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Captain Phasma CRL Discussion


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So... Ingrid sent me some words. I'm posting them here to start the discussion that will eventually lead us to showing the LMO a draft. 

 

There is no deadline for this but I'm hoping to not take too long. 

 

The biggest question that we should start talking about is...  How shiny should she be? Ingrid asserts (and I agree with her) that Phasma is mirror shiny. That puts rattle can automotive chrome out of the running as it does not reflect enough to be mirror-like. The environment should be seen in the armor. 

 

I doubt there will be a L2 for this costume any time soon so the idea of letting L1 be the not shiny grey and L2 be super shiny won't work any time soon. L2 to me should be done once the bluray comes out and we can nerd out over the details during her all too brief amount of screen time.

 

There may be too many words (especially the very specific cape) and detail for an actual CRL below. I am more of a "make it look like the picture" (as our LMO likes to say) guy using fewer words and better photos. 

What we have here is her writing what she sees. How much of it goes into the CRL is why this thread exists. 

 

Ingrid has a bunch of reference photos that I will post (as her) and let her annotate when she can. 

 

Helmet

  • Helmet is reflective chrome or silver in color.
  • The helmet bottom flares outward rather than curving underneath like the FO TK helmet.
  • The top of the helmet contains a raised Mohawk ridge approximately 3-4” wide  that runs from brow to the base of the back. On either side of this Mohawk are three  grooves delineating three stripes approximately ½ - 5/8”.  The outermost strip angles back over the ear bumps.
  • There is a roughly ¼-3/8” indent around the borders of the bottom ridge, face, and nose plate.
  • Kenses are black or smoke bubble lenses.
  • The gap between the nose piece and main part of the helmet is flat black with a hexagonal mesh texture. 
  • No aerator is present.
Cape
  • The cape is black and crosses the chest diagonally from the right shoulder to the left, wrapping around the back and connecting again to the right shoulder.
  • A 1.5-2 inch-wide strap, approximately 12-15 inches long, drapes over the right shoulder from the front over the shoulder to the back.
  • [Clasp/connector is unknown at this time; so far, nothing is visible. Perhaps wording should indicate that there is no visible clasp or buckle.]
  • The cape gathers somewhat between the left shoulder and the neck.
  • All seams except the front red seam are two parallel straight-stitches, 3/8” apart, including pockets, hem, and the borders of the straps.
  • The front seam across the chest is two parallel straight stitches, 1” apart.
  • A 1-inch (2.5cm) red stripe is painted along the entire front seam on the top/visible side only, within the parallel stitches.
  • The left side of the cape drapes across the left shoulder, yoke, and chest, down to the left elbow. It extends to the ground with approximately 3” of drag.
  • The cape is in 3 panels: a trapezoidal back panel with seams on either side of the back plate, connecting the longer left and folded right panels. [Note: a 4th panel joining two pieces of the right panel into one may be present. The purpose of this would be to increase the number of folds on the right side.]
  • The left panel contains two 1-1.5” fabric straps, approximately12-18 inches long, from the inner seam to the outside; one is located at hand-level when the arm is extended, and the second is 4” below it.
  • The left panel contains four pockets which are not identical in size; the top pocket overlaps the seam to the back panel; below it are two middle pockets of approximately the same size, but mis-aligned by about ½ inch and spaced about 1 inch apart; the bottom of these two pockets are at elbow level; the fourth pocket is slightly narrower than the other three and is somewhat aligned between and below the two middle pockets.
  • A 1-1.5” strap, approximately 10-12” long, extends from the lower portion of the fourth/lower pocket toward the front of the cape.
  • The hem of the cape tapers upward from the bottom left (ground) at an approximate 30-degree angle, to the right calf just below the back of the knee.
  • The right side of the cape is gathered in 4-5 folds that hang just over or behind the right shoulder, exposing the shoulder bell and bicep but completely covering the back plate.
  • The cape material is a soft cotton canvas with diagonal weave pattern appearing after treatment. The outside of the cape is coated with a rubberized coating (similar to a rubberized picnic blanket), including the pockets and left straps.

Neck Seal

 

 

Chest Plate

 

[More than any other part of this costume, the chest plate should be as mirror-reflective as possible in the front. Some battle damage is acceptable, but it should reflect the scene around it.]
 
Back/Yoke
 
Thermal Detonator
 
Shoulder Gaskets
 
Shoulder Bells
 
Biceps
 
Elbow Gaskets
 
Forearms
 
Gloves/Handplates
  • Gloves are solid black leather or leather-like material.
  • Extend underneath the forearm.
  • Main handplates are rigid square boxes and the hand plates are mounted securely over the back of the glove.
  • The black oval detail is aligned with the index finger of each hand.
  • A second handplate between the forearm and main handplate is approximately half the size, somewhat trapezoidal in shape, and contoured to match the contours of the main handplate.
  • Both handplate pieces are reflective chrome or silver in color.
Finger Armor
  • C3PO-style finger armor is rigid and segmented in two pieces per finger, worn over the glove.
  • The upper finger has two teardrop-shaped humps on the top, and a wedge opening (or the appearance of a wedge opening) in the joint on the bottom.
  • The finger tips has one teardrop-shaped hump on the top, no segments, and a circular, fully enclosed end cap.
  • The lengths and widths of the finger pieces are proportionate to the wearer’s fingers.
  • The finger pieces are reflective chrome or silver in color.
Abdomen
 
Posterior Armor 
 
Codpiece
  • The cod is a triangular, rigid, contoured piece, rounded at the bottom, with two rectangular indents on either side near the top.

Belt (DA note: obviously the actual FO TK wording with modification needs to go here but I'm rushing to get this up... and the wine is working on me)

The belt matches the FO TK belt except where white, the parts are reflective chrome or silver in color.
Unlike the FO TK belts, the front fabric pouch is covered by an additional hard, chrome or silver box cover that is approximately half the size of the rear fabric pouch cover.
Undersuit
 
Thighs
 
Knee Gaskets
 

Knee Plates

  • Knee plates are worn upside down in relation to FO TK armor.

Shin Armor

 

Lower Shins

  • Lower shin armor is contoured upward in the center, with a square-beveled ridge visible along the top, right, and left sides.
  • The bottom of the armor is rounded over the top of the boot, extending to points on either side.
  • The armor is reflective chrome or silver in color.
  • This armor is worn over the lower half of the main shin armor.

Lower Calves

  • Lower calf armor is rigid, curved at the bottom over the heel plate, and extending to points to match the lower shin armor on both sides.
  • The armor is reflective chrome or silver in color.
  • The calf and lower shin armor are connected on the inside by a mylar or sliverized tape.

Foot Armor

  • A shallow, rigid toe piece covers the toe and top of the boot. It is contoured to the shape of the boot, with a curved end at the ankle and extending downward into points.
  • An oval-shaped instep piece is worn over the foot and lower calf armor.
  • A curved, rounded heel piece covers the heel of the boot.
  • These pieces are all reflective chrome or silver in color.
Boots
  • Plain suede, leather, or leather-like black or dark gray boots are acceptable. 
  • The toe is round with a slight point.
  • The heel and sole are plain black and proportionate to non-feminized boots. [in other words, high-heeled women’s-style boots are not acceptable.]
Blaster
  • The blaster matches the FO TK blaster with these exceptions.
  • The white is covered by a slightly gold-tinted chrome color. [Not 3PO gold]
  • The blaster contains a butt-stock.
  • The trigger guard is removed.
Ingrid's notes:
  • The thermal detonator, back plate, and posterior armor will not be visible under the cape if worn correctly, and will not likely be visible for submission photos to the GML.
  • Chrome spray paint should not be allowed. It is too dull and does not have the correct mirror-reflective properties of silvering and metalizing systems. If there is a away to ensure the chrome/silver appearance has “reflective” properties and not just “shiny” that would be great.
  • Boots: Her original boots are suede jodhpur style boots but because most members will be adding internal lifts to achieve height, alternate boots should be acceptable for ankle support, and to allow for longer reach in the leg and foot armor. Some room for platform soles should also be provided.
Let the nitpicking begin!
 
-Eric
 
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It's a start. In 20 min I'm watching the film for the fourth time and taking notes. I can already see some flaws in my words. Pictures will be great... Until then, we will do our best.<br><br>

FYI, my source has it from a visit to LFL that the chrome finish is "mirror reflective." There are many affordable ways to achieve this that do not involve uber expensive vacuum metalizing. <br><br>

Can't wait to get this rolling! At this time my suit does not even meet my own standards! Whee!

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Annotating... 12/22/15

 

General Reference

 

The image below is from a production still used by Vanity Fair magazine. Phasma never appears in this scene at Maz Kanata's so... take that as you will. (Editing room floor?)

 

Note the reflectivity of the helmet and chest piece. You can almost make out trees, buildings, and cameras.

 

The shoulder bunches up a lot. This is more exaggerated than most other shots.

 

The red stripe is somewhat weathered. The red stripe is only present on the top/outside of the cape, not on the underside.

 

The black of the cape appears to have something of a light sheen to it. Its wrinkling is consistent with a heavier material like canvas. The left corner of the cape drags on the floor.

 

The two hand-height straps are present, one is somewhat blocking the other. They come from inside the cape.

 

The lower shin/calf is enclosed with a silver mylar, alumunium, or similar material, such as silver tape. When I first saw it I thought it was duct tape but it is not, it is shiny.

 

Her knees are upside down relative to a FO TK.

 

She has an additional half-size drop box cover on the forward pouch, which is also seen in the movie poster and other shots. The FO TK does not have this second pouch cover at all. Here it also appears to overlap the thigh, which means it could be bigger than the standard FO TK forward pouch.

 

Fingers appear to be two pieces - a base and a cap. I mis-wrote above that there is one tear on the base. On the middle three fingers, there are two tear bumps.

 

 

 

The next image is a production still used by EW, and is from the scene when she asks FN-2187 about his "problem."

 

The lenses are clearly bubble lenses.

 

There is slight weathering on the red stripe, not especially consistent with the image above.

 

Weathering of the armor is mostly "fingerprint" type weathering, not battle damage such as carbon scoring. But it is clear the reflection of the lights are still very sharp, consistent with mirror finish.

 

Fingers you can see the circular cap on the ends.

 

The oval pips in her chest piece are black.

 

The one thing about this image that bothers me is that her cape is more wrinkled than would normally be achievable by a canvas especially when treated with a medium such as the rubberizing material present on the D23 cape. This wrinkling is more consistent with a parachute silk or similar lightweight material. But it's the only instance of it, so who knows. Note the bunching on the left shoulder. 

 

 

 

The next image is, I believe, a screen capture from the trailer, and the moment just before she... you know.

 

You cna just make out the difference in color of the blaster, where it is more "yellow" than the silver tint of her armor.

 

It may look like she is not wearing fingers on the trigger hand, but I believe that is a phantom blacking of the silvering process, where the light hits it (or doesn't hit it) just right to make it look black. Her cod piece does this in the Hux Speech scene... it's very distracting!

 

Here you can make out at least one of the pockets on the left arm of the cape. Based on height I would say this is the foreward-most of the middle pair. The straps are not visible in this image; if I see it again, I'll pay closer attention to that detail.

 

This image is consistent looking with the rubberized canvas present at D23. The outside of the cape has a light sheen.

 

Note again the incredible sharpness and detail of the reflectivity of her armor and helmet. Her hand pieces not so much.

 

 

 

Another scene that never happened in the final cut...

 

This one shows the shape of her helmet quite well, as well as another view of the half drop-box cover.

 

The black part of the canvas seems consistent with the rubberized canvas, but there is something funky going on with the red stripe.

 

You can just make out one of the straps at the very bottom right corner coming off the cape.

 

 

 

This sill from Empire is a beauty... helmet shape, reflectivity, weathering, and the other side of the cape (it's the first one we see her from the right side!). Upsidedown knees, drop box cover just shows, otherwise not very helpful. There is an orange glow from the explosion behind her that lines up with her right shoulder and the red stripe, but this is not the red stripe, just a gap in her helmet.

 

 

 

These are the production stills. The other references we have are the D23 display, which was purported to be a screen-used suit. I have had some doubts, particularly in inconsistencies in the photos I have from two different days at the same show. 

 

There are many other suits out there making rounds - in fact, someone sent me a photo of one in Mexico City on a day that Phasma was on display in Toronto; my friend thought it was the Toronto suit. The Toronto suit is not consisent with the D23 suits, unless they were just not "dressed" properly or have sustained enough wear and tear to constitute replacement parts, changes, etc. to make her look good. (This is why I don't trust the colors and certain details on the traveling "screen used" suits of TKs... things are rarely original!)

 

OK moving on.

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Annotated 12/22/15.

 

Cape

 

MOST OF THESE IMAGES ARE FROM TWO DIFFERENT DAYS AT D23.

 

Below, the bunching on the shoulder. The seam on the back, which is the seam on the left side of the backpack. The top pocket that overlaps that seam. The parallel stitching on the seams, pocket, and front/red stripe. The light sheen.

 

 

 

A few things below: the bottom hem - you can make out the parallel stitching along the hem, the shape of the corner fold, and the width of the parallel stitches on the red stripe.

 

 

 

Here you can see the difference in the outer rubberized material and the inner "fabric" (non-rubberized). The double stitching on the hem. The multitude of folds on the right and how they nicely ride upward.

 

 

 

Hmm I might have a better photo than this, but this is where you can see the two seams balanced on either side of the backpack.

 

The underside of the helmet is chrome.

 

 

 

Fabric texture on the rubberized side, with some "battle damage" present. It is speculated the red is acrylic or latex paint. It is thick enough to obscure the diagonal texture of the canvas. But it is not ribbon or bias tape.

 

 

 

In this triple comparison, I speculate the weirdness of the wrinkles and how they are not always consistent with canvas.

 

D23 cape definitely rubberied and thick. ... VF looks consistent with canvas, obviously lighting differences; ... EW looks like parachute silk or something that would wrinkle with that fine of detail; canvas is too dense and is more consistent with the middle image. Stunt and Hero versions?

 

 

 

Length on the Left. And the left back-seam.

 

 

 

Middle and lower pockets, straps, and the left back seam.

 

 

 

Folds and height relative to leg; on this day the last folds end near the back of the knee; on the other day they were a bit lower.  Inside is not glossy; the fabric is fuzzy.

 

Just a note, at the World Premiere on Dec14, they had this display up. I got bold and handled the fabric with my hand. The outer coating feels to me like rubber, like a spray-on non-stick coating, and the inside was fuzzy almost like flannel. This is exactly like my picnic blanket that is rubber and has diagonal texture on one side, and fuzzy flannel on the other side... except my blanket is significantly heavier. I confirmed this an hour later when I retrieved my bin, because i use the picnic blanket for any change that doesn't have a carpet.

 

Note the mylar/silver tape between the shin pieces again. I'm not sure this is supposed to be on the outside, and I think it was put on the wrong foot.

 

Here it is also clear the "square bevel" I describe on the front lower shin piece only.

 

 

 

I think this just shows the "bunching" around the left shoulder, and the detail of the red stripe and its stitching.

 

 

 

This is as close as i have ever come to a clasp or the means of connecting the corner of the cape and the back on the right shoulder. In toys and in the Toronto model, there is a clear strip/strap that extends from the red stripe down the back. It may or may not pass through a figure 8 style hook. (I used bra hooks to attach the two halves, overlapping slightly, and the shoulder strap over the enclosure.

 

On this right shoulder you can also see what I believe may be a third seam, one which allows for more material to gather and hang in folds like the images above show. It would help to prevent too much bulk from gathering up on the shoulder as the extra material is pulled up. However, I later thought it might be the strap that goes over the shoulder.

 

Oh, and... neck seal! Her shoulder gasket is clearly not set correctly.

 

If you look closely in the "damaged" side of her chest piece, you can very clearly see the stormtrooper display reflected in the distance (behind the photographer).

 

 

 

Same notes as above.

 

 

 

Below you see the relative position and size of all four pockets.

 

 

 

Just a general good overview of the back, pockets, seams, hem shape, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Annotated 12/22/15

 

Foot/Shins

 

I'm not really sure what to annotate here, the images speak for themselves.

 

If the boots look gray it's the lighting. They may be a very dark gray, but not this light. The soles are black, too.

 

The instep piece (over what would be the lace area) is a very rounded trapezoid, but I think oval will suffice. It has both a slight horizontal tapering to it, and the two sides curve downward to fit over the boot. It sits on top of both the toe and shin armor.

 

The toe is shaped to the boot, sits directly over the toe, and is shallow at the toe, curving downward on the sides to a point. In other images you will see it has a contour on the sides similar to the instep piece.

 

 

 

The top of the lower shins sits about half way up the main shins.

 

The top of the front piece has a bevel to it. You can see this clearly in many of the images. In some cases it has a bevel on the side a swell. The side bevel will be obscured by the mylar/foil/tape.

 

The back lower shin does not have a bevel.

 

 

 

Here you can see the heel and back piece. It is the D23 model so I don't know how precise it is, including the lower shins possibly being on the wrong legs, but i the image after it, you can almost make out the foil/tape on the inside seam as well.

 

 

 

Under the back calf and heel you can see an additional piece; I do not think this is relevant to the costume. It may be some kind of internal holding piece.

 

 

 

 

In the image below it might look like there are two bevels but the smaller one is simply the reflection of the lower shin top on the main shin.

 

 

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Annotated 12/22/15

 

Hand/Fingers

 

 Again, pretty straight-forward.

 

The upper hand plate is a trapezoid with rounded corners, and the outside bends in line with the main hand plate's contours.

 

The fingers are a main base piece and an end piece - two parts per finger. It would not be the end of the world if they were (a) not rigid, and (B) 3 parts. But if accuracy is important, then the two piece fingers match c3po.

 

 

And above is the new belt pouch cover.

 

 

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Ok... first question is.... mirror shine or not?

 

Second question... do we care about pockets on the cape?

 

I say yes to mirror... no to pockets for L1

 

Thoughts?

 

-Eric

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Yes to mirror shine. Can be grimey though. The real armour was silver plated (I'm interpreting that as vacuum metalized like 3PO.)

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

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Whatever level of "shiny" gets decided on, the armor still looks like it has a significant amount of weathering to it.

 

On a side note, one of my local Vader's has a wife who is an inch or two TALLER than Gwendoline Christie, so I really hope she wants to make a Phasma. ;)

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Just throwing a few cents in,

Noticed in the movie that the holes in the chest aren't actually blacked out, they seem to be drilled out, and you can see the shoulder armour through the holes, and under the chest plate. Seemed to be the only chest that did it.

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Here's my take on the "mirror finish" just to express my opinion - and it is just that, one of many opinions.

 

I'd like to propose wording along these lines:

  • The armor is a highly reflective metallic, silver or chrome-like finish. This finish may include non-colored, non-opaque weathering.

 

(I know saying "non-" isn't as helpful as coming up with the best wording. So feel free to help me do that.)

 

 

MY RATIONALIZATION - both from an accuracy standpoint and from a practical, builder's standpoint.

 

The screen-used suit has a mirror-reflective finish that shows fairly sharp details of the environment. It is often displayed in dark environments, in which specific lighting is reflected briliantly and sharply in most pieces. On screen, some accommodation may have been made to fuzz out camera, crew, and other unwanted reflections.

 

We do not allow for dull or flat black vader helmets or armor. We may not specify that ANH TKs must be "shiny," but we do specify that clones are not. "Shiny" for TKs is left up to interpretation. For example, my AP ABS was nice and shiny when I got it - but with some compound I was able to get it to a mirror reflective shine, and that is my personal standard of shiny for my own TK. I don't impose it on other TKs... but I do believe it is relevant to Phasma. We don't see the mirror reflective shine in the CT TK armor, but we DO in Phasma's armor.

 

We also see the fingerprints and smoodgies on the armor in some scenes. In the scene where she is about to be tackled by Chewie she is shiny, no smoodgies. Even when smoodgie, you can see the reflection of the environment around her. This kind of "weathering" (it is not weathering to me) is easily accomplished by putting vasaline or oils on top of the mirror finish. This "weathering" is clear, translucent, and simply changes the angle of reflection of light, rather than blocking it like an opaque weathering would do.

 

Phasma's armor is not shiny gray, it is not even shiny. It is specifically reflective, which implies a bit of shine to it, but isn't required for it to be reflective. All metal is "shiny" to some degree. Even with vacuum metalizing, the base coat over which the metal is deposited must be a reflective gloss in order for the final metal to have a gloss coat. Much preparation went into the screen used suit prior to metalizing to ensure that it would result in a mirror / reflective finish.

 

Granted I did not try every variation of spray chrome, but those I did try came out "foggy shine" not the least reflective. In fact, my fingers are chrome spray, but my hand plates had to be completely thinned off so that I could paint them black and re-do them. Shortcutting that was a disaster. It was like "gray sheen." They are "shiny" as in light bounces off them, or maybe we should say that they have a "sheen" to them, but they are not reflective. To me reflective means the edges of the images reflected are sharp enough to make out at least the basic shape; in lights, sharp edges. In the chromes and metallic paints I used, all were foggy with a sheen. Even the Alclad did not give me a good reflection if the base coat beneath it was not reflective. This is why I spent many, many hours polishing the black to a "glass black." This is also what the 3POs do (albeit with different base color), and the gloss black I achieved before silvering was literally as sharp and reflective as Darth Vader shoulder armor black. 

 

I'm definitely not saying anyone should send out and shell out for vacuum metalizing. My quote was $5000 and Gordon said he had an estimate of $3500. To me that was outrageous. I achieved a similar or better reflective result with Alclad for under $150 including all the Krylon and equipment I had to buy (airbrush etc.). You can see details of Hollywood Blvd. in my chest piece, just as you can see details of Maz's ruins and smoke tendrils in Phasma's.

 

The prepping effort was probably less rigorous than if I had manually prepped for VM. My point is that my preference for "reflective" is not about cost or a specific process, but in the RESULT of the process. However you can achieve a reflective metallic result is fine by me. And if you can get reflective (sharp) with rattlecan chrome that's great! I was not able to achieve such results.

 

I also do not think chrome is necessary. Silver may work. Any silvery metal color could work. As long as it's "reflective" in its finish. You could probably polish a dark gray to reflectivity and get away with it (though it won't have the metallic look) but you can't do that with any of the rattlecan chromes I tried. It just got foggier and duller!

 

As for weathering, I'd like to be clear that it is not carbon scoring, grime like the TDs, or anything we normally consider weathering. It's smoodgies. I can't come up with a better name for it. It's also temporary as she seems to clean it off after a battle.

 

Sorry I talk a lot :)

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Here are my latest thoughts on the cape.

PROPOSED CRL Wording - Level 1

  • The cape is black and crosses the chest diagonally from the top of the right shoulder to the left elbow, wrapping around to connect again at the top of the right shoulder.
  • All seams except the front red seam are two parallel straight-stitches, approximately 3/8”-1/2" apart, including pockets, hem, and the borders of the straps.
  • The front seam across the chest is two parallel straight stitches, approximately ~1” (~2.5cm) apart.
  • A red stripe is painted along the entire front seam on the top/visible side only, within the parallel seams.
  • The hem reaches the floor by the left foot, and crosses diagonally upward toward just below the back of the right knee.
  • The cape gathers into folds behind the right shoulder. The hem of these folds increases in height, creating a zig-zag look.
  • No clasp or buckle is visible on the right shoulder or elsewhere.
  • The outside of the cape has a light sheen to it.
  • Light wear-and-tear and weathering is permitted.

Level 2 Details

  • Cape is 3 panels, with seams on either side of the back plate.
  • Four assymetrical pockets are present on the left panel; the top one overlaps the seam. They are in the pattern 1-2-1 from top to bottom. The top pocket is approximately even with the bicep. The pocket size is around 8” tall and 5” wide, but vary because they are not identical.
  • Two ~1.25”-wide (~3cm) straps extend from inside the hem of the left panel at hand-level.
  • One ~1”-wide strap extends from under the side of the bottom pocket.
  • The cape is coated on the outside in a thin rubber-like medium.
  • The fabric is cotton canvas with a diagonal weave visible in the medium.
  • A black ~1-1.5”-wide strap extends from the top of the right shoulder down the back.
     

Now I might need to do some more research into the exact measurements of everything but they will serve as approximations at this time. (Eg. a 2-inch strap or too wide a red stripe is just not right.)

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This is looking good, glad this is being worked on!  

  • Chrome spray paint should not be allowed. It is too dull and does not have the correct mirror-reflective properties of silvering and metalizing systems. If there is a away to ensure the chrome/silver appearance has “reflective” properties and not just “shiny” that would be great.

Although... I would have to disagree with the "no chrome paint" stance.  For purposes of a CRL, limiting the types of materials that can be used has been a poor decision in the past (and is always fun arguing what is classified as that material). It's also a bit silly, considering others may be able to achieve the proper look with a different material.  

 

This photo is of my bucket with no flash, and quite a bit of club lighting that was going on. It was taken after hours of people touching it, trying it on, holding it for photos, etc.

 

You can see me in the reflection at the top left side of the bucket.  I'm wearing white headphones around my neck and a black t-shirt. This chrome spray paint picked up my reflection, along with the red LED lights (see the individual pinpoints?) that were on the floor behind me.  

 

cOtBPMJ.png

 

 

My bucket was painted with a can of Duplicolor Chrome and polished using a microfiber cloth.  The "weathering" that's on this bucket from fingerprints, sweat, dings from knocking into things... I think it's very similar to Phasma's. You can see the fingerprint streak lines just underneath the (really poorly) painted traps.  

 

To get that shine back and the smudges removed (even if they're desirable for the application on Phasma?) you simply use a microfiber cloth and polish.  Just like Vader.  Speaking of which, the nerd in my can't help but point out...

 

 

 

Quote
"We do not allow for dull or flat black vader helmets or armor."

 

Agreed, not dull or flat, but in Episode IV, Vader is definitely not like the CRL photo we have posted. ANH is not shiny (by your description). To be screen accurate, it should be more along the lines of satin and a little "used" looking.  There's actually a GREAT deal of weathering on the chest armor, and it actually *should* be dulled. You just don't see a whole lot of it since the robe covers a good deal of it.

Edited by Sly11
Edited to restore images Sly11 2021
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One minor input on the cape.  I feel like we should put "almost floor length" instead of having it drag the ground.  Any of you with Vaders and floor length capes know exactly why.

 

I've almost been pulled to the ground from someone stepping on my cape. I can't imagine how fun that would be to see a Phasma grinding up on the concrete.

 

While it's great for supreme screen accuracy, I believe basic 501st approval - especially on new costumes - should be taking into account minor compromises to ensure these kits can actually be trooped... or you're going to end up with people who modify it after the fact (causing a whole new host of issues) or costumes that sit on someone's mannequin.

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Thanks so much for your input, Bobby!!!

 

In the final version I submitted to Eric recently, I definitely did not specify what materials can or can't be used. I just left it at "reflective silver or chrome in color" because if you can achieve that with a spraypaint, why not? Just not the foggy dull gray kind that claims to be chrome, like the Krylon crap I tried. I also removed that specification from the hand armor and fingers because they seem to be duller in most photos.

 

I can't argue what you say about Vaders - I am used to working with ROTJ vaders and an ESB vader and I am always polishing and wiping their dang armor! :P My point was mainly that a flat plastic black isn't going to be the same as the satiny or shiny look.

 

I do agree with your cape suggestion, I tripped over my own cape and I would not be surprised if this is what happened to that poor chap wearing Phasma in the 2016 Rose Parade.  :blink:  What if we said "near floor length" which leaves it up to the wearer whether they want it below, at, or just slightly above the heel?

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For those with shorter limbs wanting to do a Phasma, would the "FN Mod" be allowable on the Forearms?

 

Pics from Arturo Delgado and Mark Dapilmoto:

9FjHNxw.jpg

 

8iowyzk.jpg

 

5tb5Mie.jpg

 

GGptKBB.jpg

 

 

 

 - Berbs

Edited by Sly11
Edited to restore images Sly11 2021
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This may be something that falls in that same category: "troopability" as a consideration for compromise on basic approval.

 

But on the other hand... there's just certain costumes that some people won't ever be able to pull off for 501st approval... again, Vader comes to mind.  A 5'2" person is likely not going to be able to find proportional parts (unless they're custom made).

 

So yeah, I'm not much help here :)

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I would just like to add my observation of the cape if that's alright.

 

I have been working on a Phasma and I have also been using the D23 photos as a guide.  I noticed that the cape drags the ground, but then I also had another thought.

 

Phasma is 6'3", most mannequins are around 5'8"-5'10".  That's why the cape is flowing over onto the floor in those photos.  All the set photos of Phasma appear to show the cape is barely touching the ground at the heel.  

 

The rest of the thread, I agree with.  Good work guys.

Edited by Charbacca
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  • 1 month later...

A sneak preview of the images Ingrid sent me to get this CRL going...

 

Images not recoverable Sly11 Feb 2021

 

So here's my plan... 

  1. Get the wording tighened up and post here for more discussion this week. 
  2. Find someone to photoshop the images
  3. Get the DL's approval
  4. CRL goes live

-Eric

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So say again why this is not spec-ops?

 

I'm open to Phasma moving there. At the time we started writing things FISD made more sense. I still think FISD is a better resource for building it and do feel like it still makes sense for her to live here. I'll poke my head in over a spec ops and ask how they feel about it. 

 

Either way I'm moving forward with the CRL development along the way we can all decide together which DL gets final approval. 

 

-Eric

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