sharkbait

There's also a 501st patch trading group on facebook.  People also sell patches too, especially in lots.
 
The ironic thing is that I need a regular size round IOC patch too at some point.
 
 

China is weird.  (And I mean that not in a mean or bad way, but if you've never been an American dealing with their system before, you understand what I mean!)

Seriously?  Wow.  If they were keeping the old site, why all the hassle to create TWO new sites with the same content?  (cossky.com and newcossky.com)
 
Wackadoos.  LOL

Just to tell that the Good and Old Cosplaysky site is back online!

I feel your pain- I've never been an "off the shelf" type either.  I've also found Asian sizing doesn't know I exist (I'm 5'11'', and a woman).
 
And I agree- email first, you might get lucky!  If not, well, you tried, and now we'll know.  

I have some small IOC patches and I believe one large IOC back patch available for sale or trade.  I also have some IOC coins.  

Before paying both fees, email their support and ask. Can't hurt, might help!
- Jeff

I haven't ordered from the new site, yet, but in testing it, it seems like you'd put in your measurements on the color change page, and submit only that.  (I just filled it in with random numbers and hit "add to cart," and it came up with only the $30 color change fee, not the additional custom fit fee).  
 
Having said that, I really recommend costume from CosplaySky/Cossky- unless you're super lucky and happen to fit one of their standard sizes exactly (I've seen it happen, but it's been rare).  It's worth it for $50, in my opinion (I did it for both my suits and they're great).  They always get the legs a bit off and the pants punch outs kind of big, but they're easy to fix.  I'm not overly familiar with the Grand Admiral stuff, but adding a note with correct measurements/specifications for the color wouldn't be a bad idea regardless of custom or not.  
 
Also, they have sales fairly often, so you can get at least some percentage off, which might take a chunk out of or even over shipping, or the color change fee, making the whole thing easier on the budget.

I have been approved for awhile now thanks.

The Mux boots pictured have a tad bit too shiny a finish, to my eye.  Officers did not have patent leather-level shine on their boots.
 
The Hessen boot appearance is pretty much perfect.
 
I can't do anything about the OP's unrealistic expectations, comparing his Hessen boots to $1200 boots.  But there is NOTHING wrong with the Hessen boots, for purposes of trooping in the 501st as an officer.

I have no idea how someone can look at a pair of Hessen boots and come to that conclusion.  The leather on the shaft is very sturdy, the soles are well-constructed... there are literally hundreds of happy Hessen boot wearers in the IOC, all of whom rave about their boots.  Myself included.
 
I'm not familiar with Dehner riding boots.  Perhaps they are stupendously high end boots (with a correspondingly high price tag)?  Do you have photos you can show us, to compare?
 
In the end, you do have to realize we're talking about $230 boots... which for many, is extremely high, but it's certainly nothing compared to $800+ you can pay for quality equestrian boots.  That's not going to be a fair comparison... but it's also not fair to call them junk, because they're not.

Praetorians are great, if you can snag one.  Hyperfirm did in fact go defunct, sadly.  But if you find one second hand, or even a B-Grade, snag it!  His B-Grades were nearly indistinguishable from the A-Grades.  I have a E-11 and a DLT-19.  
 
I think he just does only First Order stuff right now, but Heston3DSolutions on Etsy (though now that I write this the shop isn't showing up...) makes great 3D printed stuff.  MercSupplyShop on Etsy also has some kits and upgrade kits (for a airsoft gun base to be a Merr-Sonn for example).
 
I heard about a "Hyperfirm of the UK" but never managed to find out exactly who it was- but they were vetted, just in the UK, so if you're stateside it's expensive shipping.  
 
WhiteArmor.net periodically has E-11s for sale in the For Sale section, as do other forums, as mentioned above.  Also keep an eye on the 501st boards under For Sale- that's where I snagged by B-Grade DLT-19.
 
Also, almost forgot- look no further than Darman (Etsy, various forums) for holsters!  They're amazing and great quality leather and craftsmanship.  I won't be buying any other holsters except from him.  (I currently have an E-11, DL-44 and Merr-Sonn from him, eventually will need a DH-17 and possibly others).  

I'd never recommend (or approve as GML) a full suit of armor made of EVA, but boot covers like those? As long as they look the part.

I've come across this seller before- I've never seen any of their stuff in person, but I'm impressed by the photos.  Right number of stitches on the brim, shape is right, looks like quality materials.  The fact that they have some more obscure Rebel Legion soft parts is a good sign- they wouldn't have that kind of stuff if they weren't into costuming and knew what they were doing.  

CosplaySky's website redirected to the Cossky.com website a couple days ago, and now it's redirecting to the NewCossky.com website.  It's all the same company, just rebranded (lots of old watermarks with the old company name everywhere, still!).  Seems they can't quite make up their mind what they want the new name to be, LOL!
 
One change is they've moved the custom sizing option to an add-on (which they oddly list under Services and refer to as "Change the color/Fabric"): https://newcossky.com/products/color-fabric-change-service-for-costume-orders
 
The Black Staff Officer uniform someone might want is now here:
https://newcossky.com/products/star-wars-imperial-officer-uniform-costume-deluxe-version-new
 
And the Olive Line Officer uniform is here:
https://newcossky.com/products/star-wars-imperial-officer-olive-green-costume-uniform
 
The hats and belts they sell are garbage, and not approvable.  Don't waste any money on it.  If you plan to go with the Olive officer, you'll want to contact them about adding extra fabric to your order, so you can have a matching hat commissioned.
 

I would recommend custom- it gets into real messy territory if you have to shorten significantly, because all the pockets have to be adjusted, and unless you're a tailor, it's dang near impossible.  It will be worth it for a perfect fit, though!

Based on my monitor color, I'd say 3 or 6.  The olive Cosplay Sky I've seen is closer to 3, but I've also seen custom and others closer to 6.  The originals looked a little flat to me (could be the film quality over), which would lean towards 3.  

My pleasure
Perfect like on the first day.

I use the Dryel product and it works well for mine. Just put it in the bag with one of the cleaning cloths and put it in the dryer, and it comes out as fresh as a trip to the dry cleaners.


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I've heard both dry clean only and go ahead and throw it in the washing machine.  A friend of mine dry cleans his.  I wasn't going to, because I have a pair of work pants made of the same material (which ending up doubling as straight-leg pants for some additional officer costumes), and I throw them in the regular wash- I've had them for some time now and have seen no ill effects from said washing process.  But I will say I haven't washed my officer (CosplaySky) yet, so I have no personal experience with the actual tunic and pants.  (It hasn't been worn a ton yet, and not yet in summer when it will really need a wash).  
 
I would recommend a more gentle/cooler (not super hot) wash and not nuking the hell out of it in the dryer if you do it yourself, maybe even damp dry and air dry the rest.  If you added interfacing on the punch outs on the pants, it will be toast after a dry cleaning and need to be replaced.  Depending on how heavy it is, it might last a home machine was or two.  (Luckily that stuff is cheap, so it's not a huge deal to re-do it).  

I'm going to be sending her my extra Olive material (once it gets here) for a hat, this is good to know.  But I know never to be in a hurry with 501st stuff (it can smell it, like fear, and then you're toast).  I've seen photos of her hats and they look good, disc has the notch, but I've never seen one in person.  I went with her because I'm also getting some additional rank bars, so I just did everything in one go. 
 
I'll make myself a note to come back and post photos once I get it.  I can vouch for her rank bars (plexi, so far, but have a push button on order).  

An exited woman once asked if I'm Rae Sloane.
When I'm in the TK, a few women have called me their boyfriend while taking selfies with me.
I do not correct them.

I loved the first one but also didn't much like the second (last) one.  Hopefully this one will be more like the first!  Or, better yet, more like the original Last Command trilogy.  

I did not like the last one and hopefully this will be more up my street