Callmemilo's Chewbacca Costume Build

[callmemilo]

So I'm sure I'm not the only one of us here who'd LOVE to become this wonderful Wookiee. Building this costume is something I've wanted to do for years, and after a long time of not having the space to work in, and not having a job to fund the madness, I decided I was finally ready to take the plunge!

My first mission is gonna be the mask. Duck no longer makes his kits, and alternative kits were looking either way outside my immediate price range, or not as close to the real thing as I'd have liked. So I was left with one option... I'm gonna have to sculpt the damn thing myself, lol.

Luckily I already had the workspace to sculpt the mask in, and an old plaster lifecast I wasn't doing anything with. So I printed off the reference I needed, got myself some WED clay, and got to work.



Here's a pic of Chewie as he looked before I started pouring the plaster shell mould. I made a wall out of old business cards, and got pouring.



Once I demould, I'll be able to clear out the residual clay so I can start pouring the Platsil Gel-10 silicone. I'll keep you guys posted, and hope you enjoy what I share.

If there are any other Wookiee-makers out there, I'd really appreciate the critique and suggestions that might help me put together this loveable walking carpet.

Thanks guys, and RRRRWWAAAAARRR!!!!!

 

[GreenLightning]

Oh god I am still in that boat. No funds and space to make chewy. Are you going by latch hook or some other meth hood. Its long and frustraighting, but I wold prefer the latch hook than getting like yak hair

 

[callmemilo]

Oh god I am still in that boat. No funds and space to make chewy. Are you going by latch hook or some other meth hood. Its long and frustraighting, but I wold prefer the latch hook than getting like yak hair

For the mask? I might use a latch hook for the larger areas, like the forehead or jaw, but for the most part I'm gonna go all out and punch individual hairs in with a crowned needle. It'll take more time, but I'm fine with that.

 

[Mansoli]

You ROCK for doing this man. If I ever get that Luke costume done, you'll be perfectly taller than me

 

[jweger77]

Great start with your sculpt! Glad to see someone else here working on one at the same time. Check out my thread here. There may be some helpful things for you in it. Great start and good luck!

 

[callmemilo]

Great start with your sculpt! Glad to see someone else here working on one at the same time. Check out my thread here. There may be some helpful things for you in it. Great start and good luck!

Thanks dude, I'll definitely have my eye on your thread.
Looking forward to seeing more updates as it progresses.

 

[callmemilo]

I got these as a sample of potential fur. While personally I think these look great, they might be a little too ragged for Chewie. What do you guys think?

 

[jweger77]

They'll work great. You'll just have to straighten out the hair first. Two options; 1. Hold on to one end of the hair while blow drying it and brushing. 2. Use a straightening iron that allows for low temp settings.

With both of these you have to start out with a very low temp and work your way up. There's a fine line between straightening and melting the synthetic hair.

Which hair colors are you using?

 

[callmemilo]

I read on "Making Wookiee" that the brown is #27 (honey blonde), and the grey is a mix of #4 and #44. But having ordered two samples of #27 from different sellers, I've learned that the numbers aren't really a universal match. This #27 pictured looks to be the shade I'm after, just slightly the wrong texture. I'll keep hunting to see if I can avoid needing to straighten it all.

 

[Web_Slinger]

Subscribed to this awesome thread!

 

[callmemilo]

The herculite plaster mould. Like a FOOL I forgot to spray my mould release on the sculpt before pouring the plaster over it, but most of it came out pretty smoothly.



The Platsil Gel-10 silicone face, with a resin backing layer that'll become the underskull of the mask when it's done. I still have to cut the eye holes out before I carry on, but it's looking pretty promising so far!

 

[chefhawk]

looks great so far

cheers

 

[jweger77]

Looking great. I don't think you'll be able to avoid straightening the hair. Unless you want to go with a natural hair. Which will get pricey in a hurry. The straightening doesn't take that long at all really. While it's not the most exciting part of the build, it helps keep the cost down. All of the hair for my full chewbacca cost less than $100...and I'll have more than I'll ever need!

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

Ambitious build! Good luck. Everyone drops the ball when it comes to the face. I haven't seen an accurate Chewbacca face sculpt/mask yet.

 

[callmemilo]

Hmm, I'm holding this pull right now, and while I love how close the sculpt is looking, there's definitely areas that I cast too thin and others I cast too thick. Think I might have to order some more silicone and try another pull. And next time hopefully get better coverage of the black around the nose and eyes.

In the meantime I suppose I can use this pull to test out my hair punching technique.

 

[gaines]

I'm going back and forth right now on what to do for my chewy costume. I've always wanted one and several years ago I chatted with the guy who made Adam Savage's suit, but the cost was too high for me at the time to have one made for myself.

Now my girlfriend is weaving a chainmail slave Leia bikini and I am either going as Vader or Chewy so I'm back to searching out the best option. Your post has inspired me to consider making my own, although it might be tough getting it done before Dragon*Con in September.

Looking forward to more updates and insight on your process.

Cheers!
Gaines

 

[aimeekitty]

I love chewbacca, so cool to see someone doing this!!

 

[N7Calibrations]

This is going to be good. Chewie is a serious build, and I can't wait to see how it ends up.

 

[callmemilo]

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm glad to have you guys behind this project supporting me. I'll try not to let you down

 

[jweger77]

I'm going back and forth right now on what to do for my chewy costume. I've always wanted one and several years ago I chatted with the guy who made Adam Savage's suit, but the cost was too high for me at the time to have one made for myself.

Now my girlfriend is weaving a chainmail slave Leia bikini and I am either going as Vader or Chewy so I'm back to searching out the best option. Your post has inspired me to consider making my own, although it might be tough getting it done before Dragon*Con in September.

Looking forward to more updates and insight on your process.

Cheers!
Gaines

Do it!!! It's such a fun build! And not too many out there either!