Medicom Darth Vader v1 Suit Issues

[t1mmer59]

Re: Medicom Darth Vader

Thanks as well "JKNO"! I tried posting images from Image Shack last night. When I went to post, it said that it was waiting for moderator approval.

 

[jkno]

Maybe it is because you are a new member. Just wait a bit and I'm sure the post will be showing up here fine .

 

[Shropt]

New members can't post images until they've made either 5 or 15 posts (sorry, can't remember). Just make a few more posts and they will appear.

 

[jkno]

I thought so. He could indeed make a few more posts and then show us the pictures. The problem with pleather suits is that they can rot or peel in time. Wish companies would use real leather or at least to find a way to preserve them more. We already have the problems with the HT rubber bodies, no need for pleather problems too.

 

[t1mmer59]

First picture:

Cloth back of body suit after removing pleather peel, along with shoulder with pleather still attached:

Second picture:

After Mighty Sealer cured, shows flexibility and no degredation, while body suit still retains full retention of original movement.

Third picture:

After five hours of curing, Mighty Sealer has bonded to cloth body suit, and coated it in a flexible rubberized finish.

Only time will tell about the durability of this product.

 

[Shropt]

That looks pretty good. Excellent tip.

 

[jkno]

Indeed!! Really cool job!

 

[MidnightClad]

It actually looks allot better than the original pleather did great job man.

 

[floppy hat jon]

It actually looks allot better than the original pleather did great job man.

Agreed. Going to give this a shot on my deteriorating Vader.

 

[Gipetto0812]

nice job T1mmer59

 

[demorathis]

awesome -- will probably go repair my hasbro vader while I'm at it!

 

[demorathis]

First picture:

Cloth back of body suit after removing pleather peel, along with shoulder with pleather still attached:

Second picture:

After Mighty Sealer cured, shows flexibility and no degredation, while body suit still retains full retention of original movement.

Third picture:

After five hours of curing, Mighty Sealer has bonded to cloth body suit, and coated it in a flexible rubberized finish.

Only time will tell about the durability of this product.

How did you maintain the stripes -- is it a fairly thin liquid before curing or is it viscous ---?

 

[t1mmer59]

Actually, I sprayed it on too thick in places, due to having not used the product in this fashion before. It spurts out of the can rather thickly! Most of the seams showed through on their own, due to the pattern on the body suit, but where it was needed, once dried, a light etching with a dull exacto blade along the seam lines was all that had to be done!

It sprays out with the viscousity of paint initially, but thickens quickly along the spray line.

I have also found that if there are small areas that were missed in the spraying, touching up with a brush is very easy, and it blends in seemlessly with the original spraying.

I would suggest testing light sprays on something until you get a feel for how it coats. While I am very pleased with the outcome, if I had had a "lighter hand" initially, I think I would have been even more pleased with the results.

 

[Niltusk]

Thats actually not a bad patch job Timmer, might try that on Anakin's tabard, at this point I've got nothing to lose, was about to file 13 it anyways.

 

[McHaleyArt]

My Version 1 Medi Vader suit had been peeling pretty bad. I think the 'leather' layer is so thin that after a few years it drys out (even just a little) and any movement or rubbing makes it start to peel. It's a shame because it's a really nice looking suit when it's new.
I picked up a Medi Clone for $30 and decided to use the under-suit for Vader. It's easier to replace the suit for the clone. I thought I would be fine with the 'Matt' look, but it didn't look enough like Vader's style.
I had some Gloss gel that I use for artwork...it's flexible when dry so I tested it on little areas and then coated the whole suit.

You can thin it with up to 25% water if you wanted to dull it a bit, but I found that using it at 100% looked the best. Easiest thing to do is use a 1/4" flat brush and apply a thin, even coat. Don't over brush or it could get goopy in spots. It's also easiest to brush it on when it's on the body. You can use your Medi Body...I used an Enterbay bod I had laying around...it's a stretch for the suit that's already not as roomy as the original Vader suit.
You can see the difference when the gel is applied:

It's not as 'Puffy" as the Original Vader suit, but it looks more like Vader than before.
We'll see if it stands the test of time. I handled it pretty roughly when I was putting on the boots and gloves and it held up very nicely.

 

[jkno]

Very interesting

 

[kl241]

That looks incredible!

 

[swsqueakquels]

Brilliant! And the fabric is still pretty pliable?

 

[Gipetto0812]

that looks awesome! what body is he on? Aldo did you do any other mods to the figure? that's the best I've seen the medi Vader before

 

[McHaleyArt]

Brilliant! And the fabric is still pretty pliable?

Yep. Very much so.