Black Lantern Wonder Woman (Pic Heavy)

I used the image here as reference:
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/File:Black_Lantern_Wonder_Woman_001.jpg

I decided to redo the accessories and finally make an axe prop for a Black Lantern Wonder Woman costume I made a few years ago. The skirt, belt, and whip are still made out of craft foam and duct tape and I'll redo them when inspiration strikes.
The bodysuit is still in use if not as shiny. I modified a Kwik Sew bathing suit pattern and added silver piping and trim.

Black Lantern Wonder Woman Axe

Black Lantern Wonder Woman Axe
I put off making this until Summer 2016 because I usually wore the costume only to dance events. I'll likely added some light-up elements to it at some point.
Like my Riddler cane prop (http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=264994}) I wanted the axe to break down into smaller pieces for transport. I also wanted to use the same handle I did in that project in this one.
The original plan was to make the axe out of cardboard and paper mache until I stumbled across a tuorial on how to make an axe out of eva floor mats.
Lost Wax Foam Axe Tutorial
https://youtu.be/ra3QSbxprTQ
4 Hour class on building an axe based on the above video
https://youtu.be/coAGBN5zwO0



I used some objects I had lying around to make a full double bladed axe shape out of food box cardboard. I folded it in half to get it symmetrical. I should have just made a half piece.


I cut two full axe shapes out of eva foam mats. In all the reference photos the axe is one smooth surface with the axe shaft being threaded through. Due to the thickness of the handle, boring a hole through would have left the axe head with no structural integrity so I cut them in half. I lined up the pieces as best I could and put alignment marks on them for later.



I glued a couple scraps of floor mats together and sanded it into a rounded shape for the spike at the top of the axe. I then screwed it into a spray painted connector from one of my 3-piece extension handle sets.





- - - Updated - - -

I made straps/loops out the Kydex for the haft and glued them between the layers of the layers of the half blades. I made two craft foam full blade shapes to cover up how the blades and haft joined. A Kydex sleeve along the bottom hides the seam, helps keeps the two halves from pulling a part, and prevents the axe head from slipping down the haft. A Kydex strip hides the seam on the top.








The various foams and Kydex were glued together with several different adhesives and hit with a few layers of spray Plasi-Dip. I tore one of the craft foam covers in the process but did not have enough left to make another one.



After a few false starts, I made Black Lantern emblems for the axe head out of Wonderflex. I wanted the emblems to be raised rather than drawn on but I did resort to just scoring in the lines for the lantern rays.


Silver rub and buff was applied to the edges of the axe blades, the spike, and the emblems. Then the emblems were glued onto the axe head. Everything was sealed with a layer or two of Crystal Clear Enamel to make it all shiny.

Re: Black Lantern Wonder Woman Axe Pommel

To make the axe pommel I hot glued plastic bracelets, the end cap from a fluorescent light protector, and craft foam to a short cardboard tube. The 'o' rings make a tighter fit between the handle and tube. This got sprayed with metallic silver spray paint.

I think I initially made the headpiece pattern for Star Sapphire Fatality. It's made from Wonderflex and used to have an acrylic paint job with a black duct tape logo. I stripped off as much of the old paint as I could and made a logo out of more Wonderflex. I finished the main headpiece with metallic silver spray paint. (Choose your adhesives carefully contact cement ate down to the Wonderflex.) The logo is painted with black and silver Rub'n'Buff. The little holes are where I use wire to attach it to a plastic headband or sometimes a shoelace. I need to add some cloth for cushioning and to minimize perspiration.

Black Lantern Wonder Woman - Greaves

The first pair of greaves were made from craft foam edged with acrylic paint and stuck to some shin guards I picked up at the thift store 5-10 years ago.
The craft foam greaves became the templates for new ones made of Kydex. Two Kydex sheets needed to be super glued together and the seam reinforced to make long enough pieces to reach from my ankle to higher than my knees. Once the Kydex greaves were cut out, I heat formed and edged them with silver Rub'n'Buff.
I never liked the yellowish color on the shin guards. I tried a couple ways to hide it while remaining translucent but finally spray painted over them. The straps are made from lay flat elastic. The old craft foam greaves are now glued to the inside of the new ones as cushioning. I'm still experimenting with the strap placement as well as holding the greaves on with rare earth magnets.