New ROTJ Cape Version 2.0

I cannot believe I could have been that reckless those so many years ago. My first costume was supposed to be an ESB Fett, but I clearly had a ROTJ style cape.

This is one of many Found-Items on Boba Fetts costume. It is made from a US army Shelter Half. One half of the tent was carried by one guy while the other half of the tent was carried by someone else. When put together it made a large pup tent for two.

I bought two tents to make sure I got one that was the correct stitching. I ended up making four capes out of the two tents, and sold three. The fourth and last cape is the one I am keeping for my ROTJ costume.

I have not weathered the cape yet as I am still trying to locate all the holes in the proper location and size. I used several reference photos from The Magic of the Myth to get the stitching as close as I could to the original.

New ESB Cape Version 1.0

This is a TK-409 Cape. I got it several years ago from him off eBay. It is a great cape, very well sewn and weathered. No one really knows if the original cape was ILM made or if it was a Found-Item. By Found-Item, I mean something that was not fabricated in the Prop Room of a movie studio, but at one time or another was available to the general public. I believe that the cape is originally a Wool Horse Saddle Blanket. I have not found one yet that is identical, but a lot out there are close.

New ESB Utility Belt Version 2.0

Now you are probably asking yourself, why did I buy these belts? Simple answer. They looked really good, and they were selling for less than what I would have paid to make them myself. With the cost of leather, leather dye, the Velcro, the Brass Eyelets, the industrial sewing machine to sew leather, all would have shot this little baby into the high thousands.

There is very little to no reference photos of the ESB costume from behind. But I did manage to find two poor quality images and this is how it looked. Same style as the ROTJ Belt, but certainly different. I did not purchase the pouches for this belt as they are also very different from the ROTJ version. I plan to make them myself, as no one makes ones that meet my standards. Belt was also made my Batninja.

New ROTJ Utility Belt Version 1.0

I bought this Utility gun belt from batninja (For some reason everyone likes to call it the 'Ammo Belt', but Fett does not use ammo, and all official publications call it the utility gun belt). It is made from a soft pleather material with a Velcro closure on the back. The pouches themselves are non-function (they do not open) just like the screen used prop. I have looked at so many photos from the movies and I have seen both eight pouches and nine. So, I decided that I would have nine on this costume, and I am glad I did. It looks so much fuller and complete with nine pouches.

I Trimmed off the extra length on the back and stitched down the Velcro in the proper place to fit. It has some nice long Velcro strips, so if size changes, the belt can be adjusted up or down and still be wearable.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Well, now that I have covered my old costume, it is time to focus on my new ones. I will be posting the costume parts that I acquire and the parts that I make as I begin them and when I finish them. I can only work on this costume during the weekends, so updates may be far in-between or they could come quick. There will be no order to the posts, but I will label them as to what they are and not be creative with the title.

Just so you understand I am not making everything all at once. I am starting with a section and working on that till it is done and then moving to another. My first section for my Fett Costumes, is "Soft Parts". This includes, Jumpsuit, Vest, Side Pouches, Ammo Belt, Wookiee Braids, Gloves, Boots w/spats, Honor Sash and Cape.

ESB Honor Sash Version 2.0

This is my second Honor Sash that I cannot remember if I used in my first costume or not. The original Sash from ESB is a Found-Item called a Horse Girth. It is the belt that attaches to the saddle and wraps under the belly of the horse and connects to the other side. The first girth that I bought was white and too long for my waist. I dyed it a more maroon color and had to cut it down so it would not over lap on its self when I wore it. I was not impressed with how it turned out, so I sold it.

I found this one in a old Horse and Tackle shop out in the middle of no were when I was shopping for Hose supplies with my friend Wendy. It is a good color and fits around me perfectly. I may try to lighten the color a bit, but I am certain to keep this Girth for my ESB Costume.

ESB Boots Version 1.0

I bought these boots in November of 2001 from a talented and also very recommended individual, Mark Cheng. He was doing a limited run of them and I got on board and be made them to my shoe size. They are comfortable and work well for my costume. The more I look at them though, they are a bit thin. Boba Fett's boots are actually more flat and have a more rounded toe. I might upgrade these, I have not decided yet. The toe spikes are aluminum.

ESB Wookiee Braids Version 1.0

I still love these Wookiee Braids. I bought some synthetic hair from Sally's Beauty Supply and had my sister, Rebecca, braid them for me. She came up with an ingenious idea too of connecting the braids to my vest. Just a simple snap connector. We stitched the snap onto the braids using colored threat to help it blend, and added the female half of the snap to the vest. It works great. It stayed put the whole time and could pop off when it was time to remove it.

ESB Rocketpack & Back Armor, Version 1.0

This is another item I bought from Mark Bradley and his "Build Your Own Boba Fett" website. I painted it to look like the ESB version. I had very limited reference material so the paint details are not there, but the overall look is. It was heavy to wear and the harness that I made to strap it to my back was too tight. I was happy to sell this. It came as a kit when it arrived and consisted of vacu-formed plastic and resin parts. I put it together with Goop glue, great stuff and strong adhesive. I used the Air-Brush in a can that my sister Sharon got me one year for my birthday.

ESB Helmet Version 1.0, 2.0 and Bonus

My first helmet was a 1997 Don Post Licensed Mask (Don Post I believe went out of business and Rubies is now producing the masks). I cut out the Visor rubber to add a smoked T-Visor for better visibility. The paint job was quick and with no real detail.

My second helmet was an upgrade from the first, but I never finished it. It was a Don Post Deluxe recast. Someone had an Original Don Post deluxe Helmet, molded it and cast fiberglass copies of it. That is what this is. The Deluxe Helmet was molded off an original Pre-Production Helmet from LFL. I painted this much closer to the ESB helmet. I Liked it for the most part, but think I can do better next time.

This is my bonus helmet. I am not in-love with this baby yet, but the more time I put into it to smooth it out and re-paint it, I just might. I bought this from a talented artist from Sacramento, Brain S. aka Hand-Schaub. He was working at a bronze factory and was able to sculpt, mold, and cast this helmet in Aluminum. He only has made a handful of them. It is 100% rare as I have never seen anyone else offering aluminum Helmets before or since. With that, I cannot sell it as I would never have the opportunity to own anything like it again.

ESB Gloves Version 2.0 & 3.0

Oh my gosh these are embarrassing. These are a regular pair of white cotton gloves that I colored/painted to give the appearance of the Fett Gloves. The these are the second pair of gloves I made. The first pair were brown leather gardening gloves that I also painted to give the right color and stripes. Both really horrible solutions.

Now my third pair of gloves I bought from a guy who went by the screen name Slave1. His gloves were so widely exulted that I was compelled to purchase me a set. $80 later, I had these. The fit nice, and where a great color. It had all the movie details, but the quality on the white fingers and the top were something else. The fingers are too fat and the stitching is not the greatest.

I still have all three pairs.

ESB Utility Belt & Utility Pouches Version 1.0

I bought these both from Richies Armor. I also got his chest lights and modified the sequence to make it more screen accurate. I was not happy how the utility boxes sat on the belt. The loop was a little to big causing the sag just a bit. They were also a thin leather and even though they opened, you could not put anything in them. The utility pouches where a good quality, however inaccurate again as in the movie they are both the same size while these are clearly not.

So I sold these too.

ESB Jumpsuit Version 1.0

My sister Rebecca and I made this first Jumpsuit out of a Medium size pair of Coveralls. I purchased two to pairs so I could use the extra limps of the coveralls. I used my stitch puller to remove the breast and rear pockets and then turn and sewed them on the front for my Shin pockets. I then cut the long sleeves off one jumpsuit and used my Mother's serger to attach them on the other jumpsuit giving me the extra sleeve. Over all it worked fine for my fist costume. You can not tell how bad it really looks when you have all the rest of the gear on.

Course Now it is far too small and tight for me in all the wrong places. So I sold it.

ESB Boba Fett Version 1.0

I built my first Boba Fett Costume over a period of two years and was completed for the opening show of Attack Of The Clones on May 16th 2002. I was 22 years old at the time.

I built it following the plans laid out by Mark Bradley and purchased everything he had to offer. He has since upgraded a lot of his costume parts. I tried for a year to get into the 501st with no luck. Finally as time went on I was able to become a member after getting through to the right connections. I was BH7737. But I am inactive so I am no longer listed.
However, over the years I have been out of a job and been forced to sell my costume off part by part. I only have a few items left on hand from my original costume, items I felt were too good to sell.

It has been five years and now it is time to become Boba Fett again! Now here is the twist, I am making two Boba Fett Costumes! Why decide between Return of the Jedi (ROTJ) or The Empire Strikes Back (ESB) when I can do both!