Starting a budget costume from scratch

This is kind of what I'm going through right now trying to get a costume done before Halloween. My goal was to spend less than $25 and use only materials I found in my garage and whatever I could get for free.

I had a fairly large amount of sintra tha was literally just enough to cut out the armor. I got three large sections of cardboard from work that will cover the making of my helmet and gauntlets and some jet pack parts. I also had a fair amount of 2" and 1" blue insulation foam that will form the main body of the jet pack and several small sections of varying thickness styrene sheet that I'm using to make the jet pack missile. There might be just enough brown vinyl left over from another project to make a suitable ammo belt and I think I saw some rope I can scrounge for the girth belt. The flight suit I'm using (unfortunately tan) is leftover from last year's costume- I paid around $15 for it last year at a thrift shop. I'll need to get some fabric remnants to make the additional pouches. I'm considering making the vest out of old t-shirts. I have an old bedsheet and some green Rit dye in my craft box that I'm going to make the cape from. I might have to buy a couple of cans of spray paint but I've got some in the garage already. As for boots I'm going to see what I can find and modify.

I am fortunate that have a pretty good supply of wood scraps, PVC pipe scraps, hot glue, epoxy, X Acto blades, spackling paste, paint and just about every tool you could need as well as a sewing machine.

So figuring if you have to buy a suit (around $15-$20) a large section of blue foam (less that $10) and a large section of sintra (a 3mm thick 4x8 sheet costs around $35) that would leave you $35 (not including tax) so it IS possible to do it if you are a good scrounger and you have some tools.

My advice is go to try and cut your costs down by going to a construction site and see if you can ask for leftover plastic buckets (for your armor) and foam insulation (for your jet pack) and hit them up for any PVC pipe and wood scraps to use to make a blaster. Then hit the fabric store and start looking for remnants. Ask your neighbors if they have any rope..... you get the idea. You gotta get creative.

The biggest thing you've got going against you right now is time! Thankfully all the fantastic people on this board have done all the research for you (which is really the hard part) and have provided all kinds of templates, drawings, building tips, paint guides, etc.

My cardboard bucket (almost ready for paint) bows to everyone here that has taken the time to provide this information- without you guys it wouldn't be possible. So if I run into you on Halloween I'll gladly buy you a cold one! :cheers

Jerome

As stated, $100 will NOT buy a complete costume. Just screws, glue, paints, etc will cost that much. I suggest trying to find a Don Post helmet, either DP95 or DP96. That will give you a decent helmet for the money. Expect to pay at least $50 for one

i suggest if you are just going to budget costume, don't costume

go to halloween express. no point in even having a good helmet and everything else be sub-par. even if you made everything from scratch your materials are going to be at least $100. and then time making stuff is worth something ( i hope )

given

goodwill shoes to conver to boots ($2.99-6.99)
fabric for vest, jumpsuit, cape, neckseal, spats, pouches, belt ($15-40)depending on what you get, if it's on sale etc.)
bits and pieces for gun, toy gun, pvc pipe, metal ($4.99-9.99)
plastic for helmet, armor, jet pack etc. ($15-20)
paint: black, grey, green, blue, orange/yellow, silver, red/maroon ($30-40)

and who knows how far that basic stuff will even get you


-=QuinN!

I think $100 might be too little for a complete costume, but I don't agree that budget costuming shouldn't be done.

I know us budget guys are coming out of the woodwork lately, but it's not just about saving money, it's also about the challenge. Doing a budget costume that's reasonably accurate inspires the same awe that I get watching Alton Brown (Good Eats on FoodTV) smoke salmon in a cardboard box or make beef jerky using a box fan and a couple HEPA filters.

joshcube said:

Doing a budget costume that's reasonably accurate inspires the same awe that I get watching Alton Brown (Good Eats on FoodTV) smoke salmon in a cardboard box or make beef jerky using a box fan and a couple HEPA filters.

Click to expand...

Well said, Alton rocks

If you are going to do a budget Fett to start out with, be prepared to get bit by the ''Up grade bug''. That little guy is a nasty bugger :evil. Even if its you remaking the stuff you already made.
It will happen, oh yes.....................................it will :wacko

Acebob said:

Anyway, I was inspiried by SledFang's budget-built EE3 blaster. I would like to make a ESB Boba costume, for under 100 dollars (preferably less), and I would like to make as much of it as I can from scratch. I am approx six feet tall. I couldn't find an appropriate place to post this considering it covers all aspects of the costume. Please don't tell me to go and "search" for answers, I have, and in general the engine hasn't been entirely useful.

Thanks ahead of time,
Acebob

Click to expand...

Well dont know if this is too late but I would suggest cardboard but becareful because if you get careless then you can ruin the entire thing, but I have a site for the helm.
http://www.instructables.com/id/EB96DTBQ13ES9J6YYX/?ALLSTEPS
Then you can do the rest, just get cardboard from places that dont need it like WalMart. You need the spraypaint colors that you want to do. Glue is hot glue, BECAREFUL. I am almost done with mine and I am kinda new to making suits as well but trust me it looks pretty nice.


The A-Wall Texan

Oh and I have spent around 35 dollars. It just depends on your patience.

joshcube said:

I think $100 might be too little for a complete costume, but I don't agree that budget costuming shouldn't be done.

I know us budget guys are coming out of the woodwork lately, but it's not just about saving money, it's also about the challenge. Doing a budget costume that's reasonably accurate inspires the same awe that I get watching Alton Brown (Good Eats on FoodTV) smoke salmon in a cardboard box or make beef jerky using a box fan and a couple HEPA filters.

Click to expand...

I think you understood me wrong

I refer to budget costuming as all the people that come in here every week thinking they can get a costume together for the price some people pay to get a few items.

There is a difference between scratchbuild costuming and budget costuming. Budget costuming to me means that no matter what, this is what you are willing to spend to get a costume that should be just as good as all the others ones out there. To me that's not as easy.

I have scratchbuilt the majority of my costume, at points i have upgraded to other things, and even upgraded to a new scratch build part.

Some parts of my costume I have scratchbuilt: helmet, chest armor, shoulder armor, jet pack, cod, boots, blaster, prepro pistol, shin tools. soft parts: wookie braids, cape, ankle ties, neck seal, jumpsuit

and painting all of it is another story. sure some of us save by painting ourselves but some people expect to be paying cheap for items that not only did someone put a lot of time into making but detailing and painting as well.

i just think a lot of it is impulse and not a lot of knowing how much it costs to actually get a nice costume together.

-=QuinN!

CombatBaby said:

I think you understood me wrong

I refer to budget costuming as all the people that come in here every week thinking they can get a costume together for the price some people pay to get a few items.

There is a difference between scratchbuild costuming and budget costuming.

Click to expand...

Excellent distinction! I didn't think about it that way.

psberetta said:

Well said, Alton rocks

If you are going to do a budget Fett to start out with, be prepared to get bit by the ''Up grade bug''. That little guy is a nasty bugger . Even if its you remaking the stuff you already made.
It will happen, oh yes.....................................it will

Click to expand...

I think I've already been bitten. I don't even have the plastic cut and I'm already thinking of ways to upgrade the RF.

The A-Wall Texan said:

I have a site for the helm.
http://www.instructables.com/id/EB96DTBQ13ES9J6YYX/?ALLSTEPS

Click to expand...

That's the site that brought me to TDH! I visit instructables all the time and saw that post. I might add that TDH is the best forum I've ever been on. Everyone is very encouraging to newbies and the level of collaboration is amazing. I can't believe how willing everyone is to share their techniques and make tutorials. I hope I can add to it in the coming months.

joshcube said:

That's the site that brought me to TDH! I visit instructables all the time and saw that post. I might add that TDH is the best forum I've ever been on. Everyone is very encouraging to newbies and the level of collaboration is amazing. I can't believe how willing everyone is to share their techniques and make tutorials. I hope I can add to it in the coming months.

Click to expand...

Glad I could help bring another potential Fett maker to TDH! If you like that instructable I should have another one up soon for the whole low budget costume.

Jerome

Didn't we hash this very subject out a few months ago? A hundred bucks may bulild you an officers uniform, but not a Fett...period. As mentioned before, Fett is a highly intricate, and detailed costume. This is almost like saying you are going to try and build a Vader for a hundred bucks. Good luck on your quest my friend.

I know money is the biggest issue, as is with me, but what I did, given my situation was just not eat lunch at school for several months. I saved the necessary funds, and lost a bit of weight at the same time. I know not everyone is recieveing an almost once a week fund for food, but I know that if you collect your coins and any money like you collect your star wars stuff (like me) you'll find it to be worth it. Just my last 2 cents...because now I'm broke....

-tubachris

A lot of times, low budget and low quality go in hand, so thats usually what I think of when I hear low budget. Imagine someone getting a striped shirt and big feather pirate hat at Saver's and calling it Jack Sparrow.

That's not always the case however. Honus has proved that you can make VERY inexpensive costume pieces and have it look great. You just need to work at it. Boba Fett is not a costume that can be thrown together in a week for the sake of Halloween. It takes time, skill, and patience.

My plan all along has been to have mine ready just in time for Halloween.... 2007.

I am just trying to get a fett suit and then upgrade from there and try to slowly make it the best possible.

Yeah good point on the low bugdet comment. But time and effort can make a low budget seem awesome, as you said so I totally agree with you.

Well, My very first fett, was scratch built using a DP helm and Sheet metal, cost me just over $100 and it didn't look that good, my second fett was scratchbuilt, using DP helm, bucket for armor pieces, plastic pipe and various items for other thing cost me a couple hundred, looked ok but not great. My newest Fett which I am still doing some tweaking to, adding more accurate pieces and whatnot, cost me in the range atm of $2500. So really, you want it to look good, it's gonna start costing.

If you scratch-build the helmet, you'll definitely save about a hundred dollars. That's what I'm gonna do.

Finished a 100 % cardboard costume. Yah... looks alright but decided to order some abs plastic armor to upgrade slowly. Not supposed to look like fett. My own design of Mandalorian. Ill try and get pics so you guys can tell me what ya think.

The A-Wall Texan

Take heart my friends- it can be done! I'm not finished yet but it's getting there....... I posted a guide here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/EYA7U14EM9ETVPKGR4/

You can rack up 100 bucks in paints alone. Even if you scratchbuild everything, your time isnt free. So do you spend the time working to pay for parts or spent time making the parts yourself. Its really all the same. Your going to spend the same amount of blood sweat and tears/years for a good costume, esp Boba Fett.