Starting a Nihilus...

[Darth Waffle]

Hi everyone! I'm making a COTF Nihilus. So far I've found lots of great Nihili. And I'm inspired by how some of you guys make the mask very realistic and skull-like. I mean, like wickedarmor's mask, and so many other Nihilus masks here, I can see that the mask is not 100% the same with the one in KOTOR 2, but rather an interpretation of the artwork for the box of the COTF figure.

 

So... I am making one that I hope is a good balance of looking skull-like while maintaining the original Nihilus look. And that is the base for the overall look of this costume.

 

Since the base of this version of Nihilus is only an artwork, I really want to make the costume with a "live-action-adaptation" kind of feel. What I mean is, in a live-action adaptation of a comic, or cartoon, the first thing you notice is how the different textures are used to build the costume. Like Kylo Ren's costume for example, and how the different layer of textures look nicely on him. Of course in this case, while maintaining the exact same design according to the source artwork and CRL.

 

I wish to make him very, very creepy, as he is essentially a phantom that can literally suck the live out of you. So I'm using the Nazgul costumes as inspiration. I'm aiming for that kind of rotting and weathering, which I hope would give an extra element of realism and grittiness to the character. But this also means I may use a different textured fabric for the inner layers, would that be acceptable?

 

And now the pics. My brother have created this mask, which I plan to 3D print. Again I made the mask skull-like and hope to make it very scary:

 

 

Also we ended up making a very quick sculpting of his body outline, just to see how well would the mask work with the rest of the costume and whether it is in proportion with the body or not:

 

 

It looks very scary... and very eerie... definitely what I have in mind.

 

So please comment! I would like to know what you think of this.

[Nefthys]

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

[Darth Waffle]

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

 

Hi Nefthys! Thanks for the reply and advice. Yes... I do want to make it 501st approved as well. My goal is to make it still look real and scary enough, but still being faithful with the COTF artwork. I'm guessing, the speed-sculpting we did looks a bit more ghostly than what the final look will be. I'm planning to make it like so:

 

 

Of course I got it from the banner Flagship Eclipse Detachment has wit lots of Nihili there. I like how the middle one look, and I imagine that would still work well with my mask design. But what do you think about the mask design alone? Would that work? I will of course follow the CRL for the rest of the costume, but I'd like to make the mask the scariest part of him. Would it be okay, with 501st approval? Just to illustrate how the final product would look like, here's the mask with a black under-mask:

 

 

What do you think? As I will be 3D printing this, I can still change the design. Any comment is always welcome!

[Nefthys]

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

[Darth Waffle]

Revised mask:

 

 

Will be 3D printing this now, and I also will post more on the cape, hood, and other parts of the costume. As for the gauntlets, are they the same with Vader's?

[Nefthys]

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