Twi'lek Pam

Hi, Yup, you can weather the silver on the mask. We weathered Scott's mask when we painted it with a dark brown tint, and the effect is great. It really brings out the layers of the silver piece. I don't know who started the "paint the holes and edges of the tunic gray" thing a few years ago, but I do wish people would refrain from copying that. It doesn't look like worn-out clothing to me, it just looks like he was walking around in a dusty room and using the bottom edges of his outfit as a dust mop. Pam

Hi, Check out the finished CRL pages to see the format. Here's one for an example (aka one I happened to have a link to): http://www.501st.com/databank/Costuming ... vytraining Start at the head, and go down to the feet. For each costume piece: name it, and then use a bulleted list to describe each feature of that piece. We're supposed to use "is" and "are" rather than "should be" when describing the pieces, so nobody can say "Well, it only says it should be that, so it doesn't have to be." For example, "The armor is painted hot pink." Not, "The armor should be painted hot pink." Since weapons are not required, the lightsaber would go in the accessories at the bottom. Hope that helps! Pam

Hi, In spite of the lavender descriptions, Eleena's skin color is more of a grayish blue. I used a royal blue paint and mixed it with gray and a bit of black for my Eleena costume. It came out a little bit too light, and I ran short on time and didn't have a chance to give the paint the mottled look that she has, but I'm planning to add that when I finish my second attempt. I think I'll use the same basic color, but darker, and just add a bit more gray for the mottled areas. Hope that helps! Pam

Hi, Scott and I took a look together (he's hanging over my shoulder.) We agree with Katie that the belt needs a bit more detailing; the posts need to be painted black, and it looks like the edges of the belt are still tan. (Unless that's just flash glare making them look light in color.) We painted Scott's belt studs with some black hobby enamel, and it worked really well. We used black leather dye to color the edges of his belt. Aside from that, Scott suggested that the robes can use a bit more weathering at the edges. We took a wire brush to his and really shredded the edges... it makes the fabric look truly weathered and wearing out. It is possible that there's already plenty of frayed edges that just don't show up well in the pictures, though. With that costume, it's always hard to tell! Nice work. Pam

I don't think we're ready to set the standard for this costume yet, since we're still very much in the learning stage. Even the LMOs have stated that they're still learning more about this costume as new references become available. It is very difficult to write accurate standards for a costume when most of the reference materials are dark, low resolution screen caps. I wasn't able to get high rez images for the acolytes like I did for some of the other characters... though I know that they are out there since I've seen pieces of them filtering across the internet recently. Perhaps it's time to try again; as time passes folks gradually become more willing or more able/allowed to share references with other costumers. Flagship is responsible for 37 CRL entries. That's many more than most of the other detachments, and nearly every one of them is a unique character so we can't take many shortcuts. It's a massive job, but piece by piece we'll get there, acolytes too. That said, many of our CRL entries have been started by those who are working on the costumes. Not only does it help the detachment members outline the costume pieces and help each other figure out what goes where as they work on their costumes... it also gives us a solid knowledge base when the final draft is written and transferred to the legion database. Folks want to see the acolyte standards started? Then start 'em! Pam

Woohoo!! With many thanks to Jenn for her donation, we have completed our fundraising for this year's forum hosting and domain registration. We're good to go! Thank you again to everyone who donated this year. Without you, we couldn't keep this wonderful forum running! Pam

Hi, Thank you to Katherine, and thanks again for a second donation from Krista. We're now up to $115 raised. Just $17 left to go! Pam

Hi, Thank you to Daniel and Jennifer for your donations! We've now raised $95. We have $37 left to go! Pam

Hi, To add a picture, first go to the UCP link at the top of the page. (User Control Panel) Once there, click on the Profile link on the left, and then you should see a link for editing the signature. You can link a picture with the standard tags. I can't remember if there's a size limit for the signatures. General etiquette is to keep them on the smaller side since freakishly large signature images tend to annoy people. Hope that helps! Pam

Hi, Do you have some reference pictures? Since this isn't a Flagship costume, I've never studied it or collected images. Pam

Hi all, Thank you to Krista, Lydia and Brendon for your donations. Along with my own contribution, we have raised $60 so far. We have $64 more to go. Who's next? Please help us keep the forum running! Pam

Hi, I can't think of any costumes that have been approved with foam instead of a hard armor material. There may be some that I'm not aware of or cannot recall, but all I can remember at the moment is that a few foam costumes have been turned down in the past. Not specifically because they were MADE of foam, but because they LOOKED like they were made of foam. In other words, instead of the professional manufactured look of armor that has been sculpted in three dimensions and then cast in resin or heat formed in plastic... they looked like layered pieces of flat foam that had been glued together. They simply didn't have the professional look that the 501st strives to reach. Sometimes even a hard surface coating can't disguise the fact that something's made of flat materials. Really I don't think any judgement calls can be made until there is an actual costume for the LMO to judge. They may approve when they see it, or they may not. I've seen foam "armor" costumes that look like something that a kid threw together with twenty bucks and a weekend... and I've seen foam costumes that were truly works of art. If you really want to make armor out of foam, then make it, whether it will be approved or not. Make it for your own interests and your own personal challenge. If your main goal is to get the costume approved, then I would approach such a task with caution, knowing that there is a good chance that the armor might not be approved. Hope that helps, Pam

Hi, You're correct; with only one approved costume in the legion that I know of, and not a whole lot of interest shown in the costume, it hasn't yet climbed to the top of the CRL to-do list. I did ask for pictures a while back, but never got a response. Others have applied with the Hoth costume, but their costumes weren't ready for approval, and I haven't seen them return for a second try yet. There are a couple other finished costumes I've seen that were really good, but they're not 501st approved costumes so I shouldn't use them. I've been working my way through the CRL lists, and Hoth Starkiller will have his turn... one of these days. Pam

Hi everyone, The forum hosting came due once again. I covered the cost, and we're now paid in full for the 2013 forum and gallery web hosting as well as the flagship domain. I renewed the domain early because they offered a holiday sale last month. Every little bit helps, right? 1-year web hosting for the forum and gallery: $124 Domain renewal: $8 (It's usually $20) -------------- Total: $132 And thus, the annual request: If anyone is willing and able to help support our forum expenses for 2013, your donation would be greatly appreciated. Any amount would help. I would rather see a lot of people donate a small amount each, rather than having a few people shoulder more than their fair share. Please send me a PM if you would like to donate to our hosting fund, and I will give you the necessary Paypal information. Thank you! Pam

Considering that the majority of the Nihilus sabers over the past years have been best-guess interpretations of the artwork, we tend to be fairly lenient on the exact details on that one. I think the saber pictured looks fine. It has the details, if not the more rounded shape. Pam

Hi, Thanks for the offer. I actually have my own domain, forum, and gallery as well. My Twi'lek addiction needed a home! We used to house the Flagship forum on a founding member's site, but after running into some trouble we had to set up an account that belongs specifically to the detachment. By fundraising once a year we're able to retain owner-access to the hosting account, keep the detachment forums running, and hold on to the domain name. We learned the hard way that those are all important! A few days ago I received the annual notice that our renewal will be coming due in January. I'll start up the yearly fundraiser at that time. Donations would certainly be appreciated! Pam

I'm a snail when it comes to sewing projects... they all tend to take me a year or more as well! I highly recommend Jacquard paints. They're what I used on my Visas dress, and years and many washings later they still look perfect. http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1 ... aints.html Pam

The costumer pictured is the only one who has an approved Viqi Shesh costume, and unfortunately she was not interested in taking any pictures for us beyond the one used in her profile image. She let me know a few years ago that she had moved on to other interests, so the standards for this costume came to an abrupt halt as you see them. If you make the costume, and you can make it truly accurate... I'm looking for a costume model! (But I will be picky on the details! Bwahahhaaa!) Pam

The CRL is a guideline to help people understand what the finished costume should look like. If you would like to use another technique to make a part of the costume (dress instead of a shirt and skirt), that's perfectly fine. As long as the finished costume looks like the reference pictures, it doesn't matter how it's put together! Even when we find a great material online, that doesn't guarantee that it will always be the same. I found a perfect fabric for Mara costumes online, but when I tried to order some more of it a month later, the fabric they sent was completely different. It's always best to order a swatch or small piece of fabric to make sure you like the fabric before you buy enough to make a costume. I usually end up getting a half dozen swatches before I begin any new project. Look around at the fabric stores online (there are LOTS of them!), find the fabric you think might be right, and order some samples! Here's a list of some fabric stores online: viewtopic.php?f=37&t=237 Pam

I spent quite a while trying to find the perfect pair of split lens glasses, and even bought a couple pair of them.... but the problem I kept running into was that they are always HUGE. They seem to look silly on my head and hanging around my neck, so I've never worn them. I'm afraid I can't offer any suggestions for success when I haven't had any yet myself! It's very difficult to find truly plain gloves. As long as you avoid anything really decorative, simple seams and creases should be okay. Pam

Hi, I think each person who has made the costume had to custom design the patterns. It just takes a bit of experimenting with muslin fabric before transferring the pattern to the good fabric! Pam

I'll second all of that. Well said, Sir Vonnor! Pam

I've never played the game or seen the cinematic, but based on the look of it and the fact that you said it is flexible, I would guess leather or a rubber or latex casting. Check out the neck seals and shoulder pauldrons made for the clones... you should get some good inspiration there that can be applied to this project. Pam

Hi everyone, I apologize for dropping away from the forum and this thread for so long. I had big plans to finish this costume and try to get it approved in time for Celebration, but 2012 has not been kind to my family, and the project had to be set aside too many times. I was determined to take it to CVI, though, so I did the best I could. I spent every evening in Orlando sitting on the floor of our hotel room, sewing and gluing and painting, and managed to finish it enough for a wearing on Saturday. I never got a chance to try on the whole costume until that very morning, so I was worried that something wouldn't work, or something would fall apart... but I wore it for six and a half hours with no problems. Murphy decided to be kind for a while, bless his mischevious little heart. There are pieces that were never finished at all (the blasters, the armor at the back of the neck), there are pieces that were strictly temporary (the silver forehead pieces were made of foam instead of being sculpted), and there are some things that just flat out need to be done over again now that I know a little more about what I'm doing. I owe my wonderful husband a huge "Thank you" for putting up with my lateness in finishing the costume, and for putting up with my stressed-out temperament over the past few months. He's the best. My Eleena sister! This was the bright moment of my day. We had discussed fabrics and colors beforehand, so we matched quite nicely! I know that Eleena has freakishly thick lekku, but I had no desire to sculpt something like that, so I made the sculpt thinner than the references. I wore the very first casting from my newest and thus far most successful lekku mold, and I was thrilled with the results when I pulled it from the mold. Sometimes it's nice to just sit there and smile to yourself when something works out the way you had hoped it would, and to know that hours and hours and hours of work paid off. Fabric. I ordered over a dozen fabric samples, and never found the perfect one right off the shelf. I didn't have time to customize the fabric, so I settled for a temporary stand-in. It was a good color, but definitely wasn't glossy enough. And it snagged on EVERYTHING. Definitely something that will be upgraded in Eleena 2.0 Scott and I have dubbed this jumpsuit the Eleena Jammies. It just needs to have some feet attached. The black stripe on the legs needs to be lowered a bit (it showed above the belt about an inch), and it needed to be wider. The front line seemed okay, but I think it needed to go back a little bit further on the sides. I had trouble with the collar wanting to sag open at the front. I'll need to reinforce that to help it stand better. And, the invisible zipper in the front seam needs to be replaced by a lapped zipper opening. The reference images have that lump along the front seam that looks like a covering over a zipper. The arms proved a bit too loose and wrinkly, so those need to be tightened, and I think it would help to put a loop on the end to hook over my finger. I had a hard time getting the gloves on without pulling up the sleeve fabric. Prepairing to make the mold for the front armor. The old Talon tattoo patterns on the body cast proved useful, because they helped me line things up on the armor sculpt and make sure that everything was even. I don't think I made the front armor quite wide enough... but at this point I'm not really sure I want to start over, just to add an inch or two to the width. Sculpting the back armor... Painting black latex in the back armor mold. It was tough to get all of the latex painted in and then backed with foam before the latex dried and began to shrink away from the mold. Once I started, everything had to be prepaired in advance and ready to move! The belt box sculpt was made with a melamine core covered with pieces of styrene. You can't get much done at our house without an overseer or two. It can get quite warm in our workshop during the summer, so I did most of my work in the evenings after it cooled off. I'd leave the door open, and His Highness soon discovered that the shop lights attract the big brown beetles that he loves so much. Every evening he'd glide in the door and keep me company while he feasted for a couple hours. (Few things can bring a person closer to needing a clean pair of shorts like having little talons suddenly land on your shoulder when you're utterly engrossed in using a belt sander.) I cast the boxes in Smooth-On's Feather Lite resin to keep the weight down. The belt buckle was cast in standard resin. They were first spray painted silver, and then weathered with acrylics. I think the belt buckle came out a bit too big; I think I'll make the next one a little bit smaller. The detonators started out as clear plastic Christmas ornaments. I drilled holes in the top and bottom of one, blocked the bottom hole with clay that caused an indention (to help me center the red button later on) and filled the globe with resin. I then drilled holes arround the equator, and used sewing eyelets and the rounded ends of rivets to fill them. The scalloped design was made with clay. Once I had the clay cleaned up as much as I could get it, I made a mold and created a hard master with tooling resin, which I then spent quite a few hours with sandpaper and a set of files, trying to get the lines straight and the scallops even. From there, I made another mold and cast them in hollow rotocast resin. (Again, trying to keep down the weight so my belt wouldn't weigh a ton.) I'm not happy with the final results yet... I didn't build up the top and bottom enough to adjust for the added width created by the scallops, so the detonators look a bit oval in shape. I'm going to try building up the curve of the hard master again, and see if I can't make them more round. The gloves are lambskin, which proved fairly easy to sew. I had a really hard time with the slit on the upper part of each gauntlet. If there had been a seam at that slit, it would have been a lot easier! I couldn't make the gloves as tight as the references... any smaller, and I couldn't get my hands into them! Here's my glue station. While working on the gloves and boots, I spent a lot of time going back and forth between my sewing mashine and this sheet of plywood on the floor nearby. Sew a seam, put a bit of contact cement on the leather, pound it flat. Sew another seam, repeat, repeat, repeat... They're not perfect, but I'm pleased with the final look. I put some elastic in the wrists to try to keep them from looking too baggy. It did help a bit. I used melamine to make forms for the leather pouches. It's slightly wider on the top than the bottom, and the sides are rounded. The smaller pouches were made with a single piece, while the bigger pouches were formed over a stack of melamine that had been glued to make a deeper thickness. The leather was wet-formed over the melamine and left to dry. Then, I pulled out the forms, sewed the seams, and used contact cement to reinforce everything. E6000 was used to glue the pouches onto the fabric. I had to wear the jumpsuit while gluing on each pouch to make sure that they were placed evenly, so I slid a piece of plastic under the fabric in each location to make sure I didn't glue the pouches to myself by accident. I then used strips of stretchy fabric to hold the pouches in place while the glue set. The leather turned out a bit more colorful than the references, but it was the best match I found so far. I haven't figured out how to make the teardrop shaped spots on the pouch closures yet. Still trying to decide if they should be painted, glued, or cut. They look like indentations to me. It took three tries before I found a pair of shoes that had the right shape toe and heel that I could use for the base of the boots. This pair was the closest, and though they were a little bit tight, they served me well. First, using a heavy canvas fabric to make the muslin pattern. Hair/quilting clips work well for holding leather for sewing. This was a heavier cow leather, and my sewing machine had some trouble with it. I had to hand-turn the wheel quite a few times when the machine motor just didn't have the umph to get through the leather on its own. Since the brown topper has an opening in the back, I put the zippers in the back. I didn't want them to be too visible back there, however, so I used invisible zippers in the seam. It looked great.... but the zippers started failing after just a few test-wearings. I had to replace one of them before I'd even finished making the boots, and the other gave out at Celebration. They worked well for my day of trooping, but at the end of the day one of them jammed up and I ended up having to pull my foot out of the boot without unzipping it fully. Not easy! The plastic links of invisible zippers just aren't made for the stresses of boots, and I also found that having the zipper in the back made it REALLY difficult to get the boots on and off. I'm going to have to redesign them, with metal zippers placed on the inside of the leg. That means that the brown top will have to be adjusted, but I'll experiment with it a bit and figoure out the best solution. Most likely, I'll just use a partial zipper, or make the brown section removable on one side so that it can be closed after the zipper. I found that the boots tended to sag a bit under the weight of the brown toppers, so my options to solve that are to make them a bit tighter, or to put some boning inside to hold them upright. I don't want to attach them to the pant legs; I'd prefer that the solution be in the boots themselves. The brown leather was wet-formed over the boots, and I used pieces of stretch fabric wrapped around it to hold the leather in place while it dried. Then, I trimmed away the excess leather, and began gluing the leather onto the shoe one section at a time with E6000. I used the stretch fabric again to hold the leather in place while the glue dried. Blue painter's tape was used to help me line up the silver pieces on the top of the foot. Those pieces were sculpted in scraps of styrene, molded, and then cast in hot glue. I'm not a fan of hot glue for costume pieces, but in this case I needed something flexible, so it served its purpose. And, that's where things stand so far. I still need to give this costume a lot of attention. The headwrap and forehead decorations need to be properly sculpted and shaped. I need a different fabric for the bodysuit, and bits and pieces need more attention all over the costumes. Many people didn't know who Eleena was at Celebration, but those who were familiar with the character seemed to appreciate the effort that I put into the costume, and their reactions were kind. I'll be looking forward to finishing the costume, and hopefully, someday, getting it approved. Pam

Yes, it is sewn to the outer tunic with big box stitches. You could, of course, make a false stitching row and then make the cape removable behind it for ease of washing and storing, but it needs to at least appear that the cape is sewn to the tunic there at the front of the shoulders. Pam