Best way to beef up a mannequin?

Ramirez

Ramirez

Active Member
Apologies if this is the wrong place to post but i need advice on the best way to beef up a mannequin ( chest, waist etc. ).

I've heard some people use foam but what kind, builders expanding foam? the yellow stuff you get in furniture?

Are there any, just as good, alternatives?

Thanks in advance.
 
If it's gonna be covered with a costume you could just dress it first in thick layers of clothes like sweaters, or if it's just certain parts like the arms or waist you could use thick fabric and duct tape, just a though
 
If its cosmetic and you will see some of the body parts, what about Bondo? You will need a ton of sanding though.

If its under clothes, I concur that a few pairs of old clothes will beef it up as well.

Lastly, you can always use ducktape and go around, around, and around to fill it out or to tape towels around the midsection, etc.

If you do have some thinner foam sheets, you can use tape to get it around the midsection, and cable ties to get it secure around the arms.

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing!
 
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It will be mostly under clothes but some of the chest will be visible.

The expanding foam can be cut and sanded to shape but i haven't used it before and was wondering what it's like or if there's something easier to work with?
Bondo, or something similar, would take a lot to build it up to the correct dimensions.

Fabric around the waist would probably work.
 
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On my PVC mannequins I used cheap pillows from the discount stores. Thin ones, layered. Held together with tape, which you can tighten or loosen in the manner of a corset, to adjust bulk.
 
The tape can be messy, with residue getting on the inside of your costume over a period of time. All right if you're okay with that.

Another idea is to get sheets of sponge foam at a craft or fabric store and cut into thinner sheets as needed, then keep in place on your mannequin with Saran wrap. Wrap tight for a little bit of muscle or looser for thicker muscle. If it's not thick enough, you can always add additional layers. I suppose you could hot glue the muscle in place also. You can also trim up the sponge foam to sculpt it. Just depends how much time you want to spend, and there's always the cleaning up of the little bits of foam afterwards. ;)
 
One of our own here made their Reeve Superman mannequin look DAMNED good by using plastic bags.

Blew my freaking mind...

Chris
 
rmschneider104 said:
I've used bubble wrap and packing tape to get a pretty good effect.
Click to expand...

Thats the ticket.
You can build up larger areas with plastic bags full of popcorn shipping peanuts. Again, its going to depend on what your using the thing for and whats going to show. Foam from crafts stores can get pricey very quick.
 
I've seen the bubble wrap displays and some of those other low tech options.

I think you really have to be careful what you end up using. I don't know if anyone else can, but I sure can spot the lumps beneath the costume, especially if it's tight fitting.
 
I used insulation material I bought from Lowe's to build my mannys (Yoda, Vader, Stormtrooper). Pretty cheap for a huge roll of it (around $6 or so).

-Joe
 
Thanks for all the ideas, i think i'll have to wait until the costume's finished and see which method looks best.

The body will need a lot of padding but i don't want it to look lumpy.
 
hydin said:
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=43286

That's the thread I was thinking of :) (finished pics around page 5)

Amazing what you can get done with a tshirt and some plastic bags!

Chris
Click to expand...

Oh hey - that was me.. :)

I was going to post that.. it really all depends on what you're going to bulk up. Anything will work if the material is thick enough. A leather jacket for example, you won't see the little wrinkles of plastic bags or paper or whatever.

Superman in the link above was a pain in my ASS.. I first used plastic bags, you can see the progression from pg 1 all the way up to page 5 (by the way guys I have a good update coming up soon.. it looks much better now) but all I used was plastic bags that I got at the supermarket. I made sure they were smooth and folded them up as needed. Spandex is tough to work with as every little bump shows up.

I've used bubble wrap as well.. for such things as darth vader, or batman.

I've also used carpet fragments to "pad" up pam anderson. Yes... carpet remnents.

In the end, it's all about time and patience. If you have a fairly tight costume, you won't even need any glue or adhesive.
 
Ramirez said:
Ramirez from Highlander.
Click to expand...

oh,. and I should learn to read.. haha.

Okay - yea. Y'know what's a good material to use for a velvet? or that type of costume that ramirez wears... cotton.

Cotton batting works wonders.

6.7.2008%20002.jpg


this stuff can be pushed, pulled, scrunched, taped, pulled again. You can have a dense padding, or pull it apart for a loose padding and if you pulled too much.. just push some more back on.

I know, it brings back memories of making those cotton bunnies in elementary school - but hey.. it works.
 
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