Another Darth Vader question

[Hero58]

Hey everyone i finall have the money to get a cheap $570-799 Darth Vader costume.

Now here is the problem and the question. Im 59-6'1 in height and my inseam is like 3'0-3'1.

Im unsure which one i should get, a supreme vader or a collector's. Is there a difference between the two of them? If so what are the differences? Which one is better?

 

[partsguy17]

The quality of it is decent (Rubies Supreme), if you were the costume for any length of time it is extremely hot, if you are intending to join the 501st it will need extreme modifications to be accepted.

 

[Hero58]

Alright what sort of modications should be made?

 

[partsguy17]

It's a long list, The helmet for starters.. it's not semetrical, the nose is incorrect, mouth piece/eyes/tusks need to be changed and it has to be painted a high gloss black. The shoulders, there plastic for starters, and also need to be painted, the chain is also incorrect. Belt is incorrect, the boxes are "ok" but need correct hardware and lenses/wiring for the lights. Chest box needs metal hardware, also needs to be painted, and have the correct light pattern. Shins are "ok" they need to be painted and have the correct straps at the back not the fabric with the zipper. Inner robe is good, cape is incorrect, 3piece pattern, with a liner. The boots that they give you ave very uncomfortable and don't last long, they eventually start to crack I would reccomend a tall riding boot or what I got was a motorcycle cop boot. The suit needs to be leather/breathable either 1 or 2 piece, myself I went with the 2 piece it's way easier to get in and out of. Gloves the come with the kit just don't cut it, you'll need leather ones with the correct pattern for whichever Vader your going for. Cod piece, also needs to be leather, the one that come in the Rubies kit is very thin and flimsy. Take it from me, if you plan on going for the 501st unless your really good with modifications (myself I am not) stay clear of it, if you want a Vader-in-a-box for halloween, the odd party etc then go for it, most people won't know the difference. I've learened alot building my ROTS Vader

 

[iceman]

I agree, you will spend almost as much time & money to modify a Rubies well enough to pass 501st standards as building your own.

 

[Hero58]

Alright and what about breathing? Is it easy to breath through the helmet? How comfortable is the helmet? Is it easy to see through the lenses?

And if the helmet is hard to breath in, uncomfortable and hard to see where do you recommend me getting as a vader replacement helmet?

 

[partsguy17]

The Rubies helmet out-of-the-box is ok, It's fairly padded and has straps on the sides on top to somewhat keep your head centered, lenses are easy to see through provided your head is centered. What I did to mine is install 2 small fans which help immensely, and I also installed a hard had liner so it's much more comfortable to wear (without it, the top of the lid scraped thetop of my head) not to mention take on and off. Ultimately if your going for the 501st invest in a Master Replica ROTS helmet

 

[Hero58]

Okay now is the mask and dome two seperate peices that come together like Vader's did in ROTS? If anyone can give a brief explination how putting the helmet on works and if its two seperate peices or if they can send a screenshot that would be greatly appreciated

 

[Hero58]

Thats if anyone can help with that question

 

[Celtic007]

This isn't the rubies, but like it, you have the two parts, the mask and the dome.

I've been working on mine.
It started as this

and now im at this point, almost ready for the final paint job.

Its a lot of time and work but you get the satisfaction of knowing you did it all.

 

[Hero58]

Alright thanks and does anyone know how long the costume would take to arrive? I have like $195 left to go and this is where i am buying the costume from.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1S13C7MVAA4DX4NHGEDN

Im hoping the costume doesnt take like 30+ days to arrive so if anyone knows when exactly on how long it would take please tell. I want to get the costume like within 4-7 days when I order it.

Also how durable is the costume?

 

[Vince]

Hey,

Personally, if you can, I would recommend staying away from the Rubies Supreme. If you want movie-accuracy this isnt the costume for you. Like Celtic007, I've spent quite a while modifying and painting my helmet and armor to try and make it a bit more accurate, but ultimately I find that going the fan-made/ collector route would be more satisfying in the long run.

I was too caught up in achieving my "life-size vader" dream as soon as possible that I ignored most warnings against purchasing the rubies. This is a purchase I totally regret, despite my modifications I feel that I will never truly be happy with it due to its blatant inaccuracies. Looking back I feel I should have waited it out and pieced together a proper Vader over time, especially after seeing some of the spectacular products being offered by users like Darth Stone.

Also, I get the impression that you are looking to buy/ make a ROTS version of Vader's helmet. Its important to be aware of the differences between the helmets in the two trilogies.....ROTS Vader is completely symetrical, painted entirely black, and has an elongated neck and a larger more bubble-like dome. The Rubies supreme mask is based of the Empire Strikes Back Vader and is pretty asymetrical and wonky-looking.



-Vince

 

[Hero58]

Alright thank you Vince but still does anyone know how durable the costume is? Also the only Vader costume i can find is the rubies one.

 

[iceman]

Alright thank you Vince but still does anyone know how durable the costume is? Also the only Vader costume i can find is the rubies one.

The Rubies supreme is not very durable, the materials used simply aren't of the quality associated with the screen accurate versions. It also depends on how often you plan on wearing the costume.

Unless someone is selling thier completed costume, you are not going to find a seller with a "Complete", ready to go, screen accurate costume. You are going to have to buy it in parts and/or make it yourself.

If you are in a hurry for a costume for a costume party or halloween, then the Rubies may be the way to go, but a screen accurate outfit is going to take time, and probably a lot of money.

As for breathing/comfort, the helmet is inherently uncomfortable. Some more than others, but that is part of the experience of portraying the worlds most sisnister villian !

I built my own screen-accurate Vader outfit back in 1999, and have worn it to hundreds of events, and it has held up fine. The longest I have worn it at any one time, was 13 hours. It was a lot of work and $$, but worth it, in my opinion.

 

[tatooineboy]

Save your money and buy quality pieces. You'll be so much better-off in the end!

 

[bigdanman]

I agree with Tatooineboy, I'm doing an ESB vader build right now and, although it's costing me an arm and a leg, it's going to be waaayyy worth it.

 

[Hero58]

Alright well i plan on only wearing it for making videos etc like the videos having Vader dancing so on. Probably walking as well. And thanks for asking the durability question. As for the final question about durability is how really durable is it? Can it survive like long walks, heat, long period of time? so on so forth. I live in Oregon and it's usually never hot, it's warm but not hot.

 

[Hero58]

Also if anyone can send links of durable screen accurate parts for sale...since i suck at making costumes...It would be greatly appreciated. I dont really want to waste alot of money on a costume that isnt durable for long walks, minor/hot heat, videos with dancing sometimes XD.

Once again links would be greatly appreciated because i cant find any really good parts other then ROTS Master replica helmet.

 

[Al May]

Save your money and buy quality pieces. You'll be so much better-off in the end!

Never wiser words written ^

 

[Hero58]

Jeez i found a complete vader set on ebay thats like $195,000. But I dont really trust ebay. So once again any links would be appreciated. Same with the question if the rubies vader can survive walks, videos, heat etc.