I'm overwhelmed already...

[redwingsgirl514]

Well, I saw a completed costume on ebay for 800 dollars, so I decided to make my own. I'm pretty crafty, and there's a lot I can do with that kind of money. Then I quit my job yesterday (like I didn't see that coming ), so I figured I'd at least get all the notes I would need together. Costume building will start once I have a new job and a paycheck.
The only problem is--where the heck do I begin?! I'm lost already; any hints for starting out anyone? I'd appreciate it a whole lot.
Lori

 

[RBF]

Fett can be done in a variety of ways, but the fun part is that you can work on a ton of different items without having to worry about the things lining up with each other.

for instance, you can work on the helmet, gauntlets and jet pack as independent items.

few things that are tricky is to line up your coveralls, namly your vest with your armor.

then comes the trick of how to hang your jet pack on your back, but it's all here.

I wouldn't worry about it to much and just either start sewing/getting a jumpsuit or start working on a set of gauntlets, or a nice bucket.

putting it all together comes in the final stages of the suit and even when you can actually wear it all, you'll probably want to get back to it and add a few things to get a nice snug fit.

that's what I can think of... do what you wanna do

 

[AFettFullofDollars]

Welcome to the boards. Since you are 'sans income' at the moment, I would start by deciding which version of Fett you want to make (ESB, RotJ, RotJ Special Edition, Pre Pro) and studying as much reference material as you can. Then make a list of each part you will need. Possibly divide the list into two sections: 'hard parts' (helmet, armor, gauntlets, etc.) and 'soft parts' (jumpsuit, vest, boots, cape).

 

[Icedevil]

I'd say to start, download WOF's templates, they are an excellent resource for beginner fetts.

Material wise... one word, "Sintra"
It's great stuff and you can make almost anything from it. And if you work hard on it, it can look superb.

 

[Devilstar2k2]

I'm in the noob boat too, and right now all I'm doing is reading and studying pics from the photo-ref CD.

My first step is going to be the helmet, followed by ALL of my soft parts, then the rest of the hard parts. This way, I can use temporary trash can armor until I save up the cash for the good stuff. Its also gonna give me a good practice run at the cost of only a couple of trash cans, and some paint.

If I were you, I'd search affo$'s posts and print his paint list as well read his tutorials. I'm not saying that the other painters on the board are sub par or anything, just that his style really stands out to me as one that I'd like to emulate.

Just my 2 cents.


-Shawn

 

[Huntman]

My advice is to start with what you can do now. If you have a sewing mackine then start with the flight suit, vest and side pouches. If you have a dremmel or way to cut your armor start cutting and shaping the armor. leave the guantlets and helmet for last they will take the most time to get perfect and are generally the most expensive to buy. A lot of times if you make a product and it's good ( acurate)you can make several of them and sell off extras (like say gloves for instance) to acquire cash to make the rest of the costume with.

 

[Jimmy BufFETT]

Welcome aboard ... I'm fairly new as well. I can echo was has been said already and throw in my $0.02. The first thing you should do is decide which Fett scheme you want to go with: ;;. After you make a decision, the next thing is to look through some of these threads to see what that scheme entails (i.e. helmet paint scheme, gauntlet color and design, etc.)

One other thing, and I am echoing what I have said elsewhere multiple times: make sure you include a :jet pack with your costume!!!!!! Please don't blow that part off. In my opinion, it's the best part of the costume, and I will say my back feels completely bare without it.p

 

[MandoMan]

I'd say if you have a local plastics dealer, skip the trashcan method and go straight for Sintra. For the cost of a couple of trashcans (which you can only get limited armor shapes out of, and it doesn't bend very easy), you could add in a few extra bucks for a 4'x8' sheet of Sintra to make pretty much every hard part on your suit. Plus the sheet goes a lot farther than the trashcan armor. Although if you don't have a way to get Sintra, the trashcan armor is a good alternative, as that was my first set of armor.

 

[superjedi]

Welcome Lori,
As others have already mentioned, figure out which version you want to make. The details differ.
Also, bear in mind that Boba is one of the most complex costumes to make, whether you're buying pre-made parts, or making your own stuff from scratch.
A good idea would be to make a list of all the different components of the costume, and then figure out what you'd be able to do yourself, and which parts you'll have to "contract out." There are lots of upgrades available for basic costume parts too. An example would be adding some aluminum gauntlet darts, instead of homemade or resin ones.
And research, research, research! There's a whooooooooole lotta info on this board. Make sure you start saving pics to have something to go by once you start construction.
Eric

 

[wizardofflight]

Welcome! When you decide which Fett you want to do and you want to make your own equipment and armor let me know and I can help you out with the templates. If necesary I can work you up a set of custom armor templates if the standard sizes don't work out.

The fun is only just begining.

Alan

 

[redwingsgirl514]

Wow, thank you, I feel welcomed! (Which is nice 'cause all my buddies are going to think I'm a geek. Plus, they're going to kick me off the lunch table b/c I dared to say that Fett would kick Jack Sparrows butt in a heartbeat. )
Trashcan method?! Had to keep reading and use some context clues for that. What an idea...
I ordered one of those ref. CDs...a little late to ask now, but is it worth the money?
Thanks,
Lori

 

[TK2177]

I ordered one of those ref. CDs...a little late to ask now, but is it worth the money?
Thanks,
Lori

Worth every penny!!!

 

[Prymer13]

The CD is well worth the money and WOF's templates will allow you to construct a FETT with all of the details that you would ever need.
I have used his templates for everything from his armor, to his JP, his ESB Blaster, his knee armor and tons more...VERY precise detail drawings.

 

[redwingsgirl514]

Yay! Need job need job need job need job. Need job, need paycheck, need to get started. Okay, another question--assuming I work slowly (I eventually will be working full time and going to school), around how long should this take? I'm trying to figure out where I'll be in life then.

 

[Prymer13]

Some people with dedicated time take weeks, or even months depending on the cash flow and free time.

I on the other hand am a married man with two kids...I have little of both...so I am sitting at about 2 years total, but I am taking my time and doing it right.

 

[redwingsgirl514]

Just got a wonderful mental image...I ought to walk across the graduation stage in costume. Of course, my family would disown me, but oportunities like that don't come along every day! (Maybe I should just patrol campus a bit...not much they could say about that, and I'd get to keep any graduation gifts that they'd be giving me.)
Okay, I'm laying off the coffee now...to much caffeine to my system.

Lori

 

[TD1536]

While not new here, I'm new to Fett. (spent the last 2.5 years doing three Stormtroopers/Sandtroopers) But, I'm starting with the helmet. Even if I never do a full Fett outfit, I'd like to have a helmet just for display.

Aside from having a disposable income to invest in this hobby, you should have patience and a lot of time to kill doing research online.

 

[wizardofflight]

Finished?? I don't anyone on this board is ever finish, because once you do assemble a complete Fett then you get in this vicious cycle of upgrades.

Seriously this is not a black or white type of question, how long it takes is a big variable, some folks have been working on their Fett for 2 years or more while others have jumped right on in and manage to piece one together in a few months. If you have a lot of money some where around $2500 you can buy everything ready made sometimes even completely painted. If your like me where money is a big issue (that being there isn't any) then that means constructing everything yourself, so then it is only a matter of how much time you can dedicate each day to the project.

Since we just adopted a 3 1/2 year old little boy, for me I don't have a a lot of time, maybe 45 minutes to an hour in the evening 3 or 4 days a week, if I'm lucky. So far most of my time has been devoted to doing a lot of research and designing templates and drawing blueprints. So to be honest while have collected probably 75% of the materials and parts need for a Fett I still have a lot of construction and finishing to do and I have been at it for nearly two years, though it certainly doesn't seem that long. Nearly all the templates and blueprints are nearly complete, still working on the gauntlets so I am expecting things to start coming together pretty quickly from this point on. My goal is to have it ready by April for Norwest Con here in Seattle.

Hopefully I haven't scared you off, all of the templates are posted here on the Dent and are available to everyone so that should save you a lot of time in building the pieces and there are some fantastic painting and finishing tutorials. The Search function is your friend, plus this is a great community of very helpful people so if you ever get stuck there is always someone here willing to answer any questions and help you get through the sticky bits.

Alan

 

[TeamFett]

I dared to say that Fett would kick Jack Sparrows butt in a heartbeat.

Yes! My friend's doing a Jack Sparrow costume, and we're going to fight in the halls on Halloween. (Guess who's going to win?)

 

[redwingsgirl514]

Hopefully I haven't scared you off
Alan

What? Me? I don't scare that easily. If I did, I wouldn't be worthy of eventually wearing the armor!

I was just asking, b/c I should be through with my phlebotomy certification in Feb., which means full time job, benefits, and no 20-hours-a-week-if-I'm-lucky scheduling. Of course, I'll be wanting my own apartment by then, and I'll be in college full time for my history degree, but at least I'll have plenty of room to work. No money, still, but plenty of room.

Lori