Another Darth Vader question

[partsguy17]

I can tell you this, everytime I wear the costume something starts to let go or fray. Somewhat easy fixes but realistically the Rubies costume is not made for the long haul. I to live in a climate where the summers are very hot and at a recent exent I did a 2 km walk.. without the cooling vest and the fans I would have easily passed out. In comparison wrap yourself in a quilt and walk around outside for 4 hours and see how you do imo it's close to the same result. Ideal situations are indoors for this costume. On a side note for a screen accurate ROTS costume you looking in the $2500 - $3000 area but you'll have many years of using that costume, again it depends on what your are going for.

 

[Hero58]

Well the thing i am going for a darth vader is good durability, wont crack/ruin easily, a costume just for show, videos of Vader dancing XD.

 

[NikonD80]

If you want a costume 'for show' then this implies you want to show it off which means you really want a high quality replica (there's no point in showing off something that you're not happy with). This'll take a lot of time and effort to research and buy/build.

To give you an example:

Here's a 'Before and After' of a Rubies Supreme I've been working on.

Now I'll be honest with you, I'm chuffed to bits with the way things are going but to get to this stage it has taken me six months and I'm still not finished and even when it is, it still wont be fully accurate. For me though, this project as all about the fun of the build.

You have to decide how much you really want that accurate Vader costume; coz if you do want one, you have to be prepared for the long haul. The long game will also help you cash-wise since you'll be able to save up for each part as you go along. Why not start with just the helmet and mask? Get the best you can afford and use it as a display piece. Then you can turn your attention to the shoulder/chest armour. Then you've got a bust to display. Keep building up each part and suddenly you'll have your Vader costume AND be an expert on what to look for.

 

[Hero58]

Alright thanks. I suck at doing these sort of things though so i think I would need some expert help in order to get the rubies the way I want it. As for the shoulder/chest armor im not entirely certain where to look.

Im planning on getting the rubies and slowly modifying it instead of spending $195,000 on a complete suit cause that would take forever for me.

I dont really care what Vader's style looks like be it Episode 3, 4, 5 or 6. I just want a costume that will be durable enough to survive for a long time yet still look like vader.

 

[Hero58]

I can tell you this, everytime I wear the costume something starts to let go or fray. Somewhat easy fixes but realistically the Rubies costume is not made for the long haul. I to live in a climate where the summers are very hot and at a recent exent I did a 2 km walk.. without the cooling vest and the fans I would have easily passed out. In comparison wrap yourself in a quilt and walk around outside for 4 hours and see how you do imo it's close to the same result. Ideal situations are indoors for this costume. On a side note for a screen accurate ROTS costume you looking in the $2500 - $3000 area but you'll have many years of using that costume, again it depends on what your are going for.

Like when partsguy said "you'll have many years of using that costume" is he talking about a modified Vader, rubies or both?

 

[partsguy17]

Custom pieces, made by different vendors ie: Fexix Props, Custom Props, Sith Armor, Poratmac Master Replica etc. Decide on what version of Vader you want to be first and then get the neccessary items. Build it slowly, there's no hurry, most peoople including myself have built this costume of a period of a few years to ensure the right components are picked, reading forums to see what people are doing, checking builds etc. A good place to start is here 501st Sith Lord Detachment sign up introduce yourself and read up on the forums :thumbsup

 

[Hero58]

Hey everyone another durability question I just got my $600.68 for a rubies supreme. I am ordering the supreme tomorrow but im wondering if the helmet and chest armor will crack/dent easily. If anyone knows the answer please tell.

 

[Hero58]

also an addition to my last durability question what is the rubies material made of?

 

[Kal]

Rubies is made from cheap warp'd plastic.
Go to the sith lord detachment every thing you will want too know or get can be found there.

Hope ya re-think the rubies. I have seen them upclose . At a convention if you see a rubies and an average 501st vader. Rubies will look like a chunk of poo covered in cheap vader colored plastic.

 

[Hero58]

Rubies is made from cheap warp'd plastic.
Go to the sith lord detachment every thing you will want too know or get can be found there.

Hope ya re-think the rubies. I have seen them upclose . At a convention if you see a rubies and an average 501st vader. Rubies will look like a chunk of poo covered in cheap vader colored plastic.

alright but does the plastic dent/crack easily? plus id rather get rubies and then work on it as i get more money.

 

[bigdanman]

From what I've heard, the whole thing will wear out on you in a couple years. Cape is really low quality fabrics, so it will wear out really fast, not to mention the actual pleather suit itself. I've heard the higher end pleather one's even wear out fast, showing cracks etc. The more you wear it the sooner this is going to happen. And it honestly pays to be a 501st member, well worth the experience.

 

[Hero58]

alright thanks for answering because i've had the darth vader kid voice changer for 5+ years and it never showed a crack or dent and I wore it daily. So was just wondering if the supreme vader would crack/dent easily. Thanks for answering my questions everyone. I already ordered the rubies from amazon.com in completely new condition. should be here between the 17th and 22nd. Maybe sooner from what the reviews i saw about it coming earlier then expected.

 

[Vince]

Here's the tutorial I followed for modifying my rubies..

Vader Helmet

Also, I dunno if you're familar with the "Chad Vader' web series, but it gives a good look at the Rubies in action....

Chad Vader : Day Shift Manager - In A Galaxy Not So Far Away 1-1 - YouTube

 

[Celtic007]

When doing the helmet, probably one of the biggest things to change about the Rubies is the dome mount. That makes the helmet look better instantly.

 

[Hero58]

When doing the helmet, probably one of the biggest things to change about the Rubies is the dome mount. That makes the helmet look better instantly.

The dome mount is that thing on the top that looks like some sort of circular tape holder isnt it? Also why is there two things on the mask? the fabric thing and the...mount

 

[Celtic007]

The dome mount keeps the helmet on and the piece of velco keeps it in place more securely.

Heres a good comparison of the angle of the dome mount.
This is the stock Rubies, as seen in CSMaclaren's photo

Notice how the dome bottom is almost parallel to the neck, as shown by the red lines.
Here is how it should look

They should intersect like this photo (ignore the redline on the side of the helmet, thats from the original photo)

I got the photo above from a great blog on a guy who is heavily modifying his Rubies, seen here
The Darker Side

 

[Hero58]

Awesome helmet despite it's inaccuracies.

 

[Hero58]

Im really wanting that Darth Vader (TM) Collectors costume even more now. The link should be on the first page of the costume i ordered. Im wondering if it's rubies or acually something better.

 

[Hero58]

Costume is just 3-8 days away of getting here at my home. It's being sent from official costumes. But I acually think it's rubies. Here's the link Amazon.com: Star Wars Darth Vader (TM) Collector Costume Dark Lord of the Sith: Clothing i saw a party costumes version of it and must say the quality is horrible compared to the Rubies etc. So people who have rubies be thankful cause party costumes/party america is awful.

Still i ordered this from official costumes but does anyone know if it's acually rubies?

 

[Hero58]

Hey again everyone! i got my rubies supreme costume and I must say it's awesome! I only have one downside though and that is the heat but I've gotten pretty used to it now.

Anyways as for the question, its about the cape. Now i know there are two hooks where you attach the cape. But the question is how do you attach it? I've heard some people attach the hooks to the chain on the chest armor, or some people just attach the hooks together and then put it on over they're head before putting on the mask. Does anyone know how it works?