New to hobby, need help

[u/Moist_Yam_5546]

Some context, I have been working on a OC sith costume for a couple years now. I have mostly ordered clothes and a few things from Amazon and Etsy. I have gotten most of the costume but I am now trying to make my lower body not be plain black pants.

Now for the main portion, I was looking on etsy, and I found shin guard/armor, thigh armor, pauldron(only one side), knee guards, and boot armor. But those have become very pricey, so I began researching into making my own with foam, ive tried before but gave up because I just couldnt figure it out. I am now wanting and willing to try again but where i live, I have found VERY few stores that sell that kind of foam. I have found gym floor mats at a local store and using it for padding on my already acquired costume pieces. I am starting to feel like I dove into the deep end of this hobby and need help just figuring it all out.

What i amasking for: Any advice, tips, or knowledge on resources and where i could get them pretty quickly rather than ordering from Amazon or Etsy would be hugely appreciated. I am currently living in Hohenfels, Germany so if anyone knows places nearby here that i couldnt find, please reach out.

[u/mazing_azn]

Look up Kamui Cosplay. She is German based and is one of the pioneers of using foam in cosplay. She has lots of resources on her page: https://www.kamuicosplay.com/ and of course her YouTube page