Here's what they look like unpainted
They were done using pepakura as a guideline for my foam cut outs.
I got a cheap leather glove and painted it the same way as the rest of my armor by using Dupli-Color Vinyl and Fabric as a primer and then orange automotive paint.
And I installed a segment of green LEDs into the circle thingy.
Then I grabbed some old leather boots I had laying around that I never really wore. Painted them orange to get my Samus shoes!
Oooooo... Shiny....
And here's what it all looks like so far!
What I have left is:
1) Fibreglass and finish the helmet
2) Install the lights into the whole suit and also the helmet
3) Sew together the jumpsuit underneath
4) Attach the upper leg and upper arm armor to the jumpsuit so they don't slip (they are slipping in the pictures)
I imagine I will be completed all of this in a month or less! So more updates coming along with the finished suit.
Hello! I am planning to make a varia suit also, and I am out of ideas on how to get some green plastic for the visor. What did you do to make the visor?
ReplyDeleteHi Chelsea,
ReplyDeleteThe plastic I used on the visor was actually just clear plastic that was used to package a flashlight. I tinted it green with RIT dye which I picked up at my local craft store. There's instructions on how to tint but basically you boil water and then add the rit dye and then your piece you want to tint. So if you can find any type of clear plastic laying around, try tinting it with the RIT dye and see what you get!
If you don't have any clear plastic you can try using binder gel sheets. Something like this: http://www.officedepot.ca/Report-Covers/Winnable-Double-sided-Slant-Binder-Pocket-SP-01AD.asp
It's what I was going to try if the plastic didn't work out.
hi i was wondering if u could make a tutroial video because i need to make this and i only have like 13 day till comic con lv and i was wonderin if u can help me like im reading ur post but idk how to do the lights or sholders thats the main ones oh and the helmet :p do u have a cut out thing u printed that i can use
ReplyDeleteKKSmile98,
ReplyDeleteI'll try and help you if I can but you have to realize this costume took me 5 MONTHS to make. Trying to complete it in 13 days would be near impossible.
The lights I used are LED strips I bought online from superbrightleds.com
Here's a link to the exact strip I used: http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/top-emitting/NFLS-SS-x300-series-LED-Super-Slim-Flexible-Light-Strip%20/750/
Be aware that lighting an entire costume is NOT cheap. You also need to have some basic knowledge of soldering as you have to cut the strips long enough to fit each armor piece and then solder the wires to connect the entire suit together.
The shoulders and helmet were done by using Pepakura (which is a free computer program that turns 3D models into 2D shapes). For the helmet: You have to download the file (which I put the link on the Completed Helmet post) then print and cut out the pieces and glue them together.
There is also another pepakura file (which I also linked) for the shoulders where you can use the shapes that you cut out as a guideline to make your shoulders out of foam. To make the shoulders look rounded at the front you need to heat form (use a heat gun to heat up the foam to make it more flexible) and shape the front shoulder piece around something spherical.
Once you have the shoulders glued together you can cut the little holes in which the lights would shine out. I lined the inside of the shoulder bell with LED strips and they shone through the holes; thus lighting up the shoulders.
Good luck with your build and remember, something like this can't be rushed. It might be a good idea to go with a more simpler costume for this upcoming con to give yourself ample time to complete something truly amazing.