Questions about a vendor

[Guest Anonymous]

Has anybody had any experience with MWA? I don't know if that's even the correct abbreviation, or if we're allowed to mention vendors here so i'll clarify if needed. I was looking at the costume but the pics arent the greatest, so any opinions would be welcome.

[Guest Aysel]

yes you can post the vendor name, honestly I wouldn't know who you were talking about if you didn't.

 

Katie

[Guest Anonymous]

OK MWA, or My Wicked Armor has a few costumes and I was wondering the accuracy of the Nihilus. How much work would have to be done to make it approved or if I should start from scratch like I planned to. Anybody had any experience with him?

[Guest Aysel]

I haven't had any experience with Rob's Nihilus, I've only ever seen his Revan. I do know he's a one man show so his things take a while and he's slow with communication (again it's because he's a one man show). With his Revan there are only a few little things that need to be done to get it up to CRL's so I'd assume that his Nihilus would be on par with that.

 

Katie

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for the info Katie.

[Guest Darksyde]

I bought a Nihilus from him a while back. The mask was ok, but it just didn't look right to me. The skirt was decent, but the cape was a little strange in how it attached to the shirt. I actually didn't use any of it since it would have needed so much work to fix it.

[Volund Starfire]

I have a mask, skull, and cowl made by MWA. All I can say is this: I hope you have a narrow face. The mask is an ABS pull with a reinforced nose and is so tight on the sides that it leaves a line on my skin for about half-an-hour. Also, the nostril holes aren't very wide, so I literally breathe through the eyes.

 

With that said, the skull is amazing and I have gotten nothing but complements (and little kids crying--which is another form of a complement.

 

The cowl is good, but the material could be better. Also, you might need a piece of sintra or styrene to get the appropriate skull shape.

[Guest Darksyde]

I have a mask, skull, and cowl made by MWA. All I can say is this: I hope you have a narrow face. The mask is an ABS pull with a reinforced nose and is so tight on the sides that it leaves a line on my skin for about half-an-hour. Also, the nostril holes aren't very wide, so I literally breathe through the eyes.

 

With that said, the skull is amazing and I have gotten nothing but complements (and little kids crying--which is another form of a complement.

 

The cowl is good, but the material could be better. Also, you might need a piece of sintra or styrene to get the appropriate skull shape.

 

 

LOL, glad I'm not the only one that terrifies children. First time I wore it was for Halloween last year and we had kids running down the street screaming dropping candy everywhere.

[Volund Starfire]

LOL, glad I'm not the only one that terrifies children. First time I wore it was for Halloween last year and we had kids running down the street screaming dropping candy everywhere.

Oh, I've creeped out one of our spotters before. Apparently, the creepiest thing you can do is stare directly at someone with the mask on, and then tilt your head slightly. She actually shivered and hid behind her boyfriend... It was fun. Too bad I didn't have my voice hooked up or I probably could have gotten a full scream!

[Guest Anonymous]

By mask, do you mean the face looking piece under the skull? And what is the styrene for? I'm not very knowledgeable about the costume yet...

[Volund Starfire]

Yes, the piece of formed plastic under the skull is what I call the face or mask. It is a piece of ABS that is formed onto a mold of what I think might be the guy's face, but I am not sure.

 

Here's a good up-close shot of it.

 

I would suggest buying a blank male mask and painting it flat black. Adding some black cloth under the eyes, nose, and mouth (the kind you can see out of but nobody can see into) and use that. It will fit better, be more comfortable, and won't leave any strange lines on your face.

[Guest Anonymous]

ok thanks. have you tried a black out mask over the head? thats what i was planning on before now. if a mask is easier and more comfortable, then i'll go that way.

[Volund Starfire]

I've gone both ways.

 

Blackout Mask

+More comfortable

+Easier to breathe

-Mask crushes nose

-Almost no details visible on face

 

Molded Face Mask

+Comfortable fits face

+High detail face under mask (more screen accurate)

-Sweat build up against face

-Breathe through cloth covered mouth and nose holes

 

As you can see, it goes both ways. I suggest both and choose between the two depending on the troop. Darker venue, go with the blackout mask, brighter/closer venue, go with the molded mask.

[Guest Anonymous]

Very nice. Thanks for the pros/cons comparison. Now to wait for the Texas heat drop down to 100 so i can work on a lightsaber.