Trap Joe
Sr Member
Hello Guys. After showing my C3-PO, Stormtrooper, Ackbar and Chewbacca,I like to show you my self-made ESB Darth Vader puppet - that was part in my stop motion movie "Powerplay of Forces":
This Figure has been the centrepiece in my self-made Star Wars stop motion puppet collection. It was the first figure I started with, back in 1987and finally stopped working on him in late 1993. In this period, there have been years where I daily worked on this Vader figure. Later at least one or two days in the week. It´s crazy when I think about this, nowadays. Sometimes I got the strange feeling that the whole thing must have been made completely out of spray paint...It was a pleasure and curse at the same time. Okay it´s not the same - compared to the work on my life-size Vaders, but in these early years, it felt even more intense.
Showing especially this POF Vader figure on this board, really means something to me. Because I see that I found people over here, who can understand this kind of madness for Star Wars stuff that I have, since I started making THIS figure. Finding such kind of people nearly didn´t happen back in the End 80´s. Because back then it seemed like everyone was more interested in the rebels and heroes when it came to Star Wars - and not in Darth Vader. I think this has completely changed by now!
I was always fascinated with Vader - since the first time I saw him. Also for the mystery underneath his mask and helmet.
This Vader is completely pose able. He has moveable silicone cast fingers with wire armature in it. The belt- and chest boxes can light up and blink and I made the lenses that old Anakin can watch through. Darth Vader always had a reveal helmet with Anakin´s head underneath it. Even back in the times when I didn´t have seen ROTJ and he had a self interpreted head. So changes have been preprogrammed...
That´s how the latest version from 1993 looked:
I made a fully functional Darth Vader meditation chamber as well. This set was the only one, that I didn´t built for POF. I built it for my Vader figure 3 years before we made the movie. The chamber always stood in my room to keep the figure protected from dust and the cleaning lady...
This is how he looks nowadays. Still in good shape:
I made a newer, more improved version, later in 1998. This is how this Darth Vader figure looked:
But this wasn´t the ESB Vader in the movie. Only for "promo shots" mostly for our soundtrack cover.
In the beginning of POF, Vader also wore his ANH costume. Here you can see him standing next to C3-Po and one of the main POF-heroes: Num Doray, the mercenary and friend of Han Solo
This have been two different Vader figures. I speak about them in one of the next threads.
Here are some very early Images that show this Vader in the pre-POF-times. You see some different stadiums. The photo´s were taken between 1987 and 90. Until 1991 I didn´t even know about the gunmetal grey/black paint combination of the mask. Vader looked more like the E3 Vader till then. I got this information from Tim Ketzer. We worked a lot together on other Star Wars related projects. The third one is the first pic that was ever made with him. It shows him next to my brother:
As you all know, Sideshow and many other companies nowadays had begun to produce Vaders in that size and style. Even with the removable helmet.
Not back then. I guess the main reason why I build my little Vader was that you couldn´t buy a good 12 inch Vader anywhere. I´m happy I made my stop motion Vader figure back then, long before all the new have been produced.
Here´s a video from last Year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ZXrT8RGF8
There are so many details that I may have forgotten.
If you want to know more: here´s a link to our movie storybook:
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=73906
This Figure has been the centrepiece in my self-made Star Wars stop motion puppet collection. It was the first figure I started with, back in 1987and finally stopped working on him in late 1993. In this period, there have been years where I daily worked on this Vader figure. Later at least one or two days in the week. It´s crazy when I think about this, nowadays. Sometimes I got the strange feeling that the whole thing must have been made completely out of spray paint...It was a pleasure and curse at the same time. Okay it´s not the same - compared to the work on my life-size Vaders, but in these early years, it felt even more intense.
Showing especially this POF Vader figure on this board, really means something to me. Because I see that I found people over here, who can understand this kind of madness for Star Wars stuff that I have, since I started making THIS figure. Finding such kind of people nearly didn´t happen back in the End 80´s. Because back then it seemed like everyone was more interested in the rebels and heroes when it came to Star Wars - and not in Darth Vader. I think this has completely changed by now!
I was always fascinated with Vader - since the first time I saw him. Also for the mystery underneath his mask and helmet.
This Vader is completely pose able. He has moveable silicone cast fingers with wire armature in it. The belt- and chest boxes can light up and blink and I made the lenses that old Anakin can watch through. Darth Vader always had a reveal helmet with Anakin´s head underneath it. Even back in the times when I didn´t have seen ROTJ and he had a self interpreted head. So changes have been preprogrammed...
That´s how the latest version from 1993 looked:
I made a fully functional Darth Vader meditation chamber as well. This set was the only one, that I didn´t built for POF. I built it for my Vader figure 3 years before we made the movie. The chamber always stood in my room to keep the figure protected from dust and the cleaning lady...
This is how he looks nowadays. Still in good shape:
I made a newer, more improved version, later in 1998. This is how this Darth Vader figure looked:
But this wasn´t the ESB Vader in the movie. Only for "promo shots" mostly for our soundtrack cover.
In the beginning of POF, Vader also wore his ANH costume. Here you can see him standing next to C3-Po and one of the main POF-heroes: Num Doray, the mercenary and friend of Han Solo
This have been two different Vader figures. I speak about them in one of the next threads.
Here are some very early Images that show this Vader in the pre-POF-times. You see some different stadiums. The photo´s were taken between 1987 and 90. Until 1991 I didn´t even know about the gunmetal grey/black paint combination of the mask. Vader looked more like the E3 Vader till then. I got this information from Tim Ketzer. We worked a lot together on other Star Wars related projects. The third one is the first pic that was ever made with him. It shows him next to my brother:
As you all know, Sideshow and many other companies nowadays had begun to produce Vaders in that size and style. Even with the removable helmet.
Not back then. I guess the main reason why I build my little Vader was that you couldn´t buy a good 12 inch Vader anywhere. I´m happy I made my stop motion Vader figure back then, long before all the new have been produced.
Here´s a video from last Year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ZXrT8RGF8
There are so many details that I may have forgotten.
If you want to know more: here´s a link to our movie storybook:
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=73906
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