Darth Vader Costume...

Can anyone tell me what I need to purchase and where I can get it. And how much will I have to spend on making a well-worth Darth Vader Costume?

sg edit: unlocked

 

expect to pay AT LEAST $1,000 if you want one that will be worth wearing. I dont know where you can get one. I would also like to mention that buying one from an unlicenced person is illegal so . . .



. . . keep it quiet.

 

You should PM Nightstalker1313. He is the NYC/NJ area's Darth Vader. Hes apart of the 501st.

 

They are correct,1000 at least or you wont be happy.if you are talented and can make alot of the parts your self you can save alot.there are alot of good sites for making various parts.also take into consideration when and where youll be wearing it.if its for display and maybe halloween you dont have to be so accurate.if you wear it around star wars fans they will pick it apart like vultures.the helmet is the most difficult item to aquire.a standard don post helmet with a few modifications will work for most and is easy to find.it is very small however.if you are over 6' tall it will be borderline way to small.if your a small sith lord it may work.just do your homework and take your time.go to my site and you can see mine .it took a few months to make and i made most if it myself.i am trying to get a larger helmet right now.by the time youve sewn the body suit made 2 capes,made the belt boxes and buckle,chestbox,gloves,shin armor and on and on you can easily see how expensive it will be.
good luck
http://mglinks.com/royalguard.htm
skip

 

Yeup, Vader is very expensive at least $1000, and that's the budget version. There was a thread on the RPF a while back about which SW costume was the most expensive and everyone said Vader. That leather suit will kill your checkbook.

There's usually a good reason why these kinds of rare costumes are rare inthe first place. It's because:
1) Even the budget versions are expensive and there is no way around it.
2) They are hard and take a long time to make and often involve several versions of a part, adding to the cost of the suit.
3) They are uncomfertable to wear. Just ask any Vader about getting back into a leather suit on the second day of a con. All wet and slimey, eeewwwww.

At SWC2 I noticed that the rarer costumes are subjected to a much higher level of scrunity then the other, more common costumes. I didn't hear any negative Jedi comments, and there were some pretty bad fan=made Jedi costumes. One guys suit makes the Rubies costumes look good.
There was a guy in a Chewie suit who did an awesome job and had sound effects, but I heard a bunch of jokes coz he wasn't wearing stilts and just did his regular height (which was pretty tall).

If you wanna do a rare costume, you gotta do it right and that means dropping a lot of cash into it, spending the better part of year working on it, if not longer, and being prepared to revise or redo parts since you won't get everything right the first time.

I've seen skip's costume in person (he's in my local Fan Force) and it is quite nice. The only thing that detracts from it is the DP standard, but everyone knows how hard it is to find a Classic Action helmet which is what skip is searching for now.

I can't wait for Halloween.

 

Thanks for the compliments matt.
if you are aware of your costumes imperfections and are working on fixing them then people respect that.I definately have a budget vader costume.Mine cost me between 500 and 1000 and by the time its done i know i will have gone over 1000.depending on your budget you can find the standard helmets all day long on ebay.even they are running 50 bucks and are actually really nice.very good quality helmet for the money.
if you are serious then be prepared to do it right.I was rushed to make mine in time for the EP2 premiere.I had to wear it 3 times in 1 week and loved doing it.kids loved it and most adults too.
I already knew i wanted to redo some aspects of the costume.1 of which is being done now. Im having platforms built onto my boots. Im 6' and im adding 3" to the boots.Hopefully i will get a new helmet soon and it will add a few more inches.the standard helmet adds an inch or so but the altmanns and CA don post vader helmet add 3 or more.that will put me up about right at 6-6.Im also making a better looking chestbox. mine was pretty good but i finally found the right size rocker switches and buttons so im remaking it.
As matt and i stated before the more known the character and rarer the costume then the more accurate you need to be.I also have a royal guard costume and it has stormtrooper armor on the arms.You saw it on my webpage if you looked.Though its not movie accurate it very well done and people that know who i am flip out and ive never heard a neg. comment.WE definately encourage you to do it! Ive read to many posting from people that cant afford to do this or do that.if you cant afford to do it now then do your planning now and slowly put together the pieces. as always this board is your best bet on info and help so keep us posted.
skip

 

Look up a post that I did a long time ago...I had step by step instructions on how to make the whole outfit...I will bring it up so u can look @ it..

 

Yep, Vader is very expensive at least $1000, and that's the budget version. There was a thread on the RPF a while back about which SW costume was the most expensive and everyone said Vader. That leather suit will kill your checkbook.

Well I just have to say if Darth Maul isn't 1st, then it should be a tie. I spent over $700 dollars for my outfit, and that was inlcuding cheap boots. For the Frank Thomas boots add another $230.

The contacts were a couple hundred, only good for a year or so. Then I will have to purchase another set.

The most authentic looking makeup, Reel Creations is $11/ounce.

So if I want to keep wearing this difficult to put on, difficult to take off, outfit over the years, the cost will keep rising.

As for Vader, once you have the outfit to your liking, that's it for the cost. So in the long run, I think Maul wins. ;-)

 

Your right about that. How much do you think you spend on Maul make-up each time you wear it?

 

I bought the 4 oz. bottle of red #2 for $44.00 and 4 oz. bottle of black #1 for $44.00, so that's $88.00 right there.

I figure I can wear the makeup one more time with the black then I will need to purchase more, or a larger quantity. The red isn't used that much, so it lasts longer.

You can get 2 makeup occasions out of the black in a 4 oz. bottle.

You save the more you buy, but a gallon is a little bit ridiculous for an outfit I wear 2-3 times year. As I get more involved in events and cons I will wear it more.

 

The helmet alone is about $600. (For the decent one.)

I know people who've spent $3000+ on Vader, and it looks soooooo good. Really, even for $1000, you don't come all that close to movie accuracy unless you are making it yourself and have very good sewing/modeling skills. The costume also requires a lot of babying and upkeep, because you can't get fingerprints or any scratches at all on the armor.

 

Which is why I will be out some serious dough since I already own a Maul outfit and am purchasing Vader components. I expect to be spending about $2000+ once is all is said and done.

There you go, the two most expensive costumes in the biz...

 

Weeeelllll....I've heard of Fetts who claim to have spent $2000+. Of course, if you make it yourself, you can at least remove one zero from that figure and still have it look great. If you try hard enough.

I think the main thing is that with many costumes, you can cheat your way around a lot of the expenses. With Vader, if you want to look great, you're wallet's going to be much thinner.

 

Here's what I've spent so far on my vader costume:

Helmet (fanmade) $400
Shinarmor $45
Kneehigh equestrian boots $40
Custommade leather gloves $45
Leather codpiece $50
Leather pants - got them from a family member who didn't want them anymore -

So expect to pay quite a lot - there's really no cheating here.

I'm still missing the majority of the costume, like the chestarmor, belt and electronic chestpiece. But the things I've got now look great and there's still a long time until episode 3.

 

Krede, where'd you get your boots?

 

I got them from that on-line Grand Prix equestrian store. I didn't experience any problems, but I've heard that a lot of other fans here on the board have been treated very badly by them.
Try searching the net for stores that carry riding accessories. It shouldn't be too difficult finding a decent pair of black boots.

 

check out "kellys tack shop" online
thats where i got mine.
skip
[image=http://mglinks.com/sw2.jpg]

 

have any of you used the reveal helmet? is it comfortable? or should i go with the DP CLASSIC ACTION.

 

I've got the CA helmet...I also ordered the neck seal from another costume provider to complete it..this is a nice combo!

 

I'm keeping tabs on some of these reveal helmets and if they don't get too expensive, I'm going to get one.

 

I too have a Vader costume. I have probably spent close to $3,000 US on mine. I live in Canada, so it is much more than that!! I was able to get a DP Classic Action helmet from someone on eBay. It is really nice!! I added a mini fan(which does nothing), and changed the lenses I bought from Vaderpainter! They are much better than the stock ones that come with the helmet!

As for the boots, I bought a pair from The Star Fortress. I know, I know, he may be a bad seller, but I got my boots in about 3 weeks! They have a 3 inch heel in the sole, so when I have the whole costume on (I am 6'4), I stand a Most Impressive 6'7...same height as Dave Prowse!! I've gotten a ton of complements form people about my costume! THey are amazed by the accuracy of the suit! So, if you spend the money, you will be richly rewarded!!

I plan on doing a midnight madness sale for the Episode 3 figs with my local TRU, and dressing up in the costume! The manager asked me how I'd like to be paid...I thought about it, and said...TOYS!! She smiled, and said she would see what she can do!

The best part about having a Vader costume, is that it is so recognizable to all age groups! just about everyone that sees it will be impressed! So, if you have the money, splurge!! But most of all, HAVE FUN!

 

Yeah Vader isn't cheap BUT if you're talented and cheap (j/k) you can do a great job!

I was going to build an accurate Vader for cheap when I first decided to go ahead with him but then I found you can't really be accurate for cheap... I guess you could but it's a fine line really.

I was going to get a cheap FG recast kit of a DP C/A but have since learned this can be a bad thing as most are warped and take alot of work to get right. You're better off looking for a DP C/A or buying one of the better fan made buckets. (Some are amazing...) I have chosen to go this route as I'm a stickler for detail. I reckon if you're going to spend money on it, you may as well do it right. If you have the patience it'll work out in the end.

Do your research right and make contact with other builders, you'll be suprised at what you can do. I'm sourcing pieces from all over, every piece is the best (in my opinion of course) you can get and the most accurate. AND they aren't all priced in the stratosphere... But expect the leather suit and bucket to set you back the most, they make or break the suit really.

I wish I could say I only spent $1,000 on my Vader but I've gone over that by 20% already and I've only brought the leather suit! :? But as I said I'm a stickler and I justify it by saying I don't buy all the toys and stuff so why not have the coolest collectable there is. A life-size Vader, totally accurate in every way!!! Beyond accurate in some ways too.

Beats a Fett any day!

Which reminds me, I've only got 6 months to finish it! (RotS premiere.) I think the painting will be the trickiest part to get right and the LED and sound board... I gotta have it perfect!

I'm such a loser...

 

have any of you used the instructions for the vader armor from vader maker australlia or the meditation chamber?

 

Well, I'm a newbie here but have been sculpting, sewing, and building for YEARS. Authenticity is the most important factor for me and I have been collecting parts for my Vader display for a long while now (hense, my reason for finding this site and immediately signing up!). I am in the position where I can do most of the soft goods myself and plan to utilize electronics for the lights/sound elements. So far, I'm up to $800 for the hard goods (not counting the Master Replicas converted FX Saber - $100 )and about $200 for all the material for the body suit, capes, and cod piece. The boots are costume boots from Eastern Coast Costuming. I decided to go with pvc material for the leatherette stuff as it can hardly be differenciated from leather even up close and the Easter Coast boots are very good considering the $40 delivered pricetag! The last thing I have to worry about is the scratch-built mannequin. at 6' 7", I'll have to go that route I think. It should cost me about $60 for the pipes and padding. So far, that's $1200 not counting the automotive paints for the armor...UGGG I got into this WHY?!? That's still cheaper than buying every component of the costume, so I won't complain.

Take the advice of the folks here and don't rush into this. Take your time in gathering the parts you'll be happy looking at for a looooong time. Also, don't be afraid to "evolve" into more authentic pieces as you find them. Even the costume in ROTJ looked better than the costume in ANH. Evolution is a good thing and it gives us an opportunity to play with our Vader as you swap out parts!!!

The one piece I can't seem to find anywhere is the ever-elusive rubberized cape chain. The closest I've come is finding that it is called Maxi-loc in Australia, and ProLock here in the U.S. The Aussie distributors don't ship to the U.S. and I haven't been able to get a call or email back with ordering info from the U.S. company. Anyone else have any ideas?

Good luck on your costume and I hope to see some WIP pics soon!

 

I haven't got that far yet (I'm doing the cape and robes last so I can measure the mannequin) but I have heard alot of people on the STT list talking 'bout it. They seem to have every part sorted. You should join up and ask.

I hope this helps.