Taught to be cautious!

[Johncrutts]

dear enlightened ones - I care to this forum wanting to slowly and carefully learn how to build a highly accurate Fett costume - ESB - one that I can hopefully gain UKG approval with eventually. I am here to learn and seek advice. I was warned away from eBay etc but just wanted to enquire what the standard of some of these items on Etsy are like and if I should run a mile or consider in more depth. There is a seller on their called ‘kripton top’ and he is selling all things Fett - armour and jump suits. Just wondered how good/bad they are - to my partially untrained eye they looked ok? Grateful for any advice....

 

[WTFett]

I can't speak to any of their parts but the jetpack harness looks to be made of resin or something else non-metal and I wouldn't trust my backpack to it let alone an expensive jetpack. That's enough for me to stay away right there.

 

[Tfett40]

Taking a quick look at their shop, the armor dents and shape are off and the ROTJ cape they offer is not accurate. Please stay away. The vendors you can find here will offer the most accurate and quality pieces you need. Trying to go the cheaper route through ebay, etsy or other shops will be lesser quality or recasts.

 

[Johncrutts]

Indeed - the us divers belt buckle is plastic too it was the jump suit that caught my attention - can you recommend someone who provides accurate jumpsuits and a rough idea of how much I’d be looking to need to spend? The prices on the Etsy site seems to good to be true - hence they probably are ha ha

 

[Tfett40]

Johncrutts all your questions have been previously discussed with new members recently. Here is one of the threads that can answer some your questions:
Newbie-wanting to start on Boba Fett for 501st

Please take the time to look around the forum, recent/past threads-builds and use the search bar to help you out. A ton of info here.

 

[deathxcircle]

Indeed - the us divers belt buckle is plastic too it was the jump suit that caught my attention - can you recommend someone who provides accurate jumpsuits and a rough idea of how much I’d be looking to need to spend? The prices on the Etsy site seems to good to be true - hence they probably are ha ha

See Arkady for a flight suit.

Bargain Flightsuit Run

 

[Johncrutts]

deathxcircle - many thanks ive sent a PM. also borrowing my ex wife's sewing machine

 

[TheZeroEffect]

Always best not to go for unknown vendors, and err on the cautious side. you may find their item look good at first and seem fine, but the more you get into building up your suit the more you find those parts are lacking and usually not accurate enough to get approval.
In the long run you just end up spending more replacing inferior parts.... or you do he whole upgrade thing as you become more knowledgeable about your kit. I don’t want to think about how much I’ve spent on upgrades and replacements

 

[Johncrutts]

looking at some of the amazing armour plans available here - but would like to pose an honest question in this matter (sorry for all the questions ha ha).

how possible is it (I am quite handy and creative and have an engineering background) to actually create really good replica quality armour using ABS or similar plastic? I ask as im recently separated and living in a flat - so don't have extensive access to workshops etc (but can 'borrow' a friends garden on occasion for cutting/sanding etc). I guess what im saying is is it feasible for me to create great armour using abs/heat etc. or should i 'bite the bullet' and purchase a kit?

 

[Ghost_Fett]

If you have the talent to create that kind of thing then more power to you. Many of us don’t. I think it kinda depends on your skill level and how accurate you want it to be. Personally I would highly recommend IOA armor kit.

 

[01Hawk]

There are lots of people who build their own armor and such with nice results. It all comes down to how much skill you have ,how much money you want to spend on trial/error , how accurate you want it to be and what your budget is. My advice to most people is to get an honest budget first and then look and see what you can do yourself to work within that budget. People who build their own armor/paint their own stuff definitely get a great sense of satisfaction from it and rightfully so! This build can get very expensive ( not saying that in a negative way ) and the more you can do own your own, the more you can spend on high quality parts that you can't do yourself. There are plenty of great vendors with high quality parts here that are priced very fairly for what you get - and it is correct the first time,

 

[01Hawk]

and that seller appears to be cucblacks new name.... if that is the case he has screwed tons of people in the Biker Scout world. Myself included

 

[Johncrutts]

yes the seller I enquired about has dreadful reviews on ebay etc. glad i'm taking my time and grateful for everyone's help/advice. I am looking at various places/people and have generally accepted i'm going to have to pay import duty on a lot of bits - most of the items i'm looking at ship from the states. to thta end does anyone know of reliable UK based sources? mutous thankious

 

[Demmoc]

In my opinion, if you can build it yourself, do it. You'll learn more and have more appreciation and respect for your own costume. I started my build back in 2000 and STILL have not completed it because I'm always upgrading new parts all the time. I started cheap or scratch built and as time has gone on I've built better and more accurate. Boba Fett is a journey that never ends for me..... and I love it!