Help with Male Twi'lek lekku for costume

I would like to recreate my character from Star Wars Galaxies, and he is a male twi'lek. I already have the costume down, but I would like some help on lekku. Everything I have seen shows how to do this for Aayla Secura costumes, but a male twi has no headdress to hold the lekku on. Anybody with tips for a realistic set of lekku without a headdress?

Thanks!
-Robbie

 

Have you read the original Tales of the Jedi comics? There is a Jedi Twilek in there called Tott Doneeta. Here is the Star Wars Wiki for him: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tott_Doneeta

Scroll down to the Dave Dorman cover art; those should give you some alternate ideas to trying a bare-headed design.

 

Awesome! Thanks a lot! Now, all I have to do is make the lekku! Any tips?

 

Male lekku is what that I have planned to build next, after I have finished rebuilding a helmet. I am basing mine mainly off Bib Fortuna, and I think most male twi'lek in the EU are drawn or modeled to resemble him.

[image=http://www.wizards.com/global/images/starwars_article_BHPreview6_pic3_en.jpg]

If you look at Bib Fortuna's head from the side you can see that it is elongated with lots of bumps, and the lekku are haning down the back of this.
I was thinking of making the skull by bending a sheet of styrene over the head. (heat in kitchen oven and then bend by hand) Then get the cap for the back of the head vacuformed, also from styrene. The peices would be pop-riveted together in the back and in the neck.
There may also have to be some styrofoam padding inside the skull helmet for comfort and fit.

Unlike female lekku, the male lekku are not curved at the top, they are simple shapes hanging straight down from the skull just behind the ears.
Bib Fortuna has very human-like ears, as far as I can see, and I was going to just expose my own.

The skull would be held onto the head with two straps: one across the forehead and one under the chin. These would be concealed by latex appliances.
I am planning to let my character wear a close-fitting hat, but I have also considered making a skin for the skull. If I make a skin, I would make it from latex in at least two parts. The first one for the back of the skull, sculpt in oil-based clay laid right onto the plastic skull. The other main piece would be a little bit forward, made the same way.

For the lekku themselves... I have actually considered using genuine swine leather, filled with a lightweight flexible duct tube like they used in Star Wars Shortened. The leather could be distressed to get the right type of wrinkles before it is filled. I believe that could be both lightweight and very flexible. The lekku would also be strong enough to be bolted or riveted to the skull.

 

[image=http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/MxPxRobbie/swg_screen.jpg]

Here is a screenshot of my character from Galaxies. I have since moved the lekku behind his head. None of the male Twi'leks in SWG have the weird chin pouch or forehead bumps. This is what I am trying for. One, for comfort, and two, to look better. Ol' Bib Fortuna is an ugly, ugly man.

 

Sculpt a full head mask type deal,but leave the face open,like a divers hood,then cast it in latex?

 

http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=7309831&replies=30

http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=9638172&replies=35



here's a few threads on how the girls do their lekku's...maybe you can adapt some of their techniques for your situation.

 

Cool, I think I am going to try Mazzic's version. They look to be the most flexible and realistic. I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as I get done!

 

I'm sorry but your SWG character does have the forehead bumps, they are just not very pronounced. Bib Fortuna is an ugly old man.. ugly even for a twi'lek.

 

[image=http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/thumb/6/60/ShadoVao.jpg/476px-ShadoVao.jpg]

I think I am going to model my headdress after Shado Vao, from the Legacy comics.

 

Good idea, he looks cool. It should be even more interesting with the purple lekku stripes showing under the cloth or leather wrapping.

 

Okay, this seems to be the most recently updated twi'lek thread so I'll ask my question here, even though I'm not male ;-)

I've patterned a fabric form for my lekku and stuffed it with microbead filling (the really tiny styrofoam pellets that are in the really comfortable, squishy pillows). It has some boning at the top to help hold its shape, and an elastic band to hold it to my head.

[image=http://photos.pe.facebook.com/v64/70/19/426910/n426910_32569650_5820.jpg]

This isn't the final version, and the costume is just a temporary thrift-store thing too ... but you can see what they look like. They hang nicely and are still very flexible, so they move around and look realistic when I fight.

But, because they are fabric, the texture is wrong, the seamlines show, and I can't paint them with my makeup. I'm considering coating them with liquid latex first, but I'm worried that will stiffen the fabric and they won't be flexible anymore. Can anyone who's used liquid latex tell me how it will affect the fabric? Would I be better off sewing them from vinyl or pvc from the start?

 

Coating fabric with latex will stiffen it a great deal, yes.