Tis the season to start thinking about what you’re going to be for Halloween. Even if you’re not going to go all out, there’s always the cheap plastic mask route. And if you’re willing to put some work into it, even those can end up looking like masterful costumes. Artist Steven Richter turned four cheap Star Wars masks into creations that would make any cosplayer proud.
First up is the iconic Boba Fett from The Empire Strikes Back. Richter uses a Jango Fett base and adds the right colors and textures. As well as the dent and peeling paint, of course. There’s also a Chewbacca mask. Honestly, it’s soullessly creepy at the start. But with some airbrushing around the mouth and layers of fur added with a hot glue gun, it turns into a masterpiece.
Darth Maul and Jar Jar Binks round out the video. The changes to Maul are subtle, but the “after” version definitely looks more menacing. Amazing what getting the black to red ratio right, and covering up the teeth, can do. As for Jar Jar, Richter changed the nostril shape, which is actually the part you see out of. The paint job makes a huge difference too. Watch all the way to the end for a fun surprise!
This is the third mask upgrade video on Steven Richter’s YouTube channel. Parts one and two focused on pop culture killers, with Pennywise and other horror villains plus The Joker and Thanos. We learned about them all from Geeks Are Sexy.
Richter has also transformed a cheap Baby Yoda toy into a masterpiece with his artistic skills. And done a series of breathtaking sculptures, like Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man. Sometimes he even ruins the detailed builds after, for the sake of the story. These are collected in the Sculpt & Destroy playlist and include those infamous melting faces from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Thanos turning to dust.
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
