Bobamannen’s ESB build

[Bobamannen]

Looking good man! Paint work and weathering looks really good.

I am not the boba fett esb expert here, so take everything that I say with a grain of salt. I am only adding a few points since you asked for some feedback. One thing that I would consider is maybe adding an extra strip of velcro at the back of the flak vest so that you can tighten it up a bit. It looked really good in the initial photo that you took when you mounted the armor earlier in this thread, but in your full suit-up photos it looks like its slightly too big (just slightly, it looks like it wants to stick out away from the flight suit in the front). I think if the flak vest was just a little tighter it would look perfect. You did mention the vest in your fix-it list so you may already be planning on tightening it.

The only other thing I would mention is actually about a similar problem I am having. I noticed that we are working with the same flight suit and one detail I found is that the shin tool pockets are sewn in a little bit too high up on the legs. Mine has the same issue, and it brings the shin tools very close to my knee armor. The spacing between the thigh pouches and shin tools should be larger. I am about to move my shin tool pockets down a few inches towards my ankles, I think that it will make a big difference and should be easy enough sew them back on. To me, it looks like the bottom of the shin tool pockets should be at about the level of the top of the boots/ankles going by some reference photos.

photo order: reference/mine/yours
View attachment 244497View attachment 244498View attachment 244499

I think that it would be helpful to see a full suit-up outdoors or next to open windows during daylight to get some bright lighting on the costume, it is a little hard to see the finer details with indoor lighting (I know, suiting up is a complicated process so easier said than done lol. Overall though everything is looking really good! Keep up the awesome work.

Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it!
I totally agree with you on all points. I just ordered a new flightsuit and vest from Arkady the other day, with pockets included, so I’m hoping the fit will be much better. My current flightsuit is a bit short in the legs, and like you said, the flak vest is slightly too big. Adding extra Velcro in the back to tighten it up is a great idea,thanks for that tip!

I also have the same issue with the shin tool pockets being positioned too high, which makes the tools sit awkwardly close to the knee armor. I’m hoping the new flightsuit will have those pockets set lower, but if not, I can always adjust them myself. Moving them down closer to the boots, like in the reference photos, should definitely improve the overall look.

Getting some outdoor shots is a solid idea for better lighting. Suiting up takes a while and my wife isn’t exactly a fan of that ... For the GML photos, I didn’t use some extra lighting that I did have in earlier shots, and I really wish I’d done that! Like this one:

Oh, and I managed to score some Wookiee braids from Woodman second-hand at a great price. Just need to settle up and get them shipped over!

Thanks again for the helpful feedback, and good luck with your build as well, it’s looking fantastic!

 

[Bobamannen]

Update from Hoth

The flightsuit, neck seal, braids, vest, hip pockets, and ESB armor have all been sold.

he Minutefett order is complete and on its way! This includes a new project for ROTJ, as well as ESB armor paired with a flightsuit featuring a sewn-on neck seal, vest, and pockets crafted by Arkady. Minutefett also added grommets to the vest and securely attached bolts to the armor.


A huge shoutout to Minutefett for the incredible service, truly top-notch support!

I’ll be back with another update in three weeks when I unbox everything and start weathering the new flightsuit. Stay tuned!