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DZ - Denizen of the Empire - Tusken Raider
 
501st Legion Krayt Clan: http://www.kraytclan.com.

For help with this costume, please contact: TK-4918
 
"Covered from head-to-foot in tattered rags and robes, Tusken Raiders -- or Sand People as they are also known -- brandish a deadly bladed club known as a gaderffii. They also carry projectile rifles with which to shoot at passing vehicles. The male of the species tend to be the aggressors. Females can be distinguished by their elaborate jeweled masks with eyeslits and torso-covering sand-shrouds. Tusken children wear unisex cowls and simple cloaks."
 
The Head
 
Under mask: There are a few different makers here, easiest is to Google for it.
 
Facial parts: Here you can go two ways, buy a resin kit or make the parts yourself. I actually did both, but stayed with the resin kit since I had problems finding the correct tubes for the eyes.
 
Wrapping (cloth): DO try to find colored, heavier cloth for this. You will never get the correct color/feel if you use white bedsheets and then try to color them after attaching them...
 
Wrapping (leather): Look in the surplus box at any cloth supplier, I paid about 10 SEK for all the leather needed for the face wrapping and the "necklace". Be careful when you wrap the mouth area, specially the inside - I found that to be the hardest part of the entire costume, so take your time!!!
 
The Robes
 
Inner robe: There's a great pattern over at this website that I followed for the inner robe. I used the same heavier cloth as for the head wrapping.
 
Outer robe: I would recommend finding an old hospital blanket, the heavier ones. I'm not sure these are used anymore but could probably be found at military surplus shops around the Nordic countries.
 
The Respirator
 
Let your imagination run free here. I used two caps from spray paint cans. I drilled holes in the centre and then glued them together. Spray painted them with metal paint and then wrapped it in leather. The string around your neck should be made out of metal, but an eletrical chord painted like metal is actually nicer for trooping.
 
Bandoliers
 
There ARE patterns for making these...BUT I would highly recommend buying old military bandoliers. I even think that buying old, used ones actually might be cheaper than getting the materials needed for making new ones (including making them from scratch and weathering them). Once again, stop by your local military surplus store.
 
 
 
 
 
Hands and feet
  
Hands: I found a pair of garden gloves that was about the right color, a bit too light though. I set them in a bucket of VERY strong tea overnight and they got dark enough. Add a sheet of cloth to them that covers your arms up to your elbows which you close with a zipper. Then take wrappings (like the ones on the head) and sew them onto the cloth. This way you don't need to wrap your arms every time it's time to troop.
 
Feet: Same idea as for the hands, but this time I glued wrappings onto a pair of rubber boots.
 
Gaffi stick
 
You can either make one yourself, buy a fan made one or get a real one. This website has description of how to make a Gaffi stick out of plastic, wood etc. There are fan kits on ebay from time to time. You can also buy a real Fiji "war hammer" and add the pike to it. Up to you, but I found it to be real fun making my own.
 
Rifle
 
As with the Gaffi stick you can buy ready made ones, but I used materials laying around the house (suprisingly how much junk can be worth when you find the correct use of it). Follow this website's guides.
 
Weathering
 
"The more the merrier" applies to the Tusken costumes. I looked around for awhile, searching for the best kind of paint to use - finally I found myself dragging the clothes on a dirt road, hitting it with a saw, branches etc and ended it all by pushing it into our barrell where we burn stuff. On the head I used strong coffee to stain it. Use your imagination, and remember that if whatever you use for weathering smells - it doesn't matter, Tuskens are supposed to smell!!!