Anyone Else Have a Darth Vader Costume??

Hello to all! I am posting this to get input from other people that have a Darth vader costume. I am in the process of putting one together yself. And let me tell ya, it has been a blast!

Here are the items I have so far:

1. DP Classic Action Helmet - removed grills and lenses...replacing with metal mesh, and optical lenses.

2. Body Suit - Pleather...a bit cooler then leather.

3. Leather gloves

4. Leather Boots

5. ABS Shin guards

6. Inner cloak w/satin lining

7. Outer cape - Satin lined

8. Cod piece

9. MR ESB lightsaber

I will soon be getting the chest box, chest armor, and belt, and then my costume will be finished!!

However, I'd like to hear from anyone who already has a Vader costume. What are some tips that you can pass on that you have learned? I am your apprentice! Teach me Master!

 

VoijaRisa has one. Looks pretty cool. check out some of his pics. The halloween pics give a good view of it.

 

What kinda tips do you need?

Here's mine:

Vader suit

 

9. MR ESB lightsaber

Are you actually going to use that as part of your costume ? Quite an expensive piece to have dangling from your waist.

 

Well, a lot of the other parts of the costume are no cheaper, unfortunately. I love the MR versions, I think they look great on a costume!

 

Very true. I guess if it were me I'd probably try to make a replica using the MR as a template, but your decision to carry the MR with you definately shows your drive for quality and accuracy .

 

Yes, I deffinatly want to go for accuracy! Since I want to be Vader, I want it to be the best I can!

As for tips...what do you guys to to make your costume more breathable? How do you cool it down? Because in my opinion, this IS the hottest costume to make!!

 

Well, the key is to remember that nobody can see the back of the bosysuit. Make it a breathable mesh.

Install cpu fans inside the helmet for airflow.

There are also different items on the market that will cool you off, but I've never tried it so I cant vouch for it. It's on my list to get, though. Take a look:

Cooling vest

 

Hey AceVader...those are nice vests! I may be looking into one myself! Also, I noticed in your "signature" that you say R.I.P VaderMaker...did he pass away recently? If so, that is too bad!

By the way Ace, do you have anypics of your costume?? I'd sure like to see it!

 

Graham Campbell was killed in a car accident on May 9th, 2004. He left a wife, Nicola, and baby daughter Lauren.

Truly a sad day in the prop community and in the 501st UK Garrison.

 

VFF-

See the link in my post above for a photo gallery of my costume progress. I should be updating that soon, but the pics there do for now.

 

havent posted much lately,

i have many costumes and i do have a vader.yes you guys are right its a very hot costume.
i will throw out the fact that you cant put fans inside the vader helmet.the helmet has a foam pc that you face sets up against.your head is barely exposed in the back.i tried numerous locations for a fan and none worked.theres just nowhere for the fan to blow air.its not worth it,just take breaks and drink.

while its true that the back of the body suit is rarely seen it can be seen at times.if you use a black material other than leather/pleather be sure its only for the back and maybe even the bottom area.when you walk the legs do show as does the arms.

heres a pic of my vader costume
[image=http://www.highlandcitadel.com/501stso/events/apr_3_2004/pic034.jpg]

 

Took me a minute to see the Vader. I was a bit distracted by other parts of the pic.

 

Woofer, it saddens me to hear about VaderMaker. I know he was very popular with all of the prop makers out there!! This may sound corny, but now that I know what happened to him, whenever I wear my Vader costume, I will dedicate it to Graham! He will be missed!!

I do have a question...I ordered some mesh screening for my DP Classic Action helmet from Vaderpainter. I plan to insatll it. Here is the question...what is the best kind of glue to use to install the mesh, without destroying the helmet??? Any help here would be faboulous!!

 

I find that hot glue sticks well enough to hold it, but also comes off of the c/a if you want it to without causing any damage.

 

Thanks AceVader! I will try that when I get the parts.

I was wondering...does anyone wear a "baklava" or any kind of hood to hide their face when wearing the helmet? Let me know! Thanks!

 

No, the last thing you want is anything covering your head making you hotter.

If you're concerned about someone seeing your maouth through the mesh, get black panty hose and put them over the indide of the grill. Works nicely and still allows you to breathe.

 

To cool my helmet, I installed a computer fan right above the grill so that it isn't visible through the grill. You can pick these up at pretty much any radio shack for about $12 each. Just hook it up to a switch and a 9 volt battery and you're all set. You could run 2 fans if 1 isn't enough using a similar circuit to what most troopers use in their TK helmets, but 1 fan works fine for me.

Hope this helps, and if you need any other help, feel free to PM me.

 

Darth Agony, I will look into the mini fans for sure! Another question popped into my head...what do you guys wear under your costumes? I only ask because I don't know what is comfortable.

 

Hrm, thats almost like asking what a Scotsman wears under his kilt!

 

Woofer, I know. But I don't want to be overly hot in the costume. I want to be comfortable, and not drenshed in sweat!

Also, does anyone have a chest box that has the breathing sound recorded? And how have you been able to do it?

 

For my breathing sound I found a nice clip on the internet somewhere (can't remember where and I don't have it on my HD anymore) that was one cycle of the breathing. I burned it onto a CD, took apart some of those $10 mini speakers I got at Target, plugged it into the CD player, and put the one track on repeat.

I also put other Vader lines on other tracks.

As far as what to wear under your costume, your costume should be what you're wearing. When complete it should have the bodysuit and you shouldn't need anything under that. It's clothing in and of itself. Plus it'll be pleanty hot so anything more will be bad.

Regarding adhesive, hot glue worked well for me. However, if you're damn sure you're never going to remove it, Goop brand adhesive is some amazing stuff.

 

i wear a neck cover ,its a mock out of a sweatshirt.it covers my neck well.when you move the helmet side to side your neck will show.so you do need to find something.
i also wear a thin pants and shirt under my body suit.it doesnt add to the heat factor but it keeps alot of the sweat off your body suit.its similar to the thin stuff the stormtroopers wear under the armor.

i too have the breathing sounds.but i put mine on an mp3 player and let it play over and over.
go on ebay and search for a mp3 "shuttle" its a very inexpensive mp3 player.

this costume is gonna roast you,no little fan in the helmet will really help.take breaks and drink,drink i say.

 

Thanks guys for your continued help! It is greatly appreciated! Skip1, I am looking into one of those mp3 players you mentioned...so you just connect it to a mini apm, and it will play the sound? Is that right?

Another question...I have a DP Classic Action helmet...I know, I know...not the best. However, I put it on with my shoulder armor, and it rubbed against the armor leaving a couple of gray marks on it!! Is there any way I can shave off some of some of the length of the stupid neck flare? And it so, what would be the best tool to use??

 

the classic action helmet is wonderful,why do you act like it isnt?
the fiberglass helmet cost alot more,is ALOT heavier and even hotter than the plastic.
ive been using the CA for years now and love it.instead of painting my helmet i armorall it just before an event.it shines up great.once my trooping days are over i can have it painted and put away.i bump my head on doorframes,get scratches on it and continually beat it up.
having a fiberglass helmet would drive you crazy if you did that.

as for the mp3 player.yes the shuttle just plugs into a speaker amp.the thing is dirt cheap and works great for this.if you get one email me and ill explain more in depth on how i have mine working.
heres a few more pics of my costume;

[image=http://www.highlandcitadel.com/501stso/events/oct_11_2003b/pic003.jpg]
[image=http://www.highlandcitadel.com/501stso/events/may_10_2003/pic012.jpg]