Making Vader, My First EVA Foam Build

thecountofzero

Active Member
First I'd like to thank the many of you that have contributed valuable information to this site that I was able to leverage to help me create this costume. One member in particular I'd like to thank is kyxz2. I learned a lot while working on this project that I will put to good use on my next. Even though my Vader build is far from perfect, I am extremely happy with the end result. Especially considering it was my first time working with EVA foam.

I actually purchased the Rubies Supreme Vader costume in size medium. It really should be labeled large. I am 5'6", 140 pounds and the Rubies costume was way too big. It is more suited for someone about 6 foot. And to be honest it was rather cheaply made. Well I take that back. The suit that it is all attached to is very thin material. Almost spandex like if it fit right. And if it's too big it's very loose material. I decided right away that there was no way I could wear this thing and that I was going to have build my own.

So where did I turn? TheRPF of course!

After several trips to Harbor Freight, Home Depot and AC Moore and a lot of late nights in the basement, I was able to reconstruct my version of Lord Vader. In hopes that some information I have might help the next newbie attempting the same task I thought I would share as much of the details of my Vader making process.

For the EVA foam I used 5/16 inch thick foam from Harbor Freight. They sell it in 6 foot by 2 foot rolls for $7.99 and if you use a 20% off coupon it's even less ($6.39). These coupons are very easy to get on their website. While I was there I also got a bagful of their 29 cent knives. I think for future builds I will consider getting a hot knife. Can anyone that has used one confirm that they are great? Or is there a better tool for cutting foam?

I had originally planned to build a full Vader helmet to go with the Rubies, but given my time constraints and the fact that the Rubies was a no go, I decided that it would be better to build the armor and suit and just wear the mask that came with the Rubies. The helmet build is a much more difficult task and I figured I'd have better results once I had more experience under my belt.

For the upper chest armor I used the following template: http://members.optusnet.com.au/dewar_s/Vader/UpperArmour.htm

After applying some math to scale to my size I printed out the template. From there I traced it onto the foam and cut it out. I did this as one big piece. Then I cut out the stripe pieces and set them aside. I used my heat gun to heat the main piece so that I could shape it around my shoulders. Once I had it shaped I attached the stripe pieces with my hot glue gun. I heated them up first a bit and shaped them to make this easier. Once the stripes were applied I cut out the shoulder pad parts. I pretty much just eyeballed this part until I got something I liked and then glued them on.

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The next step was to brush on a few coats of Elmer's white glue mixed with water. Most posts I read called for PVA glue, but this is what I had. I applied 3 coats. Each coat took about 5 hours or so to completely dry. And by dry that meant go from white to clear. Next time I attempt this part of the process I will do a better job of making sure that there are no drip marks. After the glue was dry it was time for a few coats of black Plasti Dip. I applied 3 coats and let each one dry for about an hour.

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Now it was time to paint on the silver. Originally I had planned to paint the black parts black, but the Plasti Dip was good enough for me. I used a metallic silver acrylic paint for the silver parts. This took about 5 coats to cover over the black.

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Next up were the shin guards. I got a template from here:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/dewar_s/Vader/Shins.htm

Again I used some math to get the template sized right. I then followed the same process as with the chest armor for cutting out and creating the shin guards. They ended up being 4 pieces each. A center, left and right and then I decided to add another center piece to give it more depth. I really didn't know how to cut the foam so that it can be glued together on an angle. I'm guessing a 45 degree angle cut, but I was lucky I could cut straight 90 degree cuts. I ended up using my Dremel tool to shave down the edges to allow for the pieces to be attached more easily at an angle. The shin guards went through the same process of Elmer's glue and Plasti Dip coating. They also got a few coats of a Rust-Oleum High Performance Enamel.

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I realize I forgot the curved details on the sides of the shin guards, but what can you do. For the little screw dots near the top I actually used little googly eyes. I got the idea from the dude in this video. Great idea!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d67ETuMiIiI

For the straps I bought a ratchet tie down with a nylon strap from Home Depot and parachute cord buckles at AC Moore. I had to cut the nylon straps because they were too wide for the buckles. When I cut the nylon it caused it to fray so I used a lighter to singe the edges and then reinforced them with hot glue. Once I measured how long the straps needed to be I cut them and hot glued them on to the shin guards.

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For the cod piece I pretty much free handed a template and then made it following all of the steps above.

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I was able use the chest piece that came with the Rubies costume. It was actually decent. I cut it out and attached it to a "fancy" black sweatshirt that I got at Burlington Coat Factory with E6000. By the way, Burlington is a great place to get clothing for costumes at a good price. Do not be afraid to explore the women's section! I also attached some industrial strength velcro to the back of the shoulder areas to help keep the upper chest armor in place when being worn.

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I was also able to use the cape that came with the Rubies. It too was actually decent. In the future I might make a heavier quality cape, but for the time being it will more than do. I also salvaged the chain from the Rubies and used velcro to attach it to the cape which provided the double benefit of looking good and keeping the cape on.

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I bought the gloves and light saber from a local Halloween store. For the belt I used the one that came with the costume, but I modified it so I could attach the light saber. I removed the clip from a tape measure and used E6000 to fasten it to the belt. It actually came out pretty good and held the light saber perfectly with easy access.

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All in all, considering it was my first foam build I am very happy with the end results.

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EVA Foam: http://www.harborfreight.com/anti-fatigue-roll-mat-61241.html
Plasti Dip: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Performi...-Black-Rubber-Coating-Spray-11203-6/100131010
Parachute Cord Buckles: http://factorydirectcraft.com/catal..._2487-36247-black_parachute_cord_buckles.html
Nylon Straps: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Keeper-15-ft-x-1-in-x-300-lbs-Ratchet-Tie-Down-89518/202065674
Rust-Oleam High Performance Enamel: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Ole...ss-Black-Spray-Paint-6-Pack-7579838/202058876
Googly Eyes: http://www.walmart.com/ip/24940715
Velcro: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Velcro-In...y-Back-Hook-and-Loop-Fastener-Strips/25086601
 
I really enjoy what you did here! A great budget Vader!

Thanks! You'd be amazed at how well received a budget Vader can be. Even though I know how far off I am from a "good" Vader costume, I still got a ton of compliments. And that's always appreciated when you put that much effort into something.

Nice can you post more pics?

Any pics in particular?

Looks great !

Thanks James!
 
For the pants I wore black leather pants that I had from my Eric Draven (The Crow) costume.

I intended to wear a pair of black boots that I had, but I neglected to account for the additional width of the boots when I calculated the straps on the shin guards and as a result I couldn't wear the boots. Hence the horrible black loafers...
 
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