Radical! Creating a totally awesome 90's Donatello!

Grimwood · Jun 7, 2015

Had a bit of a set back with the compression shirt. It didn't quite turn out as well as I'd hoped. I am going to have to rethink a few things. While the initial test seemed positive, either my sewing skills are not up to par or I need to go much bigger to get the effect I want.

Stay tuned...

Grimwood · Jun 10, 2015

Foam has arrived! I pick up my turtle arms tomorrow! The end is in sight! Then, it's modifying the shell, all the bits and pieces that attach to Don's belt (going for a hybrid I/III look) as well as designing the bo. I have a 6' rokushaku-bo that I will be modifying as well.

Grimwood · Jun 11, 2015

Well, here's my muscle suit, without the outer layer of foam. That comes this week.

I started covering it in foam (1/4') to match the rest of the costume and failed... or the foam was funky (tore much easier than previous pieces) so I removed the majority. Now, I'm going to cover it again, and I think I'll use little glued on ropes to simulate veins.

Wish me luck!

Grimwood · Jun 12, 2015

My breast plate! Need to add some battle damage and some highlights. I also have the cod piece that needs to be added.

Wasn't able to pick up the arms yesterday... technical error... so it was shipped overnight instead. Should get it today or tomorrow.

Grimwood · Jun 14, 2015

I feel like I've been neglecting this build even though it's only been a couple of days since I last posted. I'm going to redo the breast plate. Not sure what I was thinking in regards to the ever-expanding center lines. Might just finally break out the airbrush and get to work. I'm getting some help tomorrow with the torso. This has to be one of the toughest parts, at least for me. The stops and starts, the errors in consistency, the frustration when things don't go to plan. It's getting there but I think some of the problem is my expectation. I see the way I want it to look in my mind, but in reality, some of it just isn't possible. Another problem with a build like this is one turtle is cool, but the title is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle"S" as in plural. Sure, you can have a Casey Jones, a Shredder as a singlar character, even a Be-Bop or rocksteady, but the expectation is more than one turtle. But, I'm committed to this, so I'll finish it.

Then, there is the fandom expectation. Deviating from the turtle recipe can get you in hot water with those true to the comics, those true to the movies (1990's) and those true to the television series. You can never get it 100% correct but I think that's art of the fun is owning it and making it personal. I see the end in sight. Just a few more hurdles then I will move on to the next thing. For me, it's never been about the end result, but the journey. But, I look forward to wearing this for Halloween or charity events. (I need to find 3 other turtles, specifically NOT including Donnie... do you know how hard that's going to be?

For those of you that have been following me thus far, thank you.

Grimwood

wholesomejoe · Jun 14, 2015

Grim, I like your attitude!

I went into my build with the hopes of making a screen accurate version of the 90s movie suits.. Well, I took a step back and realized that it's just not in my budget. However, the things we are capable of doing for little money is amazing and I decided to be okay with a balance between accuracy, movement, detail and just plain ol being comfortable. There are no 100% accurate turtle suits that I know of. There are some that are pretty dang close that I'd love to own (Daniel Bravo comes to mind) but there are no 100% accurate turtle costumes. As a purist, I can find things in all of them that aren't quite right, but you know what.. the artists behind them did a jam up job, and I'd rather see something that came from their imagination, using their own ideas, than a 100% accurate suit. As long as you are having fun and learning, you've already done the hard part.

Grimwood · Jun 14, 2015

wholesomejoe said:
Grim, I like your attitude!

I went into my build with the hopes of making a screen accurate version of the 90s movie suits.. Well, I took a step back and realized that it's just not in my budget. However, the things we are capable of doing for little money is amazing and I decided to be okay with a balance between accuracy, movement, detail and just plain ol being comfortable. There are no 100% accurate turtle suits that I know of. There are some that are pretty dang close that I'd love to own (Daniel Bravo comes to mind) but there are no 100% accurate turtle costumes. As a purist, I can find things in all of them that aren't quite right, but you know what.. the artists behind them did a jam up job, and I'd rather see something that came from their imagination, using their own ideas, than a 100% accurate suit. As long as you are having fun and learning, you've already done the hard part.

What part was not in the budget? I've found a lot of workarounds that I might try when I start building Ben Grimm's Thing character. For example, someone did a bang up job making a latex similar suit using rubber cement! Much cheaper than liquid latex and the results were pretty astounding. So far, I estimate I've spent nearly $650 on this suit, and I'm not quite done yet. Of course, this includes an airbrush system (harbor freight special) and lots of stuff I can use on other projects.

I'm definitely having fun. Since I'm not under any deadlines and have no intention of ever mass producing anything, I can just let upcoming cons and events be my deadline.
I absolutely want to steal the shell you made. If you lived close to me, I would break into your house and put it on and run out.

Never give up! Never surrender!

collinE83 · Jun 15, 2015

Grimwood said:
I'm definitely having fun. Since I'm not under any deadlines and have no intention of ever mass producing anything, I can just let upcoming cons and events be my deadline.

I agree with this 100%. I've never built anything before, and I'm not building my current project for anything in particular so it has ended up being a lot of fun with little stress.

The shell is probably my favorite thing so far. I think you should pull some of the stuffing out, too, if that what makes it stick further out. It'll suck having it force you into more of a hunch, but no pain, no gain!

Keep it up.

Grimwood · Jun 15, 2015

collinE83 said:
I agree with this 100%. I've never built anything before, and I'm not building my current project for anything in particular so it has ended up being a lot of fun with little stress.

The shell is probably my favorite thing so far. I think you should pull some of the stuffing out, too, if that what makes it stick further out. It'll suck having it force you into more of a hunch, but no pain, no gain!

Keep it up.

I have destuffed it! Rounded the corners so its shaped more around my body. Still tweaking things a bit..

Thanks for the comment! I've been watching your build with interest as well!

wholesomejoe · Jun 15, 2015

Grimwood said:
What part was not in the budget? I've found a lot of workarounds that I might try when I start building Ben Grimm's Thing character. For example, someone did a bang up job making a latex similar suit using rubber cement! Much cheaper than liquid latex and the results were pretty astounding. So far, I estimate I've spent nearly $650 on this suit, and I'm not quite done yet. Of course, this includes an airbrush system (harbor freight special) and lots of stuff I can use on other projects.

I'm definitely having fun. Since I'm not under any deadlines and have no intention of ever mass producing anything, I can just let upcoming cons and events be my deadline.
I absolutely want to steal the shell you made. If you lived close to me, I would break into your house and put it on and run out.

Never give up! Never surrender!

Sculpting and molding the entire suit, including the shell. That would have cost a ton.

I am trying to make a deadline, but I'm still having fun.

Grimwood · Jun 15, 2015

Well, basic shape is completed. Need to get my finished arms in order to trim the ends of the sleeves (don't want to cut it too short). Next up is fixing all the little seams, painting colored latex over the surface and then highlighting the muscles.

Arms turned out pretty well, the chest less so. Should have done some more shaping. However, it's going to be mostly covered by the breast plate.

The muscle shirt is very difficult to remove. Thinking I'm going to need some talcum powder and an air conditioned room when I am done suiting for the day!

I'm thinking of a complete re-do on the shell. There are a lot of changes I want to make because the one I have just doesn't look or sit right.

After the seaming, I'll start with the paint.

More pics to come!

Grimwood · Jun 16, 2015

Hard at work! 1st layer of latex applied. Need to trim the abdomen a bit as I won't be applying latex to areas you can't see.

And yes, good beer is a fact of life. Life's much too short for bad beer.

Grimwood · Jun 16, 2015

Arms arrive tomorrow! I can finish up the upper body then get started on v2.0 of the shell

Grimwood · Jun 18, 2015

The Big reveal! At least, so far,,,

Mucho work still needs to be done, but I am very happy for the way the body suit turned out.

The shell and the breast plate are just being held on by my hands at this time, which explains why it's riding so low in the back. I need to make some adjustments to the flanks in order to get it to fit correctly.

I still need to come up with some sort of cowl and have a few ideas, but for now, I need to finish up the shell, put highlights on the bodysuit and detail work. Also need to make a belt (I'm using a sash at the moment... it's not enough. I also plan to repaint the breast plate and attach it to the flanks.. somehow.

A few issues that I noticed right away:

It's not as hot as I thought it would be. I wore it for about 30 mins and was surprised that I wasn't swimming in sweat. The hands, however, are a different story. Sweat collects in the fingertips, and will cause a big problem is I decide to high five someone and shower them in a stew of sweat. I plan to use some sort of wrist bands to help collect some of it, but I have a feeling that will only work for the first 20 minutes or so.

The legs are going to be an issue, as far as tying the thighs and calves together. I have never liked the puffy knee pads the turtles wore in the film, so I will probably keep the purple wraps. You can see in the first photo how part of the lower leg is sneaking out of the purple wrap.

Vision remains an issue. I need to chop away at more of the vision slit in order to improve my line of sight. But, it is what it is. Could be why Donatello wears all that head gear.

Ever onward, friends! Bossa Nova!!

Grimwood

Grimwood · Jun 20, 2015

received my shirts yesterday. Thanks RPF!

Grimwood · Jun 20, 2015

Here's a shot of the breastplate as it's supposed to be. More form fitting. I'm trying to figure out what I am going to do with the neck. Not much shows, but enough to know there's a human in here. Someone recommended a bandana, but that seems like a bit of a cheat. Makeup won't work, due to the sweat factor.

Any suggestions? I was thinking maybe a small neck piece made of foam, or a dickie of some sort.

wholesomejoe · Jun 21, 2015

Dude! Your body suit turned out great. Can't wait to see it painted up!

May I suggest that you make your breastplate a little smaller? It seems a tad bit to my eyes, mostly at the top.

As far as the neck. If I wind up doing mine similarly. I will use foam but I will do it beforehand. I'm sure you can still add it.

Question, where did you get those arms/hands?

Grimwood · Jun 21, 2015

I thought it was a bit too big. I've thought about trimming it down a some. Someone made the hands for me. As for the neck, I will probably end up making some sort of flap that comes down from the mask over my neck in the back. I kind of wish the mask had it already, but, gotta work with what I've got.

As for your breast plate, are you going to be using upholstery foam cut into shapes then glued together? I'd be interested in seeing your progress on that as I have never been 100% happy with mine.

Thanks for the comments! I plan to start painting soon.

Grimwood

Something I found at a local mall.

Grimwood · Jun 21, 2015

Oh! I also finished my turtle shell! Had to tear it apart and put it together again, did some reshaping and I think it turned out great! definitely sits better on my back. I found a site online that sells a variety of different sized nylon strapping. I'm going to use this as a base for my belt. I'll lay the thicker stuff down over an overlapping piece of brown pleather then hot glue the pleather in place forming an outer layer that will make it appear to be a belt. I'll post pics once it's done. I could not find a proper belt for the suit so making one seemed the logical choice.

wholesomejoe · Jun 21, 2015

My breastplate is already made, it's just one solid piece of a smaller thickness of EVA foam. I used a dremel with a sanding bit to carve out the details and scratches. I covered both it and the shell in plastidip. I am going to wait to paint everything at once, since I want everything to match. I'm going to airbrush everything, and I haven't gotten my airbrush yet.

It will attach to the ribs with long strips of industrial strength velcro, and two pieces at the top that will attach directly to the body suit itself. I'll be making my belt out of pleather as well, very weathered pleather. I was only asking about your hands, because they look awesome and I didn't know if it was someone who sold them freely. I'm sculpting mine, but that route might have been quicker given my time constraints.

Radical! Creating a totally awesome 90's Donatello!

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