Begins Closet - overhead lighting

[gregday]

Working on installing the overhead lighting today. It's far from complete, but I just couldn't resist a test. This sets the mood perfectly and I really cannot wait to get the new cowl up.

http://themisc.com/~gregday/lit1.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/lit2.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/lit3.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/lit4.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/lit5.jpg




And yeah, I want to eventually make it so the light fades on when the doors open.

Oh yeah I realize I'm missing one Batarang on the right side. I need one more magnet to build that final mount.

[Nightwing1977]

How the heck some of you guys make the costume & closet so good like the movie?? I wish I have one. If only I could pay someone to make one for me. I doubt I can afford or even know how to created the costume. Even if I follow the instructions. Some people don't have the talent for that, especially moi. ;) :oldrazz:

[gregday]

Did a few test pics with the Utility Belt to see how it shines, and it looks just fantastic too.

http://themisc.com/~gregday/litwbelt.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/litwbelt2.jpg

And I've been snapping tons of photos of it last night and today to try to capture just the right angle and lighting. There are so many shadows and shapes here!

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman100707/pictures/picture-1.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman100707/pictures/picture-2.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman100707/pictures/picture-5.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman100707/pictures/picture-6.jpg

[gregday]

Tweaked the lighting a bit more...

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman101007/pictures/picture-3.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman101007/pictures/picture-4.jpg

[TheShadow]

dusty

[gregday]

dusty

It's actually not dusty at all. The urethane suit is not a pure black (nothing really is), and with the light bulbs shining right down above it, it looks quite chalky grey, but in person it's a very slick looking dark black. Sometimes almost wet looking. The lighting makes all the difference, but, no, there's no dust. One of the reasons for building the batsuit closet was to keep dust off the goods and for that it works quite well :)

BTW, last night I wired up a pressure switch to the power running to the overhead lights and installed it in the door hinge. So now when you open the doors, the lights fade on, and when you close them, they fade off, all automatically. No button pushing required :)

[Bat-Mite]

Have you ever put the costume on, or is it strictly for decorative purposes?

[gregday]

Have you ever put the costume on, or is it strictly for decorative purposes?

Mostly decorative :)

But I can't resist occasionally slipping on the gloves and gauntlets and practicing swordplay though.

[Fledermaus]

That's f#cking awesome.

[gregday]

A few action shots...

[IzzyJG99]

You really need a more healthy hobby...

[SalaciousVC]

A few action shots...

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman/pictures/picture-27.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman/pictures/picture-28.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman/pictures/picture-24.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman/pictures/picture-23.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman/pictures/picture-25.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman/pictures/picture-26.jpg

u should make a fan film :/

[Cobblepot]

Looks great!

[gregday]

Well, the new cowl and undersuit are in the works. But this weekend I threw together a simple cape. It's not electrostatically flocked parachute silk like the real thing, but it's very light, a bit soft, and very, very dark. Instead of cutting it into sectioned panels and sewing them together, I took a piece about 6 feet long and about 9 feet wide and folded it in half, then cut out the entire bat wing shape from a single piece of cloth. Today, I punched in some brass rings so I could hang the cape up.

I'll try to get pictures later of the entire bat shaped wingspan, but first I want to sew up the hem.

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman110407/pictures/picture-5.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman110407/pictures/picture-21.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman110407/pictures/picture-22.jpg

[Cobblepot]

That's a great looking cape.

[Nightwing1977]

:( :(

[Eternalzero]

Working on installing the overhead lighting today. It's far from complete, but I just couldn't resist a test. This sets the mood perfectly and I really cannot wait to get the new cowl up.

http://themisc.com/%7Egregday/lit1.jpg

http://themisc.com/%7Egregday/lit2.jpg

http://themisc.com/%7Egregday/lit3.jpg

http://themisc.com/%7Egregday/lit4.jpg

http://themisc.com/%7Egregday/lit5.jpg




And yeah, I want to eventually make it so the light fades on when the doors open.

Oh yeah I realize I'm missing one Batarang on the right side. I need one more magnet to build that final mount.

looks like crap, burn it.

Actually send it to me so I can burn it for you.

[gregday]

Still trying to find the right neck cut length for the cape. Hopefully tonight the hem will be all stitched up.

And here's a few photos of how the cape looks with the suit and the bolt-on cape clips. The cape clips are SLIGHTLY smaller than screen accurate, but replacements are on the way.

In the last 2 photos, the clips are screwed onto the cape's rings, but are just laying against the suit. The correct way to do this is to punch 2 holes in the upper chest and insert the backs of the clip rods into, so that the cape literally screws directly onto the suit. But I just don't know if I can bring myself to punch holes in this gorgeous torso piece.

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batmanbeginscloset%201.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batmanbeginscloset%202.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batmanbeginscloset%203.jpg

[Nightwing1977]

Geez, I would kill anyone to get money to buy those suit or at least steal the suit itself. :joker: :woot:

[gregday]

Working on the undersuit right now, but it occurred to me I've never checked out how the armor looks with full length arms. So I used some ghetto method to attach the gauntlets to the ends of the torso upper arms, and it's still a tiny bit short for a normal person but looks almost right. I have to say it works out great, and I just can't wait to get the undersuit in place.

http://themisc.com/~gregday/bbarmtest.jpg

[gregday]

If you were to sell chest pieces like that, how much would you charge?

Looks cool.

I didn't sculpt this one, but the artist who did charged me close to $400 for it.

If I were to sell mine, I'd have to ask for much more than that :) Unlike a lot of latex suit pieces out there, this is a durable urethane that will last much longer.

[gregday]

Bob Dullam sculpted it.

[gregday]

I had 2 jobs tonight. First, wash the inside of the torso with soap & water, then alcohol, and then fill it the cavities with 10x expanding Smooth-On FoamIT expanding foam. That went surprisingly well. The foam expanded inside the chest and torso area and filled it out nicely. Now the reverse side is a bit more even and ready for the undersuit attachment. But more importantly, the suit isn't as "soft" when you push against it. It has quite a bit more resistance and is closer to feeling like "armor."

Job 2 was to drench the exterior in Armor All and give it a nice polish. It's really hard to tell from this picture alone, except on the shoulders. But the suit now has a nice shine. It looks smooth and clean, but not wet or oily.

http://themisc.com/~gregday/polished.jpg

Bonus shot - my friend wearing the new cape. Got the hem all sewn up and I really like the single cloth approach. No unsightly seams or lines running down it. And true to the Begins style, it's much longer on the ends than in the center. Still smaller than screen accurate, but seriously they used over a dozen differently sized capes in Begins depending on the scene.

http://themisc.com/~gregday/IMG_0013.JPG

[悪魔天]

Great job!

[gregday]

I'd never really put the belt up with the torso before, since I don't have the leg armor, an undersuit, or a mannequin form. But I rigged up something long enough to get some pictures and I think it works pretty well.

The belt is a BA bronze one. It's nice, but I wish it curved a bit better.

http://themisc.com/~gregday/suitwithbelt%201.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/suitwithbelt%202.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/suitwithbelt%203.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/suitwithbelt%204.jpg

[Bnightwing]

Is all that real like i mean i s the belt not plastic or the batarangs arent plastic if so where did you get them? and do you have the replica grappling guns?

[gregday]

Yep, it's pretty real. The suit is urethane and next week I'll have a neoskin bodysuit attached under it. Between the armor and the bodysuit, a layer of durable, flexible foam for padding and rigidity.

The belt is not 100% metal, but a combination of metal, bronze resin composite, and of course the neodymium magnets all around it to hold things on. On the back of the belt is nylon, a layer of imitation leather, and a 12 kiloNewton pull strength climbing buckle. No plastic.

The Batarangs are as real as it gets. They are 1/4" solid steel, laser cut on a CNC. They are sharp, they are heavy, they are dangerous. And I love em to death. Ain't nothing like the feeling of a cold steel batarang in your grip to get the heart racing :)

The Grapple Gun has a working slide and removable monofilament cable clip, but otherwise it's just a static prop. The trigger doesn't even move :) The 3-prong spear dart though is completely real, all metal, disassembles into 8 separate components.

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman111807/pictures/picture-35.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman111807/pictures/picture-36.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman111807/pictures/picture-37.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman111807/pictures/picture-38.jpg

Where did I get it all... tough question. Some I made, some I bought and most of it I've modified. There's no single source. It's taken me over 2 years to put this together, and I'm not done yet.

[Puddin]

Well I've pooped all over myself with glee, so I'd say good job. Can't wait to see it once you get everything together.

[Bnightwing]

lol you dont even know where you got the grapple and batarangs? lol i hate being young with no job cause i want some stuff (not too much ) but by the time i get to spend my cash on what i wanted for one thing this stuff will be VERY expensive but you always cant get what you want can ya?

[gregday]

Undersuit all done ans armor attached :)

http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4246.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4241.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4245.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/batsuit.jpg
http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4227.JPG

[Nightwing1977]

That should be in my bedroom, gregday. Seriously!! :p :D

[gregday]

lol you dont even know where you got the grapple and batarangs? lol i hate being young with no job cause i want some stuff (not too much ) but by the time i get to spend my cash on what i wanted for one thing this stuff will be VERY expensive but you always cant get what you want can ya?

The batarangs were made by a guy who goes by the name synasp at the Replica Prop Forum.

The Grapple was made by jmtwo/Blue Door Productions. He can be reached at grapplebats@aol.com

[gregday]

The new shelves came in today and will be installed tonight. These are 99% movie accurate and 1/4" steel all around. Very, very heavy.

[gregday]

New custom fabricated shelves. All steel, very heavy and strong. Painted and installed tonight.

http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4275.JPG

http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4277.JPG

http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4272.JPG

http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4288.JPG

http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4287.JPG

http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4298.JPG

http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4299.JPG

[Nightwing1977]

How come the back of the batsuit has a zipper in it? I thought the movie one didn't. Unless the zipper was to make it better for you.

Oh, can you give me a link to where I can make my own? I never done costume sculpt before, so I don't know if I can do it. And how much it cost to make my own? Seeing as many can't just make the suit & give it to me, so I think I might like to try making my own. But I'm not sure for now.

[gregday]

Um, of course the movie suit has a zipper in it. How else do you think he puts it on? The base of the batsuit is a skin tight neoprene bodysuit. A zipper is the only way it could possibly ever work. Normally people put a hidden black plastic zipper in the back, but I specifically wanted a heavy duty metal zipper for strength. Of course you'd never notice the zipper, because there's also a spinal cord protector piece that runs down the back center covering the zipper. I'll have one on mine too.

It's so hard to remember exactly how much money was spent on pieces, materials, work, to do this. I didn't even sculpt or cast anything, but I've easily spent a few thousand on it. If you plan to make your own, you'll need to learn about 10 new skills -- sculpture, mold making, cast running, anatomy education, fiberglass spinning, metal work and fabric sewing, oh and you'll drop more money that I spent on just raw materials.

I went the "cheap" route and had other people make the hard stuff. I just made a ton of modifications and built the display closet.

[Nightwing1977]

Thanks for answering my question, gregday. I figure they did use a zipper, but you can't see it in the movie compare to the pics you posted. I always assume the upper torso was just put on like putting on a shirt with not seeing the zipper. And seeing as you said it was pretty pricey making my own, I'll stick with the "cheap" route as you said to get the suit & not making it with it being too much more than I could pay. When I feel ready to wear the suit, I'll ask more about it. For now, I'm just going to admire those great costume some can make without stealing it from the set. ;)

[gregday]

Just playing around some more...

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman120907/pictures/picture-5.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/batman120907/pictures/picture-38.jpg

http://themisc.com/~gregday/100_4334.JPG

[gregday]

http://themisc.com/~gregday/bdc.jpg

[Nightwing1977]

I notice there hasn't been any pics of the pants. Are you working on it or anything yet? That would be cool to see. :word:

[gregday]

I notice there hasn't been any pics of the pants. Are you working on it or anything yet? That would be cool to see. :word:

Legs are definitely an option. But a very expensive option. We are talking close to $1000 for making all the armor and bodysuit portions. Also the closet is not really designed to hold legs, the suit hangs too low for that.

[Nightwing1977]

Legs are definitely an option. But a very expensive option. We are talking close to $1000 for making all the armor and bodysuit portions. Also the closet is not really designed to hold legs, the suit hangs too low for that.

Wow. I didn't know the pants are more expensive. I always assume the torso & the cowl are. Interesting to hear about that.

And yeah, I know the pants won't be on the closet, since I know they didn't show it in BB either. I wonder where he put the suit pants though. :p

[tomstoyz2]

Very cool, looks great!!