I want to make my own foam latex suit (TMNT) where to even start?

Pardon me if this is the wrong place for this thread, but I wasn't sure where else to post it and I'm pretty new to the site.

I'll start by saying that I REALLY want a nice TMNT movie "hero suit replica" and also that I'm 6'2 and 220lbs... All the build I've seen have been for fairly smaller guys. I'd pay money for a suit... if I could see it before paying for it. But since that likely won't happen... I feel I may have to make my own.

I'm fairly crafty and my wife is quite the artist so I'm hopping that if we combine our powers with the knowledge and guidance of some RPFers that I'd give it a shot and hope for the best.

The head seems the most difficult... so for that I was just planning on buying a mask from the prop shop site and either painting my suit to match it, or vice versa.

So where do I start? I have NEVER done anything like this before. I tried doing some google searches but didn't know where to start.

Something else I'd consider is making molds of my arms (however I do that), then building it up to the shape I want (however I do that) and then sending the molds to someone that knows how to pour foam latex (or however they do that).

Any help would be greatly appreciative, thanks in advance!

PS: I've looked at all the turtle builds here, and have an idea of how the process should work, but just missing all the details... what clay to buy, etc.

WED Clay is always the best to use for larger scale projects, also lots and lots of reference photos. Knowing anatomy is also a plus, for accuracy purposes. Make sure you save the photos, print them out and go from there. For something like this you're going to need a lot of clay, luckily WED clay is cheap.

http://www.monstermakers.com

They'll have everything you need there, it's a personal favorite place for me.

ARMATURE
Before sculpting, you will need a base to place your clay on (armature).
The best option is a lifecast of that body part.
What I used with plaster for the cast.
(Alja-Safe® Skin-Safe Alginate Product Information | Smooth-On)

A cheaper option would be building your own armature
-foam cut to the right dimensions
-duct-tabe dummy

The whole point of an armature is to get the proper dimensions and cut down the amount of clay used.


CLAY SCULPT
Like El Duderino said, WED clay would be a good option. I used chavant NSP soft clay, it is way more expensive but doesn't dry out and is reusable. In hindsight, I would of used WED because I have used over a 100 pounds of clay.


MOLDING
Personally I have no experience with foam-latex, so I'm unsure of the proper method or products to use.

I have done a platinum-silicone mold and cast. The materials I used are available at Smooth-On, Inc. - Mold Making & Casting Materials Rubber, Plastic, Lifecasting, and More

There are also several videos worth watching.



Nice to see another potential TMNT build.

If you've never done moling and casting before foam latex might not be the best place to start, it is fickle at best. If your determined to try it out I would do a small project and see how that goes.
You have to have the proper equipment to do Foam right, which will require a fairly large oven to cure the foam properly.
Here's a link to a small foam latex project watch #3 and #5 to see how you will make the molds and run the foam. It'll be all the same just on about a 6X larger scale.
Stop Motion Puppet Making Video 3: Mold Making for Foam Latex Puppets - YouTube

so making the mold from alja seems simple enough, but the casting material (smooth cast 300 or whatever) seems really expensive. $85 for 1 gallon. how much does a galling make... or better yet... how much would I need to make casts of my arms, legs, upper torso and lower torso.

once I make the cast... i can use that WED clay to build it up to a "turtle arm/leg/etc?"

thanks again, I've been watching videos and have learned a lot just today!

Also, is there a foam expert on here? If I make a cast and build it up with clay (or whatever), is there someone here that I could pay to make the final pieces from my sculpts?

Dude, if you're balking at $85 for a gallon of resin, then you should forget about this altogether. To make a full body muscle suit like in the movie will run you a good 5 grand for materials at a minimum. More likely the total cost for something like this would be upwards of $10000.

Ozymandius said:

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Dude, if you're balking at $85 for a gallon of resin, then you should forget about this altogether. To make a full body muscle suit like in the movie will run you a good 5 grand for materials at a minimum. More likely the total cost for something like this would be upwards of $10000.

how do you figure $10k in materials? casting and sculpting should be in the neighborhood of a grand (again, depending on how much resin). but I'm pretty sure that I wont need 100 gallons, right?

Plus the oven to bake it in

$5000 on materials is about right, could be more for a full body suit, shell, paint, brushes, mold releases, gloves, resin for the shell, plaster or fiberglass for the molds, the full life cast, the foam itself which if you've never done this before, you could get through gallons before getting a decent cast, the list goes on and on. Here in the UK it would cost closer to $9k for materials on something like this.

This project could easily hit $10,000 if you dont know what youre doing.

TheKingaSwing said:

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Plus the oven to bake it in

$5000 on materials is about right, could be more for a full body suit, shell, paint, brushes, mold releases, gloves, resin for the shell, plaster or fiberglass for the molds, the full life cast, the foam itself which if you've never done this before, you could get through gallons before getting a decent cast, the list goes on and on. Here in the UK it would cost closer to $9k for materials on something like this.

This project could easily hit $10,000 if you dont know what youre doing.

YUP! I agree wholeheartedly with that. This is one reason I never attempted to make a foam latex suit for my Quorra - Tron Legacy costume. I wish I had an extra $10 grand lying around to do fun stuffs like the movie Pros do

Give him realistic advice instead of discouraging advice. Its the learning curve that can break your budget and get you up to 5 grand. If you dont know what your doing a suit could cost you 5000 to make.

This is a huge undertaking your wanting to take on... You need to start off small like the hands, sculpt that mold it and try to cast that. But like Finhead said try something small first like a face appliance then work your way up.

Know that there will be a lot of cost to it and it could get up to 5000.

Keith

Sorry, but that is realistic advice. I've seen too many kids wreck their careers and finances from trying something like this without fully understanding what they were getting into.

I don't want to discourage anyone, but sometimes the cold-hard-truth is the kindest thing you can give someone.

Ozymandius said:

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Sorry, but that is realistic advice. I've seen too many kids wreck their careers and finances from trying something like this without fully understanding what they were getting into.

I don't want to discourage anyone, but sometimes the cold-hard-truth is the kindest thing you can give someone.

I agree completley and hopefully it is enough for him to consider, but I think he should try something. Maybe it will help him understand the hard work and see for himself and than maybe understand he could be blowing his savings...That might be wishful thinking.

Keith

Where was this advice when I started!!! Hahaa I have been learning the hard way but have been blessed to have the financial means ( bearly), and an encouraging wife. Starting small is a good idea though. Never know it could lead to something big! Look forward to following.

Have to agree with alot of the advice given here if you find $85 of resin expensive try hiring someone to make it for you, you will have to pay the persons fee then you will have to pay for the materials which will most likely be seperate from his fees unless he gives you an all inclusive price. I see alot of people start ambitious projects only to flame out and never see it through, you can dream big but if your wallet is small you should look into a cheaper route until you gain the knowledge and finances to attempt a project like this.

Dericrw said:

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Where was this advice when I started!!! Hahaa I have been learning the hard way but have been blessed to have the financial means ( bearly), and an encouraging wife. Starting small is a good idea though. Never know it could lead to something big! Look forward to following.

you're a good person to ask since you're doing it... how much in materials do you think you've spent on your project so far? other than the shell, fabric pieces and paint, you look like your costume is pretty damn near complete.

jacobzking said:

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you're a good person to ask since you're doing it... how much in materials do you think you've spent on your project so far? other than the shell, fabric pieces and paint, you look like your costume is pretty damn near complete.

Haven't penciled up all the numbers, nor do I plan on it! (Don't really want to know ). But $5000 is probably in the ballpark. I go through the silicone like crazy and its the most expensive unfortunately. Hidden cost keep on sneaking up... I'm about to have to build a rotocasting machine

Here is a way to cut down on some of the costs. A cheap body cast to sculpt on.

Do the cast in only plaster bandage. Cover the model in cling wrap and apply the plaster bandage to either side of the body, making sure that the seams allow for easy removal of the rigid plaster. As it is just a core to sculpt on no detail is needed. So so save on bady casting alginate or silicone. This could be done in sections and pieced back together.

Next get a cheap condensation silicone and brush it into the plaster bandage mold to get rid of the rough texture and create a good surface to lay fibreglass into.

Fibreglass the halves open and then stick them together. If you have multiple parts then just use more fibreglass to patch it. Once this is done you now have an armature to sculpt onto and the core for the mold later.