Atavistic

Great! Congratulations!

I saw you walking around the convention. I saw a couple of Nihiluses there.

Another note, Darth Nihilus' tunic closes right side over left. It's the reverse of how Jedi wear them. The pommel of the lightsaber is what makes it work.

The Sith Lords were out in full force on March 9, 2013. Three of us planned to kit up in full KOTOR splendor for the first day of this event. Shelley Richardson as Darth Traya, Mark McAuliffe as Darth Revan, and me as Darth Nihilus.

Congratulations! Now let's go kill a planet.

The sides of your hood need to be pulled way in. That looks huge. I think that the hood and "ears" are too tall as well but I'd like to see the sides of the hood pulled right in before making a definitive call on the height.

A cool idea, but it wouldn't pass. The action figure is the only reference for this particular look and I don't think that it's good enough source to validate a new approve-able version of the costume.

Nice KOTOR Darth Nihilus. I'd give the front drape of fabric beneath your chin a slight tug in order to keep the sides of your hood straight. Only in application pictures as the hood is fine. The cat ears and shape of the head are very good. The tunics and cape look good. Gloves are great. The boots look good, too. The obi is good. The skirt is alright. Personally, I would prefer more gathers. From the CRL "The skirt is made with enough material to create a gathered effect around the body." It looks like your tunic and skirt are one piece, though, and so that may not be possible. Your under-mask... does it cling to your throat? It should. In this particular picture, the throat looks a tad bulged. From what I'm seeing, this costume is looking really good.

Yep. It's split right up the middle in the very front.

Looking good so far, especially considering the scale. I'd weather the skirt hems further, though. This is a good start. Remember, too, that the inner skirt is split as well. Put a pair of black pants on beneath the skirts.

Nice.

If you sew a couple of hook and eye closures on your costume (on the underside of the cloak atop your shoulders and on top of your outer tunic's shoulders) the closures will hold the cloak right where you want it to rest. That's how mine is set up.

Holy sh... robes, Batman! Those are weathered. I'm curious as to how you'll bring a knot to that cloak. Once you do, it'll sit lower on your chest and take some of the drape out of your hood. The sides of the cloak ought to drape over your shoulders and not down at your elbows. I'm not actually critiquing your costume yet, since I know it's not finished. I'm glad to see that it's arrived and I bet that you're thrilled.

Fair enough, the outer robe doesn't cross. I still think that the inner tunic closes right side over left... Look at the bottom of the inner tunic in the real picture. the right side is over the left. You can see the edge of the left side pushing up underneath the right side of the tunic. The fabric of the right side is even sightly deformed due to the fabric underneath it. This is why we need to look at the actual picture instead of the color-coded version. We lose detail when looking at the altered version. And the CRLs are clear on this point: 6. Inner tunic: The inner tunic is made from the same black material as the hood and cape. The right side of the tunic crosses over the left side in the front. 7. Outer Tunic: The outer tunic is made from the same black material as the hood and cape. It is a sleeveless tunic that reaches to mid thigh. The right side of the tunic crosses over the left side in the front. The outer tunic is heavily tattered at the lower edge.

Every time I look at the wonderful Darth Nihilus costumes that appear in this forum I admire the attention to detail that this Detachment has. There is one detail that I think is lacking, though... Pleats in the outer tunic. Let's look at our reference picture: The front panels of Nihilus' outer tunic are not smooth and flat, as almost every Darth Nihilus costume in this forum is. The front panels are voluminous and their lines suggest pleats. This is a detail that I sought to replicate in my own Nihilus costume... This detail can be replicated, as my photos show. I suggest that the Darth Nihilus COTF CRLs be updated to require this detail. And that the main Nihilus photograph be updated to show the proper tunic closure of the right side over the left.

Sorry, but this is incorrect. The tunics close right side over left. The CRL picture is wrong. You are correct, jedi_master_boy. I suggest that the main reference photo for Darth Nihilus in the CRLs be updated to show the proper closure of right side over left. All of the other pictures show this correctly.

Well said, Boss.

It ought to be interesting to see. I look forward to it.

Where are the pictures? Twin Roses, in my experience, always sends you photos for approval.

I know that he said the belt, boots, and gloves were temporary. I just figured that I'd lay it all out as if it were a 1:1 costume.

Interesting project. First things I see... get rid of the buckle on the belt. The tunic closes the other way (right side over left). Shred the hems of the tunic, skirts, and cloak. When finalized, makes sure that the gloves, boots, and belt are black. The gloves and boots should be plain as can be. The belt is simple... a smaller belt on top of the larger one. No buckles, food capsules, or pouches. Likewise, there's no lightsaber hook on the belt. I like the 1/6 figures. I have an asortment of Jedi that I keep on permanent display.

I am seeing improvement here. The obi is perfect now. Well done. You know to tuck and sew those knot ends out of sight. In the sunlight, your blackout mask is relatively transparent and the throat is still loose. I still recommend something tighter and a smidge thicker. We shouldn't be able to see you through the mask, even in direct light. You may want to trim that cloak a bit so that it doesn't drag on the ground. It's not a big deal and shouldn't affect the costume's acceptability, though. So fix the ends of the cloak knot out of sight and I really recommend a new (tighter and thicker) blackout mask. Overall, it looks really good and I like what I see.

This Nihilus is in really good shape from what I can see. Let's pick it apart a little, shall we? No lightsaber hanging from the belt. Make sure that your tunics are closed right side over the left. And loosen them up a wee bit. That way we can see the two tunics. If possible, try to give us a photo that shows both skirts and their front split. Your under-mask looks a little loose on your throat. Tighten it up if you can. I wear one made of a spandex-like material that clings pretty well. The obi looks too wide. It only needs to be two inches wider than your belt. To help counter the effects of the cloak pulling back on your hood, I suggest adding either Velcro or hook and eye closures to the shoulders of your outer tunic and the underside of your cloak where it lays on your shoulders. This will accomplish two things... first, it would ease some of the pressure of your cloak pulling back on your hood and second, it would help to shape your hood's drape along the sides of your mask. You may also want to consider trimming an inch or two from the bottom of your cloak. That would save you from stepping on it and pulling your hood back even more. The lightsaber is good. Your sleeves look good as well. I'm also satisfied with the weathering. It's not usual for the weathering to be done so well right off the bat. Good job!

Alright, from what I can see in these pictures, I'm happier with the obi width and the skirt weathering. Remember to close your tunics right side over left. I think that your outer tunic needs a bit more weathering. This is an improvement, but the weathering should be a closer match to the weathering of the skirts. So go at it a bit more. The quilted sleeves definitely need the stitching to have an inch between each quilted line. The sleeves, usually, are quilted... meaning that there are two layers of fabric to the sleeves and that batting is layered between the two layers of fabric. This gives the sleeves a slightly "puffed" look. Your sleeves aren't crafted that way, though. Definitely adjust the spacing of your quilt lines. Even if you don't fully correct the sleeves, this will improve the look.

It's good to see this costume so very near to completion. And my thanks to our detachment leader for bringing this to my attention. Let's take a look at it. I agree with Volund that the forward edge of your hood needs to be right up against the jewel of your mask. It's an element of Nihilus' look. I can see the tag ends of your cloak's knot. You've got to hide them or get rid of them. A simple solution is to sew the ends to the back of the knot itself. I'm going to disagree with Volund on the obi, though... it's too wide. That was a problem that I originally had. The obi should only be two inches wider than your belt... one inch visible above the belt and one inch visible below. I'll revert to agreeing with Volund on the lighting. Take your pictures outside on a sunny day. You don't need to stand in the direct sunlight (and I recommend against it). But some ambient sunlight does wonders in revealing the details of a costume. Now here's the biggest hurdle I see with this costume... it needs more WEATHERING! This costume isn't worn, torn, ad beaten enough to be Nihilus. I can see a few slits and small holes in the costume but I see a huge amount of straight and pristine hem as well. The hems of your skirts, cloak, and outer tunic should be tattered, frayed, worn, and shredded. As a personal rule when I weathered my Nihilus, I left an absolute maximum of three inches untouched between cuts in the fabric. Any uncut hem got hit with a cheese grater and cat fur brush to wear down and fray the fabric. There were many spots where I actually cut chunks out of the fabric and then attacked the hole edges with the cheese grater. Ideally, we shouldn't really see any stretches of pristine hem on this costume. I know it's a bit scary to tear your new costume up, but Nihilus requires it. Here's an example...