Boba Fett...what's a fair dollar amount?

[spcglider@aol.com]

Hey folks,

I'm just testing the waters.

What, in your estimation, is a fair amount to pay for a decent Boba Fett costume?

You know, something complete with shoes and accessories but not anything outrageous? Not with microphones or fully deatiled helmet interior or anything like that. Just a decent suit to wear to a convention?

Just curious. Mods, if this sort of question is verboten here, please let me know.

-Gordon

 

[slave1pilot]

That's a real tuff question.
Quality is a major factor in determining price.
so is accuracy.
check around over on TDH
http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/
There's a wealth of info over there, & the guys are happy to share it.

 

[Durasteel Corporation]

Yes I agree its a huge question.

Accuracy is something to consider. What is it worth to you? Your neighbor might think a suit of plastic armor is trash...to be recycled...others will ransom their kids. I am amazed at how many costume replicas lack proportion....or even an attempt at it. Look at the shape, look at the depth, look at the placement. When a Fett chest plate that looks like Africa or South America is literally the size of African or South American....you get the idea.

Durability is something to think about as well: What are your intentions? Trooping? Well for trooping, some original materials are not ideal....remember in the films they had backup parts in case something broke or was damaged. In real life thats your time and money bro.

Long term interest: Are you planning on incorporating this costume in your will? In otherwords, how far down the road do you think youll find use of this suit?

Time...boy, a super accurate Fett suit is arguably one of the hardest to assemble. Ive seen a lot of guys give up and sell off their stuff as they are too worn out to keep working on sometthing over several years.

Use: Whats it for? Staring at when you have cheese and wine parties? Trooping...impressing kids at charity events. Hoping youll get your photo in SW Insider .

And my pet peeve....if you plan on wearing the suit....please be very close to J. Bullochs size. I hate seeing overweight guys, super tall guys, short dudes, whatever try and shoehorn themselves into a suit. You can Stewart Smalley (or however you spell it) yourself all ya want, but to "capture" the look dont try to be something youre not. If youre note between 5'9 and 6ft and not thin or fit, please dont try....we may try to think we look okay but people do cringe...impress, dont depress I guess.

 

[NEKROFANATIC]

good luck on finding the info, as its been said above, there ain't no magic number, but I figure $2000 will get you a pretty damn nice suit. You keep cheap it and get something for roughly $1000 as well... Really depends on what your after I gather. If you're an F/X trooper kinda guy, $1000 will be fine, but if you're TE armour and nothing but, expect the 2 large.

As for sizing, it matters not a wit what size you are. As long as YOU like it, go for it. My 5'6" wife did Darth Vader this year and EVERYONE loved her. Not one person came up to her and said, you are just too short to be Vader. She had people running up to her just to see the suit and say hi. To paraphrase a popular SW character: Size matters not.

 

[DL 44 Blaster]

To simply answer the question...I'd say $2000. Which is for a NICE suit...not super accurate,bells & whistles & chest displays. You get the picture.

As mentioned Fett is arguably the hardest complete Star Wars costume that is commonly replicated spanning years. Heck I wouldn't sell mine for nearly anything at this point some 6 years later and roughly $4K in materials resulting in major "upgrades" over the years.

Steve

 

[superjedi]

I would agree that it would probably be around the $2K mark to complete a nice suit. I've been working on mine for close to a year and I'm still not done.
Also ditto on checking out The Dented Helmet forums. Great bunch, and unbelievable amounts of reference info.

 

[WebChief]

Fett is one of the hardest Star Wars costumes to complete... hands down.

I've been working on mine off and on since 2001 and have spent over $3k on it. I'm still not done.

I wouldn't worry about size... Drew's comment on size is a bit harsh. Personally if the costume is done well no one's going to care how short or tall you are. I've stood side by side with Jeremy Bulloch and he's about 6 feet tall. I've got 2 inches on him. Never once have I heard anyone complain about how I looked because I was slightly taller than him. :rolleyes

 

[Studio Stasis]

I started my fett costume over 4 years ago and I still have yet to complete it. I have spent almost 3k on it and I dont see any end in sight. Once completed I would not part with it for anywhere near what I put into it because of the time, effort, and even contacts to get the kind of parts that I have. I wouldnt even say I have an elite suit. It can be done for cheaper, I just chose to get the best of everything.

Josh

 

[saxe coburg]

I've got close to $2500 in mine.... I would venture to say that you could build a "fair" Boba costume for $1000, if you really shop around and do alot of the work yourself.

 

[shortimer52]

Might as well spend the money now b/c if you dont youll spent it later. I went with the ok Boba at first ,,, well about 3 G's later I have the great Boba. So spent the money. Then again if you have skills you can do it for a 1000.

 

[OPPI]

I could see 2000 if you did it all as a kit, unassembled and unpainted. To get a decent Boba all finished and ready to waer or display is going to run you well over 2000. Especially if you want FG vs. sintra/vacformed for the armor and helmet.

dan

 

[Bountyhunter Niko]

I agree with most of the rest. $2000 should do it. If you do your homework and spend a while shopping and talking. This is not a outfit that will come easy. I have seen a few complete suit for sale - BUT none that was worth buying.

Good luck and have fun .

 

[Durasteel Corporation]

wouldn't worry about size... Drew's comment on size is a bit harsh. Personally if the costume is done well no one's going to care how short or tall you are

I dont mean it to sound harsh or mean at all WebChief....I mean it in the truest sense of the concept. A charactor that was about 5'11 or very close to looks best when worn by somone close to that size....Im 6'7 bro....Fetts chest plates look like 'pasties' on me. :lol So proportion refers to both costume to costume part proportion as well as the wearer. As for those who are very heavy....hey, nothing personal. Ive got heavyset friends....bug again, Fett was a very slim cat, and someone who does not fit the bill detracts from the classic look. And frankly, its not being unfriendly to be more candid with people who dont reliaze they are drawing negative stares....people should be more frank....we are too pc in that sense. I dont look good in trooper armor....Im not offended.

 

[deralis]

I just started On Mine too... Well the helmet at least.
Got a long way to go but save, save, save.
and do lots of research...

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

The best suit I have ever seen on here was Motofish's suit. I forget how much he sold it for, but that thing was a-friggin-mazing. That would be the guy to ask, but as others have said, only the truly geeky(us here) would notice how very well done it was. Joe Blow from Kokomo would still be amazed at the suit and love it as well.

My point is the same as others here have made; if you want a suit you are happy with and don't really care about flawless screen accuracy, you will spend much less.

 

[DL 44 Blaster]

I do have to agree with Drew on the size thing.....as I too have seen some Fett's that don't exactly fit the role....same goes for many other costumes...Trooper, Heros,etc.

I too think that ones stature at the very least should fit the general parameters of a character one is trying to pull off be it height,or weight. It's why most guys who wear their Vader costumes "bulk" up with extra padding underneath their costumes...who wants to see a scrawny Vader? Nothing personal,but heck even Leia knew a short Stormtrooper when she saw one

Steve

 

[The Manlet]

I would say 2000 if your lucky on ebay you might just get a nice suit for that price, but a full boba suit is a once in a blue moon thing. But getting your suit piece buy piece lets you pick the parts you like most

 

[Fetthunter]

While I have seen some people build Fett suits (or more accurately, "custom Mandalorian suits") out of materials such as plastic garbage cans and Yard Sale signs for $100 (I'm not kidding), I chose to spend a bit more time (4 years+) and money (~$3500) on my personal suit.

Granted, I only have 1 other costume that I wear (Tusken raider with Godzilla-made mask), so I don't have to spread my money out amongst 8 different costumes as some people do. Still, I think that, for the most part, you get what you pay for. I did my homework and chose the parts that I did very carefully. I also did about 95% of the work on my suit and all of the painting. The money that I saved on labor was spent on buying "better" parts.

You can put together a suit for $1000 if you scrimp on the parts and do all of the work yourself, $2000 if you shop around for good deals on better parts and do a lot of the labor yourself, and $3000 if you want all of the "top shelf" parts and doodads.

I know I've spent a lot on mine, but it's "my thing". Some guys have "project cars", some have killer gaming PCs, some have crazy hunting gear. I have an expensive costume. :lol

In all seriousness though, I think my Fett suit has given me more happiness than any other item I've ever owned. The expressions on kids' faces at events - and the places that I've been able to go to and see while wearing my suit - are priceless.

Good luck on your journey. :thumbsup

 

[Trooper TK409]

On my current version, I've spent about $1500 before painting and assembling. That's not including the several upgrades I did before - that's just if I had to replace each piece. Of course, the time waiting for parts to ship to you is another big "cost". I'd say if you had the cash ready to expect about 10-12 months total for you to finish it.

 

[Darth Kahnt]

Wow. I'm glad I chose Vader.

Seems a lot less complicated and much easier to attain accuracy.