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Build V. Order?


Bruce-Man

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Hello, I'm really wanting to join the 501'st, but the one daunting thing that has me worried is the ordering and building of a costume. I have absolutely no experience with building anything like this, and consequently have little to no tools used for making these costumes. Is it better to build a costume yourself or to order it pre-made? I imagine it's more fulfilling to build it yourself, but it also appears to be more expensive? All in all I'm just feeling a little bit overwhelmed, and was wondering if anyone had any advice?

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Hi Connor,<br>

I know where you are coming from as I was in exactly the same position. I think you are much better building the suit yourself. I've slowly got the tools together, really apart from the Dremel nothing was that expensive. Get some contacts in your local Garrison, they will no doubt offer advice and help where they can.<br>

I don't think it would be more expensive to build it yourself, and in any case you would probably have to modify a pre-made one a bit to fit you properly.<br>

It's pretty daunting, but there are people all over the world willing to offer their help, after the first cut it hurts less and less, although my wife still shudders whenever I mention the word 'cut'!

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Some really good advice from Scott there, Connor.  Yes, you can have someone build it for you, but I think you'll find it's a LOT less than if you built it yourself, even after purchasing all the needed tools/supplies.  Does it take some time?  Yes.  Is it difficult?  Not overly.  The benefits of doing it yourself are that you know it will fit you perfectly, and what you learn while doing it will help you down the road if when it needs repairs.  My suggestion would be to start reading up on the various build threads here, and then start your own when you receive your kit.  This way, you can ask all of your questions in one place, keep track of your progress easily, post photos of any problem areas, (we LOVE photos), and show off your build!  Also, like Scott suggested, stay in touch with your local Garrison or Squad.  Many of them have "armor parties" that are designed to help with builds.  

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Good decision, Connor!  The first thing you have to do is choose your armorer from the vetted list in the "Getting Started..." section.  While you are waiting, you can gather the needed supplies for the build, as well as your "soft parts", (boots, undersuit, holster, etc.).  You can also check on getting your E-11.  Feel free to ask any questions!

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I went with the AM 2.0 gear from Trooper Gear. Very helpful via email, very reasonable price, and the armor has been rather easy to work with. Just my $0.02 - I contacted a handful of folks on this marvelous list, and I'm sure none of them will disappoint!

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I was completely scared to try and build my own. But I can tell you with all the help I got here and my garrison I got it done. And there's a certain pride I have with my armor I don't think I would have had if I bought it built. And it's a lot of fun to say people you built it yourself. And it's instant tk street cred if you build yourself heh

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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For the vendor, I'm thinking of going with Authentic Props, and figuring out the soft parts after that. Any other vendors I should check out before making a final decision?

I was orignally thinking AP/ATA for authenticity based on the details in the getting started thread. But before I decided I wanted to find what troopers my size were building. I sent an email to AP/ATA/AM for details and searched the forums till I found a build by someone my size.

 

I went with the AM 2.0 gear from Trooper Gear. Very helpful via email, very reasonable price, and the armor has been rather easy to work with. Just my $0.02 - I contacted a handful of folks on this marvelous list, and I'm sure none of them will disappoint!

I received details back from all three armorers and have decided to go with AM mostly because of my size (6'1", 220lbs). Others said they could accomodate me but thats when price, kit and turn around time were added to the equation. My minimum goal is 501st approved by Oct 2016. Edited by firstceb
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