Newbie looking for Boba esb advice.

God you guys are all being so nice. It's overwhelming haha.
That’s how we build and grow here! If it wasn’t people Irongladiator and various other members I would have ever have gotten as far with my build. I’m even to the point where I don’t care about being in the 501st I just want my suit to be the best I can possibly make it… I also can’t imagine trooping and having someone damage pieces of my suit now hahahaha
 
Welcome to the hunt! I'm also waiting for approval, because I just sent it in recently. I finished it 2 years ago. I learned a lot form a lot of people here also. I am not an expert or as talented as others here, but almost everyone is willing to help out.
So ask a lot, measure twice cut once, and breathe. You can do it!
 
Welcome,

I'll say three things:

1) expect the process to take a while -- patience is a big part of the build game.

2) Material wise, I did both of my builds soft parts first as I look at those as the canvas for everything else. Then the jetpack scuba frame next as that sits under the flak vest. In my opinion, a baggy flight suit looks like ass and will kill the look of the whole build -- that is if you want it to look right. So as soon as I got mine, I went to a seamtress to get it fixed.

3) The cargo hold is very useful if you check often, you may find a deal there, as well as TDH's sister site, The RPF in the Junkyard. If you see something second hand that looks in good condition and will drastically cut down wait time if you were to get it direct from the vendor, it's a good idea to maybe snag it if you have the funds to.
 
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Welcome,

I'll say three things:

1) expect the process to take a while -- patience is a big part of the build game.

2) Material wise, I did both of my builds soft parts first as I look at those as the canvas for everything else. Then the jetpack scuba frame next as that sits under the flak vest. In my opinion, a baggy flight suit looks like ass and will kill the look of the whole build -- that is if you want it to look right. So as soon as I got mine, I went to a seamtress to get it fixed.

3) The cargo hold is very useful if you check often, you may find a deal there, as well as TDH's sister site, The RPF in the Junkyard. If you see something second hand that looks in good condition and will drastically cut down wait time if you were to get it direct from the vendor, it's a good idea to maybe snag it if you have the funds to.
Thanks for the info man! I'll be keeping you all up to date on my build!
 
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Hi and welcome
I will echo what others have said research and patience are key with this. For me personally it took around 3 years from go to whoah. I can’t offer specific advice on ESB as such since mine is an ROTJ. But a lot of the vendors are the same.

I used a lot of the same vendors that Iron mentioned in his vendor list.
I do have wasted Fett boots and I will say they are fantastic boots. Put an arch support in them and you can troop for hours in them. :)
Arkady is a joy to deal with and so helpful.
With gauntlets it’s worth keeping in mind the boba maker ones are a little on the large side. If you have smaller forearms I can highly recommend RKD/moncal props.
 
First of all welcome..
Second I don't think it's been mentioned but decide which version of Boba/Mandalorian you want to make as each version be it Empire, Jedi, Book of Boba, Special editions or even the various prototypes and stick to it..
Research will save you many a pain further down the road. Not only paint schemes but if you are going for screen accuracy there are cracks folds creases to be taken into account.
When I started my build I was Amazed how much the gauntlets changed film to film and the EE-3 blaster lost pieces during filming.

There are also various materials you can use to make the Armour with Amazing templates on here from both WOF and Rafael..
You can use paper, cardboard or fan favorite Sintra(foam PVC board) or go hard and use metal/Aluminium, another is Vac form which are readily available for sale as is 3D printed pretty much everything and with your background might be an option..

Depending how deep you want to go it will be a thing of beauty a real talking point and something that will evolve get updated over time..
And something you made.
A lot of people display on mannequins which look great and really help when sizing and building. You could buy one or make one but another thing to consider.

Time wise is really down to how you are with your hands and what skills and tools you have, your a designer so I'm guessing your a dab hand.
I built mine in a little under a month, metal armour and metal gauntlets for a Con with my kids, yes I've cut corners but it's still evolving.
I went deep and went Cartoon Holiday Special, still a WIP with things to alter change but that's the beauty with a project like this and the fun you have making it..

Good luck and enjoy the process

Mott

IMG_20231212_120149_408.jpg


( It looks a bit wonky as Its currently on a Fem mannequin and misplaced the diamond chest piece )
 
First of all welcome..
Second I don't think it's been mentioned but decide which version of Boba/Mandalorian you want to make as each version be it Empire, Jedi, Book of Boba, Special editions or even the various prototypes and stick to it..
Research will save you many a pain further down the road. Not only paint schemes but if you are going for screen accuracy there are cracks folds creases to be taken into account.
When I started my build I was Amazed how much the gauntlets changed film to film and the EE-3 blaster lost pieces during filming.

There are also various materials you can use to make the Armour with Amazing templates on here from both WOF and Rafael..
You can use paper, cardboard or fan favorite Sintra(foam PVC board) or go hard and use metal/Aluminium, another is Vac form which are readily available for sale as is 3D printed pretty much everything and with your background might be an option..

Depending how deep you want to go it will be a thing of beauty a real talking point and something that will evolve get updated over time..
And something you made.
A lot of people display on mannequins which look great and really help when sizing and building. You could buy one or make one but another thing to consider.

Time wise is really down to how you are with your hands and what skills and tools you have, your a designer so I'm guessing your a dab hand.
I built mine in a little under a month, metal armour and metal gauntlets for a Con with my kids, yes I've cut corners but it's still evolving.
I went deep and went Cartoon Holiday Special, still a WIP with things to alter change but that's the beauty with a project like this and the fun you have making it..

Good luck and enjoy the process

Mott

View attachment 240099

( It looks a bit wonky as Its currently on a Fem mannequin and misplaced the diamond chest piece )
This is incredible! Any more photos?
 
This is incredible! Any more photos?
Thank you Halliwax, that means a lot coming from your good self.

There is a wee Build/disaster Thread posted on here and The RPF about Scratch building my version of Holiday Fett with a few photos and how I made him and problems I ran into.


 
Hi everybody!
My name is Dakota Jones and I'm an architectural designer in the Philadelphia area. I just joined the 501 last week and they directed me to you guys to get some advice on constructing a Boba Fett ESB costume.
I imagine this community gets a lot of newbies asking them how to get started. So I guess my question is, I'm a newbie how do I get started?
Haha no but in all seriousness I have navigated the forums quite a bit already and I have a few questions.
1.Can anybody direct me to a forum that outlines everything I would need for the costume? Maybe I'm just not seeing it?
2. what is this cargo hold I keep hearing about? Apparently I don't have access to it for another 49 post?
3. Is there a seller forum or thread that has trusted vendors? I would like to get the majority of my costume as a kit if possible. But I also want to make sure I don't order something that wouldn't be approved by the 501st.

Anyway thank you everybody for accommodating my naivete. I hope to get way more involved in this community as time goes on. But I just need a little help to get going.
You can go to BobaMaker.net and order full commission based on what Boba you wanna do. Will cost you and the wait time is LONG. But worth it. He did mine.
Man of War studios does some parts, soft and armored and is REALLY good.
There’s a few guys on IG that do helmets that are amazing painters as well.
I guess it depends on your budget and patience.

Cargo hold is there, you just have to find it. Might snag a good deal here and there.

Also, Mike Q from the Darkside closet does soft parts for the ReArmored Boba if that’s what route you wanna go.
 
Thank you Halliwax, that means a lot coming from your good self.

There is a wee Build/disaster Thread posted on here and The RPF about Scratch building my version of Holiday Fett with a few photos and how I made him and problems I ran into.


Wicked! Gonna check it out now
 
Welcome to the club Dakota! Honestly, the best thing you can do for yourself is what others have already mentioned here - research! Browse all of the completed builds here and what vendors were used for various parts. Then when you have a vendor list made, research even more! There are a lot of options these days and many great artists/vendors out there so it is technically easier than ever to do a Boba build (easier than before, but still a massive undertaking!). There are usually pros/cons to certain items or depending on your body's build, one vendor may be more suitable for you than another.

Like Brokk mentioned, start with the soft parts first. Get the flightsuit, flak vest and neck seal first so that you can get suit tailored if needed. You want a form-fitting flight suit and flak vest prior to attaching any armor. I left out the boots and gloves because these will usually take some time before they arrive, so if you at least get the flight suit / vest you can then start on some other parts while waiting.

Honestly, look into learning how to sew if you want to save some money and TIME. I was a little hesitant to learn how to sew because it seemed very difficult, but after watching a few youtube videos and practicing with some old clothes it ended up saving me so much time and money. You can get a decent Singer sewing maching for $150 to $200 which will help you along the way and is actually fairly easy to use. There are so many parts that, if you know the basics of sewing, you can cut down the amount of time you spend waiting for items to arrive or do some minor tailoring yourself to avoid having to use a seamstress.

Once your soft parts are properly tailored, look into armor. As others have mentioned you can go to a single vendor such as BobaMaker and get pretty much a full Boba or Jango build at one place. How much time it takes depends on how much of the build you want to do yourself. If you want parts to arrive painted and "ready to mount" then expect to wait many months. If you just want the armor to arrive in DIY form (needs trimmed, sanded, painted) then you will save time but will require more work. I have used BobaMaker for various parts for my Boba and Jango build (gloves, armor, jango flak vest) and his parts have been awesome! I have also used other vendors such as MinuteFett (armor), RKD (gauntlets) and ManOfWar studios (flak vest, ROTJ gauntlets, boots, cape, neck seal) which have all been fantastic as well. Arkady, Clothears and Fettpride are all good options as well. Woodman makes great braids and Sidewinder has nice blasters. Many of my parts are from the cargo hold on this site.

Etsy is also a good source for some parts just make sure to research the seller or check out reviews to see how the final product looks. Many of the vendors on here also sell on Etsy.

Once your flight suit and flak vest are ready and the hard parts start arriving, that's when everything starts coming together. Even after researching you will probably realize that you might've been better off doing something differently than originally planned and may have to sell an item or replace it as you go. It's just part of the process even with doing proper research. Honestly though, you will always be thinking about upgrades that you can do to your current build.

I do highly recommend getting a mannequin to work with as it helps with putting everything together. Realize that the suit will fit you differently than it does on the mannequin but it is still a big help. It also is really motivating to have your work displayed on a mannequin that you walk by every day. I found that once my Jango was on a mannequin it was easier for me to get back into building after breaks since I see it on display every day and am reminded of what I need to finish!
 
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