This is where you need to make a post telling who you are and what your 501st Legion ID number is (if you have one). You are not required to be a Legion member to participate on this forum but you must be at least 18 years of age.
Hi everyone, Paul here. Been wanting to join the 501st and indeed Blizzard Force for some time now and having got some unexpected money I decided to treat myself to a RS Snowy.
I have never 'made' a costume before, but I have been dressing up for a few years, I used to work in nightclubs and it was expected of us!
I live and work in Aylesbury, I run a pub for Mitchell's and Butler's.
I am excited to get into trooping, I have always been amazed by the great things the 501st has and does do, and I am honoured to hopefully become a part of that.
Do you have any photos of the inside of your bucket please? I have some padding to stick in but not sure which way is best to proceed and the one that came with it is a bit meh!
I'm happy you're able to get moving with your costume to join the Blizzard Force! RS produces great products. I don't know if you're getting it as a full commission or a kit, but if not decided yet, I'd recommend getting it kit form. I say this as for the majority of folks it's generally easier to build the suit to you than modifying a pre-built kit. Granted, it's a bit easier with a Snowtrooper than say a TK or other tupperware encased troopers, but I hope that makes sense.
If it makes you feel better, I was at one point working as a bouncer in a few clubs, though for a short period fortunately (wouldn't recommend that TBH).
As you say you are new to building/working on this sort of thing, I hope you don't feel daunted or discouraged by it. I'm glad that you're not starting with say Clonetrooper armor as your first suit, as I've seen it many times over that prospective 501st members go full steam with that costume, see the massive pile of plastic and have what amounts to a mental breakdown and regret...and they don't ever finish or sell it. So starting with a Snowtrooper should be a good project.
I'll add that as a starting costume, you'll find that even built to it's film accurate degree, the suit is very durable at that baseline, so presuming you follow that at a minimum, the suit you have should last a very long time without need for repair/replacement parts, assuming you're not planning to do anything crazy with it (like mechanical bull riding- Yes I knew a dude who did that routinely).
So yea, I'd peruse the forums a bit to get familiar with things and ideas in case you want to adopt or mimic previous examples. I'd say get familiar with the CRL/costume requirements as well. When it comes to using visual reference for the purposes of determining what is "correct" or accurate, to ALWAYS use movie and or production reference photos. While there are a number of incredibly accurate replica suits available, if you are not versed or knowledgeable in the suit's nuances and details, it is a better practice to avoid looking at replicas as a form of guide, unless of course you're looking at construction methods/modifications that fall within reasonable parameters that do not externally create issues with meeting visual costume requirements.