Screen Accurate Return of the Jedi Darth Vader costume.

So it is time for some updates on my Darth Vader.

EVERYTHING that you guys saw few years back is gone and REPLACED! Here is a whole brand new version of my Vader on Display. Ive been working my ass off to make it as screen accurate as possible.

Here is a parts list.

Helmet: Darth Stone's latest ROTJ
Armor: Darth Stone V1(I do not like the V2. Don't find it as accurate.)
Chest Box: Pieced together with Dark Side greebles and a few from my old Porty box. Right now the box itself is being refinished.
Belt Boxes: Hammonds with the right found red lamp.
Belt: Self made, thinking about getting a new one.
Buckle: Dark Side
Cod: Artisan Props
Capes: KevVader's
Suit: 3 piece Fenix Props Leather
Boots: Replica German officer boots
Gloves: ESB Fenix Props

I have been working a lot at a new job so Trooping time has been Vacant. I built up a mannequin to display the suit on. I also had an SD card with a few worn photos but it got lost in the mail when I was sending it to a friend.

Enjoy the photos. Chest box is temporarily absent.

Bump

My chest box finally arrived and I finished assembling it.

My cape was sent back to the semtress after I did the Akron Comi Con Saturday as the back of it still had to much material. I told her to leave the front and hem the back to keep the taper down from front to back.

Here are a couple of photos.

The pic next to the Rubies is really hard...for the rubies suit!:lol

Kroenen77 said:

The pic next to the Rubies is really hard...for the rubies suit!:lol

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The best part was that he liked my costume so much he walked around with me instead of getting jealous and stand off ish like Ive seen a few other Rubies wearers did to higher end vaders.

I also have the rubies suit.But converted it to a ROTS costume with the MR Studioscale helmet.Out of the box its really not good.
Working on a ESB High End suit also.But looking for the right components.

Kroenen77 said:

I also have the rubies suit.But converted it to a ROTS costume with the MR Studioscale helmet.Out of the box its really not good.
Working on a ESB High End suit also.But looking for the right components.

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I no doubt have a hatred to the Rubies suit(even that new statue :facepalm). But the guy was having a lot of fun with his costume!

I cant wait to see your ESB suit.

I got a Rubies and plan to mod it into an ESB, and eventually the Rubies starter suit can evolve into a screen accurate once I get enough of those moneys.
Also as a bonus, I can take the old chest armor, spray it all silver/gray and use it as a Clone Wars Anakin part if I felt so inclined.
Nice suit though, definitely wish I had one, but until I finish my thousand other projects I can't mod mine.

CAKComedyProps said:

I got a Rubies and plan to mod it into an ESB, and eventually the Rubies starter suit can evolve into a screen accurate once I get enough of those moneys.
Also as a bonus, I can take the old chest armor, spray it all silver/gray and use it as a Clone Wars Anakin part if I felt so inclined.
Nice suit though, definitely wish I had one, but until I finish my thousand other projects I can't mod mine.

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The Rubies costume will not produce a screen accurate anything for you. It is better to start from scratch if you want screen accuracy.

You will put just as much time, money and energy trying to mod it as you would with building one from scratch with custom pieces. The base of the suit is ROTS as ROTS is a very different beast from the OT vaders. The helmet is a very weak cast of the ROTJ helmet.

Not accounting for screen accuracy you can make it into a nice suit.

vader45 said:

The Rubies costume will not produce a screen accurate anything for you. It is better to start from scratch if you want screen accuracy.

You will put just as much time, money and energy trying to mod it as you would with building one from scratch with custom pieces. The base of the suit is ROTS as ROTS is a very different beast from the OT vaders. The helmet is a very weak cast of the ROTJ helmet.

Not accounting for screen accuracy you can make it into a nice suit.

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I know, I am going to get replacement parts over time, but I will lightly mod things like fixing the helmet or 3d printing new boxes for example, until I can get better parts like a new undersuit or something. Eventually all of the parts will be replaced.

Here are some photos of the last event I was at. Pop Culture Fest in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio



Yeah I know my chest box is crooked. The top strap goes around my neck and the velcro came off. I used super glue but sweating on it for 3+ hours it does not hold up! lol.






This was the Rubber city Cosplay photo booth. They were kind enough to take a lot of photos.

Update on my Vader! I sent in my gloves for alterations to have the WIP stitching put in around the fingers. For those who don't know wip stitching is when the thread goes in and around the edge of the material like a spiral to a notebook. It was just added on and the original straight stitch is still present. That adds strength to the gloves. The Wip stitching is what was used on the OT gloves.

I also had the gloves shortened by an 1. I wanted to do more but I thought it would be smart to do less as I can't add on. I shortened them because the ROTJ/ESB on Prowse are not really mid forearm as many 501st members and the CRL have stated for many years. I noticed they looked long on me when they were mid fore arm. So I took a look at reference and noticed how short and stubby the gauntlets looked on prowses arm. I started with only one inch to play it safe.

I also have new upper leathers comming in from Fenix Props, the shirt and sleeves. I requested the placement I want foe the seams to match ROTJ on the vest(the ones you see here are just lines stitched on) and asked for the seam on the arms to run parallel with the lines. Fenix has them slightly intersecting at a soft angle which was only present on the touring suits. The screen suits has the seam and lines running parallel all the way down the sleeves.


This is not even close to mid fore arm. That is a short gauntlet!



Edit: I forgot to mention or I dont remember mentioning, this change I made, in this thread. I noticed how far back the chain on the right hand side of the collar was when we see the close up of Vader talking to the Emperor in the throne room. I can only see the left hand side hook peeking out while I see nothing on the other side, no hook. Then there was a thread posted here of one of the costume exhibits that showed exactly what I saw on screen on the cape used for that particular display. The chain was set far back on the collar and I saw no hook, and yes there was a hook on the other side. It appears the right hand side of the chain was sewn to the black side of the collar further black and the hook was the other side. That hid one link and the 8 are visible as we can see in most of the references. That makes me believe 9 links was used.

I sewed the chain on my cape and loves the results it gave me, look very much like the cape does in the film.

Regarding the cape chain.

Screen shot.



and now a picture provided by Rymo from an exhibit that confirms what I have thought was done.

My last event I did last Saturday. It was at Perfect Occasions Costumes and Magic shop in Middlefield, Ohio. They had a costume contest and I won 2nd place. It was voted instead of judged.



Edit: that is my EFX helmet I painted the other guy is wearing.

Well I found out that my KevVader cape is horridly inaccurate to ROTJ. I already knew that ROTJ is 3 panels at 220 degrees while mine is 4 at 1/2 circle.. But I also found out something that Kev did wrong to on top of that. He folded the liner outwards to make it look like its lining down the edge of the cape and then Kev added in one more fold with the wool to hide that, a double fold. As I look at my references from ROTJ the 2 materials do not fold at all the edges of the the two are just sewn together.

I would be talking to Kev to see if he can do an updated cape for me.


P.S. I am not liking the websites new format. I cant tell were posts end and adds begin! It all looks like one giant mess.

I ordered a new leather vest and sleeves a few months back from Fenix Props. My wait took longer then Lucas cared for. He ended up firing Romairo(the guy who organized and ran the orders) because Romairo dropped a few orders and I was one of them. My vest was made But not my sleeves and Romairo never asked for my sleeve measurments. Lucas ends up emailing me saying Romairo was fired. My order only took a couple of weeks to get my sleeves made and they shipped last Friday! He was nice enough to not charge me shipping and included a gift of my choice. I'm getting a rotj belt buckle and anh/esb tusks for free. Lucas made good on his end!

I ordered a new vest because the seams on my old vest were to far apart for rotj and got sleeves and requested the arm seams and the lines to be parallel. They intersect like crazy on my old set and makes my arms look crazy short. Only the touring suits were like that. The film sleeves were all parallel.

Edit: forgot to mention. Kev got back to me and said he does not take custom orders(anything that's not from his standard offerings.) So I'll be talking to Kelly Jo Boyd from Sith Planet to see if she can make a 3 paneled cape. As far as I can see she does not fold in the edge of her capes.

Right now I'm talking to Kelly about a custom 3 panel. I researched the fabric and what was used was a wool felt. And it's the only material to come in a 72 inch width in order to do 3 panels. Kelly is talking to her wool suppler about it. Kev used wool felt and it's a dead match to the screen used cape. For accuracy a woven wool is incorrect.

I received my leather vest and sleeves from FP. the leather and quality improved! I'll have to get new pants since the old leather does not match.

I goofed up on the vest seams though. I asked for 10" apart but are to far apart on me. I need a smaller width to see them past the robe. I told FP and I'll be buying a new vest. I'm not sure if I want to keep my vest for anh down the road or sell it.

Here is a full suit up with the new leather plus my CFO helmet

Another look at the sleeves but this is my stone helmet.

your Vader seems really great, however I'm really sorry to say it but the quality of your photos makes it extremely difficult to see. Really sorry, please don't take it badly, I would just love to see more of your Vader

eethan said:

your Vader seems really great, however I'm really sorry to say it but the quality of your photos makes it extremely difficult to see. Really sorry, please don't take it badly, I would just love to see more of your Vader

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Same with me. I can't see much of your awesome Vader with it being so blurry.