Looking to make a robot suit? Remember this! Its a four phase build, planning, material gathering, building, and paint. Phase one: Planning: 1. Plan out a budget. I try to keep mine in a range of $200 to $400 (Yeah it gets pricey) 2. Buy CARDSTOCK (the same type of paper like index cards, etc) and tape. LOTS of it. Youll need it for the mock ups. As you build the mock up, test fit each and every piece. Best idea is to build it in paper, put it on, and move about. Youll want to catch all snags and possible weak points early. Remember also to leave a possible extra inch or so as the foam adds on once glued . Phase Two: Gathering Materials: My first tip is to try and avoid cardboard. Starscream (the winged one) is cardboard. Hes heavy, fragile, and hot. His wings are beginning to degrade, I had thigh plates but they broke. EVA foam, which is the industrial floor matting you can find at Wal-Mart and Harbor Freight, is durable, though a bit of a pain to form, but its water proof and light. Optimus and Bumblebee (Pictured) are very light weight and much, MUCH cooler to wear then Starscream. Youll need an exacto knife or razor knife and a LOT of hot glue (gun too, obviously), and patience. Phase Three: Build: Using the mock ups you made (which yeah, means breaking it all back down), cut out the pieces in the foam. It takes a good 3 to 5 minutes for hot glue to cool and set, so this is where the patience comes in. Be mindful, because the glue WILL leave blisters if you get it on your skin. IMPORTANT: As you finish each piece, refit it to your body. The foam adds extra bulk. Phase Four: Paint For foam, Ive found that sealing it with Mod Podge (found at craft stores) seals the foam so it doesnt soak up the paint works well. Always prime the foam with a base coat to make sure its all sealed. For light colors, prime with white. I found this out the hard way on Bumblebee. For me, using automotive paint, like engine enamel, creates a better layer, and more of a shine. Clear coat with a gloss clear of the SAME TYPE OF PAINT. Chemical reactions between different paints can actually MELT the layer of paint below. Always, on all three layers (prime, paint, seal), use the same type of paint. ----------------- EXTRA NOTES: Cod Plating: Now, I know youre looking at Starscream and Bumblebee and wondering Why dont those two have cod plates like Optimus? I have a medical reason behind that I wont post upfront. I had to have surgery at my waist, so solid objects pressing HURTS. For the spandex suits under my suits: zentai-zentai They do custom suits, so you can get what you want. Just dont ask me for helmets. I managed Starscream on my own and it isnt right. Optimus is too big, based off the foam insert of a motorcycle helmet. Bumblebees is a modified bobba fett helmet my friend did.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 02:08:40 +0000
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