BrentM....man, that looks great!
I agree with others that spending more on the mannequin than the suit is maybe crazy, but having done a few life-size statues I will say this: the mannequin makes the statue.
Even the best costume/armor looks cheesy and cheap on a bad, dime-store mannequin. With all the things our modern society has to offer, I'm surprised there isn't a company out there offering dynamic, fully articulated mannys for less than $3000-$4000.
When it comes to Vader, it's even harder to find the perfect manny! From what I've read, David Prowse was about 6'5" or 6'6" and had a 50" chest. With the costume and boots on he had to be about 6'9" or taller!
I really think that if someone could offer a Vader manny in the sweet spot ($1000 or less) they'd sell quite a few of them. I've been on the RPF for 10 years, and a good accurate Vader manny seems to be the holy grail of many 1:1 guys, but there still isn't a good one out there!
Maybe with these new ANOVOS suits hitting the market it will help make it happen!?