Building Darth Vader


Long time readers will know that the happiest day of my life was when I got married. Dressed as Darth Vader.

The most expensive thing about our wedding was probably that Vader suit.

After nearly 10 years of marital bliss, I got bored at having that gorgeous suit packed away in a box. So I bought a full-sized mannequin and set about dressing it up.

A box full of life sized limbs

Having a box of limbs delivered is a little disturbing.

A plastic dummy's head in a box

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!?!?

A dummy's torso - with no limbs or head

Beach Body Ready!

Slipping the trousers on the mannequin

After partial assembly, it was fairly easy to begin to dress the doll.

Holding the mannequin's hand incase it gets scared

I slipped the mannequin's arms into the suit, then attached them to the body.

The mannaquin wearing only a boiler suit.

Without all the armour, he looks disappointing.

The codpiece has flashing lights

The straps around the groin were too tight for a human, but he didn't complain. Surprisingly, after several years, the batteries still worked

The mannequin's hand is solid - there are no gaps between the fingers

The mannequin's hand is solid - there are no gaps between the fingers

The glove doesn't have any fingers inside it - that makes it look strange

The glove doesn't have any fingers inside it - that makes it look strange.

A fully clothed Darth Vader with no shoes

The costume doesn't come with shoes - his bare feet look silly.

Vader strangling me

I take it back Lord Vader! You don't look silly at all!

Darth Vader wearing a cloak, his hand raised in a Force choke

The cloak gave extra stability - the weight at the back should stop him from toppling

Vader towering ominously over the camera

Fully assembled, dominating the room.

There are a few more bits to do

  • Weight the base more - the costume is heavier than normal clothes, and that pushes off the centre of gravity.
  • Fix the fingers - hopefully in a way that will let him hold a lightsabre!
  • The cloth hangs a little loose on the mannequin - it could do with being bulkier.
  • CONNECT IT TO THE INTERNET!!!!
  • ...
  • *ahem* I mean - can I use a Raspberry Pi to make it motion sensitive and voice activated?

You can buy a Darth Vader costume and a full-sized mannequin on Amazon.

Enjoy!


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One thought on “Building Darth Vader”

  1. says:

    I FIND YOUR LACK OF FAITH IN THE INTERNET OF THINGS DISTURBING

    Heh. You're probably right not to connect it to the net!

    Reply

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