Jump to content
  • Announcement

    Welcome to the forums!

    If you are a newly-approved member, make sure you check out the New Member Checklist!

    If you are a Detachment member and can't see the member-only area, post here for access.

    -DV

Darth Bane, post Dxun WIP


The Clone Emperor

Recommended Posts

After the fateful events of The Battle of Ruusan, Darth Bane traveled to Dxun and entered the ancient tomb of the Sith Lord Freedon Nadd. Sequestered within the tomb, Darth Bane was further guided by Freedon Nadd's own apparition. Darth Bane emerged from the tomb a changed man. Fortified by the Arcane Knowledge of the True SIth, Bane fortified his Rule of the Two, declaring no more than two Sith--a Master and an apprentice--should exist at one tyme. Only in this way would the Sith become strong enough to defeat the Jedi and assume their true roles as Masters of the Galaxy. Darth Bane is creditted as being The Architect of the Sith.

 

DarthBaneS01a.jpg

Darth Bane Costume Concept sketch

 

When I first set out to create this helm, I envisioned welding sheets of brass together to make the form. This approach was deemed too dangerous as the process of fusing brass produces deadly gasses.

 

DarthBaneS02a.jpg

Darth Bane Costume Concept sketch 2

By the tyme I had finished my second concept I was well into realizing the helm as a sculpture.

 

DarthBaneP01.jpg

Casting this piece was a trial. I almost lost three months' work in a 24hr period. And while my goal of making a professional quality rubber mold was dashed, I was able to salvage the casting. I photographed it at this point to demonstrate the difference between the polished and rough surface.

 

DarthBaneP03.jpg

Orbalisk Production

Hundreds of these will make up Darth Bane's body armour.

 

LegacyBane07.jpg

Helm and make-up test I

 

LegacyBane08.jpg

Helm and make-up test II

 

Because, this is The Flag Flagship Eclipse I wanted to officially share the first sighting of my costume here first--I am very excited to announce Jan Duursema has used my WIP to render Darth Bane in an upcoming comic. The image below lnks to a preview, spoiler warnings apply;

Legacy05Bane.jpg

 

 

 

 

Be well,

Thomas

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 80
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Guest Anonymous

I've already raved about this in other places and times, but just to say again...it is SO COOL that Jan used your concept of the helm, etc. for her rendition of Darth Bane.

 

You get uber-costume-geek points for that. In fact, I think the little hand just shot off the costume-geek-o-meter...and I mean that in the best of all possible ways.

 

Truly splendid!!!!!!!!!

 

- Carolyn, feeling the costumey love...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Cleverlilminx
You get uber-costume-geek points for that. In fact, I think the little hand just shot off the costume-geek-o-meter...and I mean that in the best of all possible ways.

 

 

Girl you have a way with words. :lol:

 

 

I'm going to move this thread to the Darth Bane section however.

 

 

Thank you so much for posting this here Thomas. Please please PLEASE update us on your progress. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Anonymous

I was (up until I saw this piece of art) building a Darth Bane costume...so needless to say, I scrapped it and will begin a new. there are many other Sith Lords out there... :(

 

 

Great work Thomas! You are truly a gifted sculptor...and a great friend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Anonymous

Don't let it stop you!!!! I mean, unless there's another costume you want to do more!!! I don't think anybody, least of all Thomas, would want to discourage someone else's efforts inadvertantly!

 

:)

 

- Carolyn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Cleverlilminx

I agree with Carolyn, I think the greatest thing about doing EU costumes is that you have to draw on your own interpretations of what the characters are. Since we may never see flesh and blood verisons of most of those characters, there will be various verisons of the same character. Various but within close approximation of what the character is suppose to be of course.

 

I think in part that leads to the excitment of creating such a character and bringing it to life.

 

Mugen, you should continue on with your own Darth Bane if you end up choosing to do so. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Frankie noooo...

 

Your reply crushed me. I do hope you reconsider your endeavour. It would be a great loss if you were to abandon your project now.

 

I am looking forward to your 501st SL submission for Darth Nihilus. He is coming along so handsomely, I think you will be raising the bar for the character.

 

Be well my friend,

Thomas

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely fantastic work, as usual, Thomas! The detail is stunning, and I'm glad you were able to save the casting. I know that horrible feeling that comes when a mold or casting doesn't work out right, and you're watching all your hard work go poof. Once a mold refused to release an egret I was casting, and after all the hours I had dedicated to that sculpture, I ended up knocking his head clean off! Oops!

 

I can't wait to see how this costume turns out... will we get to see it at C4?

 

Mugen, you should definitely finish your project! When I first started doing Twi'lek costumes, I swore I would never dress as Aayla. Even though she's one of my favorite characters, I didn't want to be just one more Aayla in the endless herd. But eventually I gave in, and I've found that half the fun of wearing that costume is spotting other Aaylas and getting our pictures taken together while we chat about the joys and challenges of being blue. A pair of Darth Banes together would be quite a sight to see!

 

Pam :-)

 

---------------------

Pam Simpson

SL/DZ 3168

501st Legion ~ Central California Garrison

http://members.aol.com/Mitji/Twilek.htm

 

Banner.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Anonymous

Thomas,

 

Just picked up the latest copy of Legacy and saw the artwork. Congrats on getting another of your fantasic costume interpretations into canon comics form.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Anonymous

:shock: Thomas, WOW!!!!!!!! :D

That's VERY Nice!!!!! :wink::twisted::twisted::twisted:

Did you lost wax cast it? An unbelievable piece of work!!!!

I DO hope you bring it to C4 with you!!! :wink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good evening,

 

I have a few pages about the process of casting my Darth Bane's helmet on my gallery, under the banner in my signature. In short, the helmet was sculpted in oil-based clay, molded in rubber, and cast in metalic resin.

 

These images represent my latest progress on this project--the casting and sculptiing of the Parent Orbalisks that attach themselves to Darth Bane's chest.

 

DarthBaneP04.jpg

Orbalisk Production; Extra Large

 

DarthBaneP05.jpg

The Mother of all Orbalisks

 

Currently I am courting solutions to attach these castings to body suit or other. One promising possiblity would be to attach each Orbalisk to a metal button and sew each individually. I would be interested in any other suggestions this board might offer. (Darth Bane's toroso arms and neck is covered by an entire brood of these creatures. It is his living armour.)

 

Be well,

Thomas

 

Good night, sleep tight,

Don't let the Orbalisks bite--unless you are true Sith Lord with a full comprehesion of the Darkside of the Force and physical attributes powerful enough to withstand their venom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Cleverlilminx

Ok this is latex, how thick are the Orbalisks? I know they are different sizes, so are they different thicknesses as well?

 

Depending on the thickness, I think sewing each Orbalisk onto the bodysuit would be the best and easiest option, but what will the bodysuit be made of? If it's going to be leather or vinyl and depending on the weight of each Orbalisk, it may or may not be the best idea then.

 

 

Anyone else have suggestions as well?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Darth Revan

Find real Orbalisks and go for the full effect? :P

 

I think sewing them on would be the best bet, but with out some more details that Wendy asked about, it would be hard to make an informed suggestion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The orbalisk pieces are looking awesome!

 

I would suggest experimenting with heavy duty snaps or velcro. Both are capable of holding solid pieces onto an undersuit, but also can be removed so that the suit can be washed. I don't like washing an outfit with armor (or bug!) pieces permanently attached... it wears out both prematurely, and runs the risk of damaging the paint or outer surface of the attached pieces.

 

Snaps - Attach one side of a snap to a small piece of leather or styrene. Epoxy the leather/styrene to the back of an orbalisk. For larger orbalisks, you could attach more than one snap. For the side of the snap that attaches to your bodysuit, you have two options. You can attach the snap directly onto the fabric or leather, preferably with some form of reinforcement in the back to keep it from stretching and to help support the weight. The downside of this is that the snaps might come free if the connection is stressed when you move. Or, to minimize that problem you can attach the snap to one end of a small piece of webbing, and then sew the other end of the webbing onto the bodysuit. Be sure to sew a finishing stitch across the cut ends of the webbing to keep it from unraveling over time. The webbing gives a bit of 'flex' to the design, allowing the orbalisks to shift as you move if they need to. The downside of course would be that the webbing may become visible if the pieces shift too much.

 

 

Velcro. This is some surprisingly strong stuff if you get the industrial strength. My Mara Jade knee pieces are held on with three inch long pieces of velcro, and that velcro has lasted through eight troops so far without ever becoming loose, in spite of all of the abuse I have put it through. I would advise putting the 'hook' side of the velcro on the back of the orbalisks, and then placing the cloth side on the bodysuit so that it won't cause problems during washing or storage. It's very difficult to sew adhesive backed velcro, so I would advise using the sew-on kind so that you can secure it well. Although, if the bodysuit is made of leather or vinyl, the velcro would probably stick to that quite well. This solution might not work well if the back sides of the orbalisks are curved, which would keep the velcro from being able to fit tightly against the bodysuit, thus pulling on the suit or pulling away from it when you try to connect the two pieces of velcro.

 

 

Pam :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Cleverlilminx

Good suggestions Pam but won't those adhesives react badly to the latex?

 

I know CA glue doesn't react, or cause premature decay with latex.

 

I do like the webbing idea, but then I thought of this...

 

Why not buy some sports mesh in black, you should be able to find this at JoAnn's fabrics, and attach the pieces to that and wear it over the bodysuit?

 

 

So Thomas, what will the bodysuit to be made of anyway?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good suggestions Pam but won't those adhesives react badly to the latex?

 

I've been using pieces of self adhesive velcro to hold the leather wraps on my latex Twi'lek headpeieces for two years now with no ill effects. It holds the leather tightly through an all day troop, and then I can easily take the leather back off again for storage afterwards, or to keep it clean when I touch up the paint on the lekku.

 

Pam :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All the while I am working on a costume project, I like to draw the character over and over. This hopes me to solidify what the final costume should look like. I just finished this sketch this morning;

DarthBaneS03a.jpg

 

My free tyme has been diverted from Darth Bane by other projects, and preparations for the upcoming Star Wars Celebration IV convention in Los Angles. I actually feel a slight guilt for putting the project in stasis. Sketching him on my commute to work gives "us" a few precious moments together. The process of creating a costume is an intimate one for me.

 

I look forward to freeing up after the convention and jumping back into form.

 

Be well,

Thomas

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"It's Darth Bane," the big man said with a grim smile.

"and I'm not dead yet. Unlike you."

 

It feels like a stone's age since last I updated this project. Indeed several new official reference sources have come into existence in the tyme that has passed. While my attentions had been diverted bringing Ganner Krieg's Imperial Knight Armour to the first level of completeness, I am now focussed on Darth Bane. I stared my first sketches for this costume in 2003.

 

While I had a wearable helm in 2006, I was not happy with the way the sections fit together. For the past three months, I have been adding and sanding away material, hoping to refine the fit and improve the helm's form. With the consultation of a colleague from my prop workshop, I made the decision to cut apart the "processess" on the helm's back so that the piece can be molded properly and reproduced.

 

DarthBaneP06.jpg

 

DarthBaneP07.jpg

 

DarthBaneP08.jpg

 

Simultaneous to the work on Darth Bane's helm, I have fitting the components of Bane's living armour to a casting of my torso. For the benifit of those unfamiliar with the character, Bane's Post Dxun armour is made up hundreds of individual Orbalisks. While I had sculpted four separate sizes (instars) of these for the task, I found that I will need to make at least a fifth Orbalisk size to work with full body coverage.

 

I hope to update again in February with new images of the body armour.

 

Be well,

Thomas

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for sharing the photos... I was curious to see how the pieces would look as they were modified and disassembled. Making a production mold is a lot of work, but I think in the end you are going to be VERY happy that you put in the effort!

 

Pam :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...