Darth Revan Costuming Tutorial - Rough Draft

[Guest Anonymous]

I admire Revan fans and their attention of detail reminds me of how picky I am good work.

 

Thanks!

[Guest Anonymous]

Black turtleneck: If you want to be insanely careful about accuracy, a turtleneck won't cut it. Screencaps show a high, round-collared neckline, somewhat like some military cut jackets or coveralls have. If you don't care that much and figure that the hood and the mask will draw most of the attention, you might be able to get away with a turtleneck.

 

I showed my sister, who happens to be a fashionista, Revan-fangirl, and a bloody genius (and I say that with no ego) a picture of Revan. I suggested to her that I would do a Mandarin collar. Her response? "Looks like a turtleneck to me."

 

I'll try a turtleneck and see how it looks. I'll post pictures. I've also just ordered a pair of hakama and a new pair of black gloves (I cut some of the fingers off of a pair of black flight gloves that I've been using for airsoft ). I probably won't get much more done until Christmas time, since I'm spending money that I'm supposed to be investing and I'd rather like to wait for the Revan action figure to come out, so that I can have a 3D reference to hold in my hands (anyone know when it's supposed to come out next year?). (I've also purchased KotOR for PC for this purpose.)

 

Where did you get the metal hoops/rings? A hardware store?

[Guest Anonymous]

I showed my sister, who happens to be a fashionista, Revan-fangirl, and a bloody genius (and I say that with no ego) a picture of Revan. I suggested to her that I would do a Mandarin collar. Her response? "Looks like a turtleneck to me."

 

I just doublechecked the best rez pics I have. You're right. Or you're definitely arguably right. What looked to me like an upright collar could, in fact, be a turtleneck. There is either what is supposed to just be a reflection, or the trace of a collar (rather than turtleneck), but frankly, I can't tell for certain and would say it could easily be interpreted either way and still be correct...until or unless we get more detail via the action figure or the comic-book. So...kudos to you! Go for it! I'll make sure the costuming standards reflect this.

 

Hey, given that bit of mental revising, I might try out a turtleneck on my costume...my only concern is that the sleeves don't look as formfitting as you'd see on most turtleneck shirts...they drape like jacket material. But thinner fabric would make my vambrace problem much better. OTOH, I have to redo the vambraces anyway...maybe better not to have an excuse to delay that! LOL!

 

Edit: I have added in the turtleneck option to the costuming standards.

 

(I've also purchased KotOR for PC for this purpose.)

 

Have you not played it, or did you play it on X-Box? Just curious. And, as far as I know, there is no date yet posted for the action figure. If I hear anything, I'll post on it, believe me!

 

Where did you get the metal hoops/rings? A hardware store?

 

Tandy Leather. You can order online.

 

- Carolyn

[Guest Anonymous]

So...kudos to you! Go for it! I'll make sure the costuming standards reflect this.

 

Yummy kudos! *Munches*

 

Have you not played it, or did you play it on X-Box?

 

I played it on Xbox. I generally prefer to play most types of games (excepting RTS's) on consoles, rather than on PCs. If for no other reason than that I buy new computers about as often as I buy new consoles, so I only get to play new PC games for about five days and then I have to go back and find games that I couldn't play on my old computer.[/unnecessarily long-winded explanation]

 

Tandy Leather. You can order online.

 

Spiffy! Much thanks, comradette!

[Guest Anonymous]

Spiffy! Much thanks, comradette!

 

No problem! Happy to help!

[Guest Anonymous]

I've been playing Mortal Kombat Armageddon (I haven't played an MK game since MK2 on GameBoy, mmkay?) and I realized something: the character Kung Lao wears a belt with the same style of sash-things as Revan. The sash(es) connect to the back of the belt.

 

Piccy that's as good as I can get, but does seem to illustrate the idea:

 

 

I don't know whether the designers of KOTOR and MKA had the same ideas for sashes or if they both researched some of the same cultures to design the characters of Kung Lao and Darth Revan or what.

 

It's entirely possible that it was inspired by Revan's armor, because Kung Lao didn't have the same style of belt in the last MK game (at least it appears that way on Wikipedia's entry of him). Of course, the last MK game before MKA came out after KOTOR. Furthermore, every character seems to get minor tweaks in between each game.

[Guest Anonymous]

Hello everyone. I've been busy and not on my revan boo hoo hoo. crap and I forgot to load my pics in the computer again. but i do have the cuirass done just not vacuumed yet.. i think i've stretched myself a little thin. my daughters birthday (5) is the 26th and she's having a costume/birthday party on the 28th so i've been working hard on everyone elses costumes but mine I'll post pics in the next couple of days when i get some breathing room (my computer takes forever to load stuff...grrrr...that's the first thing to go once i become sith lord!! hee hee hee)

[Guest Anonymous]

Hello everyone. I've been busy and not on my revan boo hoo hoo. crap and I forgot to load my pics in the computer again. but i do have the cuirass done just not vacuumed yet.. i think i've stretched myself a little thin. my daughters birthday (5) is the 26th and she's having a costume/birthday party on the 28th so i've been working hard on everyone elses costumes but mine I'll post pics in the next couple of days when i get some breathing room (my computer takes forever to load stuff...grrrr...that's the first thing to go once i become sith lord!! hee hee hee)

 

Can't wait to see them, but remember to BREATHE. Don't get too stressed out with all of life's demands, PLUS costume demands.

 

- Carolyn

[Guest Anonymous]

I've been playing Mortal Kombat Armageddon (I haven't played an MK game since MK2 on GameBoy, mmkay?) and I realized something: the character Kung Lao wears a belt with the same style of sash-things as Revan. The sash(es) connect to the back of the belt.

 

Here is the time I must jump in and, of course, critique your statement. Because I'm HORRIBLE AND OBNOXIOUS OMG! LOL!

 

Revan's fabric piece attaches to the O-ring at the front of the belt on both sides and loops around the back without attaching to the belt in back. In other words, it's a single piece of fabric - one side of it attaches to the O-ring in front on the left, then travels around behind Revan's rear (or upper thighs, or however you want to put it...it's not a fanny-wrapper...it goes a bit lower), comes around and attaches to the O-ring on the right. (Gotta love the primitive graphics, too...look at how the graphic of the fabric "breaks" midway around. At least the non-EU costumers don't have to contend with stuff like this!)

 

 

That being said, it is a cool and similar sort of look in the game, and it's neat to see visual echoes like that! Perhaps it is a nod to Revan...who knows?

 

(And yes, I realize by posting this shot I am revealing that, indeed, if the cape were to blow enough in a breeze, I would betray the fact my OWN armor doesn't have a back! DOH! Maybe in the next edition...or maybe it still won't, so I can lean in a chair and not break the armor!)

 

Thanks for posting the pic!

 

- Carolyn

[Guest Cleverlilminx]

So Revan has back armor...

 

 

Maybe we need to LMO to come here and tell us if that should be part of the standard or not.

[Guest Anonymous]

 

 

here's my cuirass I haven't sanded anything yet...but soon ..and it's dry now too. This picture is funny because you can see how I took over the kitchen table to do my stuff.

[Guest Anonymous]

Maybe we need to LMO to come here and tell us if that should be part of the standard or not.

 

If so, it disqualifies nearly all the Revans I've seen so far! LOL! Which doesn't mean it SHOULDN'T be part of the standard, I admit. I'm just saying...

 

I would like, eventually, to tackle a Revan version with the back armor. I will say, however, that most people who look at the costume at first assume I have armor all the way around. It takes me telling them, or lifting the cloak, to show that it doesn't go across my back. I made sure the armor extends all the way around my ribs so that it's very difficult to tell it's not a wrap-around piece.

 

Perhaps a stipulation that the armor should APPEAR to go all the way around? In other words, no armor that is just a front piece with insufficiently long/deep sides?

 

I'm open to debate, here. I don't want to botch the costuming standards simply because I'm so happy to have the ability to sit back in a chair without worrying about cracking anything!

 

 

For reference, here are pictures of the "eBay" cuirass, which is also backless, and mine...showing it not-worn and worn. Even with the eBay cuirass (which is AWESOME work, btw), which is shorter around the sides than mine, it still presents a pretty good illusion of going all the way around. When I did mine, I extended the sides a bit to try to avoid having the backlessness "peek out" from the sides of the cape as it moved. First, the "eBay" armor:

 

 

 

Now, mine:

 

 

The main time you can see a problem with this approach to the costume is when the costumer assumes a high guard fighting stance, or move the cape back, like so:

 

 

It pains me to post this, since it is pointing up problems in most of the existing Revan armor out there, including mine. But I'm trying to be a responsible adult and admit to where my stuff isn't perfected.

 

(I think I need to cross post these images to the "armor" section of the Revan costume area. I'll do that momentarily.)

- Carolyn

[Guest Anonymous]

here's my cuirass I haven't sanded anything yet...but soon ..and it's dry now too. This picture is funny because you can see how I took over the kitchen table to do my stuff.

 

Lookin' good! That's interesting how you have the oblong black areas on the abdominal armor with a raised rim around them, but otherwise on the same plane as the rest of the armor. It's a different approach, but I suspect it'll look good. It's really cool to see how we all take a slightly different spin on solving the design problems from the graphics. You never know until you see them completed how they'll appear.

 

Don't worry about any of the "waviness" of the lines...most of that will disappear if you use a flat-sander. I corrected SO much waviness in my sculpt that way. Yours is going to look terrific!

 

What did you build the sculpt on? It looks sort of like the foam I built mine on, but a different color. I like the detailing in the black upper sections as well.

 

How do you plan on handling the middle section of the armor? Is this going to be cast/vacuformed all in a piece and kept as a single piece of armor, or will you be dividing it?

 

Anyway, great work...I can't wait to see how it all comes together! Yay!

 

- Carolyn

[Guest Cleverlilminx]

Oh trust me, I'm not pointing fingers without pointing one at myself.

 

My Darth Nihilus is about to go through some major upgrades.

 

I just want to see the LMO and see what he thinks about this back armor topic only because he is a EU "expert" himself and it is his job to be concerned over such detail.

[Guest Anonymous]

Oh trust me, I'm not pointing fingers without pointing one at myself.

 

My Darth Nihilus is about to go through some major upgrades.

 

I just want to see the LMO and see what he thinks about this back armor topic only because he is a EU "expert" himself and it is his job to be concerned over such detail.

 

Definitely. So...maybe he'll drop by here and comment? I don't know how all this works.

 

- Carolyn

[Guest Anonymous]

Revan's fabric piece attaches to the O-ring at the front of the belt on both sides and loops around the back without attaching to the belt in back. In other words, it's a single piece of fabric - one side of it attaches to the O-ring in front on the left, then travels around behind Revan's rear (or upper thighs, or however you want to put it...it's not a fanny-wrapper...it goes a bit lower), comes around and attaches to the O-ring on the right. (Gotta love the primitive graphics, too...look at how the graphic of the fabric "breaks" midway around. At least the non-EU costumers don't have to contend with stuff like this!)

 

 

That being said, it is a cool and similar sort of look in the game, and it's neat to see visual echoes like that! Perhaps it is a nod to Revan...who knows?

 

(And yes, I realize by posting this shot I am revealing that, indeed, if the cape were to blow enough in a breeze, I would betray the fact my OWN armor doesn't have a back! DOH! Maybe in the next edition...or maybe it still won't, so I can lean in a chair and not break the armor!)

 

Blast!

 

Hmm... I might just have to do it the Kung Lao way for kicks.

 

And that picture of the armor back makes me a sad panda. Mostly because, once again, the game designers nixxed real armor design in favor of that which looks cool (the two are not mutually exclusuve, mind). Right now, the only way I can think of to make that armor work, would be a Renaissance-style clamshell-type breast- and back-plate. Which is a little out of my league, as I'm more interested in Japanese armors (which were actually designed to be worn day-in and day-out for months on end and, as with all things stereotypically Japanese, insanely comfortable (something which seems to hold true to this day, as my fellow airsofters have nothing but good things to say about my Type 89 and its ergonomics... even though it was designed for shooters much shorter than most of us). Especially compared to its European contemporaries. But I digress).

 

There might be a way to 'cheat' the back plate by integrating the robe into the armor. Maybe have it strapped to the armor.

 

In other news I got my hakama earlier this week. Put it on and it turns out to be a little long. That's OK, as I can hem it. I also got a pair of black Hatch Operator CQB gloves. They should work well, as they provide a lot of detail (that couldn't possibly be rendered in KOTOR) and were designed for fighting men and women. They have elastic around the wrist, but that should be covered by the hard armor. Of course, I suspect that as soon as the Revan action figure comes out, I'll have to go for more mundane all-cloth or all-leather gloves.

[Guest Anonymous]

I used some foam i bought at lowes. they didn't have any of the pink kind but this stuff is just as good. I'm planning on dividing it. I know there isn't a whole lot of room between the top half and bottom part so maybe i should wait until after i vac it to divide it.. . just so nothing breaks you know..

[Guest Anonymous]

I used some foam i bought at lowes. they didn't have any of the pink kind but this stuff is just as good. I'm planning on dividing it. I know there isn't a whole lot of room between the top half and bottom part so maybe i should wait until after i vac it to divide it.. . just so nothing breaks you know..

 

Sounds like a good idea, as long as your vac table is big enough to accomodate your whole sculpt. (Listen to me, talking like I know what I'm saying when it comes to vaccing - HA! If you have any questions, please talk to someone more experienced than I.) With the set-up I used at my friend's, the table was only big enough to accomodate the top half or the bottom half of the armor at a time, so I had to divide up the sculpt prior to the vac. That was scary, actually! My friend used a big saw and just...sawed through! Amazingly, it caused so little damage we just did the vacuforming then and there. I thought maybe I'd have to go in and patch cracks or other problems with DAS clay, let it dry, then vac.

 

So, it can be done. But I'd think that if you have the option of doing the whole kaboodle at once, that'd be safer...then you can just split the top and bottom sections afterward.

 

Oh boy! You're gonna have a Revan costume! Have you started work on the mask or other armor pieces, or just concentrating on one bit at a time?

 

- Carolyn

[Guest Anonymous]

Blast!

 

Hmm... I might just have to do it the Kung Lao way for kicks.

 

Knock yourself out. Just be aware that eventually it may (or may not!) be declared not in accordance with costuming standards. I'm a n00b at this myself, so I'm just saying...it's possible, but I dunno. It's an educated risk. If it's any consolation, the...er..."fannywrapper" style doesn't limit mobility or feel constraining in any way. Once you get past going, OMG! Sith Lord with fannywrapper!

 

And that picture of the armor back makes me a sad panda.

 

You and me, both. Although most of my beef comes from the fact that the model for Revan clearly was slapped together. That back armor is just a jumble of visuals. You can see how things don't really mesh together, design-wise, and there are clipping problems and...and... Yeah. Sadly, anyone who wants to make the back armor is going to either have to try to replicate that mess or, my preference, take a look at it and try to decide just what the heck was intended, rather than what the end product actually was. Although having those little o-rings go all the way around is kinda cool.

 

I've not investigated adequately, but using instead the back of the Star Forge Armor might be a work-around for the design of the back of the actual Darth Revan armor. It won't solve your clamshell woes as it's basically the same design, but I think that, since it doesn't have a cape to cover any egregious graphics errors, it might make more visual "sense." But again, I'd have to look at it again, as I haven't recently. If I get around to doing so, I'll post some screencaps in the armor thread so we can all discuss.

 

Right now, the only way I can think of to make that armor work, would be a Renaissance-style clamshell-type breast- and back-plate.

 

That's my initial thought, too. And it's out of my league as well, but on the other hand, every piece of this armor has been out of my league since it's my first attempt at any of this. Remember, though, TKs have clamshell front and back as well, don't they? So it has precedent in SW costuming.

 

There might be a way to 'cheat' the back plate by integrating the robe into the armor. Maybe have it strapped to the armor.

 

Maybe. Not really visualizing what you're thinking, but maybe. If you mean literally having the cape attached to the armor down the length of the back of the armor, though, you'll really mess with the way the cape drapes and moves. Or did you just mean attaching the cape at the top to the armor?

 

In other news I got my hakama earlier this week. Put it on and it turns out to be a little long.

 

I thought mine was too long as well, and emailed the vender about it as I had bought one supposedly correct for my height and size. He informed me that the hakama is tied QUITE high. When I am wearing mine, it's considerably above my belly button. So, if you're not used to wearing something that high, it might unnerve you. But it's probably correct.

 

Coolness. Sounds like things are moving along for you. Yay!

 

- Carolyn

[Guest Anonymous]

Oh boy! You're gonna have a Revan costume! Have you started work on the mask or other armor pieces, or just concentrating on one bit at a time?

 

 

No i haven't done anything else yet. Probably after halloween when i don't have as much other stuff to do.

[Guest Anonymous]

If it's any consolation, the...er..."fannywrapper" style doesn't limit mobility or feel constraining in any way. Once you get past going, OMG! Sith Lord with fannywrapper!

 

Is there something that I'm missing concerning fannywrappers?

 

That's my initial thought, too. And it's out of my league as well, but on the other hand, every piece of this armor has been out of my league since it's my first attempt at any of this. Remember, though, TKs have clamshell front and back as well, don't they? So it has precedent in SW costuming.

 

I would think that clamshelling would have to be done by using the belt as one attach point and hiding the should attach point (naturally) under the cloak. Of course, clamshelling it and segmenting the front is gonna be awkward.

 

Maybe. Not really visualizing what you're thinking, but maybe. If you mean literally having the cape attached to the armor down the length of the back of the armor, though, you'll really mess with the way the cape drapes and moves.

 

Yeah. But at least if the wind blows or you pose it won't suddenly become obviously that your armor only goes so far around the sides.

 

I thought mine was too long as well, and emailed the vender about it as I had bought one supposedly correct for my height and size. He informed me that the hakama is tied QUITE high. When I am wearing mine, it's considerably above my belly button. So, if you're not used to wearing something that high, it might unnerve you. But it's probably correct.

 

I was wearing mine above my belly-button. If memory serves, hakama should nominally be ankle-length. Even then, I kinda tripped over it walking up stairs and once while doing kata. (But it only happened once so .)

 

Coolness. Sounds like things are moving along for you. Yay!

 

Indeedy. (Although now things get to slow way down.)

[Twi'lek Pam]

 

 

here's my cuirass I haven't sanded anything yet...but soon ..and it's dry now too. This picture is funny because you can see how I took over the kitchen table to do my stuff.

 

::giggles:: I've been known to take over the table also, much to my family's chagrin. I loved seeing the box of bandaids in the background, too. I keep a box of them beside the tools in our workshop because we're constantly managing to hurt ourselves while we work on costumes. The other day my husband was rough cutting a vac-formed piece, and within a minute I heard him comment, "Well, that didn't take long." I knew without even turning around that he'd cut himself again!

 

Great job on the armor so far... I can't wait to see the finished product!

 

Pam

 

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

Pam Simpson

SL/DZ 3168

501st Legion ~ Central California Garrison

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

 

[Guest Anonymous]

I would think that clamshelling would have to be done by using the belt as one attach point and hiding the should attach point (naturally) under the cloak. Of course, clamshelling it and segmenting the front is gonna be awkward.

 

The TK armor is clamshelled and they've been doing this for a lot longer than we've been thinking about it. There are a lot of tutorials on the web written up about how to handle the clamshelling of the armor. I figure why reinvent the wheel when we can take tips from our 501st brethren who already know their stuff inside and out - literally!

 

Here, for ideas:

 

http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/st ... nnect.html

Or here...

http://home.velocitus.net/trow/tk_769/armor/straps.html

 

As for clamshelling it and segmenting the front...if I did the front the way I already did it, it shouldn't present that much of a difficulty, since when assembled the front of my armor is, in effect, once again a single piece of armor. The way you're planning with actual occluding segmentation...eh...maybe. Not sure.

 

- Carolyn

[Guest Anonymous]

First off, all the Revan costumes I've seen are brilliant. I love 'em. As I pointed out in the Lounge forum I have just joined this costuming group and I am a light-sided Jedi called Ata-pala (Turkish for the forefather of all sabers). I want to make a Light Revan costume. I appreciate it is probably not canon, but a light costume for Revan still looks good and is justifiable. The computer on Deck 2 of the Star Forge gives light players a white Revan costume. This costume does not have a cape or the O-ring or the mask, but is a fairly good reference point for the body armor. I am thinking of using leather to make the armor. Still working on the details but a separate back and front piece held together by straps and buckles at the sides is probably what I will do. The Light Star Forge Armor does appear to be held together in that way. Sorry, no pics because I don't know how to grab pics from my PC. The "eyes" at the front of Revan's armor. Are they at the top of the bottom section or at the bottom of the top section? There is a post here with red and blue lines drawn over a piccy of Revan's armor saying that the "eyes" are part of the "waist" armor not the "chest" armor. That is what I will look at doing to begin with. For me, leather will be easier than using plastic, resin, clay etc. While Dark Revan's armor seems almost certianly to be metal, Light Revan's Star Forge Robes appear to have leather armor, at least judging by the color and the texture. There are saddle makers I can consult for this. They know how to shape tough leather, which is what I think I will need for this armor. The straps from the top of the O-ring seem to be connected to the sides of Revan's armor in the picture of him fighting the dragon on Tatooine. I want to make an appropriate mask but I do not know where to start or even how to make sure it won't fall off my face. Oubliette's mask seems to be a helmet with a mask built onto the front. That way it sits on her head. Very smart, if not totally accurate. The sides of Revan's mask (the game graphics version) appear to be flat and angular like large cheek panels. Every handmade mask I have seen overlooks this point. Perhaps I am just looking at it incorrectly. How about Imperial Storm Trooper forearm armor? That is readily available. Just needs repainting. In fact the Stormtrooper undersuit looks quite appropriate for the upper body of a Dark Revan costume. 501st members should have no problem in getting hold of it. I have only seen photos so correct me if I'm wrong here. I think that the only real problem I will have is with the mask. I can use my own saber (see Rebel Legion UK forums for pictures of this) for Light Revan's saber. It is leather bound and quite unique. Thanks to TCSS for the parts. I know I've covered a lot of points here but it saves making lots of separate threads. I look forward to your replies and advice (but no bribes to join the Dark Side Ata-pala, Jedi in Exile

[Guest Anonymous]

The "eyes" are at the bottom of the upper section of armor, with the silver joining segment between them and the bottom section of the armor.

 

Welcome to the boards! I'll reply in more detail to some of your other questions, etc. soon. I just got back from the Pasadena Rose Parade and am operating on zero sleep and am sort of spacey! LOL!

 

A Light Side Revan would be interesting - wouldn't fall under the purview of the 501st, just so you're aware of that, but still a very cool costume and I'd love to see how it develops. I'm sure those of us here on the boards would be happy to be resources for you as well.

 

Happy New Year!

 

- Carolyn