Katticus
New Member
Final pictures are found in my last post further down the page!
Hello!
First time poster here though I’ve loitered around since the end of October last year. So much talent and imagination here and I only wish I’d found this place long before I started in this hobby last year.
I’m a beginner at making costumes and this build is my second time dabbling in the hobby (and my second Overwatch costume). My first attempt was last August/September in which I tried to make D.Va’s meka, and while it wasn’t the best thing ever I had fun creating it and learned a lot from the experience. I only just managed to finish the costume the night before I was due to travel to the con, and the only pictures I remembered to snap of it were when I was finishing the last few bits. Yeah, I definitely bit off more than I could chew for my first try; especially when I started building 2 months before the con!
This time however I’ve learned my lesson and making sure I start many months in advance to avoid crunch time (or so I hope.)
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Acknowledgements
This is a big thank you to the following folks whom without their tips, files and models this build may not have seen the light of day!
Dali Lomo: Helmet base I used (x)
Terra968: Creating the adult version of above
Randy Cavanagh: Armoursmith Designer (x)
Armellino Raffaele: 3D Zenyatta model (x)
JFCustoms: For the foam cutting tips and tricks
Tiff Nguyen: For the tutorial on adding magnets to EVA foam (x)
Soaches: For the tutorial on how to make Zenyatta’s Orbs (x)
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This build will be built out of EVA foam and craft foam. Fabric will be used for the corded belt and sash, and a pre-made pair of pants for the...well, pants. The orbs of harmony/discord will be created with styrofoam balls coated in clay. I am aiming to strap the build with N48 grade rare earth magnets and, where necessary, velcro. Updates will come as and when I get a chance to sit down and work on the project. All tips and advice welcome!
As I wear glasses I had to think of a few design choices on how to create the helmet so that I could pull it on my head without taking them off. Wearing contacts unfortunately isn’t a choice. Below are the possibilities on how I can fit it together:
Option A – Helmet made in 3 parts (full head base, faceplate and chin). Faceplate and chin will attach to the base via N48 magnets. Size can be smaller so glasses can be put on after base is on my head and face plate can sit over the top. Would provide the best ventilation overall in theory.
Option B – Helmet made in 2 parts (full head base and chin as one, faceplate separate). Same as above in which glasses can be put on after the base is already on. Removable faceplate means I can at least take it off to eat & drink without taking off the full helmet.
Option C – Helmet made in 2 parts (full head base and faceplate as one, chin separate). In this case, the helmet will be made big enough to slip on my head without removing my glasses, and having a removable chin piece means I can take a smaller part away to have a drink/eat without taking off the full helmet.
Option D – Helmet will not be in separate parts and will be one full item. Will need to be made slightly bigger to accommodate glasses when being pulled on and have additional padding inside in order for helmet to sit properly/securely on my noggin.
Going forward I’m leaning more towards option C as the chin piece would be less of a hassle to remove, though depending on how this build goes I may change my mind.
----
It turns out that Zenyatta is one of those Overwatch characters that doesn’t appear to have available pepakura files, or at least files that are readily available to download. It seemed those that were making their Zenyatta costumes either freehanded it or made their own pep files, and since I’ve never used pepakura designer before I didn’t have much of an idea on where to start. So I decided to do mine as a mixture of freehand and making my own patterns with Armoursmith Designer.
I downloaded a 3d model of Zenyatta from Sketchfab which the creator had thankfully broken down the model into separate pieces, so importing individual areas into Armoursmith (after separating the pieces into their own .obj files with Maya) was a doddle. After setting up my avatar to my body measurements and snapping the imported armour sections to the frame I tried to scale each bit as best I could. Mostly I was just jumbling through it like the absolute novice I am lol. Apart from the shins and feet, the lower part of the body doesn’t need to be patterned due to it being clothed, so for now I’m concentrating on the upper body.
Starting with the head I chopped the pattern up for unfolding and arranged the parts, but only added in the parts I thought I needed as the 3d model I ended up using created a lot of overlaps which were unnecessary. I printed this on card and made a quick mock up to see how things sat; and while I found it fit my head I came across two issues.
- I was unable to pull the helmet onto my head with my glasses on. I had to put them on after while the faceplate was removed.
- The back of the head was too cone like
- Due to cone it was too big once on
Ignore the eye holes, I made those just so I could see myself when taking pictures.
I found that this was partly down to myself not properly scaling, perhaps not including the overlaps I thought I didn’t need and, at the same time, the 3D model I used has a noticeable cone at the back of the head which isn’t what I was after. I attempted to alter the pattern by cutting away parts that didn’t sit right but of course that messed up how the helmet sat overall. I ended up scrapping the helmet unfold and returned to the drawing board.
After searching the net I found a basic Power Ranger helmet tutorial and pattern that gave me the shape I was after. Downloading and printing it out I then made a cardboard mock up to see how it sat on my head. I also created a quick paper template to get the size and width of the eye holes and to test how big to make the 9 circles on the head. Needless to say I ran into two more problems:
- Again I couldn't fit it over my head with glasses on.
- Once on, the helmet was too big.
Truly a terrifying sight to see at night.
So taking my scissors I chopped it up and taped it back together again so that it sat on my head shape fine and so that I could put it over my head. Turns out to do that I had to remove the chin and leave that area open as that was what was causing the biggest problem. It was at this stage however that I realised the trade off to being able to pull the helmet onto my head while keeping my glasses on was that the inside was going to be bigger than I needed. This meant I would then have to put foam supports inside the helmet to fit it securely to my head.
I borrowed a hairdressing head from my parents so I had something human like to rest the helmet on while I worked, though took in mind that the head was a lot smaller than my own. As I’d hoarded a bunch of packaging paper from recent purchases I used that to bulk the space inside the helmet while the cardboard mock up was on the mannequin head to make it secure, then went around and wrapped the entire thing in more paper. I did a quick doodle on the paper to get an idea of where the faceplate and chin would sit.
Happy that I now had an idea of how things would sit I started to wrap the paper in ductape to solidify the shape. I went ahead and added the AD chin I’d kept from the first mock up to see if I could reuse it and to see how far out on the face it would sit. From there I began to add in some cut lines.
With some A4 writing paper I then threw that on top of the now ductaped mock up and drew out the face plate shape and where the eyes would sit. I also cut out some circles to give myself an idea of where the head bolts would also sit, although I didn’t make them the correct size. That didn’t matter though as I could now see how things would look on the final form.
I only properly patterned one side of the head as it is meant to be symmetrical. Once I was happy I then began to cut out my templates and transferred them to foam.
To glue the parts together I ended up using hot glue. I’d have liked to have used contact cement which I do have a supply of, however being unable to sit in a properly ventilated area today (and having two cats that are being super clingy) I opted to instead use hot glue that I could use indoors. The end result has left things quite messy with some obviously partially open seams, however I will go ahead and use some test foam to make sure the silicone sealer I’ve got will properly cover the seams enough for me to have a smooth surface. The test piece will at least let me know whether the stuff I already have a supply of can be painted over, if not, then I can at least start to look for some that I can at a cheap price.
Right away I can see that from the back, the right side is a little off so I remelted the glue and reseated that piece.
Satisfied I then tried a test fit only to find the helmet is a little bigger than I expected it to be. I think maybe I patterned it incorrectly? Or maybe when I covered the initial mock up with paper and ductape I inadvertently made it bigger? I’m not sure. Either way this has now solidified that I will have to put in some supports to make sure it sits on my head securely. Marking out where my face sits on the helmet I went ahead and cut out an opening so that the faceplate can sit over the top of my face without having two layers of foam in the way. Admittedly in hindsight it may have been better if I’d planned the opening into the pattern to prevent foam wastage but it’s too late for that now.
For now that’s all I’ve got. The next step will be making the chin out of foam and the head bolts, then eventually detailing the face.
Hello!
First time poster here though I’ve loitered around since the end of October last year. So much talent and imagination here and I only wish I’d found this place long before I started in this hobby last year.
I’m a beginner at making costumes and this build is my second time dabbling in the hobby (and my second Overwatch costume). My first attempt was last August/September in which I tried to make D.Va’s meka, and while it wasn’t the best thing ever I had fun creating it and learned a lot from the experience. I only just managed to finish the costume the night before I was due to travel to the con, and the only pictures I remembered to snap of it were when I was finishing the last few bits. Yeah, I definitely bit off more than I could chew for my first try; especially when I started building 2 months before the con!
This time however I’ve learned my lesson and making sure I start many months in advance to avoid crunch time (or so I hope.)
---
Acknowledgements
This is a big thank you to the following folks whom without their tips, files and models this build may not have seen the light of day!
Dali Lomo: Helmet base I used (x)
Terra968: Creating the adult version of above
Randy Cavanagh: Armoursmith Designer (x)
Armellino Raffaele: 3D Zenyatta model (x)
JFCustoms: For the foam cutting tips and tricks
Tiff Nguyen: For the tutorial on adding magnets to EVA foam (x)
Soaches: For the tutorial on how to make Zenyatta’s Orbs (x)
---
This build will be built out of EVA foam and craft foam. Fabric will be used for the corded belt and sash, and a pre-made pair of pants for the...well, pants. The orbs of harmony/discord will be created with styrofoam balls coated in clay. I am aiming to strap the build with N48 grade rare earth magnets and, where necessary, velcro. Updates will come as and when I get a chance to sit down and work on the project. All tips and advice welcome!
As I wear glasses I had to think of a few design choices on how to create the helmet so that I could pull it on my head without taking them off. Wearing contacts unfortunately isn’t a choice. Below are the possibilities on how I can fit it together:
Option A – Helmet made in 3 parts (full head base, faceplate and chin). Faceplate and chin will attach to the base via N48 magnets. Size can be smaller so glasses can be put on after base is on my head and face plate can sit over the top. Would provide the best ventilation overall in theory.
Option B – Helmet made in 2 parts (full head base and chin as one, faceplate separate). Same as above in which glasses can be put on after the base is already on. Removable faceplate means I can at least take it off to eat & drink without taking off the full helmet.
Option C – Helmet made in 2 parts (full head base and faceplate as one, chin separate). In this case, the helmet will be made big enough to slip on my head without removing my glasses, and having a removable chin piece means I can take a smaller part away to have a drink/eat without taking off the full helmet.
Option D – Helmet will not be in separate parts and will be one full item. Will need to be made slightly bigger to accommodate glasses when being pulled on and have additional padding inside in order for helmet to sit properly/securely on my noggin.
Going forward I’m leaning more towards option C as the chin piece would be less of a hassle to remove, though depending on how this build goes I may change my mind.
----
It turns out that Zenyatta is one of those Overwatch characters that doesn’t appear to have available pepakura files, or at least files that are readily available to download. It seemed those that were making their Zenyatta costumes either freehanded it or made their own pep files, and since I’ve never used pepakura designer before I didn’t have much of an idea on where to start. So I decided to do mine as a mixture of freehand and making my own patterns with Armoursmith Designer.
I downloaded a 3d model of Zenyatta from Sketchfab which the creator had thankfully broken down the model into separate pieces, so importing individual areas into Armoursmith (after separating the pieces into their own .obj files with Maya) was a doddle. After setting up my avatar to my body measurements and snapping the imported armour sections to the frame I tried to scale each bit as best I could. Mostly I was just jumbling through it like the absolute novice I am lol. Apart from the shins and feet, the lower part of the body doesn’t need to be patterned due to it being clothed, so for now I’m concentrating on the upper body.
Starting with the head I chopped the pattern up for unfolding and arranged the parts, but only added in the parts I thought I needed as the 3d model I ended up using created a lot of overlaps which were unnecessary. I printed this on card and made a quick mock up to see how things sat; and while I found it fit my head I came across two issues.
- I was unable to pull the helmet onto my head with my glasses on. I had to put them on after while the faceplate was removed.
- The back of the head was too cone like
- Due to cone it was too big once on
Ignore the eye holes, I made those just so I could see myself when taking pictures.
I found that this was partly down to myself not properly scaling, perhaps not including the overlaps I thought I didn’t need and, at the same time, the 3D model I used has a noticeable cone at the back of the head which isn’t what I was after. I attempted to alter the pattern by cutting away parts that didn’t sit right but of course that messed up how the helmet sat overall. I ended up scrapping the helmet unfold and returned to the drawing board.
After searching the net I found a basic Power Ranger helmet tutorial and pattern that gave me the shape I was after. Downloading and printing it out I then made a cardboard mock up to see how it sat on my head. I also created a quick paper template to get the size and width of the eye holes and to test how big to make the 9 circles on the head. Needless to say I ran into two more problems:
- Again I couldn't fit it over my head with glasses on.
- Once on, the helmet was too big.
Truly a terrifying sight to see at night.
So taking my scissors I chopped it up and taped it back together again so that it sat on my head shape fine and so that I could put it over my head. Turns out to do that I had to remove the chin and leave that area open as that was what was causing the biggest problem. It was at this stage however that I realised the trade off to being able to pull the helmet onto my head while keeping my glasses on was that the inside was going to be bigger than I needed. This meant I would then have to put foam supports inside the helmet to fit it securely to my head.
I borrowed a hairdressing head from my parents so I had something human like to rest the helmet on while I worked, though took in mind that the head was a lot smaller than my own. As I’d hoarded a bunch of packaging paper from recent purchases I used that to bulk the space inside the helmet while the cardboard mock up was on the mannequin head to make it secure, then went around and wrapped the entire thing in more paper. I did a quick doodle on the paper to get an idea of where the faceplate and chin would sit.
Happy that I now had an idea of how things would sit I started to wrap the paper in ductape to solidify the shape. I went ahead and added the AD chin I’d kept from the first mock up to see if I could reuse it and to see how far out on the face it would sit. From there I began to add in some cut lines.
With some A4 writing paper I then threw that on top of the now ductaped mock up and drew out the face plate shape and where the eyes would sit. I also cut out some circles to give myself an idea of where the head bolts would also sit, although I didn’t make them the correct size. That didn’t matter though as I could now see how things would look on the final form.
I only properly patterned one side of the head as it is meant to be symmetrical. Once I was happy I then began to cut out my templates and transferred them to foam.
To glue the parts together I ended up using hot glue. I’d have liked to have used contact cement which I do have a supply of, however being unable to sit in a properly ventilated area today (and having two cats that are being super clingy) I opted to instead use hot glue that I could use indoors. The end result has left things quite messy with some obviously partially open seams, however I will go ahead and use some test foam to make sure the silicone sealer I’ve got will properly cover the seams enough for me to have a smooth surface. The test piece will at least let me know whether the stuff I already have a supply of can be painted over, if not, then I can at least start to look for some that I can at a cheap price.
Right away I can see that from the back, the right side is a little off so I remelted the glue and reseated that piece.
Satisfied I then tried a test fit only to find the helmet is a little bigger than I expected it to be. I think maybe I patterned it incorrectly? Or maybe when I covered the initial mock up with paper and ductape I inadvertently made it bigger? I’m not sure. Either way this has now solidified that I will have to put in some supports to make sure it sits on my head securely. Marking out where my face sits on the helmet I went ahead and cut out an opening so that the faceplate can sit over the top of my face without having two layers of foam in the way. Admittedly in hindsight it may have been better if I’d planned the opening into the pattern to prevent foam wastage but it’s too late for that now.
For now that’s all I’ve got. The next step will be making the chin out of foam and the head bolts, then eventually detailing the face.
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