Darth Vader Supreme Costume

http://cgi.ebay.com/VADER-REVEAL-ROTS-MASK_W0QQitemZ220017034727QQihZ012QQcategoryZ790QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Ill be suprised if this sells for $250 in 1 day once the auction ends. And the shipping is free in the US and Canada. I wish i would have only spent 250 on a vader helmet.

 

looks like a portumac lid...and seeing as the seller is in florida...wouldnt be surprised

welcome ROTS fan....

as far as the chain...im not sure if anyone saw in the post i put up awhile back but i actually made my own chain out of sheet metal, a dremel tool and tin snips...came out pretty close...

also i see what was mentioned about the neck line of the armor...could be fixed for sure...never noticed that so thanks for that...im looking to make my own armor and helmet down the road a...long...ways down. i plan on trying my hand a clay sculpting and resin/fiberglass casting...sometimes the only way to get something without paying a fortuene is to make it yourself...

to those who say that you have no clue how...neither do i...but ive read and it seems with some time and patience it can be done. start with small things first...for instance im going to start by casting and making molds for my wife's zam wesell costume...then the new shoulder armor then to the helmet....

 

I think that SithLord's chain is the most accurate that I've seen, proving that if you want somthing done you gotta do it yourself (same with the ROTS gloves, too). I've checked all the local home improvement retailers and have used a comparable flat link chain for the armor, but the discussion here and a re-examination of photos of the actual costume have led me to look for a more rectangular link chain, sort of like the plastic garden chain (common to OT costumes) but in metal. No luck so far.

Very interesting that new buyers of the costume were alluding to false advertising. It's true that when I first saw online advertisements for the Rubies Supreme Vader, I said, "Waitaminit, that's a picture of the real suit." But when images of the actual costume started surfacing, I must say that although it wasn't the real thing, it was still way better than anything that I had access to previously. I'm sure that in years past, everyone had seen prior Vader halloween costumes on display in their local mall that had a silkscreened bodysuit and the one-piece plastic chestpiece/control box/belt that ties in the back. Yikes!!!

Also, I'm not sure about the differences between Rubies and the real shoulder armor regarding the shape of the neckline. I think it's a combination of the angle of that particular photo and the fact that the central ridge of the armor is much more pronounced on the real suit. I checked the pictures in "Vader: The Ultimate Guide" that shows the armor, and you can see that the neckline is still a continuous curve but that ridge is more pronounced at the top than on the Rubie's version.

Special thanks to Hummerth-2 as well for showing us that even if you don't want to paint your shoulder armor, you can still improve the gunmetal color using adhesive vinyl. Worked like a charm!

 

You know... I think that the RotS vader cape actually used this instead of the Rubies lobster clamps.

http://www.thesewingplace.com/browseproducts/Hook---Bar--Trouser-or-Skirt.HTML

really just a theory, I can't really prove it.

 

If you are referring to the original suit in the movie, they used velcro to attach the cape to the armor. The chain served no purpose other than decoration.

[image=http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y286/wjlane/Chest.jpg]

 

well actually I think velcro was used to keep it on the sides of the armor. I can't imagine that velcro has enough strength to hold the cape on. But I don't want to start an argument (not on this forum anyway) so I'll just drop it.

 

Argument? Not at all! Just a discussion. The picture below was taken from an individual who had an up close observation of the screen used ROTS Vader and those are his notes added on the picture. I can't tell if there is anything other than velcro actually securing the cape to the armor and there is no tension on the chain. Also note the lining isn't even completely sewn in. Many costumers aspire to be screen accurate when in reality the screen suit isn't all it's cracked up to be. It looks great on film but not as good in person.

[image=http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y286/wjlane/ep3screenusedvaderd0xd.jpg]

 

Remember that in the end that a Vader suit will be made for what its supposed to do. Same goes for what the screen suit was used for: the screen. It may be the shoddiest sewing job on the cape, but if its enough to give Lucas his 15 second shot of Vader, he aint gonna complain! When it comes to our own costumes we have to expect to deviate from the screen suit to fit our comfort and keep the whole thing working in one peice. Heh, if that screen suit cape was attached only w/ velcro, I gotta wonder how many blooper takes there were of the cape falling off on Hayden.

 

This is actually something that I can't figure out...from the pictures that have been posted here of the screen-used ROTS Vader costume on display, the three things that struck me as odd were:

1) velcro used to secure the cape at the armor attachment points. I'm sure that this was in addition to the hook & eye attachments - there's no way the cape could hold on with two small squares of velcro. I'm thinking that the ends of the cape beyond where they attach to the armor were sticking up (like the tips of shirt collar would) and someone just used velcro to get them to stay down.

2) the pieces (three small cubes?) glued onto the front of the shinguards. Maybe they were damaged in transit and had to be glued back on in a hurry?

3) the lining of the cape being tacked on but not sewn completely. This is entirely inconsistent with the whole philosophy of the costume makers as expressed in the book "Dressing a Galaxy". They took great pains to make perfect ALL facets of the costuming for Episode III, even stuff that no one would EVER see on screen. I find it hard to believe that they would cut corners on the most important costume of all that would be featured prominently not only in the finale of the movie, but also photographed on posters, magazines, books, video and DVD features, notebooks, backpacks, etc. Let's not forget the nice big pictures on the box of the Rubie's Supreme Darth Vader costume...

Incidentally, I love the photos that many of you have taken with the Rubie's costume but with a Master Replicas or fan-made helmet. The differences in appearance catch the eye immediately. I recently obtained a DP Classic Action Vader helmet and refurbished it...somehow, it does seem that the features of the DP look more like the Vader we all know (perhaps because the dome extends lower in the back?)

When I figure out how to attach pictures to these posts, I'll try to do some comparison shots.

 

I actually have extremely strong Velcro that i am going to use for my cape.Since I was skeptical I figured Id test it with my 3 pound hockey kicker goalie pad to see if it would be strong enough to hold my cape up . I took a 1/2 by 1 inch piece of Velcro and stuck one side to the wall and the other side to the pad. I then,carefully, stuck my kicker on the wall...and it stuck. I wonder to myself if this was hanging on by a thread or if it was really on there. So i tested it. I touched it ...nothing. I then hit it..... Nothing ...I hit it 6 or 7 times with light little punches and it finally fell. Trust me Velcro will hold a 7 pound cape. IF a 1/2 by one inch piece of Velcro could hold a 3 pound kicker then I think an increased amount of Velcro could sustain 7 pounds of cape. It actually makes allot more sense to use Velcro. First, it distributes the weight of the cape to more than just 2 little hooks which will allow it to fall more evenly. Lastly, it makes it allot safer and easier to use. The Velcro is called "Velcro Extreme".

 

It is possible that the velcro runs along the entire top of the cape behind the armor, we just can't see it.

It appears the helmet was the only piece that was contructed to perfection. It makes sense since it would be in the close up shots during filming. Why go through similar efforts on the shin guards, belt/chest boxes and the cape? No one caught any of these imperfections when the film was released. Only when these close up pictures of the real suit on display came out did these become apparent. 99.9% of the public wouldn't notice these things anyway. And the same 99.9% probably wouldn't care either.

 

I don't know...after all of the commentary in the books, magazines and DVD's from the costume designers on how "the embroidery on the senate costumes was rather difficult and took weeks to accomplish", I have a hard time accepting that they just cobbled something together for Vader. I mean, it's understandable if the background costumes are shoddy, but not the hero suits for the main characters.

Can you picture it? "Hey, it's two days til' filming on Vader's reconstruction, which everyone and their mother has waited decades to see and will be watching closely...have we sewn the cape yet? No? Well, just pin that lining in place...no one will notice."

It's also strange when costuming quirks actually get left in the finished movie, after multiple takes and being edited and sometimes re-shot. I'm sure that everyone here who knows Vader's costume saw the following in Ep. III and said, "Who didn't catch that?"

1) side shot - Anakin is laid out on the table in somewhat full costume and the mask and helmet are being manuevered into postion - wait, there's no neck/jawpiece in place.

2) overhead...the mask comes down - jawpiece is now there.

3) the mask clicks into place and the helmet comes into frame - wait, no chest armor.

4) Vader's operating table starts moving vertically - cape chain is hung up in the collar

5) table locks into place and Vader's head moves - chain has freed itself and is in the proper position.

Give the continuity editor a good talking to, Mr. Lucas!

 

Yes! I just got my new chestbox from Portumac. This thing looks great. Approximately the same dimensions as Rubies but better lit/painted/red switch lit. I'm soliciting ideas on how to mount this as there doesn't seem to be any mounting system in place. If anyone knows anyone who's tried this please chime in. Thanks.

 

Well.....the picture of the screen suit can't lie. I agree that every piece of the suit should have been scrutinized and completed with the utmost attention to detail. And that is exactly what I thought they did while making the film. However, it's plain to see the lining isn't completely sewn in, not to mention the other deficiencies. I certainly don't like it either but the proof is right there in front of us.

 

Guys, you have to also consider that the suit in question may not have actually been a screen-used suit. Often extra costumes are quickly slapped together in order to be sent out on tour and displayed. They are often promoted as "screen-used" but usually they are not the real deal. Sometimes they send out bits of proto-types as well. Maybe they were experimenting with the cape on this particular suit. I remember being one distraught little 10 year old back in 1980 when I went to see Darth Vader in a department store. The suit was being advertised as a "screen-used" suit in the newspaper, but when my mother and I got there we started talking to one of the guys running the show and he told us it wasn't actually used in the movie. To make matters worse, the guy in the suit was left handed! I was devastated. I can also tell you that the suit I saw made Vader look as though he'd just taken on every Jedi in the galaxy! It wouldn't suprise me to find out that the 'hero' suit is packed away out at Skywalker Ranch where it has been since being sent there from Australia after ROTS wrapped up principal photography.

Also, I just found out the other day that one of my girlfriend's friends almost applied for a job as a seemstress on ROTS but couldn't because she was going O/S. Her friend applied but didn't get in. If only! I'd be a very popular boy on these forums if she did apply and got in!

 

Actually, I think you both may be wrong. I have looked at numerous costumes over the years(Having worked in several costume stores) and I can tell you that when a costume is first used, it looks fantastic. It will continue to look fantastic for about a month or so if not kept up. It looks to me as if the Vader suit pictured is the real deal, but has been packed away several times since its one or two days of use back in 2003-04.

The seams actually are there, but they have been sewn inward of the outer edge, and the edge was ironed down to hide it. there is probably a 1/4 to 1/2 inches of fabric sticking out from the seam. after being moved around and packed up numerous times, the starched edges of the cape have begun to billow up a bit, making it appear that there is no complete seam along the edge.

 

This could well be the case, who knows? Until we can kidnap and interrogate someone who actually worked on the costume, we can only guess. One thing I would be pretty confident in saying is that it would seem highly unlikely that velcro is solely responsible for attaching the cape to the shoulder armor. My guess would be that there are hooks set a litte further back and that the velcro was used simply to fix the ends of the cape to allow them to sit neatly on the armor.

 

I call not partaking in that when it happens, lol.

 

Okay, then we'll just take him out for a coffee and a friendly chat.

 

I am pretty sure that it was a she/her that did the costume. Trisha Biggars...or at least she oversaw the whole thing.

 

[image=http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y286/wjlane/ep3screenusedvaderd0xd.jpg]
I'm actually thinking there is a hook in that picture and it is the same as we have on the Rubies, in the same place no less. Look closely at where the cape and chain meet. I think I see the hook. Not this new lobster claw (which appears to be in addition to the hook on the new Rubies version, right?). But like was said, the seam and Velcro could be later additions. The cape ripped off when they were putting up the display so they hap-hazardly put velcro on maybe.

But anyway, who cares. If you want to put Velcro, it's your suit. I would advise against it. After putting a great paintjob on mine, the last thing I'll do is stick Velcro to it. Velcro will not likely look right either, the cape won't hang. And as far as I know, all Vader capes have been held on at the 2 points at the end of the cape. The old way used the chain, new way is the hooks. I don't think it's a problem.

But lets put it this way, if making mine screen accurate meant having an obviously crappy looking seem in the cape (or not at all) and having Velco stuck to my armor which can be seen no less(amazingly obvious as well), then I would not strive for screen accuracy.

Make the Vader you would be proud to wear or display, use those images with a grain of salt. I actually try to use as much as I can see on the DVD. That, I know for a fact, is screen accurate.

 

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But lets put it this way, if making mine screen accurate meant having an obviously crappy looking seem in the cape (or not at all) and having Velco stuck to my armor which can be seen no less(amazingly obvious as well), then I would not strive for screen accuracy.

Make the Vader you would be proud to wear or display, use those images with a grain of salt. I actually try to use as much as I can see on the DVD. That, I know for a fact, is screen accurate. [/quote]
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I agree with you 100% Darth_D-Rock. Fretting over such little issues could drive you crazy, especially when dealing with a cotume as complex as Vader's.

You say that you gave your Rubie's armor a new paint job. Does it make the armor look that much better? I'm waitng on a set myself and I'm actually thinking of fixing up the neckline and re-doing the whole thing in fibreglass. First, however, I want to see how my MR ROTS helmet (which I'm also waiting on) sits on the armor before I go too crazy!

 

Any word on this yet? I'd be interesting in hearing what it sounds like. I'd like to relpace the Rubies one, but don't have an MP3 player and I don't think I'll be getting one any time soon.

 

The Rubies breather sucks, period. It makes Vader sound like he's got a cold. I bought a cheap MP3 player ($30) and a portable amplified speaker setup ($19) to play high quality (320kbps) breathing and voice clips. The difference is like night and day and well worth it.

 

Correction, will paint it up. I had been told not painting the armor is OK, I think just clear coating it. But my armor is scratched up anyway so I plan to paint it. Still haven't got to it yet but when I do, I'll post pics. Others have had luck with paint and shelf lining material (applique I think) so check this thread for examples. I've heard the grey color is wrong too on the Rubies. I've yet to even test the new stuff. Paint's here, just waiting on me to get the time.