darkestknight
Member
This is incredible. I can't believe you made this! I'll be following this for sure :lol
Yet another Loki build
- Thread starter EHyde
- Start date
EHyde
Member
Jaina -- I meant to add, I used about a yard and a half of the textured vinyl, and between 5 and 6 yards of the plain (I bought 6 yards, but I lost a bit due to inefficiencies in pattern layout and to mistakes). This included the pants. The main body of the tunic is not vinyl, because to me it looked like the tunic's collar was a bit different texture than the coat, and also so that the outfit is a bit less uncomfortable to wear. I used probably a yard and a half of that fabric (I used cotton sateen, but it attracts fuzz like crazy so I'm not sure I'd recommend it). I think I said in your thread, but I started from scratch for the patterns (well, for the tunic I started out with a very basic lotr-elf-tunic thing (simplicity I think), but it didn't end up very similar at all and I may as well have started from scratch).
ReubixKube
New Member
That looks great, very well done.
rockeagle2001
Well-Known Member
the quality of the workmanship is great! amazing job
AVA
Member
Oh! I meant to mention this earlier, but it slipped my mind.
I have a couple of massively hi-res promo scans, and in those pictures you can see that the gold trim on his sleeves is actually metal ball fabric (the bead-like stuff commonly used to make dress purses and hair accessories). Here's a close-up:
I was fortunate enough to find some of this as a trim at a fabric warehouse in Los Angeles when I was out there on a business trip this summer. The trim I have is only three rows of metal beads, instead of a whole sheet of fabric, but it'll work for the sleeve detail (though the cuffs have more of it; I might just have to loop the strips together with thread to make it wider there).
Since you said you were thinking of replacing the gold bands, I thought I'd share the picture in case you wanted to look for something more metallic.
EHyde
Member
Thank you! I had seen the trim close-up before, so I knew what sort of material was needed, I'd just had no luck finding anything like it. Do you happen to know if this material has a specific name, so I can look for it online?
I've been working on the armor--I have very little experience sculpting and no experience casting, and, well, I'm trying to have this wearable by Dragon*Con, so I went a different route. Though I'm not really satisfied with it and may see about making a better version when I have more time to spare. I made the base form for all the armor pieces out of heat-formed styrene, and sculpted the details on top with magic-sculpt (an epoxy clay). Here's a few of the results:
(styrene)
It's not the greatest, but I think, once painted, it'll do.
I also discovered today that I'm absolutely terrible at wig styling! I'll be commissioning a wig for future use.
I've been working on the armor--I have very little experience sculpting and no experience casting, and, well, I'm trying to have this wearable by Dragon*Con, so I went a different route. Though I'm not really satisfied with it and may see about making a better version when I have more time to spare. I made the base form for all the armor pieces out of heat-formed styrene, and sculpted the details on top with magic-sculpt (an epoxy clay). Here's a few of the results:
(styrene)
It's not the greatest, but I think, once painted, it'll do.
I also discovered today that I'm absolutely terrible at wig styling! I'll be commissioning a wig for future use.
AVA
Member
I don't know the name of that exact material (probably why I've had such a hard time finding it in fabric form!). I suspect it's some specialized variety of sequin cloth, which is that flexible metal fabric that looks like this:
Sequin cloth comes in "sharp" (faceted), "round" (domed) and "square" (flat) varieties, but I can't find it in a size smaller than 3mm. It's probably called something else when it's that small, but my searching hasn't turned up anything. Perhaps you'll have better luck!
I do own a bead loom; I've actually toyed with the idea of weaving my own fabric out of brass seed beads. But considering I'm making three of these monsters... well, I'm not sure I'm that dedicated to accuracy. I may just use layers of the three-row trim and cheat. ^_^;
Your armor is looking good! I'm looking forward to seeing it painted. May I ask how heavy the pieces are with the epoxy clay? I've used Apoxie Sculpt for a few projects, but it adds quite a bit of weight, so I was curious if the Magic-Sculpt might be a lighter option.
EHyde
Member
Thanks, AVA!
Funny story: I was at the beauty supply store yesterday to get some last-minute con supplies and with their hair stuff they had headbands made of a material that looked about perfect for this ... unfortunately instead of metal it was all one solid piece of molded plastic, so I think it'll be too stiff to work, but still, a bit amusing that it turned up just then.
So the armor is painted:
After priming, I first spraypainted it shiny gold, then I did a first round of weathering with black acrylic, then a second round with thinned down black mixed with gold.
I feel like I should probably add a coat of varnish, but I don't want the whole thing to be shiny like I would if I use a gloss varnish, and I don't want to tone down the shiny parts like would happen if I use a satin or matte. Thoughts? On the other hand, if I don't varnish and it picks up some scratches, well, this is supposed to be the sort of battle-damaged version so maybe that's okay?
Funny story: I was at the beauty supply store yesterday to get some last-minute con supplies and with their hair stuff they had headbands made of a material that looked about perfect for this ... unfortunately instead of metal it was all one solid piece of molded plastic, so I think it'll be too stiff to work, but still, a bit amusing that it turned up just then.
So the armor is painted:
After priming, I first spraypainted it shiny gold, then I did a first round of weathering with black acrylic, then a second round with thinned down black mixed with gold.
I feel like I should probably add a coat of varnish, but I don't want the whole thing to be shiny like I would if I use a gloss varnish, and I don't want to tone down the shiny parts like would happen if I use a satin or matte. Thoughts? On the other hand, if I don't varnish and it picks up some scratches, well, this is supposed to be the sort of battle-damaged version so maybe that's okay?
AVA
Member
I've seen some huge earrings and bracelets made out of the bead cloth, but none of them are *quite* wide enough to work for the sleeves. I was tempted to try, though!
I think some scratches on the armor are fine, as long as it won't cause the acrylic to chip or peel. Maybe you could paint a scrap of plastic and do some test scratches to see how well the paint stays in place? That would also let you try the varnish and see whether or not it changes the tone of the gold.
Personally, I like brush-on sealers like canvas varnish or Sculpt or Coat; they seem to be less damaging to metallic colors than the spray-on variety.
I think some scratches on the armor are fine, as long as it won't cause the acrylic to chip or peel. Maybe you could paint a scrap of plastic and do some test scratches to see how well the paint stays in place? That would also let you try the varnish and see whether or not it changes the tone of the gold.
Personally, I like brush-on sealers like canvas varnish or Sculpt or Coat; they seem to be less damaging to metallic colors than the spray-on variety.
Darth Vapor
Member
Love the build. Can't wait to see the final product.
EHyde
Member
We finished putting it all together Thursday night in our hotel room (pretty much the entire costume is my work, but Jeff did the majority of the zipperstop crimping). I am overall very happy with how it came out though we've determined it needs some upgrading simply for wearability.
The only piece of armor that turned out to have a weight issue was the chest plate, and that was more to do with the way it fastened (we used magnets; should have used snaps) than with how heavy it was to actually wear. I talked to a few other costumers who'd used Apoxie for details on their armor (other costumes, not Loki) and they all seemed to get much cleaner details, so maybe best to stick with that one, although it also could have been just that they were more experienced than I am.
I'm going to continue working on this to get it even better, though not at the same pace and I'll be working on other projects too. We have a start on the scepter, and we may eventually upgrade to the helmet/more armor/caped version (I did dye enough green fabric in case we decided we wanted to do that).
EHyde
Member
Thanks!
So, I think the first section to remake is the pants, for comfort purposes. I'm planning to sacrifice a bit of screen-accuracy in exchange for wearability and use a breathable fabric for parts of them instead of all vinyl. I figure that the side panels that are covered with scales can be a breathable fabric, no problem, and probably the back section too since that's really not visible under the coat.
I'm wondering though, does anyone have any good reference pictures showing the brown sections of the pants that are inside the knee? I didn't even realize that it wasn't black the first time I made them, and this time I want to get the color right. I am not sure how far the brown section extends back/upwards, and I'm not sure the way I patterned it originally will work. And do you think it would be okay to have that section not-vinyl, or would that be too noticeable?
So, I think the first section to remake is the pants, for comfort purposes. I'm planning to sacrifice a bit of screen-accuracy in exchange for wearability and use a breathable fabric for parts of them instead of all vinyl. I figure that the side panels that are covered with scales can be a breathable fabric, no problem, and probably the back section too since that's really not visible under the coat.
I'm wondering though, does anyone have any good reference pictures showing the brown sections of the pants that are inside the knee? I didn't even realize that it wasn't black the first time I made them, and this time I want to get the color right. I am not sure how far the brown section extends back/upwards, and I'm not sure the way I patterned it originally will work. And do you think it would be okay to have that section not-vinyl, or would that be too noticeable?
Freya Willia
Well-Known Member
Excellent job! Those sewing details are just beautiful.
AVA
Member
I think as long as it's a smooth fabric with a similar luster, it should be fine not to use vinyl on the brown sections. Make sure you flash-test the fabric next to the vinyl first, though; I've found that when mixing fabric and vinyl, camera flash can make them look REALLY different in pictures even if they look similar in person.
I do have pictures of the thigh patches, if I can find them! They're a really dark brown, so for most of the movie you can't tell it's brown; only the outdoor daylight shots really show the color.
Some of the best pictures came from the only-briefly-online outtakes reel; there's a scene where Tom Hiddleston has his feet propped up toward the camera, and you can see them pretty clearly. (I don't seem to have those on this computer, but I'm sure you can find it on Tumblr with a little hunting.) The Hot Toys model also has really good costume detail, though the brown color on the model is a bit lighter than the original costume.
...
Okay, after digging through my image folder, here's a selection of the pictures I have showing where the brown sections match up with the rest of the detail. (I have a few more, but they're all pretty similar; these are the clearest.) I've dropped them into an album; I think I have the permissions set correctly, but let me know if you have any trouble accessing them:
https://picasaweb.google.com/vanare...authkey=Gv1sRgCL6y1OCA863JoQE&feat=directlink
Darth Mule
Sr Member
Wow! I don't know how I missed this. This is probably the most technically sound Loki that I've seen. The work is just beautiful! Go Ehyde!
terrafovea
New Member
Absolutely the best Loki build I've seen so far. The detailing on everything is superb, GREAT WORK, thank you for the inspiration!! ^_^
