A sneak peak...

[tanzanlinnear]

primrodo said:

That costume is not suspect though

I have to admit, I always suspect any item that is ever put on display as being a reproduction (not just costumes, but even works of art, such as the Mona Lisa), to prevent the original from being damaged, but I guess that's just my suspicious nature

primrodo said:

that saber, as I posted in the thread that was posted here, was made for ROTS but Lucas decided to drop it, in fact Obi-Wan was to use it and lose it in the original fight with Dooku.

I don't recall the comment, could you refresh my memory? I know that the saber used in AotC was not the same prop as used in TPM because it 'went missing' after filming *coughEwanhasitcough* and they had to replace it. Was it (the display saber) supposed to be the original or a recreation of it? I've heard differing opinions on if Obi-Wan was actually using the same saber (in charicter reality), but during the scene when he greets the Chancellor and the Jedi Council, for a fraction of a second, just as he is stepping forwards, it is possible to see the edge of the saber's emitter beneath his robe, so I follow the theory that he somehow retrieved it after his duel and simply retained it until it was confiscated (and presumeably destroyed) on Geonosis (even though the hero prop was different)

primrodo said:

As for the tabards, yes seperate, I have seen several picturs of just the leather tabards off, leaving the cloth ones on. the cloth tabards are almost exactly like Obi-Wans, stopping at the back and about an inch longer in the front.

That's certainly a unique character feature. Do you mean an inch longer than Obi-Wan's tabbards or an inch longer than the obi in the front?

[Seda Navilli]

The tabbards:



and the lightsaber:



Anakin's pants look lighter when the same light source is on the pants and the tunic because the weave of the pants is so much tighter than the tunic; it reflects the light far easier. Tricky stuff!

[Aston Jor-Cello]

Where did you get these pictures from? They are awesome! Do you have others?

[tanzanlinnear]

Interesting pics indeed I have to admit, I'm rather taken with the idea of the double layer of tabbards, and the pic of that saber in actual use is shocking, to say the least, is it possible that that still was taken from a take that was not used in the final edit of the film, that's certainly not the saber that was being used on Kamino...

[Seda Navilli]

As Justin said just before, it was intended to be used but was cut out of the final film.

[Olos Nay]

Aren't we supposed to talk about Justin's costume?

Primrodo, Congrats on that costume. I believe this is THE best Anakin costume out there.

[tanzanlinnear]

seda said:

As Justin said just before, it was intended to be used but was cut out of the final film.

Other than the recent comment, I never read the original comments on it, so wasn't aware of how the prop had been used.

[tanzanlinnear]

yanlauzon said:

Aren't we supposed to talk about Justin's costume?

Primrodo, Congrats on that costume. I believe this is THE best Anakin costume out there.

Justin and I were talking about his costume, the saber was being used as an example of how things can be made simply for display (although it turns out that it was used after all) As for the costume, yes, it is fantastic, but anything that has had that amount of money spent on it is going to look good, it's hardly surprizing that it looks fantastic is it

[Seda Navilli]

Tanzan, that seems to be a bit of a bad assumption - money does not automatically equal the success that Justin has had with his costume. A LOT of work and research and time has been put into it - over 80% of the costume could not be bought now. The boots are near impossible to get that accurate, and the tunic material itself was an intense labour to discover and get right. There is far more than money involved in this costume; I've been watching it progress, and I know. Justin deserves all the kudos he gets for this piece, he's put himself on top of the Anakin costuming pile not from buying his way there, but from solid work.

[tanzanlinnear]

Would it have been possible for someone to make the same costume without spending a great deal of money on it?
I don't doubt for one minute the amount of research that has gone into the costume.
I don't doubt that the work that went into making it is anything less than the work of a master seamstress/tailor, but to rule money out of the equasion is incredibly naiive. The costs might even out to a degree over the length of time that the project has been running for, but ultimately, I bet that it was considerably more than many other people have spent on their costumes, and that is evident in the quality of the final costume.
[Edited to add]

seda said:

Justin deserves all the kudos he gets for this piece, he's put himself on top of the Anakin costuming pile not from buying his way there, but from solid work.

Did he actually sew it himself, or was it made for him? If, as I suspect, it was made, then I don't see why he should take credit for another person's incredibly skilled work. Yes, he put a lot of time into researching the piece and finding out what was required, but unless he actually made it himself, then that counts for very little compared to the skill of the person who actually made it. If on the other hand he did make it all himself, then yes, he does deserve kudos, and I will apologize unreservedly.

[Seda Navilli]

;D Ok, enough of all that I think.

Regardless Justin, we are all bloody jealous. Now hurry up and finish the damn thing! ;D

[Olos Nay]

Tanzan, as far as I know from discussions with Justin, he and his wife did the most part of the costume... Money won't give you that costume, only hardwork can.

In costuming, there are 3 factors:

you want it CHEAP
you want it QUICK
you want it PERFECT

you generally can choose one or two of those factors, never three. Justin definately chose PERFECTION over price and time factors.

If he chose to put more money into his costume to achieve this perfection, good to him. It is what costuming is all about - details, perfection, and how much of it you want of. Justin didn't want "a" costume, he wanted "the" costume, and he made what was necessary to achieve it.

Now, on other sides... you, me, and several others, decided that such details wouldn't be all that necessary... we placed our money elsewhere. Is Justin bad? NO.
are we bad? NO.
different views, that's all.

yet again, let anyone put the same money and time on a Jedi costume, and it wouldn't be all that accurate. Justin have the single one most accurate Anakin costume out there, so I don't think we should be money talking... his costume is priceless.

[tanzanlinnear]

yanlauzon said:

Tanzan, as far as I know from discussions with Justin, he and his wife did the most part of the costume...

And I've been told by a friend of mine that he and Justin use the same seamstress for their costumes. I'm not saying that he didn't make it himself, but I have heard that he did not, and I have no reason to disbelieve my friend.

yanlauzon said:

Money won't give you that costume, only hardwork can.

In costuming, there are 3 factors:

you want it CHEAP
you want it QUICK
you want it PERFECT

you generally can choose one or two of those factors, never three. Justin definately chose PERFECTION over price and time factors.

If he chose to put more money into his costume to achieve this perfection, good to him. It is what costuming is all about - details, perfection, and how much of it you want of. Justin didn't want "a" costume, he wanted "the" costume, and he made what was necessary to achieve it.

Now, on other sides... you, me, and several others, decided that such details wouldn't be all that necessary... we placed our money elsewhere. Is Justin bad? NO.
are we bad? NO.
different views, that's all.

yet again, let anyone put the same money and time on a Jedi costume, and it wouldn't be all that accurate. Justin have the single one most accurate Anakin costume out there, so I don't think we should be money talking... his costume is priceless.

I'm not saying that Justin is bad, all I have said, is that I don't like people that take credit for other people's work. If he made the costume himself (obviously some parts must be purchassed) then all credit to him. But. Paying someone to make something to a specific set of guidelines that have been copied from something else, is neither skilled nor creative. My costume is almost entirely purchassed, but I have never given the impression of it being anything but purchassed. I've never given anyone the impression that I did a load of research and then made it myself, and that's what I have been told that Justin did. Yes, it's a great costume, I'm not denying that, I just want the credit for it to go to the right person, whoever they may be. The amount of money that has been put into a costume is not relevant as a good or bad point to the person, all I am saying, is that if I had $9000 (or however much the costume cost) and as much reference material as Justin has accumulated and someone to make it for me, then I would be wearing a costume equally as authentic and detailed, but I still wouldn't try and give the impression that it was something I had made myself.

[Primrodo]

Tanzan, you assume much...this costume hasn't cost me $9000, or even $1000...assuming that it takes money to make a costume this good is a false assumption, I do something called shoestring and I do alot of trading.

I sold a ton of things before C3 and with stuff from that I have even been able to get some of this stuff.

Yes someone sewed the costume for me, but I made the pattern (not copied from someone eslese pattern), cut most of it out, stood over her shoulder as she made it and had to get things altered a few times...what difference does it make WHO pushed the pedal?

The woman who made my costume also made my wedding attire, shes never made a Jedi costume before, so I don't know what your friend is saying.

I did however sew my obi and tabards and the velcro on the tunics. But really I never claimed to sew it myself, all credit goes where its due.

I assembled the costume and helped make all the parts, its still my costume and it is still something I put together...Where someone wants to congradulate me should not be a factor in who made what, again I have not taken credit for making anything all by myself, unless I did.

As for costs, I am a married man who works 20 hours minimum a week, I don't have oodles of money, but I do have alot of luck and stuff.

Its really none of anyones buisness how much I paid, but for my amusement here you go in rough figures, and rounded:

Inner Tunic
Exact material found by Kaydee in San Fransico, its a great silk crepe.
Material.......$70 Fabric ($30 a yard)

Outer Tunic
A ripple material found in Taiwan by my contact there, its close, really close
The lining is imported Japanese silk.
Material.......$90 Fabric ($10 a yard)
Lining..........$35 Fabric ($7 a yard)

I paid for the sewing of these with a 10 year old dresser.

What I paid:$195
What its worth: $300ish

Pants
Dickies pants...
Paid/Worth: $20

Belt
Made by Todd Davis and food pellets by saberbelt.

Belt....Paid $35...Worth...$100
I had the hardware, and worked out a few things and helped him make it the best there is.

Pouches...$60

Food pellets (I've had them forever)...$40 though

Covertec.....$10

Lightsaber
made by Acerocket, extremely accurate and just gorgeous!
Worth....Priceless but $300 in value, $150 in trade worth and since I traded...cost me $0

Leather tabards
Made by Rein One
Worth: $200 ish...Cost me $0

Boots
Also made by Rein One
Worth: $250 ish...Cost me $0

I worked out a deal with Paul to get some things.

So Total Worth: $1280
Total paid: $360

And take away what I saved from selling stuff, I am actually quite ahead, start taking my SG costumes into consideration and that just brings my balance more...

I still have to get my glove, but as long as my Anakin tunic and belt sells I am in the clear fo that.

However, as others have said, its preally priceless and its costs have been offset through trades and alliances with people. The net worth in my eyes is a little higher than I guessed but liek take away the value of the saber since I got a deal on that.

My point is there is more than just money here obviously, $400 later and I got a killer costume thanks to trading and selling off the old costumes.

[tanzanlinnear]

primrodo said:

Tanzan, you assume much...

On the contrary, I try to assume as little as possible about life, as there's that saying "To assume is to make an A55 of U and Me" I don't always succeed in my goal, but I do strive not to make assumptions.

primrodo said:

I made the pattern (not copied from someone eslese pattern)

Did you design Anakin Skywalker's costume for Revenge of the Sith? You might not have traced an existing costuming pattern in order to get yours, but it is not by any means a design that you created. As I said in a previous post, I would love to see the kind of personal Jedi costume you could create if you were to go for something totally original, because from the research you have put into your Anakin costume, it would no doubt be incredible.

primrodo said:

what difference does it make WHO pushed the pedal?

It makes all the difference in the world. You might have had a huge amount of input into the project, and you might have even cut the fabric for the seamstress to sew, but all the time it was her foot on the pedal and not yours, she is the one who deserves the credit for the final result, and at present, people seem to be under the impression that you personally made the costume yourself.

primrodo said:

However, as others have said, its preally priceless and its costs have been offset through trades and alliances with people. The net worth in my eyes is a little higher than I guessed but liek take away the value of the saber since I got a deal on that.

My point is there is more than just money here obviously, $400 later and I got a killer costume thanks to trading and selling off the old costumes.

I admit, I am astounded that it cost so little to make, although even with trading, those original items (or services) still had a value of their own, and I think that needs to be taken into account. Some people do not have the resources (financially or through networking) to achieve such a fantastic costume. All the time costumes like your own are being paraded as the ideal standard for members costumes, how do you imagine it makes the people who sewed their costumes themselves from any material they could get feel? I don't take it personally, because I've always been more interested in lightsaber construction than the actual costume aspect of costuming, and I am determined that my next costume will be a quantum leap ahead of the one I have now, but I can appreciate how those other people may feel, but not have the courage to say themselves.
[Edit to fix quotes]