Starting Equipment??

[donutfett]

Hey All!
Just joined a few days ago and wanting to start building a full set. I have very limited experience doing any sort of costumes. What are the sort of things I’m going to need to make a Fett suit happen? Is it best to get an airbrush or rattle cans? Obviously a Dremel but is there other things that make the build easier or necessary? Also, what’s the best part to start on first? The bucket?

Thanks again, this site makes me feel normal with a Fett obsession I’ve had my whole life.

 

[Mythos Fenn]

Where you start with your build is really more of a personal opinion or budget. Some people start with the bucket, others start with the armor, while others start with the soft parts. I personally started with the armor for my kit as that was the cheapest part for me to start at the time. I also painted everything on my kit with rattle cans and attempted to match the colors i picked to the comics as close as possible. I am no Fett expect by any means but it seems like being able to get the correct paints to match for the best screen accuracy is best done with an air brush and mixing your own tints.

Tool wise you may also want a heat gun, a heat knife, and a small set of files depending on how much detail you want to add into your kit.

 

[MakerDan]

If you have an air compressor already, buying an airbrush may actually save money by saving paint. It's also very hard, if not impossible, to get the colors perfect with rattle cans.

If you do use rattle cans than make sure you use cans made for art projects and not the coarse spray stuff you find at walmart. Tamiya rattle cans spray very smoothly. Montana brand spray cans are also very nice.

Definitely, don't start with the helmet--it's the most complex and the most important part... start with the armor, back-armor is good because it's the least visible.

Making a fett armor involves using a lot of masking fluid I suggest buying a bottle of Techspray 2211-8SQ - WonderMASK, it's basically the same thing as hombrol masking fluid but cost 5 times less.

Also you'll need model-masking tape in different widths, and a lot of sharp exacto blades.

 

[Brokk]

Two tips: Don't buy armor you see on ebay (most of the time) and read these forums good.

For starters, decide which Fett you want to do. (ie. ESB, RoTJ, Pre Pro 1 or 2, or Prototype)

Personally, I recommend getting the soft parts out of the way, mainly the flight suit. I view it sorta like the canvas then covering it with the other parts.
Arkady , RS Propmasters, bobamaker or Man of War Studios are some options

Boots: You can look out for Man of War Studios boots (I think he stopped making them). But I think Wasted Fett provides some now. For armor, again wastedfett is a solid option, or Imperial Outpost Armory.

 

[CanaFett]

I started my build almost exactly a year ago. A lot of guys buy the parts, either rough and paint them or fully finished. I am in the minority, I decided to build mine from scratch. It is a monumental undertaking to build everything from scratch. I started with the chest armour, it's not that hard, and when you complete that, it looks bad ass and inspires you to keep going. If you are going to build from scratch, you need to choose which fett then you need some sintra, a sharp knife, a cutting mat, some sandpaper and a heat gun. I used rattle cans for all my base painting and it came out great. I ended up after a year of building running out of time for my local con, so if you look closely at my profile picture you can see some small details are missing and my bucket is one I bought off amazon and quickly repainted the night before the con. Maybe next year I'll be finished.
Let me know if you have any questions, and maybe you can avoid some of the mistakes I made! Oh and the templates for the armour on this site are amazing! Use those.

 

[Funkyred]

The pieces that take longest to produce usually would be the starting point and imo that would be the blaster and soft parts (flight suit, vest, hip pockets and gloves)

My only piece of personal advice I would give you is don't buy cheap pieces from ebay or Etsy.

BUY CHEAP...... BUY TWICE!

I did as well as most probably other fett builders on here did . There is no cheap option, this costume is complex, intricate and expensive. You will regret buying the cheap pieces eventually.

Contact your bank manager and inform him you joined The Dented helmet, the bank will then know why your balance and finances are depleting!

Good luck and Happy bounty hunting!

 

[Mythos Fenn]

Contact your bank manager and inform him you joined The Dented helmet, the bank will then know why your balance and finances are depleting!

Good luck and Happy bounty hunting!

lolololol True. Any kind of quality kit will either A) cost you a lot in time by completing most parts yourself of B) shell out those big bucks

 

[BudaFett]

Like others have said you got to select which version of Boba Fett you'd like to replicate and then come up with a workable budget. There are a lot of great members here who produce everything you'll need!

I'd spend a few days doing research, research, research and more research! Know who you're buying from and like Funkyred said "buy cheap...buy twice" is very accurate!

 

[donutfett]

You guys are great. Thank you! I’ve always loved the ESB version of Fett so that’s the direction I’m gonna go in. I’ll take the advice of starting with soft parts first and work with the vendors and guys/girls from the site. I’m not a person to do things “cheap” so I’ll stay away from eBay and the other sites, unless it’s from someone I’ve seen on the forum. I’ve got a ton of respect for those on this forum and what I’ve seen done. Thanks for taking the time to get my wheels turning and pointing me in the right direction!

 

[Mythos Fenn]

Not a problem man. We are always happy to help. Also, solid choice on going the ESB route. That has always been my favorite movie version as well and I really think the bucket paint job is better than the ROTJ version.

 

[BudaFett]

ESB is the way to go!

 

[Builder]

I would go with an airbrush for color control both for mixing and application.Enamel was my choice over water base paint.
It sounds like you will probably purchase your soft parts so while waiting for them begin work on the hard parts.
If this is all new to you start with the small parts like the shin tools. Just prepping and painting them will teach you a lot and
any mistakes are easier to learn to fix in shorter time with lower cost. If you then move on to the weapons and get through the Pluce
and the EE-3 you will have just about every skill and have acquired most tools you will need to build the rest of the hard parts.
Each of these parts is a start to finish project in itself with it's own satisfaction reward. This is important in a long Boba build.
Finish with the helmet at your highest skill level. It after all caps everything off. Read through my costume and helmet sights
and as many others here as you can. See which tips make the most sense to you and make them your own. Be patient and enjoy
the creative journey.