Vader's Suit

I think it was in an issue of the Insider Magazine awhile ago that mentioned that Vader's suit was altered slightly for each film. What is the difference between them? I know that his helmet in ROTS was perfectly symmetrical but I can't see anything else.

 

Every few months, a question comes along that I have absolutely no idea what the answer might be.

This is one of those questions. sorry.

Talked to a friend on MSN. Only one he could think of is that the helmet gets progressively shinier.

 

For the first film his helmet was different. The eyes were not completely opaque, and were actually a slighly red tint, leading you to actually see inside the helmet during certain shots. His armor is also unpolished, giving it that kind of used feeling that everything in the film has. His suit is different too, the most notable difference being that his inner robes on his chest go over top of his chest and shoulder armor. His chest box is also a little bit different if i recall, having slightly different buttons and no blinking lights. The helmet itself is also differently preportioned--the brim of the helmet is either bigger or smaller than the sequels, i cant remember which.

There may be more subtle differences than these. The helmet i believe was resculpted for ESB and i think for ROTJ as well, and it is very shiny, with the eyes solid black. His inner robes were removed as well and his chest box slightly upgraded with different sized buttons and blinking lights.

Regarding the helmet, it may also change shape subtly when the stunt performer was in it, as i believe they used a seperate stunt helmet for the lightsaber fights.

 

No Padme NEVER said that in any of the PT.

 

i have to ask Zombie did you find this out by watching the movies again or form the internet?
Because i couldnt really tell the diff. between any of the movies.

 

Most of it you can see in the films themselves. The helmet is noticably shinier in ESB, and the see-through eyes were a notorious blooper in ANH until the SE corrected it, and Vader's inner robe is also highly noticable (looks much better without it). The chest box is much subtler but you can see the lights blinking in the sequels but not in ANH, and if you look at stills i think the buttons are different. I think the chain for his cape might differ from movie to movie as well but I'm not sure.

There is a website dedicated to the variations in the darth vader costumes that analyses things like the different helmet sculpts and whatnot--they even can pinpoint which helmet is used in which shot, as multiples were made in some cases. I cant remember the address unfortunately, I'd like to revist that site myself.

 

you definitly are smart zombie......now that you mentioned the differene i thing im going to watch ANH and a few of the others again.

 

Here are some of the differences:

ANH- duller finish, inner robe is over the chest armor, the gloves have horizontal stripes instead of vertical; The helmet has a point over the eyes (sometimes refered to as a widow's peak), the lenses are red, the bottom triangle grill is smaller than the other versions, the dome is larger and thicker. On the chest box, the bottom rocker sitches are grey and white. The two buttons on the side are green and red; It doesn't light up.

ESB- very shinny armor, inner robe is now under the chest armor, the gloves have vertical stitching; on the helmet the lenses are a darker smoke color, the widow's peak is gone, the bottom triangle is bigger, the dome is smaller. On the chest box the bottom switches are now white and red, the two on the side are blue and red, several small switches have been added between the rocker switches, the metal rods have yellow square tabs at the bottom, lettering is added labeling the lights. This one lights up.

ROTJ- very similar to the ESB, slight variations in the chest box another tab (black) added to the top of the rods, another small sitch added. On the helmet the bottom triangle is even larger, and the neck appears to be slightly wider. David Prowse actually looks alittle bigger in this movie as well.

ROTS- armor is once again shinny, the inner robe is under the chest armor, the helmet is symetrical and completely black (the other movies they were a combination of black and gun metal so it would show up on film), the neck is under the chest armor, not above. On the chest box, the lights light up, the buttons are of similar dimensions as the ANH version except they are silver and red (the red one lights up). On the belt boxes there's a grill piece under the green lights- On all the other ones this is shaped like a half cylinder, on the RotS version it's flat. The shin armor is attached directly to the boot as apposed to straps like the other movies. The cod piece has a third strap that goes between the legs. The shoulder bells don't have the detail on them that the original movie ones did. The cape is connected on both sides of the armor rather that one hook in the center. The size of the costume was slightly scaled down for Hayden.

There's actually several other differences I'm sure I'm forgetting. And please excuse my grammar. I hope you can at least follow what I'm trying to say.

 

maybe i'm asking a silly question, but i was wondering if the writing remains on the chest plate for the sequals?

If anyone knows that is.

 

The writting is there on only ESB and ROTJ, it's not there on ROTS and ANH.

 

Vader's armor

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader%27s_armor

[image=http://starwars.wikia.com/images/e/ed/Compspanels4wn.jpg]

 

Hmm, interesting. I never noticed the difference before.

 

Interesting, I don't think I would have noticed that without the pictures side by side.

The buttons from ESB look pretty old & used, like lot of things in the OT. I don't like that, but it does make sense, it shows that there is a war & that the Empire has had control for some time.

 

Actually I think you're looking at the ANH version. The one that says EP4. Yeah everything about Vader's suit in that movie looked used. But in ESB he was all polished and shinny.

 

Whoops, yeah I must have thought it was all the OT. The ROTJ suit looks most similar to ROTS.

 

I had always noticed the "Shiny" ESB as opposed to ANH. As a kid, I felt as though he got a promotion from his boss because Tarkin and the crew were dead. We first see him leading troops into the Tantive IV with smoke and debris flying. I thought he got dirty and he wasn't important enough to clean up. By ESB he gets his own really big scary ship and is in total control of everything (Except for the short interlude with his Master). I was like "Whoa, he only had a tie fighter before. Now he has a Star Destroyer and a place to sleep and clean up and stuff."

Pretty dumb, but I WAS 7 years old. Point is, helmet is certainly shinier.

Carnage

 

I've never been sure 'bout something, why the hell did he have the respiratory problem? and why it was for a lifetime?

 

Theres also the two-tone thing. ANH armour was all black whereas all the rest were black & silver/grey (chest/shoulder armour & helmet). Also in the OT the shoulder bells were seperate pieces from the center chest piece. In ROTS it is all one piece. The shoulder bells in the OT are black too, in ROTS they are silver. The pits underneath the eyes of the helmet in ROTS are more of a semi-circular trench, as opposed to the depression that is in the OT helmets. The mesh in the lower respiratory intake is different in ANH & the intake itself is much smaller. The chest box is attached directly to the suit in ROTS, in the OT it is strapped over the top. ROTS helmet is thinner (especially the neck which goes inside the chest armour as opposed to over) & the samurai part of it does not extend as low as in the OT.

 

I am not one for promoting stuff. But the Sideshow Ep4 Vader is suprising in how true it is to the suit in that movie. The slighly flat look to the helmet. I wonder if there will ever be an Ep5 suit with the writing on it.

 

Searing temperatures and toxic vapors being inhaled into your lungs will cause horrible scarring of your lung tissue. When the alveoli in lungs become scarred they are cannot allow oxygen to pass into the blood stream anymore. By the looks of bacta tanks (Luke in ESB had to where a breathing mask while in one) they can't be used for internal injuries.

 

the main change i noticed was the sholder pads and thats it... never noticed a change from the helmets until ep 3. thats when it looked different

 

And also the EP3 chest plate is attached to the suit. As opposed to hanging from two straps.

 

The only difference I can tell is the mask in episode 3 is different.

 

Yeah, the shoulder pads or something made Vader look like he was getting bigger from IV to VI. It was almost like he was filling out more or something. For some reason, in ANH he looks a tad thinner and not as imposing (Well, still imposing but...). In ESB, he looks more filled out and is a tough mean fighting machine. In RoTJ, he almost seems too bulky. One too many "Bantha Steaks A La Blender" for him. He seems slower and less menacing. That is how I saw it as a kid, and it really works as far as the story. ANH - Probably #2 in the galaxy, but people like Tarkin are right there with him. ESB - The height of his Sithly glory. Seems invincible. RoTJ - Lost his killer instinct. Still a damn tough opponant, but too much going on behind the mask.

Carnage