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

Wrenga "Jix" Jixton - WIP, PICTURE HEAVY


Guest Anonymous

Recommended Posts

Guest Anonymous

Note: I avoided using thumbnails for the biggest pictures to make viewing the article as comfortable as possible. Although it made the post picture heavy, it is, I think, better than opening each of many pictures in separate window.

Note: I made myself familiar with rules about accepting the "first of a kind" costumes in 501st. I decided to make it for myself, it wasn't meant to be made for registering, it was meant to be made for my fun. Which doesn't mean I wouldn't like this character to be official, but that is not the reason why I'm making it. I already am the RL and 501st member with my ID costume though [actually, I'm in the 501st reserves at the moment - the text was written about a year ago, when I started to think about the costume concept, so some things have changed], so I will NOT be disappointed when LMO says that there's no way that character could be made into an "official" 501st costume. Having examined the references I think there are too few to make it registrable. But, it's up to LMO. I decided to share my research with you anyway. Still waiting for a WotC miniature [the text was written when WotC still produced the SWM].

 

- description -

 

Wrenga "Jix" Jixton - Vader's agent.

 

Born on Corellia, this tough guy began his career just as another famous Corellian scoundrel. Unfortunately, he didn't get as much luck as Solo did. As a gunnery sergeant and combat trainer he was sent for one of the most infamous imperial operations - sterilization of Falleen. Something went wrong then, and Jix had found himself court-marshaled and sent into the same place where his famous compatrior would spend his "vacation" 19 years later - Kessel. As for Solo, spice mine wasn't enough to keep Jixton imprisoned. After miraculous escape Wrenga found himself new home and made new friends on remote world of Aridus. Some time later, strange coincidence made him Vader's personal agent. Near dead after unsuccessful efforts to catch Luke Skywalker, Dark Lord lay helpless in the ruins of Iron Tower. Saving his life, he signed a pact - Jix's eternal servitude as Darth Vader's personal agent, in exchange for leaving Aridus inhabitants in peace.

And so again, Wrenga worked for the Empire. He performed well, and played important part in Galactic Civil War history, working undercover and preventing Jabba's mercenaries, commissioned by the Black Sun, from killing young Skywalker.

 

Wrenga Jixton, well known for his Corellian ironic sense of humor, was picturesque example of stone-cold scoundrel from Civil War period. Perfectly accurate with his trademark double pistols, and fearless swoop biker he was formidable opponent for any bounty hunter and mercenary.

His only incompetence - lack of starship pilot skills could be easily made up with his famous "apologize" quote.

 

- the reason -

 

Since I'd read the Shadow Stalker comic book, I knew that Jix was a somehow exceptional character in SW universe. Neither a 100% villain, nor a hero he's a kind of Star Wars' Snake Plissken. Kurt Russel in escape from NY - that was the first thing that came into my mind after seeing Jix. I absolutely love picturesqueness of Jix, how that character is exaggerated, and what's most important, the sense of humor of the Vader's agent and how flippant he is. When started my adventure with costuming I decided that I wanted a unique costume for myself - a costume from expanded universe, which is my favorite part of SW lore.

 

- sources -

 

According to the wookiepedia, Jix appeared in:

 

* Shadow Stalker

- comic book printed also in Poland. I bought it a few years ago, and that was the first time I saw that character. Since that time, Jix has become one of my favorite SW scoundrels.

The comic book itself is pretty impressive - old school drawings by Nick Choles. He also painted the absolutely awesome cover art. He also kept most of his Jix drawings in relative consistence, which made them good references.

Jix depicted on cover art:

Shadowstalker.jpg

And in the comic book itself:

torso%20shot.JPG

 

* Shadows of the Empire comic (First appearance)

- with drawings by Kilian Plunkett and John Nadeau inked by Craig Russel. While their drawings have a great dose of expressionism, and suit that story well, they are not as consistent as in Shadow Stalker. The colorist Cary Porter did a great job depicting the feeling of landscapes, like Tatooine, but unfortunately he didn't take care of consistency when coloring the characters' outfit.

Some examples of how Jix appeared in SotE:

Jixsote.jpg

soteback.JPG

 

* Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game – The Shadow Syndicate (Dark Side scenario campaign)

There are two cards from that expansion depicting Jix:

 

- Jix:

Jixkarta.jpg

The costume that Jix wears on this card art seem to be identical to the costume depicted on the picture with Big Gizz.

 

- Gang warfare:

Gang_Warfare.jpg

While this is something completely different, with white vest.

 

* The Jabba Tape (Mentioned only)

...

 

*Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook

With description, which, surprisingly doesn't correspond with the picture from the same exact sourcebook! But, we are provided with some interesting facts on the character and nice detail - the concealed throwing knife.

soterpg.JPG

 

* The Official Star Wars Fact File 20 (SWO1-2, Swoop Bikes)

* The Official Star Wars Fact File 37 (German Edition - JIX1-2, Wrenga "Jix" Jixton)

* The Official Star Wars Fact File 127 (FRI3-4, Frija Torlock)

- If anyone has access to those documents, please provide me with some partial scans, if possible.

The official SW Fact File was meant to be printed in Poland as well around the appearance of new trilogy, I'd bought first issue and ordered subscription but unfortunately they canceled it after 3 or 4 issues (briefly available in stores) and I did not receive the subscription.

 

* "Underworld: A Galaxy of Scum and Villainy" - Star Wars Insider 89

- If anyone is familiar with that article, please let me know as well.

 

There are also some pics by Tom and Gred Hildebrandt:

Jixswoop_sote.jpg

JixandGizz.jpg

100676.jpg

Where do they come from? As far as I remember there was some kind of collectible album with illustrations to Shadows of the Empire story, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

- references used -

 

I decided to go for the Shadow Stalker costume. It is mostly compatible with the depiction in SotE as well (with minor detail and coloring differences). Although cover art outfit does not correspond in 100% with the outfit depicted inside the comic book, I used it as a partial reference. Alternative costume with green pants and heavy boots is also awesome and maybe I'll go for it someday. So let's paste some reference pictures of the whole outfit, and then talk about the details.

Note: Note: You can see most of the references here. All rights to the comic books and publications are owned by their publishers, so please, remember that they are for educational purpose only. In other words - I'm not planning on making money from them, nor from my Jix costume.

 

Full body shot 1:

fullbodyshot.jpg

 

Full body shot 2:

secondbodyshot.JPG

 

Plenty of back shots as well:

back.JPG

 

Now for some SotE depictions:

jixsote1.JPG

 

As you see, Jix also appeared briefly on the cover art (?) of one of the issues:

jixsote4.JPG

 

sote%203.JPG

 

jix%20sote%202.JPG

 

- description of costume parts-

 

Vest

 

Leather or leather-like material short vest with a chain connecting two flaps. Plain without any visible pockets. Color - brown or dark brown. I'd been thinking about modifying a leather jacket but it's almost impossible to find one without pockets. So I decided to buy some thin leather (or artificial leather) and make it from scratch.

250px-WrengaJixton.jpg

kamizela.JPG

 

Pants

 

gacie.JPG

 

Thigh jodhpurs without visible pockets. Color - brown or brownish khaki drab (but it seems to be an artistic mistake). I mean, modern horse riding jodhpurs, not the classic army ones. There are plenty on the second hand market, the only problem is to find ones without the reinforced knees (either that or I'll have to remove the reinforcement). I may also have to give brown BDU pants (as in SotE) a try if i find a pair.

 

Gauntlets

 

gauntlets.JPG

 

Dark brown leather or leather-like gauntlets, half-forearm long. There is a a triangular cut-out in cuffs, and some distinctive seams.

 

Belts and the holsters:

 

pasy.JPG

pas%20gogle.JPG

 

Each belt is integral with the revolver-type holster. Left one (the one that has the left holster, from the wearer's point of view) has 8 ammo slots (.12 gauge :D), grouped into two 4-slot separate rows on the back. Belts have trapezoidal buckles.

The right one has a small pouch somewhere near the right buttock.

Holsters have some markings above the gun slots.

Well, that's a job for a professional.

On the cover art there are also some ammo pouches - on the right belt. I think they would make a nice addition to the costume.

 

Boots

 

Nothing to be elaborated, just plain, black riding boots. One may add some stuffing below the calf to make them pervertedly accurate.

 

Goggles

 

gogle.JPG

 

Well, that's the complicated part. The best way would be to take eyepieces from some cheap stock goggles and work with some fabric, leather or rubber to make it accurate.

 

Guns

 

detailed%20blaster.JPG

blaster.JPG

 

I don't think that those two appeared anywhere else - they may be just some custom guns, designed especially for Jix. Same goes for me, I have to make one from scratch and then cast it in resin. I was thinking about using some airsoft gun as a basis but i couldn't find one with handle resembling the one used in Jix's blaster.

In SotE Jix uses also some kind of sawed-off blaster rifle. Would be a nice addition to the costume as well.

 

- my progress -

 

Clothing parts are pretty much finished.

 

DSCF5701.JPG

 

This is the finished vest - I got it sewned by two very capable craftswomen (unfortunately they have their workshop quite far from my town). I added the trademark chain. It is easily detachable, so one is able to take it on.

 

DSCF5702.JPG

 

Pants were made by the same workshop. It was hard to obtain fabric that would have both the correct color and flexibility, i thing this one does good, I'll post the pictures of myself wearing those pants later, so you could see how do they appear "live".

 

Blaster were made from scratch using PVC sheets, putty, and a lot of patience. The go some photos from the production stages:

 

dscf5268.th.jpg

dscf5275.th.jpg

dscf5277.th.jpg

dscf5279i.th.jpg

dscf5332.th.jpg

dscf5341e.th.jpg

 

I may add some more elaborate description of the blasters later.

 

I have ordered the belt in a company placed in few hundred kilometers away, and I am yet waiting for effects.

 

I will discuss the remaining parts of the costume in my next post, until then, please fell free to add your opinions and advice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Anonymous

Hi, thanks for interest. Sorry for lack of updates - my ISP disappointed me greatly and I was offline for recent week.

 

The belts - I actually received it last week so I think it's about time to come up with some pictures:

 

p1090701l.jpg

 

p1090702r.jpg

 

p1090705l.jpg

 

I'm absolutely satisfied with the quality - the craftsman worked even the less conspicuous details such as creased rows above the holsters, not mentioning the "12 gauge" slots and small pocket on the back of one of the belts. There are even strings to tie the holsters to the thighs as seen in the "Shadow Stalker".

 

The only thing left for me to do with the belts is to craft the false buckles.

 

I've also managed to acquire welding goggles which are similar in shape to those drawn in the comic books, yet I'm wandering how to modify them to make them 100% canon. I may add the padding from stiff fabric or rubber in olive/khaki.

 

Also, I promised some detailed info on the blasters.

They were made from foamed PVC (I don't know if the name is appropriate in US) - material very easy to work with. It's density is similar to the balsa wood and it may be machined with ease.

 

Firstly, I calculated dimensions using comic book frames and comparing Jix's hand size to my own, then I've drawn the templates.

 

I cut three layers for every blaster from 1cm thick PVC, then glued it together with cyanoacrylate glue. Details are made from 3 and 2 mm PVC. For scopes I used PVC tubes. Then of course it took a lot of bondo and sanding :)

 

Now - the costs. The vest (sewing and materials) around 100 zlotych (30$/20€), same goes for pants. Holsters were made for 360 zlotych for both, which gives us about 115$/85€. I can't remember how much the materials for blasters costed me, but I'm sure it was less than 100 zlotych (30 bucks)

 

So what's next? The things I miss most are the gloves. There is a guy who makes custom gloves in Warsaw in reasonable price, so when I'm able to afford the cost and the travel to our capital I'll pay him a visit.

 

Ah, I think I'm gonna post the pics of me in the costume as it is so far tomorrow :)

 

Waiting for any comments and opinions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That really is some nice work! The lines are clean, the stitches are straight, and it looks solid. Very nice.

 

I try to wait until I see pictures of a costume being worn before I make comments on them. Something can look very nice on a hanger, but when you see it on a person, you might find that the cut or design is completely off. The fit matters just as much as the material and the pattern!

 

Pam :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Anonymous

First, the picture of goggles which I mentioned previously:

 

p1090707l.th.jpg

 

And now promised photos of the costume progress so far, worn by me.

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/1029962854 ... directlink

 

The boots are just temporary replacement, as I left my leather boots in the other flat in different city (I stay with at my parents' during the summer brake) Besides, comparing to the comic book, the rubber ones on the pictures are too long, fortunately my leather boots are a bit shorter.

 

I need to cut the extra length of strings that hold the holsters tied to the thighs.

 

Also, when my budget allows me I will definitely want to redo the vest using natural leather - it should look much better and doesn't make my back wet after 30 minutes of wearing the vest.

 

Of course, the belts miss fake buckles, gloves are still to be made and I need some smaller works on the goggles. Good that I don't need to grow my hair :P

 

Sorry for pasting as picasa link, imageshack doesn't get along with me today.

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...