Alien Captain Dallas costume

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I've been a life-long fan of the Alien movies and the Alien universe in general. As such, I've decided I need to make myself a costume from that universe. Being a bearded man, Captain Dallas was the most natural fit for me. Though I would love a totally screen-accurate costume, my approach with the project is more that I am looking to have something that can be worn and used without falling apart. I want details to be functional and real, not made of paper mache and glue.

Research

I came across the website Other Worlds Designs, and they've got a lot of great resources on the costumes in Alien. Of course, The RPF has some great threads as well. I've linked some of the most useful bit below:

Notes

Jacket

  • The base jacket used for the Nostromo crew is an RAF MK3 cold weather jacket.
    • There is a lot of debate as to what color the jacket should be. Apparently they came in green, grey, and even "wine" (purple taupe?) colors. Most costumers seems to dye their jackets with a grey/blue mixture.
  • The webbing on the jackets is taken from a US G-4A/G-4B or UK EFA-10 flight suit.
    • This is also the base for Ripley's coveralls.
  • The font used for the "NOSTROMO" on the back of the jackets is called Pump Bold.

Tidbits from RPF:

  • "For the benefit of those reconstructing the Dallas jacket, here's another photo of the rear panel unzipped. The zipper is 11 inches long, the lacing just over 8 inches."
  • "This is what Bob Burns told me about the back lettering on his SU Kane jacket: 'the letters on the back of the jacket is the N is 1 3/4' tall and 1 3/8" wide. The total width of the letters is 13 1/2" across from the start of the N to the end of the O'."
  • "The MK3 jackets worn by Kane and Dallas are original blue/grey issue jackets (22C/2574), the colour when viewed in daylight is as above, it is also described correctly as purple taupe on a colour chart. All RAF flight gear from that period was blue/grey in colour, 1947 to 1969. The green MK3 jackets started to appear in service 1967-1968, this was due to the adoption of Nato standardization in 1963."


Shirt


Pants

  • Common base for costuming is white Dickie's painter pants.


Shoes

  • The base shoe appears to be a hi-top PF Flyer, though many costumers seem to go with Converse Chuck Taylors (or knock-offs).
    • Any all-white hi-top with a flat sole would likely do just as well if you're planning on making modifications to them.


Watch

  • The base watch worn by the crew is a Casio F-100.

Resources / Media

Build Log

2017-9-15

  • I bought an RAF MK3 jacket through eBay.
    • It was listed as "British RAF Aircrew Cold Weather MK3 Jacket" for about $70.
    • I selected the "Grey" option in a size 8.


2017-9-18

  • I purchased my shoes from eBay, described as "PF Flyers Center Hi White MC2001WT", for $40.


2017-9-21

  • I currently own a set of Ripley patches, but not Dallas'.
    • I bought both a 'jacket' and a 'shirt' set of patches for around $20 each on eBay.
  • Shoes arrived and they look great.
    • Took "before" photos.
    • Removed rubber "P.F. Flyers" badge from side of shoe.
    • Made a brief attempt to remove the green rubber "PF" badge on the heel of the sole, but decided to keep it.
    • Next, I plan to paint the blue and red stripes on the back of the heel white. After that, I'll be satisfied enough with the shoes to consider additional work on them a low priority.


2017-9-22

  • Purchased a DecoFabric white fabric marker to cover the stripes on the shoes.
  • Applied first coat to stripes on shoes.


2017-9-23

  • Applied second coat to shoe stripes with fabric marker.
  • Applied third coat to shoes with fabric marker.


2017-9-24

  • Purchased a white Sharpie oil-based paint marker. On Amazon
  • Applied first coat to shoe stripes with Sharpie.


2017-9-25

  • Due to not being able to find them in any stores and wanting to be fairly accurate to the costume, I purchased some plain white boxers online. On Amazon
  • Also, since I couldn't find a t-shirt/under shirt in the right shade of green, and not wanting to mess around with dyeing one, I purchased one online. On Amazon
  • RAF MK3 jacket arrived today. It fits well and looks in great shape. According to the tag inside, it was made in 2000.
    • Though described as grey, this is definitely a shade of green to my eyes. I may dye it, but not until later.
    • Took "before" photos.
  • Applied second coat to shoe stripes with Sharpie.
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