Chewbacca ROTS (completed)

Dougie Fett

After I'm done with Thade, I'm going to start putting some work into my new wookiee project. Went back and forth a lot over which wookiee to do, still on the fence.
Have researched this project a lot, including some of our very talented members projects here on the RPF, very inspirational!

Have began work on the wookie underskull, there seems to be a common misconception that the mask adds 4 inches to the head height, It's more like 2 or 2.5 inches max based on measurements that I have calculated.

I am basing it on the fact that me eyes are 3.5 inches approx (4 inches max) from corner to corner. So I came up with this scaled concept, feel free to tell me that I'm wrong but I already tried adding 4 inches in klean klay to the sculpt and it looks ridiculously out of proportion, more like Ki-Adi-Mundi.



The underskull will be made from jesmonite with a latex/silicone skin. Going to use kanekelon hair.

Will post some progress shots when I have something worth showing.

MooCriket

Cool, can't wait to see the complete "Wookie"

vaderdarth

I like your approach

bleyd

That is a really cool concept.
I was amazed how large alot of the masks I've seen in person really are but you also have to figure it is a costume based on a 7 foot plus person.

Judge Minty

Yep, I'll be watching this one. Your Thade is excellent. Can't wait to see the same skills brought to a Wookie.

Good luck.

Dougie Fett

Cheers Minty, good to see you here.

I'm just short of 6 foot so I will be going for a wookie that's 7 foot so basically I hope to make everything 7/8 scale (seeing that both Chewie and Tarfful were 8 foot). The only thing I won't be making is Tarfful weapon if I go down that route, have sourced someone who can make it for me.

The Wook

I've never seen or heard of a Tarfful costumer out there, so you'd definitely be unique. He is one bad-ass lookin' wookiee, that's for sure!

ps~love that pic of you and your dog in the mirror! the expression on his/her face is priceless!

ItsThatGuy

If this helps for scale. This is my wife (5 feet tall) next to Mike Kingma (who played Tarfful). He looks a little taller than 7 feet.



If I remember correctly she took one shoe off for the picture - so she should be right at 5 feet in that picture.

duck

I think you sorta gotta use your judgment on that whole "adds four inches" thing. I believe that info came from a quote from Stuart Freeborn, but that could be a "give or take" tidbit of info. I know I started out with exactly 4 inches with my mask (four inches higher than the top of my skull) and it looked a bit high when sculpting, but not too much... but when I tried it on and really did some tests, it was pretty silly. I maybe shaved a full inch off that when all was said and done.

Then you gotta factor that the hair will inevitably add some more height back. Not much, but some. But for sure, the whole "four inches" thing is probably because of the scale of a 7 foot tall actor. When you are scaling down almost a foot, you should adjust accordingly. You don't want to run into the dreaded bobble-head effect.

All I know is my lifts add 8 inches to my height and I'm 6'2". With my mask on, I've been measured at 7'2", so I guess it adds about 4 inches some how!

Hamsterstyle

I would love to make a Tarful costume as I like his look, but I have neither the time, skill, or dedication to do something like that, plus it would be hot as hell.

WookieeGunner

I'm actually in the end of my research phase of a Tarfful (hope to get started in October). According to Mike Kingma's stats with his current team ( http://www.sundsvalldragons.com/player.html?id=8664270 ) he is 209 centimeters tall. Also, Tarfull may or may not be as tall as Chewbacca. In RotS he is sometimes as tall and sometimes shorter, but his databank listing has him listed as taller.

Dougie Fett

I had noticed the inconsistent info relating to Tarffuls height! Just looking at ROTS they both look roughly the same height.

WookieeGunner

Depending on the scene. For example if you watch the Yoda leaving scene Tarfful is obviously shorter.

Dougie Fett

They are the same height in this pic!



Anyway, I have nearly completed my lifts (12" inches) and have sculpted the toes based on the ROTS feet. Still modifying them for stability so will post pics when done.



Just need to mould them in plaster or fibreglass and then make latex casts.

WookieeGunner

Yes. In the publicity shots (which isn't always the same person, for example the RotS Vader pics had the at that time continuity editor in the suit) they are the same height. But if you look at the databank, Chewbacca is 2.28 meters tall and Tarfful is 2.34 meters but if you look at this pic:



you can see the height difference I am talking about (Tarfful's actor is 6'9" or 6'10" depending on which bio you read and Chewbacca's is 7'3").

Dougie Fett

As it turns out another member of our garrison has decided to go the wookie route too, the same guy that made all those amazing masks for Invasion Belfast.

He is 6'6" so he has already a huge head start on me at 5'11"
I'm taking on Chewie and he is making Tarfful after he is finished his Sith Stalker project.

Little progress, working on the underskull, will make a fibreglass/jesmonite cast.
Also in the pic is the negative mould of the toe sculpt.

Homer Simpson!!



Also ordered some polyester mesh, thanks to Wookiegunner for the link.
Also a huge thanks to Duck and Trap Joe for their amazing insights.

E-Wan

What polyester mesh are you guys using for this? I'm about to start on my Chewie after Halloween.

Dougie Fett

This one http://www.collinscottage.com/utilitya.htm

E-Wan

Nice, thanks!

LittleBit

Dougie, is the mesh for the full suit, or just for the cowl? And then will you glue, punch or hook the hair onto it?

RAD

The issue of height here in the photo referenced has two issues I can think of that question if Chewie is actually taller:

1. Perspective - Chewie is in foreground in shot and thus taller - all three are standing roughly in a circle NOT in a line (Notice how far Yoda turns his head towards Tarfel and not same towards Chewie). All about perspective.
2. All of this is shot and placed in digtal background - Tweaks could have been made with placement of all three characters (yoda model for sure) that could lead to 3d perspective issues as well (Also notice the black outline on each from greenscreen process).

just my two cents - would go with front on actor shots versus a perspective.

Laffo

Check out the new foot system I've got going on in my Bigfoot thread, and think about real hair. I've had great luck finding it cheap.
Laffo.

WookieeGunner

I agree on the perspective issue (I used to have a pic that had 6 people the shortest was 5' 2" and the tallest was 6' 4" and the entire group looked the same height) the thing is the actors are 4-6 inches in height difference (I've seen 6'9" and 6'10" for Kingma and 7'2" and 7'3" for Mayhew). Unfortunately I haven't found any pics that I can guarentee are the actors in the suits (I know for a fact that some (if not all) of the Vader RotS publicity shots wasn't Hayden so it puts in question any publicity shots out there.)

WookieeGunner

BTW Dougie Fett. All my research notes at the moment are at http://wookieegunner.livejournal.com/ and I have started a gallery at http://www.highlandcitadel.com/Tarfful/images/index.php if your buddy wants any help. I've also got serveral toys on order since I can't find any decent rear pics for the number of dreads. Once I have them I'll post the number of dreads and beads per dread on my LiveJournal account. I know some toys were made from LFL CGI files so I'm hoping the Tarfful toys will all have the same numbers.

Trap Joe

Cool to see so many fellow Chewie makers around.

To be honest I don´t like any of the ROTS Wookies. Even Chewbacca looks to me like a zombie Chewbacca. I can´t understand why so less people have been upset by the look of the horror-like prequel wookies.
To me they look ugly and discusting. Same with their weapons.
Chewie has always been gentele, loyal and kind to me before.

There have been many more guys who hated the new Vader suit. (which I also do) and the horror - E1 Yoda.
From my opinion the art that was in Star Wars before changed to make way to the generic industie product. The influence of the "evil movie indistry" took over Star Wars in the prequels. And that is what they suffer from most, In my opinion.

I would like to know what you guys like about these new wookies.
I´m looking forward to hear your positive opinions about them. Thanks