RangerSilver6

Yeah, I figured that would be the case. I did see a set of trooper armor on ebay for just over 200. I fully expect it to be terrible, but it's within my budget. and it wouldn't be a major set back if I were to screw something up. That's be biggest worry, is that I'll do something so horrifically wrong that I'm out over a thousand dollars.

I do want to become a member of the Legion eventually, but at the moment the budget for the costume just isn't there. That's why I wanted to start with a project unrelated to the Legion, where I start with a Trooper and just let my imagination run wild and create my own variant. Something like, a Hazmat trooper with oxygen tanks on the back with hoses leading into the helmet with green striping on the armor. Or a sniper with asymmetrical and a rifle I'd put together myself. The reason I want to do something outlandish like that is because if I'm aiming for a screen accurate costume and I screw up, it'll be glaringly obvious and potentially difficult and expensive to repair. Whereas if I'm making something totally unique, I can work any mistakes into the build and better learn from them. Does that make sense?

Alright, I'm going to try to layout my thoughts as coherently as I can. So, let's get to it. I have never built a Trooper costume before. I want to make one, but with some personal flair added to it. Herein lies my problem. I see a lot of great costumes here, done so well and accurate. And I don't want to mess that up. The costumes frankly look too good for me to mess them up. People pay a lot of money to recreate what we see on screen. Meanwhile I would just be taking someone kit that they took a lot of work into making, and potentially ruining it. So, really, the question is this. If accuracy is not a concern because it would be modified, what is a good armor to build off of that's on the cheaper end of the spectrum? The way I see it, if I do something absolutely ridiculous as a first attempt, where mistakes can be turned into part of the design without issue, then later on I can do an accurate Trooper suit based on what I learn. I know not what I'm doing really, only what I want to do. So if anyone could point me in the right direction so I can experiment and possibly fail spectacularly for all to see and everyone to learn from, without ruining a rare and expensive armor kit that would better go to someone that will treat it with due respect: I would greatly appreciate it. To everyone that sees this, even if you don't have pertinent information in the topic, I thank you for your time.