Roman Soldier Costume Hints-N-Tips

Roman Soldier Costume Upgrade your existing Roman soldier costume using our real high-carbon steel Roman helmets and breastplates, or combine our complete Roman soldier costumes with real Roman swords, Roman shields and accessories to create a unique Roman soldier costume in a variety of designs. Whether you have a large or small budget, these Roman soldier costume hints-n-tips can prove helpful.

If you need a quick solution and don't have time to make your own Roman soldier costumes, feel free to review our seven piece Basic Roman Soldier Costume or browse through our Roman Soldier Costumes section for more ideas.

ENHANCE YOUR EXISTING ROMAN SOLDIER COSTUMES

If you already have a Roman soldier costume and are looking for an inexpensive way to upgrade your look, this is the section for you. It's also perfect for people who are making several pieces of their costume themselves.

When creating your own Roman soldier costume, there are three pieces which will be most difficult to make yourself and have them look good. The Roman sword and Roman armor (consisting of helmet and breastplate). Roman greaves can be included in this list, but for a trimmed down version of the Roman solder costume, greaves are often omitted. Most of the other items needed for your costume can be made easily or borrowed from a friend. Click on the links that we have provided to view a good selection of hard to make items that can be easily incorporated into your existing Roman soldier costume with spectacular results.

After selecting your Roman helmet, sword and breastplate, several other basic items can be made easily or borrowed… and it' a great way to save money.

Roman Tunic
Let's start with the Roman tunic. Most Roman tunics will be red in color and have a very simple design. A very oversized red T-shirt can work if it's long enough to reach your knees. Another option is to buy some heavy red cloth at a local cloth shop. If the material is wide enough to cover both shoulders, you can simply fold the material length ways to cut a 10-12 inch straight line in the center for your head to fit through. This will look much like a Mexican poncho. You can sew the side seams to complete the tunic design, or overlap, fold and tuck it for a more universal fit (use a belt to hold it closed). You now have a good foundation for your Roman soldier costume.

Roman Sandals
Borrow some leather sandals. Most any simple type will suffice. As long as you are not bare foot or wearing tennis shoes, you will be fine. (Sandals do not need to match other people in Roman soldier costumes.)

Roman Baldric
The Roman baldric can be made from two leather belts. Cut the buckle off of one belt and remember to include the loop just behind the buckle too. If you cut back 2-3 inches, that should be enough. Now you will want to slit the belt down the middle about 5-7 inches (based upon the ring holes in your scabbard). Be sure to start your slit cut from the end you just cut the buckle off of. When you are done, you should have a belt with a split-end on one tip and the other end has the holes for the buckle.

On the second belt, you only cut a 5-7 inch slit on the end with the belt holes for the buckle. Leave the buckle on this one. When you are done, this belt will have a buckle on one end and a split-end on the other end.

Now you can attach your 2 belts together by buckling them (adjusting for size). Now you have a Roman baldric! Take both of the split ends and loop them through the rings of the scabbard so that the scabbard hangs downward naturally. (One end of the belt goes on the two scabbard rings on the left side of the scabbard, and the other end of the belt goes on the two scabbards rings on the right side of the scabbard.)

Roman Belt with Apron
The Roman belt with apron is often omitted when budgets are tight for Roman soldier costumes. If you are going to make it yourself, Roman belt with apron is likely to be the most challenging piece to make if you are not familiar with working with leather. For a few dollars, you can buy one of our inexpensive versions and save the time and effort.

There is very little to suggest in the way of design when making your own. Basically, you will need to have several belts to start with. One belt you keep as the main belt you wear. The other belts are cut into 5 strips of leather, each 12-15 inches long (and add a little extra length if you are looping them over the top of the main belt). Secure the tips of each leather strip to the main belt (use nut/bolt, staple gun, etc.). For a better look, add a heavy brass or metal washer to the bottom of each strip. This will help the strips hang down better and prevent them from curling too much. You can also add brass or metal ornamentation on each strip as desired.

Roman Shields
Feel free to view our Roman Shields section to get ideas for your design. The easiest way to make a Roman shield is to get a large piece of light weight boarding and cut it to size (35x20 works nice). Don't try to curve the board, just leave it flat. Decide on the best way to create handles for the back of the shield and complete attaching the handles. Next you will want to trace your design onto your board and then paint it. (Allow proper drying time before using the shields.)

Note: Feel free to use our shield photos to make an overhead projector sheet. Project the design directly onto the board to have the proportions accurate as you draw your design.

BEST VALUE - ROMAN SOLDIER COSTUME

Basic Roman Soldier Costume VII (ARM1142-7)
Many people work hard to identify the best value in Roman soldier costumes they can find. This is especially difficult when looking for a more authentic looking costume. To help minimize the time and effort in the process, we have selected seven core pieces for our Basic Roman Soldier Costume VII that are all well made and low priced.

In addition to having each of the seven pieces in this set heavily discounted, we have also discounted each item individually. This allows you to mix and match items you like best. Individually select the discounted items you want to get the best value, and then add other items you wish to have to complete your Roman soldier costume just they way you want it.

Core Pieces:
Below are the seven core pieces in this costume. Remember, you can buy them all with one click or individually to mix and match items to combine value with your personal favorites.

Affordable Alternative Pieces:

Complete Your Roman Soldier Costume By Adding Any Of The Following:

BEST LOOKING - ROMAN SOLDIER COSTUMES

For the best looking Roman soldier costume, look no further. Our Centurion Roman soldier costumes come in two versions - and both are outstanding. Made of very high quality materials, these Roman soldier costumes are designed for theatrical stage performances. They look great and last a long time.

If you want to have the best looking Roman soldier costume, start here:

For a more authentic look, we recommend replacing the standard sandals, helmet, baldric, and sword with the following:

ROMAN SWORDS - BEST FOR ROMAN SOLDIER COSTUMES

When selecting a sword for your Roman soldier costume there are several things to consider: budget, design and quality. Each of the following Roman swords all have the standard 4-ring scabbard (characteristic of Roman design) and high-carbon steel sword blades (safer for stage performances). Designed for light contact, any of these Roman swords will be a great addition to your costume.

NOTE:
For full contact, there are only four high-carbon steel fully functional Roman swords we can suggest. Although the scabbards are stitched leather and vary with each sword, the swords themselves are the best we have found.

Need help finding what you want? Contact us today for fast, personalized service.

If you have any questions about our products or would like to have us carry something you did not see here today, contact us and we will see what we can locate for you.




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