Vader's Apprentice

Hey all,

So unless you have been in a coma the last month I'm sure you are aware of the new game coming out on tuesday called "The Force Unleashed". After playing the demo I can say this game is going to be sweet.

Yesterday I started looking into making the Starkiller costume, origionally for the premier but due to school work it looks more like it will have to suffice for Halloween. Anyway here is what I am going off of:



And here is where I got with about $20 at wal-mart, which I didn't think was too bad for proof of concept.




I plan on rading good will and the salvation army for belts today or tomorrow, and I am still working on the templates for the shoulder armor which I plan on making out of sintra and bondo.

the wrappings you see here I cut from som cheap fabric. If anybody has a better idea how to do the wrappings please let me know.

Looks pretty good. Now shave that head!

Freaking awesome man! For only $20 deep you are almost done! I'd (and everyone else I'm sure) love to see some progress pics of the shoulder armor you are making!

Saint_Nasty is also making a SA costume for his friend. Maybe you and he could trade ideas?

shave...shave...shave...!!!!

Shave, shave, shave....!!!!

yes ... show us the shaved head! LOL

Originally Posted by mmgraphics

yes ... show us the shaved head! LOL

That is the LAST thing I am going to do, because if I don't finish the costume to a presentable level by sunday I really don't care to be walking around with a buzz cut for no reason.

Ironically, this is the shortest my hair has been in the past 5 years since I am looking for a job right now, and I already feel it is too short. So if I cut it I am making sure I have a good reason.

Any tips about the wraps yet? That is my major hold up at the moment.

there are several of us working together to make this costume for a friend of mine, http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f45/my-secret-project-tons-o-pics-27591/

all the observations we've made looking at promo shots as well as the character in the game have been posted in that thread. take it in, enjoy it, i hope it helps you.

what we're going to do for wraps is probably going to go to walmart and get a few yards of 60" muslin and just start slashing it up into ribbons and wrap, wrap, wrap.

Originally Posted by saint_nasty

there are several of us working together to make this costume for a friend of mine, http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f45/my-secret-project-tons-o-pics-27591/

all the observations we've made looking at promo shots as well as the character in the game have been posted in that thread. take it in, enjoy it, i hope it helps you.

what we're going to do for wraps is probably going to go to walmart and get a few yards of 60" muslin and just start slashing it up into ribbons and wrap, wrap, wrap.

I was going to make my armor out of Sintra, but after I saw your armor I decided to put away my hatred of fiberglass and try it your way. After making a manaquin of ductape I took some paper and poster board and made a template. the collar is glued on the poster board, and I plan on glassing it later tonight after I go belt hunting.






Wish me luck!

Looking good! Are you going to get a droid restraining bolt?

I like your R2 trash receptacle

Originally Posted by LostSonOfSparda

Looking good! Are you going to get a droid restraining bolt?

I like your R2 trash receptacle

The plan is to make a restraining bolt ( I still don't get why he is wearing one) out of bottle cap and a PVC coupler. I used a similar teqniue to make one of the vents on my old proton pack.

And if your wondering R2 is made form a domed trash can found at walmart and the legs are foam and paper mache. the panel detail is done using pin stripes. If anyone wants to see more pics of that project let me know.

Originally Posted by Dark Jedi

( I still don't get why he is wearing one)

Yeah, me neither, guess we'll find out Tuesday.

Originally Posted by Dark Jedi

If anyone wants to see more pics of that project let me know.

Why, yes please!

So last night I started to get busy on the armor and probably killed a few brain cells in the proccess. I fiberglassed over the poster borad with a $10 container of resin and 1.5 packs of fiberglass cloth, so this little piece has 12 sq ft of glass cloth on it. Today I trimmed it, bondoed it, glazed it and painted it. Here are some of the high lights:













Tonight after I shower and eat I plan on finishing the restraining bolt (anyone else see the irony of a restraining bolt on the main character in The Force Unleashed?) and adding some grime with back spray paint and charchol. Tomorrow Ill add the straps and then if everything looks good I'll see about getting the haircut.

looks good dude! did you mirror the template patterns or make seperate temps?

Excellent job! I was playing this last night and the armor is looking good!

Originally Posted by saint_nasty

looks good dude! did you mirror the template patterns or make seperate temps?

I made one template for one shoulder and mirrored it, althought the collar I had to have fun matching since I glued it on before I traced the other half.

Ill be trying to put straps on in a little bit, so expect a "finished" product this evening.

"Finished"? Just in time for the Midnight Madness launch of the game tonight! Be sure to take pics!

And yes, the restraining bolt seems useless, but maybe we'll figure out why once we get our hands on the game.

That's looking great!

Almost there!

Yesterday I added the straps to the shoulder armor and I think it came out really well. Earlier in the week I cleaned Goodwill out of belts, and I found some dark brown fabic I had lying around I got on ebay for cheep when I was planning on making a better ep 3 anakin. Pretty much all I have left for tonight is to get a hair cut and wrap my boots (I did wrap them last night as a test, but I didn't get a picture since I had to take all the belts off so I could bend down. So here is a little preview of tonight:






For Halloween I will try to get some better belts and make the red gauntlet thing for my right arm.

Wow! That's awesome. Very nice work! Got it done pretty quick too.

I wonder if that is 501st acceptable??? Seriously, will SA costumes be a new addition to the 501st?

Originally Posted by LostSonOfSparda

Wow! That's awesome. Very nice work! Got it done pretty quick too.

I wonder if that is 501st acceptable??? Seriously, will SA costumes be a new addition to the 501st?

You know, I was wondering about that if I get better belts and fix a few details on the armor (better bolt, better paint, etc)

Anybody know who I have to talk to about Starkiller in the 501?

Originally Posted by Dark Jedi

You know, I was wondering about that if I get better belts and fix a few details on the armor (better bolt, better paint, etc)

Anybody know who I have to talk to about Starkiller in the 501?

What would his two letter code be? He's a dark jedi, yeah, but not really a Sith Lord. Maybe a DZ?

Very cool!
=)

Originally Posted by LostSonOfSparda

What would his two letter code be? He's a dark jedi, yeah, but not really a Sith Lord. Maybe a DZ?

Huh???????

don't forget to get those boots wrapped too.

since the game is officially cannon, and there are plenty of seperate reference pics of him, i don't think it will be too long before he is an accepted 501st costume. and even though he's not officially a sith lord, i'm pretty sure that he'd fall into the starship eclipse detachment. the difficult task is going to be costume standards for the million and a half outfits he wears in the game.

Very nice job. Shave the head.

Originally Posted by MandalorFett

Very nice job. Shave the head.

The head has been shaved Pictures tomorrow.


I feel cold now.......

Woohoo! Can't wait to see the pics!

Originally Posted by Dark Jedi

The head has been shaved Pictures tomorrow.


I feel cold now.......

Not much of a crowd so I didn't get many pictures on my camera, but overall I recieved a lot of compliments and had a pretty good time.







Now I have to get my homework done so I can actually play the game....

Very well done!

The resemblance is uncanny, awesome job!

Hey Dark Jedi, your costume turned out great!
I was lucky enough to be chosen by LFL to attend a special Force Unleashed release party last night in San Francisco. My buddy Michael also made a suit. George attend (for a short time) as well as the actor who was in the video game, Sam Witwer.
Attahced are some photo's from the event.
Thats me in the ESB Boba Fett costume.
Darren

Originally Posted by DW Design Studios

Hey Dark Jedi, your costume turned out great!
I was lucky enough to be chosen by LFL to attend a special Force Unleashed release party last night in San Francisco. My buddy Michael also made a suit. George attend (for a short time) as well as the actor who was in the video game, Sam Witwer.
Attahced are some photo's from the event.
Thats me in the ESB Boba Fett costume.
Darren

Im really curious what the 501 is going to say about the color scheme on this. the other two costumes Ive seen so far used much lighter fabric than I did and look more like the SoulCaliber version than the Unleashed version.

Anybody know where to get decent leather straps (belts) for this costume? If this does become an acceptable 501 outfit I'd like to perfect my suit so I could be one of the first accepted apprentices

Good evening,

I am no longer involved in the approval process for new units in the 501st, but it is my understanding that new unit approval is still based on reference--preferably well illuminated images from the primary source. Images from head to toe, front and back.

Consider that some ladies made there capes for Mara Jade Pink because of the lighting in this image;


The 501st requires brown capes for Mara Jade because that is the actual colour of the fabric, (per Timothy Zahn);


The most popular incarnation of Apprentice's appearance seems to a pallet of brown's and greys;


Be sure to join the discussion over at the Flagship Eclipse if you are interested in seeing this character added to the 501st ranks.


Be well,
Thomas

dude

The most popular incarnation of Apprentice's appearance seems to a pallet of brown's and greys;


Be sure to join the discussion over at the Flagship Eclipse if you are interested in seeing this character added to the 501st ranks.


Be well,
Thomas[/quote]

I don't think so. The colors and texture of the costume are diffrent in Force Unleashed compared to SoulCaliber. I've been playing the game and the concept art definatly shows the fabric is black with some type of square paterns. (I don't know how to screem grab from an xbox)

Didn't want to start a new thread so I thought I'd comment on here.
I bought the PSP version and so far IMO it is the PSP's saving grace because I was about to sell that piece of **** with all it's POS games that break if you so much as look at them wrong. It really is the first game I've bought for it that is actually playable for more that 5 minutes.
What does everyone think of the game, I'd like to hear some reviews from the TDH crowd.

The colour scheme of the apprentice's outfits can be determined with certainty from the model renders. Screen grabs are useful for support, but will be influenced by ambient lighting. In game models are also less favourable as 501st reference when the full detail models are available.

I would consider the models created for The Force Unleashed to be the primary source above all others.

There's one last notion I'd like to offer in regards to possible standards for the 501st--this comes form my experience as the 501st Legion Membership Officer;

Consider Anakin Skywalker;

When the first production shots of his Episode III appearance were leaked, folk began making a brown costume with black tabbards, black boots, and belt. Even the first toys made in his likeness followed this scheme

A little after the dust settled it was found that in fact, no black exists in his costume. In interviews the designer of Anakin's costume expressed how the total absence of black in Anakin Skywalker's costume for Episode III was intentional.

In the year and a half I approved Sith Lords for membership in the 501st, I estimate deferring as much as two dozen applicants whose costumes were based on screen perception. (Many made the suggested adjustments and were later approved.)

There will be a little bit more of a process with Force Unleashed characters.
I urge readers of this forum interested in making the Secret Apprentice and seeing it in the 501st, to join the forum designed for this purpose;
The 501st's Expanded Universe Detachment; The Flagship Eclipse.

Hoping to see you there,
Thomas

My next question then would be what is the best way for me to get in touch with the approprite people (if thats possible) to see what the intent was in designing the characted and what the textures and colors should be in real life?

May not be the most efficient and quickest route to go, but if it's the devs you want:
http://lucasarts.com/company/contact/

Mail them a letter? Guess you could just state it's in reference to the 501st.

But I'm sure you already thought of that, I know, could be ages before you hear from them.

Apparently the tread got moved. Anyway I am going to go into my future development plans and progress over on the Flagship Eclipse forum.

I made an Vader's apprentice for the midnight release of the game and i got the Game and i just recommend a dark gray it looks the most like the Force Unleashed costume the pic with the light brown is from Soul Caliber which is a bit different than the costume from Force Unleashed. But over all its a great costume

dark jedi, you actually pull the facial look of the The Secret Apprentice, codename Starkiller, similar to the way i have similar qualities to a more effeminate/gay Luke Skywalker.