Below is the finished torso painted black. The logo was
polished and given a true glass smooth finish. So much
so that you can see the reflection of the photographer in it.
Once cast in rubber a slight contrast will appear between
the logo and rest of the surrounding torso.

Batman was introduced to the big screen in 1989 and was
a huge box office and visual success. Sixteen years later
the character was reborn...given new breath….a new
beginning...Batman began once again in 2005.

With this new beginning came a new costume. Armored in
appearance, dark and mean.

Gone is the yellow oval behind the chest logo, and gone
is the heavy leather-like latex cape we’d been used to seeing
with this creature of the night.

This new look is fierce, intimidating and all about getting
down to business. Sleek and symmetrical in design,
almost machined looking in it’s hard cut lines, the Begins
costume design is a true work of art.

The cowl is a direct opposite to the torso. Organic
shapes and soft lines bring out a skull like look to the face
and head area. It also boasts a bulky neck that forces the
appearance of it lunging forward...again, very powerful in
it’s overall image.

Not necessarily an easy costume to replicate, and did take
several attempts before we ultimately ended up with a
finished sculpture that we felt did justice to the movie look.

Below are the various work in progress stages of the torso.
Sculpted with Chavant NSP Soft Oil Clay. The photos of
the black torso seen here are once the sculpture has been
completed and being prepped for molding.

While the torso is sculpted from scratch, this cowl is a
restored copy of one of the movie originals.

We were contacted in late 2005 by a studio licensee
who needed one of their original cowls repaired. Upon
receiving this damaged cowl it was clear that repair
was not possible so a master hard copy was made.
All the damage was tooled out and this was the finished
restored copy sent back.

No details altered in any way.
The restoration was flawless and undetectable in the finished casting.
Damage to the original
was scattered all over the
cowl but the backside
was particularly
noticeable.

It was all chewed up and
clearly had been through
a lot. Our restored copy
was glass smooth all
around and every subtle
detail as the original was.
Our boots are also extremely accurate replicas of the
ones seen on screen.

The Begins boot is very reminiscent of the boots seen
in the 1989 film as those were Nike Air III running
shoes with extended leg and calf areas modifying
itself into a boot, but basically the foot part was a
running shoe.

In the case of these Begins boots, the running shoe
influence is clearly obvious.

Our replica boasts the same embossed detail as the
originals and every detail faithfully replicated.

Black on black interior lining, flap covered zipper and
tactical rubber sole just as seen in the on screen
versions.

Our replicas are sturdy, lightweight and entirely made
of leather.
The Begins costume is further detailed with a beautifully
flowing, lightweight black cape that has a flocked
surface.

Our replica cape was made from a lightweight base
fabric that was then electro statically flocked. We could
have gone with off the shelf velvets, but the over all look
just would not have had that same impact as the movie
cape did.

Velvets are typically heavy and have a directional weave
clearly visible in it’s fabric. Where as the Begins cape
must be lightweight, flow and drape easily and capture
light when photographed in a uniformed fashion all
throughout the material without seeming like a patchwork
of fabric.

There is no aspect of this costume that is ‘easy’. The
process is straight forward but make no mistake, the
costume is very complex and extremely detailed and the
cape was probably the most complicated part for us
to bring to life.
To the left we’re test fitting the first rubber torso piece
pulled from the mold. Both the cowl and torso are
cast in silicone for optimum movement, yet still allow
durability and long lasting cast pieces.
Under different lighting the chest logo stands our as
either glossy or matt, but always has a slight contrast
to the rest of the torso.

The torso is not yet adhered to the under suit. It’s
simply laid onto the wearer, and that’s why the left
bicep looks wider. Not being glued down at this stage
allowed it to slide forward as we were taking these
photographs. Once firmly bonded to the under suit
the illusion of full body armor will be much more effective.

Note the rings on the
cowl edges for mounting the cape clips.

Legs are on the work bench currently and will soon be
ready for molding.
Below we have the gauntlets. The most unique and aggressive looking gauntlet and glove combination seen
thus far. Meant to look like some kind of alloy, in reality these gauntlets are cast in a durable rigid yet flexible
resin. As always comfort and visual impact are what convey the over all look of the costume and it’s individual
parts. Meant to rest onto an underlying forearm muscle rubber detail that will soon be ready as well. These
gauntlets are just prototypes for now and not yet fully finished. We are presently just working out the kinks.