Thoughts on Ebay Mando/Boba Armor?

TK10259

Active Member
So I am interested in doing either an ESB Boba Fett or Prototype Boba Fett for my next costume build and was wondering what you thought of these kits on Ebay. I know for TK Armor to STAY AWAY from Ebay, but this kit looks pretty good to me: https://www.ebay.com/itm/BOBA-FETT-...465342?hash=item25b79f603e:g:vp0AAOSwqu9U6i1m

This seller sells pretty much all the armor parts in 3mm Sintra except for the Helmet. The Helmet I'll probably buy from BobaMaker.

Heres another seller who looks pretty good: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Star-Wars-...381171?hash=item3d4d916c73:g:qH4AAOSw-wJZ-~kr

He sells an ESB Boba Helmet that looks mighty fine!

And then the last decent seller I see: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Star-Wars-...467929?hash=item1ed11eaf19:g:jUUAAOSwnHZYeNsv

This seller is all out Boba, He sells pretty much everything except the Helmet, Belts, Gloves and Boots as far as I can tell.
 
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Okay this is always a loaded question. What is your budget, time frame, and are you going for 501st approval? If you are going for a budget build you can STILL get a decent helmet, more accurate armor, more accurate gear from vendors on the TDH for just a little more. And you will be happier with it in the long run. You can either paint it up yourself or commission a painter. This is MY opinion so of course I am biased but speaking from experience, if you are going for accuracy, you are better off buying from a TDH vendor. Otherwise you will be upgrading later, I guarantee it. Be smart and buy quality if accuracy is important to you. You can still stay in a budget. The only ebay vendor that sells decent boba fett stuff is Manofwar. For a little bit more you can have top shelf stuff from the best maker. Check out thedentedhelmet forum. I highly recommend wastedfett. He provides Fettpride armor, gauntlets in ABS, and Fettpride helmets and jetpacks. They aren’t cheap but if you want top shelf stuff and budget allows, then I suggest you go with that. Also consider lead time. Wasted fett gets your stuff in weeks. Boba maker takes literally a year to send you a kit and they aren’t cheap though his kits are very nice.

Helmet- animefan, Wastedfett, DVH
Armor- Wastedfett
Gauntlets- Wastedfett
jetpack- Wastedfett, DVH (when they come up)
flightsuit- Arkady, MOW, cloth ears
Flack jacket- batninja
metal bits like flame thrower, gauntlet rocket, knee darts, boot spikes etc. Machinecraft
Boots- MOW (better get on list. It’s his final run)
wookie braid, cape, mohair belt- Woodman
ammo belt- delta
chest light- fettronics
blaster, holster and sidearm- Stormrider

i know I’m forgetting stuff. And I hope this doesn’t dissuade my you from the build. No matter how you cut it, Boba is one of the most challenging complicated builds. It can get expensive but you can stay in budget and be accurate. Just don’t skimp on accuracy by taking to Ebay and going cheap because you’ll just end up upgrading later.
 
Okay this is always a loaded question. What is your budget, time frame, and are you going for 501st approval? If you are going for a budget build you can STILL get a decent helmet, more accurate armor, more accurate gear from vendors on the TDH for just a little more. And you will be happier with it in the long run. You can either paint it up yourself or commission a painter. This is MY opinion so of course I am biased but speaking from experience, if you are going for accuracy, you are better off buying from a TDH vendor. Otherwise you will be upgrading later, I guarantee it. Be smart and buy quality if accuracy is important to you. You can still stay in a budget. The only ebay vendor that sells decent boba fett stuff is Manofwar. For a little bit more you can have top shelf stuff from the best maker. Check out thedentedhelmet forum. I highly recommend wastedfett. He provides Fettpride armor, gauntlets in ABS, and Fettpride helmets and jetpacks. They aren’t cheap but if you want top shelf stuff and budget allows, then I suggest you go with that. Also consider lead time. Wasted fett gets your stuff in weeks. Boba maker takes literally a year to send you a kit and they aren’t cheap though his kits are very nice.

Helmet- animefan, Wastedfett, DVH
Armor- Wastedfett
Gauntlets- Wastedfett
jetpack- Wastedfett, DVH (when they come up)
flightsuit- Arkady, MOW, cloth ears
Flack jacket- batninja
metal bits like flame thrower, gauntlet rocket, knee darts, boot spikes etc. Machinecraft
Boots- MOW (better get on list. It’s his final run)
wookie braid, cape, mohair belt- Woodman
ammo belt- delta
chest light- fettronics
blaster, holster and sidearm- Stormrider

i know I’m forgetting stuff. And I hope this doesn’t dissuade my you from the build. No matter how you cut it, Boba is one of the most challenging complicated builds. It can get expensive but you can stay in budget and be accurate. Just don’t skimp on accuracy by taking to Ebay and going cheap because you’ll just end up upgrading later.
So, I'm aiming for 501st approval. I already have an ANH Hero TK, So I would like to be able to wear the Boba for the occasional troop but mostly use for display. As for my budget it is about 1K. As for time. time is on my side and I'm in no rush. Thanks!
 
So, I'm aiming for 501st approval. I already have an ANH Hero TK, So I would like to be able to wear the Boba for the occasional troop but mostly use for display. As for my budget it is about 1K. As for time. time is on my side and I'm in no rush. Thanks!

If I coudn't get 501st Approval it woudn't be to big of a deal to me.
 
So, I'm aiming for 501st approval. I already have an ANH Hero TK, So I would like to be able to wear the Boba for the occasional troop but mostly use for display. As for my budget it is about 1K. As for time. time is on my side and I'm in no rush. Thanks!

Unless you’re scratch building a lot of the parts + doing all the painting/weathering yourself, $1k isn’t a super realistic budget for a 501st approved Boba. There are just so many parts to the build. Id suggest doing lots of reading on TDH.
Good luck on the build.


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Unless you’re scratch building a lot of the parts + doing all the painting/weathering yourself, $1k isn’t a super realistic budget for a 501st approved Boba. There are just so many parts to the build. Id suggest doing lots of reading on TDH.
Good luck on the build.



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Yea, I might just do a Sandtrooper for my next build.
 
I just finished my ESB Boba Fett after 2 years...! Im well over $3000 and I painted all the parts and fabricated several pieces to cut cost! Some of the kits/components are only made by a couple of makers/suppliers and are very expensive. MOW is doing a final run on boots....$250. They were $150 about a year and half ago! Items like that drive the cost up but are essential for a accurate build. I love my suit but just know its one of the most complicated suits you can build in the Star wars universe.
Yea, I might just do a Sandtrooper for my next build.
 
If its a 501st approved suit, your parts alone from well respected and recognized vendors will clear 2-3K unless you scratch build stuff and paint it yourself. It can be done, just more time consuming if you scratch build. Check out some seriously budget build threads on the TDH. I think Mattymatt fabricated a lot of his stuff. It was an awesome build
 
If its a 501st approved suit, your parts alone from well respected and recognized vendors will clear 2-3K unless you scratch build stuff and paint it yourself. It can be done, just more time consuming if you scratch build. Check out some seriously budget build threads on the TDH. I think Mattymatt fabricated a lot of his stuff. It was an awesome build
Yea. I'll check out TDH but I'm probably gonna go with building a TD for my next build! BUT, I will add Boba to my list of costumes to build before I die :)
 
just so you know, the first Ebay link you posted, that seller's armor is pretty low quality. in the Mando Mercs that armor is banned because of the price vs quality and the fact that to make it decent looking it needs to be modified quite a bit. I helped out one of our members with it and it was a real pain
 
Im gonna get heat for this but, forget the 501st. Do they still allow the crappy FX Stormtrooper kits as approved? Their system seems to be so inept that they just need to cross of a check list off approved makers to keep things uniform. Screen accurate flew out the window years ago to be approved.

I made 80% of an accurate Jango years ago. Hand pounded aluminum, real leather pouches/holsters, Rubies blasters repainted and weighted. Bought a back pack kit but hand sculpted the wrists over 2 months, cant remember where I got the helmet. It was beautiful and looked like it fell of the screen. But since most was hand made....I would have been denied from the 501st.

I had a money crunch and needed cash quick so I put it on Ebay back in 2004. It sold for $4,000 in 2 hours with lots of 'Hey...if the buyer flakes..' back up offers.

Point being, do the leg work...find a good local seamstress. Buy the parts you are not comfortable making on your own. Paint/weathering can make a pig look like a queen. Be patient and gather parts that others disgard. This doesnt have to be a $4k project if you take some time and approach it smartly. Heck, most of the soft parts are mass produced in China via Ebay for peanuts. Pick them up and tweak them.
 
But since most was hand made....I would have been denied from the 501st
i'm pretty sure most of the 501st are wearing hand made costumes or costume parts ( unless Midi-chlorians :p ) , and if you did not apply then you could not know ?
 
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Im gonna get heat for this but, forget the 501st. Do they still allow the crappy FX Stormtrooper kits as approved? Their system seems to be so inept that they just need to cross of a check list off approved makers to keep things uniform. Screen accurate flew out the window years ago to be approved.

I made 80% of an accurate Jango years ago. Hand pounded aluminum, real leather pouches/holsters, Rubies blasters repainted and weighted. Bought a back pack kit but hand sculpted the wrists over 2 months, cant remember where I got the helmet. It was beautiful and looked like it fell of the screen. But since most was hand made....I would have been denied from the 501st.


I had a money crunch and needed cash quick so I put it on Ebay back in 2004. It sold for $4,000 in 2 hours with lots of 'Hey...if the buyer flakes..' back up offers.

Point being, do the leg work...find a good local seamstress. Buy the parts you are not comfortable making on your own. Paint/weathering can make a pig look like a queen. Be patient and gather parts that others disgard. This doesnt have to be a $4k project if you take some time and approach it smartly. Heck, most of the soft parts are mass produced in China via Ebay for peanuts. Pick them up and tweak them.
Yea, I may purchase from the 3rd vendor: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Star-Wars-...3A8cbcd3cc15f0abda58312b69fffd7872%7Ciid%3A1n And than modify it to look not necessarily screen accurate but look definitely good enough that the general public wouldn't know the difference. I already have a few other screen accurate costumes so I'm not trying to get it 501st approved. Thanks for giving me a new hope for building a Fett costume!
 
just so you know, the first Ebay link you posted, that seller's armor is pretty low quality. in the Mando Mercs that armor is banned because of the price vs quality and the fact that to make it decent looking it needs to be modified quite a bit. I helped out one of our members with it and it was a real pain
Is it? I read that a lot of mercs make there armor out of 3mm Sintra which is what that is made of.

- - - Updated - - -

Or then again, I may just build a TD or maybe even a Shoretrooper from KB PROPS.
 
Is it? I read that a lot of mercs make there armor out of 3mm Sintra which is what that is made of.- - - Updated - - -Or then again, I may just build a TD or maybe even a Shoretrooper from KB PROPS.
yes, while it is made from 3mm sintra, the sizing and the actual shape of the plates is all wrong, besides you can get a 8'x4' sheet of Sintra for like 40 bucks at a plastic supply and use free templates to cut out the armor and get like three kits and a jetpack out of it (yes, I am speaking from experience lol)
 
yes, while it is made from 3mm sintra, the sizing and the actual shape of the plates is all wrong, besides you can get a 8'x4' sheet of Sintra for like 40 bucks at a plastic supply and use free templates to cut out the armor and get like three kits and a jetpack out of it (yes, I am speaking from experience lol)
Ok, Something to keep in mind. I'm looking for a place to get a TD backpack. I'll probably go for Crooknight's Imperial Backpacks.
 
i'm pretty sure most of the 501st are wearing hand made costumes or costume parts ( unless Midi-chlorians :p ) , and if you did not apply then you could not know ?

I was a a member back in 1995 after our group won the group entry in the San Diego Comic Con. I was a Sand Trooper. Sometime after that they started the approval process. My third ST is a TE2 suit with a deactivated Sterling, real Henglister counter and correct original scope. I feel bad for the average kid who doesnt have $4k to drop on a costume just to be judged by a group.
 
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As others have said, stay away from that ebay stuff. It will end up costing you more in the end. TDH is the place to get everything.
 
TK10259, my friend and I built Mandalorian Armor sets for DragonCon this past year. We used another friends Boba Fett Armor as a template and I learned a lot about Armor in general as well as Mandalorain armor and Boba Fett specific armor.

The set of Boba Armor he had was a really cheap set he got off ebay. I do not know what cos play you have done in the past so please understand that I am not trying to talk down to you but here is some of what I learned.

To get approved by 501st, Mando mercs, etc… there are a lot of whoops you must jump through. In some cases, they only approve builds that use helmets made from people on their approved list of sellers. Our goal was to make just about everything ourselves, either by vacuum forming, 3D printing, or just general construction. So we would have never been approved based on the rules that these organizations have in place. That said we were making something original so we were not restricted by established cannon like you would be with a Boba Fett build.

The cheap armor our friend had was extremely thin, like .06 (1/16”) or thinner High Impact Poly Styrene (HIPS). When we made our armor we used .09 (3/32”) and once it was vacuum formed it got thinner as it stretched over our bucks. Anyway, our friend’s armor was so thin that it had cracked and broke in several places just from him wearing it. All this is to say that if you purchase armor from someone, make sure you know what thickness and what material they use.

Another issue we ran into was that the armor was made from extremely inaccurate bucks. The back plate alone was not symmetrical and the rounded cutout on the bottom was off center by at least an inch. When worn you could not really notice but when we used it as the foundation to make our own buck we had to re-engineer it as well as most of the other pieces. Everything from the shoulder bells to the knees were so inaccurate.

We also purchased a blank (generic) Mandalorian helmet that could (according to the seller on etsy) be built into a Boba Fett or Jango Fett or same era Mandalorain helmet. This thing cost us 130.00 and was so messed up we spent 2 weeks cutting it up, replacing plastic, adding bondo and sanding the damn thing. We even had to hot glue a brace inside it so that the fix how warped it was, then we made a mold of it and roto cast our own helmets.

There are so many people selling helmets and armor it is really hard to find quality products. I assume this is one reason why Mando mercs and other organizations have a list of authorized sellers. They want to protect their members from being ripped off and continue to support the people who are making quality products.
I joined both TDH and Mando Mercs and they have some really good resources for people supplying stuff so I suggest you look there for armor and parts. That being said, expect to spend a lot of money on this build. Average “approved” unfinished helmets go for about $300.00, armor is around $600.00, the boots are $200.00, chest electronics, ~$150.00-$300.00, etc… Then you have accurate flight suite, neck seal, leg tools, toe spikes, gloves, gauntlets with electronics, range finder, helmet fans, T-visor, a voice changer (if you want it), cape, belt, ammo pouches, Wookie braids,, rifle, vest, and jetpack (if you want it). Then there is the whole “how to attach armor” issue and of course everything will still need to be painted and detailed accurately.

Don’t get me wrong, an accurate Boba Fett build is extremely cool and I have seen a ton of them, just know what you are getting into before you start. It is a labor of love and I really admire those who take on this build.
 
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