Custom Mandalorian Mandalore armor question

Quick question for you guys. I'm trying to read up, but haven't seen a clear answer. Do you guys prefer the Boba Fett or Jango Fett armor plans/molds/patterns for your non-Boba/Jango Mandalore armor? I was thinking I'd get Jango stuff so I could apply my own dents and damage. Thoughts?

I tend to mix'n'match whatever works best for desired effect. For instance, I prefer how Boba's back and collar plates overlap and lock together over how Jango's gap, I similarly prefer the full wraparound armor at the waist Boba has over the abbreviated groin plate Jango has, I like Jango's thigh armor (or thigh armor in general) and boots, I'm going with Galactic Marine lower leg and boot armor (same boots), I could go either way on shoulders (cap sleeves or full underflap) or knees (rounded bottom on Boba, squarer and more robust for Jango)...

As for dents and damage, that's a whole 'nother issue. One of the things that always appealed to me about Boba was how he looked like he'd been through twelve kinds of hell and made it out. More recently in the (former) EU, there's been a lot made about the awesomeness of Mandalorian iron (beskar) and how it's the Star Wars equivalent of Adamantium. It can't be bent or scratched or cut or dented or anything and only Mandalorian smiths know how to work it to best effect. Boba's derided for wearing crappy durasteel. All of this bothers me for many reasons. But the short of it is my plates are 16-gauge stainless steel and it takes a lot to get them to notice damage. One of the chest plates accidentally got backed over after initial shaping and it didn't even notice. So I'm not going to put any Boba-esque dents into it, but there are areas where the paint is scraped away or where the edges have gotten worn. Things like that.

Again, though, nail down your concept -- what they do, how often they're in harm's way, how good they are at dodging, how conscientious they are at taking care of their kit, etc. From that it's easier to start fine-tuning what pieces you're going to use and what to do with them.

--Jonah

Honestly, it all depends on how much you want to wear. My advice is to base your kit around being "modular", so you can configure it based on the use. Boba's armor is considered "Light" in built, since it is relatively low coverage below the torso. Jango's armor is considered "Medium" because it offers greater coverage below the waist, but doesn't totally enclose the body in armor. There are also "Heavy" kits that normally include bicep, hand, and enclosed leg armor.

Good info guys, thanks!

What are the thoughts on weapons non-Boba/Jango? I'm looking at custom Nerf stuff right now.

I've seen plenty of pics of Mandalore costumes with Nerf, but I was just wondering if it was generally accepted or not.

FWIW, so far I'm planning a light armor suit. I'd like to use some of the Boba Fett themes, armor shape and decals, but different damage, colors, accessories, trophies, etc.

I like Nerf. I've actually got no less than ten Nerf mods underway (plus modded/accurized Nerf-made Star Wars dart-shooters, and a former SuperSoaker). But. Back when the original trilogy was made, they used a lot of real-world firearms, obscured to one degree on another (some barely at all). A lot of people in the original audience recognized the base weapons, as they were current/recent. These days, between guns being more culturally shunned, and more decades since those specific ones were in common use, they're more recognized as Star Wars weapons than real-world weapons. For instance, most people now recognize the Mauser C96 pistol as "Han's blaster" than something with real-world vintage.

Nerf is different, altogether. Even when people recognize the base firearms the movie weapons were made from, they're still weapons. When people recognize Nerfs, they're recognized as toys. That changes reactions a lot. It kills the illusion when a kid sees your blaster and goes "oh, I've got that same Nerf gun at home". To make a Nerf gun acceptable, it needs to no longer look like what it started out as. All logos and raised lettering need to be covered or ground off. The distinctive "digicam" texture needs to be smoothed off. The panel lines should be filled in, likewise screw holes and molded-in "bolt heads". The distinctive trapezoidal "grip pads" need to have their lines changed or be removed. Get rid of the cocking handles or drastically alter them into something else. A good general policy is to rip out the workings or otherwise render them firing-inactive. Lop off other recognizable bits. Replace things with other things -- either from other Nerfs, modded, or from the plumbing or electrical aisles at your local hardware store. Change the general lines. And, of course, add random cool-looking greeblies and a big scope or other targeting device.

As an example, here's a mod I've tinkered with over the last couple years:



I'm turning a Longshot and Recon into something intended to be a squad automatic weapon "big brother" to the Uzi-based Supertrooper auto-blaster (bearign in mind in this picture the barrel's been twisted 90° from how it was originally):



See what I'm doing to eventually make them look like they could have been made by the same arms manufacturer, even though I still have a long way to go?

--Jonah

Thanks. I'm a real gun fan, so I recognize a lot of kit bashed Sci Fi guns from a lot of the franchises out there.

I'm working on a barrel extension to add to a Rayven right now. I'm considering using some type of dart/arrow/missle thingie for it. I'll also be adding a real deal or BB/airsoft scope and laser to it for its final form.

Thanks for the suggestions on what to modify. So far I just neutered it of Nerf markings. I'll need to address some of the digital camo molding too...

Stephen