TeaJay

At the tail end of my second to last post, I started to cover the front pleating and rear pleating of the cape. As you can tell from this screenshot there are multiple random small pleats throughout the front of the cape that rests on the shoulders that connects to the outer tunic. With the stock WA cape, it normally has 4 pleats. I had put in a request to WA to add a fifth pleat due to what seems to be 5 pleats upper mid back of the cape -- as noted in a prior post. Here's a comparison shot of adding additional close small pleating to simulate the gathering effect as show in above screenshot. The left portion of this photo shows the additional sewing to give the shoulder section of the cape a more gathered effect. The right side of the photo shows the stock WA (special request) 5 pleats. While the 5 pleats look nice and clean, they do not represent what Darth Nihilus' cape actually looks like. Here's a photo of both sides completed. Taking a nice up-close shot of the shoulder you can see that I've added tight tiny folds sewn together to get this effect. The key here is to get lots of the gathering creases/pleating in the front and tops of the shoulders while retaining the five pleats in the upper back of the cape. Once attaching the cape to the outer tunic, I may expand the length of the upper portion of the outer tunic sewing/padding effect closer towards the center to ensure that all of the cape reaches the simulated stitching on the outer tunic.

I recently made a post about this on my KOTOR II Nihilus comparison/build thread. https://www.theflagshipeclipse.com/forums/index.php?/topic/3175-kotor-ii-nihilus-build-and-game-vs-current-092019-crl-comparison/&do=findComment&comment=33211 I'm going to be doing a more in-depth look at the character model when I have the time, but based on what I've learned from the mask; it looks like the obi could be anywhere between 1" and 1.25" in specific scenes. I've seen some body positions where the character model's textures are likely stretched (specific combat swing stances or when hunched [back portion of obi]) and the obi looks like it is nearly double that, possibly almost 1.75" inches. So at the extreme largest, I would say 1.75" inches max. I would also think that if a CRL change is made, there should likely be some flexibility on this depending on body size of wearer, I would stick between 1" and 1.75". I definitely think that the initial CRL photo of the front/back model is not correct at all. I'm sure DarthValkyria and others would agree. That's just my opinion; hoping to get some more concrete evidence soon.

This may evolve in the coming weeks, but this is the list of to-do's before a first full test fit: -- outer tunic chest padding (it appears to only be around his pectoral muscles, it makes you wonder if this is meant to be padding or if Nihilus just has a buff upper torso) -- shaping/cutting of padding -- attachment to body rather than outer tunic -- cape to outer tunic connection -- add additional pleating to connecting section of cape (top) -- iron the 5 pleats per side all the way down the cape to give shape -- mask updates -- sand/smooth apoxie sculpt that was added to mask -- prime and paint mask white -- paint silver details -- paint red details -- create better mask attachment method to blackout mask and back of head -- re-attach cape to outer tunic ensuring that the cape barely misses the floor. -- adjust hood/cowl to lay/gather more like the in-game model. Will need to pin/tack down hood in specific locations. -- inspect skirt's front pleating and gathering at feet -------- Items not listed in CRL that I will likely wear to provide full body coverage. -- To hide any chance that my neck, ears, or hair could be exposed I will be wearing a balaclava or spandex dive hood that will be tucked into the shirt. -- To hide my legs, even though its highly unlikely that anyone would see them with a long skirt and boots that come below the knee, I will be wearing men's cotton black dance tights.

While the mask's apoxie sculpt is setting/drying I began exploring the outer tunic modifications. On the WA stock outer tunic, there are only 5 stitch marks on each shoulder section where the cape connects to the outer tunic. This will need changed as you can see anywhere between 9 and 11 indentations (depending on if you focus on the lighter or darker areas) around each shoulder of the in game model. An eleventh is visible when his neck is turned, however it could be the stretching of the model texture. In reality, for CRL purposes, I would imagine the minimum would be 9 on each shoulder with the maximum of having the stitching go from one side all the way to the other, but this is likely overkill as the hood/cowl drapes in front of the upper outer tunic to hide it. Also note how the upper portion of the padding also tapers to the thinner shape the farther you move away from the neck of the outer tunic. Here are a few photos: STOCK WA (Ignore the light pen coloration, this is my initial marking of cowl distances to the stitching details): After updates -- one side (left): After updates -- both sides: The placement of the stitching feels similar to how the placement of the "Shotgun shells" of a sandtrooper backpack are; no specific pattern, slightly scattered. I'm assuming this was to show that the attached cape has some weight to it. This specific detail will need to match some of the pleating/gathering of the cape where it is placed onto the outer tunic. That being said, you can tell from the top photo (the one with numbered stitch count), that the front of the cape is gathered quite a bit, which may be a challenge to perfectly achieve in real life because from the back of the costume there seems to be an obvious 5 pleat per shoulder as it flairs flat towards the upper back. Since in 2004 there wasn't much in the way of fabric physics in video games some of these specific features could be up for debate. In real life the 5 pleats per shoulder should eventually even out to a flat look as it goes down the back and towards the feet of the wearer.

Continuing research on obi height/thickness sizing. At first glance from a random screenshot that I had, it looks like the obi height varies in size depending on where you size the pixels on the belt. Without inspecting it in-game it looks like the obi is anywhere between 1" and 1.25" inches. I plan on fact checking this a bit better by inspecting the in-game model rather than just looking at this screenshot. I've seen some body positions where the character model's textures are likely stretched (specific combat swing stances when he's spinning or when hunched [back portion of obi]) and the obi looks like it is nearly double that, possibly almost 1.75" inches. So at the extreme largest, I would say 1.75" inches max. I would also think that if a CRL change is made, there should likely be some flexibility on this depending on body size of wearer, I would stick between 1" and 1.75".

I've continued with the mask modifications tonight, this time adding the correct small top-of-head detail that is flat on top and ovals downward, increasing the size/diameter of the center forehead circle, and filling in the indented outlines found on the WA stock red details. This is now set to dry for the next 24 hours, then some light sanding will begin. This entire mask will also be re-primed and re-painted once all of the physical detail adjustments have been made to match the in-game model. He's a quick photo of the apoxie sculpt applied. I've also been working on the measurements and shape of the red decal/details. The new ones will be hand painted using a stencil that I'm still working on.

I started the initial trimming the upper portion of the mask. A little bit more clean up on this before I'm ready to add the apoxie sculpt.

I plan on using this for filling and increasing size of the forehead center circle. https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Air-Clay-Sculpting-Repairs/dp/B005J03Q5W/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=apoxy+sculpt+clay&qid=1571941087&sprefix=apoxy+&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=AU2FNATHSFHNB&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE3OTVQRzc3MTRBWEgmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxODM2MTYxV1FPODU4RENYSDVFJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxNzg5NjcxMko0RTRVTUdFNzhTJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=#immersive-view_1571941179436

I have started marking changes that will need to be made to the stock Wicked Armor (WA) KOTOR mask. The first change will be the top center "V" shape found on the silver detailing at the top of the forehead. The stock mask does not have the "Y" shaping in the center caused by a narrowing of the top layer of silver detailing, their mask has the top layer taking up the majority of that section, as seen here: Another difference in this upper section is the shape of the small raised section in the upper center; it appears to be more oval in shape reaching to the top of the mask rather than the circle seen on the stock WA mask, above. Next up is the center circle in the middle section of the forehead. The stock WA mask is much smaller, less wide, less bulbous than that found in-game. The red details from inner edge to center of the circle in the middle section of the forehead is also closer in distance than that found on the stock WA mask. When investigating pixel width and making a relative adjustment to the overall scale of the in-game model, the inner edge to center circle appears to be about 1 inch in distance on each side give or take a 1/16th of an inch based on the best I could do with scaling the measurement on the in-game model. Unfortunately, the WA mask distance is 1 & 1/4" inch which means both red details will need to move inward by 1/4" inch on both sides. One of the other concerns is that the WA mask has the outline of the red details slightly recessed into the mask, meaning I will need to fill these lines with something. That's where I'm hoping you all come in. WA advertises this mask as an "impact resistant polyurethane plastic", what do you recommend for filler? Can I just use bondo? Whatever I end up using will also likely need to be used to make the center circle slightly larger. Finally, here is a photo of the mask where I've marked with a blue sharpie where things will need adjusted. The upper section's sides will be trimmed down to get the correct shape. The upper small circle will be adjusted to appear oval in shape. The center forehead circle will need its radius increased to better represent the size found within the game. The current red details' silver border edging (which in-game there is no silver to be found around the red details) will need to be filled and the decals will need to be moved inward towards the center so that the distance is 1" from center circle's middle point to the inner edge. Of course once all of this has been adjusted the majority of the mask will be repainted. Life has been a bit busy, but I'm hoping to tackle this soon and continue with more updates! Any and all feedback appreciated!

Boots and gloves have arrived. Robes and mask WIP. I will post more photos in the coming weeks.

Haha! Hey Bobby! I guess so. I've been obsessing over this one as of late. I've been pouring in a great bit of time on researching the in-game model.

Hi everyone! My name is T.J. Jones, I've been a member of the legion since 2016 with a handful of approved costumes. For the last couple years I've been on the fence about doing a KOTOR II Darth Nihilus, but today's the day that I dive deep into the details and maybe possibly aid in updating the CRL. I would appreciate feedback along the way as we talk about current CRL comparisons to the KOTOR II video game and my progress in creating the costume. Tonight, I wanted to focus one of the most iconic parts of the costume... the mask. The left is a screenshot from the PC version of the game and the right is current CRL image for the KOTOR II mask. A: The dark silver design located at the top of the mask from the in-game character has a much more triangular shape with thin tapering circles that slowly shrink in size which appears to be about 5 to 6 rather than the current CRL mask that has a much bulkier non-triangular shape with only 3 tapering circles on each side, which seems to more closely model that of the COTF version of the costume rather than the KOTOR II video game. B: The center forehead circle is much too large in the current CRL mask vs the in-game character model. Three layers appear to be present in both but the in-game model is a much tighter grouping than that of the current CRL. C: The in-game model's red paint details stop in-line with the top of the center forehead circle. The current CRL has the red line going above/past the circle detail just a bit too far. _________________ I can see where a debate could occur with this because if you take a look at the video game's box art; the mask tells a different story. The upper portion of the mask's silver detail that is triangular in shape in the video game actually appears circular on the box art. Also the center circle on the forehead appears much wider (somewhat similar to current CRL). So does that mean both should be allowed? If not, and you'd have to pick one, I'd imagine you'd use the mask from the in-game model rather than the box art. What are your thoughts? Another thing to note is that in-game you can see a faint visual representation of a face, specifically the eyes, nose, and lips. However, on the box-art these features are not present. So in this case I could see an argument of wearing the blackout mask found on the COTF CRL because these facial features are present in-game. But if you go off of what is portrayed on the box art, the "Face Covering" zentai-style black spandex mask that is currently on the KOTOR II CRL would be acceptable. Should both be acceptable or would the in-game model be the preferred choice? What do you think? ____________________ To go into some detail about where I've been looking for different components of this costume... I started out at Wicked Armor. I've sent a few messages over to Melanie and she's been very helpful. Based on the current photos on their website, I noticed that the robes were just a tad short as you can see from this in-game screenshot the lower robes / skirt gathers around the boots of Nihilus and spills out onto the floor: However in some cases you will find the robes hovering above the ground, specifically when he's in combat (perhaps due to the wider stance) -- but it is a video game model from the early 2000's after all: So I definitely agree with the existing CRL statement for the skirt that says: "The skirt is made with enough material to create a gathered effect around the body, and is not tight or form-fitting."; but the statement of "The skirt is made of opaque black fabric that reaches nearly to the floor." could be debatable. What are your thoughts on the length of skirt/lower robes? ---- For the gloves, a handful of in-game characters have them up to their elbows, Darth Nihilus is no different. I was able to source some plain elbow high gloves on an etsy store: (17") Long Genuine Leather Opera Length Party plain Evening Elbow Gloves. I ended up purchasing a pair in large, but they turned out to be too small for my hands so I'm in the process of returning them for an XL. ---- I think this is a good post to kick things off, feel free to share your thoughts! Thanks everyone!