With season three of The Mandalorian out today, we thought we’d take a look back at one of our favourite projects—refurbishing Stormtrooper armour!
For those who enjoy cosplaying, or even those with an attraction featuring costumed figures, you will find that quality is lost over time. Wear and tear from continued use can mean maintenance is often needed, and this can get pricey!
Sometimes, a great solution is to weather the costume, so it looks worn down in a way that suits the story you’re trying to tell. In the case of this Stormtrooper armour, which was brought to us when it started to yellow from age, we weathered it down so it matched the new Remnant Troopers from The Mandalorian.
To do this, we gave the armour a thorough clean, then we gradually built up layers of ‘dirt and damage’ with paint. Spray paint allowed us to create gradients where the ‘in-story’ paint job on the armour might have worn away over time. Then, we painted more immediate damage by hand, including scrapes and marks from laser blasts.
Of course, this approach is transferable for the attractions we work on too. Careful weathering techniques allowed us to make the costumes in this ghost train refurbishment look well-worn in a way that enhanced the story and didn’t come across as being too messy. Professional weathering helps costumes appear purposely themed and seamlessly connected to a fictional world—rather than just neglected (something you want to avoid!).
Get in touch if you would like professional assistance with weathering techniques! Of course, Dead Walk Designs also specialises in tidy aesthetics too, with plenty of experience working on bars and sleek family attractions—whatever your needs, let us know!
