Rebel Fleet Trooper Questions

Well, I've gotten my RFT finished awhile ago, and I'm wanting to upgrade some things to make it better/more accurate. I know it's been discussed that, just as the AT-AT helmet, the RFT lid is supposed to be light grey. However, alot of the RFT's don't want to change that within the rebel legion (that's fine, I'm not looking to upgrade that anyways)

What I'm really wanting to know is if anyone has put a significant effort in making the shirt w/ bib as accurate as possible? The way ours is currently made is alright, but I have alot of issues with it, and myself and a local really want to get these remade, to be not only more accurate, but also fit and built better.

The only picture that I know of, just of the shirt itself, is a pic from the auction that was done awhile back. The inititial analysis is that the shirt material is from surplus old school US Navy Dungaree shirts (I wore the old school style uniform when I was in seacadets, bell bottoms and everything lol) So I know where to get the material from.

Anyways, I don't want to put this in the Junkyard, cause I'm not really looking for someone to do this for me and my buddy YET, but gauging to see if anyone is able to and or willing?

So here's the picture



To me, it looks to be the same exact material as the navy dungaree shirts, but upon closer inspection, it appears to be a heavily modified shirt. Collar looks exactly like the dungaree, bottom as well, but looks like the center portion of where the opening should be, it is completly enclosed, however, there is a seam line not too far from the center, so it's possible, that this could be extra material added? The sleeve cuffs appear modified as well, alot thinner.

So this could just be another chambrey style shirt, the same exact material as the dungaree's, but just a totally different design.

Any thoughts?

-TC

That extra seam does look like its extra material. The fabric on that area is hanging differently then on the rest of the shirt, which might mean that its double-breasted (probably just an added layer?)

Hey, thanks for the pic, totally forgot it existed. I have to agree that it looks like they added the bib part and another piece below it to cover the buttons.

As I recall from the auction description, the material was a described as a kind of wool.

Darth Lars said:

As I recall from the auction description, the material was a described as a kind of wool.

Click to expand...

Wool? It looks too thin to be made of wool. The creases and the bubbled sections in between the fold and the seam are very consitant with a chambrey material

Since I haven't seen this posted anywhere else on the RPF, I'll leaved these reference shots of an original troopers vest here:



The clear photos show several clear things:

- There are no front closure method what so ever
- The "long pocket with a tab" is actually three pockets
- The vest is unlined.
- The vest is generally somewhat shorter than what is currently common among the Rebel Legion
- The Rebel Legion assumption about back pockets were spot on

There's an accompanying description:

STAR WARS - EP IV - A NEW HOPE (1977) - Black Rebel Trooper Vest A black Rebel trooper vest from George Lucas' Star Wars: A New Hope. The Rebel Alliance troopers wore their vests in various scenes throughout the film, on board the Tantive IV protecting Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and in the Rebel base on Yavin IV, both before the final battle and for the ceremonial finale. Designed by John Mollo and made by A.E. Bickel & Co. – a subcontractor ofBermans and Nathans who provided awide range of costumes and accessoriesfor the production – the vest is made ofblack Teredo poly-cotton material andfeatures an array of pockets and poucheson the front and back. Mollo added vests to the costume design to create additional texture and interest to the look of the Rebel troopers. In line with Lucas’ vision of the Star Wars universe, the vest has no fastenings along the front, with Velcro and tab closures used for the pockets. The rebel trooper vests have not been seen or documented since the production of the film in 1976. The garment exhibits minor wear to the label. VAT Status - DAGGER

Click to expand...

Source: https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/propstore/catalogue-id-the-pr10001/lot-ecca2ee1-9d82-41aa-9aec-a67400c00cdc

You might get more hits/help in the Star Wars section

Sith Lord said:

You might get more hits/help in the Star Wars section

Click to expand...

Seems all the "soft" (fabric) costuming goes on here, and all the hard (metal, plastic) goes one there. I guess I should cross-post though.

Friendly flyer said:

I guess I should cross-post though.

Click to expand...

Sorry, my suggestion was more directed at tubachris for his original post

Prop Store had that vest on display in its booth at Celebration Europe 3, July 2016 and quite a few pictures may have been taken of it there.
I took a few pictures myself but the vest was behind glass so I got a better view of my own reflection than of the vest...

Darth Lars said:

Prop Store had that vest on display in its booth at Celebration Europe 3, July 2016 and quite a few pictures may have been taken of it there.

Click to expand...

I guess this "new" evidence coming to light will make for some headscratching and sleepless nights over in the Rebel camp

I searched on-line on how to assemble a fleet trooper uniform, and almost all I could find was the "cut down an old BDU" method. The actual vest is bloody complicated!

Just to let you know that I'm planning to work on the uber acurate version of the shirt in the coming month, hope I can make it.
I'm experimenting the cutting design with paper so far, to see how it actually works.

Rivaskiy said:

Just to let you know that I'm planning to work on the uber acurate version of the shirt in the coming month, hope I can make it.
I'm experimenting the cutting design with paper so far, to see how it actually works.

Click to expand...

Here's the draft design, with luck, I should get the first draft tailor made sample today:
Asymmetrical bib
Assumed functional opening bib
Simple sleeve, no cuff





This is another pic of the original prop:

Rivaskiy said:

Just to let you know that I'm planning to work on the uber acurate version of the shirt in the coming month, hope I can make it.
I'm experimenting the cutting design with paper so far, to see how it actually works.

Click to expand...

I think it's done. Although the fabric may not be the perfect one, but if you just view it from a distant, it should be fine. And more washing may make it look better. It's just look too new at this moment.

Rivaskiy said:

I think it's done. Although the fabric may not be the perfect one, but if you just view it from a distant, it should be fine. And more washing may make it look better. It's just look too new at this moment.

View attachment 825673

View attachment 825674

Click to expand...

Looks awesome man! Wish I had you around when I was first putting this together!

tubachris85x said:

Looks awesome man! Wish I had you around when I was first putting this together!

Click to expand...

Thanks mate. I'm going to start my RFT build, will keep the progress updated on the RL RAID-ANH forum.