Help needed!

[Om3g4]

Hello everyone!
I'm new to the form and honestly joined because I need some help/suggestions/ "frankly any helpful input".

Long story short, I'm looking for someone or "somewhere", I could rent or buy a Boba Fett, Jango Fett, or Mando costume in South Africa.
The only catch is, that I need it by Nov.

Here's why ...
My Dad passed away on Saturday this past weekend, and instead of having a funeral, it was part of his final wish that we should rather have a "celebration of life".
In his case, it's going to be Star Wars themed.
I just need help getting an outfit for the event, I don't mind buying but would prefer to rent if possible because I have a super tight budget.
(If push comes to shove I might consider taking out a loan so I could buy one, it's really that important to me ...)
I can't even make the suit myself, because I'm currently living in Serbia, so I would need to have it shipped or transported with me when I return in November.

I know this is an odd request, even more so coming from a first-time new member, but I hope someone here might be able to connect me with someone who could help.
I can't really think of a better place to ask for help with this frankly.
My Dad was really amazing, and he introduced me to Star Wars when I was just a kid and we were both huge fans.
He even joked that he and Mark Hammil look alike, we even snuck a picture of Mark in with the celebration of my Dad's 60th birthday to see if anyone would notice, and surprisingly, not a lot of people did!
I couldn't think of a better way to pay my final respects and it would mean the world if I could find some help or just get pointed in the right direction.

Thanks in advance, I appreciate any help or support I may get.

 

[Irongladiator]

Om3g4
Not sure I can be of any help, but just wanted to stop in to express my condolences on your loss. My father was heavily entertained by old time westerns (John Wayne and early Clint Eastwood) and had no interest in sci-fi. He also passed away in his late 60’s and if he was alive today would be 84.

I honestly wish you the best of luck in your costume search. And again….my condolences.

Best,
-Iron

 

[RamSkirata]

If accuracy is not a primary concern, you can just order the costumes on Amazon and maybe upgrade with a Hasbro Black Series helmet.

 

[Om3g4]

Om3g4
Not sure I can be of any help, but just wanted to stop in to express my condolences on your loss. My father was heavily entertained by old time westerns (John Wayne and early Clint Eastwood) and had no interest in sci-fi. He also passed away in his late 60’s and if he was alive today would be 84.

I honestly wish you the best of luck in your costume search. And again….my condolences.

Best,
-Iron

Your Dad sounds like he had amazing taste in movies!
No worries, I appreciate the sincere empathy and wish both our Dads were still alive.
Thank you so much again Iron

If accuracy is not a primary concern, you can just order the costumes on Amazon and maybe upgrade with a Hasbro Black Series helmet.

Honestly, that sounds like a great idea!

My budget is a bit tight, which is why I was leaning towards renting or even borrowing if at all possible.
For me, it's more about paying respects, and while I do want it to be as accurate as possible, this could be a good compromise I didn't even consider.

Most of the other places I saw online that made full suits would basically require a small loan on my part, which is frankly not ideal.
At the end of the day, it's more about the thought and handling the logistics ... but if it's amazon I can just ship it to South Africa and it can wait for me there. So this actually solves more than one issue at the same time!

It's honestly hard to find anything Star Wars in South Africa on a good day in the country, but it's even harder when you're not even in the country and trying to get it handled while frankly being not all there mentally and emotionally.
As silly as it might sound, I really appreciate the suggestion more than I feel I can express right now.

Thank you so much for the help!

 

[Irongladiator]

Om3g4

Your Dad sounds like he had amazing taste in movies!
No worries, I appreciate the sincere empathy and wish both our Dads were still alive.
Thank you so much again Iron

Not a problem! So....is it YOU, that wishes to be IN the costume? If that is not a deal breaker. There is an organization called The 501st which is a world-wide charity organization that goes out to public and private events where there is a Star Wars presence needed. The 501st is mostly comprised of the Villain's where the Rebel Legion (Which is another Star Wars Charity organization) which would be comprised of the Heroes. I myself think of it the way Anakin thinks of it....

It looks like there is a 501st detachment out of the South African area - It looks like they call themselves "The South African Outpost". I'm not entirely sure if they attend funerals. But if you don't care whether or not you're in the costume, this may be something to look into. I know they attend weddings, major baseball games here in the US, go to Children's Hospitals, etc. They also adhere to some pretty strict movie quality standards. They also don't charge for appearances. This is what's in the FAQ on the 501st's website....

But, just a thought.

-Iron

 

[Om3g4]

Sorry for the radio silence!

I wanted to stop by to give a quick update.
Long story short, we decided to tone down the Star Wars theme a bit, purely because of the overall demographic.
While everyone close to my dad knew he loved star wars (and frankly so do we)
... everyone else might have felt a bit alienated.
So we had a Darth Vader jar 3D printed for his ashes, and we slipped in a few easter eggs, like the Jedi Council Logo on the pamphlet we were handing out.

Again, I can't express enough how much everyone's help and support here meant to me!
If you ever find yourselves in South Africa, hit me up, first round of drinks will be on me!

Thank you so much again, everyone!