Cool, nice progress. Looking forward to seeing more.
My Mal Reynolds (Firefly) costume
- Thread starter Risu
- Start date
Risu
Master Member
I finished the trigger assembly today, but my phone battery was so low I couldn't take a picture. I'll have one tomorrow.
For now, here's the new shirt I picked up a couple weeks ago. I'm attempting to overdye it with yellow Rit to make the maroon color more of a burgundy. Haven't had much success yet. It's a twill weave cotton shirt, but more of a dress weight and it comes off looking almost like diagonal stripes of black and maroon. The details are all a match for Mal's shirt and the fit is pretty good.
(it sometimes looks the right color under yellow lights)
For now, here's the new shirt I picked up a couple weeks ago. I'm attempting to overdye it with yellow Rit to make the maroon color more of a burgundy. Haven't had much success yet. It's a twill weave cotton shirt, but more of a dress weight and it comes off looking almost like diagonal stripes of black and maroon. The details are all a match for Mal's shirt and the fit is pretty good.
(it sometimes looks the right color under yellow lights)
Risu
Master Member
This thread feels like a lifetime ago. At the beginning of August, my mill at work broke. After getting a replacement, we found there to be a LOT of issues with the new one, which made it impossible to use it to any degree of accuracy. We finally ironed out the last of the issues a couple weeks ago, and I'm thrilled to finally be working on this again. I made the top slide piece over the last two days. It still needs a little work on the belt sander and a lot of hand sanding, but all of the machining is done.
I've also made a lot of progress on Wash, Simon, and I've nearly finished the Ariel EMT costume in the last couple weeks as well.
I've also made a lot of progress on Wash, Simon, and I've nearly finished the Ariel EMT costume in the last couple weeks as well.
gyoung2993
Sr Member
Love the machining your doing on this....Hell now this thread makes me itch to try and finish mine too !!!
Risu
Master Member
After over a year of searching, putting off actually sewing the pants, I've finally found an adequate striping. It's possible that this is actually what they used, but I'm not certain. All I know is that I was never fully on board with the dyed grosgrain ribbon theory.
This is 1" wide braided military uniform striping. You can buy it here:
http://www.intapol.com/police-motorcycle-breeches/add-pant-striping-10/
Also, here's the start of my safety switch for my gun.
I've since cut the back off, and pretty soon I'll cut the rod to the exact length and drill and tap a hole in the end. Then the milling starts.
This is 1" wide braided military uniform striping. You can buy it here:
http://www.intapol.com/police-motorcycle-breeches/add-pant-striping-10/
Also, here's the start of my safety switch for my gun.
I've since cut the back off, and pretty soon I'll cut the rod to the exact length and drill and tap a hole in the end. Then the milling starts.
Risu
Master Member
I asked her about it at SDCC a few years ago and her response was more along the lines of "who can say really? That was a long time ago." Besides, didn't she not come onto the show until after the pilot?
I've spent a lot of time looking at every possible reference photo I could find, and it just doesn't look anything like that ribbon. Also, when Mal switched to jeans near the end of the show, the stripes weren't tucked into a seam at the top, they just cut them off, and the way they frayed was exactly the same as this striping, and nothing like how grosgrain behaves at a cut end.
I've spent a lot of time looking at every possible reference photo I could find, and it just doesn't look anything like that ribbon. Also, when Mal switched to jeans near the end of the show, the stripes weren't tucked into a seam at the top, they just cut them off, and the way they frayed was exactly the same as this striping, and nothing like how grosgrain behaves at a cut end.
Risu
Master Member
That picture does show some similarities to the grosgrain, but it also has a big difference pretty clearly on display. It's too thick. The grosgrain has no thickness to it whatsoever. I've got the same ribbon on my pair of close enough pants and every time I look at them it stands out as not substantial enough. Also, if you look at this picture I slapped together, you can see that the ends of the striping should splay out when folded under, which the grosgrain doesn't do.
Anyway, I'm not posting it to argue about who's right. This striping ticks more boxes for me than the grosgrain ribbon did. Unless one of us gets a chance to ask Nathan Fillion about it, there's nothing definitive. I wouldn't hold out hope for that though, most actors don't study their costumes. They can't all be Adam Baldwin.
Anyway, I'm not posting it to argue about who's right. This striping ticks more boxes for me than the grosgrain ribbon did. Unless one of us gets a chance to ask Nathan Fillion about it, there's nothing definitive. I wouldn't hold out hope for that though, most actors don't study their costumes. They can't all be Adam Baldwin.
Risu
Master Member
I don't think it's unreasonable to think that Nathan still has the pants. From what I've seen, a lot of stuff got taken home. Adam Baldwin kept a good number of wardrobe items and various crew members walked away with chunks of the ship. Was it ever determined whether or not the pants he wore in Castle were replicas? I haven't seen the episode in years.
It always looked to me as though the ribbon was folded over at each end to make a seam similar to the side seams on the pants. That would add the appearance of thickness. I never thought that the ribbon was just slapped on flat with a straight stitch.
Risu
Master Member
It's possible they put an edge trim on the ribbon, but it's not folded over. The number of stripes doesn't match up to the ribbon we've found either. The military stripes aren't a perfect solution, but they look really good.
Also, I've asked the real designer of the costume about the stripes on Facebook. I'll post her response here if she answers.
Also, I've asked the real designer of the costume about the stripes on Facebook. I'll post her response here if she answers.
I haven't done the stripes yet but I found the ribbon and I swear it had the right number of stripes when the edges were folded over. I will have to dig it out of my project box to verify. That is what I plan on doing.
