Dune (2021) Still Suit build

[Muddler]

Okay, so now I actually started tinkering around a bit...
I started off with the torso-part and used 4mm EVA-foam. Basically tried to brake some ground and understand how the different parts might work together.
From pix like this I figured there's a rectangular neck and shoulder piece:

As there's no seam in the middle of the collar I cut out the opening like this:

Then put in a stripe of foam to complete the collar:

The second part for the shoulder piece is more of a wild guess, but after playing around with different shapes I ended up with this:
(You can cut them out kind of "interlocking" to safe a bit on the material...)

Then I made some cut-outs and put the pieces together like this:

At first I thought the parts going down the side of the thorax have a curved shape. But as the straight parts are attached a bit at an angle and the material bends a bit when put on the body, I'd say the basic shape is actually straight.
The dimensions are not really right yet, but I'd say as a proof of concept I'm already quite happy.

 

[Karstein]

What do you think the original costumes are made of?

 

[Banzai88]

I've been searching for these gloves Duke Leto wears.

 

[Malibu139]

Muddler , that's a heck of a good start. There is a lot going on in just the upper torso and neck. Good luck!

 

[Muddler]

What do you think the original costumes are made of?

I'd say it's some sort of fiber-rubber-compound. I don't know the official technical term for that. The type of material they use for floor-mats and flip-flops and the like.
At first I thought they used Neopren, but those threads on the cutouts you see here point to some sort of fiber-inlay:

 

[Muddler]

Muddler , that's a heck of a good start. There is a lot going on in just the upper torso and neck. Good luck!

Thanks a lot!

A small update on the torso-piece (had to work on something more straightforward to convince myself I'm making progress...)

 

[Malibu139]

Epic! I love build like this templating as you go. Really really cool ,gonna watch this one.
Will your final build be the foam? or will you go with the mat material or something similar ?

 

[Banzai88]

Muddler You could be right; looks like they used a slightly ribbed material and a smooth version.

 

[Karstein]

I've been searching for these gloves Duke Leto wears.

perhaps

 

[Muddler]

Some progress on the torso piece:

Adding the tubing and corner-protection already makes for a more legit overall feel.

With more progress I'm also more concerned with stability and practicability (meaning I'll have to be able to put it on and off by myself...)

So I added a piece of sturdy leather as a basis to hold the parts together:

Also added some straps of an old military carrying harness to fasten the whole construction around my body:

Still a lot more way to go, but slowly getting there...

 

[Muddler]

Okay, time for a little update.
(Don't be afraid! I realized the last uploads were too high in resolution! The new pix are downsized a bit)

By now I'm really in a rush, because the german premiere is already on Wednesday!
(Don't get me wrong: Of course I'm super excited that I'll be able to watch the movie that soon! But initially I thought there'd be time until October...)
So now it's goin' to get dirty and I'll have to cheat a lot. There'll definetely be no time to sew a proper undersuit, so I got some cheap motorcross protective-gear to have something to work on:

For the underlying ribbed "tube-whatever"-breast part I used some foamrubber door-seal in different diameters:

Cutting them from the bottom-side allows for a little shaping to better match the references

And a first test-fitting shows we're slowly getting there:

BUT seeing my own pictures I realized that I made the whole central torso-part WAY too big. Not just a bit off, but almost 100% too large!
Don't know how I got the reference-measurements that wrong, but never mind.
No time left to do that one over again.
Just keep on running...

 

[Karstein]

Really impressive so far! should the collar be a closer fit or is there something going under it?

 

[joberg]

Getting there for sure

 

[Muddler]

Really impressive so far! should the collar be a closer fit or is there something going under it?

Thanks!
Yes, on the picture the collar looks a bit loose. I added a strap on the backside to adjust the width.
In the movie it looks like they got some tighter balaclava or the like under the suit:

Don't know yet how I'm going to implement that.

 

[Muddler]

Just a quick update, because I'm really on the final sprint for tomorrow.
Worked on the groin protection and wanted to share one idea on possible "found items":

I guess what they might have used are industrial timing-belts:

The toothing on mine is not a 100% match, but it's the closest I was able to find at the moment. There are actually several other parts of the Still Suit that might be based on different timing-belts, but maybe I'll post on that later.

As the belt is very rigid, I wasn't able to fold it over to fix the buckle, so I made a cutout:

Used a piece of strap which I let through the opening and fastenend with rivets:

Interestingly this might be a technical explanation for the rivets we see on the screen-used costumes (though I got the feeling that they did something different there).
Maybe they made molds from timing-belts and cast them in a more flexible rubber-like material. (On some pictures you see the belts bulge and wobble quite a bit, which actual timing-belts usually won't do...)

And here are the belt pieces attached to the quickly improvised groin-plate (just some layers of foam covered with epoxy).

Stay tuned! Will surely show pictures of the complete costume tomorrow!

(Though it wil surely not be "completed"...)

 

[Malibu139]

A timing belt..... I love it. This whole thing is fantastic.

 

[XavNZ92]

Ok so for everyone interested.

In a few days I will share a combination of STL files and vector files (for laser cutting) of the entire padded areas of the costume in extremely high detail.

Also here is a picture of what the costume looks like under the chest piece (makes things much easier)

 

[joberg]

Timing belt looks close enough

 

[Karstein]

Just a quick update, because I'm really on the final sprint for tomorrow.
Worked on the groin protection and wanted to share one idea on possible "found items":

View attachment 1494674
I guess what they might have used are industrial timing-belts:

View attachment 1494675
The toothing on mine is not a 100% match, but it's the closest I was able to find at the moment. There are actually several other parts of the Still Suit that might be based on different timing-belts, but maybe I'll post on that later.

As the belt is very rigid, I wasn't able to fold it over to fix the buckle, so I made a cutout:

View attachment 1494676

Used a piece of strap which I let through the opening and fastenend with rivets:

View attachment 1494681 View attachment 1494682

Interestingly this might be a technical explanation for the rivets we see on the screen-used costumes (though I got the feeling that they did something different there).
Maybe they made molds from timing-belts and cast them in a more flexible rubber-like material. (On some pictures you see the belts bulge and wobble quite a bit, which actual timing-belts usually won't do...)

And here are the belt pieces attached to the quickly improvised groin-plate (just some layers of foam covered with epoxy).

View attachment 1494684

Stay tuned! Will surely show pictures of the complete costume tomorrow!

(Though it wil surely not be "completed"...)

looks great. a good layer of dirt over everything to blend it together and it’ll be brilliant. I really admire your creativity.

 

[Muddler]

Phew...
Still a bit exhausted from the whole experience, so just a few quick pix.
The current version of the suit with a bit of painting and weathering added. There are so many little things I would like to have added...
But still happy I got that far for the premiere.

Here with an added "jubba-cloak" and nosetube in front of the cinema:
(I really needed the cloak, because the backside of the suit is a bit ugly with lots of straps and buckles...)

The movie was pretty impressive, still gotta let it sink in...