The Dark Knight: All finished! Halloween was great!

[MattMunson]

*****UPDATE*****
Costume is done, as is Halloween. Here's a full write up of all the evenings fun, along with tons of pictures:
http://mattmunson1.blogspot.com/2010/11/halloween-night.html
*****END UPDATE*****




At first, this costume did NOTHING for me. I thought it was way overdesigned, and I was not a fan. Then it grew on me. I grew to appreciate the detail and artistry that went into it. Then I started noticing that the pieces of the suit were becoming available to collectors. So I jumped in.

JUST YESTERDAY, my armor arrived. Bunch of pics posted on my blog:

The Project Work Bench: The Dark Knight Armor Arrives

As of right now, the only thing I'm missing is the boots. Got some great gloves, got the correct mesh fabric for the undersuit, got a great belt.

The bad news is, this will probably sit in a box for the next three years

But who knows, this armor is pretty darn amazing and I'm very inspired to take a swipe at getting it done.

 

[coofunkcurly]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Umm...you forgot that you have a remarkable cape. :lol

Armor looks great. Urethane or latex? If urethane you must have a huge melon to have that cowl fit you.

And as a side note, as I hope it wasn't advertised differently to you, much of the lower section (legs) were created on a CNC and not from molds of the stunt suit.

 

[pinder91]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Maybe I've been out of the Bat-loop for too long, but who is making this armor? And where can one acquire it?

 

[MattMunson]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Ah yes, the cape! I think I have that on my blog somewhere! Just looked.... I did NOT post about it. I will have to correct that.

For reference, here's a filtered link for all of the TDK suit posts on my blog:

The Project Work Bench: Batman: The Dark Knight

I did not know that about the legs, but I am not concerned. Good info though, and I appreciate the detail. I thought I read that the neck was CNC'd, but I did not know about the legs.

Pinder, the best place to go for ALL armor questions is the Brotherhood of The Bat. Here's a link to the forum:

Brotherhood Of The Bat ~ Runboard

Since I am unsure of the availability of the armor, or if the seller wants his stuff to be discussed, I will leave it up to them to inform


Oh, and mine is latex. I was originally going to go for the urethane, but then figured that the cost difference is not worth the difference in appearance. I fully beleive that the Urethane suit is superior. I've seen it in real life and it's just stunning. But as I grow in the hobby, I have come to realize that for 99% of the people you run into, they are not going to know the difference. For me, it's not worth the extra bucks to impress that 1% of the crowd.

Though it's VERY tempting!!!

 

[CustomPropSculptorGuy]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Latex shrinks over time... Just know that.

 

[Darius Alucard]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

I'll be sure to check your progress and am looking forward to seeing it completed.

If the suit came from down under, the cnc'd stuff was done by spidey4fun.

 

[MattMunson]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

yup, Brad is a good guy He also provided me with the mesh for the undersuit. Can't wait to get started. Probably going to tackle this after halloween. I've got too much going on between now and then to worry about it.

 

[TheNickFox]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Damn you, Matt Munson...and your awesomeness!

The suit looks great. I'll be following this whenever you get started.

The Dark Knight suit is the only bat suit for me. It just looks so functional. Now quit lolligagging and get to work!

-Nick

 

[CJ 617]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Nice one Matt!!! The suit pieces look great and like you say, gotta love those Batarangs!

Looking forward to seeing your progress on this suit....

 

[MattMunson]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

I'm sort of on the fence about what to do. THe bummer about the mesh fabric is that it's not very stretchy, so if I build a body suit, it will be very precise and wont' stretch much. If I trim down a little more (which is my plan) I will have a baggy suit. Hrm. Lots to think about.

 

[CJ 617]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

don't rush into any decisions yet then...just enjoy the fact you have it, Matt You could always have it for display only...you know it would look good!!!

 

[coofunkcurly]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Yeah, Brad is one of the good guys in the costuming hobby. Here's a link to his build and some of the CNC parts I mentioned.
Knight21

And I agree with ya on the 99% thing. I am trying to become less obsessive with the intricate details of props.

 

[MattMunson]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

And I agree with ya on the 99% thing. I am trying to become less obsessive with the intricate details of props.

This is a terminal condition! :lol It's the thing that keeps me from completing projects, but I'm trying REALLY hard to let it go on a few things. I have cut some corners on my Superman Returns suit, but it is STILL a work in progress.

Say, since I've got a thread rolling on this, can anyone give a recommendation on what type of adhesive to use to attach the armor to the mesh undersuit? I'd prefer to hear from someone who has done it successfully than best guesses I got some feedback from Kris and Brad, but I'd prefer to have a name of a product that I can purchase in the US. "Contact cement" is not much help. :lol

 

[N8R]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

That is a sweet costume.

 

[Jodo]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

"Oh, you. You just couldn't let me go, could you Matt Munson? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You are truly incorruptible, aren't you Matt? Huh? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you Munson, because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever. "

 

[coofunkcurly]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Since it is latex armor I would recommend either DAP in the red can (contact cement) or liquid latex. Neither of which will work on urethane.

 

[spidey4fun]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Hey Matt, I'd sew a suit from another non-stretch fabric first to get both your pattern and correct fit. You need to take the size and shape of the armour into account when designing the pattern. The mesh does stretch a little, but this suit doesnt need to be tight. Between the torso and the legs of the suit there's a strip on lycra that begins at the edge of the abb armour runs around the back of the suit and to the other side of the abb armour. This provides stretch at the side and back of the suit when you bend down. The strip of lycra I used was a double thickness and the width of the belt.

Brad.

 

[MattMunson]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Since it is latex armor I would recommend either DAP in the red can (contact cement) or liquid latex. Neither of which will work on urethane.

Great. I have a big jug of the red can dap on hand. Do you have a preference, Red or Green? Does it make a difference?

Brad, thanks for the tips. My plan was to make a test pattern out of twill, which has pretty much no stretch. Great tip about the stretchy part, though I'm having some trouble picturing it. Any chance you have some pics you could post or email me of your work?

Thanks!
m

 

[spidey4fun]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

The torso is made of two parts. The seam is in the front and back, where the zipper goes. Arms are 1 peice of fabric each. The COD piece of fabric wraps under your butt and up to the back (lower spine). At least this is how I made it. The movie suit was a total jigsaw pattern. So many different parts is was crazy!!!

Brad.

 

[MattMunson]

Re: The Dark Knight: Because I didn't have enough going on already

Brad,
Great pic, and thanks for the tips. That helps a lot. I think I understand what you are talking about now, and can certainly copy that technique. Good stuff.

IN FACT, tonight I made a ton of progress on my pattern for the lower half of the body suit. I have a pic and a write up on my blog. check it out...

The Project Work Bench: TDK Body Suit Leg Work