How much can I realistically expect to pay to finish my Stormtrooper costume?

[Dday[501st]]

So, a lot of people jump in with both feet not really knowing the cost ramifications of going 100% complete on their TK.

 

We look around at armor makers and get their pricing and think, "wow thats a lot, but ok." Then they realize there are accessories to add to the suit, and tools to build the suit and strapping, snaps, bolts and so on.

 

So my goal here is to help people by laying out a general cost reference for the stuff they will ned to buy. This way you can make an educated decision about your finances how you will make a TK work so it does not break the bank and have you selling it a few months later.

 

This will be a range type pricing. There are parts that are more expensive and some that are lower cost.

 

At the very end, to help you with the accessories and armor, I have put links to the ongoing accessories listing and well as the approved armor vendors listing. These posts help compile ways to contact the sellers who have the required parts.

 

One little tip as well, just because something is a different cost then another doesn't make it worse/better than the next item available. When you read through the sale thread for the individual items, you can also read the reviews to get a feel for the quality of an item. People with a bad history or a bad product aren't allowed to sell here. So do the research and make an educated decision. The FISD does not dictate pricing to sellers, so you are the only one who can decide what price is right for the item you want, thats why there are multiple sellers for most items.

 

To start, the most important bit:

 

The armor (with helmet) - The pricing ranges widely depending on accuracy, type of scupt (fan vs screencopy) and quality. Some of the lower end pricing does not include a helmet! Keep this in mind when you do the research on armor makers and make sure that you get a helmet with the suit as well. Price range: $550-$1500

 

Any set of armor that you can find here on the FISD through the approved sellers will look great if you build it right. The suits on the higher end of the spectrum are like luxury cars. Do you need them? Not really, but it's so nice to have them and the attention to the finer details really sets them apart.

 

The Rest - This is the part that people sometimes forget about. These are pieces like the boots, the cloth belt, holster and so many other little things that help you to complete the suit. These parts I am detailing aren't optional (with the exception of the blaster) so in order to get approval from the Legion and join us, you will need every single item I am detailing. Many of these prices do not take into account shipping fees, since I can't detail them all and they vary wildly between sellers location and your location. Most are very fair here on shipping costs though. I will detail the expected pricing for these parts and then will recap everything at the end.

 

Boots - There are several options for these. There are sellers who have white leather bots that are made especially for stormtroopers. These are the accurate style and the leather is dyed white so you never have to worry about chips to the paint. The other option is to go with black Jodphur boots, get some white leather paint, prep and paint the boots. This is how they did it in the films and is likely to be cheaper then the white leather route, but involves more work, up front and in the end. So you have to decide on if you're willing to trade ease of use for film replica style. Price range: $60-$100

 

Neck Seal - This part is generally custom made to order from a few different sellers to fit your neck size. Zippers, velcro and other closure types are available. Price range: $35-$80

 

Rubber Gloves/Hand Guards - This is one of those parts that isn't 100% required. The gloves yes! However they do not need to be rubber for basic approval, they can be black form fitting gloves, just check on the CRL for the specific requirements depending on the level of certification you are aiming for. Most armor vendors will include a set of ABS plastic hand guards with the armor, so unless you're going for a higher level of accuracy certification with the FISD, the ones with the armor will do. 

On the other hand, if you want to get centurion LV3 certification, you will need to get rubber gloves and latex/silicone handguards. Price range: $25-$50 depending on options

 

Undersuit - Easily overlooked, this is one of the most important parts of the whole setup! You will want a plain black suit either 2 or 1 piece construction and it should be form fitting with no excess fabric hanging around. The best is any type of compression wear made for under sports clothes/suits to keep the wearer cooler/warmer based on the weather and construction. The best place to find these are at any general department store like WallMart (US) or a sporting goods store. If you decide on a 1piece suit, make sure there is a zipper to go pee. It's hard enough to get out of a 1 piece without having to worry about bathroom pressure. Price range: $30-$120 for the top and bottom.

 

Holster - Most times these are made from leather, but can also be imitation leather. Price range: $30-$70

 

Cloth Belt - This is the belt that the ABS ammo belt attaches to and goes around your waist to connect at your back and you hang your TD on. Price range: $30-$70.

 

E-11 Blaster (Optional) -  The blaster is optional for Legion acceptance. Not all countries allow for even toy weapons so the legion does not require them. The price ranges widely here because you can get these as kits or fully built. Most kits are pretty easy to put together and paint yourself if you have the time. Price range $80-$800

 

Tools - Now this is a hard to peg hole. You will need curved scissors for cutting plastic, a drill/hole puncher, a rivet tool, tools for setting snaps. Price range: $20-$100

 

Strapping supplies - You can go with screen accurate brackets, or you can use straps and snaps to put your armor together and hold it in place. You will need some skinny black elastic, skinny white elastic, wide black elastic, wide white elastic. For details on how skinny/wide and so on check out the replica section. You will need snaps as well. Price range: $20-$100

 

Recap! Here is the pricing once again, in one place with no descriptions:

 

Armor: $550 - $1500

Boots: $60 - $100

Neck Seal: $25 - $80

Gloves/handguards: $25 - $50

Undersuit: $30 - $120

Holster: $30 - $70

Cloth Belt: $30 - $70

Blaster: $80 - $800

Tools: $20 - $100

Strapping: $20 - $100

In total: $870 - $2990

 

For my knowledge, most people will be right in the middle, around the $1200-$1500 range for a fully complete wearable Stormtrooper costume.

 

Now here are a couple of this that aren't included in this list...

 

Time required to build. Time is money. Time building it time away from your friends, family, dog, work and so on. Unless you find a way to include them! But it's not like you're working, it's a hobby and you're having.. at least you should be!

You can bank about 40-50 hours of build time for your first build. This does not include time spent researching on the computer, waiting for glue to dry and so on. This is purely time sitting on front of a armor piece working.

 

There are people who offer a build service for a price. Average cost.. ??? Not cheap. Lets break down these costs a little. An experienced builder will take 20-30 hours to build your kit, and make sure it fits to your body as best as possible. This is a specialized skill, in a niche market which means there aren't so many people doing it. If they were being paid by the hour... say $20 a hour, which should be a good rate for a specialized job. $20 per hour for 20 hours is $400 bucks. However, a builder who gets a kit done with a high level of quality and workmanship in this time frame will ask for a bit more, more like $30. Now these are just estimated. If you have questions about a builder for your armor, post on the forums, or do some research you'll find people who do builds for you and they can answer your question directly.

 

Links:

 

Combined on-going accessories listing

Various types of armors and where to find them

 

Good luck with your build and have fun!

Edited September 23, 2014 by Dday

[Holnave (evan_loh)[TK]]

This is good! Get this pinned

[I'm Batman[501st]]

Great Resource. It would have been nice to see this before I started.... As you say, I think most people (me) will fit somewhere in the middle, unless you go for the top end RS/TM suits. There's money to be saved ($5- for gloves and use the plastic guards that come with most kits), and there's more to be spent - I think the strapping and supplies are a bit light on, and you could go crazy on tools (demel, heat sealing irons, paints, brushes, thinners, thermal detonator clips, etc).

 

Thanks for making the time to put this together.

[Sly11[Admin]]

I agree with Sith Lord, where were you a few months ago when I started researching and buying all of these things.

 

Great resource.

[haui[TK]]

Great Post i think this will help a lot of peolpe in the future

[Dday[501st]]

Great Post i think this will help a lot of peolpe in the future

 

 

I agree with Sith Lord, where were you a few months ago when I started researching and buying all of these things.

 

Great resource.

 

 

Great Resource. It would have been nice to see this before I started.... As you say, I think most people (me) will fit somewhere in the middle, unless you go for the top end RS/TM suits. There's money to be saved ($5- for gloves and use the plastic guards that come with most kits), and there's more to be spent - I think the strapping and supplies are a bit light on, and you could go crazy on tools (demel, heat sealing irons, paints, brushes, thinners, thermal detonator clips, etc).

 

Thanks for making the time to put this together.

Yes, the supplies part can go a lot higher, but that gets into the realm of things you don't necessarily NEED, which is where I'm trying to focus. a Dremel, not really required, it makes things easier, but you can get away without it.

 

 

This is good! Get this pinned

 

 

THanks all for the fast responses!

 

I hope this will become a good resource for people to get a good idea what they are getting into and realistically decide if it's something they can sustain.

[Veeds[TK]]

Great post. I've been researching all this since before I signed up. This will be a great post to help increase our ranks.

[starsaber25[Admin]]

Yeah great job Derrek.  This is something that I was trying to add up when I first started as well.  I'm with Ian and think that I will probably fall somewhere in the middle.  I've been thinking since the beginning of my journey that when I am all said and done I was going to do my best to add up all of the things that have been bought for my armor to see how much it has cost me.  I was going to put it at the end of my build thread.  It is a question that gets asked all of the time by new people and it is a good question to ask.

 

I think I have certainly gone over what I thought I was going to originally spend at this point.  Its all of the little things that you can't plan for.  Oh wait I need some spray paint.  Oh wait I need some more magnets.  Do I really want to make my own thigh garter or do I just want to buy one. 

 

These are the things that can make you go over budget.  It is easy to say that you want to not go over a certain amount of money but then you get antsy and just want it to be done.

 

Of course it all starts with your armor pick right?  ATA to TM or RS.  Of course I chose MTK to stay on the more affordable side as well as it is awesome armor.

 

This thread is going to contain a lot of good info.

Edited August 15, 2014 by starsaber25

[bzb]

Don't forget aluminum TD clips!

 

Even while owning most of the tools that were required, I ended up at $1600.  

 

This, of course, doesn't include the new parts I needed to get when I damaged them (chest, ears) nor the replacement bits like Velcro, elastics, spare gloves, spare undersuit, etc.

[chrskmbr]

Lucky me, my wife is a dog groomer and we already have a dremel!

Thanks, I did realize I had almost no tools, and will push up the price up a bit. This is very informative, getting soft parts while saving up to December to make my AM armor purchase.

Edited August 15, 2014 by chrskmbr

[jannick]

Lucky me, my wife is a dog groomer and we already have a dremel!

Thanks, I did realize I had almost no tools, and will push up the price up a bit. This is very informative, getting soft parts while saving up to December to make my AM armor purchase.

Your wife grooms dogs... With a dremel???

[TK-66929[TK]]

THIS IS AWESOME !   When going into any "hobby" I know there are always going to be added things that I just didn't think of and here you got the highlights for sure.  This is something that will most likely be pinned right ?

 

 

Thank You for posting it.  And adding an extra 10-15% to the prices above would be a good idea to include the things I said, well I can make that, and after "making it" (Grin) realizing it would have been less expensive to buy first !   Grin...

 

 

Daniel

[Nagedzi[TK]]

Great resource--I think a lot of people getting into this hobby should know this up front.

I think you should also add a couple optional accessories that many troopers end up adding: namely an audio system and helmet fans. One adds to the ambience and the other is absolutely necessary in certain climates and troops.

[travisccook[501st]]

Excellent thread  - thanks! I'm actually a little surprised that it isn't higher. I totaled up what I spent on my Ghostbusters props once... It was not a kind spreadsheet.

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

blasters can be higher in price if they have a real scope and counter, or are made from a demil.  add the upper limit price up to 750-800

holsters are also lower in price as I sell them at 30.00

I also sell latex hand armor for 20.00 and gloves cost 6

I have TD clips from 15 just for parts and 20 built. 

 

also you should add storage bins, fan systems, sound systems, and voice clickbox systems.

don't forget insoles, water, a neckwallet, a camera, and lot's of money

for conventions, events, and free time off from work on weekdays, weeknights.

 

add band-aids, ointment. and plenty of water.

you should also probably add

 

portable battery operated fan

small folding chair.

Edited August 15, 2014 by TK Bondservnt 2392

[aliens8us]

This is informative and helpful! And if possible, find a fellow Trooper in your Garrison that can assist in Armor building. Also known as Armor Party! I received my TK from AP, and definetly was excited and nervous with the amount of work will be done. Building the helmet and painting was easy. But I don't have the tools for everything else. The Velcro and staps and buttons are cheap thankfully. But Parachute Buckles can vary between $1.50 to $3.57 each (large flat) apiece!

[I'm Batman[501st]]

and free time off from work on weekdays, weeknights

What are the lower and upper limits for free time off from your wife and family?

[Dday[501st]]

What are the lower and upper limits for free time off from your wife and family?

 

Priceless

[DaygoErm[TK]]

Great thread!  This is exactly what I needed to see.  I've already ordered my AM armor, and have been just reading multiple threads to try to get all answers for whatever else I needed to complete the full suit.  This was perfect!  I've followed so many other threads too, just to keep up with getting all my answers.  What would also be a plus is adding all the threads or links with the breakdowns too... But overall, gotta say it again:  GREAT THREAD!

[DroidHunter]

Great thread but glad it wasn't here when I stated my build. I knew the cost of the kit and some accessories, but if I had added the whole thing up before I got started I may never have jumped in head first! sometimes ignorance is bless.

[Dday[501st]]

Great thread!  This is exactly what I needed to see.  I've already ordered my AM armor, and have been just reading multiple threads to try to get all answers for whatever else I needed to complete the full suit.  This was perfect!  I've followed so many other threads too, just to keep up with getting all my answers.  What would also be a plus is adding all the threads or links with the breakdowns too... But overall, gotta say it again:  GREAT THREAD!

 

Ermer,

 

Thats why I've linked the ongoing accessories list at the bottom, so people can do the finding themselves. Well, semi-themselves.

 

Having a lot of information available is great, but having it to easily available isn't. Then you don't get the sense of accomplishment for finding it on your own.

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Last time we did a poll, most people paid about $1200. Maybe we should do a new one to get more data?

 

Also, if people want a de-activated Sterling for their E-11, that can go higher than $280. Plus, some people pay to have their armor built - not sure if you want to include that?

 

Lastly, maybe we should also poll for how much time it takes to put together a suit, start to finish? I say that in that it can be great to set expectations. For instance, Kevin W. once calculated that most clones took 108 hours to build on average.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Sounds like a great poll to me, Paul. Of course, I'd have to finish adding everything up in order to respond, but I know it is well above that average in the previous poll. LoL

[chrskmbr]

Your wife grooms dogs... With a dremel???

Haha, she has a dremel for their nails. Some dogs need it.

[Dday[501st]]

Last time we did a poll, most people paid about $1200. Maybe we should do a new one to get more data?

 

Also, if people want a de-activated Sterling for their E-11, that can go higher than $280. Plus, some people pay to have their armor built - not sure if you want to include that?

 

Lastly, maybe we should also poll for how much time it takes to put together a suit, start to finish? I say that in that it can be great to set expectations. For instance, Kevin W. once calculated that most clones took 108 hours to build on average.

 

I will definitely be adding some more stuff to this, and those suggestions as well as the ones previous from others are great! This, like my on-going list will be a post that seems some updating as time goes on.

 

Unfortunately I will be going on vacation today in a few hours... to SWEDEN, yey. I'll look into new parts to add to it when I Get back.