New to all this and need direction to start ordering a parts.

[TylerH]

New and lost with all the forums. My son (Tyler) wants to be a ShoreTrooper:Grunt and get into the 501st Legion. He is 19 with special needs, so I (dad and guardian) am trying to navigate this process. Am I in the right group and how do we start looking at parts and pricing to get parts ordered... or is there another step I need to do prior to that?

[Minimo]

Hiya Tyler and welcome! You are most certainly in the right area!

When choosing a Kit, a lot of it is going to depend on your budget, what materials you like working with (ABS, 3D prints, Fiberglass), and desired lvl of accuracy.  Most kits that have been vetted here will need some amount of modding to get them to be approvable, but that’s part of the fun!

The guys have compiled a list of vendors which have been used for approvals:

http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/19024-shoretrooper-vendor-list/

My suggestion would be go over the WIPs found in this site, browse over all of them, to get a better idea what the strengths and weaknesses of each are, reviewing the wips you will also give you a chance to better understand what mods you are comfortable doing and which you are not.  

Here is the WIP area:

http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/129-shoretrooper-wip/

Go over the wips, it’s honestly the best start IMO.  Also reach out to different vendors, see which kit would fit your son’s size better and which one fits your budget better!

Lastly, I would also recommend to touch base with your local garrison to start the process of integrating you and your son with the members. 

We are here if you need us for specific question, and above all, have fun!

[KOtrooper]

Ask away with any questions you have at all along the way. We're happy to help you and look forward to seeing your son as a Shoretooper.

Sent from my Pixel 5a using Tapatalk

[TylerH]

On 9/22/2022 at 8:25 PM, KOtrooper said:

Ask away with any questions you have at all along the way. We're happy to help you and look forward to seeing your son as a Shoretooper.

Sent from my Pixel 5a using Tapatalk
 

Is there any way someone can give me a call to walk thru some of this stuff? My cell is [REDACTED]. Thanks, Markus

[TylerH]

Is there anyway that someone can give me a call to help talk me through some of these topics.

I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks, Markus [REDACTED]

[BikerScout007]

29 minutes ago, TylerH said:

Is there anyway that someone can give me a call to help talk me through some of these topics.

I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks, Markus [REDACTED]

Hey Markus!

Keep in mind we're all volunteers with jobs and other real life concerns.  Getting on the phone is not something that is always possible.  Also, remember that this portion of the site is public, so you're exposing your personal information.  I'm going to remove your number from your posts, for your own internet safety.

It looks like you are looking for some very specific direction.   So I will just tell you what I did.  Remember though -- there is no "Shoretrooper in a box".  You will need to shape, glue, paint, sand, and weather the armor.   We have lots of WIPS showing these processes.

I purchased my armor from Imperial Surplus.  It comes in a kit form and will need all the work I described above:  https://www.facebook.com/imperialsurplus

I purchase my soft armor from Imperial Boots:  https://www.imperialboots.com/

I got my gloves from Endor Finders:  https://www.endorfinders.com/shop/rogue-one-trooper-gloves

I got my boots from Ardmoor:  https://www.ardmoor.co.uk/products/orca-bay-brecon-chelsea-boots-ob-brecon

Hip armor and other parts you can get from Mr. Paul:  https://www.facebook.com/totalgrunt

My total build price was around $2000.   Shoretroopers are one of our more expensive costumes.  

This was my build thread to the extent it will help give you some guidance:

 

I hope this is enough info to help get you going.  Building a Shoretrooper is a long process and usually takes several weeks if not months.  So just keep in mind this is a marathon, not a race, and we are here to help you along the way.