Yes, it's another Darth Vader ANH Thread. Seems like everyone has one of these things now....... 
It might come as a shock to some, because I'm usually known for my 'Old Ben' costume, but all my life I have wanted to be Darth Vader.
My 'usual' convention and 501'st/RL costume:
So a few years ago I decided I would start gathering pieces and a Vader display on a mannequin. After all, I'm only 5'8" tall on bare feet. The more pieces of the costume I got, the more I decided that I could make this a wearable costume and fulfill my childhood dream of being Darth Vader. I slowly started collecting pieces, and the results are below.
My goal was not to make a 100% accurate Darth Vader for the following reasons:
1. Since I changed from a display to a wearable costume, I wanted it to look awesome to the 'average joe' and 'average joe' would think the actual movie costume looks like garbage because it's not how they remember it or how it is portrayed in the media. So my costume is idealized in quality.
2. There are many talented artist to draw Vader information from and supply different Vader costume pieces, but for total accuracy it's $300 for the knobs on the belt and $2000 for the capes and the list goes on and on and I just don't have that kind of money to spend. I had to work within my budget and get the best pieces I could afford, and make whatever I could.
3. I was going for ANH, but I didn't want to limit myself. No matter how awesome my costume turned out, I didn't want someone to look at me and say, "Wow, that's an awesome ANH Darth Vader costume" I wanted them to look at me and say, "Wow, that IS Darth Vader".
This costume could not have been possible without help from the following people, and I want to say thanks !
kurtyboy: I could not have finished this without the red/green buttons and grill mesh from you- thanks !
JRX: 100% Accurate belt box mesh, big thanks for a hard to find item !
TK-4140: Last minute green lights for the belt, thanks again !
dcarty: You saved me from having to rework a Rubies facemask !
Before you ask, no I don't wear drywall lifts or stilts, but I an 6'4" tall from the bottom of my boots to the top of my helmet in costume. Between the 1-1.12 inches of the boots themselves, 3" inner shoe lifts, and the few extra inches the helmet/dome give me, I come in at only 3-8 short of the real Darth Vader (depending on who you ask about his height).
Pictures first, go down below to read the costume parts breakdown.
From the San Diego Comic-con this year, my first time to be Darth Vader !
One of my favorites, I like the good verses evil theme displayed:
With my wife, she was my 'costume wrangler' and really helped with getting me to look my best all day:
The next time I was able to wear my costume was at the 'Where Science Meets Imagination' exhibit at the Ft. Worth museum.
The lighting isn't great, but here's a profile shot:
Here I am with my daughter at the Dallas Comic-con in October:
I like this one because it has that Kermit-tour-suit look to it:
And just for fun: (thanks again rabbittooth)
Okay, so here is the breakdown:
Boots: Halloween store costume ones picked up cheap.
Shins: black vac-formed off ebay, tk510 I think
Leather suit, inner cape, outer cape: Lucas Alveraz
Cod: ebay, sitharmor I believe. I modified it slightly
Belt: I made from a Tandy belt blank
Buckle and belt boxes: Russepp
Chest box and straps: made by me
Armor: ebay, sitharmor version of GT
Gloves: Off the RPF, but I think that are sitharmor
Facemask: fiberglass Don Post
Dome: Off ebay
Lightsaber: MR ANH
Here is how the fiberglass Don Post helmet looked when I recieved it from dcarty:
I filled in the ESB/ROTJ larger lower chin vent to ANH size. Here it is with a fresh coat of black paint waiting for the gunmetal:
The dome while painting:
I finished off the helmet with lenseman lenses, tusks from fatherless one, a cooling fan, welding helmet liner, and mesh behind the lenses.
Painting the armor was really fun and I learned a lot doing it myself:
Chest box started out as a block of wood, here it is after shaping and a few coats of paint. I used a semi-gloss instead of flat, but it still catches and reflects light in pictures:
Here is is all finished off and ready for the straps:
Belt is pretty much RPF-standard:
Lights on the belt boxes all light up with LED's.
I have a sound system installed as well. I bought a personal amplifier off ebay that has a microphone input as well as a line input. I took a Rubies Vader breather apart, added a switch, volume switch to control the input gain, and new battery case. I can turn on just my voice, voice and breathing, and control the volume of my voice and breathing separate.
I'm going to rebuild the speakers, I was stressing getting Vader done in time for SDCC and I built the speakers last minute. They are housed in boxes that hang off my armor and hide under the inner cape. You can see the bottom edge of the speaker boxes in most of my pictures, they give me the wrong upper body shape and stick out like a sore thumb. When I rebuild them, the speakers will be completely under the shoulder armor.
It might come as a shock to some, because I'm usually known for my 'Old Ben' costume, but all my life I have wanted to be Darth Vader.
My 'usual' convention and 501'st/RL costume:
So a few years ago I decided I would start gathering pieces and a Vader display on a mannequin. After all, I'm only 5'8" tall on bare feet. The more pieces of the costume I got, the more I decided that I could make this a wearable costume and fulfill my childhood dream of being Darth Vader. I slowly started collecting pieces, and the results are below.
My goal was not to make a 100% accurate Darth Vader for the following reasons:
1. Since I changed from a display to a wearable costume, I wanted it to look awesome to the 'average joe' and 'average joe' would think the actual movie costume looks like garbage because it's not how they remember it or how it is portrayed in the media. So my costume is idealized in quality.
2. There are many talented artist to draw Vader information from and supply different Vader costume pieces, but for total accuracy it's $300 for the knobs on the belt and $2000 for the capes and the list goes on and on and I just don't have that kind of money to spend. I had to work within my budget and get the best pieces I could afford, and make whatever I could.
3. I was going for ANH, but I didn't want to limit myself. No matter how awesome my costume turned out, I didn't want someone to look at me and say, "Wow, that's an awesome ANH Darth Vader costume" I wanted them to look at me and say, "Wow, that IS Darth Vader".
This costume could not have been possible without help from the following people, and I want to say thanks !
kurtyboy: I could not have finished this without the red/green buttons and grill mesh from you- thanks !
JRX: 100% Accurate belt box mesh, big thanks for a hard to find item !
TK-4140: Last minute green lights for the belt, thanks again !
dcarty: You saved me from having to rework a Rubies facemask !
Before you ask, no I don't wear drywall lifts or stilts, but I an 6'4" tall from the bottom of my boots to the top of my helmet in costume. Between the 1-1.12 inches of the boots themselves, 3" inner shoe lifts, and the few extra inches the helmet/dome give me, I come in at only 3-8 short of the real Darth Vader (depending on who you ask about his height).
Pictures first, go down below to read the costume parts breakdown.
From the San Diego Comic-con this year, my first time to be Darth Vader !
One of my favorites, I like the good verses evil theme displayed:
With my wife, she was my 'costume wrangler' and really helped with getting me to look my best all day:
The next time I was able to wear my costume was at the 'Where Science Meets Imagination' exhibit at the Ft. Worth museum.
The lighting isn't great, but here's a profile shot:
Here I am with my daughter at the Dallas Comic-con in October:
I like this one because it has that Kermit-tour-suit look to it:
And just for fun: (thanks again rabbittooth)
Okay, so here is the breakdown:
Boots: Halloween store costume ones picked up cheap.
Shins: black vac-formed off ebay, tk510 I think
Leather suit, inner cape, outer cape: Lucas Alveraz
Cod: ebay, sitharmor I believe. I modified it slightly
Belt: I made from a Tandy belt blank
Buckle and belt boxes: Russepp
Chest box and straps: made by me
Armor: ebay, sitharmor version of GT
Gloves: Off the RPF, but I think that are sitharmor
Facemask: fiberglass Don Post
Dome: Off ebay
Lightsaber: MR ANH
Here is how the fiberglass Don Post helmet looked when I recieved it from dcarty:
I filled in the ESB/ROTJ larger lower chin vent to ANH size. Here it is with a fresh coat of black paint waiting for the gunmetal:
The dome while painting:
I finished off the helmet with lenseman lenses, tusks from fatherless one, a cooling fan, welding helmet liner, and mesh behind the lenses.
Painting the armor was really fun and I learned a lot doing it myself:
Chest box started out as a block of wood, here it is after shaping and a few coats of paint. I used a semi-gloss instead of flat, but it still catches and reflects light in pictures:
Here is is all finished off and ready for the straps:
Belt is pretty much RPF-standard:
Lights on the belt boxes all light up with LED's.
I have a sound system installed as well. I bought a personal amplifier off ebay that has a microphone input as well as a line input. I took a Rubies Vader breather apart, added a switch, volume switch to control the input gain, and new battery case. I can turn on just my voice, voice and breathing, and control the volume of my voice and breathing separate.
I'm going to rebuild the speakers, I was stressing getting Vader done in time for SDCC and I built the speakers last minute. They are housed in boxes that hang off my armor and hide under the inner cape. You can see the bottom edge of the speaker boxes in most of my pictures, they give me the wrong upper body shape and stick out like a sore thumb. When I rebuild them, the speakers will be completely under the shoulder armor.
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