where to purchase vader costume pieces?

[drbones2nd]

Want to begin building my 501st compliant rots darth vader costume and needed advice where to acquire the necessary pieces. Who is reputable to deal with? My first acquisition would be the helmet....where or who sells helmets and vader pieces? Any input would be appreciated....

[Crimson]

From the FAQ:

1. Where can I get one of those (ie. armor, uniform, etc)?
Mostly, we make them, whether through vacu-forming their own molds or sewing their own patterns. You can occasionally find some stuff on eBay here or there, but do a lot of research into them before leaping at the first thing you find because there are a lot of unscrupulous sellers out there that are trying to jack up prices beyond reasonable levels. Visit the 501st Legion Detachments Directory for more details.

[Kal]

Want to begin building my 501st compliant rots darth vader costume and needed advice where to acquire the necessary pieces. Who is reputable to deal with? My first acquisition would be the helmet....where or who sells helmets and vader pieces? Any input would be appreciated....

For a ROTS Vader you are going to be some what limited on the Helmet. Best Bet is to buy the MR one off @bay if you can find one.

Use The link Crimson posted.

[Lumpy]

And get ready to pay for parts.......

A 501st approvable Vader will run upwards of $2000 and can quickly end up close to $5000 depending on the parts you get.

[mparent]

When you are ready I make the ROTS chest box and belt buckle.

Michael

[drbones2nd]

Ended up buying a complete esb costume from a 501st member. Thanks anyways

[Lumpy]

That's fine - congratulations (I actually did the same thing myself).
Just remember that just because a costume is 501st approved for someone else does not automatically guarantee approval for you. The standards have changed and there may be some tweaking to get it to wear and look right ON YOU - that's the key.

[drbones2nd]

Out of the entire costume, i ended up keeping only the hard pieces. Unfortunately the robes and suit do not fit my 6'6" frame and had to get those custom ordered. Considering what i paid, it was still a good purchase.

[Crimson]

That's fine - congratulations (I actually did the same thing myself).
Just remember that just because a costume is 501st approved for someone else does not automatically guarantee approval for you. The standards have changed and there may be some tweaking to get it to wear and look right ON YOU - that's the key.

So true. I have an Emperor set that can't be approved anymore because the standards for the outer robe changed. And I bought it from a 501st member who had that costume approved long before!

So I'll wear it as an unofficial costume or something since I can't really even sell it.

[Terrell78]

So true. I have an Emperor set that can't be approved anymore because the standards for the outer robe changed. And I bought it from a 501st member who had that costume approved long before!

So I'll wear it as an unofficial costume or something since I can't really even sell it.

You always have Ebay, and Halloween is right around the corner.

[Crimson]

I tried that already, but apparently when competing with the garbage Halloween costumes that are out there, "fair value" wasn't really enticing enough.

[drbones2nd]

What has changed on the robe requirements? Last I read, it was to be made of wool and silk lined with proper collar and chain, depending on the vader you are going for.

[Crimson]

Sorry -- we derailed your topic! I was talking about my Emperor robes as an example of why it's always best to constantly check the standards and not assume that just because you bought a piece from a 501st member that it's still up to spec.