Darth Vader Supreme Costume

All I did was remove the fabric. I left the plastic alone and used some elastic velcro straps I found at Home Depot. I used a Dremel to cut a small slot, two on each side of the shin, one set of slots near the top and one set of slots near the bottom. I cut the straps to the appropriate size and just sewed the strap back on itself.

Honestly, it doesn't really matter what you use to secure your shins. For most of us, the Rubies material is just too big. If you can trim it down and just re-sew the zipper to make it tighter, then go for it. No one will be able to see behind your legs anyway so don't worry so much about looks.

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Rich - I don't mean to harp on Sitharmor, but if you buy any of his stuff, he can throw in a length of aglok chain long enough to make a Vader chain for $3.00 or so, if memory serves me correctly.

Lan, yes I know the chap you speak of; I won't mention his name but you probably recall it. His chain wasn't entirely a metal link chain; it was metal and plastic. In fact, I was planning to not mention this and I don't generally like to whine, but after nine months of waiting, what the hey. Back in January of this year this "other TFN member" offerd to make me one of his ROTS chains if I supplied the material. I was delighted and immediately mailed off some aglok and some of the appropriate sash chain. And, as a small show of appreciation, I ran out and bought a brand new Hallmark AT AT Walker ornament which I tossed into the box to say thanks. He promised to send me the chain by the end of March. Flash forward to today and I haven't heard from the guy in months now and - guess what - I've yet to see the promised chain. Yes, there's a sucker born every minute and as old Ben Kenobi said, "He's me!"

Enough of that! Recall that the "other TFN member's" design consists of cutting out the aglok links and gluing them to metal hinge sections that are cut out of a metal sash chain. Its a time consuming process to cut the sash chain and the resulting hybrid plastic/metal chain is no stronger than the hot glue or CA used to attach the agok link to the sash chain's "hinge". While CA glue is strong, its very brittle and a chain buit using it could easily be snapped. I also note that most of the ROTS Vaders that I have seen use what is essentially an unmodified and sometimes painted strip of aglok. In my estimation, the "other TFN member's" design was not appealing to me, and apparently doesn't appeal to many others.

So,I developed my own method to try and adress the shortcomings of the other design, which I have shared in my other post. I think that it is superior in terms of being much simpler and faster to construct; and its infinitely stronger. However, if anyone can further improve on it , please do - and share with us here.

Cheers!

Huzz

 

Just got the Rubies deluxe Vader helmet made of heavy injection molded ABS material (plastic), whatever that is. Just wondering what the best way to polish it is and what with to give it the best shine?

Also is there anywhere where you can buy Vader costume parts on piece at a time? I cant afford to buy the whole thing at once but Id like to slowly build it up as bit of a hobby. Next part will be the shoulder/neck armour.

Either that, or is there a way of buying the Rubies supreme Vader costume minus the helmet to use a base to slowly upgrade?

Thanks!

 

i thought you would remember who that was. for me all i needed was ther tutorial from him which he pm'd to me. i can make it myself if i wanted to. not a prob for me.

my only concer with his method was the metal parts on bottom scratchin up the armor.

and not to mention if someone yanked it, it would fly to pieces.

im not knockin your method at all pal, i think its really nice work. i had even cosidered something similar, but couldnt figure out what to use to link them. i had thought of a metal strip bent into a connecting loop to connect the links, but then again the metal against the armor thing. but i also thought a lil plastidip on the underside of the chain once assembled might give a layer of protection against that/

 

the easiest to get ahold of is armor all high gloss found just bout anyplace.

the other a lil more harder to get, other than ebay, is novus polish. theres 3 different types. one for fine cleaning, one for light to medium scratches, and one for heavier scracthes.

i have a small set of those as well. but Armor All high gloss will shine that puppy up pretty good, thats what i used mostly on it and any of the plastic parts.

 

Shots some new pics of my setup with the MR helmet.

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Hi Lan!

Pardon my rant!! I do realize that you weren't knocking my little idea and I also really appreciate your comment that it is nice work. Thank-you!! I had been thinking along the same lines as you but I too could not find a way to securely and easily connect the aglok links in a way that allows them to move like a real chain and not scratch the armor. Until I though of those really small cable ties. And your comment reminds me - my approach to the ROTS chain should be fairly armor-friendly and not cause too many scratches, if any.

I was also frustrated in not getting the chain the other fellow promised. I realize that he may have more pressing things in his life than doing a chain for me; and that's fine (although an email to explain would have been nice!). But, I had always wanted to begin my chest armor mods by having the chain and its attachment resolved before I got into the repaint and shoulder bell attachments. Since I've gotten my MR lid, the chest armor is the one thing holding up my 501st application. Hence my frustration.

Once again, if anyone can think of a way to improve on my chain, I'd love to hear about it. And as this is a public board, I'd be quite flattered if others used my approach!

Cheers!
Dave

 

Seduced -

You know my opinion of your Vader; its outstanding on a bad day. But with the MR lid, those are just awesome pictures!!

I really like the poses mimicking Vader from Episode III. Fabulous! May I ask if that is an Episode III saber? And how do the neighbors react to seeing Vader skulking about the next garden?!

Cheers and great pictures!!! Come-on trick or treaters!!

Huzz

 

I really like your chain Dave. It looks great and more importantly it's armor friendly. I will definately refer to your pics and tutorial whenever I decide to upgrade may chain.

It sucks that other guy stiffed you even after you threw a little nice gesture in with your chain. I hate to see good people get taken advantage of. Why some people find it so hard to honor their word is beyond me. The least he could've done was just let you know he couldn't do it.

 

Thanks Huzz! Yes, that is an Episode III hilt.

I didn't run into any neighbors during the pics, it was rather quiet outside today for some reason. I just moved here in July so everyone is oblivious to the presence of a Dark Lord in the neighborhood. My secret will soon be out on Halloween!

 

DAMMIT!!!

After seeing SEDUCED's Vader I think I will be quitting the Vader game and looking to do a Jawa!

All I can say is: that is THE BEST RotS Vader out there BAR NONE!!!



Truely Great Work Brother!

OK - On Saturday I was present at FallCon here in MN ... and until i saw Seduced's pics I was feeling pretty happy ... (I still am ) ... but I did notice that my LE saber is pulling down my cod & belt ! Seduced - Did you do anything other than make your belt tighter to correct the weight of LE???

PICs: http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/dd209/c3pon/Fall%20Con/

 

Thanks Bill! I've got some lobster claws and cable ties left over. If you want 'em, drop me a PM some time and I'll pop them in the mail. I think I've got enough for a set for Lan and Darth CV too.

Hey Bill, in looking at your pics it seems that the MR helmet and the chest armor are working pretty well together. Are you finding any mobility issues? Can I caption your third pics as "Is this thing loaded?"

Darth CV _ stop knocking yourself! That is a great Vader costume! And I see that the very lovely Princess is getting pretty darn close to you there so she is definitely impressed! I'll bet she's the one monkeying with your belt. You Dawg!

And I see the 1966 Batmobile from the old Adam West TV show. If any of you don't know, Hot Wheels has released that car in their 2007 line up. Thee hasn't been any version of that car on the market since the Corgi model of the 1960's and early '70s. The Hot Wheels version is only like a buck or so - look for the "#15" in the uper right corner. There's a larger 1/18 scale car coming soon too.



Cheers!
Dave

 

Thanks Darth CV! I'm truly flattered by your comments my friend!

No need to convert to a Jawa as your Vader is very nice indeed!! Is that FG chest armor you have? It looks fantastic!

About the MR hilt. Yes, that sucker is heavy! Of course just tightening up the belt doesn't help and I tried a velcro fix but ended up sewing a belt loop onto my body suit. I cut a slit in the cloak to feed the loop through so I can then run the belt through it. I put one on each side of my hip to ensure my belt is nice and straight all the way around.

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Huzz,

No mobility issues with armor. In fact, the biggest issue with mobility is the MR helmet itself. With the extended neck, I can't really look down in front of me or look to either side. It's pretty much like having a neck brace on and if I make an effort to look in those directions, I have to move my entire upper body as a single unit.

PM headed your way!

 

That is Pure Genius!!!

You give me ideas ... THANKS for the comments as well!

That armor IS the Porty FG set ... I am still trying to decide if it looks proportionate on me? Thanks for the kudos! It took me about 2 months (due to uncooperative weather) to finish setting it up & clear coating it!

 

Great job on that armor! Two months was well worth the wait, it really looks slick!

 

I'm in the same boat with Rich...not much time before Halloween (actually I only have til the 26th to be ready) to do a lot of modding (costume should arrive this week). Anyway here are the mods I'm planning on doing before the big night:

-fix the neck flare on the Rubies helmet (maybe)
-install screening to black out the mouth vents
-install at least one fan in the helmet
-have the back of the jumpsuit replaced with mesh
-secure the chestpiece with velco and ditch the straps
-find a way to attach the FX lightsaber and hopefully conceal the white tube from view
-mount speakers, probably underneath the armor (I need all the visibilty I can get)

I don't think I'll have time to repaint or mess with the lenses. Repainting is out because the place will be dark to hide any of the minor flaws though I might give the helmet a nice shine.

 

Hey guys, did ya miss me?!

I feel like I haven't posted in a week.

My first 501st troop was amazing! Got to meet, and hang out with Dave Prowse for 3 days, and it was a highlight of my life for sure. What a gentleman he is. Gladly talked about playing Vader, and I even asked him how much money it would take for him to get back into costume. He said no chance in Hell, he hated the costume lol. Anyway, I'll post pics once I get them uploaded.

I was reading through the posts, and saw that CV Marshall was having an issue with his hilt. The only advice I can give ya buddy is tighten that belt! Mines tight, and doesn't move at all.

HMMM, What did I learn on my 1st troop?

1) Modifications take place constantly as you are always modding the things you modded in the first place for added comfort, and workability.

2) My feet, back, and legs hurt bad.

3) It was 92 degrees all 3 days, and after 2 and a half hours in costume, I'm just exhausted.

Other than those issues, it was a BLAST! I couldn't walk 10 feet without signing an autograph or taking pictures.

 

sctually there was a 1/8th scale release in a die cast. i know, i have it sittin on the shelf. it come out a few years ago.cant remember the brand right off hand but if you wanna know i will look for you.

i grabbed the new hot wheels 1/64 i seen this morning of it too.

 

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i had better luck setting mine up. i cant look down in front much, just like you, but i can titl my head backwards, quite a bit, due to the space i have between the armor and the suit in front, i can also turn my head almost shoulder to shoulder, but not quite, maybe a lil further than Hayden did in the movie. with no armor rubbing or scrapin the neck of mask. its all in how i padded the underside up for the clearance for the neck.

as far as the belt issues. i had originaly with the SA cod the very same prob. for that setup, i made a hook out of flat aluminum bent and velccroed to the cod, it run over the top and had a tab bent up on the end, the belt rode on top, and the tab kept it from slipping off. so the way it worked was the cod, which i had cinched down really tight, supported the entire weight on that side.

but now, i dont seem to have any issue at all, since i upgraded to the LA leather ROTS cod. it has notches made into the top for the boxes to sit in, when i hung the saber in those pics i posted, on the hook, the weight was supported by those boxes nestled into the notches, it kept the belt straight, and didnt droop due to saber weight.

so theres a couple options for fixin that. plus the best way was to get the LA cod.

seduced, all i can say, is freakin damn nice dude!!!

you see what a diff the MR lid makes? everyone says the same bout mine since i got one to wear with mine too. it along with the FG Porty armor just sets the whole thing off.

nice job bro!!

 

In my quest to upgrade to aluminum parts I purchased the following from SA:

* tusks/sensors (for the helmet)
* ROTS leather gloves [per seduced's comments]
* rods (for the chest piece)
* belt buckle
* AG LOK (SA/TK510 was a gentlemen and threw some in, since I bought 4 auctions he combined shipping upgraded me to ROTS gloves, I had bought the wrong ones originally)

I also have aluminum thumbscrews and filter grills for the boxes on the way.

At this point I'm convinced that replacing the grey plastic with aluminum and paint are the most cost effective upgrades. Everything else is icing when going for a budget Vader costume that will be convincing for 95% of the people.

I also have an auction in for a 2" black leather belt, I hope 38" will be enough.

After reviewing the armor I got in the auction, it is in rough shape. The suit is good, cape is good, but the armor has abrasions that will only be fixed via sanding and then painting. I've already started to sand the shins, I'll get to the armor and helm this weekend, while I learn to prep the plastic using the shins as a trial run.

If anyone has experience sanding and painting the Rubies armor, I would really enjoy hearing about your experience, tips and tricks.

Right now I'm going to use Valspar (Kustom Kolor) Base Black, Black Pearl and Colorplace Grey Primer. From what I've read these should work together. I'm a little worried that the primer is not specifically a filler/flexible primer like Plastikote, but after I do the shins I'll know whether another primer is in order.

 

Here are some photos of my troop this weekend if anyone is interested.

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Thanks Lan! The MR looks much better but it certainly isn't as trooper friendly as the Rubies! Oh well, there has to be a trade off I guess. Hayden is lucky he only had minimal time in that helmet! Nothing compared to our time in hot weather for hours and hours. The things we'll do to be the Dark Lord of the Sith!

 

May I suggest you acquire a set of accurate leather gloves? Also, pop out that plastic nose piece, fill in the hole and paint it silver.

Everything else you mentioned looks good. Make sure you get a good fan, the biggest you can fit in the lower grille. I was able to fit a 60mm in there and I NEVER have fogging issues even in very hot temps. Fogged up lenses can really ruin your Halloween, trust me, I know.

As far as the saber, you're better off just carrying it. Unless you get the MR Episode III hilt or an FX luxeon conversion that allows you to remove the blade, it would be a pain trying to attach it to your belt with the blade attached. You'll be using it a lot during Halloween as that's the first thing most kids want to see.

 

Richthofen,

You'll be very pleased with the parts you ordered. Especially the gloves and the belt buckle. Although the buckle comes with a nice backplate, it is a little too big compared to the screen used. I know a few of us here, myself included, used the Rubies backplate with SA's buckle. Rubies did get some things spot on and that's one of them.