vaderjeff1744

I realize that you don't have a good way to attach the paper to you while taking pics, but I will say my first instinct is to say to go just a bit larger. It's just my opinion though, so take it for what it is. The overall shape looks pretty good, so keep up the good work! I'll be interested to see the scaled up version! Keep at it! It's coming along nicely!

Glad I could be of help! Yes it's been quiet over here for awhile now. There doesn't seem to be as much interest in the EU characters, & Starkiller in particular anymore, except for a few of us who are working on various versions of his costumes. I think it's because the game is quite a few years old now, & not on peoples minds as much any more. Whenever something new comes out, that's when you'll see a big influx of interest in new characters! If you need any further help or advice, please don't hesitate to ask! Good luck with your build!

Hi there. I may be able to help you with some reference on the back plate area, as I've been researching this costume for a LONG TIME for my son's build! I've gathered a large number of reference images from the game. The quality isn't always the best, as I've sometimes taken pics directly from off the screen. Anyways, here's a few I have gathered. Hope this helps! And here's a pic of part of the back plate I've made for my son's costume. It's mostly made from 1/8" thick sintra. Again, I hope these pics help!

Absolutely AWESOME STUFF!!!! Hope to eventually be able to pick up a complete armor kit from you! Keep up the GREAT WORK, & keep the updates coming!

VERY NICE! Looks GREAT so far! Keep it up!

VERY NICE! I'd LOVE to see more pics! Let's see some close-up pics & details! Looking forward to seeing more!

VERY NICE!!!

Hi there, & welcome! You might want to send Amidala (Dawn) a PM, as she's done this costume already. You can view her WIP thread on here too. Here's a link, if you'd like to check it out! viewtopic.php?f=73&t=2556 Hope this helps, & again WELCOME!

Amazing stuff...unfortunately it'll be out of my price range when all the pieces are added up. Nice build though. SteveO Trooper Wraith Thanks, SteveO. Since I’ve had a few questions about my build from people via PM, I might as well post some of the answers I’ve given out here. Yes, I do plan on making the armor available to those that are interested, giving people the opportunity to buy a full set, or just the pieces they want. I want people to be able mix and match with parts they’ve either made themselves or acquired from other makers. I will also be offering some options, such as cold casting (a more premium build), or having certain acceptable pieces vacuum formed as opposed to cast as a more of a budget option. As a matter of fact, one of the things next on the "to do" list is doing some test pulls of hands and buckle on the vacuumformer to see how they come out. In the end, I am hoping those interested in my armor will be able to get what they want based on what they can afford. I know that doesn’t really answer the question of definitive $$, but that's the plan. This armor is incredibly intricate, and I feel that casting is the best way to achieve that kind of detail. For that reason, most major pieces will be cast. Unfortunately, unlike vacuum forming which is quicker (with the ability to form several objects on one sheet in one pull) and more easily trimmed, casting is much, MUCH more involved; it takes approximately half an hour of virtually continuous handling to cast one medium sized piece such as the forearm, and over an hour for a large object like the chest plate. And that does not include preparation time, cure time, trimming (which includes special tools), cleanup, etc. So, to produce even a few, quality raw casts can take a solid day, which makes it a vary costly (albeit much more high detail) endeavor for the maker. Some pieces however, will ONLY be vacuumformed (legs) to stand up to the demands of cosplay, or be a combination of vac forming and casting. I will know more and share more details as I complete more of the build. EXCITING STUFF! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE!!! KEEP IT UP!!!

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL work! WOW, just WOW!!! SO MUCH AWESOME!!! PM sent!

BEAUTIFUL WORK! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE!!!

GOOD LUCK with your build, & WELCOME to the FE! LOVE your Acolyte drawing too!

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL work! CAN'T WAIT to see more!!! AWESOME JOB!!! By the way, I sent you a PM!

LOOKING GOOD!!! I'm LIKING the new look!

Thanks Dawn! Again, I agree with you 100%! In my opinion, the Acolyte is a tougher build, both technically & financially! The armor is QUITE DETAILED, & if you can't make the armor yourself, it's going to get expensive, potentially upwards of $1000 depending on the maker! No matter who you decide on, to do it well it's going to take time & $$$. My suggestion is to take your time, gather pieces as you can, & above all, ENJOY YOURSELF & THE PROCESS!!! This stuff should ALWAYS BE FUN! If it's not, then it's NOT WORTH DOING! GOOD LUCK!

100% AGREE with Amidala on EVERYTHING she said! Starkiller's costumes, although AWESOME, are EXTREMELY DETAILED, & thus HARD & TIME CONSUMING to make! They're DEFINITELY NOT for the "FAINT OF HEART" to tackle! I've been working on my son's Lord Starkiller costume on & off for about 3 years, & it's just now nearing completion! I'm NOT trying to discourage you from doing Starkiller, as I'd LOVE to see more in the Legion! Just know going in that it's going to take LOTS OF TIME & $$$, unless you've GOT THE SKILLS! I look forward to seeing whatever you decide to do! You DEFINITELY came to the RIGHT PLACE, as we're ALL HERE TO HELP! GOOD LUCK to you!

WOW! VERY NICE! Looking forward to seeing more updates on this!

Bill, I sent you a reply PM back. Hopefully we can find time to meet up at some point during the weekend!

My son & I will both be attending NYCC! We're part of the crew that puts on Sci-Fi Speed Dating there every year, so we'll be busy with that on & off throughout the weekend, but we may get a chance to break away to enjoy the Con part of the time, as we have quite a few volunteers helping out with the show! I'll be bringing my Vader, Indiana Jones, & Batman costumes, & my son will be bringing his Lord Starkiller! Don't know how much of his upgrades will be done by then, but we'll bring whatever we've got! Hopefully we'll see you there!

AWESOME! CONGRATS on the Approval Dawn! JOB WELL DONE!!!

Overall, looks GREAT to me! There might be a few details on the lighted box that could use a bit more tweaking to better match your reference, but other than that, I don't see anything glaring that stands out! When I have more time, I'll look a bit closer to see if I spot anything else! AWESOME JOB DAWN!

Well, I might as well chime in on this thread, as I've been working on and off for about 3 years on this same costume for my son. WOW, it doesn't seem like it's already been that long! Time flies when you're having fun I guess! LOL!!! Anyways, I'm presently working on the redo on a lot of pieces on his costume in anticipation of him submitting the costume for 501st approval in February when he turns 18. I'm planning on doing my own WIP thread once I get a chance, although it may be quite awhile! It seems like REAL LIFE seems to get in the way of making time to do these things as quickly as I'd like! I'm sure A LOT of you can relate to my sentiments on this matter too! Presently, I'm working on the redo on his boots, as I haven't been happy with what he presently has. I've got quite a bit of pic reference on the boots, which I'll post in my WIP once I get to that point, but in the mean time, I'll post some pics that will hopefully be helpful to you! With regards to the chest belt, I am debating what to do, as I'm not totally happy with the current version, which is made from double quilted layers of black vinyl. I personally don't think that this piece necessarily has to be hard armor. In fact. I tend to think JUST THE OPPOSITE!!! In my opinion, as long as it has the proper appearance, that's all that should matter! And to be honest, hard armor is NOT IDEAL for this piece anyways, as it would SEVERELY LIMIT MOBILITY to the wearer! I know the guy from the Italian Garrison, who was the first to be approved with this costume, made his chest belt from leather! I think that leather is probably the BEST material to use, although I'm not sure if it's what I'll end up using! I'm still a bit up in the air on this one. After I've finished tackling the boots & gloves, this will probably be the next piece I redo! I have TONS of reference & screen caps on this character, so I'm sure I can find some pics that would probably help the argument that this piece is indeed flexible! Anyways, enough on that! On to some pics! I'll also include a few pics of my son in his current gear, minus the lightsabers, which have been upgraded since these pics were taken! HOPE THIS HELPS, & ENJOY THE PICS!!!

CONGRATS!!!

I have to agree with Wolfgang on these points. I'd recommend looking at trying to find a different darker color for your armor, more consistent with the mask. I think the armor color is actually more of a gunmetal silver color than silver or metallic grey myself. You could also try weathering the armor more heavily, to darken it down. Not sure if this will help or not, but it's worth a shot before repainting. In my opinion, there's just too much difference in the color of the armor compared to the mask. In all your pics the armor is SO MUCH BRIGHTER than the mask! It REALLY stands out even more when using a camera flash, as that tends to wash colors out more anyways! I can see that you have some light weathering on the armor, but I'm not sure if it's enough. You might be able to darken the armor up a bit more by applying a light coat of black acrylic paint with a brush, & then removing it with a paper towel before it dries completely. I've used this technique a number of times on silver armored pieces that needed the paint dulled down & darkened, & have had good luck using this technique. A certain amount of the paint usually seeps into the pores & adheres to the surface you're painting. Just make sure you wipe the paint off right after you put it on, as the longer you wait, the more it'll stick to the surface. You could try experimenting on a piece of scrap material first, to try practicing the technique to see what result you get before you start in on your actual armor. If you're not satisfied with the color, just keep adding more layers of acrylic paint until you've achieved the color you want. The worst that can happen is that you have to repaint the armor, which you may have to do anyways! I WOULDN'T recommend repainting the mask, as it seems to be close to the color of the reference pics. With regards to the cloak swinging open on the left side, revealing the inside of the cloak, it appears to be doing it still in your last pic too. I guess you did say that you didn't notice it until after the pics were taken though. You also should include some better pics showing some of the costume details, like the belt pouches, & the canister, as your last pic still doesn't show them that well. In general, I'd recommend making sure that your costume is adjusted PROPERLY before taking your submission pics! You want to represent your costume as PROUDLY & ACCURATELY as you can when submitting for approval! TAKE YOUR TIME when suiting up! Look in a mirror, & make sure ALL THE DETAILS ARE RIGHT before taking your pics! I'd also recommend taking your submission pics in front of a neutral background, such as white, or some other light color, to make the costume stand out from the background! Include FULL FRONT, FULL LEFT SIDE, FULL RIGHT SIDE, & FULL BACK VIEWS, along with ANY other DETAILED shots of various components, like the leather belt pouches, canister, hand armor, gauntlets, mask, lightsaber, etc... And while we're talking about making sure parts are on straight & correct, another thing that's bothering me is the neck seal. Is it just me, or does it seem like it's loose fitting on you? In your last pic, it almost looks like the bottom of your mask is nearly inside the top of the neck seal. In my opinion, you shouldn't be able to see the top of the neck seal sagging like that. It should be form fitting around your neck, almost like a second skin. It seems way too loose on you. I also think the bottom of your Ab plate should be tucked under the Cod piece & belt better. I actually think your Cod piece is a little lopsided in your pics. You might even try raising it a bit to cover more of the Ab plate. I also personally feel like the claws on the hand armor are too big or tall. It just seems like they're sticking out too far. The surface of them also looks a bit rough, & not totally smooth. What did you make them out of? You may want to remake them out of something else, like 1/8 sintra, or possibly even foam, & then paint & glue them on to the hand plates. I know all my observations may seem unduly harsh to you, but let me assure you that is NOT my intention! I want you to SUCCEED in your costuming endeavors, & I think you've got a GOOD start on things with this costume! Like all things in life however, there's ALWAYS room for improvement! So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY OBSERVATIONS AS CRITICISM! They're just my opinions & observations based on what I see & feel could be improved! HOPE THIS HELPS! Now let's see you make some changes & ROCK THIS COSTUME!!!

Quick question: Is Imperial Surplus's Sith armor (I believe its the jedi armor only with modifications) approvable by the Legion? Hi. I'm not the one who makes those decisions, but I would imagine that if it's finished with a HIGH level of quality, this kit could be used to complete an approvable costume. I know a number of people who are using it for they're builds. However, that being said, I can also tell you that most, if not all the Legion approvals thus far have used Wolfgang's (TK-6925) armor, not Imperial Surplus's. In my own opinion, Wolfgang's kit is more "accurate" to the armor seen in the TOR trailers. That's nothing against Imperial Surplus, it's just that Wolfgang's kit has crisper lines & details than Imperial Surplus's, in my opinion. Of course Wolfgang's kit cost CONSIDERABLY MORE too, so that's something to factor in when looking at kits. Hope this helps!