New ESB Gloves Version 4.0

Well I must be too picky or something. I ended up selling my Version 3.0 gloves and bought these instead from Galactic Bounty Hunter. I am much more impressed with the color, stitching and the size of the padding. But most of all, what sold me on these gloves, was its closure around the wrist. On the original costume, there is a Velvro closure and a small button right at the base of the wrist and these gloves do the same (while my V2.0 did not). I am going to get a second pair shortly.

New ESB Storage Pouches Version 2.0

I made these myself. Similar to the ROTJ pouches, I traced original photographs at full scale and used AutoCad to draft up a pattern. I made the left pouch identical to the ROTJ pouches, while the right one is more squared in shape. The flaps on these both go the same direction. I am slightly disappointed with the shine of the flap, but I hope it will go away with some weathering. I had to dye these to match as closely to my jumpsuit as I could. Not as easy when the material takes the dye differently. I made a second pair of pouches that I will end up selling.

New ROTJ Padded Vest Version 1.0

Yes it is actually different from my other Vest. They look almost identical, 'cause they were both made from the same pattern. However, This vest is slightly larger in size, and the Velcro goes from top to bottom along the back, where the ESB does stop four inches from the bottom.

I had a dickens of a time with the sleeves. I have had to remove them two or three times to get the right angle, look and make sure it was centered right. The neck is a little snug, but it does not choke me.

For Fun at Celebration IV in LA

Mary-Frances, Jeremy Bulloch, and I at Celebration IV, right after I got his autograph. For those whom do not know who Jeremy Bulloch is, he is the body actor whom played Boba Fett in several scenes in ESB and ROTJ. Jason Wingreen was the Voice in ESB and John Morton was a stand in for Bulloch when he could not be on set, and another guy did the stunts though they were all uncredited for their role.

This is THE ROTJ costume, with preproduction knee armor, and the ESB helmet.

New ROTJ Boot Spats Version 2.0

The Boot spats are another blunder from my first costume. As a reminder, my first costume was based off the ESB version, and in the ESB version Boba Fett does not have spats. This is a ROTJ specific item only.

To make the spats for Version 1.0, I used a seam ripper and took off the collar of the jumpsuits and stitched some Velcro to them and bam! They were boot spats.

For Version 2.0, I did like I did for the utility pouches. I found an old preproduction photograph of the costume laid out on the floor. I traced over the photo with AutoCAD, printed a pattern, cut it out of Tackle Twill, stitched it, and bam! Boot kickin' spats!

New ESB Vest Version 2.0

My first Vest was made by my sister, Rebecca, from a darker gray cord-like-material. It had the same texture as the original but wasn't the correct fabric. I had the most trouble trying to twist this way and that to get it on or off. So I had to retire the vest.

Now for Vest 2.0! It is made from Tackle Twill which is the exact same material used in the original costume. It is around $9 a yard and is seasonal. I was able to obtain 5 yards of it to create my vests. I found an old shirt of mine that was big enough to wear over the jumpsuit. I then cut it up to make it into a pattern for the vest. I used the pattern to cut out the fabric and sewed it together with some batting in it. It has a Velcro Closure in back which is to much easier to get on and off plus it is just like the original costume. I am very impressed with how it came out and hope the second vest comes out just as nice.

New ESB Bonus Armor

A little over a year ago I bought a real Webley & Scott Flare gun for $300. I Molded it and cast replicas of it. I sold a few of these replicas but stopped since my mold wasn't the greatest. Well soon after I got an offer for a trade. Durasteal wanted one of my kits and said that he would make be a set of Aluminum Fett Chest armor. I agreed and sent him a kit. Well to make a long story short, after a year of emails, and reminders, and posts of "where is my Fett Armor", I got this in the mail yesterday. The chest, shoulder bells, and cod. They all are a near perfect fit for me. These will go great with my Aluminum Helmet!

New ESB Wookiee Braids Version 2.0

A very skilled, and detail oriented woman, named Julie is making Wookiee Braids from real horse hair. How can you pass an opportunity like that? I placed an order for them back in December of 2006 for them and got them in about 5 months. Julie braided, dyed, and knotted this set of braids for me. I told her how I wanted the gray and yellow braid, and the placement of the knots for the black braid. She did it all.

I drew up a diagram how I wanted the ESB braids to be laid out. The ROTJ is a bit more complex. I already put in a second order with Julie for a ROTJ set and I am working on a drawing for those too.

New ROTJ Utility Pouch Version 1.0

I inserted several images of the side utility pouches into AutoCad for size and scale reference. I traced over the photo and created a pattern for the pouch. I printed it, cut it out, and taped it together to get a 3D version of what it looks like before I starting cutting the fabric. I adjusted the pattern a little to make it a little bigger and finally got a pattern I liked, and made my first two pouches. Just four more to go.

ESB Costume Goal

This is a fan made costume from Celebration IV in LA. His costume is the best I have seen. This level is my 'Bar' that I am aiming to achieve.

New ROTJ Flight Suit Version 1.0

I also had this Jumpsuit tailor made by skygunbro. It is a light shade of gray cotton material. It wrinkles really badly so Ironing this baby will be a must. And like my first Jumpsuit, I dyed it a shade of blue, then faded it to get it more of a gray. Why? Simply, to make it more screen accurate. The Original costume, was actually blue. The Jumpsuit used in ROTJ was either the same Jumpsuit used in ESB, or was from the re-production costume. By the time ROTJ had come around, the blue dye had faded so much that the gray came through. Then with some heavy air brush weathering with shades of brown is what gives it it's current color.
I did some modifying of this jumpsuit to make it more to my liking. I removed the existing collar and added the turtle neck. I also removed that folded strip around the belt line. Not really sure what that was there for. I then stitched the short sleeves over each other for that layered look. The original just had stitch lines to imitate that, but I wanted the real thing.

New ESB Flight suit Version 2.0

I had this jumpsuit tailored made for me by Skygunbro. The material is a medium gray, heavy twill. I am going to dye it a more bluish gray color to more closely match the movie. Once I have it dyed to the color I like, I will remove the collar, and add the Neck Seal. I have found that most people making this costume, either have the Neck Seal as a completely separate item, or they have it sewn on to the vest. I am convinced, that on the original costume the Neck Seal is stitched to the Jumpsuit. After that, I will weather it to make it look more old, dirty, and used.
Oh, just as an FYI, you can click on the images to get a bigger look.

Updated pic with a side-by-side of before and after.

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.