Lady Sif (Thor Version)

LadyDeadpool

New Member
Hey all. I've been a lurker here for a while and thought I'd start a thread for my latest Lady Sif build. I'm a member of the MMCC and I appreciate feedback/advice from others so I'm attracted to the possibility of that here. :)
I'm kind of known to many friends for cosplaying comic Lady Sif, and I've been wanting to build the movie version for some time now. I personally don't care much for the Dark World version of Sif, and though less functional then the Dark World armor, I find the Thor version far more complicated and pretty.
After a little nudge from some of my dear friends, I've decided to give it a go (gulp). My goal is to get it done for c2e2 this coming march (2016)....I'm currently 60% done and templating armor. So here goes.

In case you are unfamiliar with the Thor version of Sif.
sif thor movie.jpgLady Pendragon.jpg
I've opted to go for the "hair down" verison due to my strange hairline not liking pulled-up wigs. :p Besides, it's more fun to go kill things with your hair all flowing in the breeze, right?
I like to think of myself as a progressive cosplayer, because I like to take the costume design and remake it as practical and historical accurate as possible while still looking like the original. I think it has to do with my marital arts and historical background. I've made a few changes to Sif's costume from the film, either for historical reasons or $$$$ (or lack of) or for 'making it better' reasons.

So to start. I always work from the base up, it's just easier for me (plus then your armor always fits correctly in the end! ;) ) I decided this costume would be three layers. A cotton tunic, a leather jerkin, and the armor. My tunic is basically a medieval gown pattern, cut down to about mid thigh length. There are no sleeves, and I've added a layered collar to the tunic. It has a invisible zipper up the back. Please note that zippers are not much use if you forget to extend them passed your hips.... just sayin'
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Second photo is from much farther on in the build, but good shot of my pretty collar, which has since been hidden from the world.
Sif has these "cap sleeves" on her tunic which you can see here:
eecdd7e9503999b73f201bddbbd230ba - Copy.jpg1790623-sif_thor.jpg12248885_10205146485046509_206435537_n.jpg The hardest part about prepping for this build was finding decent photos, so you'll see a lot of them re-used here. The silver sleeve you see in these photos is attached to the tunic, and after LONG hours of searching, I have decided it is Large Bubble Spider Mesh in silver, which is sold by the same company that makes the brass mess that is used for Sif's chainmail. That was a long ordeal, so you're welcome any future Sif builders who needed to know that. ;)
Unfortunately, it's $$. While I did purchase spidermesh for the chainmail, I could not justify spending the extra amount on something I would use so little of, and I already had another solution that I liked better.
I always wear hematite for personal reasons, and they do make a silver-ish coat for hematite, so I went that direction and used hematite beads for my sleeves. Much cheaper, and they can be acquired on the Amazon for less hassle then spidermesh.
IMG_20151216_222517 - Copy.jpgIMG_20151215_194613.jpgYou can see its not the same as Sif's....but I like it. It's mine and it looks cool and it makes me happy. :)
I will apologize for my very bad photo quality. I had the bad luck to break both of my cameras at the same time recently and all I have at the moment is my phone camera.

So that's the tunic. It was easy to make. It's double layered cotton in a burgundy/wine color. Nothing fancy.

Next we have the jerkin, which was a lot more work, but I think it turned out very well. I'll include the gauntlets in this section too.
Sif's was a lot of guess work because there are very very few pictures of her behind, or from the side, and none at all that are of good quality. A lot of what you see me do here is educated guess work/historically based.
eecdd7e9503999b73f201bddbbd230ba.jpgc9e189ec13467c1eca38310295dd82ae.jpg12244165_10205146629330116_386736325_n.jpg126101d7c1016dcdf438d6206e601158.jpg1742745-thor13.jpg
All I can say is THANK GOD FOR STUNT DOUBLES. Because that picture of Sif on the Destroyer is her stunt double, and the best picture I've found of the side of her costume yet.
What I did was a front lacing leather tunic with five tabs that hang down to mid thigh. One larger one in the back and two on either side, such as can be witnessed in the pictures above. I have yet to add the collar (I am waiting to see where the armor fits). I also opted out of using spidermesh to line the bottom of the tabs as can been seen in set picture with the hat.
IMG_20151119_153950.jpgIMG_20151122_195430.jpgIMG_20151123_124402.jpg
I did template out the top of the jerkin first with duck canvas before cutting my leather. Measure twice, cut once that sort of thing. The center pieces, center photo, are between 2-6 layers of leather. I ended up having to hand sew a lot of this because the leather was too thick.
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Here you can see the final version of the center front, and my first test fitting (in all it's glamour). It laces up with grommets on either side, though I have found I can keep one side laced and get in and out just fine. I've since added strips to the front to cover more of the bust line to keep more in line with the original costume. The last photo is the jerkin on my dress dummy, Pokey, while sewing the tabs on by hand. I use clothes pins a lot for leather.
IMG_20151127_161800.jpgIMG_20151127_160914.jpg
As mentioned, I decided not to use spidermesh for the ends of the tabs like on Sif's. ($$$) Instead I 'borrowed' a page from Loki and used brass zippers to edge the tabs. I like how they turned out, and they blend in well with the boots I've since acquired as the boots have a fake brass zipper (zipper head since removed) up the back.
Anyway, I've run out of space to post pictures on this post, and I should get back to work on costumes....so I'll update again later starting with pictures.
 

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Thanks both!

To put it lightly, it's been a while since I updated: Here we go.
Sewed down the flaps on the bottom of the jerkin. Since had to go back and re-sew them to accommodate for some of the armor being bolted onto the jerkin in the same spot, but they still sit in the same place.
IMG_20151129_152927 - Copy.jpg
This picture features the gloves I made organically. I have changed them to bracers and fabric handwraps to keep more in line with the common comic book Sif style. (Plus I'm a sucker for handwraps! ;)) I cut the original gloves and grommet-ed them and used the tunic material for handwraps. I then moved on to the arm wrap, which can be seen here:
eecdd7e9503999b73f201bddbbd230ba - Copy.jpg Like I said, you'll be seeing these pictures a lot....lol

Sif's looks like it's actually wrapped around her arm....but since I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to attach the "arm cannon:" armor to the straps if it were actually wrapped around the arm....I made mine out of four strips of leather. One straight across, and three with a slight point. I was actually pretty concerned about how it would stay on my arm...but it turns out that it stays great without any need for outside help (like glue. lol)
IMG_20151215_194530.jpg IMG_20151202_204657 - Copy.jpg
The second picture shows my revised hand wraps/bracers as well.

From there I moved into the spidermesh area and let me just state that spidermesh IS The Coolest Thing EVER. It acts like fabric but it's metal. IT'S FANTASTIC.
IMG_20151214_095222.jpg Pictures don't really do it justice.

Ok. moving on....I was a little puzzled about how to attach the spider mesh to the bottom of the jerkin and still be able to get in and out easily, so in the end I made a "brete", (Which I am probably misspelling!!) It's basically a historical chainmail skirt worn under armor to protect a knight's lower regions...I attached the spidermesh to a strip of leather and that was that. The top was sewn down directly to the tunic over my collar. I used fishing line to sew the spidermesh to make sure the stitching would hold.
IMG_20151216_222505 - Copy.jpg
So here's my more or less finished "soft parts" for Sif. Including boots, pre-armoring. This was the point I was at when I started this thread...so now we actually get to the fun part of the armor building.

I think I said in my first post that I am a member of the mandalorian mercs...we like Sintra. We like it A LOT. I also personally have worked with multiple kinds of thermo plastics and I like sintra best...it has the smoothest finish among other reasons. So almost all my armor is sintra. I used terraflex (it's a relatively new thermoplastic available from Tandy Leather in the US) for highlights and a few smaller pieces.
One thing I've learned from all my merc builds is to template everything out in foam first, so all my templates were done up in 3mm foam before being transferred to sintra and dremmeled out. I also recommend sanding down the edges of all plates with a dremmel, then hand sanding out the remainder. Makes a very beautiful finish.
(that's right, I use power tools too. :lol lol)

Here's my breastplate all cut out and the (almost finished) shaped and glued plate.
IMG_20151224_140634.jpg
Multiple layers in all of the armor, but especially the breastplate.

IMG_20151227_195127.jpg
I eventually cut down the center point to match Sif's a little better and dremmeled some details into it as well as bondo'd in the gaps and did some spot putty work on this thing...but you get the idea.

The backplate was next. I dropped a couple layers from it as compared to Sif's due to difficulties in templateing. But since it will be hidden under my hair it won't matter too much...
I hand sanded the grooves into the plates to match hers. They will in theory show up better when pained and lightly blackwashed.
Sif-Thor-image-sif-thor-36243850-1920-816 - Copy.jpgIMG_20160118_132514.jpg
It connects with Chicago screws.
IMG_20160117_212640.jpg

More pictures of that with all the rest of this stuff....lol

I moved along and made the ab plates, which are really cool, and the arm bands. Those were pretty easy. They have hinges and magnets as far as connections go.

I also moved on and made my "arm cannon" which is the shoulder armor that attaches to the arm leather arm brace mentioned earlier.
IMG_20160119_203523.jpg
This is like, the most guess-work heavy, haphazard part of the build since the only good photos I have of this thing are super blurry.... :( But I think it looks OK....
Also along the way I was gifted a sword by Coregeek Creations (he can be found on Etsy) and IT IS BEAUTIFUL. I love it....:love
Here are pics of these last things all beginning to be painted.
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12650770_10205570586368777_914462481_n.jpg A couple of my ab plates anyway. I shaped these using (laugh with me here) a sewer pipe....Because I happen to have unused sewer pipe laying around. Yeah.

So...then we have the skirt plate, which goes across the hips. Laying flat it looks like this.
IMG_20160115_210517.jpg The leather will look better when it is actually attached, It is currently awaiting the painting to be finished...
This plate gets bolted into the jerkin above my hips. It looks like this.
IMG_20160118_174513.jpg
Ick. Sorry again for the lack of good quality photos!! :facepalm
Here's another shot with a few more plates (including my arm pieces)
IMG_20160124_124606 - Copy.jpg
The brown strips on the arm bands are Terraflex.

And somewhere along the line I started and finished (almost) my shield!
f0a067ef09c560fcba065cf420fb7d16.jpg Sif-Thor-image-sif-thor-36243853-1920-816.jpg
Sif's shield from the first film. The sword I'm carrying will be able to slide into the shield like hers does. You can kind of see it in the second photo there.

Anyway, my shield from start to mostly finished.
IMG_20160121_081926.jpg IMG_20160125_162229 - Copy.jpg

Oh....I don't actually have pictures of the rest of the progress....The shield has the "V" shape on it now, and I have all the backplates done and the boot armor. I'll get pics and update again in a few days (this time I promise less then a couple months!! LOL)

~LDP
 
That is awesome!! I've fallen in love w sintra...it's stupid easy to use. Currently I've been just using it for small props, how does it hold up as armor?
 
Thanks13doctorwho!

That is awesome!! I've fallen in love w sintra...it's stupid easy to use. Currently I've been just using it for small props, how does it hold up as armor?
Perfectly well as long as you use good glue or epoxy to hold layers together. My original Sif crown has had some pretty tough beatings and it's still ticking. I know many mercs who have had their armor sets for years and are still clocking hours in it. Sintra tougher then it looks.

Alright, as promised, some more pictures of progress and not months later.

Here's the inside of my shield. The extra bolts are for the sword straps/stuff caring pouch which haven't been cut yet.
IMG_20160125_162243.jpg

And here are pics of the back plates. There are four long plates all bolted to the jerkin. One is dremmeled down to look like two plates in keeping with Sif's outfit.
IMG_20160131_192409.jpg

Much better pictures.
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IMG_20160205_152300.jpg IMG_20160205_152305.jpg
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So still a few things to do yet like the tabs on the inside of the collar and abs, and attach the leather skirts to the plates after painting, but I'm pretty well there.
I already have a couple upgrades in mind, pants for one and remaking the boot armor for another, but that will probably wait until after c2e2.

~LDP

- - - Updated - - -

That is looking really good. Your craftsmanship is amazing
Thank you! Too much practice, I think. lol
 
Update time!! Where was I??

Finished the sword and shield. Shield needs some more weathering on the brass to look 100% like Sif's, but I'm happy for now.

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They turned out pretty well.

The armor all got painted with Krylon aluminum paint and a brass tempra color for the brass parts. Attached the leather skirts to the bottom two plates on my front and back. First try on looked like this:
20160228_194759.jpg (my sister says hello)
Ab plates were only taped on for this fitting. I attached them with industrial velcro....they don't sit near as flat as I'd like them to, but they can be shifted around to be straight no matter how the jerkin sits when I lace it up. Tried on the wig with it for the first time and did some test make up.

Sif eddit.jpg

Sif edit.jpg

I should get extra point for the authentic looking background. :lol

Took her out for a test run at a little con this past weekend. She was very comfortable, surprisingly, and easy to wear. Got the make up fixed and and list of upgrades ready for more springy weather!
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Goofy looking picture first, and the random shot that happened to show off my backside pretty well that I grabbed....becasue the armor looks so nice in the back!!

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Photo by MIGeek Scene! :)

So...I have a list of things I want to upgrade for version 1.5, but I'm pretty happy with her for the moment.

Now, on to C2E2! ;)
 
Nice work on the costume! Can I ask where you ordered/found the spidermesh from? I'm looking at getting some for my own project.
 
Looks awesome!
The spidermesh really adds a lot of authenticity to it. It looks like you nailed the soft parts, even with limited reference pictures.
I'm doing a Dark World version, and it's a pain, but I love it. Lady Sif is the best!
I was curious, where did you get your leather? I'm having a lot of trouble finding the right color for sif.
 
Looks awesome!
The spidermesh really adds a lot of authenticity to it. It looks like you nailed the soft parts, even with limited reference pictures.
I'm doing a Dark World version, and it's a pain, but I love it. Lady Sif is the best!
I was curious, where did you get your leather? I'm having a lot of trouble finding the right color for sif.
I got my leather at Tandy Leather Factory....I really just got lucky and they had the almost perfect shade of red/burgundy I was looking for with Sif. It's more of a "Star Lord" red then a "Sif" red, but its close enough to work. Sorry I can't be more helpful!!
 
Thank you! I guess I need to go to tandy then. I'll probably have better luck there than at the upholstery places I have been looking at.
I've seen your Mercs build thread, and it's quite impressive! Your Sif looks equally good!
 
Thank you! I guess I need to go to tandy then. I'll probably have better luck there than at the upholstery places I have been looking at.
I've seen your Mercs build thread, and it's quite impressive! Your Sif looks equally good!
Oh thank you! :$ I've been pushing myself to try more and more difficult things.

Stinkape, thank you! Definitely a few things I want to redo, but I'm very happy with it. :)
 
Great job...this looks amazing!

If you are looking for another material to use for the chainmail capsleeves, I ran across the perfect stuff last week at Z Gallerie. They were placemats made from what looks like the EXACT material; it is not spidermesh, but a weave of silver (or gold) irregular beads.

Here's a link to a set of four, but at the store you can get them individually for about $30 each. I think one placemat would more than enough for this application.
http://www.zgallerie.com/p-16506-artemis-placemat-sets-of-4.aspx

 
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