Hi everyone!

As I said in my intro, I just got my grubby paws on a Spatcave set (no helmet, no cammies, just the body and leg armor, a pair of boots, and an Airsoft pulse rifle that I don't know the brand of yet).

Where do I go from here to make a "good" costume? I'm pretty sure I can tailor my old MARPAT cammies to fit properly, and I'm sure I can get a helmet. What other doodads/painting/etc does everyone else go for for custom stuff?

_________________
Pvt J.M. "Horny Tormund" Grabowski
A09/TQ2.0.02151G1
“You are only as strong as the warrior standing next to you.” - Mandalorian proverb

I'd say go back to spatcave.com and load up I have his uniform and love it

_________________
Cpl Matthew Rendar. M56 smart gun operator. 2nd bat 7th colonial marines "Rendars Raiders "

^^seconded^^

_________________
"How do you want this door? Bypassed or blown to shit?"

I thought about that too, but it takes so long! I kinda wanted this to be ready by Halloween. And I'm thinking about adding some paint scheme of my own to it.

_________________
Pvt J.M. "Horny Tormund" Grabowski
A09/TQ2.0.02151G1
“You are only as strong as the warrior standing next to you.” - Mandalorian proverb

From what I've gathered, a "good" costume takes a while since there are so many small details to take into consideration. There are a lot of people using Polish Desert camouflage as a substitute until they can get Spat's uniforms. If you have the armor, it will look the part in my opinion. I am sure many here think the same, it's a start of something bigger. It will take a while to get the costume up to standards and that is just dine, as you need to start somewhere. Many here have been doing this for years.

If you want it for Halloween, I recommend getting the Polish Desert or eve use the Marpat. That has been done as well. Most of all it is important to have fun and slowly build your costume. It takes a while and there are always some small details that you want to make better in the end.

_________________
The Footsoldier

I used multicam a long time, then found some "close enough" pants that I found. In any case, for accessories I did these two threads for 'screen accurate' looks:

RE: Extra bits and Style
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14279&hilit=stylin+thread

Sidearms and knives
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12723&hilit=ultimate+sidearm


Of course there are tons more options if you are just looking to put something together you like and are not wanting to be limited by screen looks.

I am a huge fan of Bigbsont's threads on what the Marines in the film wore. It's great to see all the little details, especially on the less prominently displayed grunts.

So it seems to me there are three ways to do this:

1) dress like a character in the film.
2) dress like a Marine of your own devising who sticks closely to what we see in the film.
3) dress like a Marine of your own devising who sports Expanded Universe ("EU") equipment, BDU's etc.

The great thing about this place is that ALL three of these options are fully accepted. I'm sure everyone has their preference (I'm a 2), but no one is going to tell you you're doing it wrong as long as you're putting in the effort and sharing the enthusiasm. Maybe it's because the film we love is getting kind of obscure, but there's an acceptance here for anyone willing to put in the time.

Having said all that, here are a few practical tips. Make sure your BDU's and armour have contrasting camo patterns or else the armour will disappear. That would be a bummer as it's something to show off (and one of the things that'll hopefully get you recognized as a Colonial Marine). As you don't have a helmet you could get/build a Racal Minilite headset (Spat sells a resin kit or you could make your own with some simple materials). You could also rock a bandana like Vasquez, a baseball cap like they wore on the Sulaco (throw a USCM or Weyland-Yutani patch on the front for another chance at getting recognized as being from Aliens), or a military style "lid" like Gorman wore on LV-426.
There are lots of fun bells and whistles you can add, but some are pricey and it's up to you what is most important. Metal grenades, a working shoulder lamp, a belt tool or a welder... the choice is up to you.

Finally, get yourself a resin or metal grenade to swap out for the shotgun shell that comes in the Airsoft PR. These aren't hard to come by (again Spat sells resin ones) and will immediately improve your look!

_________________
My entry-level prop and costume tutorials: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12751

That'll work in the Matrix version of the PR, right? Will there be some assembly required?

_________________
Pvt J.M. "Horny Tormund" Grabowski
A09/TQ2.0.02151G1
“You are only as strong as the warrior standing next to you.” - Mandalorian proverb

I also used the polish BDUs until I got my spat uniform . Good substitute I thought

_________________
Cpl Matthew Rendar. M56 smart gun operator. 2nd bat 7th colonial marines "Rendars Raiders "

after seeing several members with Polish BDUs at D*C this year, I highly recommend it. Do a few pocket and collar alterations and it looks darn close to screen accurate.

As far as building your marine goes, the thing i love the most about AL is freedom. We are not bound by costume regulations like some other groups are. If it looks like it belongs in the marines, or alien universe, then run with it. Im really interested in a few members with their Special Ops marines they are making. Might inspire me to make my own! The best advise i can give is put something on your armor or rig that means something to you.

_________________
PFC Mike Rizzuto MVM
USS Blackhawk
3rd Batt 12th Regt

Always excellent advice! I've already got some ideas; does anyone know how to remove acrylic off Spat armor without removing the camo?

_________________
Pvt J.M. "Horny Tormund" Grabowski
A09/TQ2.0.02151G1
“You are only as strong as the warrior standing next to you.” - Mandalorian proverb

Get ahold of some patches and make sure your Armor and Cammies don't blend together. I rock a set of old 5.11 style Diggies and Olive drab armor. The Pulse rifle and the armor do a lot of the work to look the part.