Behold the Newbie!

Short version: I've been lurking for a while, and decided to join. Hi!

Extended intro: I was the stereotypical nerd who carried Timothy Zahn's books around school, and spent more time doodling Hoth & Death Star battles than taking notes. My art teacher said I should look forward to the day when I was inspired by more than Star Wars. Blasphemy.

And for as long as I've liked Star Wars, I've always liked the bad guys, especially Vader & Boba Fett. They were just plain cooler. Despite years of wishing I could BE Boba Fett, I lacked the skills to create my own costume, and back in the day, there weren't too many resources available. Enter the modern age of the internet. Everything an aspiring Mandalorian could want, readily available, with an incredibly informative and helpful community.

I recently acquired a full ROTJ/SE costume, with the majority of the components made by Bobamaker. It was used, so it's not perfect, and there are a number of things I'd like to upgrade or modify. TDH will be my main go-to place for info, parts purchases, etc. First order of business will be new boots and an EE-3. Basically, I'm looking for a screen-accurate ROTJ suit. 501st membership is an eventual likelihood, but not a priority. I'm well aware that this will be an expensive hobby, but I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for, so I'm looking forward to it.

Anyway, nice to meet you all!

Welcome! Sounds like you've got a good outfit to work with.

Welcome to TDH. Bobamaker gear is great stuff.
You will definitely find the info and resources to tweak your costume here at TDH.

Hello and Welcome Man of War Studios has some nice new boots if you are in the market for a pair

Thanks for the welcome! I was actually just looking at those Man of War boots and the weathering guide. Looks like that'll be my first project... a chance to get my feet wet (no pun intended).

MoW makes awesome stuff! Those new boots looks amazing.

I totally forgot to update this: I ended up getting MoW boots, weathered by Darth Voorhees. Amazing is definitely the right word to describe them. They look and feel perfect. The more research I do on what makes for a screen-accurate build, the more I wish I'd done things right the first time and used TDH to source my costume components. The previous owner of my costume did a half-assed job on a lot of stuff, and was more than a little shady in how he described the components. Still, I have a solid starting point and have been making extensive use of TDH members' knowledge and talents to get everything exactly where I want it to be.

The last month has definitely been a learning experience. I'm glad I have a Lowe's down the street, because I lost count of how many trips (and purchases) I've made in the last few weeks, haha. I've only done a few simple things, like piecing together the gauntlet hose & connectors, then painting & weathering them... modifying an existing bolt-attachment setup on the vest... repairing a broken jetpack missile (I didn't do it) with a dremel, some epoxy and a dowel... using my oven to shape my visor, then installing it. Small projects, but lemme tell ya, DIY tasks and borderline OCD are a bad mix for a newbie, lol. I'm pretty sure I redid every task at least twice until I was reasonably happy with it.

Funny thing is, nearly all of my modifications will go unseen by the outside viewer, as they're just functional improvements, so it's easier to wear and move in the costume. But I'm definitely enjoying the process, and with each little task I complete, I think of 2 more I want to try next.

Anyway, that's it for now!

lol, welcome my fellow OCD Brother, oh the conversations we could have. PP2 or death by stoning


Sent from my iPhone

Welcome mate. Good luck with the rest of the build.

Welcome ! looking forward to your build progress, any Pictures ?

I have some aluminum parts on the way, so once I get those added I'll try to talk someone into taking some pics. I never think about taking pics during the build/modification process... it's always afterward that I think "duh, I should've taken a pic so I can remember what I did."

Making a costume wearable is just as important as making it look good.
What's the use of having a great looking costume if you're getting poked or pinched
every couple of minutes while you're wearing it?? You'll just wind up miserable and
start to lose interest.
Those little improvements can make a huge difference!