It's very interesting to see how someone else approaches the same project and then makes different artistic decisions along the way.
I had forgotten this until I saw yours, but I originally tried to dye the Gonzo cape black, only to discover that the lame' material would not take the dye. In the end, I made a cape from shiny black cloth, two layers of it stitch-witched together so it would prevent fraying better. And then for the loop that goes around his neck, I hotglued some black elastic there.
Painting the D N letters on the back is a very original approach.
What were you using to sculpt on the belt, sleeves, and chest-box? The reason I ask is, the gap at the back of the helmet kinda screams "Pez dispenser", so you might someday want to smooth over that with whatever sculpting compound you were using.
I see you also went with a more Darth Vader-style chestbox. I think it's hilarious that Dearth Nadir has a black egg-slicer on his chest, so I sculpted that shape by pressing something spherical into the Sculpey for the egg depression (either the ball at the end of a big sewing pin or the tip of a worn-down pencil eraser, I forget which) and then used my X-acto knife for the parallel grooves of the slicer.
Just some memories your version evoked. I'm not saying it's the only way to do something. I look forward to seeing your next customs.
By the way, I know Figmental already knows this, but in case anyone else is reading this thread yet missed the other one, Disney is making a Dearth Nadir figure soon, and it too will have the classic Vader chestbox and other details, but it will be smaller than Palisades' scale.
Dearth