Arkham-ish armored Robin WIP

[harrisonp]

Everything is turning out great!
im curious as to your dremel head bolt method. How is it you have the etched bolt look?

Hey thanks, your Batsuit was a huge push for me to do this project. For the bolts I just use the little sand paper tube attatchment and press the top of it down into the foam. It helps if you have the sanding tube protruding off the bit a little to get a deeper groove for the bolt "head" and the screw in the middle of the bit makes the hole in the bolt

I wasn't sure what to call it, but its this guy

 

[FrontaLittle]

The harness looks pretty cool, I like the colors. But where's the boy wonder's "R" emblem ?

 

[harrisonp]

The harness looks pretty cool, I like the colors. But where's the boy wonder's "R" emblem ?

I haven't been able to commit to a design yet, but it'll be there

 

[Archer21]

Have you considered a leather mask? If you use 3-4 oz veg tanned leather you can cut it to the shape you want, wet it and form it to your face. Once it dries it'll hold its shape, although you might have to do it a few times to get the best results. I used it for my arrow mask. I would recommend drawing it out on paper or craft foam first to get the right shape and fit for your face, that way you don't waste the leather.

 

[harrisonp]

Have you considered a leather mask? If you use 3-4 oz veg tanned leather you can cut it to the shape you want, wet it and form it to your face. Once it dries it'll hold its shape, although you might have to do it a few times to get the best results. I used it for my arrow mask. I would recommend drawing it out on paper or craft foam first to get the right shape and fit for your face, that way you don't waste the leather.

I hadn't even considered that, but that might be an awesome way to go. I'm not entirely sure where to find the leather though, I'd like to avoid having to buy it online.

 

[Archer21]

Also, idk whether or not you wanted to go the wrap-around route (like the Arrow mask) or just attach it via spirit gum or something else. If you're going "Arkaham-ish" you could wear a hood to hide the strap. I personally prefer the strap, I use elastic in the back and on the sides in between the gaps so it'll stretch when I put it on or take it off and is much more comfortable to wear. (I'll post a picture later If you want)
You can get the leather at a Tandy's if you have one near you, I got mine on eBay.

 

[harrisonp]

If I stick with this current mask I would just keep the skinny black elastic, it doesn't really show too much or bother me, but if I end up making a new on I would probably go with some of that clear elastic string. I'm not a fan of things that keep me "trapped" in a costume like spirit gum or eyeblack would so I like the flexibility for removal that a strap gives.

 

[Reznor9]

Thanks for the compliment and the tip. I might experiment with that because dremeling the stem off a bolt is no fun when you have to do it 30 times. Lol

Hey thanks, your Batsuit was a huge push for me to do this project. For the bolts I just use the little sand paper tube attatchment and press the top of it down into the foam. It helps if you have the sanding tube protruding off the bit a little to get a deeper groove for the bolt "head" and the screw in the middle of the bit makes the hole in the bolt

I wasn't sure what to call it, but its this guy

http://i.imgur.com/Y4AL1P0l.jpg

 

[harrisonp]

Yeah I can completely understand how that could get tedious haha, is it possible to get shorter bolts and make a little hole to glue the shaft into? The only downside of the fake Drexel bolts is of course that they are flat head vs the pan heads like on your suit but I can't really think of a way around that.

 

[harrisonp]

Wanted to post an update before it got too late, got my bo basically fished, probably do a little Rub n Buff for extra wear. Its 3/4 PVC with some 1/2 extensions on the tips. I also wrapped the grip with paracord to add some dimension there.

Here's a picture showing how they split into the Escrima. The joint inst beautiful and a bit of the unpainted pipe shows but that was basically unavoidable due to the friction and wear.

I probably won't be making leg holsters for these as they are a bit long, most likely just carry it around in Bo mode.

 

[TigerStoneFX]

Wow excellent work! I love seeing armoured versions of characters.

 

[SMP Designs]

Loving this! Subbed and looking forward to more.

 

[harrisonp]

So this is part update and part cry for help lol. I molded a new mask out of 3mm foamie and I really like it better than my first mask that I struggled through, but I most likely wont be adding the white eyes to this one, its just easier not to and I like the look without on this mask. The cry for help though comes from indecision on what to wear under the torso armor because I'm not in love with compression gear for a couple of reasons.

1: I don't have a terrible physique but I do feel a tiny bit naked/exposed when using it due to how thin it is and how it can be pretty unflattering at times.
2: Stretch material tends to lack depth and texture, and feels very flat to me. As you can probably tell from how I tend to paint things, I lean not exactly towards "realism" but more grimey video game style textures, its just how I like things to look. So the slightly shiny and 2D black shirt under all of the other heavily painted pieces just kind of disappears and blends in with my cape too much. I'm now debating on using something like a fleece/softshell in a very dark grey but I really just can't decide what to do as of now.

Anyway not sure what I'm even saying at this point but I will GLADLY accept any pointers in regards to what to wear under all this and what color (be it black or grey) you guys think would be a good direction to go.

Thanks for reading.

 

[FrontaLittle]

If you compare newer movie costumes to their older version (e.g. the Dawn Of Justice Batman/Superman) you'll notice they have way more texture and detail even though it's one solid piece of a single color. I guess that's because we have better cameras and better image quality now so costume designers can add depth to these pieces. I think that's what you're looking for here, right ? More depth to a single, unicolored piece of costume.
I found a running jersey I wore for my Robin because I felt a plain green shirt would look stupid. The jersey has a grid-like, fiber-ish texture of green and black stripes that kinda achieve the look of these new movie costumes. Maybe you wanna go with something like this. I'm sure there's functional clothing for climbing or diving or motorcycling that will fit your needs.

I like that approach. Wearing a simple black shirt under your harness might look a little cheap. Another option would be to wear this simple black shirt under your armor but sew textured fabric pieces on the areas which your harness reveals.

 

[OneGoodScare]

What about some thing like this?
http://www.mmawarehouse.com/on/dema...house-Site/default/mProduct-Show?pid=uax-1146

Or, if you have a cheap compression shirt (maybe even just compression sleeves?) You could try what the spider-man cosplayers do by puff painting texture on it.

Another idea: if you can sew maybe try to make pieces out of cordura. Or some other material that can achieve a sort of paneled tactical look like the new batsuit

 

[harrisonp]

If you compare newer movie costumes to their older version (e.g. the Dawn Of Justice Batman/Superman) you'll notice they have way more texture and detail even though it's one solid piece of a single color. I guess that's because we have better cameras and better image quality now so costume designers can add depth to these pieces. I think that's what you're looking for here, right ? More depth to a single, unicolored piece of costume.
I found a running jersey I wore for my Robin because I felt a plain green shirt would look stupid. The jersey has a grid-like, fiber-ish texture of green and black stripes that kinda achieve the look of these new movie costumes. Maybe you wanna go with something like this. I'm sure there's functional clothing for climbing or diving or motorcycling that will fit your needs.

I like that approach. Wearing a simple black shirt under your harness might look a little cheap. Another option would be to wear this simple black shirt under your armor but sew textured fabric pieces on the areas which your harness reveals.

Yeah exactly, the newer superhero movies all have that "technical" or "ballistic" look to them which helps things not look so flat. I've been casually looking around at different athletic gear when I'm out at stores but I've yet to really go on a big search, which I know I will end up doing eventually. I like the idea of adding panels to contrast with the black so I may look into that as well.

What about some thing like this?
http://www.mmawarehouse.com/on/dema...house-Site/default/mProduct-Show?pid=uax-1146

Or, if you have a cheap compression shirt (maybe even just compression sleeves?) You could try what the spider-man cosplayers do by puff painting texture on it

I have considered either puff paint or getting some mesh/net material and shooting the undershirt with some spray paint with the net over it to make a "brick" pattern like a lot of the dye-sub suits have. I've got an old compression shirt that I use as my test piece for new techniques like that so I might try that before looking to other methods.

 

[harrisonp]

Okay so yet another update! Heres my new mask as it stands, 3mm foamies heat molded to my face, a big improvement over my first

Next I think I've found an acceptable solution to my lycra issues. I took this mesh gym bag, laid it over the test fabric and misted with some grey primer. I think it adds a nice dimension and will only be in specific places around the shirt, I may experiment with taping off areas before spraying to make cleaner shapes. The pictures make it look much lighter than it is in person.

Its messier than it will be on the final veesion because it was just a test but it seems like a viable technique.

 

[OneGoodScare]

Okay so yet another update! Heres my new mask as it stands, 3mm foamies heat molded to my face, a big improvement over my first

http://i.imgur.com/9hzp2XCl.jpg

Next I think I've found an acceptable solution to my lycra issues. I took this mesh gym bag, laid it over the test fabric and misted with some grey primer. I think it adds a nice dimension and will only be in specific places around the shirt, I may experiment with taping off areas before spraying to make cleaner shapes. The pictures make it look much lighter than it is in person.

http://i.imgur.com/YJXoAjEl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/pIt50awl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2fcE9MGl.jpg

Its messier than it will be on the final veesion because it was just a test but it seems like a viable technique.

Nice thinking, that looks sweet! Might have to steal that technique one day

 

[harrisonp]

Nice thinking, that looks sweet! Might have to steal that technique one day

It's nice too because if you mess up a bit you can mist over it with some black to cover it up.

 

[SMP Designs]

Nice, I love that technique!

I just did something very similar on a GL project I was working on. I used the stiff plastic mesh that you put around small trees and garden plants. I used the square (because that's what they had to hand at the local Lowe's) but you can find it in different shapes (circle, diamond, hex, etc). I flattened it with a heat gun, misted it with Super77 to tack it to the cut pieces (to keep the pattern relatively clean) and sprayed it with metallic spray paint. It's kind of surprising how well it works and how durable it is. You can also really get creative with it using different colors and laying patterns over each other. And, if you have stencils laser-cut, the sky's pretty much the limit.

Here are a few pics of the GL process...