ROTJ Royal Guard - First Time Build - So many questions!

[salaciouscrumbphd]

Hi everyone! I’m starting the process of building out my ROTJ Imperial Royal Guard costume. I’ve done quite a lot of research and have a good number of questions. Any advice from threads I may not have read, vendor recommendations, or tidbits of knowledge from previous builds would be sinceredly appreciated. I've left the questions in RED, as this is going to be a wall of text, they'll hopefully be easier to find.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to look through this all. I can’t wait to get my build going.

A.) Bucket
As I continue to research bucket options, I’m going to focus on the soft parts initially. Bucket update to come shortly to come.

B.) Soft Parts

1.) Robes (Inner and Outer)

For both the inner and outer robes and linings, I believe that I’m going to use Velvet and/or velveteen. I’m still in the process of sourcing fabric / seeing what my options are locally. I have the advantage of living in Los Angeles, so there are a number of quality wholesalers in the downtown garment district that I’m planning to check out this weekend.

After much research, it turns out there are a lot of materials used to make Velvet. Is there a preference? Entirely synthetic or should I try and find something with natural materials as well? I’d guess that if there is natural material mixed in, it’ll breath a little better, but inevitably be more expensive.

I’ve spoken with a number of people and seen it posted a lot that cloth / twill / gaberdine is used for the lining and the internal robes. The CRL calls for either velvet or gaberdine. Is there a preference for internal robe and outer robe lining material? I know that the gaberdine would be a lot lighter and cooler, but as it’s a heavier cloth, is it safe to assume that if velvet or velveteen is used, it will create a better drape in comparison to the gaberdine option?

After reading through the CRL Standards and seeing that a slit in the inner robes + pants are allowable, I’m leaning toward using the image attached as inspiration for the inner robe slit / lining. I realize that it’s the 1/6 scale figure, and not from the film, but It also shows off the pants / slits nicely which is something you don’t see in the films.

Is there an official stance to the color of the lining of the inner robe? I really like the look of using the crimson red color from the outer robes. But I don’t want to not be approved because I made the inner robe lining the incorrect color.

In regard to color matching, I’ve gathered how important it is for the boots to be as close to the outer robe color as possible and for the gloves to be as close to the inner robe color as possible. Do most buy the gloves and boots first and match the velvet to the colors? It seems almost short-sighted to base the color of the entirety of the robes, which is the most striking piece of the costume upon the color of the boots, and the inner robes matched to the gloves. So this is more of a general thoughts questions, not necessarily looking for the specific answer, but does anyone have a strong opinion either way?

2.) Shoulder Pads / Neck Seal
I don’t have the broadest of shoulders in the world, so I’m planning on adding padding. I’ve seen football pads used, but I don’t believe that is the best look. It looks a little artificial and bulky in relation to the sleekness of the overall costume I want something a little more subtle. I was leaning toward the neckseal from Imperial Boots, but then taking the shoulder pads from an overly padded suit jacket and incorporating them into the shoulder section of the neck seal. That would then live between the inner and outer robes. This way the outer robes are sitting on top of the padding and not attached to, so the padding wouldn’t move if the robes moved. Does anyone else have any other experiences adding padding to the costume that gives it a bit more of a subtle look? Are there any alternatives to the IB neck seals I should be considering?


3.) Sash
It says on the CRL Standard that a Burgundy rope-belt that wraps around the sash a minimum of two times and ties out of view. Does anyone have an example of this?
What’s the preferred way to fasten the sash in the back? Velcro? Snap Closure?

4.) Boots

I’m leaning toward the Imperial boots version as they are taller than the Crow Version, and the flat heel is specifically seen in ROTS. I think this is especially important as I’m planning to add slits to the side of the inner robe. I’d probably paint the sole and heel Black as opposed to the Dark wood that they come. Does anyone have any other recommendations for boots, perhaps that go higher up the leg, closer to the knee?

5.) Gloves

I am leaning toward either Maskworld or Imperial Boots for the gloves. Is there a preference to these two or any other vendors that people seem to like?
The Book Star Wars Costumes - The Original Trilogy lists and has a photo of the gloves as Dark Red Leather. Is this acceptable? Has this discrepancy been addressed?

[Arminius]

Welcome! This is what I advise you to do with every part of your build:
A.) Bucket
Check with fellow garrison members as where they got theirs,even if it is not a Royal Guard,most people use fiberglass,but I prefer smooth cast which is a sort of resin and is about half as heavy as fiberglass,though it is more fragile.

B1.) Robes
My outer robe will be made with synthetic velvet.The lining MUST be the same color and material as the inner robe,my inner robe will be a wine velvet.

B2.) Shoulder pads / Neck Seal
I've never seen anyone use football pads,I used to play football so they might work,a neck seal won't help much either.I saw some people made a foam collar,here is the thread:

https://www.forcepike.net/forum/viewtop ... =26&t=3484

B3.) Sash
The sash is also the same material of the inner robe,velcro and a snap closure are your best best,I prefer a snap as it is more firm,but a velcro lets you adjust it better,for the snap I'm planning to use 2-3 rows of buttons

B4.) Boots
I'm making an AOTC guard with leather boots,so I can't help you much with that.The importance of the color is so that everything looks the same color.The height of the boots doesn't matter much as most of them won't be seen,mine just reach mid-leg and they're good.

B5.) Gloves
Check with other vendors and ask other guys of your garrison as with the bucket and robes.Mine were made by the vendor that made my robes.

Good luck with the build!

[OCD_Chad]

https://www.forcepike.net/forum/viewtop ... =13&t=3480

That has my shoulder pad configuration in it. I will get some pictures of it.

[Arminius]

That padding looks really good,I might make a similar one later

[Axiscommander]

For my costume, i just purchased the Guard set from Imperial Boots, had a friend adjust the Hems to length, but that velvet material was horrible to sew. However if you wish to build your own from scratch, hats off to you and good luck.

for my Helmet, I had a Lukannon helmet. It is a beautiful thing.

all approved no hassles

[Crimson8]

My guard has double velvet crimson outer robes.
Inner robe is burgundy broadcloth
Sash is same material including centre strip and fastens with Velcro
Boots from sovereign boots
Shoulder padding made by seamstress as a separate vest to wear under outer robes.
Gloves are different for me as it’s a AOTC Guard

[Erice3339]

Does anyone else have any other experiences adding padding to the costume that gives it a bit more of a subtle look?

It seems you’ve been given good advice on padding thus far, but seeing as I personally had the most difficulty getting the padding look right, I thought I might offer my two cents for what little it may be worth. Originally, I did overdo it with the football padding, but I’m happy with the end result after some additional modification earlier last month.

If nothing else, the football padding can give you a platform to attach/subtract padding as you please since attaching padding to the robes themselves is perhaps arguably ill-advised, if not just more difficult. What I mean is that layers of the football padding can be removed until it’s just a padded vest of sorts that is comparably thinner than the factory default set of football pads. In other words, it’s modular whereas a tailored padded vest or something custom to that effect may be more costly/troublesome to modify after-the-fact. It’s a matter of preference in the end.

The set I used (linked in my build thread) is too bulky as it comes, but one can easily cut off the attached shoulder padding which is just strapped on with fabric webbing. I eventually did so myself. I think the subtraction of the uppermost shoulder padding gave a more subtle appearance as you are after, but you can decide for yourself of course. There are before and after pictures in my thread (i.e. two separate posts). I also used packing foam and industrial velcro to fill in gaps between the robes and helmet by using the stripped football pads as a base for the velcro. Worst-case scenario, even if it doesn’t work out, the football padding was $20 USD which is reasonably cheap in this hobby; not much risk involved in the padding.

As for the other components of the costume, I went the Imperial Boots route. I am happy with their products but might recommend you acquire the outer robes elsewhere or craft them yourself if you’re up to it. Let me or others here know if you have any more questions or want elaboration. Best of luck to you!