ESB Cape Information

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ESB Cape

Originally posted by TK1028:

Here is a refeence pic from the Action Figure Archive book that shows the texture and color of the cape Fett wore in the Empire Strikes Back:

ESBbespinhallwayscreenshot.jpg


Chris Skidmore
"I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe"
SergeantTK1028@aol.com
 
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Originally posted by DL 44 Blaster1:

Looks EXACTLY like the one I had custom made for my costume :) Only drag is that I don't have pics of it on my PC yet.Although when I do I'll get someone to post pics of it,and if someone likes it I have extra fabric I bought to make another one :)


Steve
 
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Originally posted by Lord of all that is Fett:

I just bought some White Canvas Duck material to make mine. I am still looking into fabric paint for the coloring of the cape itself. The ROTJ cape has alot of stitching zig-zagging on it. Has anyone ever seen a photo of ESB cape stitching? I was thinking of hemming the edges then maybe adding a couple of stitch lines across the cape along side the "center" stripe. A little extra detail to improve the overall look. And of course the measured amount of weathering, beating, and tearing for effect. -Mark

~He's worth a lot to me.~
 
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Originally posted by DL 44 Blaster1:

Max,that was the pic that convinced me that the ESB cape was actually more of a tannish color ,and a rusty/goldish stripe.It also was the reason I had finally decided to stop looking,and just make it.


Steve
 
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Originally posted by MaxPlague:

DL,

Yeah, I just made mine too, but I did a faded green instead of the tan. In the movie, sometimes his cape looks tan or grey and somtimes a dirty green too, but that movie had some weird lighting, or he might have had 2 different capes.
 
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Originally posted by MaxPlague:

Here are the instructions for Version 3:

1. Find some tan or warm grey flannel, buy about 1 yard to make one cape. My flannel was found on sale for about $2 a yard.

2. Buy some Rit fabric dye, colors are Dark Green, Tangerine (Orange), Tan and Black. Try to get the kind that comes in a bottle, I've had the best experience with that. I think Rit is typically 2 or 3 dollars a bottle. Get a bottle with a spray tip too (like a hairspray bottle). Or, you might be able to find an Orange dye that comes in a spray bottle.

3. Cut your flannel to the dimensions of 29.25" wide by 36" high. You'll notice that one or two edges of the flannel you bought is frayed, use one of those edges for the bottom of the cape.

4. Fold and iron a .25" or .5" seam around the left, top and right edges. Pin the seam down.

5. Sew the seams closed and remove the pins.

6. I used about 1/2 the bottle of Dark Green dye, 1/4 bottle of Tan dye and 1/4 bottle of Black dye in a stainless steel sink filled with HOT water. Mix it all up.

7. Because I wanted a faded, used look, I only left the cape in the dye bath for 15 minutes. Rit recommends 30 to 60 minutes. Use your best judgement.

8. After the cape is dyed to your liking (remember, it will look a lot darker when it's wet and lighter when it's dry), remove from dye and rinse it thoroughly and let it dry (I used a clothes dryer to speed it up).

9. The stripe is simply Tangerine/Orange dye that I sprayed on using a spray bottle. Mask off the first 11" or so of one side of the cape (you can use a piece of leftover flannel). Place another 11" mask across from the first, leaving a 6" or 7" stripe in between. Spray the dye on the unmasked area. Don't saturate it too much, just enough to give it a light coat.

10. Let the dye dry for about 2 hours or until it feels dry. You can then flip it over and do the same stripe to the other side if you like.

11. Once it's dry, start hacking at it with a sharp knife. Exacto and utility knives work well here. Try to be random about it, but group some cuts together. Try to imagine what would have made the holes in his cape and cut accordingly.

12. Wash it in the washing machine, then plop it in the dryer. That'll give your cuts a nice used, Fett-frayed look.

That's it, your done!

Feel free to make your own modifications to the directions, substitute colors, etc.

Fett had what appeared to be 2 different capes in ESB. One was a warm (tan), bluey grey with a rust stripe. The other was a dirty faded green with a rust or maroon stripe. It's hard to tell for sure because the lighting in that movie was really strange and did funny things to colors, leaving options open for us proppers. :)

I'm too tired to proof read this post right now, so let me know if I've made any glaring errors. :rolleyes


"There is no emoticon for what I feel right now."

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ESB Cape...could this be close?

Hey all. I've got this blanket that kinda has me wondering if it or something like it might have been used for the ESB cape.

Here's a shot of the stripe laid next to my unfinished aluminum armor for size reference:
esb_cape.jpg


Things that bug me about it are the fabric texture and color. But then again, the ESB cape looks different in the movie and every promo pic I see...

I don't know, I'll probably just go back to dying the stripe on flannel again...

...but what do you all think?
 
It actually looks pretty good to me.The lighter areas could be a bit more lighter,but it's not too bad,and it's near impossible to tell the texture of the ESB cape so some creative liberties are certainly expected :) I'd use it if I were you.

Steve
 
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Hey, that does look good, and if it's not 100% ESB accurate, it would still work for Jodo. Where'd ya get that MaxPlague?
 
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Oh, forgot to mention...it's a vintage Hudson's Bay blanket. Got it on Ebay awhile back.
 
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I think I saw that auction, or one extremely similar. The one I saw wasn't too long ago, though.

I have seen pictures of old Swiss army blankets that look like Boba's. I've never seen one in person, though.
 
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The blanket itself is 72"x90". If I were to cut it to cape size it'd be about 27.25"x35".
 
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Just my two cents, but if it is indeed a vintage Hudson's Bay, it is worth more "as is". This, of course, depends on how "vintage" and it's condition.
 
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Ok guys I know this have been discussed many times but I would really like to try and do this project..I already looked through the fett ref. V.1 cd....but there were only like a handful of pics of the esb "striped" cape in there. Is there anymore that you guys know of, im planning on taking some more accurate pics to a seamstress and seeing if they can pull this one off....I remember some one said they found a vintage blinket or something that matched the cape, if they have any pictures of closeups or anything that can help me out, that would be great.....thanks
1482922.jpg
 
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Well one decent place to start is the marmit Fett figure. That cape looks pretty damn close to me to the actual thing...
 
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yeh i already looked at the tutorial, the actually size and such isnt a problem its just finding the correct color and so forth. WPK is there any pictures of that figure that you can post or link me too???
 
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Max....do you have any pics of your cape???? Need all the info i can get....Im gonna try to get a seamstress to make up one and if it turns out well maybe we can get a batch going
 
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