Sith/Dark Jedi Costume for NY Comic Con

[Jonnyboy0121]

Hi all,


I'm a 3d artist venturing into the world of creating physical props and replicas and I'm having a blast with it! My girlfriend surprised me with tickets to the NY Comic Con (she's the best) this year. Naturally, I decided go big or go home and am making my own costume. I've been a Star Wars fan all my life, and particularly a fan of all things related to the Empire. So, I decided to put a costume together from various sources of inspiration, some from Star Wars, and some not.

My main inspiration comes from a character in the game called "Of Orcs and Men". He seemed appropriately Sith sorcerer-like. I ripped the 3d file from the game and edited the textures to get a color scheme I was happy with. I plan on doing the cloth bits, for the most part, in the same way and use fabric paint for the designs on the tabard and trim. For the armor I'm taking my inspiration from the Emperor's royal Guard on the top right which I believe is from The Force Unleashed. I got the pepakura files for the armor from Fierfek's thread. I plan on just doing the shoulder pauldrons and gauntlets first. I'm considering doing the greaves and plate over the top of the boots but I'll see how it looks without it first.



I separated the mask from the rest of the mesh and cleaned up the geometry a bit to bring into Pepakura.



I had to resize the mask because the eyes were a little too narrow. I'm adding a row at the split here. In hindsight I should've fit the mesh over a anatomically correct human model and done some real measurements. I was just eager to get started.



Trying to keep the mask in shape was really a pain. The middle part is just hanging for the most part so the model isn't under much tension and therefore doesn't retain any shape. The solution I came up with was putting some tension in with craft sticks and circular wicker that I hot glued inside the mask at various diameters of my forehead, nose level, and chin. Has anyone else run into this problem of keeping the pep'ed piece to keep it's shape?





You can see the mask is really bowing out here and I was trying to figure out how to fix the left side as well. So I used masking tape as backing, built up the eye areas in some parts, and also shaved some away with my dremel.



I decided to push the mask together and use fiberglass cloth for reinforcement. This was a step I'd intended to do anyway, but it worked great for fixing and keeping the slimmer shape I wanted.




Then I painted it using some spray paint primer, acrylic browns, yellow, and black. Also some natural wood color stain to come up with a texture that looked bone-like. I also purposefully left it pitted for some texture.



After spraying plasti dip on the inside and I re-purposed the 5 point strapping system for an airsoft mask I own. I just drilled holes in it and inserted the hardware in and it seems to be pretty snug. I also put some temporary foam in, but when I get some fabric to cover it I'll cut more out into the proper shapes and hot glue it in there.



It's a little lop sided, but overall I'm pleased with the result for my first pep'd piece!



Next up.. which I'm currently working on, are the shoulder pauldrons!

 

[Jonnyboy0121]

So the mask has been put on hold until I get some fabric to cover the padding. But I've begun work on the pauldrons in pretty much in the same way I worked on the mask. I pep'd out the piece and put some supports on the inside then resined the exterior and interior.



There is a hollow portion on the lower part of the pauldron that I filled with fiberglass cloth and poured resin into. I think maybe next time I'll use a 50/50 bondo, resin mixture because it used up a lot of material doing it this way. The chemical reaction also got extremely hot. I took a picture of what I believe is the hot glue from the pep'd pieces boiling.



The good thing that came from filling the hollow part in is the thing is extremely solid now. After using some fiberglass cloth to strengthen the whole interior I moved onto bondo and sanding and this is where I left off. I'm going for a battle worn metal look more than the plastic look in the reference. It's pretty smooth now, and I'm going to experiment with some real damage with my dremel before I start painting.



I also pep'd out the bracers but they are a little too snug in the wrist area. Lengthwise they fit pretty well.. I can hold my arm at a right angle and still get full range of motion from my wrists but I won't be able to squeeze this thing over my hands when it's hardened. So I may re-do them and make them slightly larger by like .25 or .5 inch. If that doesn't help I'll try editing the 3d model and make the shape less tapered towards the wrists.

 

[Probe Droid]

Looking good!. I'll be at NYCC as well, I'll keep an eye open for you.

 

[Jonnyboy0121]

Thanks Probe Droid! And sweet, will you be going in costume? I'll be there on Friday with my girlfriend and a couple of friends. We're all dressing up Star Wars themed.

So I've been working on my shoulder pauldrons and finished painting them. I sprayed the pieces with a primer and then this flat nickel metallic color for the base metal. Then I used the condiment/toothpaste technique to easily take away the gloss colonial red top coat on the damaged spots.



Finally, I did an acrylic black wash and dry brushed some more of the metallic spray on the edges for more of a battle worn look.




So that's where I'm at. Next up I'm going to spray some Plasti-Dip on the inside of these things and in between coats I'll pep the gauntlets I re-designed.

 

[Jonnyboy0121]

Hey all,

Small update about what I've been up to. I didn't like the glossy look for the pauldron's "metal" finish. It seemed a little too plastic looking so I got some satin clear coat spray paint to dull it a bit. This picture doesn't do it much justice, but I like the result a lot better. I also sprayed some Plasti-Dip on the inside to seal it. Next up will be just figuring out a good way of strapping these things to myself.



I also re-peped my bracers. The original is on the left and the version I resized and edited on the right in the first picture. It's still a little too small. I'd like to be able to pull it over my hand and have it rest there rather than having to worry about two pieces for each bracer.



It's technically still a good size, I can get a decent range of motion of out them. The problem is they don't really stay in place when I drop my arms down. They just slide down to my hands and they end up looking too small anyway. I imagine some of that sliding will be minimized when I'm wearing my robes and gloves as well. But anyway, I'll be trying again and making it bigger.



So next up again is re-sizing and re-pepping the bracers!

 

[centech]

Looking good, I'm working on my own NYCC costume (Deckard). I'll keep an eye out for you.

 

[Michelefer]

pepakura file mask ? rogeriojannuzzi@gmail.com

 

[Rhaven Blaack]

This is coming together nicely!

 

[RedNite]

That is looking really great! I'll be watching our progress.

 

[Jonnyboy0121]

Hi all,


Thank you very much! I uploaded the Inquisitor mask I ripped from the game and made into a .pdo. You can find it here:


http://www.4shared.com/file/mY5w0_EXba/Inquisitor_mask_v2.html


Personally, if I were to do this again I would edit the 3d model into solid piece and cut out the lanes under the eyes and eye holes after it's been hardened and fiberglassed. That way it retains it's shape. The cardstock alone is too thin and it takes a lot of effort to keep it in a shape that's somewhat like the original.. as you can tell looking at my attempt.


Also, the game model ripper software I used distorted the 3d mesh quite a bit.. I did my best to eyeball and fix it, but I'd recommend if you're savvy with 3d software to lay it over an anatomically correct/proportional 3d head model and adjust the mask so it fits better.. especially around the nose and eyebrow area. After the convention, and when I have more time, I'm going to look into re-doing the 3d model, making it high res, and 3d printing it to use as a master for a mold.


Anywho, I started a new job so have had less time in general but have still been chipping (more like sanding) away in my free time. I finished up the bracers the other day.. here are some works in progress shots.



After like 3 or so coats of bondo and spot putty and plenty of sanding they were pretty smooth. So I moved onto painting them pretty much the same way I did the shoulder pauldrons. I also snapped a shot of my makeshift painting rack - 2 lawn chairs, 2 garbage bags, and a dowel.



After a few coats each of primer and nickel metallic spray paint, I went on to the colonial red gloss and then acrylic black washed them. I also dry brushed some of metallic paint around the edges, and then used a satin clear coat on it. I finished them off by spraying some plasti-dip on the inside to seal it like the other pieces.



Also, I worked on this simultaneously with the bracers.. I needed a lightsaber and didn't have too much money to spend so I went to the toy store and picked up this version of Anakin's lightsaber for $10. I removed the blade, cut off some of the parts like the sight on the top and filled others in with bondo. I sanded it down and painted it with a matte black spray paint. Then I took my metallic spray paint and dry brushed damage in certain areas, and painted it on heavier in other places I wanted to look more metal. Then I used black wash to take some of the details out of the silver, and painted the red on buttons and the fins, some brown for rust, and added a little inscription in Aurebesh that reads "Dread".



So that's all done.. I still have some strapping to do for the pauldrons and padding for the mask. The clothing is coming along as well.. the hood and tabard are done I just haven't decided if I want to paint the red designs on or do something like applique. After that is just the jacket and the red under tunic. Whew.. it's getting there! Thanks for all the support guys!

 

[Jonnyboy0121]

Hi all!

So I finally finished up my costume yesterday and just in time for the NYCC tomorrow! I took a few pictures with my Iphone, but will definitely be getting my girlfriend to take some pictures with her DSLR camera soon. I'll also add any cool ones we happen to take at the convention.

Here are just a few more work in progress shots. I finally got around to doing the strapping and padding I'd been putting off. The padding was very simple.. just like I thought it would be. I just cut out areas of the Plasti-Dip so the hot glue+craft glue would adhere better and stronger. For the pauldrons, I followed the looks of various armor strapping designs I found on google. I used a combination of parachute buckles, chicago screws, and good ol' velcro. It's pretty secure, not exactly sure how it would hold up if I tried any stunts in it, but I'm not worried about regular movement in them.



I also decided to go with fabric paint over applique. It was probably the more time consuming way to go about it, but I'm happy with it. I I freehand stenciled it in chalk and used water as a sort of eraser for errant chalk lines.



And with a lightly modified medieval tunic and coat template I picked up from Joanne Fabrics, this is it all together and on me...



This was a ton of fun and I can't wait to make some other props and armor. Hopefully in the future I'll find more time and money to explore 3d printing/mold making to use my knowledge of 3d to make some really cool looking props.

I'm looking forward to wearing it to comic con and for Halloween gatherings. If anyone sees me in my get-up walking around the NYCC feel free to say hi!

May the dark side of the force be with you!

 

[Jonnyboy0121]

Here are some pics from the con.. I tracked down all the other Star Wars fans and got pictures with them.




There was so many people there it was exhausting after a couple of hours, but I had a good time, and always enjoy seeing other's people creations as well as the exhibits the comic con has to offer. Looking forward to next year!

 

[Gibbtall]

This came out really well, the mask is amazing, super spooky and Sith. That shot beside the Hound is ridiculous to point out how short you are and how massive he is, hah.

 

[Nakai]

fantastic work! how long did you take?

 

[joshvanrad]

Don't know how I missed this. That looks great!

 

[Jonnyboy0121]

Hey everyone, thank you so much for the comments! Life got in the way a bit and hadn't checked back since after Comic Con.

Yeah, haha, I'm pretty short (5'2") but the guy in the Hound costume must have been taller than 6'5". Not sure if he was on platforms of some kind but he really towered above everyone. I'm a big fan of GoT and thought he looked fantastic.

In all my costume took about two months.. I was in between freelance jobs at the time so I had a lot of free time on my hands. I think I could do it quicker with an equal amount of free time now that I know the processes. I sort of learned pepakura, strapping, painting cloth, etc., as I went. I also made a lot of sizing mistakes on the first pep'd mask and bracers and started them over a number of times.

I've learned a little bit about photogrammetry and 3d scanning since then. I think next time around it will be easier for me in the future using that for accurate measurements.

I'm bouncing around with starting a second project.. I'm a big airsoft player and a relatively affordable Sterling SMG just released. I think I may buy it and make a usable airsoft E11, and build a costume for to play with in airsoft games. Something like a mix Agent Kallus from Rebels or the armor Imperial officers wear. Using the light grey armor and Kallus's visored helmet below as inspiration:

I'll make a new thread before I launch into it. The only issue I've found with pep'd/bondo workflow is that the pieces are very stiff and delicate. I had a few areas of my bracers chip (very minor) by bumping into things and myself throughout the day. It looks fine as the armor is meant to look battle-worn but I worry using it in something like airsoft because it'll just be picked apart by plastic BBs.

So I'll need to do some more research into making molds using more durable plastic that could withstand a bit of a beating.

Anywho, thanks again everyone!