NZJoshy wrote: Hi there folks, I have literally just signed up and went straight to this thread after looking at IB page and am nearly about to click the buy now button but will hold off just for now. I have a few questions about them if you wouldn't mind...
Has anyone bought the full set they offer? (
https://www.imperialboots.com/product/i ... guard-set/) It looks like it has both inner and outer robes plus balaclava and padding; with option to purchase boots and gloves separately? I have never purchased from IB before but am looking to expand my range from just officers. Does this include everything that would be needed for approval apart from the pike and helmet and any small modifications with length etc...
Last time I checked, they offer a full set with the boots, gauntlets, both sets of robes, a balaclava, and an officer’s hat. I’d recommend buying each item individually from their website, minus the balaclava and officer’s hat (unless you want those items, but it sounds like you already have plenty of officer hats). When I compared the cost of the set and the cost of each item individually minus the unnecessary accessories, there was a significant difference in price not only due to the subtraction of the items but strangely in shipping fees as well (~$20 USD more on shipping for the whole set).
But, yes, they offer everything you’d need minus a pike (which is optional anyways but how can you not?) and a helmet.
NZJoshy wrote: My second question is are these a particular film accurate one? it just says OT variant. Does that mean it is only acceptable for ROTJ and none of the other variants?
Yes, the primary difference between the OT and Prequel guards is that the former only has one arm slit on the right side. The IB robes are exclusively for ROTJ. They used to say ROTJ. Not sure why they would have changed that to make it less clear on their website...
NZJoshy wrote: My third question is regarding the IB guard boots. From the photos on the page it looks like they have zips on the back of them, I thought according to the CRL there was not meant to be any visible straps or stitching? (i'm used to double checking boots for my imperial officer so I made sure to look at the boots first off).
The CRL states,
“There are no visible straps, buckles, or ornamental stitching”
Not only does this exclude zippers, but the zippers on the back should hardly be visible anyways. Whereas the front of your boots might show from under the robes as you walk or peek out in length beyond the trim of your robe when standing still at times, there’s no reason the zippers should be visible when simply standing still or even walking. I use their boots and had no issue getting approved. I’ll give you a link to my build thread below.
NZJoshy wrote: Anything I should be wary of or are IB worthy of praise?
As you have alluded to, IB has a good reputation in the 501st community and do receive a good bit of praise. Personally, I found Vincent to offer a quality product at a decent price, but his customer service can be lacking at times. I am not sure if they updated the description, but the IB robes do not require you to consider your height as a measurement. I’m ~5’9 and 159 lbs., and I originally ordered the Small set because it fit all of my measurements to a tee. Yet, when I received them, they were too short by a couple of inches and thus would not hang 1 inch from the ground per the CRL. The description states that the robes should be “extra long” to allow for hemming to the wearer’s height.
Nevertheless, when I contacted Vincent, the owner, he was indeed quick to respond, which was nice, but he also put all the shipping fees (~$100 USD) on me for return shipping claiming that he was making an exception for me and that I didn’t technically qualify for a return even though I had received an item not as described. The robes were not “extra long”, and he even told me that, when he spoke to his tailor, the Small robes do have a maximum height of something like 5’6 or 5’7 but that’s not mentioned anywhere on the website (or wasn’t). I’m a thin guy of average height, so I fit all of the other measurements, taken as instructed by IB three times each, but was still too tall.
I think my experience is an outlier and shouldn’t influence your decision much. The quality of the robes, for the price, are nice, and it is convenient to get much of the costume from one place. He does build to the CRL, as he is a 501st member himself. I would just contact him first to confirm which size you should get based on your measurements to be extra sure. In truth, I did that as well but still had the issue that I had; I guess I just have a weird distribution of my body weight... Anyhow, you can see pictures on my build thread along with where I got everything else. I’ll also link a comparison I did of the IB and Original robes that has probably collected alot of dust by now. Mind you, Vincent could have updated his product by now.
Build Thread
https://www.forcepike.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3399
Comparison Thread
https://www.forcepike.net/forum/viewtop ... =97&t=3508
At the end of the day, I’d recommend either him or Gio of Crowprops (on Facebook) for your robes. Both are good options and should pass approval rather easily.
Protegat et Serve 
