The Walking Dead: Rick Grimes Sheriff Uniform (Season 1)

My name is Jason and this is my first serious attempt at cosplay. As a fan of the Walking Dead, I chose to work on Rick Grimes' King County Sheriff uniform. This costume has been the topic of MUCH discussion over the years and is chronicled on 25 pages of posts at the following link:

http://www.therpf.com/f24/walking-dead-sheriff-uniform-106373/

I also posted a lot in that thread and got a lot of help with my Grimes build. However, I decided to start my own thread instead of hijacking the one mentioned above. I'm mostly doing this thread just for fun because I'd like to share of some my unique finds. Perhaps some of the information that I'll put in this thread will help streamline your own Rick Grimes build.

I have way to much info to post in one sitting so I'll post about different parts of the build as I have time. Then I plan on posting a complete summary/shopping list at the end of my build. That should help with the streamlining. Anyways, to anyone who actually reads this, stay tuned and I hope it helps!!

Let's start with Rick's gun. I feel like this is a tricky part of the build because right off the bat you have to make some decisions on how much money you are willing to spend on a screen accurate build. Naturally, airsoft versions of guns make a lot of sense because they are cheaper and typically safe to take to cons and other events. Anywho, here's how I did it.

Let start by identifying the gun. Rick uses an OLD Colt Python .357 with wood grips. If you wanted to buy the ACTUAL real gun, plan on having $2000-$2500 ready to spend. The gun looks like this:


Don't h ave that kind of money? Me neither. So you'll be sad to find that there isn't an airsoft gun that looks exactly like this one. Well, there is but they are out of production and virtually impossible to find. You may get lucky, but I was not. So here is what I did:

You are going to have to buy two airsoft guns and swap the grips. This sounds pricy but if you shop around, you might can make this fairly cheap. Start by buying the UG139B Black with Wood Grips. It can be found for $25 as part of a bargain buy (while supplies last). Here is the link and a picture:

http://www.synatoys.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84&products_id=971



Next, buy the UG139SR Silver with Black Grips. $34.99 from the same supplier.

http://www.synatoys.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5_39&products_id=1019



Now here comes the hard part. You will need to remove the handles on both guns BUT you must use EXTREME CAUTION that you do not disrupt the internal working of the gun. Otherwise, it won't fire. I learned that the hard way with the black gun. It no longer fires. I was more careful with the silver gun and I'm proud to admit that I succefully swapped the handles and the gun still fires!


Larger image here:
http://www.therpf.com/attachments/f24/walking-dead-sheriff-uniform-mypython.jpg-137621d1358432579


So that's how I did it. Good luck with your efforts on making yours!

So the reason I am talking about these items together is because I ended up getting them from the same place on eBay.

As far as I can tell, they are the only ones who make the collar pins. You can pick up a set of these for $12.99. Straight from ASIA!!

The Walking Dead Uniform Eagle Insignia Collar Pin Badge Replica Props 1 Pair | eBay




As for the patches, there ar about 5 different ones on eBay but BEWARE because the sizes vary! I chose the one from costumebase because they seemed to be the correct size. It'll cost you a little more ($9.99 per) but getting the sizing right is worth it.

The Walking Dead Uniform Patch Halloween Costume Party Iron On | eBay

THE BOOTS Justin Style 2222, Bullhide, Chocolate

Allrighty gang.... I'm super excited to talk about this part of the costume. Mostly because of the fact that my findings on this piece are original. So where to begin?

In an official costume list from the Walkign Dead set, Rick's boots are identified as what I listed above, the 2222. However, if you've ever searched for these boots on Google, a picture is extremely hard to locate.

So one day, I get the bright idea to get on the Justin website and email them a request for that picture. Well, they emailed me back promptly and informed me that the 2222 was manufactured from 1984-1991 (no wonder I couldn't find it!). But she sent me a scan of the 1991 catalog so I could have a picture for reference. So here it is:



She also informed me that the current model that looks the closest to the 2222 is the CT2032 which you can see on the following link for $210.
CT2032 Tony Lama Men's Western Boots from Bootbay, Internet's Best Selection of Work, Outdoor, Western Boots and Shoes.

Not sure if I wanted to spend $210 on boots so I scoured the internet for days looking for a vintage pair of 2222's for sale. Long story short, in all my searching I found ONE pair on eBay and wouldn't you know it, SIZE 9.5!!!! I about crapped my pants!! The guy wanted $75 plus shipping. I offered $60 and he took it! So I got an authentic vintage pair of Justin 2222 for $77. Of all the finds i've made on my Rick Grimes build, I am most proud of these boots! Here are some pictures:




The search was long and hard but it was worth it!!! But as I mentioned earlier, if you can't find the 2222, then the CT2032 is a great replacement. Good luck!!

:Sighs:: The badge..... So many developments have been made on this little object. Right off the bat, make sure you realize that you need TWO (2) badges (one for the shirt and one for the hat). There are a lot of options available as well varying in price and accuracy. Simply put, the more you pay, the more accurate badge you get. So, yet another decision on how much you are willing to pay and how accurate you want this build to be. I'll lay out some options, show you what I did and then you decide.

Option 1: The most screen accurate one that I have found
Cost: $65 per
Walking Dead King County Sheriff's Department TV Replica Full Size Prop Badge | eBay


Option 2: The center insignia is not quite right but the overall badge is close enough
Cost: $45 per (scratch and dents available for 50% off)


Option 3: Budget Rick's will like this one.
Cost: $16.99


As much as I liked option 1, i couldn't bring myself to spend $130 on two badges which would have been the most expensive item on my shopping list. So I went with option 2. However, I emailed the ebay seller to ask him about the scratch and dents (Shout out to Feezle_Nuts for bring that to my attention). The seller sent me pictures of several "flawed" badges and let me pick which flaws I would settle with.

One of the badges had a flawless face but a busted clip on the back. This was fine by me since I was going to pry the clasp off anyways and glue on a hat pin.

The second one had a "light" scratch on the bottom tip which is not even visable in the picture below. I'll take it! Makes it look slightly weathered!

So I got both of them for $45 total which is a steal for the quality, weight, and "nearly" accuracy. So check with the ebay seller and see if you can get some good deals too! Good luck!!

Looking good! Keep up the hard work. :thumbsup

Sir Angus said:

Looking good! Keep up the hard work. :thumbsup

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Thanks Angus, i'm satisfied with how it's progressing. I should beat my 3/23 deadline easily. :cool

Well, i've had some more cool eBay finds and I'm waiting for them all to arrive. I'm expecting a QuarterMaster shipment to arrive to which will have my shirt, pants, name plate, campaign cords and gun belt. I'll post the links and pricing information those items soon. Stay tuned!

Yeah I'm waiting on a QM shipment with my replacement nameplate and slacks. I'm not going to enjoy the polyester in the Miami heat during FSC this summer ... The sacrifices we make for an obsession. :lol

Sir Angus said:

Yeah I'm waiting on a QM shipment with my replacement nameplate and slacks. I'm not going to enjoy the polyester in the Miami heat during FSC this summer ... The sacrifices we make for an obsession. :lol

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Warning, those pants run "fitted". Mine ended up being quite snug. So i'm killin the treadmill so I can drop a few pounds before the March con. Otherwise it may be a long uncomfortable day!

I ordered one size up just for that reason ... They can always be taken in later.

Howdy folks. I'm back in the saddle again!! Now it's time to talk about the holster. WARNING: Be prepared to scour eBay for a decent amount of time to find something decent (unless money isn't an option and you can afford to have the ACTUAL holster custom made)

Rick's holster is based off a vintage basketweave police revolver swivel holster from YEARS ago. In the show, Rick uses a holster designed for a revolver with a 4 inch barrel. As we all know, Rick carries a 6 inch Python. I'm sure the prop department for TWD discovered this quickly... Problem: Gun won't fit. Solution: Hack the end off the holster. Result: SHAZAM!! It fits now! So to follow suit, all of us costplayers are taking beautiful vintage holsters and taking a hacksaw (or Dremel) to them. Gotta be screen accurate right? ;-)

Got deep pockets and no time to search for deals on eBay? Well thanks to the solid investigating of our fellow RPFers (Bunkygirl), a company has been located that will custom make the EXACT holster that Rick uses in the show for a hefty price tag of $168. If that sounds good to you, then here you go:

Walking Dead Holster at Tex Shoemaker and Sons Inc

I, on the other hand, am mostly broke and stuck to eBay. Use search keywords like Bucheimer, Vintage, Swivel Holster, Basketweave. These holsters can range from $20-50. I bought the first one I found that looked close but then found one better so I bought that one too. Actually resold the first one and profitted $14 on it!! Anyways, here are some pictures of the one I kept and what it looks like after I chopped (carefully with a Dremel) the end off and inserted my airsoft Python. Good luck on your search!!

The famous hat that is so loved by Rick Grimes, he actually journeyed back into zombie-filled Atlanta to retreive (it was never about the guns or Merle I don't care what he said). Time to make yet another decision based on screen accuracy vs $$$. Let's start with a good look at the actual hat:




Rick wears a Chocolate Stetson Roper 4X (DISCONTINUED) with gold campaign cords and a King County Sheriff Badge. So I've already gone into great detail on badge options in an early post. The other easy part of this is the gold chords which are an easy pick up for $6.99 at the following link:

Campaign/Trooper Hat Cord, Gold Zombie Hunter Uniform (Q62 206) - QMUniforms.com

Now to talk about the actually hat. The Stetson Roper is discontinued and extremely exspensive to locate ($200-$300). Most people go with a generic 4X (quality) chocolate hat and that seems to work fine. As long as it's chocolate and you have it shaped to look like Rick's then it should be fine. However, I wanted a Stetson. I started doing some research and found out that a lot of Stetson models are actually the same exact hat with a different decorative band around the crown. So I broadened my search to include "any" 4X chocolate Stetson that had the same "look" regardless of the band. So that's what I did! I found a lightly used Stetson Grant on eBay for $55. I carefully ripped off the ugly band and this is what I was left with:




Then I added the Gold chords:



Now we have to add the badge. There are multiple ways to do this and you can decide what's best for your situation. The badges come with a standard "safety pin" style pin and clasp for your shirt. The first thing you have to do is pull this off the badge (usually glued on so you may need plyers). Most people will then get a standard hat pin, glue it on the badge and poke a hole through the hat.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLL, I'm not most people. I just got a sweet Stetson hat for a good deal on eBay and I don't want to poke a hole in the front! What if I wanted to remove the badge and chords and wear it to a Tim McGraw concert?!? (not likely but you never know)

So whenever we need to attach something without puncturing said item, we use........MAGNETS!! The idea is inspired by several name tags that I had for my old job that utilized a magnetic backing instead of a safety pin so that we didn't poke holes in our nice dress shirts. So I took two magnetic backs from two name tags and put them together on either side of the hat. Held pretty strong but I wouldn't know for sure until I had the weight of the badge. Long story short... test test test and SHAZZAM! It worked. Here's some pics:

Gluing the metal piece on the left with magnets onto the badge. Blue piece on the right with magnets will go on the inside of the hat.



Blue piece with magnet on the inside of the hat:



View of the badge attaching to the front of the hat via magnets:



And finally! The completed hat:



Good luck in your quest to make your hat. Gotta get this one right folks! Can't mess up the hat!!

This is a fun build, thanks for all the detailed information!

Enderwigan said:

This is a fun build, thanks for all the detailed information!

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I would agree that this IS a fun one to put together. I'm glad some of my information helped. Feel free to post some pics when you get it finished!

Magnets are a costuming godsend! Great job!

You would think that these items are a little harder to come by considering the fact that it is illegal to impersonate a police officer. I guess there is a loop hole for those pretending to be a TV police officer. Or at least that's what QuarterMaster Uniforms is thinking!! You can order the shirt and pants right off of their website. Bear in mind that these are uniforms so they run fitted and true to size. My pants arrived and let's just say, I have some extra incentive to drop a couple of pounds!

Quartermaster sells the exact LawPro shirt used in the show. It's a two toned 100% polyester shirt and the color is Tan/Brown. Sizes are based on neck size. Medium is 15 - 15 1/2. Large is 16 - 16 ½. Price is afforable at $20.99 (Plus sizes extra).

LawPro 100% Polyester Two-Tone Short Sleeve Shirt Shirts (S33 117) - QMUniforms.com

The pants require a two step process. They don't make the pants stock as brown with a tan stripe. So you will have to purchase the brown pants (length alteration included!) and then add on the pants striping. The pants are $19.99 and the striping is $7.99.

LawPro 100% Polyester Fine Line Uniform Trouser Pants & Shorts (S22 12) - QMUniforms.com

LawPro 1" Trouser Striping Clothing Accessories (Q39 SS4) - QMUniforms.com

I've already addressed the patches and badge in earlier posts. The last thing you need to complete the uniform shirt (aside from the optional zombie blood) would be the name tag reading GRIMES. Bear in mind that Quartermaster will print the name EXACTLY how you type it. So make sure you type the name in ALL CAPS to be screen accurate. Go with GRIMES not Grimes or grimes. You can pick up the name tag for $5.99.

3/4" X 3" Brass Name Plate, Gold Finish,1 LINE #3 Badges & Patches (S10 34G) - QMUniforms.com

Here are several shots of how my uniform shirt and pants turned out:

I just realized I didn't have the collar pins affixed for the pictures.... D'oh!!

AbbyDarkStar said:

Magnets are a costuming godsend! Great job!

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Thanks for the compliment! Means a lot coming from someone as experienced as yourself!

One more note about Quartermaster. Use code "SHIPFREE" to get free shipping on your entire order. That'll save you 10-15 bucks!