I have returned with some updates. This is it for my 89. 100% done, finally.
It's been years since my last update and I have been carefully studying the movie suit more and more while reworking bits and pieces, such as my belt, gloves, cowl and armor. I've remounted it all to a new under suit I sewn up myself (getting better at it..lol) which is now a two piece instead of one whole under suit. It still follows majority of the design pattern of the real under suit, only that I can unlatch it in case i needed to use the men's room.
I've also managed to finally finish up my wife's Catwoman suit from head to toe, as best I could. I literally sewn up her entire suit out of a much stretchier fabric this time, which not only looked better than her last suit, but breathed better too. Her last suit was made of a thicker, more rigid vinyl coated fabric. This one is a 4 way stretch spandex fabric. All the stitching, was referenced off the actual suit Michelle wore. The cowl she wears is a beautiful Shawn Reeves piece which I've modified so it would fit my girl's head a little better. It's a big difference from the last photo I posted years back of the same cowl. It's a perfect fit now.
So much work has gone into this hobby. But this is it. I'm done with it. If I ever wear another Keaton bat suit again, it will have to be a foam cast armor or some kind of flexible foam with either a thin skin of latex or urethane rubber. Not doing this rigid rubber stuff anymore.
I hope you all enjoy the pics below.
http://www.narcomics.net/batman_costume/halloween2015/therealdeal-batnarsuit2015-smaller.jpg
http://www.narcomics.net/batman_costume/halloween2015/therealdeal-batnarsuit2015-closeup.jpg
http://www.narcomics.net/batman_costume/halloween2015/therealdeal-batnarsuit2015-2.jpg
A pic from my girl's cell phone. It's interesting to see my belt look totally opaque without a hint of a metallic finish here.
http://www.narcomics.net/batman_costume/halloween2015/cellphonepic1-batnar-smaller.jpg
My girl testing out her suit.
http://www.narcomics.net/batman_costume/halloween2015/catwom-selfie-2.jpg
http://www.narcomics.net/batman_costume/halloween2015/therealdeal-catwoman2015-2.jpg
how much would you sell this for??
It looks incredible...here's a question, might be a tough one
Thank you so much! I thank all the artisans who helped me obtain these fantastic pieces, to build this. Matt is correct, btw. He is now the owner of that cowl and I've since parted with my cape to a good buddy of mine, who now sports a fantastic 89 suit. I have plans to pick up another set in mid 2018, along with a fresh set of soft rubber armor, backed with foam.
Thanks Pantha! I've built a few 89 suits for myself, over the years and have done it various ways, including wearing the suit while the rubber armor was applied. In fact, this last build was done that way because my mannequin was destroyed.
The easiest way, is to have a friend help you.
Wear the under suit but if your under suit is not coated with a stretch vinyl surface, you may want to put on a thin expendable garment underneath the under suit, to protect your skin and hairs, from getting glued with the rubber armor, through the fabric. Happens a lot.
Wearing the undersuit, is the next best thing, aside from having a semi-rigid foam copy of your body to work with. But again, you will need a friend to help you line up and hold the rubber in place, until the glue reaches minimum adhesion, before you can pull it off gently and go back to reinforce the bonded areas, in small sections.
One more thing. Don't glue the armor on too tight. Leave some leg room for mobility. Some have glued on their legs and torso, so tight, that it became an issue, once they wore it. Making it hard to get in and out of and you will start to feel like your body is suffocating. If you're not claustrophobic, you will be after a bad experience like this. (I've learned the hard way myself).
If you have wrap around leg armor, leave decent enough space, in between the over lapping rubber, so you have enough spandex (or whatever material under suit you use) to help stretch while you walk or sit, etc. Don't glue around the collar either. Leave that open, so air can go in and out. Other wise, it will create a suction, every time you breath in. It's a horrible feeling. I would even recommend cutting out 2 or 3 holes, the size of dimes, around your under suit's chest cavity, where the armor will cover up. Doing so, created a good ventilation system, and removed that nasty suction effect.
So, when gluing on your suit...
1. wear the cowl first. Keep your head in a comfortable position. Otherwise, you will have to surrender to the position of the chest armor and if you glued it too high or low, it will then dictate how you keep your head in position, which may end up being not so comfortable.
2. as you stand with the cowl and under suit on, you start by slipping on the torso armor and line it up to the oval on the cowl, again, making sure your head is in a comfortable position. Once you get that down, have your buddy glue around the torso and arms. Making sure the arms are not glued on tight either, for the same reasons I mentioned above. Just a good gentle wrap around your arm, is all that is required.
3. then comes the leg armor. If possible, do this in front of a mirror, so you can see how high or low, you want the leg armor to sit around your waist.
4. at this point, you can remove the armor, gently, once the adhesion has reached it's minimum strength (not maximum, that would take at least 24 hrs lol). As you pull it off, you might detach bits of your armor, but no worries. As long as the rest is still bonded in position, you can freely reinforce it over a table, with towels stuffed in the suit, to help you out.
5. the arm, calves and knee cap pieces, can all easily be done by yourself, simply slipping in one leg at a time and one arm at a time as you work along.
I hope this helps. If you have anymore questions, I'll be happy to help. I may be a bit caught up with work and may not always respond right away, but I'll make sure to pop in when I can.
Thanks Pantha! I've built a few 89 suits for myself, over the years and have done it various ways, including wearing the suit while the rubber armor was applied. In fact, this last build was done that way because my mannequin was destroyed.
The easiest way, is to have a friend help you.
Wear the under suit but if your under suit is not coated with a stretch vinyl surface, you may want to put on a thin expendable garment underneath the under suit, to protect your skin and hairs, from getting glued with the rubber armor, through the fabric. Happens a lot.
Wearing the undersuit, is the next best thing, aside from having a semi-rigid foam copy of your body to work with. But again, you will need a friend to help you line up and hold the rubber in place, until the glue reaches minimum adhesion, before you can pull it off gently and go back to reinforce the bonded areas, in small sections.
One more thing. Don't glue the armor on too tight. Leave some leg room for mobility. Some have glued on their legs and torso, so tight, that it became an issue, once they wore it. Making it hard to get in and out of and you will start to feel like your body is suffocating. If you're not claustrophobic, you will be after a bad experience like this. (I've learned the hard way myself).
If you have wrap around leg armor, leave decent enough space, in between the over lapping rubber, so you have enough spandex (or whatever material under suit you use) to help stretch while you walk or sit, etc. Don't glue around the collar either. Leave that open, so air can go in and out. Other wise, it will create a suction, every time you breath in. It's a horrible feeling. I would even recommend cutting out 2 or 3 holes, the size of dimes, around your under suit's chest cavity, where the armor will cover up. Doing so, created a good ventilation system, and removed that nasty suction effect.
So, when gluing on your suit...
1. wear the cowl first. Keep your head in a comfortable position. Otherwise, you will have to surrender to the position of the chest armor and if you glued it too high or low, it will then dictate how you keep your head in position, which may end up being not so comfortable.
2. as you stand with the cowl and under suit on, you start by slipping on the torso armor and line it up to the oval on the cowl, again, making sure your head is in a comfortable position. Once you get that down, have your buddy glue around the torso and arms. Making sure the arms are not glued on tight either, for the same reasons I mentioned above. Just a good gentle wrap around your arm, is all that is required.
3. then comes the leg armor. If possible, do this in front of a mirror, so you can see how high or low, you want the leg armor to sit around your waist.
4. at this point, you can remove the armor, gently, once the adhesion has reached it's minimum strength (not maximum, that would take at least 24 hrs lol). As you pull it off, you might detach bits of your armor, but no worries. As long as the rest is still bonded in position, you can freely reinforce it over a table, with towels stuffed in the suit, to help you out.
5. the arm, calves and knee cap pieces, can all easily be done by yourself, simply slipping in one leg at a time and one arm at a time as you work along.
I hope this helps. If you have anymore questions, I'll be happy to help. I may be a bit caught up with work and may not always respond right away, but I'll make sure to pop in when I can.
Thanks for the reply and the information. I was doing some research and actually bookmarked this site and product yesterday. I’m glad to know that what I found is what you actually recommend. Thanks again.
