New Build A ESB Imperial Officer

[Fox]

Not sure if this counts as a build or more of a slow and expensive shopping trip.

I thought about getting a more comfortable option. Admired the Officer's uniform. Thought it was neat that Museum Collectibles made one, followed by Anovos. Spent the last 2 week doing research. Narrowed my list down to Denuo Novo (formerly Anovos) and Wampa Wear.  Concluded maybe I shouldn't be spending so much money on something so silly. Then Denou Novo included a belt and shipping for free - SOLD!

Hat, Jacket, Slacks and Belt all on pre-order from Denou Novo who so far I hear has been doing a good job fixing Anovos mistakes.  Preorder is due this quarter.

Next on the shopping list in no particular order:

1. Riding boots for true gentleman.
2. A belt in my size. They didn't have my size in stock. Maybe the alternative will fit.
3. Replacement hat pin. Original Trilogy.
4. Gloves because we don't like to get our hands dirty.
5. Rank Badge and cylinder.  Guess I'll have to decide which one I want. More of a fan the ESB/ROTJ designs.

I will be waiting for the main uniform to arrive before ordering some of these additional parts.

[Fox]

Gloves ordered.

I was ordering a neck wallet to carry my stuff under the TK armor.  Had to purchase at $25 to get free shipping from Amazon. Found a pair that seems like it fits the reference library and the total for the order was $25.02

[Vaughn]

Hi there!

Which Officer CRL are you following?

[Fox]

This one,

https://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:ID_imperial_officer

[Fox]

Boots are tricky.

My research shows 2 main sources.

Imperial Boots and Hessen Antique.  Hessen is $50 cheaper but out of stock. Imperial does a run at time. Get your order in during the next ordering week and your boots will be by shipped 1-2 months later. I guess add 1 month extra for shipping.  ETA December? There's also eBay & Etsy. Avoiding the cheap looking ones.  I've found some legit looking ones but always seems to be in a small size. Must be a retired jockey. Going to see what Imperial's shipping fees are. If reasonable I'll place an order if not wait on Hessen.

Sizing will also be tricky as returns will be a hassle. I usually wear a size larger than my true size. This style of boot in general a tight fit. Guess I'll order 2 sizes up from my true size to be safe and add inserts as needed.

[1nfern0]

Hessen has never let me down, but your best bet is to go to the next 4h tack sale and grab a pair of boots there. They used to have the sales twice a year, but I’m not sure if that changed with COVID. You could get a sweet pair of barely used full leather boots for under $50 though.

You mentioned a card holder for you TK and it made me think of this wallet for cards and phone that I ended up getting at Sarah’s suggestion for my ID. It fits right in with the uniform and doesn’t make awkward pocket bulges ruining the smooth lines of the uniform!
https://www.amazon.com/Meilib-Holster-Designed-iPhone-Compatible/dp/B09CVY2HN4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=Meilib&qid=1661383083&sr=8-3

[Fox]

Neck wallet for the TK is good but not the gloves for my Officer.  Men's size L fits like Women's size M.

[Fox]

Returned those no-brand gloves and ordered some $90 name-brand gloves that was on clearance for $25. According to all the charts and videos my hands are size M but I have long fingers. Ordered new gloves in Men's size L. They're nice but now a bit too loose. Going to keep them. These gloves end above the wrist. I read the ESB's gloves should end at a wrist and ROTJ's end above. I said I was aiming for an ESB Officer. Now I guess I'll be an ROTJ Officer? With me being on the tall size longer gloves will help if the jacket sleeves are a tad too short.

[Fox]

The price of these boots hurts my wallet. 

Hessen $230 ($400 regularly? It says $170 savings) but out of stock in my size.

Imperial Boots cost more at $280. Could wait for Hessen but will they go back up in price? I can live with $270 provided the boots aren't too much over $300 with shipping. 

Cost with shipping $365!

Really wanted to go with the real deal on everything but this too much. My goal was Level 2 accuracy for this build. Looks like real leather is only needed for Level 3. Could still do the less expensive PVC. Benefit of that is you can find them on sites like Amazon and can return them hassle free if size is wrong. My uniform is still on preorder. Was planning to make an order with Imperial boots today because I estimate the wait would be at least 2 months. At $365 I'm going have to remove them as an option. I think I might wait on Hessen or go with PVC if the uniform is ready before Hessen is restocked.

[Fox]

Update.

I placed the wrong size in the checkout cart to see shipping cost.  It was only $5 more. I think I can wait for them to restock. They say the boots run large. Might be able to fit in a size 11 but not risking it.

[Fox]

Got my rank badge.

Went the Captain's. Could have made myself a General or Admiral but felt Captain was more realistic goal for a career officer. For a ROTJ build I could use this badge to represent every single rank.

There's still more hardware that I need to get but I'll order that after my pre-order for the uniform arrives. I just wanted at badge ready.

[Vaughn]

For the Olive Drab costume, Captain is a solid rank 

[Fox]

Stuck in the waiting room.

Uniform ETA is this quarter. From what I hear the new management is doing a good job getting pre-orders in on time. Giving them till November before I say what's up?

Also waiting on Hessen to restock their larger sizes. If the uniform gets shipped before the boots, I'll order some rubber ones but I'd rather not. Not interested in spending $300+ for other boots. I've found legit boots on eBay UK. One pair exactly my size and another a size larger. Neither offers shipping to US. I sent a message to the larger one. Always a bad sign when it isn't offered automatically. If you do manage to convince them to ship, they might charge you extra because it inconvenient for them. Could still get them for much less than Hessen charges if I'm lucky.

[Nathanzx10r]

If you do go with Hessen, make sure to get a size or two larger then your foot.  They are extremely undersized. 

[Fox]

I've heard that.

I'm like 11-12 in most shoes and was planning to order the largest 13 anyways.