Not sure- but it wouldn't surprise me!!


Russ

I'm trying to think if the Tom Baker era was particularly rich in mattress-cover monsters (Krynoid, Shrivenzar, Erato) or if he just was such a big chunk of the classic episodes that it only seems that way. 

Heh.  You could be a superhero.  Cosplayman.  "Hmmm...  Such a wonderful old estate.  It reminds me of Marcus Scarman's in 'Pyramids of Mars' and Harrison Chase's from 'Seeds of Doom.'  What's that over there?!  A mummy?!  Wearing a green leafy mattress cover?!  This looks like a job for...."  [Ducks into convenient nearby TARDIS] "...COSPLAYMAN!  Honey, will you take the pictures?  Please?"

Is it The Doctor?
Is it a companion?
Is it a monster?

No, It's all of them...

It's COSPLAY MAN!! 

Love that idea...

Gave me a laugh this morning.         

Cheers!

Russell

                             INTERLUDE 2
                      ___________________________

Hi all.

Well, I have been too busy to do any more work on my season 18 look recently.
But I did want to take some time to look at Tom's season 12 neckerchief in a bit more detail than I did before (way back at the beginning of this thread) for reasons that will become obvious in time. 

(I'm not sure neckerchief is the correct term, but I prefer it, as it distinguishes it from his scarf proper.)

Although I prefer the red cravat, the green neckerchief is without doubt one of the "holy grail" items of Tom Baker cosplay that everyone is looking for, including myself!

The first problem is identifying it, as reference material is really difficult to get, even screen grabs are difficult to examine, as the neckerchief is often hidden by the scarf & cardigan.







It looks to be a long, thin scarf in a green, white & black angular pattern.

As it was (I believe) Tom's own neckerchief, this makes identification even more tricky, but the angular pattern leads most people to conclude that it is a Vera Neumann design.

An internet search shows that replicas are available. I found a couple on Etsy:

Magnoli clothiers do this one for about £45:



And Bob Mitsch (Replica wardrobe) does one for about £75:



Now, I want to be clear that I have no problem with people charging top dollar for their stuff.
Any limited run of a product, especially at these levels of screen accuracy is going to cost money.
Just the time & effort in researching the item will add to the cost, so I think good luck to 'em!!

But... these prices are a bit beyond my means, so I do need to try other avenues.

For me, half the fun is the chase. I love a good rummage around charity/junk shops, or vintage stalls, boot sales- It's one of my favourite things to do- you never know what you might find!

Charity shops in particular, often have a big box full of scarves, often for only a pound or two each, so I always have a look, as you never know....

Also, I take a perverse pleasure in finding stuff that is almost accurate, but not quite.
I actually like a few deviations from 100% screen accuracy, which I feel give my looks some originality, rather than just being an exact copy. (Well, that's my excuse & I'm sticking to it!)

One of the biggest problems is finding a scarf the right shape.
Tom's was very long & thin, whereas most scarves are square, which means they don't hang down the front of the body far enough.

So far, I managed to find 3 green neckerchiefs that would all work with a season 12 cosplay:



However, recently I found this one for £1 in a charity shop:





It's the most accurate one I have managed to find so far.
Pluses include the black, white & green stripes look good, plus the scarf is long.
Minuses include the pattern has dots on it & the bottom is cut straight, whereas Tom's looks like the ends come to a point.

However, once it's on, I think it looks pretty good:



I hope you all found this little segue interesting.

Any thoughts/comments gratefully received as always.

Regards,

Russell

Greetings!!
Hope you are well.

So... A TARDIS refurb & lovely day out in Arundel gave me the perfect opportunity to take some more pics for my season 18 look.

We are talking about the coat next.
Tom's coat is apparently based on a Russian military greatcoat look, but burgundy.
Some of the ones used had a red lining, another sported a striking emerald green & black lining.

It is the first truly double breasted coat Tom has worn & has a huge draping velvet collar.

It is a unique design, almost impossible to find in charity, vintage shops etc.
Some cosplayers buy a military greatcoat which they dye. Others get one especially made, or get one from a cosplay site.

I didn't really want to fork out for a new coat, but I do have a coat I bought from a cosplay site, which was supposed to be the season 13 look, but was much too red & actually, doesn't look too bad as a season 18 stand-in. The collar is nowhere near big enough, but with the scarf over the top, it should be close enough.

There are several examples where Tom goes without his scarf, so we get a good look at the coat.
My favourite scene is from "State of Decay", because I love it when the Doctor used vintage props & in this scene Tom uses a lovely antique extendable telescope to survey his surroundings:









The above reference picture also shows Lalla's costume (which I'm not going to do- don't panic!)
At first glance it looks like a subdued version of her "Nimon" outfit, although closer inspection shows it is quite different.
I'm guessing the cut off trousers were another deliberate attempt to mimic Tom's look?

Here's a couple more of Tom:

 


 

I have to say, the more I cosplay this look, the more I love it...


Regards,


Russell



 

Here's some full length shots I rather liked:













I think the burgundy red looks very striking against the green background.

Hope you like the pics,

Regards,

Russell

The "paisley" pattern you painted upon the vest appears a bit bolder in these cosplay shots compared to the ensemble in the show itself.

But, that's a GOOD thing!  To use Sydney Newman's favorite catchphrase, it makes the outfit "pop" rather than "blend" into an indistinct mass of burgundy.

Translation:  I like your "near enough" better than what we saw in the series!

Sincerely,

Bill

Your best yet? Can't wait to see with the scarf.

That picture of Tom with the telescope is seered into my mind from back in the day. There seemed to be so more going on it than is actually there.

Francïs

Thanks guys.
I was pretty pleased with how the waistcoat turned out & the coat doesn't look too bad. 

Francis:  I think maybe we all remember that pic from State of Decay because it was used for the cover of the audio cassette...



Anyhow, your wish is my command, because in this installment we are going to talk scarf.

The season 18 scarf is made of chenille, which is a yarn difficult to source & knit, but it is lighter & cooler than ordinary yarn.

It is mostly burgundy & purple, & knitted in a regular pattern to match the look of the rest of the outfit.

The pattern & construction tips can be found on doctorwhoscarf.com.

There is also a facebook page dedicated to knitting Dr Who scarves, called Stitches in Time.
There's even a facebook group dedicated to the season 18 look!!

I think the scarf looks great, but it is so big, once it's on, you don't really get to see the rest of the costume.



By Logopolis, it had stretched out so much, Tom had to wrap it around himself twice!



There are some great scenes showing Tom wandering around the countryside in "State of Decay"...



And, "Full circle"...



So I popped over to a field in Arundel to see if I could recreate those scenes...











The scarf was knitted for me years ago by an ex student.
It is one of my prized possessions!

Hope you like the pics.

More soon.

Regards,

Russell

Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic. I've always liked Tom's season 18 garb and you look brilliant in it. Good job!

Thanks very much!
I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Hoping to take it for a spin soon if I can get to a convention or show over the summer.

Regards.

Russell

Hey,all. 


The last part of the costume I want to cover is the hat.
This incarnation of the hat is burgundy rough finish rabbit felt, with a smaller brim than the previous hats. It was also supplied by Herbert & Johnson, like the others.

One picture that shows the hat quite well is this one...





Although I was quite shocked when I saw the picture initially, as it really shows how much he aged in the seven years he played the role.
Especially if you compare it with a similar picture taken in one of Tom's first ever photo shoots:



I still feel a bit sad seeing the difference, but it may be due to Tom being unwell during the shooting of season 18...

Even so....give us a smile, Tom!!



That's better!!



It's worth mentioning that Tom only ever wears this hat in the first serial of season 18, "Leisure Hive."
I always think cosplayers look more authentic when they choose not to wear it.

The one I used for the pics is a purple hat I found in a charity shop.
It's not very accurate, but it will do for the photos.
I didn't want to spend a lot of time or money finding a super-accurate one, as whenever I use this cosplay I'll be  going without the hat anyway, as it looks more correct to me.

Anyhow,here's a final set of pics, with the hat, to finish this section off:


"Oh look! A hat!!"



"What do you think?"



"Hmmm...Not sure it's really me... Might give it a miss...."



"Byyyeee Byyyyeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!"




So, that's the costume breakdown completed.

I think I'll have a little rest, then take a look at some specific episodes.

Thanks for looking in.

All the best,

Russell

How about if the hat is pulled further down at the front to create more of a 'brooding' Tom?!

Worth a try...

I'm going to recreate some scenes from "Leisure Hive" next, so you'll be seeing a fair bit more of the hat before it's retired for good!!


Regards,

Russell

Hey Russell i adore your dedication to this love your pics keep going top.job my friend 😀👍👍👍