TFU2 Starkiller Costume: WIP

Galen Marek has the best wardrobe, he really does.
Well, ComicCon is over. However, I live in Michigan. MotorCity ComicCon is Halloween weekend, so I best be prepared. The Force Unleashed 2 will have just come out, so I know I'll be in a full frenzy. His outfit in the new trailer is excellent, but really simple in origin so I feel like I can pull it off. I did make his signature outfit from the last game for Halloween 2008:
[image=http://a.imageshack.us/img401/5640/11639990.jpg]
Not completely accurate, but it was definitely a good learning exercise. Yes, I plan to cut my hair short this time. I was in the middle of a film shoot in '08. =)
The bulk of my time was spent on the shoulder pads and those freakin' belts. This time there's only one pad and the shape seems like it'll be a whole lot simpler to make. It'd be nice if I could do it in something other than cardboard, but for now that's the method I know.

Here's some reference photos I'm using:
[image=http://a.imageshack.us/img408/2627/tfu2costume01.jpg] [image=http://a.imageshack.us/img37/3485/29146404855082759287835.jpg]
Full body.
[image=http://a.imageshack.us/img155/2186/tfu2costume08.jpg] [image=http://a.imageshack.us/img44/1509/tfu2costume05.jpg]
Shoulder pad/harness.
[image=http://a.imageshack.us/img197/8751/tfu2costume03.jpg] [image=http://a.imageshack.us/img294/2290/tfu2costume07.jpg]
Back.

Again, I think the belts will be trickiest. However, these don't look like leather so much as they do the kind of fabric you'd see on straps in the Army/Navy surplus. In fact, his little shoulder harness looks dreadfully familiar. I'm going to try and get over there at some point this weekend and see if I kind find anything like that. I'm waiting for fall weather to hit for his shirt, I bet I could find something like that at Banana Republic. I'll want to sew in some velcro so the sleeves stay properly rolled up. Pants, I figure I'll get some sweat pants that fit comfortably like that. That belt buckle, off the top of my head I'm thinking I could prolly buy a cheap one then make a PVC plate to go over it. Maybe wood.

One big fail in my last costume was the bandaged wrists/ankles. I wanted to do it without actually taping myself up, but the problem is that they fell apart within an hour or so. I wonder if there's a way that I could make a tight wrist garment, wrap it up with tape, but cut out a seam on the inside that I can zip/button up. That'd save a lot of hassle.

I'm not sure if I'll want to have that cloak we saw in the teaser trailer. Looks similar in design to Luke's in RotJ, just with some fancy clasps. Maybe if I have extra cash, I'll order something like it. Where do you guys get yours?

Lightsabers will be a couple of those thinner Clone Wars Obi-Wan, with some detailing done to them. I'm wondering if the caps from the Anakin would screw right into the Obi. If they do, with a little bit of extra work the sabers could be a little more accurate.

So, I'll be using this thread to update as new things happen. Please feel free to give me input.

 

I support this and good luck with those belts

 

Well, unfortunately my schedule didn't let me make it to the Army/Navy store before closing today, but I did run over to the nearby Target with one purpose in mind:

Lightsabers.
[image=http://a.imageshack.us/img801/2873/sspx0047.jpg]
These are the Clone Wars Obi-Wan sabers. The nice thing about this line is they're the first toy sabers I've seen that feel like the proper size. They have Vader, Anakin/Luke and Yoda's as well, but for my purposes these are closest to the design.
[image=http://a.imageshack.us/img291/5230/sabers.jpg]
The trick about that image is I think the emitter of each blade actually has a top on it similar to Vader/Episode II Anakin's hilts, which of course Obi-Wan's doesn't have. I was considering buying a couple Vaders and putting the tops from those on, but then I realized that the top cylinder on the Obi-Wan emitter is twice it's actual size. If you see the wide ring near the top, all the silver above that is not in the original design. I figure I'll cut off/shave down the rim to be smooth, then cut that whole cylinder into the shape I want and save $30-40.
The only other major difference is the boxy on/off switches are in the wrong spot... but I'm gonna let that one go. No easy way to fix that, so it's fine. I can't decide if the cloth wrapping there is supposed to be black or a dark brown. If it's black, I'll get some hockey tape and wrap it up. If it's brown... not sure. Maybe I could get some white hockey tape and dye it to the right color.
The hilts do have clips which fit into standard cell phone holsters that I have for my film props, but they're at the base. I need them to be about the middle, so I'll prolly cut those off and put some new ones in where I need them to be.

Should be able to hit the Army/Navy Monday. Stay tuned.

 

Made it to the store today, found out a couple things.
[image=http://www.joesarmynavyonline.com/catalog/PICT1288.JPG] I purchased that to be the bag he's wearing on his right leg. I also found a smaller one that'll approximate the one on his back left hip.
There were all sorts of tans and olives, but of course the color I think suits best is the hardest to find, at least at this store. The checkout girl said the bags were "Coyote", so I'll be looking around a bit for that.
They had all sorts of tactical vests, but nothing that'll quite do for the harness. The straps are easy, just cut and sewn belts, but I'm not quite sure what to use for the back piece. Make I'll go look at fishing vests. Something I can trim the bottom half off of.

Good progress for the first week. Very good.
EDIT: AHA!
Thanks to the power of eBay, I've found precisely what I need:
[image=http://www.popularairsoft.com/files/images/Pantac_hydration_backpack.jpg]
Ignore the bottom right. I'm going to see if that backpack is removable. If not, I'll just cut the seams off and leave the fabric against my back intact. It should work, in theory. Then I need to move the belt strap to chest level and get a separate belt to go around my waist, not to mention the regular belt. $35 for this. Not too bad. That could definitely be the one.

 

So I opted to go cheaper, to start. Studying all sorts of straps on tactical gear, I couldn't find any that were quite right. I looked at a similar backpack at the store and realized simply leaving the inner fabric and cutting off the pack prolly wasn't going to work as well as I wanted it to. So, I found something like these on eBay for about $7:
[image=http://www.bandgpaintball.com/images/uploads/suspenders.jpg]

It says they're that olive green, but I'm really not having a lot of luck finding Coyote Brown, so I'm going to see if I like this and if I can alter it. I don't think the fabric will dye, but maybe some of that fabric spray paint I've used before will work.
Of course today, I find one that says it's the right color, but it'd be a little bit more expensive. I'll see if the other one works before I go buying another.

 

You might try a little bleach. A small amount and a short, but even, soak might get you the color you're after but keep in mind LBE suspenders are made up of differing materials so any bleach or dyes will have differing effects on the nylon than it will the (IIRC) poly cotton straps. Been awhile since I've worn a pair of those, but I do remember they faded more brown rather than simply fading a lighter green. At worst, another soak in hot water with about an eighth to a quarter of a bottle of rit brown to say, two gallons of water should achieve coyote brown after a little bleach fading. Non-US military surplus like Russian or European militaries might have something you won't need to alter at all, though, so I'd recommend something like Trident Military or your local Army/Navy if they carry non-US stuff.

Good luck and MTFBWY!

 

Good tip, -Gundark-. That bleach really brought out the brown in the straps. I just did it so it's still kinda wet, but there's a really noticeable difference towards the brown shade. The padding seems unaffected, as I thought it would, but it looks pretty cool still. I can always cut off that layer. Earlier this week, I ordered the strap just like this that already comes in brown, so what I'm actually going to be using the bleached harness for now is that strap to hold the thigh bag in place. I discovered if I put the Y-joint inside the bag's straps and position it just right, it hangs in the perfect spot and looks pretty awesome.

 

Was at Kohl's today and found the pants. They're those thick Nike sweatpants with the cargo pockets on the side. I used something similar for my first costume, except brown and a different brand. They didn't have the perfect shade, but dye will work just fine here. They're a medium/dark gray now, so prolly some darker gray with a touch of blue mixed together should get me the shade I want. There's a white Nike logo by the right pocket, but a permanent marker will cover that up well enough. If you can see it... oh well. Starkiller's sponsored.

I looked for a shirt while I was there. They had the right texture, but not the right shade or neckline. I still haven't made it to Banana Republic or any of the upscale clothing stores, but I'm almost positive they'll have exactly what I'm looking for.

The next pieces of the harness should be arriving this week.

 

I received the new shoulder straps in the mail today, and unfortunately "Coyote Brown" isn't as universal a color as I'd hoped. These are tan, which I'm guessing the couple of belts I have on the way will also be. The bags I got are a bit darker, but it doesn't match to other shoulder straps at all. I may have to find something else to secure the bag to my thigh, since dying or painting them still wouldn't allow them to match.

That's how these things go, haha. There's always something. Definitely making progress though. Once the chest belt that'll be holding the harness is in place, I'll figure out what kind of fabric I need to get to make the back section. I'm thinking now that cutting a piece of cloth with some thin foam in it should give me the look I'm going for. Then I can add the rectangle details as I see fit, rather than trying to alter something that ultimately costs more and I'd be wasting a lot of.

 

Well, the fall Motor City ComicCon was cancelled, so I have less of an immediate need for this costume. I'm still going to finish it though, but I'm in less of a hurry now. Yesterday I finally found a shirt suitable.
[image=http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6606/sspx0363.jpg]
I can't believe how long it took me, but it wasn't until I was actually able to play the game and do a full 360 on the costume in a good lighting condition that I really got a feel of exactly how it all goes together.

The major difference I noticed in-game is that all the straps looks like leather, whereas when I watch the trailer it all still looks like tough military fabric. So, artistic choice, I'm gonna stick with the military look. Maybe I'll go a little more towards brown than tan, though.
When I was at work last night (Toys 'R Us), I noticed these:
[image=http://www.entertainmentearth.com/images/%5CAUTOIMAGES%5CHNR94521lg.jpg]
I've been looking for something like that to wear on my forearms, so I can just wrap that up in tape and slip it on rather than taping up my arm each time. I guess there's no such thing as gray hockey tape, so I'll prolly get some white and some spray or fabric paint. Not sure how I'll do my calves just yet, but something similar I'm sure. Maybe if I can find some soccer shin guards that slip on, rather than having velcro straps.

 

The handy man's secret weapon: DuctTape.

 

You could try medical tape for a more "cloth" texture. Just drop the roll in a bowl of grey RIT dye.

Even though your con was cancelled, you should definitely finish this costume. You've got the face to be a great Starkiller. It can be hard to find a good "face" character that's both someone the costumer wants to look like and one that the costumer does look like.

 

lol.
I'm glad someone else sees the resemblance, I thought I was just being arrogant. The thing that gets me about Starkiller is that I have a fanfilm that I'm on/off working on, and the character that I'm playing basically is Starkiller as far as TFU1 goes, but surrounded by different characters and powers not as amped up. A lot of the same things happen to the both of them, they deal with familiar situations. Starkiller's adventure is just on a much larger scale.

If only I could've finished mine first...

Duct tape I won't use because the texture. I considered dying the hockey tape, which would be about the same as dying the medical tape I suppose. I wonder if I could just dip the roll in there. I should prolly tape it all up first and then dip the arm piece in.

 

Vapes, have you give any consideration to gray gaffer's tape? It's cloth based and highly durable, and is far more dull than duct tape.

You could probably take long female gloves (the ones that go up to the elbow), cut them to the size/shape you need, then while wearing the glove have someone roll the tape around your arm.

 

That's a really good idea. I could just get something very basic and thin, then cut the fingers off and wear whatever proper gloves I find over it. I'll have to get a whole bunch of gaffer's tape, since I want it to look kind of thick and layered like in the stills.

Might have to find it on the internet, but that's no biggie.