Battlefront Darktrooper Armour
I first wore this Darktrooper Armour (“Phase Zero” version, from the original Star Wars: Battlefront video games) at the Auckland Armageddon Expo in October of 2017. It is made by Oota Goota Workshop, and this particular kit was the prototype iteration, first of the production line, so to speak (read more about Oota Goota Workshop at their Facebook page, and about the construction of the armour on the SWNZ Message Boards). The weapons (MG-34 and E-11) are also made by Oota Goota.
The Phase Zero Darktroopers first showed up in the classic Battlefront I and II games in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Unlike the Phase I-III Darktroopers in the Dark Forces video game, Phase Zero Darktroopers weren’t droids, but were in fact aged clonetroopers who had been cybernetically enhanced. The design is loosely based on classic stormtroopers, but, as well as the obvious colour difference and the addition of a jet-pack, it is a lot bulkier and heavy-set.
Almost all of this darktrooper costume is made from vac-formed plastic (styrene), including the backpack. It is very lightweight and generally comfortable (compared to some of my costumes) to wear. We rigged it together fairly quickly so as to be able to debut it at the Auckland Armageddon convention, but it was basically assembled in the same manner as standard stormtrooper armour, so the build wasn’t complicated. Being surprisingly lightweight, it was easy to wander around the large indoor and outdoor areas of the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane – while doing so, I was photographed by Nathan Fillion (of Firefly and Castle fame), who was in attendance as a celebrity guest, and although I didn’t find out until someone spotted it online, that photo was shared on Nathan’s Instagram and Facebook pages.
A full gallery of photos taken so far is below. I look forward to my next public trooping event in this unique armour 🙂
Battlefront Darktrooper Armour Gallery:
