Mike's Cad Bane

[CadBane3]

So, I've been slowly working on a Cad Bane after recently watching all of the Clone Wars and just loving his character more and more (it's that voice!). It appears there are only a very small handful of Cad Banes in the legion and no official CRL, although one has been submitted, so how hard could it be. The answer is very. It is very hard. I have been talking with the bounty hunter GML and was encouraged to start a build thread on the BHG forum, which is why I am starting it here. I find our forum a little easier to use and then I can cut and paste over there. I have been patterning my build after what Nightshine did on the BHG forum, as her build is the bible for this character and her finished product is exactly what I want to accomplish. She also has been nice enough to answer questions when I hit walls. Yea, for people being friendly!

So, as I've done quite a bit while toiling away on my own, I will put up the pieces I have finished, or gotten close to finishing with how I did them.

[carpe mindiem]

Awesome! Can't wait to see this one come together!

[CadBane3]

The first thing I started on was a satchel. First time using leather, make a box. Couldn't be that hard. So, I went to Tandy Leather and bought a whole distressed pig. Too bad the yummy inner parts were removed, but whatevs. To start, I built a pattern for what I would need:

20170930_130458 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

20170930_130810 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Are the dimensions and measurements right? I don't know. It's a cartoon. I'm doing the best I can here!

For this part, I did twice the thickness because chicks don't dig a saggy satchel! Keep that thing tight!

20170930_192341 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Punch dem holes!

20171001_113519 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Magnets for all the things!

20171004_093930 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Mostly finished:

20171004_145747 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

First bit of paint:

20171013_171231 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

I have since added the strap and added magnets to keep it closed. Didn't take photos. I have some finalizing to do until I am happy with the paint and I am hoping to have some help with that this week.

[CadBane3]

Well, let's see, what's next. Well, you can't be a blue alien without a mask. I know nothing about making masks, so I found one I will be using on Etsy. I have another on order from a dude on Facebook, but don't have it yet. I liked the possible facebook one because it has air hoses already attached and I'm become quite fond of breathing. This mask is great, but air flow is difficult.

Since I had the mask, I started on the hat. Mostly because I had most of a pig laying around and that looks tasty for my beagle, Sherman. Last thing I need is to be picking up piles of distressed pig in the yard! So onward I marched! First step is figuring out how large it needs to be. Cad's hat is enormous! I bought some 5 mm foam board and started figuring stuff out.

This is about what I came up with. About the size of my shoulders and slightly oval.

20170930_222850 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

I then covered it with leather on the top:

20171001_122824 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

I don't know if you've ever built a hat, but it is a b... rather difficult task. I had to steal my 6th grader's compass and protractor to chart where the slope of the hat needs to be to build the upper part (don't know what it's called). It ends up being a very lazy L shape or something.

20171008_165934 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

I then cut the shape out of 3 mm foam and wrapped it in pig leather.

20171010_143027 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Used 3 mm foam for the decorative "metal" part:

20171012_210133 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

As well as the strap:

20171014_114223 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

I then painted it very poorly, accepted my limitations as an artist, and got Josh Scott to come over and paint it like a pro!

20171020_190531 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Very happy with how it came out! I do run into every door jam I encounter with it on though...

[CadBane3]

Well, well, well, what's next? I suppose the breather thingy (technical term). This was a fun bit and I differed from the existing builds in that I used a rubber fuel hose with larger pieces of rubber hose around it. My mask is sealed at the point where this would attach, so it's not like I can insert fans for precious life giving oxygen (overrated), so having it be sealed up and attached with magnets seemed like the way to go.

20171003_133259 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Then, I had to build the thing that goes on his back (air filtration system? I dunno). I used PVC pipe, cork, 3 mm craft foam, more pipe and then covered all that stuff with Worbla!

20171004_142918 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

20171004_155204 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

I've never used Worbla before but this stuff is magic! I love it!

Then, for the ends of my breather, I glued a magnet to a piece of pipe and then covered it with more Worbla!

20171005_153019 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

20171005_153824 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

I can insert a magnet through the mouth of the mask and it will hook up with the magnet on the end of my breather, and viola! It stays in place! I may end up gluing the magnet in once I'm done but this process works for now.

20171005_155348 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Here's what it looked like before plasti-dip and paint:

20171006_155802 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

And this one I painted myself:

20171008_160745 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Here's about where we are with the top part (note the hat has since been painted better).

20171014_171523 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

I may add some Velcro to the part of the filter thing that sits on my back to give it a little added support when I am trooping. A problem for another day.

[CadBane3]

Next, I started on his ankle boosters. These have an entry all their own as they were quite fun to make. For these, I used PCV pipe, the little protectors that go on the bottom of chair legs so they don't scratch your floor, a ping pong ball, nut and bolt, and WORBLA!

20171007_112330 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

20171007_112453 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

This is me figuring out how the Worbla needs to be shaped in order to make the exhaust:

20171007_115809 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

All the pieces together:

20171007_122327 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

I also glued a magnet to the side of them and then Worbla'd the whole thing:

20171007_135613 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

They actually stick to stuff!

20171007_135626 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

A spot of paint and I was ready to move on:

20171008_140020 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

[CadBane3]

Shoes. Oh, the shoes. This is going to be the part that makes the costume unapprovable, I am certain. Now think about it. This is a cartoon! He gets his shoes drawn on. I have ugly, old man, runner feet and need to be able to take a shoe on and off. Also, the submitted CRL says there cannot be a heel (which I didn't notice until I started, so I decided to power on and see what I came up with). Since noticing that in the submitted CRL, I have been on the hunt for men's shoes with no heel and cannot find much outside of sneakers. Perhaps I need to just shave the heel off. I don't know. Any ideas are welcome. But anyway, all this rambling. Here is what I came up with:

The shoe needs to have three layers or raised leather areas. So, I started with a pattern:

20171007_145641 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Having a bit of pig laying around, I started building them and gluing them in:

20171008_120618 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Expert level cheat advice, at this point, I sunk a magnet in to the leather that will come into play once they are done and I'm adding my rocket boosters:

20171008_122840 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

All three layers:

20171011_145343 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

I then took them to a shoe guy and had him install a zipper into the back. Again, probably not approvable with the zipper, but it's not physically possible to get them on and off without it. I then added the six circles on each side, dark gray paint to the top and the silver around the bottom as well as the metal plates (more Worbla) on the back (attached with Velcro). My rocket boosters can be removed and then added back on with the magnets.

20171020_121822 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

20171020_121826 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

20171020_121839 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

Maybe I need to build a piece to cover the zippers in the back. They aren't really noticeable once the metal plates are on, but again, I am concerned these will not pass and will need to be rebuilt (somehow).

[Beckett]

Chris Stevens makes a great Cad Bane also. Great work this far. Awesome character

[Beckett]

There’s a girl named Rachel Hanks, out of Wisconsin that had an ICREDIBLE cad Bane at Celebration

[CadBane3]

Holster. I admit. I have a belt guy. I think everybody in this hobby needs a belt guy. Mine is Delta Leatherworks out of Poland and he is the bomb. He made me a Cobra Commander belt and I inquired if he could make me a Cad Bane holster, and boy, did my friend Mike deliver! Caveat, it was expensive. Having it in hand, it was worth every penny as I am certain I couldn't have come near the quality that he did. Here it is:

20171030_174023 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

And you can see my beautiful pair of blasters in the holster (why, thank you for admiring them). These were an Etsy find. They are a toy that the guy painted for me. I have added a magnet to them and then added a magnet to the back side of the holster so that they actually stay in place. I also added foam to where they go in the holster as they wanted to move around too much for my liking.

20171030_174049 by Michael Halstead, on Flickr

[CadBane3]

Chris Stevens makes a great Cad Bane also. Great work this far. Awesome character

Thanks Josh! Yes, Chris Stevens is where I have the other one on order and he assures me that I am next in line to be made. He is also making my hands with the fingertips I need. I'll have to build the leather gloves as the ones he sends are latex or silicone, but that shouldn't be too hard, I hope!

[CadBane3]

There’s a girl named Rachel Hanks, out of Wisconsin that had an ICREDIBLE cad Bane at Celebration

I believe Rachel is Nightshine. She is who has been helping me and I have most of her pictures printed out and strewn about my desk. If she goes missing, I'll have some awkward questions to answer...

[Lidocaine]

Wow! I'm super jealous Cad Bane always seemed so hard to pull off, and you're rockin' it so far!

It'll be pretty cool to have one of a handful of Cad's in the legion when you finish. Although I don't think Cad and Boba really got along all that great in the later years...

Delta13Mike does great belt work too, my Boba belt is his and it's fantastic! Between D13M, Darman and our own Brian P. there's some great leather belt resources in the legion.

[CadBane3]

So, I am currently working on the duster and light jacket and the chaps. I believe I have all the parts I need and I just need the time to put them together and get them to where I like what I'm seeing. Not having a sewing machine is hindering my progress at this point.

The chaps will be made up of a standard pair of jeans (that are nearly too comfortable to cut up!) and I've bought some "Asian Clubbing Pants", no lie, that is what the label says (direct from China). They are leather and really tight on my "American office worker thighs and calves," but I think I can make them work. Cad's pants are actually pretty form fitting and having them tight will help me keep them tucked into my boots. I need to get some dye so that they can transition from blue at the top to a reddish color at the bottom and then I need to sew the two things together to create the chaps. That will probably take a few weeks.

Then, regarding the duster and light jacket, I bought a jacket that should work and is in need of heavy alterations as well as a good deal of paint. Too many alterations to show it off now. So...much...work...to...do... I'm still not convinced it will work and may need to scrap it and make the two from scratch. We'll see.

I also need the gauntlets and I purchased the Fierfek pepakura files for that and have commissioned a dude on Etsy to print them out and he is currently doing so. He assures me they will be shipped within the next two weeks. I think all us cosplayers have heard that before and know it means six months more... LOL Anyway, I am hopeful that they will look good, fit, and be usable once received. No promises there.

Then I need the fingertips and gloves and I think I have the costume all put together and ready for feedback and alteration suggestions from the GML. I'll add up some more photos as I go and as I finish these last few, but arguably the largest, items.

Any feedback, questions, critique, is certainly welcomed!

[daryldoak]

Looks fantastic!  Fabricating from scratch, very awesome work.