Costuming

The 501st Legion is Lucasfilm's preferred Imperial costuming group. We take great pride in having high quality, movie canon costumes.
The price of a 501st Legion approved costume is considerably higher than any costume you can buy at "ordinary" costume shops and are often handmade by the member.
 
Many people (prospective members) ask us which costume they should get and that is very hard to answer. It all depends on how much money and time you can spend, how skilled you are at costume making and also your physical build. Someone 1,6 meters tall might run into trouble wearing a Darth Vader costume and someone over 2 meters tall might not want to go for a Darth Maul.

We are not permitted to link directly to sellers of armour directly from this site. If you are interested in purchasing a particular suit then please email the contact for the costume you are interested in and they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Darth Vader Royal Guard Sandtrooper Stormtrooper Biker Scout Clone Trooper Snow Trooper Tie Fighter Pilot Jango Fett Boba Fett Tusken Raider Darth Maul
 
[ Chart showing SOME of the characters in the 501st Legion ]
 


SITH LORDS (SL)
 
Darth Vader
The Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader is the prime example of the corruption of the dark side of the Force. From his humble origins as Anakin Skywalker he progressed into becoming one of the most feared and loathed figures in the galaxy. Darth Vader was Emperor Palpatine’s chief enforcer and played a key role in the destruction of the Jedi Order.
Costuming tips

 
Darth Sidious / Emperor Palpatine
The supreme ruler of the most powerful tyrannical regime the galaxy had ever witnessed. His Empire was based on tyranny, hatred of nonhumans, brutal and lethal force, and, above all else, constant fear.
Costuming tips

 
Darth Revan
Darth Revan is a part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. He was first featured in the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Although he is male in the Star Wars universe, either male or female costumers can portray this character. Revan was trained as a Jedi Knight but, after the Mandalorian Wars, turned to the dark side and almost destroyed the Republic with his apprentice Malak.
Costuming tips
 
Darth Maul
As the first student of Darth Sidious, the Zabrak, Darth Maul, was convinced of his own invulnerability. His superior fighting skills, distinctive double-ended lightsabre and inability to feel any emotion other than rage made him a formidable foe.
Costuming tips
  

 


IMPERIAL OFFICERS

Generic Imperial Officer
While the stormtroopers, in their various guises, are the attack troops of the Empire, it is the Officers who control and direct their missions. Known for their ruthlessness and cruelty they carry out their orders with cold and calculated efficiency. Many, such as Grand Admiral Thrawn and General Veers, have achieved fame for superior tactics and ability. Equally many have themselves become the victim of the Empire’s lack of sympathy when they have failed in their mission. Captain Needa and Admiral Ozzel were executed by Lord Vader for their failure and even Grand Moff Tarkin perished when his short-sightedness refused to allow him to accept the chance of the Rebels defeating the first Death Star.
Costuming tips
 
 
General Veers
Serving onboard Darth Vader’s personal command ship, the Super Star Destroyer Executor, was seen by many as a fast track to a sudden death as the Sith Lord brutally punished failure. General Maximillian Veers saw it as an opportunity to serve the Emperor’s New Order, to which he is fiercely loyal, at the highest level. His chance came when, on Admiral Ozzel’s orders, the Imperial attack fleet reverted from hyperspace too close to the Hoth system, thus giving the rebel forces at Echo Base enough time to prepare their defenses.

Veers’s force of All Terrain Armoured Transport (AT-AT’s) and All Terrain Scout Transports (AT-ST’s)
landed on the planet and brought down the rebel base’s shields thus allowing Darth Vader and the
Imperial snowtroopers to land and take over the base. Unfortunately they were just too slow and the
Millennium Falcon, with Han Solo and Princess Leia aboard, managed to escape.
Costuming tips


TROOPERS (TR/TK/TD/TB/TS/TC/TI)
 
Royal Guard (TR)
Emperor Palpatine’s hand-picked personal bodyguards are amongst the most fanatically loyal members of the Empire’s armies. Their ceremonial robes may make them look more decorative than deadly but they should never be underestimated.
Costuming tips
 
 
Stormtrooper (TK)
The military soldiers unswervingly loyal to the Emperor, stormtroopers represented the most visible extension of Imperial might. They were shock troopers meant to strike with speed and accuracy, putting down insurrections and maintaining order on the farflung worlds of the Empire. Stormtroopers served both the ground-based armies of Palpatine's forces, and the space-based Imperial starfleet.
Costuming tips
 
Sandtrooper (TD)
The sandtrooper is a desert terrain stormtrooper equipped with modified armor and gear to better withstand missions in harsh, arid locales like Tatooine. While their armor is superficially similar to that of the standard stormtrooper, advanced cooling systems in both their helmets and suits offer these troopers protection from the relentless heat.
Costuming tips
 
Biker Scout / Scout Trooper (TB)
Special lightweight armour allows Biker Scouts to move more freely than their infantry counterparts. They use Aratech 74-Z speeder bikes to deploy at extremely high speed and to reconnoitre landing areas prior to Imperial landings and to patrol the areas surrounding established Imperial bases. Although armed with a hold-out blaster, Biker Scouts are expected to withdraw as soon as possible and report enemy movements rather than engage the enemy themselves.
Costuming tips
 
Snowtrooper (TS)
At the extreme opposite end of the scale from a sandtrooper, snowtroopers are expected to work in freezing blizzard conditions. They were instrumental in the successful attack on the rebel Echo Base in the Hoth system. As well as maintaining body temperature their uniforms ensure they can move and fight in the hazardous conditions they are faced with.
Costuming tips
 
Clonetrooper (TC)
Exactly how the Grand Army of the Republic came to be created is still not fully known. All that is sure is that the clones created on the ocean-world of Kamino came just when the Republic needed them. Created in overwhelming numbers they were able to stem the tide of the Separatist take over of the galaxy. As with the stormtrooper there is a range of specialities, BARC troopers,
Republic Commandos, Star Corps and the ARC troopers to name but a few.
Costuming tips
 
TIE Fighter Pilot (TI)
Totally encased in an airtight helmet and flightsuit to protect them from the vacuum inside their starfighters, the TIE Pilots take control of the Imperial Navy's first line of defence. Their fierce loyalty to the Empire enables them to operate their unshielded but more manoeuvrable ships against the X-, Y-, B- and A-Wings of the Rebel forces. Later TIE models such as the TIE Advanced Fighter have extended the life expectancy of their pilots considerably
Costuming tips
 


BOUNTY HUNTERS
 
Jango Fett
Once among the best of the Mandalorian warriors Jango was contracted by the Kaminoans to be the source DNA template for the clone army. He lived on Kamino where he trained the clone army together with instructors whom he selected personally. Jango was known to leave Kamino occasionally when a particularly prestigious bounty was offered.
Costuming tips
 
Boba Fett
Boba Fett, the only unaltered clone of Jango, is the most successful and deadly bounty hunter in the galaxy. People have been known to hand themselves in rather than face having Fett on their trail. All about business, with his modified Mandalorian armour he is a walking arsenal of blasters, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, dart guns and blades. He is known to prefer hunting Wookies and wears braids of Wookie fur as a badge of honour.  
Costuming tips
 


DENIZENS OF THE EMPIRE
 
Tusken Raider / Sandpeople
Living in the rocky Jundland Wastes, Tusken Raiders are the single biggest threat to the continuing expansion of Tatooine colonists. Wrapped in swathes of cloth to protect themselves from the twin suns, it is not known for sure what species the sandpeople are, although most believe them to be early colonists who have turned feral. They have also been very successful at concealing themselves and no accurate measure of their numbers has ever been possible. Attacking with long range blaster rifles and close up with their vicious gaffi sticks the Tuskens are as deadly as the planet itself.
Costuming tips
 

Updated by: SL-4918, 30 March 2009  
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The 501st Legion is a worldwide Star Wars costuming organization comprised of and operated by Star Wars fans. While it is not sponsored by Lucasfilm Ltd., it is Lucasfilm's preferred Imperial costuming group.
Star Wars, its characters, costumes, and all associated items are the intellectual property of Lucasfilm. © 2008 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization.