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SL - Sith Lord - Darth Vader
501st Legion Sith Lord detachment:
http://www.501stsithlords.com.
For help with this costume,
please contact: SL-150
The costume
The costume, which was inspired by the armour of the Japanese samurai, changes from movie to movie. They are only small changes but they are there so,
before you start to assemble your Darth Vader costume, the first thing to do is to decide which costume (Revenge
of the Sith, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi) you want to make. Once that is decided, the hunt for pieces will be so much easier for you.
Helmet
There is only a limited number of licensed helmets, such as Rubies and Master Replicas, available but some of them will not meet the requirements of approval for a 501st Legion approved costume.
There is a number of fan made helmets available which are often more accurate than the licensed products but have other disadvantages such as weight and availability. Helmet prices range from $450 upwards for a good fibreglass helmet. You may be lucky to find the helmet in a kit form but be aware
that kits require a lot of work, even if it is just the paint job. Be sure not to compromise here as the helmet is the one thing that everybody recognises. Do not choose a cheap option, it is not worth it and you will only be unhappy with the finished costume if you do.
Leather Suit
The leather suit is inspired by some soldiers in an old
Flash Gordon movie. It can be bought in either 2-piece or 3-piece variations but the 3-piece suits are usually preferred for better mobility. You can
make the suit yourself or try to find a good supplier but, either way, make sure to buy a suit or with plenty of ventilation because this is a very warm costume. It is not necessary to make the suit out of real leather, a very nice one can be made from fake leather (aka pleather).
The suit is the same in all 3 classic movies.
Chest Armour
There are very few licensed armour makers, the vast majority of
armour is either recast from screen used items or moulded by fans. The quality is very variable in the different sets of armour so make sure you do plenty of research before you buy. The armour is more or less the same in all the movies, but there is stunt armour, close-up armour and so on. Try to choose the armour that will fit you the best because that will make your costume look good on you.
The stunt armour is the one that was used every time Darth Vader was in a lightsabre duel, it’s a bit shorter over the chest and, therefore, gives better mobility.
Codpiece
Actually this piece of the armour is taken from boxing, and is just an old groin guard.
This piece is the same in all the 3 classic movies.
Gloves
There are 2 different versions of the gloves. In A New Hope the stitching
goes across the gloves but in the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi the stitching runs along the length of the glove. Fan-made gloves are almost always available from ebay.
Boots
It is possible to buy professionally made boots with prices ranging from $99 to $400. The boots are the same in all three classic movies. All you need to check is that they have a high gloss finish and that they are as long as your shin guards.
Inner and Outer Cape
In the movies both capes were made out of wool with a silk lining on the outer cape
Shin Guards
Shin guards are the armour pieces on the lower legs, made of either fibreglass or hard plastic
Lightsabre
Darth Vader's lightsabre is different in each of the movies.
They were made from several different materials like resin, metal
but the original one from a flashlight. There are lots different varieties out there, you just need to look around and find one that suits you.
We will now look at the
differences between in the costume in each of the classic trilogy
movies
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A New Hope |
Empire Strikes Back |
Return of the Jedi |
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Helmet - Dome |
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Pronounced widow’s peak (the ending of the centre stripe at the eyes)
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Sharp and narrow centre stripe on the middle of the dome
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Slightly larger dome, thicker edges
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No widow’s peak
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Softer and wider centre strip
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Slightly smaller dome with thinner edges
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Paint has a high gloss finish
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No widow’s peak
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Softer and wider centre strip, appears to be wider even than on the Empire Strikes Back dome
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Same size dome as in Empire Strikes Back, though the edges are thinner then Empire Strikes Back
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Paint has a high gloss finish
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Helmet - Mask |
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Small triangular chin vents
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Smaller mesh size in the mouth
vent
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Rounded points on the tusks, one is black,
the other is silver
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Large triangular chin vent
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Large dual-layered mesh in the mouth / chin vent
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Rounded ends on the tusks, both are silver
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Paint has a high gloss finish
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The area where the chin meets the mouth is pointed
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Large triangular chin vents
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Large mesh size in the mouth /
chin vent
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Cone shape ends on the tusks, both are silver
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Paint has a high gloss finish
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The area where the chin meets up with the mouth is flat
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Eyes are rounder and they seem a bit larger than on the A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back mask
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Chest Armour |
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No cape hook
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The two shoulder bells are painted in the two-tone paint scheme
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The centre stripe is off centre
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Only the 2 stripes beside the centre stripe are painted black
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No cape hook
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The shoulder bells are painted in gloss black
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All edges are painted black
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Smoother sculpting
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Paint has a high gloss finish
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The inner robe should be under the chest armour
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Brass cape hook on the centre strip
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Shoulder bells are full black
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All the edges on the armour are painted black
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Super smooth appearance
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Paint has a high gloss finish
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Chest Box |
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The four switches are from the left side: white, dark grey, dark grey and
dark grey
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The rods are aluminium and do not have the little section above and below
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Has a green and a red button on the top
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No working lights
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Four large switches at the bottom have changed places. From left to
right the order is: light grey, light grey, light grey and red
The rods are shorter and black end caps have been added to the top of the rods
Has a blue and a red button on the top
Only the red button lights up
Slide switches between large switches and between the red and the blue buttons at the top
The coin slots now seems to be in aluminium and have a working light system.
The blink sequence is:
1) Top
2) Bottom
3) Middle + bottom
4) Middle
5) Top + middle
6) All together
7) Top + bottom
8) Repeat
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- The large switches are
in the same order as the ESB suit (light grey, light grey,
light grey and red)
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The rods are shorter and black end caps have been added to the top
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Has a blue and a red button on the top
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Between the large switches and between the red and the blue button we now have some slide switches
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The coin slots now seem to be in aluminium and have a working light system. The blink sequence is:
1) Top
2) Bottom
3) Middle + bottom
4) Middle
5) Top + middle
6) All together
7) Top + bottom
8) Repeat
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There is Hebrew lettering under
each slot
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Belt |
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Five slots in the belt buckle
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Boxes have a lid on the top
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Two rectangular green lights
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Mesh in the rectangular hole
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Six aluminium rods on the boxes
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Red back rings on the six rods
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One small working red light
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There are five slots in the belt buckle
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Boxes have a lid on the back
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The green buttons light up
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The mesh was swapped for a hose piece, still with a mesh look
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The red back ring on the 6 rods is no longer there
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The number of slots on the buckle itself increases from four to five
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There is a metal button on the belt itself beside the buckle
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