TheSpaceMongol
New Member
Hello!
I thought I'd make a thread for this build as I think there will be some interest among the fans of Dishonored franchise for this one. I've started patterning for the full costume of the red- uniformed Elite Guards/ Watch Officers in the game. I found the cut and details of the uniform to be really visually pleasing and thought about how I could make this piece a reality- I weighed my options on what techniques and tools to use and decided I should go with "real" materials as much as possible, since those are what I'm most familiar with. I lack 3D printing capacity and skills, but I can weld and work metal professionally and have a sewing machine. So, dark brown leather boots, high- waist, pleated beige military pants, red jacket with a white high collar undershirt plus metal helmet are what I need.
First off I checked the references and whether I could find any items that might work for the costume as is or with minimal modding- always better if you can get a decent base to work from instead of doing everything from scratch. Turns out, I did find a couple of items:
For the pants, I found these reproduction german military WWII workpants. Just your general issue high- waist pants in a correct enough color that'll work for the costume with some modifications. The buttons for the front pouches should be replaced with lighter color ones or removed (the elite guard pants don't seem to have front pockets, but this seems a minor enough issue to overlook. They also need flaps for the rear pockets, I just need to source some similar enough fabric for them. These pants only have one rear pocket so the other flap will just be cosmetic. Some ironing and starch, small mods and there you go, guard pants.
As for the boots, I found them to look quite similar to the WWII US paratrooper jump boots, with some minor differences in the cut and shaping of the toe section (the in- game boots are more angular and flat). Now, shoemaking is beyond me so this is probably the most affordable and looks wise closest choice of footwear for the guard outfit. Some weathering perhaps and actual everyday use and shoepolish should do the trick and make these a good fit for the uniform. The white spats that come with them seem simple enough to make by myself, couldn't find any in a similar angular cut.
I also have an old surplus Bundeswehr parade/ honor guard belt with all the fittings and an over the shoulder strap included. It looks usable for this build, I'll just need to see if it can be modded enough to work for the costume. It primarily needs a new buckle, but the one on the guard uniform looks easy enough to fabricate so it should be no problem. I might still need to do the whole belt system from scratch, but we'll see. There's also some old leather pouches that are a similar size amd shape to the one seen in game, but I'll need to paint them white and maybe replace a strap or two. The high collar undershirt might be possible to mod out of an existing shirt.
Other than that, I don't think I'll be able to acquire any major ready made or surplus parts. The jacket has a very unusual cut and the fabric needs to have the right look and weight to it (probably heavy twill or tweed in red). That leaves the helmet as the last piece and the one I'll start out with. I took some references from the game, made line drawings, printed them out and took measurements for the patterns. The patterns are ready at this point and I just need to cut some steel pieces and start banging them into shape. The construction will be relatively simple, it's basically like a medieval skullcap or chapel-de-fer with a funky brim. I decided to go with a dome welded from four separate pieces to make the process easier- this is for a costume so no need to think about strength requirements as with armor pieces. Relatively thin materials for the most part, only a few pieces need to be thick to achieve a good look. The helmet liner can also be seen in-game and it is exactly the same type as the WWII german helmet liners so no need to make that by myself, fortunately.
So that's it for starters, let's see how this proceeds from here!
I thought I'd make a thread for this build as I think there will be some interest among the fans of Dishonored franchise for this one. I've started patterning for the full costume of the red- uniformed Elite Guards/ Watch Officers in the game. I found the cut and details of the uniform to be really visually pleasing and thought about how I could make this piece a reality- I weighed my options on what techniques and tools to use and decided I should go with "real" materials as much as possible, since those are what I'm most familiar with. I lack 3D printing capacity and skills, but I can weld and work metal professionally and have a sewing machine. So, dark brown leather boots, high- waist, pleated beige military pants, red jacket with a white high collar undershirt plus metal helmet are what I need.
First off I checked the references and whether I could find any items that might work for the costume as is or with minimal modding- always better if you can get a decent base to work from instead of doing everything from scratch. Turns out, I did find a couple of items:
For the pants, I found these reproduction german military WWII workpants. Just your general issue high- waist pants in a correct enough color that'll work for the costume with some modifications. The buttons for the front pouches should be replaced with lighter color ones or removed (the elite guard pants don't seem to have front pockets, but this seems a minor enough issue to overlook. They also need flaps for the rear pockets, I just need to source some similar enough fabric for them. These pants only have one rear pocket so the other flap will just be cosmetic. Some ironing and starch, small mods and there you go, guard pants.
WH workers HBT pants
Wehrmacht field pants "Arbeitsdrillich", workers pants (which was also worn in field service) in natural white, 55% linen, 45% ramy.
www.zib-militaria.de
As for the boots, I found them to look quite similar to the WWII US paratrooper jump boots, with some minor differences in the cut and shaping of the toe section (the in- game boots are more angular and flat). Now, shoemaking is beyond me so this is probably the most affordable and looks wise closest choice of footwear for the guard outfit. Some weathering perhaps and actual everyday use and shoepolish should do the trick and make these a good fit for the uniform. The white spats that come with them seem simple enough to make by myself, couldn't find any in a similar angular cut.
WWII US Paratrooper Jump Boots by Miltec
Issue boot for US Army paratroopers through 1943. These were also sought after by regular troops who often purloined or "acquired" via alternative means. These feature russet brown leather uppers, toe caps, 12 eyelets, leather soles, and slanted heels. It comes with cloth laces. Leather laces...
www.wehrmacht.es
I also have an old surplus Bundeswehr parade/ honor guard belt with all the fittings and an over the shoulder strap included. It looks usable for this build, I'll just need to see if it can be modded enough to work for the costume. It primarily needs a new buckle, but the one on the guard uniform looks easy enough to fabricate so it should be no problem. I might still need to do the whole belt system from scratch, but we'll see. There's also some old leather pouches that are a similar size amd shape to the one seen in game, but I'll need to paint them white and maybe replace a strap or two. The high collar undershirt might be possible to mod out of an existing shirt.
Other than that, I don't think I'll be able to acquire any major ready made or surplus parts. The jacket has a very unusual cut and the fabric needs to have the right look and weight to it (probably heavy twill or tweed in red). That leaves the helmet as the last piece and the one I'll start out with. I took some references from the game, made line drawings, printed them out and took measurements for the patterns. The patterns are ready at this point and I just need to cut some steel pieces and start banging them into shape. The construction will be relatively simple, it's basically like a medieval skullcap or chapel-de-fer with a funky brim. I decided to go with a dome welded from four separate pieces to make the process easier- this is for a costume so no need to think about strength requirements as with armor pieces. Relatively thin materials for the most part, only a few pieces need to be thick to achieve a good look. The helmet liner can also be seen in-game and it is exactly the same type as the WWII german helmet liners so no need to make that by myself, fortunately.
So that's it for starters, let's see how this proceeds from here!