Skywalkers, Vaders and Jedis, Oh My!

With the seventh installment of Star Wars coming soon, cosplayers and costume freaks will be gearing up this December to celebrate the return of their favorite science fiction fantasy story. Some of us, however, simply aren’t willing—or able—to spend thousands of dollars­ on authentic gear to go full stormtrooper.

Here’s a few costuming tips for those on a budget.

Boxes, boxes, boxes

Cardboard boxes can be your best friend when it comes to cosplay. There are plenty of characters from Star Wars where boxes come in handy.

1. R2D2

Quite possibly the easiest box costume ever. Just grab a long, rectangular box and spray paint the entire box white. Then get blue and red sharpies to draw the designs of everyone’s favorite droid on the box.

2. Stormtrooper/Clonetrooper

Another easy make with a few more boxes. All you need is a box for your helmet, armor and flat cardboard to wrap around your legs. Spray paint all the boxes white and paint black areas for the eyes, mouth and belt.

Buy a mask

You can venture into any toy store and they will most likely have masks for various Star Wars characters. If you’re going for the creative look, wearing just a mask with either a suit or even normal clothes can look just as good as an expensive costume.

1. Darth Vader

Vader’s helmet is sold at virtually every toy store. Wearing the helmet with a black suit has been a popular choice lately and works well at comic conventions.

2. Boba Fett

This character is another fan favorite whose helmet is sold virtually everywhere. Fett’s helmet accompanied with a suit or regular clothes is easily passable as authentic cosplay.

Robes

For all the Jedi fans out there, bathrobes are your best friend. In this case the only other thing needed would be your lightsaber, which you can either make out of a long cardboard tube and colored paper. You can just pick up one from a store for around $1o, too.

1. Every Jedi

All you need is a brown or black bathrobe and a lightsaber. You can pick up some pretty cheap fabric at a fabric store and make a decent looking tunic. Add a white or black T-shirt underneath and you have yourself a perfect Jedi outfit.