Group Mandalorain Costuming Build Outline & Resources - (ONGOING GROUP PROJECT)

[Backpacks Got Jets]

ARMOR PARTY DATES /LOCATION (ALL MEMBERS AND RECRUITS WELCOME)

Dates subject to change.?? Check in often.

Check?? "Social Events" to Sign Up
5/29?? -

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Well it appears the winner of the poll was Mandalorian costumes for the group project.?? This thread will be used to compile resources and information regarding the group build.?? This first post will be updated as necessary to track relevant dates and information as it becomes available.?? The top post is going to get long, but it will have a lot of good information.???? Read some, take a break, read some more, take a nap.?? repeat.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROJECT TO COME TO ANY ARMOR PARTY, PLANNING SESSION, MEETING OR ANY OTHER GATHERING OUTLINED FOR THIS PROJECT.?? IF YOU HAVE OTHER COSTUMES YOU'RE WORKING ON, OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO BE PRESENT AND VISIBLE YOU'RE ARE ENCOURAGED TO DO SO!

This project is intended to be a team builder, but also open the door to cross-membership.?? All Current members of local costuming clubs are welcome, as well as people in the process of gaining membership in these clubs.

THIS BUILD IS A GROUP EFFORT! COSTUMING AND PRODUCTION RESOURCES FROM MEMBERS WILL BE POOLED TO EASE THE FINANCIAL OR COMPLEX PARTS OF THE BUILD!!??

There is a caveat, however.?? Some of you have contacted me about people who are not a part of any of our groups who are interested in participating.?? This courtesy of reduced cost and group help will be extended to others so long as their goal is official membership within one of our costuming groups.???? This build is not intended to be an easy way for people to get neat props for cheap.?? Anyone who just wants to come and meet people and get stuff would be subject to whatever the maker in question would want to charge them for an item.

If you would like to participate in the build please comment below with your name and what your project will be.?? This will help us keep track of each other's progress!

If you are a maker and willing to participate please comment with your name and what skill/process you're able to contribute to the project.

This list will be maintained so members know who to contact about different parts of their builds

As our projects progress, use this thread to ask questions or share information so we can all get answers and guidance together!

Also feel free to post things your gathering, or your designs, and build progress shots are heavily encouraged.

SO NOW FOR THE MEAT OF IT!

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Participating Makers:

Joe Civitello - 3D Printing, Mold Making, Resin Casting, vinyl stickers/decals

Alana Andrews - Soft Parts, Leatherwork

Kat Seelig - Soft Parts , Layout/Design

Jerred Best - Design / Miscellaneous parts

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Participating Costumers

Joe Civitello - Custom Mandalorian - Goal of MMCC Approval

Bill McNally - Custom Mandalorian - Goal of MMCC Approval

Brian Sands - Custom Mandalorian - Goal of MMCC Approval

Erin Chaffee - Canon Ursa Wren - Goal of MMCC/Rebel Legion Approval

Kat Seelig - Undecided Canon - Goal of MMCC/Rebel Legion Approval

Kris McIntyre - Undecided - Goal of MMCC/501st Approval

Jim Sprenkel - Paz Vizsla - Goal of 501st Approval

Hector Rivera - Din Djarin - Goal of 501st Approval

Ezra Bailey - Custom Mandalorian - Goal of MMCC Approval??

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BUILDING A MANDALORIAN

Step 1 - Will you be going for official membership in any of the existing costuming groups???

NO I WONT - If you just want to make a neat Mando costume for use at cons or parties etc without the intention of using it for official troops or submitting it for official membership to one of the costuming groups that's perfectly OK and well within your right to do so!?? We'll love to hang out with you and help you build your costume!?? Just know that without official approval your costume can't be used at CTG or Rebel Legion events.?? If you want to wear it with everyone at parades and cons and troops, you must get official approval!

YES I WILL - Hopefully the majority of you will be falling in this category.???? There are 3 different groups you can gain approval with.?? The 501st Legion, the Rebel Legion and the Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club.???? Getting official approval through one of these groups will allow you to troop at official events with any of those groups!

In addition to wanting to get your approval, you have to decide whether you want to build a Canon character, a Generic Mandalorian (within the confines of any appropriate CRL guidelines) or a unique Custom Mandalorian.?? Each kind has their own benefits and drawbacks.?? Just understand that many times a Canon Mandalorian build could have a much tougher review process.

For memebrship in the Mandalorian Mercs, it's imperative that you join the message boards and follow their guidelines.

Relevant CRL and Merc Forum Links are provided at the bottom of this post.

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Step 2 - PLAN OUT YOUR BUILD!

One of the most satisfying but also one of the most critical parts of your build process is the planning stage.?? Many costumers start assembling parts and material before going through approval guidelines properly.?? This can cause you a TON of problems during your build and through your approval process.?? Certain materials are not acceptable, certain prop makers have been blackballed by costuming clubs etc.

Also, you'll want to at the very least, get a rough outline of the character/costume you intend to build before you begin executing your plan.?? Mandalorian costumes will require soft parts, leather, unique items, paint, hard parts, etc so it's best to understand as much detail as you can before you start buying up materials.

The CRL guidelines for the 501st and Rebel Legion are clear on specifics for Mandalorians that fall within their jurisdiction.?? The MMCC Guidelines for Custom Mandalorians can get very specific and doing the wrong thing unknowingly during your build can cost significant time, effort, money and frustration.??

A fun twist, if you decide to go with a custom MMCC build, is alien races are able to be approved for official membership.?? Twi'lek, Togruta, Ewok, Wookiee Mandalorians etc are all acceptable so long as the costume fits within the parameters set by the MMCC.

No matter what it is you build, you are encouraged to stick with a theme.?? If doing a custom build it would be good to think of somewhat of a backstory to the build you're creating so you can focus on design/build elements to fit that mold.?? For example if the mandalorian is a bounty hunter, what kind of tools or weapons that hunter would use.?? or if they are a sniper or a covert operative what design elements might work out to make the final product project that theme.

Building a Mandalorian isn't as straightforward as it can seem on the surface.?? There are many layers (literally) to the build.?? The specificity of each layer will depend on the costume you're planning out.?? Not all of these elements are required for approval but generally you're going to have to consider the following:

Hard Parts:

• Helmet/Visor
• Body Armor
• Jetpack (not mandatory for many costumes)
• Gauntlets

Soft Parts

• Jump Suit
• Flak Vest
• Neck Seal
• Gloves
• Girth Belt
• Kama
• Capes
• Boots

Weapons/Tools

• Main Weapon
• Secondary Weapons
• Costume accents
• In Universe Utility items
• Trophies

Resource links for the planning process are provided below.

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Step 3 -Gathering / Assembling your parts!

Once you know where you want to go with your build it's much easier to focus your effort on construction and assembly.?? You'll want to focus on long-lead items first.?? Sometimes, if you're getting custom things made they can take some serious time. You don't want to end up 75% finished with your build before you order something that may take 4 months to be delivered to you.

Figure out the parts of your build that will take the longest to get to you.?? Often this is custom tailored soft parts like jumpsuits or vests.?? Sometimes it can be specialized props from a high-demand maker.?? Just understand what your lead times are so you don't end up waiting too long to progress your builds.

Again, close adherence to the guidelines set forth by the costume clubs is key when getting your parts together.?? You want to make sure you're using approvable materials, as well as assembling it in a way that will meet what can sometimes be very strict guidelines.

Specific parts of the guidelines to pay particularly close attention to are appropriate materials and correct sizing/fit of parts.????

Sometimes very well built or high quality costumes are rejected due to material or fit.

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Step 4 - Painting and Details

One of the most fun parts of the project is the paint, or in the case of a custom mandalorian, the small details you include to make the kit more personal and unique.

Before you paint your armor, it's imperative that you have proper fitting/sizing/spacing/layout etc of all your armor parts AS THEY ARE GOING TO BE WORN.?? If you don't have proper sizing or spacing you could be forced to resize or otherwise physically alter your equipment which can cause you to lose many hours of work and potentially a lot of money to repurchase or recreate items that weren't sized correctly.

All symbols, greeblies, and other armor details must be thematically "in universe" for custom creations.?? By default, any canon costume will be in universe and you'll be following those specific guidelines to create it.

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Step 5 - Final Fittings and Touch Ups

Now once all is assembled and painted, is the last step of tightening up your look.?? wearing the costume etc.?? Once you've hit this point you want to try to wear the costume for a few hours.?? Remember you'll be wearing this for troops, if you're uncomfortable or there are problems during a dry run, these should be adjusted so that you can confidently wear your kit for the duration of a troop!

This last phase also gets you ready for your application for approval.

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Step 6 - Application / Reapplication
If your kit is going for official approval for one of the costuming clubs the last step is submitting the application for approval.?? The submission guidelines differ from group to group, but essentially it's taking pictures of you in-kit for the approval teams to analyze for a pass or fail.?? If you pass, CONGRATULATIONS YOU'RE IN, YOU'VE DONE IT.?? If not, the app team will give guidance on what to adjust and give you instructions on how to reapply!

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That's it! You're done.?? Easy right?

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RESOURCES

As the project goes on the resources will develop in greater detail as we find them

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501st Legion Costume Reference Library Links

• Mandalore the Ultimate
• Bounty Hunter's Guild CRL Links

Some Rebel Legion Costume details can be an adventure.?? Several of them use exsiting MMCC or 501st CRL guidelines as a foundation.?? Others can be detailed by going directly to the Rebel Legion detachment.?? The best option would be to decide what costume you'd like to make, and then reach out and contact a command staff rep to source an appropriate costuming guideline.

Some approvable costumes for Rebel legion Approval:

• Sabine Wren
• Ursa Wren
• Tristan Wren
• Bo Katan
• Din Djarin
• The Armorer (The Mandalorian TV series)
• Live Action Deathwatch
• Paz Vizsla
• Obi Wan - Mandalorian Disguise
• Guri

Mando Mercs Links:

• MMCC Main Page??is the main page for the Mandalorian Mercs Forum
• FIRAXAN CLAN MMCC Board page for the Firaxan Clan who represent our local Clan in New England.

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MANDO CREATOR - Mando Creator is a web-based tool using many standard and custom designs that allows you to loosely plan out your Mandalorian build down to color and army styles. Very handy for early project planning.???? There's also an app.?? Very helpful.

MMCC Costume Requirements - Official Membership in the MMCC needs you to follow stylistic and thematic rules for your build.?? This link outlines what each costume's requirements are for each specific era.?? I'm sure most of us will be focusing on Modern or Post-Imperial eras but it this is an absolute must-read for a custom Mando if you want to get approved.????

There are also several Mandalorian building Facebook groups that are also incredibly helpful and members will help guide your efforts.??
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I guess that's it....

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Lets get to it!

[Mikado]

You can add my name, Bill McNally, to the participating costumers list. I am building a Custom Mandalorian for MMCC approval.

[Finruiniel]

You can add me as a maker. I don???t want to build a mando but I do want to participate.

I can do pretty much the same ??things on Joe???s list but on a smaller scale. My main offerings would be sewing soft parts and basic leatherwork (I can???t make boots or anything like that but I could handle belts and pouches). If anyone wants to get REALLY fancy I???m good at embroidery.
??

I???m also pretty good with painting and weathering. I loooove to airbrush and do detail work.

I???m pretty much a Jack of all trades master of none kinda guy. Anything anyone wants help with, I???m down.??

[bsands]

You can add me as a participant.?? One of the reasons I joined CTG was to meet/hangout with people and with only one year of trooping before covid hit i feel like I've really missed out.????

Even though I mamaged to put together a trooper costume I don't think my costuming skills are that great so I'll definitely be leaning on the group for assistance.????

Right now I'm thinking of a custom mando for MMCC approval.?? My son designed an outfit for me in Mando Creator, but I told him I might go in a different direction.

[Backpacks Got Jets]

Nonsense Brian.?? This would be a great design.?? just don't stand near me or acknowledge that we know each other.

[Sol]

I have decided to work on Ursa Wren for MMCC approval and maybe Rebel Legion too.??

As far as maker abilities go, I'm more useful in offering a helping hand or like, "here, sand this thing" or "cut this part out". I can also do some basic knitting and crochet, though I'm not sure that comes up a lot....??

[Almost]

I'm excited to join in!

I have smaller plate FDM and resin printers if they can help out, but I'm probably most use on soft parts and any dyeing projects. I also have a small fleet of sewing machines, and they mostly are in working order or close to.

Goal is approval wherever I can be approved - ideally cross approved! I've been doing a lot of character research, and I mostly narrowed my thoughts. I prefer existing characters (because too many choices means I never decide). At the moment, I'm looking at Mandalore the Avenger, end of Rebels Sabine Wren,??or Bo-Katan.

Edited April 13, 2022 by Almost
missed a word

[jimsprenkle]

I???m working on Paz, just started with the helmet and I have some stuff not much. Idk if I want 2 mandos lol, maybe?

[Lethe]

I'm in, but I've no idea what I'm doing yet. The trifecta of cross approval would be nice, but failing that I would target something 501st and MMCC approvable.

[HRivera7322]

Awesome! So excited this is happening! I'm currently working on a full Beskar Din Djarin costume for 501st approval, cross-approval if possible. I don't have much in the way of skills, but I'd love to pick up new ones (especially sewing). I've done a lot of 3D printing work in the last few months and have worked with a handful of different products so I've gotten really good at smoothing out prints, and I'd be more than happy to lend a hand in that department.

[Alay]

I'd love to join in

[bsands]

So, using my son's design as a base, I made a few minor tweaks before arriving at something I wouldn't mine aiming for.

[Swiftcloud]

I have quite a few bits and pieces of Mando / Boba armor that I have acquired throughout my journey. I would be happy to donate some of these parts that could be used as starter parts, base for designs or even just to inspire other ideas with.??
??I???ll also be happy to offer my ideas and assistance with anyones Mando projects. Please ad me to the group and let me know how I can assist. Thanks.??

[Backpacks Got Jets]

On 4/17/2022 at 10:08 AM, Swiftcloud said:

I have quite a few bits and pieces of Mando / Boba armor that I have acquired throughout my journey. I would be happy to donate some of these parts that could be used as starter parts, base for designs or even just to inspire other ideas with.??
??I???ll also be happy to offer my ideas and assistance with anyones Mando projects. Please ad me to the group and let me know how I can assist. Thanks.??

Awesome to hear jerred. !

[Backpacks Got Jets]

Updated top post with Armor Party tentative dates.

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Armor Party at my place April 30

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Some things we should be doing to advance our projects before then

Review/Register for MMCC Boards
Choose your "Era"
Within the guidelines of that era, start looking at helmet and armor designs you like.?? There are mountains of designs.?? MMCC Forums have a lot, but there are also a wide variety outside of the forums that are approvable.
Start compiling a list of the items that are required to complete your kit so you can start checking them off as you get them
Sketch out (or use mandocreator etc) what you want goal design to start looking like.

If you already have some ideas or some armor you like, you can start posting them here or message me here or FB to get some feedback!

[bsands]

I can't make the gathering on 4/30, but if we're having the monthly zoom chat Tuesday night I'll try to join in so we can chat Mando supplies.

[Backpacks Got Jets]

Rook helmet test from Alter ego

[Backpacks Got Jets]

Shrike test from Alter Ego

[Backpacks Got Jets]

I've decided to be ridiculous and do a twilek build.?? Trying to figure out the best helmet to print and mod for the lekku

Here's my short list.?? What do you guys think?

[Swiftcloud]

I think the 3rd one would probably be the easiest to modify for Twi???lek

[bsands]

@Backpacks Got Jets??still planning for a meetup on 5/22??? I'm hoping my NME props assassin bucket will arrive sometime next week so I'd have some actual work I could bring.

[Backpacks Got Jets]

On 5/13/2022 at 6:41 PM, bsands said:

@Backpacks Got Jets??still planning for a meetup on 5/22??? I'm hoping my NME props assassin bucket will arrive sometime next week so I'd have some actual work I could bring.

Hey,?? 5/22 Shifted to 5/29.?? @Alay is having one at her place so i figure 2 weekends in a row might be a little much so we can convene at her place

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[Lethe]

I'm either going to upgrade from "I don't know what I'm doing" to Live Action Deathwatch??https://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:MW_LADeathWatch??OR just chicken out and do a scout trooper because that's a more realistic goal. The unfinished costume parts around the room that mock me daily suggest that maybe I should go with the scout...

[Backpacks Got Jets]

On 5/25/2022 at 9:54 PM, Lethe said:

I'm either going to upgrade from "I don't know what I'm doing" to Live Action Deathwatch??https://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:MW_LADeathWatch??OR just chicken out and do a scout trooper because that's a more realistic goal. The unfinished costume parts around the room that mock me daily suggest that maybe I should go with the scout...

FYI i maaaaaay have live action deathwatch models already so LMK

[Backpacks Got Jets]

Finally got in touch with TwilekPam and ordered some Lekku for my eventual Twilek Mando (Thanks Kaila for unknowingly inspiring me)??

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Now to actually finish my design so i can build the bucket when the lekku get in.

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Wewt!