Darth Vader

This is the picture that was on ebay, as you can see it was looking a bit worse for wear. 

Having cleaned it and striped all the paint off I did a test fit of parts. The legs are held together with masking tape at this point. 

Step one of getting the legs back on. This gives you an idea of how it had been cut, glued back together a centimetre at a time and using a hair dryer to soften the vinyl to make it easier to manipulate. 

I strengthened the joins on the inside with cyanoacrylate soaked cotton tape which dries rock hard. 

I didn't want to just paint the helmet, I wanted real depth to the finish so I covered it with multiple layers of cyanoacrylate and left it to dry overnight. 

A few hours spent sanding it with 800, 1200 and 2000 grit wet and dry. 

It took about an hour to finish it using some Autosol metal polish. It gives a nice effect and I'm really pleased how it turned out. 

Another test fit, this time with the completed lower torso and legs and the arms tacked on with a tiny drop of glue. The DVD box gives you an idea of just how big this thing is! 

All primed and ready for painting. 

Very happy with the repairs on the legs. The join line is dead centre in this photo. 

Using my makeshift miniature lathe to turn some custom parts. 

Did some work on the control boxes for the Darth Vader figure, the red lights, red bezels and silver bezels were turned on my drill. It's not finished yet, still have to line everything up properly and glue it.  

Really pleased with the belt boxes, built the rears up with milliput and then spent a few hours sanding. 

Did a bit of work on the chest box. New "coin slots" were made and I cut down the two parts next to them and added some plasticard to better define the edges. 

Left arm done! 

Legs are now finished, I used a matt (more like satin) car spray from a pound shop, used Humbrol Clear on the shin armour and Revell matt black acrylic on the cape.  

The helmet is mounted using magnets so it can be displayed with it off. I used Tamiya's gunmetal and Revell's gloss black acrylic for the head and chest armour.  

?I turned some acrylic rod to make the two "tusks". 

After priming I brush painted on thin coats of Revell black acrylic. 

Fresh off the production line!? 

?I'm using a pen and it's lid to make the lightsaber. 

?This was stage one completed.? 

?Stage two done. The little pieces will be glued on once the lightsaber is fitted to Darth's hand. 

I sanded some red rod and fitted to the pen's inner liner, I added some thin strips to ensure a good friction fit.? 

Can't wait to get this painted! 

Primer on, just a few things to tidy up. 

The chrome is aluminium foil applied with double sided tape. First coat of black on. 

I made the "bubble display" with drops of krystal Klear on clear plastic card. 

Starting to come together now. 

This shows how undersized the original lightsaber was. (What's left of it) 

The cape chain glued to his chest. 

Helmet foam for a snug fit. The circle of foam in the middle sits on a magnet that lines up with a magnet in his head to keep it in place. 

The buckle and boxes are now fitted. 

Corrected one of the buttons by repainting it gloss black. 

Finished!