How much did I craft? Costume Competition...

[clmayfield]

I am considering entering a Cosplay competition at the Alamo City Comic Con. There are 3 categories: Novice (crafted less than 50% of your costume), Intermediate (crafted more than 50% but less than 70% of your costume) and Expert (crafted more than 70% of your costume).

So I am polling you all to figure out which category I am in.

I have done the following:
Armor - bought fully painted, decided I didn't like it, stripped it all down and repainted it, fastened it using jewelry pin method, I bought the chestplate electronics from Hot Pockets and installed myself
Knee Armor - I bought an RKD kit, bought the knee darts from Machine Craft and made the kit and installed the darts myself. I painted and weathered myself.
Helmet - FPH2 I painted and assembled myself including installing Salamanderking kit, which was a pretty big PITA. I actually had to buy a new servo and an adapter to fit my head inside the helmet. I installed a T-visor myself using the Chicago Screw method.
Flight Suit and Flak Jacket - I bought from Arkady and weathered myself. I had to rework the suit for the Hot Pockets kit and harness straps
Shin Tools - I scratch built these from found parts
Gauntlets - I bought an RKD gaunt kit, installed darts, a light with capacitor and heat sink I wired myself, I painted the whipcord housing myself, I bought a Combat Baby Flamethrower, which I installed myself. I am having Lou@DVH paint up the guntlets. I wired and installed switches to raise and lower the RF.
Boots - I bought from MOW and weathered myself. I installed the toe spikes myself.
Girth Belt - I bought a white one, dyed it to the appropriate color, and sewed on the straps myself
JP Harness - I bought a harness from Great Dane. I sewed all of the soft parts of the harness myself in a pretty screen accurate way.
Jet Pack - This one is bought fully painted from Lou. I will install hooks and clips, a stabilizer, a beacon light kit, and a dental file, but Lou is doing almost all of this.
EE-3 - I bought a fully weathered and finished bronze EE-3 from Dave the Bookie. I decided I wanted to go with found parts and aluminum parts from Combat Baby, so I am changing out the rings. mounts, molex connectors, and going with a scope I bought on eBay.
Pulce - I have a Rafal Fett 3D printed kit I bought, but also have an original. I don't know which one I will use. The holster is by Stormrider.
Wookie Braids - I bought these. I think they were original by Woody, but not sure.
Cape - I have a weathered version. Again, pretty sure it is by Woody, but not sure.
Gloves. I am buying these made and dyed, will weather myself.

OK, so you got a sense of what I did and did not do. In my mind, the jet pack was purchased and the gauntlets were painted by someone else, but I did the other pieces. However, this is definitely not a scratch build. Almost everything on the costume is a kit bought from someone else for maximum authenticity.

So which category do y'all think I am in? How much did I make? I am estimating 75%, but I think there is a good argument for only 50% since I didn't scratch build.

Thanks in advance...

 

[TK50175]

You realy did a lot by yourself. I painted jetpack, armor and gauntlets and I am going to paint the helmet too and I would say I did more than 50% by myself but never 75%. Imagine the time scratchbuilding and sewing everything by yourself...
You should go with 50% even if that sounds not much after all the work and time you spent building your Fett.


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[bpwmd]

I agree I'm not doing math but I feel like at least 70% time wise was you

Sent from my Nexus 6

 

[clmayfield]

It's kind of tough. I feel like if I was competing against someone who truly scratch built their costume, it wouldn't be fair. There is a ton of time that goes into this but that is because this is truly a 9.5 out of 10 costume. I can think of few costumes at this difficulty level with the exception of perhaps Iron Man... one that I would like to do some day.

 

[Gregory]

I'd go for the 50-70% category. You obviously spent a lot of time and effort assembling, painting and weathering, but most of the parts you bought outright or as kits.

Contrast to others who scratch built their helmet, armor, jetpack, sewed their flightsuit, etc. (like me). I think it wouldn't be fair for you to be in the 70%+ category.

Good luck, sounds like a cool way to do a contest.

 

[bpwmd]

I was thinking on this and think maybe you should posit the question to the organizers of the contest

Sent from my Nexus 6

 

[the_man_with_the_ee3]

I'm doing essentially the same as you and I'd probably say I did less than 50%. While time-wise, I'll have more work into the costume than those that made the parts, all I'm really doing is painting and assembling. I haven't actually made any of it.

 

[clmayfield]

I was thinking on this and think maybe you should posit the question to the organizers of the contest

Sent from my Nexus 6

Great point and I would, but there is no contact information on the entry. I could probably submit and then change my entry when I receive the confirmation email.

 

[bpwmd]

on the bottom of the ACCC page there's a link to contact the organizer i would say start there and they can probably get you in contact with the show runner.

 

[clmayfield]

I'm doing essentially the same as you and I'd probably say I did less than 50%. While time-wise, I'll have more work into the costume than those that made the parts, all I'm really doing is painting and assembling. I haven't actually made any of it.

True, but on a Fett with multilayer paint jobs, I think painting, by itself, is a larger percentage of the work (in terms of time). Not to mention that when we get the parts, they need finishing. My armor was pretty well trimmed, but not trimmed enough, so I had to retrim, which basically takes about as much time ans trimming the first time.

This is not to discount all of the scratch builders, who are amazing, but pointing out that a multilayer paint job is a much bigger deal timewise than it would be with a typical costume.

 

[toolguy301]

Saw this earlier & have been thinking about how to respond. So just my opinion & much respect to your build.

Based on what you posted in the first post & from someone that has scratch built his Boba Fett I would put you at the 50% mark for being crafted. I would by no means say you were at 75%. Based on the amount of work that I had to put into completing my Boba Fett costume.

Don't get me wrong even what you have done is a lot of work & much respect to you on that. But you have asked for opinions & I am being honest with how I would rate your percentage.

 

[clmayfield]

I am all about hearing honest opinions. I think I will enter the middle category.

Thanks, guys!

 

[cyberpyrot]

I hammered and welded mine do I get a cookie. Clmayfield this is a hard one to answer how do you put a percentage on the build? I would take a piece of paper and list every single piece and process then just mark the parts you did and divide by 100% I'm sure you would come close to the top end.

Made left chest piece ------ vender
painted left chest piece ----- Me
trimmed left chest piece ------ Me

 

[01Hawk]

One thing that is for sure, in a cosplay contest someone will bitch about your choice no matter what way you decide lol

 

[Drax]

I hammered and welded mine do I get a cookie. Clmayfield this is a hard one to answer how do you put a percentage on the build? I would take a piece of paper and list every single piece and process then just mark the parts you did and divide by 100% I'm sure you would come close to the top end.

Made left chest piece ------ vender
painted left chest piece ----- Me
trimmed left chest piece ------ Me

No cookie for you! Not until you pour and forge the aluminum sheets before you hammer and weld!

Really though cyber your armor is awesome.