Tron Legacy Costume

I have a question about EL sheets, tape, wire - let's just say EL, in general:

Last Halloween I was a variation of Kevin Flynn, mixing elements of his costume from 'Betrayal' and 'Legacy'. I was very satisfied with the end result (couldn't have done it without the help of MisterDigital, SoulInertia, and SneakyDerezzer). The only problem: I chickened out and didn't use electroluminescence. Instead, I used white reflective tape. As you can see from the pictures, it looks OKAY, but I want to actually finish it with EL.

Here's how the costume looked last year:

12864-kevin-flynn.jpg
12865-halloween.jpg
12866-a.jpg


I want to retain the shapes on the boots, but I have no experience with EL. What I want to know is: 1.) Which kind should I buy? and 2.) How do I cut the patterns without damaging the lighting in any way?

Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:
TodReynard43 said:
I have a question about EL sheets, tape, wire - let's just say EL, in general:

Last Halloween I was a variation of Kevin Flynn, mixing elements of his costume from 'Betrayal' and 'Legacy'. I was very satisfied with the end result (couldn't have done it without the help of MisterDigital, SoulInertia, and SneakyDerezzer). The only problem: I chickened out and didn't use electroluminescence. Instead, I used white reflective tape. As you can see from the pictures, it looks OKAY, but I want to actually finish it with EL.

Here's how the costume looked last year:


I want to retain the shapes on the boots, but I have no experience with EL. What I want to know is: 1.) Which kind should I buy? and 2.) How do I cut the patterns without damaging the lighting in any way?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...


Hi there TodRaynard43

Love your interpretation on Flynn :cool



What you need is a cuttable EL sheet like this

3d3e0980.jpg



Scissors or craft knife is fine for cutting the el sheet, whatever your more comfortable with. As long as there is one of each tab on the piece you have cut, it'll work fine. You can choose any two tabs from around the edge (one dark one light), they don't actually have to be next to each other to work.

The el sheets range in price and size depending on who you go to, so it's worth looking around to find one that's suitable, but I reckon you could get both boot patterns from an A4 piece with some left over to play around with.


One trick I use is to draw the tabs on a piece of paper and work out my patterns and which tabs I'll use for the circuite on that first.

Shoot me a pm if you need long explanations, and I'll help you out of needed :thumbsup
 
Canobi said:
Hi there TodRaynard43

Love your interpretation on Flynn :cool



What you need is a cuttable EL sheet like this


Scissors or craft knife is fine for cutting the el sheet, whatever your more comfortable with. As long as there is one of each tab on the piece you have cut, it'll work fine. You can choose any two tabs from around the edge (one dark one light), they don't actually have to be next to each other to work.

The el sheets range in price and size depending on who you go to, so it's worth looking around to find one that's suitable, but I reckon you could get both boot patterns from an A4 piece with some left over to play around with.


One trick I use is to draw the tabs on a piece of paper and work out my patterns and which tabs I'll use for the circuite on that first.

Shoot me a pm if you need long explanations, and I'll help you out of needed :thumbsup
Click to expand...

You are fantastic, Canobi! Thank you so much!
 
TodReynard43 said:
You are fantastic, Canobi! Thank you so much!
Click to expand...

Hey, no prob :)

For those of you with little or no soldering experiance, buy something called Wire Glue (I get mine from eBay). It's a carbon based adhesive that's conductive when cured. It's a little bit brittle once dry, so I use an apoxy resin as a coating to give it strength.

As far as I know, cuttable el sheets come with protruding wires at points around the edge, or take the toothed connector/staple method, it just depends on the supplier. Ask them for as much info on thier product as you need to help you decide whether it's suitable to your skills, but don't be afraid to try something new as there are plenty of great folks on this site that can give you tips and pointers to help you on your way to make a great costume or prop :thumbsup
 
Rinzler said:
Yeah us Aussies need better info on suppliers we tend to get over charged here.
Click to expand...



Not sure I should say this but, I get some of my larger batches from china (here it comes :behave), it's way cheeper. There are upsides and downsides to this rout. Shipping is always quite expencive for me, and it takes a long time to get here. Depending on your skill level you can ask for the protective layer to be left off so you can make the connections yourself, I to add the layer as a requirement to one order and some of the el tape didn't have it. This did however prove usefull since I have now learned how to make better connections and other useful techniques. I also happen to be quite handy with a soldering iron and was a surface mount repair technician for a few years so wasn't averse to experimenting.
 
Forgot to mention this

With all el products, there are two rules that need to be observed......


1. Make sure you either laminate or seal the exposed layers/connections that will carry the electric current. Clear Sellotape will work as a cheep edging for el tape and cut shapes, but will go yellow over time due to UV in daylight. Electrical tape is the next best, and for the pro... Laminate or PlastiDip the edges (mask and spray on or paint on works great as its a rubber so will flex just fine).

The jolt from a 9v supply is surprisingly vicious I discovered whilest experimenting, I won't be making that mistake again in a hurry.


2. Make sure the el product is connected to the inverter BEFORE you turn it on. The inverters depend on the el drawing the current to work correctly. With out the el there, it's receiving too much and burns itself out.

I've managed to kill a few in just such a fashion by not paying attention (seves me right though:lol)
 
TodReynard43 said:
I want to retain the shapes on the boots, but I have no experience with EL. What I want to know is: 1.) Which kind should I buy? and 2.) How do I cut the patterns without damaging the lighting in any way?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Tod,

My advice to you for the strip on your jacket is check out glowhut.com
The strips they sell are the perfect width for a screen accurate look.
That's where I got mine for my Flynn jacket, and it's super easy to cut
and reconnect if needed. Then you would just have to find some sort of
inverter. I found the 9v sized inverters work perfect for this as they fit into
the inside pocket of a jacket very well without noticeable bulging.

To retain the shapes you had on your boots may be a little tricky to attain with just using a straight strip. You maybe have to look into cutable el sheets. I've become quite the expert with the cutable sheets, so if that's the route you think you might go, let me know because I know a great site to get it and would be happy to give you advice.

I was a complete and total noob when I joined this site. Everyone on this thread helped me find the right tools for the job. So ask anything and you will get great advice, as you've already seen from other users' posts!
 
Hey guys,

I'm working on a new LED aqua disc color to match the Glow of the electroluminescent tape and wire. The color is achieved with a mix of blue and green diodes. Just thought I'd share.

aquadisc4.jpg


aquadisc1.jpg


eltapeaquadisc.jpg


aquadisc3.jpg
 
Whoa... that looks awesome! I'll have to order my next Rinzler discs from you when I work on version two of the costume. I love how bright these are!
 
Just wanted to thank the RPF Tron Thread for helping me find the ideas and materials put my costume together. I put this together last year for Norwescon and it was a smash hit.

247162_638982028013_28203006_34435492_6157119_n.jpg
246864_638982013043_28203006_34435491_6246561_n.jpg
247057_638983824413_28203006_34435592_6738162_n.jpg
261618_649575044523_5661085_n.jpg
268263_649575104403_28203006_34483930_1666390_n.jpg
 
@Corren: Whoa! Very clever take on a Tron based costume. I love it the hat and the tie. I also like that you can see the lighting on the vest through the coat. Did you plan that purposefully? I bet you were a hit. This is awesome!
 
I've been lurking around the RPF for a while now, and after seeing all the amazing things you guys have done I've decided to start on some projects of my own, one of them being the Tron Anon costume. I'm new to the prop scene so I went with a paper craft for the helmet as the pep file was available. Here's some picture of my progress so far. I plan on making a mold and casting it when my order gets here. As for the suit, I'd like to try making it out of foam if possible. This costume is actually being made for a friend of mine and he's almost 7ft tall, so I have my hands full with the suit after I get this helmet done ha.

I'm also working on the Daft Punk helmets. I have more stuff posted at here for those interested.

paper craft model

Tron Anon_Helmet_005 by Detravoid, on Flickr

laying in the fiberglass cloth

Tron Anon_Helmet_011 by Detravoid, on Flickr

adding the fiberglass resin to the cloth

Tron Anon_Helmet_013 by Detravoid, on Flickr

finished resin layer

Tron Anon_Helmet_015 by Detravoid, on Flickr

first coat of bondo

Tron Anon_Helmet_022 by Detravoid, on Flickr

first sand down

Tron Anon_Helmet_031 by Detravoid, on Flickr

after several filling and sanding stages

Tron Anon_Helmet_053 by Detravoid, on Flickr

2-3 layers of primer filler

Tron Anon_Helmet_059 by Detravoid, on Flickr

final layer of gray primer

Tron Anon_Helmet_065 by Detravoid, on Flickr

titanium metallic finish

Tron Anon_Helmet_083 by Detravoid, on Flickr
 
This thread is more than 3 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.

Similar threads

Skater Maid
Glowing cosplays (IE Tron/Vocaloid)
Replies
2
Views
160
Skater Maid
Skater Maid
FoamIdiot
Quorra, Tron: Legacy
Replies
4
Views
1,424
FoamIdiot
FoamIdiot
fleming42
Living the dream! My replica costume at TRON 40th!
Replies
1
Views
1,166
nick daring
nick daring
fleming42
SDCC 2022 / TRON Photo Gallery Now Up!
Replies
1
Views
1,109
greenmachines
greenmachines
fleming42
Tron & Yori prop costumes for SDCC 2022
2
Replies
20
Views
3,400
Dreamforger
Dreamforger
Back
Top