This is my Shadow Guard WIP

[Shanern]

So I have started my first Star Wars costume. I have been working on a Shadow Guard helmet and I am about to start hardening it and then doing the fine tuning on shape. So i figured I should start documenting my progress.
Thanks for taking a look.

[Shanern]

So photos at this time elude me. I am working on a pepakura helmet and am about to apply my first coat of resin. Any pointers are welcome. I have read multiple posts here and on other web sites. I plan to apply a resin coat and then do a rondo over coat to shape and set the form.

[stripes]

You need to use a photo hosting site such as photobucket to upload and host your images and then link them here using the IMG tags.

[Shanern]

trying to post a photo

[stripes]

Based on what I am seeing in the photo, this is the same pepakura file that has been attempted by several others. The helmet is mis-shaped in the file as the front is stretched out of proportion to the rest of the helmet and it becomes un-usuable for 501st membership.

[Shanern]

REALLY.....well that just flat out sucks....I will post one more pic once it is all together. I will take one with it on me and one sitting on the desk. If you feel it is still wrong, then I will abandon this venture. perhaps I will be able to fine an approved helmet that I can modify into a shadow guard. Thanks for the input, better to hear it now before I waste even more time.

Shane

[stripes]

most pre-made helmets can be modified if so desired to have the more narrow featured of the shadow guard. Several people have done this already within the detachment.

[Shanern]

I guess I will just not waste my time then. What I don't understand is, if making your own costume is nearly impossible and buying one seems to be the only way to get an approved costume then why not just post a list of sellers? Wouldn't that just solve a whole lot of heart ache for people who are trying REALLY HARD to make something cool and join a very cool group of guys and save you from telling people wrong color wrong shape. I know I am new and there is a whole lot of history involved and you (Stripes) only want what is best for the group and to have only top of the line costumes but it still really sucks to be on the receiving end.

[stripes]

I guess I will just not waste my time then. What I don't understand is, if making your own costume is nearly impossible and buying one seems to be the only way to get an approved costume then why not just post a list of sellers? Wouldn't that just solve a whole lot of heart ache for people who are trying REALLY HARD to make something cool and join a very cool group of guys and save you from telling people wrong color wrong shape. I know I am new and there is a whole lot of history involved and you (Stripes) only want what is best for the group and to have only top of the line costumes but it still really sucks to be on the receiving end.

Don't get me wrong, making your costume is the only way to go when it comes to the majority of the components of costumes in this detachment. A point to consider is the robes for any of the AoTC, RoTS and RoTJ versions are not commercially available (the Rubies costume is NOT approvable). Even with the TFU guards, many of the components are made by each individual recruit, with many long hours spent sculpting and resizing armour pieces to match the visual references. Even the components that are commercially available (the flight suit for example) require modification to meet the standards we have set out for membership. It is a lot of hard work, and research, but it is worth it in the end.

As for why we don't have a list of where to buy components... there aren't any set vendors for each specific piece of the costume. The sovereign protectors don't have a slew of people lining up to "sell" costumes, or even components. Up until this past year, we had no one even offering any components for the TFU guard. As of right now, we have one person who will periodically do a run of armour parts, but it is not a regular, order now and receive it 3 weeks ongoing run. Helmets are more readily available as we have a couple people doing regular runs/pulls, but even then there are many differences from size, to price point, to location being shipped from, etc. For this detachment at least, this makes having a list a virtual impossibility and would be an administrative nightmare to even try and maintain, unlike a detachment like the FISD which has plenty of resources readily available at all times.

It may seem like it is a simple matter of just buy X, Y and Z from Joe and A, B and C from Steve and you're all set.... there is a great deal more to the costumes in the 501st than that. The fit of the costume for each person, the availability of resources locally and abroad, even being able to find a vendor for any of the components all make things more complicated. These forums and everyone on the boards are here to help point people in the right direction and to provide feedback on what is posted when it comes to costume builds. There is simply no one stop shop for everything that is needed.

It has long been a stigma that the sovereign protectors was an easy way in to the 501st because of the "simplicity" of the costume. What has been shown over the past few years however, is there is a great deal more work that goes into the costumes covered by this detachment than simply throwing some fabric over your head and buying a helmet at a store.