Need some help with Darth Mannequin

[jcoffman99]

So I got one of those tall mannequins from Ben's Mannequins on ebay. After getting him dressed last night I ran into a slight problem. The head is too big for the mask to fix properly. Please see the crummy cell phone pics below. Any ideas on the best way to fix this? Thanks,
John

 

[KevVader]

What's it made out of?

I'd take an angle grinder to the head and start by lopping off the ears...then continue until the mask fits.

 

[jcoffman99]

It appears to be made out of some type of plaster. I'm afraid what might happen if I start cutting, but may not have a choice.

 

[Clutch]

Plaster? You sure it isn't fiberglass? The head will not be seen at all so it doesn't matter even if you have to lop it off and put a stick in there.

On the subject of mannequins, what would be the proper height for one?

This looks like it would be a good pose for Vader:

 

[Fuzzual]

You can always cut the head off and replace it with a cheap foam mannequin head from places like Hobby Lobby. They usually run about $10-$20

 

[jcoffman99]

Plaster? You sure it isn't fiberglass? The head will not be seen at all so it doesn't matter even if you have to lop it off and put a stick in there.

On the subject of mannequins, what would be the proper height for one?

This looks like it would be a good pose for Vader:

I almost went with that one. I think that would be a good pose for an Imperial officer.

 

[ob1al]

Just chop away at the head, face and ears until it fits then cover the devastation with black gaffer tape. Bingo.

 

[hankey01]

Dip it in molten lava for the screen accurate look.

 

[jcoffman99]

His head was hollow and made of fiberglass. Just took the old hacksaw to him. Here's a quick pic.

 

[Slave1]

That one with his hands behind his back is the one I've got, however he's probably a bit short.

I'm not sure exactly how tall Prowse is, or more importantly how tall he was when he made the films, but I saw one place that said Vader was 6 ft 7 inches. I'm assuming that's with the helmet and wearing boots. Mine's a little shy of that but easily remedied.

I also didn't leave the arms in that pose, but instead refiberglassed into a different pose.

Also, if you look closely, that mannequin's head and neck are cocked slightly to one side. More noticeable in person, and it also threw the armor off just a bit. I wanted the helmet centered, so I basically cut off maybe a fourth off the side of the head and neck (left side as you look at it). This allowed the helmet to be more centered.

And yes, it really doesn't matter if the entire head is intact since it doesn't show.

 

[Darth Niob]

Sadly all these mannequin are to short and not strong built enough for Prowse. I think he was something about 1,97m without boots and costume and 2,06m with.

 

[GINO]

I think you are best off just finding any old mannequin and customizing it to the Prowse size/physique.
Here's mine. Just some run of the mill mannequin off ebay in it's former life.

.

 

[Slave1]

Right. I doubt there's anything off the shelf Prowse's exact measurements.

 

[fredstar]

I used a faceless 6.2ft (191 cm) black mannequin for my ROTS display.

The Helmet simply slips on nicely without any bumps like a nose of hair that may cause any problems.

 

[bubba fett]

Yep, remember that Prowse was a bodybuilder. Using an off the shelf mannequin just isn't going to look right. Gino is right, it's going to take some work to get anything to the right size and shape. Heck you can go with PVC pipe if you build it up enough.

 

[EvilRocketeer]

maybe a mannequin used in a Big and Tall store?