How To build A FPA Uniform In 18 Easy Steps...Well, A Few Are Easy.
Scott Swoboda (giganto@arkansas.net)
Sat, 01 May 1999 17:41:25 -0500
I'm still having trouble with my ISP. I can FTP files it seems, but not
e-mail them in any reasonable amount of time. I've started working on
my 5 free megs of webspace my ISP provides, so I think it'll hold it
all. I'll notify the list when it's complete. The address is
http://www2.arkansas.net/~giganto but it's not finished yet. I need to
wrestle more with the graphics. My scanner is up again and I have at
least half the stuff scanned. Without further ado, these are the
instructions that will be on page one of the site. Other pages will
follow as I duel with my HTML program. It's enough to get you started,
or stopped if you are easily intimidated. Forgive the formatting, I'll
fix it up for the website.
1. SO, YOU'VE DECIDED TO LISTEN TO OUR GREAT LEADER JOB TRUNIHT AND
DECIDED TO JOIN THE MILITARY?
First you'll have to decide what rank you want to become. If a
Panzergrenadier doesn't stick an axe in your back, you may make it. Do
you want to become an admiral? A Rosen Ritter? A Spartanian Pilot?
Each has it's own insignia, unit patches and shopping challenges at the
PX. You won't just walk into the first store in the mall and just
"find" a hunter green beret. You'll have to ask the sales clerk. Or
rather...a lot of sales clerks.
2. LEARN TO MAKE CLOTHES FROM SCRATCH, VISIT YOUR GRANDMOTHER, OR MAKE
TRACKS TO YOUR LOCAL COSTUME SHOPS.
You have a lot of shopping to do, so best leave the sewing to someone
who can work fast. Local costume shops are only too happy to find
someone to sew you up a custom costume. They collect a commission, and
they can retain a staff of highly skilled "Barney" repair technicians
from going insane. Good luck finding someone. You'll need it.
Fortuneately for you, between easter bunny costumes and Halloween, there
isn't much else for these costumers to do. You need to bring the
accompanying chara sheets, and preferably some color printouts
showing...color. Point out the special features you want, like a scarf,
three pockets, epillets, a high collar, elastic waistbands and patches.
They will give you a shopping list of materials. Trust them and add an
extra half-yard at least.
3. DEPENDING ON YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES, THESE ARE YOUR BARE ESSENTIAL
SUPPLIES (Note, when in doubt, ask the costume maker)(another note,
measurements for fabric are based on typical bolts of fabric...buy extra
depending on your confidence in the skills of your tailor):
4-5 yards of "hunter green" fabric. You'll just have to visit every
fabric store you can find to find what feels right to you. I wanted
something like windbreaker material, since the uniform on the show is
literally a jacket. It needs to be light weigh enough to be crinkled up
into the elastic waistbands and armbands, yet not "filmy" or
"transparent." I found mine at a chain fabric store called "London
Fabrics."
4 inches of canvas. I used it for he base for a hand-embroidered
patch. I also think it's stiffening those high collars (or some other
kind of stiffening base; I can't recall: ask the costumer what to buy).
Also can line the pockets.
Roll of 2-inch-wide elastic for waistband and armbands.
Several Green Buttons-at least 2 cm in diameter. I had to spray paint
mine the right shade of green. Be sure to put on a good prime coat and
final gloss coat, as the paint may not stand up very well to wear.
Hook and loop fasteners. The elastic band at the waist needs to close
somehow.
Velcro. It supports the open half of the "double" breast and keeps it
from drooping in the middle.
Zipper. Closes the Jacket.
Package of snaps. Go beneath the fake buttons and close the flap of
the jacket's breast.
Sheer cream-colored material, for the scarf..at least 6 inches. It
should be sewn together as a tube, rolled inside out, and sewn at the
ends.
Photocopies of the chara sheets, preferably of front, back, and side
views.
These are the items the jacket constructor needs to get started. See
later sections for hyperdetailing the jacket.
Once these items have been obtained, these are the rest of the bare
essentials:
Cream-colored denim pants-preferably two inches too long on the
inseam. The belt loop along the spine is extra wide...I think to
accomodate the holster for the hand laser. (I never bothered to make
one, because Yang never carried one.)
Black boots. Until I found more detailed sketches, I thought they were
plain buckle-less boots. But they really are rather soft leather
material with zippers from the ball of the foot all the way to the top.
Green Beret. Maybe Monica Lewinski has made them popular again; maybe
she has had the opposite effect on the marketplace. I haven't tried to
buy one lately. I don't think any seamstress could make one from the
jacket material, as they practically need to be woven to shape. Green
berets in the Army Surplus shops have drawstrings, are too small, and
have black piping.
Insignia. These can be painted cardboard taped in place, or resin like
the ones I can supply.
See later sections for hyper-detailing your costume if you have the
time, money, or dedication.
4. NEGOTIATE THE DETAILS IN ADVANCE...THE MORE DETAILS, THE MORE TIME
THE COSTUME WILL TAKE AND THE MORE THE COSTUME WILL COST.
The epillets on the shoulders of the jacket (as well as the shirt
underneath)
The loop in the back of the jacket. I figured it made extracting dead
bodies in zero-g easier--just click and pull. Modern tank drivers have
similar straps on their shoulders to be pulled out of their hatches if
killed or wounded inside.
Hemming the pants and making the big back belt loop.
Whether or not you want "working" pockets. They can just sew the
entrance to a pocket.
All the different zippers, loops, snaps, velcro, etc. that it will take
to hold everything together in the right place.
Note that the jacket fits over the top of your pants! Go to the
fitting wearing the pants and belt (optional) that you will wear under
the jacket.
Do you want button holes on the epillets and jacket? It'll cost you,
and they don't appear to exist on the uniform. Be sure to tell the
tailor what you DON'T want!
Above All, get a firm price and delivery date and make yourself
available for fittings!
5. THE PANTS
I chose denim because it breaths well and is redily available in a
variety of colors and sizes. Slacks are probably more appropriate, as
the anime features the vertical pockets and non-obvious back pockets.
The jacket is worn below the belt loops (tell your tailor!) and can
cover the top of the pockets.
If you do choose denim, be sure to remove the manufacturer's outside
labels, and even the rear pockets. Just cut the stitches and "massage"
the pants fabric to an "unstitched" hole-free state.
Select a "straight" cut, not a flared "boot" cut.
If you buy pants two inches too long on the inseam, trim and hem the
pants and use the leftover material for the big rear belt loop.
6. THE BOOTS
The black boots the FPA soldiers wear on the spacecraft seem to be the
ones the soldiers still wear on the ground, so I selected some rugged
steel-toed side-zipper boots.
The shoes have no buckles or laces, and they zipper on the side.
Slip-on boots are scarcely distinguished once the pants are pulled over
the top.
In Yang's messy quarters, the boots seem to be made of a soft and
supple material. Must be those space-age polymers, because I haven't
found any similar shoes for men.
Men need to get shoes with a distinct 1/4 to 1/2 inch heel on them.
Ladies need to get boots with 1 1/2 to 2 inch heels. See Fredrica's
chara sheet for details.
7. THE BUTTONS
Surprise, the buttons on double breasted suits are fake. So are yours.
There are six buttons in front and two on the epillets, so you need at
least eight.
Big cities have stores which sell nothing but buttons, just find the
closest match in shape and size.
You will probably have to paint the buttons:
Wash the buttons in warm soapy water.
Lightly sand the buttons with fine grit sand paper, no less than 400
grit.
Wipe them down with alcohol just prior to priming.
Spray on Krylon sandable primer in two light coats.
Let the primer dry at least 24 hours.
Mix up the appropriate color of green from identical lines of hobby
paints. Add thinner until it is the consistency of milk.
Don't let the paint sit long before painting
If you don't have an air brush, either apply with a paint brush or
use one of those spray bottles with the glass color cups and siphons
in front of the pressure can.
Allow plenty of time for drying, 48 hours minimum, a week or two is
preferable
Apply a gloss coat, like Testor's clear gloss lacquer.
NOTE: a good and thick gloss coat needs at least a week or two to
harden well.
8. THE FINAL FITTING
Allow at least two or three weeks for final adjustments.
Be picky, or forever hold your peace.
You should have the pants and scarf by now...be sure to wear them.
Is that collar the right shape?
Is the elastic too tight? Too loose? Bunched up too much?
Does the breast cloth wrap around too far? or not enough?
9. ACCESSORIES AND RANK INSIGNIA
Costume and fabric shops should have plenty of scraps of cloth for the
orange fleet commander's ribbon or award patches.
I'm still looking for a soft, orange swatch to make a good fleet
commander's ribbon. If you find some, let me know, I need to experiment
to get the right shape and wrinkles.
The "special" insignia, like Konev, Fredrica, and Yang wear in the
front of their jacket is a clip which slips into the front vertical
pocket. I pinned mine on because I made mine out of resin rather than
metal. If the show's a hit we need to get the Franklin Mint on the
phone.
The collar rank insignia are pinned in place, as well as the beret's
pentastar.
I can supply just about any of these details on a few weeks notice.
Most of the insignia I don't have are easy to make.
Can you or your grandmother embroider? The unit patches on the left
shoulder are. Maybe you can make an iron on at a copy center of one of
the accompanying images of REAL GALACTIC HEROES MERCHANDISE!!
10. YOU SHOULD HAVE A DECENT COSTUME BY NOW, BUT IF YOU WANT TO GET INTO
CHARACTER THEN YOU MAY WANT TO GET ALL OF THE DETAILS.
In episode 5 of season 2, we get to watch Yang put on his uniform.
This means we also get to see what they wear underneath the jacket.
11. THE SHIRT
The light blue, long sleeve, button-down shirt with one open pocket and
epillets on each shoulder.
The shirt is similar to those worn by bus drivers, police, and air
force personnel.
I'm still looking for mine, but I have one of the "Free Planets Star
Fleet" embroidered patches that go on the left shoulder sleeve.
12. THE BELT
Can be found in Army Surplus stores.
The belt is not leather, it is a lenght of black fabric held in a
pinching buckle. The buckle has a vertical bar which slides left and
right to tighten or loosen the belt.
13. THE TIE
The tie is long, dark red and narrow. 'Nuff said.
14. THE SOCKS
White, I think.
15. THE EMBROIDERED PATCHES
I found a few for sale at Project A-KON 4 or 5. Never seen before or
since. They were originally licensed by KITTY FILMS, but on some that
was covered over.
Print out black and white test pieces of the accompanying pictures
until the ruler shows them to be the right size.
Take the final file to a print shop with color printing capabilities,
or print one out yourself.
Make an iron-on transfer.
Iron it onto a piece of canvas or the shirt itself.
Trim the canvas and stitch it on.
16. THE BERET'S PENTASTAR
Good luck finding something this shape. It's not flat, but is a short
5-sided pyramid. two sections are supposed to be separated from the
others, but I'm not sure how to make that.
I cast a copy of a Chrysler "Crystal Key" which was given to me by a
nice guy in a Chrysler dealership parts department:
Tape the flat side of the "Crystal Key" to a plastic picnic plate.
Other insignia can be made on the same mold.
Wear respirator, safety glasses and rubber gloves when mixing two
component silicone RTV. You may need to special order it, or just
make a mold out of Silly Putty. Use disposeable cups for measuring
and mixing chemicals, as well as a thick layer of newspapers as
dropclothes.
Pour the mixed silicone RTV into the plate, being sure to swab out
as many air bubbles as possible from the clean surface.
Let the silicone harden an hour or two, depending on the type you
use.
Remove the master (the key), and you have a mold.
Mix Alumilite casting resin (also wearing respirator, glasses &
gloves.) Mixing too vigorously can make air bubbles, but not enough
mixing will cause the formation of blisters in the resin parts.
The Alumilite generates heat as it cures...Hurry! It solidifies in
minutes!
Carefully pour mixed Alumilite resin into the mold, try not to leave
any voids or air bubbles inside. Some bubbles will float to the
surface.
Place a thumbtack in the resin before it hardens, pointy side out.
Let the parts harden for an hour or so. They are pliable and may
warp before they are fully cured.
A good resin mixture creates uniformly-colored parts.
Sand the edges of the part to remove excess resin.
Pant the insignia gold, or use a product called "bare metal foil".
Specify the gold foil. It has a weak adhesive on a thin metal
substrate which can be applied with some patience to...whatever.
Pin the pentastar through the beret, and attach a clasper on the
thumb-tack. These are available from uniform supply shops.
I bought a bunch.
17. THE COLLAR RANK INSIGNIA
These are relatively easy to make, if you have a pentastar mold.
The insignia pentastars can be made by not filling the pentastar mold
all the way, and trimming and sanding the edges of the stars.
Glue the small pentastars to a polystyrene sheet base.
The insignia can be cast with bent pins, like the beret pentastar
above, and be attached with claspers through the collar.
The insignia can also be glued to safety-pin-style name tag holders or
similar parts taken off a round advertising button.
The insignia can also be carved.
18. THE JACKET INSIGNIA
The FPA logo-shaped insignia started as a washer, the right size and
shape as the outer ring. Get one from a big hardware store.
There is a small pentastar inside the logo, and two white ribs of
different widths. Use a tiny pentastar and a couple of pieces of
styrene plastic cut to shape.
Cut a disk of polystyrene for the base by tracing the outer edge of the
washer.
Glue all of the pieces together and make a mold of this master copy.
Cast the part with resin, and paint.
The part should be glued to a clip, like a tie clip, but I have chosen
to use a safety pin button back. It allows me to pin the orange cloth
with wrinkles.
That was easy enough, wasn't it. Maybe later I can write about how I
constructed the accessories for Walter Amos' Imperial Admiral costume.
