Thanks! Armor is all Great Ape at 100%, I did have to re-size the Shoretrooper shin and the shoulders by +3-4% to fit right. Unfortunately it was after I had started painting so a bit of re-work when the larger pieces came in. So first lesson; size accordingly and don't assume it will fit. When in doubt test print, test print, test print. I'm switching out the knee and hip plates/tassets to silicone just for comfort, but the vendors are using the same STLs with permission.
I have a love / hate relationship w/ Montana Gold paints at this point. Colors are fantastic, nozzles suck and coverage is really spotty, so there's a lot of touch and go. Lesson #2 decant and use in an airbrush. Again this resulted in some rework but if it doesn't kill ya'... All of Darren's armor STLs are beautiful, he's done a LOT of work getting the shapes and damaged areas just right, so I don't think you can go wrong with his stuff. I know there's some discussion and comparison on his helmet and some others, I used his, and just recently ordered one from Jsin Props done in alumiluster, so we'll see. On weathering, golden rule is a little goes a long way. I used the recommended paints from the Mandalorian FB page (Testors, some acrylics, etc.) and Fullers Earth. This stuff is gold. A lot of folks were scuffing the crap out of their brand new boots, gloves, leather. Why spend hundreds of dollars on a costume piece and then turn around and tear it up? Fullers Earth, and some matte suede sealer, I swear by this stuff. The helmet and chest diamond are done using the graphite method. Had never tried this before but really glad I did, cost and labor are minimal compared to the results.
I was a little (OK a lot) overzealous with the soft parts, specifically the ordering of soft parts. I hate to sew. In the end I wound up with 4 different sets of suits from 4 different vendors. Admittedly I was pretty damn giddy when the show aired and convinced this was going to be my "kit" to get back into costuming after a 6 yr. lapse, so I was way to eager when vendors started showing up offering the suit. Especially considering absolutely nothing was known about it, no CRL had even been discussed, etc. So the third lesson, patience. Learn it and you will save time and $, especially $. In the end I was able to get a Darkside Closet suit with some modifications to the flak vest, 2nd sleeves and knee to fit the armor and make it sit right. Cape/cloak is one of Steven Walkers. This guy is a perfectionist.
Leathergoods; Sines Industries, beautiful work and really great folks to work with. Again a few mods to make it "look" right but nothing major. I ran a nylon strap behind the leather belt and used Chicago screws to hold the rear/hip armor in place. Probably the biggest issue was the rifle sling. I'm just over 5' 8" so getting it to work and look right was interesting. Crowprops boots, also some great looking stuff. Their customer service is hit and miss but overall not a bad experience. Gloves are the Toughgloves by Stomper (Amazon) that were used for the production (same goes for the Boba re-fresh).
Metal pieces, JJ Industries. Professional, customer service oriented, excellent product. I would buy from these folks any day of the week.
Electronics. Mando-puter from the FB group same for the grav. charges, a lot of folks are making these so mileage will vary. I can wire an LED, switches, even a servo for a range finder but I'm not a coder, etc. and my soldering skills are not great by any means.
There you have it.
