My son's armor that I finished up was in the $300 range. I did however, have all the tools and everything that would be needed. The majority of that cost was for paint, bondo, Smooth Cast 321, Fiberglass materials, LEDs, helmet visor and different foams. Not to mention the software that was bought like pep designer and a couple other things. The build I am working on currently has already hit that mark and I haven't even finished the first piece. . . LOL!!!!! Mainly because I purchased a Silhouette Cameo to help me cut out all the parts and I'm doing a latex under suit so I had to get the latex and a spandex suit to put the latex on. I also made a donation for certain pep files that I want to use. I figure by the time it's all said and done, I'll most likely be spending about $600 - $800 total. I've budgeted more than that because I am going to have some trial and error on some vacuum forming for my current project as well. It's all a matter of what you're willing to spend. You can do it for about $200 - $300 at the cheap end if you have the tools and stuff already.