Nefthys

With a lot of people using thermaplast materials, it is a great way to get the hood shape. Some local Nihilus' in my garrison have used Worbla or Wonderflex with great success.

I can't say for sure from the pictures what type he uses. If you can spare cutting off a tiny scrap of fabric, you can take that to the fabric store and try and match it up.

They should be open in the front.

I would recommend the "appearance" of a second tunic method. My costume is very hot and I am going to be doing this change to mine so I don't have to wear so may layers.

The belt looks great! Nice work!

I would say that is a very good looking belt and is approvable.

My cape is stitched back. But anything that will keep it back off your arms will work really.

You can keep your questions here. That way if others need to know the same information, they can see it in the thread. As for height placement, they should be as close as you can get them to the centre strip of leather, in a way they almost help hold it on. As for how far apart length wise, that is entirely up to your waist size. When wearing the belt they should line up just above the inner part of where your hip bone sticks out. What ever that distance is between your two hips bones is basically how far they need to be spaced. The same distance is then used to measure out to each side of the belt. As each person is different in size, it means that the distance is unique to each person. I hope that makes sense. I'm do not know how long it takes shipping from Tandy. I have a store locally so I just drive down there and buy supplies when I need them. I have a light saber clip hidden on the back of my belt. When you have the long floor length cloak in the back, you can't see the lightsaber when it is clipped on back there. Cheers, Nef

Yes, you will need 8 of them. I bought 9 so I have an extra on hand in case I ever loose one, but that is just me.

You need to have the rounded post top on the belt rivets. Chicago Screws have a flat top and are therefore technically incorrect. http://www.tandyleather.ca/en/product/sam-browne-buttons-washers Cheers, Nef

You only really see the bottom part of the boots anyway. As for weathering, just some light sandpaper to add in some scuffs is usually fine. You can then go running through some dirt or mud to get a more "worn" look if you want. As you wear the boots at troops they will naturally start to get weathered. For pants, I wear black underarmour leggings. I find they are a lot cooler to wear as this costume can get rather warm with all the layers. In colder weather, I will wear normal black pajama pants since they are a bit more cozy. As long as you wear black pants, it is totally up to you want kind. Cheers, Nef

The mask looks awesome! The gauntlet gloves are not the same as Vader's. They are totally plain with no stitching on them. Vader's has stitching on the back side of the gloves and gauntlets that is quick visible. Cheers, Nef

I am thinking about tackling the chest armour out of worbla or the 3mm sintra. They will have the best malleability to get the right curves. For the ridges on the shoulders, I see those as part of the chest armour piece, not as padding on the tunic's shoulders. What do you think?

Yes, I think the mask shape would be approvable. I would make the center oval of the metal design on his forehead a little bit bigger to closer match the artwork. You might also be required to change the red stripes, they will probably need to be a bit darker. Since the dark red stripes are a key element of his mask. Cheers, Nef

Hello and welcome to the Nihilus section! I really love the creepy look and feel of your design. While it is very awesome and unique, keep in mind that it may not be approvable if it is too different from the concept art. If you are aiming for a 501st approvable costume, it will need to keep within the boundaries of the COTF art work. If however, you just want a unique spin on your costume and aren't worried about it being approved, then go ahead with this great interpretation! Some others have done similar ideas with other costumes and just made 2 versions. Their unique one, and the approvable one. You could also look into that option as well. Some of the pieces can work for both costumes. Cheers, Nef

Hello and welcome to the Nihilus section of the Flagship. It looks like you have done a fair bit of research and are well underway. I look forward to seeing your progress on Nihilus. For the gloves, those ones will not be acceptable because of the stitching. There should be no decorative stitching on Nihilus' gloves. For the cloak I just used a large, rectangle piece of fabric that hangs down from the back of the collar of my outer tunic. The hood is a separate piece that drapes over top of it and hides the fact they are two pieces. This is usually the easiest way to do the Nihilus hood and cloak. Cheers, Nef

Fantastic! A great looking costume! Welcome to the dark side. Cheers, Nef

SithRose you are welcome to post any reference here if you like. That way if anyone else is wanting to do this costume we have lots of information in one place. Nice picture Thomas! I was able to sew together some Jawa robes on the weekend, so the injuries are healing. Still can't do any very fine detail stuff, but the Jawa costume is very forgiving with bad stitching, hahaha. Cheers, Deez

Great progress! This build is looking fantastic so far.

Another beautiful costume! Your work is inspirational, thank you for such great documentation on your build.

This guy is super sketchy, I wouldn't let him in. Hehehe.

My original hood was chicken wire and cardboard, I do not recommend this. Now I make them out of Worbla, so much easier!

My outer skirt on my Nihilus is twice my height, you want a lot of fabric for good bunching and flow. I have a loop sewn into the top of mine and I run a leather belt through it. So rather than have it wrapped around you multiple times, you want it to be all bunched up and go around once with the split in the front. Hope that helps! Cheers, Nef

Well, a car crash has put everything on hold till I heal. Too bad, was really looking forward to starting on this one too.

Hello and Welcome! Darth Nihilus is one of those costumes you will have to look around to source all the various parts. As for robes, tunics, obi and belts, I do take commissions, but I am booked till March 2016 currently. So if you need it after that, you can PM me. My Wicked Armour does make a Nihilus, but it needs alterations to be 501st approvable. You can also approach a local seamstress or tailor and see what they would charge to make it for you. The best pattern to use is any of the Jedi ones, but they will need to be altered slightly. I used the 5840 Simplicity pattern for mine. For fabric you will want something with a good drape to it that hangs nicely. Many use Raw Silk or Linen for their robes. I used a heavier piano weave linen for my robes and it is gorgeous, but also pricey. Plain black quilters cotton is too light a fabric to get the desired effect of Nihilus' billowing robes. For gloves, I found mine online at a good price. Any black, non-stiff gauntlet glove, without stitching on the back, can be used. Boots just need to be black and have no visible laces. I use womens black zip up snow boots on mine. Not ideal when trooping in the summer heat however, hehehe. Hope this helps! Cheers, Nef