The Real Basics

Ok, if you're going to do this Stargate uniform thing, I've got some advice.

First, be prepared to spend a lot of money. This can't really be helped, but you can save quite a bit of time and money if you do some basic research and do things right the first time. Also, set yourself a budget and stick to it. You will want to have everything all at once, but if you limit yourself to a few pieces a month you will enjoy the hobby longer, save your marriage, and keep yourself from sitting in a complete canon uniform wondering why you couldn't pay the electric bill on time.

Second, get in shape. I don't care how accurate your uniform rig is, if you don't look like you could pass an Air Force physical, you're not canon. I know this sounds harsh, but an SG team has to be in excellent physical shape. I knew as soon as I put my first WEP jacket on that I didn't look or feel like a member of an SG team so I started jogging every morning, lifting weights, doing crunches, and eating more sensibly. In the last three weeks, I've lost 15 pounds and feel better than I have in years. And I look a lot better in that WEP jacket.

You should get DVDs of the entire series. These can be had pretty cheaply on eBay. Every re-enactor of any kind knows that the best way to ensure accuracy is to have a picture, and the series is the best source there is. Freeze frame, pull jpegs, study the costumes as closely as possible. Whenever possible, you will want to have a specific image from the show to use to create the costume from, and then pose yourself in the same position in your costume--that way, if you have a friend who is handy with Photoshop, you can replace the cast member in the image. Sweet.

Get Stargate SG-1: The Ultimate Visual Guide. This is an inexpensive treasure trove of information and reference images for costuming and props.

Don't impulse buy. Research everything to make sure what you are buying is going to work. This is especially true when buying on-line or through eBay. There are a lot of knock-offs that are not accurate and you will agonize over the money you waste buying something that you can't use because it is the wrong size, shape, or color.

I haven't been able to stick to this next piece of advice, but generally it is a good idea to build one complete uniform at a time rather than having a closet full of half-finished projects.

Clean up after you finish a session of working on something. Nothing will drive a wife or significant other crazy like stepping on needles, finding bits of velcro and thread all over the place or a TV room that looks like a supply depot blew up there.

Don't think for one minute that pressuring your wife or significant other to play Samantha Carter to your O'Neill is going to happen unless they come up with that idea on their own. If she wants a uniform, she'll ask you about it. If she does, that's great. If she doesn't, make sure you spend at least as much time and attention to her as you do the uniforms. Your splendid new Tokyo Marui P-90 is going to make it pretty tough to justify only getting her a card for your annniversary. And be sure to have other things to talk about with her than your SG-1 obsession. If she isn't wearing a uniform by her own choice, I doubt she wants to hear about yours as often as you want to talk about it. Hence this blog.

Be careful how often and where you wear your completed uniform. In the United States it is illegal to impersonate a member of the military. Lots of people wear cammo pants and combat boots...but wearing the whole rig out in public can get you noticed by people, and in a time of justifiable nervousness over unusual behavior you don't want to attract unwanted attention from law enforcement. This is 1,000 times more true if you happen to be wearing a tactical vest and carrying an airsoft gun.

Remember, your hobby should add joy to your life and relieve stress. It should not cost you your life or put you in prison.