Comic-inspired Captain America Costume advice

[salinium]

Hey guys! So, I've been registered on the site for a while, but I haven't really shown off any costume work I've done (crazy, since I love dressing up for conventions, Halloween, etc etc...) Anywhoo, I'm rarin' to go on my next project, a comic-inspired Captain America costume! Now, while I've got a general idea of what I'm going for (pretty much have everything down except the topic of this discussion), I needed some help with finding the right material for the chainmail (or scalemail, if you're one of those comic snobs, haha) shawl :lol


So what I'd like to do is something along the lines of this:


(That's Cap from the Ultimate Alliance 2 video game, if anyone's curious)

Now, I've found these 1" aluminum stamping blanks on amazon with holes pre-cut, and my idea was to affix them to an underlay (a time consuming task, to be sure!), but I'm wondering if anyone knows where I could find a plastic version of these discs? I'm gonna check out my local craft stores/hobby shops tomorrow, so hopefully they have something, but I was just curious if anyone knows of anything similar to what I'm looking for, and where I could obtain 'em from


(for reference, I'm looking for a plastic version of these, preferably a flat white plastic, since clear plastic is awfully fragile)




TL;DR version : Needs me some plastic 1'-1'1/2 discs (preferably white with pre-drilled holes), 'cuz aluminum would be too heavy, and also looking for any cool ideas of how to assemble it, and I'm lookin' for any help you guys see fit to toss me!

(P.S: I've seen a few things similar to what I'm looking for by harnessing my google-fu, but I'm interested in you guys' input too!)

(P.P.S: I looked through the old threads for any similar queries but didn't find any, so if this has been addressed before, my apologies )

(P.P.P.S: If you guys have any alternate ideas about how I could go about this task I would love to hear them!)

 

[justanuthercap]

A bit time consuming but you could always punch them out of sheet plastic yourself. Jewelry making places sell different sized two piece punches for circles out of metal. Plus you could probably use a single hole paper punch for the smaller one. Just an idea, but it might save you money over the premade ones IF you can find them. Plus this way you could always modify the design with two holes punched in near the top, I think this would add a little more stability and if you look up actual armor scales I've seen the two hole pattern used before quite a bit.

 

[salinium]

Man, that's a pretty darn good idea, I'm gonna have to look into that! I found a few things today that were in the vein of what I had in ind but that might be a better alternative...

 

[JPH]

You might just want to just bite the bullet and buy blue scales and rings from http://theringlord.com/cart/. It takes forever to weave this stuff, but it is very eyecatching.

Yeah, it will weigh a few pounds, but less than 10.

No, I do not own stock in the ringlord, I do not receive a kickback, but this stuff is very neat once assembled.

EDIT : I put wrong link for the ring lord, sorry

 

[salinium]

Not a bad idea, but I actually just bit the bullet and got a hole punch and stocked up on some styrene plastic sheets, take a look!

I also picked up the new Marvel Legends shield to go with it, i think it's coming along nicely! Little time consuming, but it feels good to get my hands dirty, so to speak stay tuned to see me prime and paint these bad boys!

 

[salinium]

Sort of a half-update, wanted to show off how they'd look layered and where the mounting hole is being punched, now just eight more sets of these scales to go! Hah-hah, heh, hmm...:wacko

 

[George]

(The comic version of) Captain America is one of my absolute favorite Marvel characters (heck,I even like the 1990 budget live-action movie).
I'm looking forward to see the end result !

 

[salinium]

Alrighty, well, while I let my hands revert back to normal after being worked to hamburger meat from punching so many holes, I figured I'd get some more advice from you guys! I have two options I'm thinking of for attaching the scales;

1) Using brass tacks (the kind that look like a nail but have the two flat prongs on the back that you flatten to hold them in place)

Or

2) threading a cord through each hole, kinda like the rivets on a shoelace.

Which idea do you guys think would be better?

(Sorry my artistic skills are pretty crummy, I drew this on the bus while I'm making a materials run)

 

[Mike J.]

Using brass tacks (the kind that look like a nail but have the two flat prongs on the back that you flatten to hold them in place)

Those are called 'brads.'

 

[salinium]

Those are called 'brads.'

Ahh, thank you! The name was right on the tip of my tongue

 

[Mike J.]

Actually, a couple hundred small-size plastic zip-ties is an option as well, though where the 'rachet' part is placed may affect how the scales hang. A good idea to test a small patch of those first...

Also, blank anodized aluminum dog tags might be a cool option....? Aluminium is not crazy heavy, and a few pounds distributed evenly over your shoulders shouldn't be terrible...


-MJ

 

[salinium]

Actually, a couple hundred small-size plastic zip-ties is an option as well, though where the 'rachet' part is placed may affect how the scales hang. A good idea to test a small patch of those first...

Also, blank anodized aluminum dog tags might be a cool option....? Aluminium is not crazy heavy, and a few pounds distributed evenly over your shoulders shouldn't be terrible...


-MJ

Oh wow those do look great, where would you find those? Amazon?

EDIT;

Now that I'm actually not trying to draw while in a vehicle, this is my doodle of what I'm going for (note that the scale-mail is on a separate overlay, kinda like a shorter poncho, over the standard red/white/blue shirt Steve wears)

 

[Mike J.]

Oh wow those do look great, where would you find those?

Etsy, I think. Likely could be found on a lot of sites: eBay, Amazon, etc. You might be able to get 'em cheaper from AliBaba or a similar overseas mfr, but time may be an issue.

Is this for Halloween, or what?

 

[salinium]

Etsy, I think. Likely could be found on a lot of sites: eBay, Amazon, etc. You might be able to get 'em cheaper from AliBaba or a similar overseas mfr, but time may be an issue.

Is this for Halloween, or what?

Halloween, Motor City Comic-Con, any random opportunities to dress up as Cap This is definitely the most labor-intensive costume I've attempted so far, and even though it's quite arduous, I'm enjoying it!

 

[Mike J.]

...This is definitely the most labor-intensive costume I've attempted so far, and even though it's quite arduous, I'm enjoying it!

*Snort* That sounds eerily familiar: http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=264606

Good luck, Captain

Maybe it would behoove you to find a supplier in your state...


-MJ

 

[salinium]

Thanks! I'm actually a big fan of thinking of outside-the-box approaches to costumes, it's served me pretty well so far :lol Loving your build by the way! Those gaiters are the same style as I'm gonna use, just dyed red (Ala the classic costume from the Captain America Super Soldier video game)

 

[JPH]

Alrighty, well, while I let my hands revert back to normal after being worked to hamburger meat from punching so many holes, I figured I'd get some more advice from you guys! I have two options I'm thinking of for attaching the scales;

1) Using brass tacks (the kind that look like a nail but have the two flat prongs on the back that you flatten to hold them in place)

Or

2) threading a cord through each hole, kinda like the rivets on a shoelace.

Which idea do you guys think would be better?

(Sorry my artistic skills are pretty crummy, I drew this on the bus while I'm making a materials run)

View attachment 668642

If you use one Continuous string the circles will flop /rotate around the holes. Also, one string, it breaks, it's on the floor. I'd recommend loop the lower piece to two pieces above on either side.

 

[Mike J.]

Also, one string, it breaks, it's on the floor. I'd recommend loop the lower piece to two pieces above on either side.

That's what I thought: one string breaks, an entire row of scales could just pour right off.

I think you'll need some kind of flat donut shape made out of mesh cloth or plastic to attach the scales to. Obviously tailored to the shape of your shoulders; then just start at the bottom and work your way around.


-MJ

 

[salinium]

Definitely what I was thinking, I kinda had the thought of getting a dark blue shirt that's a size up from me (I'm a smaller guy), and cutting off the sleeves and the area under the armpit, cleaning up the edges and then attaching them like that? Seems a bit easier than finding a big circle of blue cloth haha.

 

[salinium]

Just wanted to let you guys know that this is still ongoing, I'm just waiting on a (delayed) shipment of styrene sheet plastic so I can get back into it