paxtoprime94
Active Member
TL;DR: Hi all, I’m brainstorming ideas and was just wondering, has anyone ever attempted this? I think it's a great idea but need a good way to attach fabric to foam.
More details:
Sure, it may not give you that real “I am Iron Man” feeling, and may wrinkle here and there when you bend a joint, but I feel like I’ve figured out a way to build one that would perfectly look the part and keeps its shape, without the discomfort and lack of mobility that the usual materials have. No worries about endless sanding and painting, either. But I still need ideas or suggestions on how to maximize the workflow of the build efficiently.
Attached are pics from an unfinished armored Superman build I did a few years back. It’s made with metallic polyester fabric from Hobby Lobby, and thin craft foam inserts (not the thick kind that is usually used for Iron Man suits, but not the weak paper-thin stuff either).
I drew templates myself on poster paper, based on an awesome artwork I found online. Then I traced the template shapes 3 times: 2 copies on the fabric (plus seam allowance), and one copy on the foam. After cutting it all out, I’d sew together the 2 fabric pieces, flip them inside out, and insert the foam piece like a letter into an envelope. Finally, I’d finish it off by topstitching around the edges. The pieces all held their shape very well, looked and felt just like armor. But with great flexibility and comfort. Heat wasn’t an issue either, because the armor wasn’t tight and had air gaps between some pieces.
I’m proposing a similar method for Iron Man, using foam Pepakura templates for design accuracy. But all the tracing, cutting, and flipping inside out took forever on the Superman suit. Plus, the sewing became very finicky at times. And the armor did show a lot of wrinkles. So I’m looking to slightly improve this method.
I’ve found a video or two about just simply covering foam pieces with fabric using contact cement? Would that actually work and hold, without ruining the fabric? Sewing could still be used, just maybe not as much. I just can’t find a lot of info out there on this “gluing” method. Am I talking nonsense? I feel like somebody, somewhere had to have already done something similar many times for other builds (characters that immediately come to mind include IF/NWH Iron Spider, Loki, armored anime characters, fantasy armor from WoW, Elder Scrolls, etc)
Anyone have any input/suggestions?
More details:
Sure, it may not give you that real “I am Iron Man” feeling, and may wrinkle here and there when you bend a joint, but I feel like I’ve figured out a way to build one that would perfectly look the part and keeps its shape, without the discomfort and lack of mobility that the usual materials have. No worries about endless sanding and painting, either. But I still need ideas or suggestions on how to maximize the workflow of the build efficiently.
Attached are pics from an unfinished armored Superman build I did a few years back. It’s made with metallic polyester fabric from Hobby Lobby, and thin craft foam inserts (not the thick kind that is usually used for Iron Man suits, but not the weak paper-thin stuff either).
I drew templates myself on poster paper, based on an awesome artwork I found online. Then I traced the template shapes 3 times: 2 copies on the fabric (plus seam allowance), and one copy on the foam. After cutting it all out, I’d sew together the 2 fabric pieces, flip them inside out, and insert the foam piece like a letter into an envelope. Finally, I’d finish it off by topstitching around the edges. The pieces all held their shape very well, looked and felt just like armor. But with great flexibility and comfort. Heat wasn’t an issue either, because the armor wasn’t tight and had air gaps between some pieces.
I’m proposing a similar method for Iron Man, using foam Pepakura templates for design accuracy. But all the tracing, cutting, and flipping inside out took forever on the Superman suit. Plus, the sewing became very finicky at times. And the armor did show a lot of wrinkles. So I’m looking to slightly improve this method.
I’ve found a video or two about just simply covering foam pieces with fabric using contact cement? Would that actually work and hold, without ruining the fabric? Sewing could still be used, just maybe not as much. I just can’t find a lot of info out there on this “gluing” method. Am I talking nonsense? I feel like somebody, somewhere had to have already done something similar many times for other builds (characters that immediately come to mind include IF/NWH Iron Spider, Loki, armored anime characters, fantasy armor from WoW, Elder Scrolls, etc)
Anyone have any input/suggestions?
