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[Jesse Libarra]

Ok. Here goes. So, I have a list of supplies made up, and I have some questions before I go crazy and buy everything. Question 1: Is trash-can plastic acceptable for armor? Or will I have to use something else? Question 2:I own a pair of converse Air Force sage, composite toe combat boots. They do lace, and they zip on the sides. I know I will have to cover the laces, but are these boots acceptable?   
 http://www.uspatriottactical.com/converse-8-inch-sage-green-stealth-composite-toe-side-zipper-boots.html

Also, I read that the camo body suites are out. Can I still paint my plates camouflage?

[No'saj Huune]

Question 1: Is trash-can plastic acceptable for armor? Or will I have to use something else?

Question 2:I own a pair of converse Air Force sage, composite toe combat boots. They do lace, and they zip on the sides. I know I will have to cover the laces, but are these boots acceptable?    http://www.uspatriottactical.com/converse-8-inch-sage-green-stealth-composite-toe-side-zipper-boots.html

Also, I read that the camo body suites are out. Can I still paint my plates camouflage?

1: Yes it is acceptable.  Easy to work with and affordable for your first build.

2: Not really sure as they look more like "sneakers" however if you cover the laces with spats or armor plates they should be good to go.  Check out Leatherup.com for some good looking boots that are affordable and don't have laces (its what I use for costuming).

3: The camo must not look like any "earthly" patterns with the exception of the "dazzle" pattern.  Meaning it can't look like BDU, digital camo, desert, "real tree" or Mossy Oak, so on and so on.  An example of a dazzle pattern:

[Jesse Libarra]

so the camouflage colors (green, black, brown, gray, and so on) are acceptable, just not the pattern?

[No'saj Huune]

The colors are fine, its just the pattern that can't be used.  For example:



The ARF Troopers look like they have a digital camo design however on closer inspection this is what it actually looks like:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The same design could be applied with the colors you want, just be sure to take close up pics to show that it isn't the regular BDU design.

[Jesse Libarra]

hmm. That'll be fun... lol Thanks for the image. I'll see what I can do with it.

[No'saj Huune]

No worries.  Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

[Jesse Libarra]

ok. Helmet question. Is it cheaper to buy or scratch-build a helmet? I would love to scratch-build my own some day, but right now it's kind of (very) intimidating.

[Ordeyn]

Glad to see you made it to the Mercs site, Jesse!

It was intimidating to me too! My first bucket was a scratch build. It took me a very long time to make it though. There's a lot of sanding . I think my scratch build was really only the cost of bondo, fiberglass resin, and fiber glass cloth. The rest I did with cereal boxes. It was about, oh, 30-40 dollars for all the supplies, but I didn't use up any of the things I bought. I probably could've gotten a second bucket out of all of it if I hadn't used the rest of it on other projects.

I've only bought one bucket (I haven't even gotten around to using it yet!), so I can't say much for how expensive they generally are.

It's also a very good idea to poke around other threads here on this site. You can learn a lot just from seeing/reading what other people have done. And if there's something specific you want to find, use the search engine towards the top of the page -- it's helped me on many an occasion!

I hope that helps you out!

[Jesse Libarra]

Thanks Ordeyn. I was mainly concerned with the price of fiber glassing, bondo, etc. 30-40 dollars doesn't sound too terrible. I may can do that...
Oh, and I don't know if I got to tell you, but your armor is...incredible, Ordeyn.

[Ordeyn]

Well, after 4 years it had better be, LoL! And I'm still not done. Thank you, Jesse!

[CaptainMorgan]

ok. Helmet question. Is it cheaper to buy or scratch-build a helmet? I would love to scratch-build my own some day, but right now it's kind of (very) intimidating.

Scratch building is a ton of work, but the other side to it is you aren't paying someone else for all that time and you can get exactly what you want.

I easily have put in 20 hours on mine so far.  I also am super excited to have my own bucket like this.  I'll be scratch building again in the future when I'm ready for an upgrade for sure.

The big thing with me on the scratch building is that I think it's worth it to use the right tools.  You'll get so frustrated fighting with the wrong stuff that it'll become a monster of a project.  I certainly go overboard on this (I like having cool tools) and there is a middle ground, but I would still consider the total cost to include acquiring everything you need.  If you have parents or friends that can loan you things then you will be all set.  You also need a place to fiberglass that is not inside your house because the fumes and sanding is a big problem indoors.  You also have to have a respirator, no paper masks.  The chemicals in that stuff are nasty to breath in and really unsafe.

If you do it right though and can manage to get what you need without spending too much money then I say go for it.  I am having a blast doing it to the point where I'm already confident enough to tackle some more extreme costuming after my Mando.

[Byloc Phosmont]

I am one of those people who is incredibly intimidated by scratch building a helmet. If you've got the patience, tools and know how's to build your own (like Captain Morgan above) then you can create something really awesome. If you don't, the helmet will look a little funky... maybe lean to the side, be uneven, etc.

For my first build which I started a few months ago, I went with the rubies 2 piece. I've made two with it so far, one for myself and one for my brother. I really enjoyed working with it since most of the helmet is built for you and all that's left is some modification to make it less crappy. Just like with any helmet choice, there are tons of threads about how to make it, etc. I found one on the dented helmet that I followed to the letter and came out with something I am very happy with. The helmet cost $35 shipped, and I put about $40 into supplies to make it. Keep in mind the supplies I bought (such as spray paint, a hot glue gun, box cutter, for sale sign, etc.) I also used for building the rest of my mando. My only complain about the 2 piece is that it can break easily. Dropping it off a table would likely split it right down the seam on the dome. Hope that helps!

[Hondo Karr]

ok. Helmet question. Is it cheaper to buy or scratch-build a helmet? I would love to scratch-build my own some day, but right now it's kind of (very) intimidating.

That's variable... if you have the tools on hand... a dremel, a powered palm sander etc., the materials are very cheap... a can of Bondo (10.00), a can of fiberglass resin ($10.00), a tube of glazing putty (4.00) and a roll of joining tape (5.00) should be enough materials to make 2 helmets. Then a posterboard, which probably only makes 1, costs a buck. You can try to build your own dome or start with something like a hard hat or a bike helmet for your dome base. If you have to go out and buy tools (you could always hand sand but that is so time and sand paper consuming I personally don't find it worth it) you can easily get close to the 200.00 range between supplies and tools. But, you will likely need those tools anyway so, youre going to have to invest in them regardless at some point.

Scrathbuilding is awesome. If youve never worked with this stuff, it can be very hard and may take 2, 3,4 attempts before you nail it. But, there is a point of pride to wearing a well made scratchbuilt helmet you can never get with one you buy from me or Saz or ASOK etc.

[Jesse Libarra]

hmmm. Looks like I'll be going with scratch build, then. My uncle has a lot of experience with bondo, so I may enlist his help.

[CaptainMorgan]

hmmm. Looks like I'll be going with scratch build, then. My uncle has a lot of experience with bondo, so I may enlist his help.

If you have someone like that with experience then you should definitely go for it.  Good luck!

[Jesse Libarra]

Thanks, Captain. (I'll need it. )

[Jesse Libarra]

sorry about the lack of updates, but I'll (hopefully) by buying my trash cans this Friday (payday) and I've currently been trying my hand a drawing the ARF trooper's camouflage. so, yeah, I'll try to have more updates soon. Thank you for your patience.

[Ordeyn]

Sounds good! I look forward to updates.

[CaptainMorgan]

sorry about the lack of updates, but I'll (hopefully) by buying my trash cans this Friday (payday) and I've currently been trying my hand a drawing the ARF trooper's camouflage. so, yeah, I'll try to have more updates soon. Thank you for your patience.

Certainly play around with it for fun while you wait, but don't get too hung up on paint at this stage.

I still haven't settled on my paint scheme, I'm going to build all of my armor pieces first.

[Jesse Libarra]

right, captain. It's just an idea that's up in the air at the moment. I'm simply trying to wrap my mind around doing it.  I may end up going with a solid color (purple, maybe. or green) but currently I'm using it to keep my mind working on my beskar'gam, 'cause if I don't keep it in mind it will end up never getting done. 

Certainly play around with it for fun while you wait, but don't get too hung up on paint at this stage.

[CaptainMorgan]

right, captain. It's just an idea that's up in the air at the moment. I'm simply trying to wrap my mind around doing it.  I may end up going with a solid color (purple, maybe. or green) but currently I'm using it to keep my mind working on my beskar'gam, 'cause if I don't keep it in mind it will end up never getting done.

One of the really cool things about Mando costumes is the way the paint works as far as layers and weathering.  You could do the lower coats solid first, then take the top coat and do your best to imitate the camo pattern (or even better, make a few stencil sections that you can spray through).  As long as you get a rough paint layer you can just do the rest in sanding.  You'll want softer weathered textures anyways.  If you bomb this layer you can sand it off down to the lower coats or just say screw it and paint over, then still sand to the other layers in weather spots.

[Jesse Libarra]

One of the really cool things about Mando costumes is the way the paint works as far as layers and weathering.  You could do the lower coats solid first, then take the top coat and do your best to imitate the camo pattern (or even better, make a few stencil sections that you can spray through).  As long as you get a rough paint layer you can just do the rest in sanding.  You'll want softer weathered textures anyways.  If you bomb this layer you can sand it off down to the lower coats or just say screw it and paint over, then still sand to the other layers in weather spots.

sounds good, Captain. I don't have too much experience with paint, but I can give it a go, so to speak.
Also, as sort of an update, money is tight (well, tighter than normal) so, I will be pricing things tonight, but I may or may not end up actually buying anything. So, we'll just see what happens.

[CaptainMorgan]

sounds good, Captain. I don't have too much experience with paint, but I can give it a go, so to speak.
Also, as sort of an update, money is tight (well, tighter than normal) so, I will be pricing things tonight, but I may or may not end up actually buying anything. So, we'll just see what happens.

One cool way to get into these costumes on tight budgets is to just go stroll through thrift stores and places like Goodwill.  You can find all kinds of cheap used items that can be deconstructed into Mando costumes.  I've seen guys buy crappy handbags just to get the buckles they wanted for a girth belt for dirt cheap.  You might stumble onto something that could be used as a vest, who knows.  That lets you make some progress without having to fork over a ton of cash yet.

By the time you get to paint there are tons of fantastic tips on how to get good results for cheap.  You don't need an expensive set up like I'll be using at all, I just happen to have it for the purpose of getting into painting car panels.

How good are you at stuff like sewing?  Being able to make some of your own soft parts is a big plus when trying to keep things cheap.  The scrap and bargain bins at places like Joann's are a fantastic place to check regularly too.  I almost got my vest material for super cheap, but in my usual fashion I decided I had to have exactly the material I wanted which is a slightly darker marine grade vinyl.  If I wasn't so picky I could have made my vest off 8 dollars in fabric.

[Jesse Libarra]

well, Captain I'm fairly good at sewing. (I can do it rather well, but I don't really care for it) so, I will probably be making my vest, and some other soft parts. And I'm looking forward to hitting the thrift stores in my area.

ok, so, time for an update. My mom and I went to Wal-Mart tonight, and I priced most of my needed supplies. Trashcans are, like, $15 dollars, but the other stuff (sand paper, paint, stuff that like) wasn't too expensive. However, I didn't see any Bondo. Can you even buy bondo at Wal-Mart?? Will I have to go to an auto supply store, or something like that? Anyway, getting back on track, I got some water guns to fix up. I'll be posting pictures for everyone to evaluate.
 
Also, my mom raised some interesting questions. Are there membership dues when you join the Mercs? What do you have to do to remain a member? Do you have to pay to get in? Do you have to go to a certain number of meetings per quarter/year?

[CaptainMorgan]

well, Captain I'm fairly good at sewing. (I can do it rather well, but I don't really care for it) so, I will probably be making my vest, and some other soft parts. And I'm looking forward to hitting the thrift stores in my area.

ok, so, time for an update. My mom and I went to Wal-Mart tonight, and I priced most of my needed supplies. Trashcans are, like, $15 dollars, but the other stuff (sand paper, paint, stuff that like) wasn't too expensive. However, I didn't see any Bondo. Can you even buy bondo at Wal-Mart?? Will I have to go to an auto supply store, or something like that? Anyway, getting back on track, I got some water guns to fix up. I'll be posting pictures for everyone to evaluate.
 
Also, my mom raised some interesting questions. Are there membership dues when you join the Mercs? What do you have to do to remain a member? Do you have to pay to get in? Do you have to go to a certain number of meetings per quarter/year?

Well you don't have to like it to pull off making your vest .

Wal Mart actually does carry Bondo, but honestly for your body filler NAPA autoparts if they are in your area is a really good choice.  They don't make their own, and neither does the company they contract it to.  Their fillers are all evercoat products, who is a great company for this stuff.  It'll still be a cheaper version but be better to use than Bondo.  I honestly don't know of the best cheap resin and fiberglass source though, I got the nicer stuff.  I know other people here will say Bondo is fine, but I personally wouldn't touch the stuff.

As far as membership you just have to come to one event a year, and if you don't you become retired.  There are no dues, this organization is all run on donations.