be fairly quick( 1-2 months), so you could fit and weather the soft parts while you're waiting for more. Read, read, read, and ask questions. Less paint you should be able to get everything for around $3500. Then have to figure out if you paint it, or go with a commission.
Ive had my lid for over a year now and had it trimmed and primered. Just got off my ass and shipped it to one of the fellas here on TDH to assist with the paint up....

 

Artakha

Active Hunter

• Oct 26, 2015

• #8

Here's a thread which mentions how much this stuff should cost individually: New to TDH? Read this about how much you will spend!

 

gofarlow

Hunter

• Oct 26, 2015

• #9

Very Helpful link.

 

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ProjectFirestrt

New Hunter

• Oct 26, 2015

• #10

Thank you all for all your advice. You have helped me more than you know. From what I gather possessing and wearing the armor is only half the fun. The other half is the acquisition and assembly of the suit. This is a daunting task make no mistake but I think I am up for the challenge. I do not plan on doing the painting however and will likely have a vendor complete the painting work.
Can someone suggest a starting point? Helmet. jet pack? I find that once I have that one thing I can build off of that.

 

01Hawk

Active Hunter

• Oct 26, 2015

• #11

I have been keeping track of what I order and how much I have been spending. I blocked out the individual prices in case some people are protective of that ( but they are all pretty public). My build is for a Supertrooper so I don't have some parts as a regular Fett and have some extras that they wouldn't have. Still need to add a few more things on here but everything I have for a regular Fett would be about $3235 ( not including a DVH helmet I had bought first and may still use) and overall $3548 for all of it. Still need to add for the electric range finder, towel, bottom of jetpack greeblies, switches for the gauntlets and general materials to build my flamethrower and upper sling gun piece.

 

DeathProof

Active Hunter

• Oct 26, 2015

• #12

My advice first is to decide which version of Fett you want to do. By checking out our gallery you will find many different versions of Fett. The overall appearance of Fett may be the same, but between versions there are differences in blaster, braids, helmet, gauntlets to name a few. Figure out what you want to do, and create a list like 01Hawk. Then research who makes the parts (there are many sale threads here on the boards). The makers typically don't have individual websites, so you need to ask around, but most are pretty active here. After you know what parts you need, price it all out and see how you can budget for each piece.

Then you wait As pieces come in, it's kinda like Christmas! Build pieces while waiting for others, and in time, you'll have a finished suit.

 

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ProjectFirestrt

New Hunter

• Oct 26, 2015

• #13

Well the easy part is done. I would only do an ESB. Is there one part or group of parts you would recommend? What about commissioning someone to build paint and weather the helmet and attempt the rest myself?

 

01Hawk

Active Hunter

• Oct 26, 2015

• #14

If the painting is an issue and you are not in a huge rush pre painted parts come up for sale here and may be a path to consider. People do offer painting services like BobaMaker and Darth Vorhees ( maybe not right now tho ) but there is a decent ( and deserved ) cost associated with that as well as it taking time. Mine is all white so I am lucky in that regard - except with keeping it clean I guess

 

DeathProof

Active Hunter

• Oct 26, 2015

• #15

Take a look at the build threads on here and see the differences between armors, helmets, etc.

My armor and helmet are from FettPride, but there are a few makers on here - just need to research.

One thing I would caution about having a painter do a helmet and not the rest of the armor is that you may not have the same paints as the painter, thus there being a slight colour difference between the helmet and the armor. All it takes to resolve this is just double checking with the painter of your helmet what they recommend for paints for the armor to do yourself so there is a consistent overall look.

 

kevnaminute

Hunter

• Oct 26, 2015

• #16

My suit is a mixture of stuff painted & weathered by me and done by others. The armor was painted by someone else as was the bells and knees, but I didn't like the color and repainted those myself. JP and gauntlets were already painted when I got them. I painted the helmet and weathered all of my soft parts.

I was not familiar with this stuff either until I did a Stormtrooper back in '12. That prepped me for Fett, but it was an entirely different animal and a whole new level of commitment (lots of new things to learn). I started this in '13, but didn't finish until just this September (collecting the last few bits, weathering - which takes a lot of time and of course the normal family/job commitments).

Like you, I initially wanted to go the complete "somone-else-build-this-for-me" route. Even put a deposit down for Bobamaker to do so, but had to back out (Daz, again, great guy, returned the money with no questions asked). Eventually, I was able to piece everything together on my own.

I have no idea how much I've spent on this suit. I don't want to know. Really, I don't. :rolleyes

Like DP said, pick out which one you want to go with first, ESB will cost a little more (because of the sidearm). Study the reference pics if you decide to paint the stuff yourself and use Raf's templates. Like you I had actually no experience painting these props. My helmet didn't turn out quite the way I wanted, but for a first attempt I think I did okay. Itching, really, to paint another one.