I have always admired the 501st costumes and community involvement. Since I started cosplaying about 5 years ago it has been my dream to build some stormtrooper armor of my very own. Now that I actually have the money and the time I am finally ready to proceed. However, I have never taken on a project of this magnitude so I am a bit intimidated and confused about the best way to move forward. Armor making, whether foam or plastic, is something completely new to me. In my browsing of the reference library these are the costumes I am most interested in pursuing: heavy weapons trooper, first order, one of the original trilogy designs (I still don't completely understand the differences between the three movies, hero vs stunt, etc, but any of them would be fine), and legacy era female. I am looking for a fairly simple first build which will introduce me to the armor building process and provide a starting point for doing more complicated projects down the line. As long as it can get approved so I can start trooping I am not too picky. From my research I think my biggest hurdle in this is going to be body type. I am female, 5 ft 6 in tall, 145 lb, with a pretty average build but larger chest. I have read a lot of threads that the standard male/unisex kits can be difficult to alter for a smaller more feminine-shaped frame and get it to look good. As amusing as it would be, I don't want to wind up looking like a child playing dress-up with their father's oversized stormtrooper armor. I have even read some cases where they end up being unable to get the armor approved as they had to cut off vital bits to even get it to fit well. That prospect really scares me. At a recent convention I attended a panel hosted by the 501st on Star Wars costuming. I asked them about my dilemma and which armor would be best suited for a rookie female. One of the women suggested kw designs for a legacy era female kit as it is smaller sized and more tailored to a woman's body shape so it doesn't require as much alteration. I thought I had finally found the perfect solution and the perfect intro to armor making, but after more research I have seen some things on the forums and other sites that make me think this design may not be 501st approvable. I don't want to go through all the cost and work of the build only to not be able to officially join. Can any 501st ladies, or others with experience helping them, lend some advice here? What was your first kit? Which designs/kits have been easiest to work with? Any opinions on the legacy era female vs one of the more unisex models as far as both difficulty and fit are concerned? Thanks in advance.
