Been working on this for over 2 years I guess. I cannot take credit for the sculpting or molding of any parts. Armor and cowl made by Bob Dullam, belt is from BA, boots are Herowares. I did make the cape and closet myself though. The closet is a real piece of work... closing doors with handles and a lock, and an automatic overhead light to illuminate the batsuit as soon as the doors open.
Right now the gauntlets are fiberglass, but I'm getting some soon made in real bronze that can actually be used as weapons. Scroll down past the photos for detailed notes.
And here's the real, bronze, forged gauntlets I should have within a month:
Okay, this is copy/pasted from another page I wrote describing it, so some of this may read a bit weird
ABOUT THIS PROJECT:
IS IT REAL?
In as far as a wearable, functional, Batsuit can be made real, yes it is real. It is not bulletproof, but it will protect you from hard punches and blows, and the torso armor will likely stop a small knife. The gauntlets are actually forged in bronze, and are absolutely real weapons that could be used in combat. Likewise, the batarangs are solid steel, laser-cut, and very heavy. These would cause considerable injury if thrown or wielded as shuriken in hand-to-hand fighting. The utiliity belt is probably not adequate for suspension -- no single strap waist belt can be adequate for that. But it is magnetized and can carry plenty of gear.
HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
It is difficult to say, given that it's taken almost 3 years to acquire, modify, and construct. Along the way some of the price tags have been forgotten or overlooked. A very rough estimate is that the suit is in the $3000-5000 range. The storage and display closet in the $600-$900 range. This does not include labor or the purchase of special tools. Nearly every component was created by a separate entity and assembled or modified to suit the task. There is absolutely no single source supplier. Because it took so long to complete, the cost was spread out. Having patience and dedication was more difficult than financing it.
SUIT
The suit starts out with a four-way stretch neoskin bodysuit that zips up in the back. The bodysuit is neoprene on the outside and a soft nylon on the inside. There are also hidden black zippers in the sleeves to make it more form fitting to the arms. Between the undersuit and the armor sections is a layer of durable flexible foam for padding. The main armor section, sculpted and cast in urethane, covers the chest, torso, shoulders, upper back, and spine. Additional sections of urethane armor protect the forearms. EDITED NOTE: Forarms not installed yet. Should be within a week.
COWL
The cowl is cast in a slightly harder shore urethane than the suit armor. The ears are solid filled, and there are no seams anywhere on it. The cowl was designed by director Christopher Nolan, costume designer Lindy Hemming, and costume effects supervisor Graham Churchyard. The cowl was designed to be thin enough to allow Bale to turn his head, but thin enough to avoid wrinkling. Churchyard explained the cowl had been designed to show "a man who has angst", so his character would be revealed through the mask.
GAUNTLETS
The gauntlets were forged by master blacksmith Antoni Feldon, with assistance from Tony Swatton. They are made from an alloy of bronze and aluminum, and weigh approximately 2.5 lbs each. They have a working wrist hinge, leather interior lining, and razor sharp blades. Their creation took over 9 months due to the intricacy and difficulty in creating perfectly symmetrical braces. These are the single most expensive, and dangerous, piece in the collection. EDITED NOTE: This applies to the new gauntlets. The old fiberglass ones have actually already been sold
BOOTS
The boots are a 100% faithful reproduction of the originals. All leather exterior, suede lining inside, zipper along the inner side, and rubber hiking boot soles on bottom for gripping.
UTILITY BELT
The utility belt is made from a bronze composite, not painted, is lined with dangerously strong neodymium magnets for holding the weapons and gear. The belt has been reinforced on the inside with nylon and soft imitation leather to keep it from damaging the suit. A climbing buckle in the back secures the belt up to a 12kN pull force. EDITED NOTE: Will be replaced with a more accurate "pin linked" belt soon.
BATARANGS
The Batarangs are solid 1/4" thick laser-cut steel replicas, identical to screen used production items. They are accurate down to the last detail, including the outline and the subtle ridges along the edges. They are perfectly balanced, and tumble smoothly end over end when thrown. Made of steel, they can attach directly to the magnetic utility belt.
CLOSET
The batsuit closet is a scratch-built reproduction of the closet that Bruce Wayne keeps in the cave. It can be seen in the film in the scene following Rachel's birthday gift (the arrow head) to Bruce on the day before his attack on Arkham.
It is made mostly from white pine with brass and steel hardware. An automatic sensor switches on the lights when the doors are opened. Additional features include brass ball casters, a latch lock with key for security, and solid steel accessory shelves. The custom built suit and cowl hangers are lined with crushed panne velvet.
Final note: People ask me all the time where the legs are. Well.. This is wearable, but it's meant for display, and legs don't really fit into my display. I might do legs down the road some day just for completeness, but for now, no.
Right now the gauntlets are fiberglass, but I'm getting some soon made in real bronze that can actually be used as weapons. Scroll down past the photos for detailed notes.
And here's the real, bronze, forged gauntlets I should have within a month:
Okay, this is copy/pasted from another page I wrote describing it, so some of this may read a bit weird
ABOUT THIS PROJECT:
IS IT REAL?
In as far as a wearable, functional, Batsuit can be made real, yes it is real. It is not bulletproof, but it will protect you from hard punches and blows, and the torso armor will likely stop a small knife. The gauntlets are actually forged in bronze, and are absolutely real weapons that could be used in combat. Likewise, the batarangs are solid steel, laser-cut, and very heavy. These would cause considerable injury if thrown or wielded as shuriken in hand-to-hand fighting. The utiliity belt is probably not adequate for suspension -- no single strap waist belt can be adequate for that. But it is magnetized and can carry plenty of gear.
HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
It is difficult to say, given that it's taken almost 3 years to acquire, modify, and construct. Along the way some of the price tags have been forgotten or overlooked. A very rough estimate is that the suit is in the $3000-5000 range. The storage and display closet in the $600-$900 range. This does not include labor or the purchase of special tools. Nearly every component was created by a separate entity and assembled or modified to suit the task. There is absolutely no single source supplier. Because it took so long to complete, the cost was spread out. Having patience and dedication was more difficult than financing it.
SUIT
The suit starts out with a four-way stretch neoskin bodysuit that zips up in the back. The bodysuit is neoprene on the outside and a soft nylon on the inside. There are also hidden black zippers in the sleeves to make it more form fitting to the arms. Between the undersuit and the armor sections is a layer of durable flexible foam for padding. The main armor section, sculpted and cast in urethane, covers the chest, torso, shoulders, upper back, and spine. Additional sections of urethane armor protect the forearms. EDITED NOTE: Forarms not installed yet. Should be within a week.
COWL
The cowl is cast in a slightly harder shore urethane than the suit armor. The ears are solid filled, and there are no seams anywhere on it. The cowl was designed by director Christopher Nolan, costume designer Lindy Hemming, and costume effects supervisor Graham Churchyard. The cowl was designed to be thin enough to allow Bale to turn his head, but thin enough to avoid wrinkling. Churchyard explained the cowl had been designed to show "a man who has angst", so his character would be revealed through the mask.
GAUNTLETS
The gauntlets were forged by master blacksmith Antoni Feldon, with assistance from Tony Swatton. They are made from an alloy of bronze and aluminum, and weigh approximately 2.5 lbs each. They have a working wrist hinge, leather interior lining, and razor sharp blades. Their creation took over 9 months due to the intricacy and difficulty in creating perfectly symmetrical braces. These are the single most expensive, and dangerous, piece in the collection. EDITED NOTE: This applies to the new gauntlets. The old fiberglass ones have actually already been sold
BOOTS
The boots are a 100% faithful reproduction of the originals. All leather exterior, suede lining inside, zipper along the inner side, and rubber hiking boot soles on bottom for gripping.
UTILITY BELT
The utility belt is made from a bronze composite, not painted, is lined with dangerously strong neodymium magnets for holding the weapons and gear. The belt has been reinforced on the inside with nylon and soft imitation leather to keep it from damaging the suit. A climbing buckle in the back secures the belt up to a 12kN pull force. EDITED NOTE: Will be replaced with a more accurate "pin linked" belt soon.
BATARANGS
The Batarangs are solid 1/4" thick laser-cut steel replicas, identical to screen used production items. They are accurate down to the last detail, including the outline and the subtle ridges along the edges. They are perfectly balanced, and tumble smoothly end over end when thrown. Made of steel, they can attach directly to the magnetic utility belt.
CLOSET
The batsuit closet is a scratch-built reproduction of the closet that Bruce Wayne keeps in the cave. It can be seen in the film in the scene following Rachel's birthday gift (the arrow head) to Bruce on the day before his attack on Arkham.
It is made mostly from white pine with brass and steel hardware. An automatic sensor switches on the lights when the doors are opened. Additional features include brass ball casters, a latch lock with key for security, and solid steel accessory shelves. The custom built suit and cowl hangers are lined with crushed panne velvet.
Final note: People ask me all the time where the legs are. Well.. This is wearable, but it's meant for display, and legs don't really fit into my display. I might do legs down the road some day just for completeness, but for now, no.
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