Twi'lek Pam

Wonderful. Congratulations! Pam

^ This is an incorrect statement. It should read: If i can advise on fabrics and makeup (my areas of awe inspiring genius) then i'm happy to. Pam

Ooo... pretty car. That would be an excellent base color, yes. Start with that, and then smudge black over it to give the armor an old, damaged look, and add the lightsaber burns! Yes, the armor straps can be made of the same material, or something with a similar look. The important thing to remember is that you'll need to have something flexible. So, if the straps are rigid, they might need to have a section of elastic hidden on one side. Or, make the straps loose enough to allow flexiblity in your arms and legs, but attach them with velcro to the material under them to help them stay in place! It will probably take some experiments to find what would work the best. You're right about the boots! They are very nice! Pam

My husband always jokes that a troop's not over until somebody cries. When he's wearing Nihilus, that time comes faster than ever! (And then the crying kids always want to give him a high-five when he kneels down and offers a hand. Then they run from Vader....) Glad to hear that you had a good time! Pam

Yay! You told me a long time ago that you wanted to be Mara... I'm glad to see that you're making the costume! (Next you will need a Mara patch!) I'm also glad to see that you're working to make the costume the best that you can. You're good at working on costumes until they match the references well. Do you have a pair of goggles to wear around your neck? The belt and shoulder harness would look better with a thicker leather, yes. You're right about that! Also, the shoulder harness should not have a belt end hanging off. Are the shin guards made of a rigid material, such as plastic or fiberglass? (They look rigid from what I can see in the pictures, but I wanted to check because girls have been purchasing soft vinyl shin guards from someone on the internet lately, and soft shin guards are not approved for the 501st. Darth Vader would not wear floppy armor, and neither would Mara!) What are you planning to do for the red hair? For the insulin pump, you could make a pouch to hang on the belt. There are references that show Mara with pouches on her belt, and I'm sure the LMO would approve that medical adjustment to the costume! Pam

Howdy back 'atcha! Welcome to the Flagship. Nihilus is still proving to be a really popular character, both with the costumers and the fans! Have fun with your build, and be sure to ask if you have any questions. We'll be watching for your progress pics! Pam

I foresee 2012 as being the year of really good SW:TOR costumes! I really hope we'll get to see quite a few of them at Celebration next summer. (He he... gonna be so cool...) I'll be looking forward to progress pics! Pam

Okay, let's try this again! I'm going to go down through your posts, and see if I can catch all of the topics. The belt armor, like the rest of the armor pieces should be a very dark silver... not a bright color, but more like gunmetal. That will make it stand out from the rest of the costume, but still give the appearance of being metallic. If the costume was black on top of black on top of black, and you wouldn't be able to see the details of the costume well. The CRL is still a work in progress. Things may change, but it shouldn't and probably won't have any big changes.... just cleaning up the descriptions to make sure they are clear and accurate. As long as you match the reference images well, you'll be fine. Remember, one of the problems with EU costuming is the fact that details change from one drawing to the next. We do our best to match the references, but we also understand that the details may not always be the same in ever drawing, so every costume will not be exactly the same, either. I do not know what the LMO would say about the length of the lekku. Since Talon's lekku are usually shown to be longer than most Twi'lek lekku. Since no Darth Talon costumes have been approved yet, I do know that the first ones will need to be VERY accurate... so longer lekku may very well be required. I've seen great lekku made from fabric, coated with latex, and one girl even added vinyl extensions to her latex lekku in order to make them longer. You really have to look to find the seams, she did such a great job on them. I'm glad the Twi'lek forum has been helpful. I never expected to see that happen! We created the forum just to help us plan a group photo at Celebration last year.... but then it grew. We're approaching 150 people registered on the forum now, when I never expected it to grow past twenty! Pretty cool. The armor can be made out of any material that gives the correct look. It needs to be the right shape, and it needs to be rigid. There are lots of materials that can give the right look.... it's up to you to select the material, and make it look like the references! It's better to make the armor pieces out of a lightweight material, so that the pieces won't sag on your arms and legs from too much weight. Sorry, since I never finished my Darth Talon costume, I never made the longer lekku. (I don't like the look of the super-long lekku, so I never really paid much attention to them after that!) I am still experimenting with the new way of making molds so that the forehead section will be thinner and able to blend... but the lekku are my normal length! I paint all of my headpieces with body paint, so that the color exactly matches my skin. I've never tried the Mehron brand on latex, so I can't make guarantees that it works, but I have painted them with Ben Nye and Reel Creations, and both worked fine. I would recommend a test patch before using ANY kind of paint, to make sure it works well with the latex. A sponge usually works better than a paint brush, and an airbrush works better than anything else. The problem with sponges and brushes is that they leave streaks or spots which are difficult to blend. Yes, it's best to paint the red first, and then add the black designs over that. The contacts look good. The boots look good, too. Where did you find them? It's so hard to find thigh boots that don't have high heels! There is a chance that the boots might not be tall enough, but you should be able to extend them a bit at the top if that becomes a problem. Without seeing them on a leg, it's hard to judge how tall they are! The gloves look good. Like the boots, it's hard to know if they're long enough without seeing them on an arm, but they appear to be a good length. I used a 1.25" hilt for the base of my Talon saber, and when the design was added to the outside, it became quite large. It's almost too big for a girl's hand now! The airbrush you show in the link looks okay, but it's generally better to get one that doesn't say it's good for "small detail" work. That means that it will paint only a very small area at a time.... which means that it will take you a LOT longer to apply paint over a large area. Airbrushes have different sized nibs, or tips, which apply a large or small amount of paint over a large or small area... and when you're painting a body, larger is better! I've found that it's best to get the kind of airbrush that has an attachable jar on the bottom, rather than the ones that have a gravity feed cup on the top. When you're twisting around trying to reach places like the back of your arm, you don't want to worry about tipping the airbrush too much and letting expensive paints spill out of the cup! Patience is very good for a costumer! Take your time, make each piece right, do your best, and you will be very happy with the results! Pam

Well, darn! Where's my post?! Last week I sat down and wrote a long post answering your questions and offering some suggestions, but I don't see it here in the thread. Now that I think about it, though, I think I wrote it on the day when my computer decided to restart itself after finishing some downloads... the computer must have shut down before I submitted the post. It's a bit late tonight, so I'll try to get everything retyped tomorrow. Sorry about that. Pam

I think those will do fine. I like that they have the strap going over the top of the foot; it echoes the look of the reference image. Gray boots are preferable, of course, but black is typically accepted. Pam

Okay, that is really, really creepy..... But also, it looks really cool! Congratulations on the good reception at the event! Every time I think I've seen every look for Starkiller, something new comes along! (I still haven't figured out the logic for the blood on the front of the armor... it looks like Starkiller did a somersault, and stabbed himself in the throat!) Pam

It has been fun to watch the creation of your costumes... I'm looking forward to seeing them in the legion! Pam

Welcome to Flagship, and to costuming on the dark side! My best advise is to take your time, study the reference images and the costume standards, and do your best to match everything one piece at a time. Stick with real leather for the headpiece and belt, because it looks MUCH better than thin, cheap vinyl, and be sure to start from the base and work outwards. Each piece needs to be able to fit well over what is under it. (And, by completing the inner pieces first, you get some sewing and shaping practice before working out the outer, more visible parts of the costume!) Pam

Hiya, I'm sorry I missed responding to this post when you made it. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping track of the threads! I think what catches my eye the most is that it looks hand-sculpted, even in your painted images. The trick to sculpting armor and masks is to give them a manufactured look, which means sharp, sraight lines and flat or evenly curved surfaces as needed. We often get the rough look with a soft medium (clay or sculpey), make a mold from that, cast a "hard master" in a firm material (usually bondo and resin), and then refine the edges and curves of the hard master.... which can be sanded or filled to create the best look possible. And, unlike clay, it won't be determined to hold a soft look to the edges! Then, we make a second mold, and we're ready for the true casting to begin! It might be a trick of the eye caused by the lines of the wood beneath it, but it seems to me that the mask leans to one side a bit. I suggest taking your picture and overlaying some grid lines, and then making sure that everything is parallel or perpendicular as they need to be. It's better to straighten that out in the soft beginning stages, rather than when everything is solid! I love seeing people tackle projects like this. Thank you so much for sharing! Pam

I think this thread could be titled "Spectacular Multiple Personalities" or something along that line. May I get some CRL pictures out of that shoot? Pam

There is some degree of freedom in exactly what kind of clips should be used, simply because we are limited by what can be found in real life. It clearly isn't a set of plain rings, they have additional pieces on them.... but being able to find that exact shape can be quite difficult! Some great places to look for round clips are stores that sell leathercraft supplies, such as Tandy Leather, and also places that sell the hardware for purses. There is an amazing variety of options out there.... just look around, and see what you can find that best seems to match the references! Have fun! Pam

He he.... starting from scratch! The best way to go, in my opinion. I've built and rebuilt so many costume pieces over the years... and they get better every time. It's all about learning the techniques, and applying what you learn! (And it gives you an excuse to keep working on the costumes long after they're "finished" the first time through!) I'm glad to hear that you're going to rebuild the shoulder harness. "Kinda sorta similar" just doesn't suit the 501st mentality that I love so much. Keep striving to make the costume the best that you can make it. And, even more importantly, make it Yours! Yes, the holster was what caught my eye the most, but in general it's the super-red color and roughness of the dye overall. Be sure to test your leather dye on a scrap of the same leather first, and let it dry, to make sure that it's really the color that you want. (The color of the leather makes a big difference on how the dye will look once it's dry.) And, be sure to work on damp leather when you apply the dye... that'll help the color go on evenly. Happy costuming! Pam

Looks good to me! Pam

I think one of my favorite parts of your posts is that I'll always wonder something while I'm reading them, "would doing this work... will that be a problem... how will he work around this...", and invariably by the end of the post, you'll have posed the same question or mused about the same thing! (Can I claim that great minds think alike?) I'm looking forward to hearing how the weathering comes out. I've used that same resin, but mine was cast and remained black and the pieces were thicker so they didn't have as much flex. I didn't try priming or weathering it, but now I'm curious. It will be interesting to see what you learn about it. Fantastic work, as always, and thank you for continuing to share. (Though I must admit that I have something of a love/hate relationship with your posts. I enjoy them so much, but they also remind me that I'm not making nearly enough progress on my own CVI projects! It's like a weekly nudge to get a move on!) Pam

1. I don't think it needs to be a vinyl material, because it definitely doesn't look glossy. A cotton lycra blend would work well for the fit, but it would need to be a good, sturdy material or it would end up looking flimsy, and you'd need a good interfacing for the collar. Fabric with a bit of sheen would be preferable, because it would really bring out the details of the outfit. 2. The cost really depends on what materials you use, and what prices you can get. I'm on Tandy's mailing list, so I always wait for a good sale before I buy things there. They regularly have great sales on buckle blanks, belt blanks, etc. Same thing goes for supplies that can be purchased at Michaels or JoAnne.... get on their mailing lists, because sales fliers and coupons go out every month, and they're a handy thing to have! Brianna and I were discussing the holster... and we can't see any signs that she's wearing one! The saber is hanging on her belt, but there's no indication of a holster for that blaster she's carrying, unless it's on the left side and worn to the back where it would be out of sight at that particular angle. With her other jumpsuit, the holster is on the right side. 3. Not a clue! (It's really difficult to pick out details in that tiny picture.) Pam

Browse through the Mara gallery, and you'll see how the outfit combinations look. There's a little link at the bottom of the gallery page to move to page two. (I'm being lazy... giving a link to the gallery is easier than linking to a dozen different pictures!) http://www.theflagshipeclipse.com/galle ... =13&page=1 Pam

Yup, that's where I got mine. Perfect pair on the first try! Good luck! Pam

The hood is definitely more comfortable than having the cape pulling at your neck... I can vouch for that! I used raw silk for my hood, and it works well. It's a nice off-white color and it has a great drape. My gloves are off-white leather. I would advise sticking with leather, simply because it looks the most professional and appropriate for the costume. Mara wears gloves to protect her hands during missions, and fabric probably wouldn't cut it. Fabric gloves tend to look more like you're about to go work in the garden (bulky), or going to the opera (thin and stretchy). If you can find a pair of fabric gloves that give the appearance of leather they may be okay, but I wouldn't say yes offhand without seeing them first. I always wear my lanyard hanging on the side of my belt. I loop the lanyard through the belt, and then use a pin to secure it at the halfway point, so the badge is hanging just 6 inches or so from my belt. Long enough to hold it up for security to see, but short enough to be out of the way for pictures! Pam

I couldn't manage a properly sewn turtleneck on my outer dress, either. The vinyl is so stiff, it just wouldn't cooperate. I could get the outer shape to work, but I couldn't get it to fold under and match up to the seam on the inside. (Fabric is evil, vinyl is evil times two!) In the end, I had to turn under the top edge and just tack it down with fabric glue instead of sewing it. You can't tell from the outside, and it's working so far! Good luck! Pam

Things always work out so much better when test pieces are made first! I'm leaning toward the shorter version... it looks closer to the reference, though I think it might stand to be even a bit wider than it is. Have fun experimenting! Pam