Batsuit: Arkham Origins V1

[Reznor9]

Hello. I'm totally new to this site, as well as to cosplay in general. This is my first attempt at fabricating a full on costume so any advise is appreciated. I came about the decision one day as I was browsing through the local spirit store, unsure on what to be this year and came across a decent batman cowl on the rack and decided to go with that. Little did I know that all the batman costumes aside from the ones sold by ud replicas suck.
Now $30 in for the cowl which is non-refundable I feel obligated to follow through. I decided I'll make my own Batman costume and have made the decision to do the arkham origins version. This thread will serve to document the process.

EDIT: Thanks for all the input and encouragement. [Completed costume on page 9] Now that version one of the batsuit is complete I'm hoping to re-make the costume again using the experience I gained the first time around to really nail the details and make little changes that have been bugging me since its completion. The shot below is a preview of some of the changes I plant to make to include larger shoulder plates, a larger belt buckle as well as a more accurate cape. Additional changes will be an upgrade of the cowl as I plan on purchasing a custom origins cowl from coofunkcurly.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Here are some images of the store bought cowl.
Not great, but not bad either. One of the ears is floppy so I'll have to prop it up a bit and the eye holes don't seem completely symmetrical but oh well. Gotta work with what I got.
I've purchased as supplies and materials:
4 pack of EVA foam from Harbor Freight - $9.99
Break away retractable razor, Harbor Freight -.99
A cordless dremel tool with a few sanding bits, walmart - $30.00
Heat gun, Lowes - $15
Batman cowl, spirit store - $30HI temp glue gun, Michaels - $8
Misc items like Scissors, velcro straps, rivets, loops.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

I decided to start with the chest plate and on my first attempt cut two separate pectoral pieces which I was going to glue together. Cut was rough. As were the shoulder pads.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Unhappy with the first build, I scrapped it and decided to try and make a single piece for the breast plate. Was a decent second attempt but still not what I wanted.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

I painted the pieces I had was not happy with the results. I decided to start over again.Steps:
1. I drew up some new freehand templates for the chest and abs.
2. Traced them onto the eva foam.
3. Cut those bad boys out.
4. Used the Heat gun on both sides in a circular motion and used my knee to mold out the chest. For the abs I took a river rock from the front yard and pressed each abdominal piece against it for shape.
** I didn't photograph it but I made a shallow cut right down the middle of the chest on the back side to allow me to create a slight crease and separate the pecs as I molded them individually.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Decided to see how it fits up against my body. Threw on the first set of shoulder vambraces(which I already messed up) just to see how it looks. And so far so good.
Not too shabby. I feel tougher already.

 

[mattwarden]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

I had one of those batman masks, i found if i needed it re shaped, i used a hairdryer on low heat to warm it, then reshape it then run it under a cold tap. Also cut crude 3d triangles and taped them into the ear to keep them upright and solid. Hope this helps!

 

[deathstroke132]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Awesome man! i wish you luck on completing it

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Let's slap one of these on there!

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Now it's time to shape those abs baby! Time to get cut in the gut! Added the cuts for the bolts or rivets that seem to run around the abdominal armor plates and separated the plates into 6 individual pieces. Now that looks better.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

I had one of those batman masks, i found if i needed it re shaped, i used a hairdryer on low heat to warm it, then reshape it then run it under a cold tap. Also cut crude 3d triangles and taped them into the ear to keep them upright and solid. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the advise. I'll give it a go and see if I can reshape the eye and prop them ears.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Awesome man! i wish you luck on completing it

Thanks for the support. I'm just hoping it doesn't come out looking lame in the end.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Okay let's test fit it again. I'm simply using masking tape right now to hold the pieces on my body.



Not bad. But those abs sure look blocky. Time to bevel the edges.

 

[Bigbat23]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Awesome work so far! I am also building a Batsuit out of foam. It's easy and tricky at the same time. There are a few guys over at The Brotherhood of the Bat that could help out with the mods on the cowl. Good luck. I'll be watching this one.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Think it displayed them in the wrong order but you get the picture.
I think the bevel of the edges really gave it some much needed dimension. I'll try it on in a bit.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Taped up against the body again. I'm digging it. Need to stop by the fabric store to get some black vinyl.

 

[spartanbat13]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Looking sharp man! Keep up the good work!

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

Looking sharp man! Keep up the good work!

Thanks man. I'll start again tomorrow hopefully knock out a new set of shoulder vambraces and move on to the biceps/triceps armor plates. Or maybe I'll keep the focus on the torso and work my way into the side torso and back pieces. We will see.

 

[Reznor9]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

I'm not yet to the point where I'm ready to paint, but I was already purchasing the plastidip, primer, paint and a matte finish paint sealer. I've seen a lot of people recommend rustoleum or krylon, so I purchased all rustoleum. My issue is that I don't see any silver paint for sale. The only silver I see is the primers. Or the high temp paint for bbq grills, or the ones with the metallic flake finish. I purchased an aluminum finish which I thought might be okay but it doesn't seem dark enough. Feels like it's too bright a silver for the dark Knight to be wearing. (I actually prefer the original color the eva foam pads come in, but I don't think I can just leave it as is because I plan to add some weathering effects to the armor so it needs to be prepped for all that. So I guess I would like more of a gunmetal or dolphin grey if possible but I don't think I can find that in rustoleum or krylon. Anyone have any recommendations?Last thing I want to do is finish making the costume and then mess it up with a bad paint job.

 

[Bigbat23]

Re: WIP - Batman Arkham Origins

They have a gun metal Plasti Dip.