COMPLETED - First Build - Red Hood, New 52

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

Personally, I think those look great. I think they'll also be more comfortable than anything smaller you get. But hey, if you don't think they're the ones, keep looking. You can always come back to these.

They are, indeed, super comfy. I will see how they look with the right pants, then decide for sure whether to get different boots.

How did the bondo work turn out.

The bondo on the upper eye went pretty well, but since I had to lay on such a thick layer, it slightly cracked, and there is still a minor depression in the surface where the hole was. My perfectionism is getting the better of me. I will be putting on one more thin layer of Bondo some time this week, to even the surface out, then it is on to the third (and hopefully last) coat of primer! My schedule is a little full this week, so I might not be able to do this until Friday.

Good news though: I think I have found the pants! Unfortunately, their pants run on the small side so my waist size is actually a bit too tight, but the company was very hassle-free about the exchange, all I had to do was pay return shipping. I should have the correct size some time next week and will be sure to post pics as soon as I get it.

Stay tuned!

 

[DarthStevenus]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

I'm working on a Batman cowl right now and I'm currently at the bondo stage. I've had some luck fixing cracks with a few drops of super glue. And not just cracks, but tough areas like the pointy tips of the ears which were starting to get a little wobbly.

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

I'm working on a Batman cowl right now and I'm currently at the bondo stage. I've had some luck fixing cracks with a few drops of super glue. And not just cracks, but tough areas like the pointy tips of the ears which were starting to get a little wobbly.

This is the crack to which I am referring:


It's nothing major, and could probably be filled in with a little super glue, except that there is still the depression that I want to get rid of. It shouldn't be a problem since it is just spot putty on top of spot putty. But I am going to hold onto that super glue idea for future projects, definitely sounds useful.

 

[Randy Guhl]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

looking good so far.
if you are still looking for good pants i suggest getting some tactical pants if you have an army surplus nearby. as far as the gloves I have the oakley pilots and love them they are similar to yours but the are a full glove

 

[agrim]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

Bravo on your progress. I am also looking to cosplay as the red hood but after reading this I think that this might be alot for a beginner like myself. But I am gonna try .

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

looking good so far.
if you are still looking for good pants i suggest getting some tactical pants if you have an army surplus nearby. as far as the gloves I have the oakley pilots and love them they are similar to yours but the are a full glove

Yeah, they are very well made. I should have scooped up a pair of the full gloves when I found them for dirt cheap a while back, but did not unfortunately. Thankfully, I think the half-fingered will do just fine, maybe even add a personal flair to it.

Bravo on your progress. I am also looking to cosplay as the red hood but after reading this I think that this might be alot for a beginner like myself. But I am gonna try .

Thanks, agrim! I'll say this: the New 52 version is probably harder to cosplay accurately than the previous version, simply because of the increased amount of detail. The helmet has more detailed features, the pants are tighter, there's body armor, etc. I actually think the earlier version is a great first cosplay for many people simply because a lot of the pieces can be bought and then used as is (as opposed to purchasing something and have to modify it to maintain accuracy). Do what you think you can do in the amount of time you have. I knew this project was going to be tough as a first, but I also knew that I had (and still have) months to get things exactly as I like them. Good luck to you.

----------------



Update time!

I checked the Chicago forecast yesterday evening and saw rain pretty much all day both Saturday and Sunday. Then I cursed and looked outside. I had about 1.5 hours of daylight left, so I gathered up my stuff and ran outside. I sanded down the final Bondo applications (the crack I showed you earlier, and one other place that need just a little bit to finish it). Then I applied the 3rd, and looks like final(!), primer coat.


The putty layer is still kind of visible above the left eye, but considering how close you have to be to see it and that that area will eventually be painted black, I am not worried about it.

Time to hit the paint store and find a shade of red that I like!

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

Nice dude ! once you finish the bondo stage and you are happy with the result, the painting and detailing comes easily

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

I learned something new yesterday: it is illegal to even possess spray paint in Chicago, and you can be subject to $500-$1500 in fines. The good news is that I did not discover that the hard way. I was at a Home Depot within the city limits to buy paint when I was told that it is illegal to sell it within the city limits (crackdown on graffiti law, been in place since '92). That prompted some investigation once I got home and, sure enough, it is illegal to even have the stuff. Thankfully, the back yard of the building where I live is fairly concealing, and even if someone saw me, I doubt they would call the cops considering I am not tagging any property. That said, I may venture out to a friend's house in the suburbs to do the rest of my painting, just for my own peace of mind. But enough of my rambling.

I did get paint, just picked it up near where I work since I work out in the suburbs anyway. And I sneaked outside to do a few test pieces really quick despite everything I just wrote



All Rustoleum brand. From top to bottom:
-Black Gloss Protective Enamel
-Black Flat Protective Enamel
-Satin American Red
-Gloss Cherry


For the eyes, I think the flat finish beats the gloss. But I'm torn on the red. The Gloss Cherry definitely looks more true-to-hue, but the satin finish just sounds better to me (I could not find the Cherry in a flatter finish). After all, Red Hood is a member of the bat family, so stealth is kind of their thing. He's already wearing a bright red helmet, I cannot see having a shiny, reflective surface as being helpful.

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

First coat of paint!



And if you look really close, you can see where the beetle landed right between the eyebrows, got stuck in the freshly applied paint, and had to be rescued by me, thus smudging this layer, haha! Not that big of a deal, considering my drop cloth also caught a gust of wind and stuck itself to the cheek at one point. So this layer will have to be sanded and reapplied regardless.

This is the Gloss Cherry (as shown above). I think the color is pretty accurate (a true red, very little tendency toward orange or purple) but I am not crazy about shine of the gloss. I am going to go over it with 1000 grit sand paper, see what that leaves me with. I am also thinking a matte clear lacquer/enamel finish at the end might diminish some of that high-gloss look. *shrug* It's a first project, so everything is an experiment!

 

[Wildcard28]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

Looks sweet dude can't wait to see more.

 

[HyruleInfantry]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

don't know if you got your belt yet or not. but i do have a suggestion. One go to a hardware store and buy a plastic clip tool belt and spray paint the clip silver or go on amazon.com and get a tactical belt and spray paint the clip silver.
great job on the mask by the way. i am one of the few that prefer the "under the red hood" design. I am infact making my own version kinda of going along the lines of a what if jason todd was in the recent batman movies.
hope my suggestions help. good luck

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

Looks sweet dude can't wait to see more.

Thanks Wildcard! It's tough pacing myself and taking it slow and steady since I want to see more, too!

don't know if you got your belt yet or not. but i do have a suggestion. One go to a hardware store and buy a plastic clip tool belt and spray paint the clip silver or go on amazon.com and get a tactical belt and spray paint the clip silver.
great job on the mask by the way. i am one of the few that prefer the "under the red hood" design. I am infact making my own version kinda of going along the lines of a what if jason todd was in the recent batman movies.
hope my suggestions help. good luck

I actually just ordered my belt off Strapworks, using a black nylon strap the same width as the ones on the holsters. I like them because you can choose what kind of buckle, and what color it will be, so I chose a gun metal colored aluminum buckle. I plan on removing the straps currently attached to the holsters and reattaching them at an angle, then sewing them to the belt, so they will angle away and down from the buckle (like the source material).


It's been about 30 hours since I painted the mask, so I went to work sanding the mask. I wasn't crazy about it, but given that there were some uneven spots, and the smudges from the bug and the drop cloth, I felt it best. Except now, as you can see by the pic below, it has gone down to the second layer of primer in certain places (I think the most recent primer coat is sanding off with the paint). I was going to sand most of the paint off, but I'm not sure I want to do that now.




I'm a little frustrated, and really hoping I haven't screwed myself, given the time and money already invested.

 

[chazdragon]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

take a deep breath and woosaaa.. are you dry sanding or wet sanding. when trying to finish lairs like this on my car with bondo before paint I always wet sand. you should be able to get some super fine paper from your auto parts store and a bucket of water and go to work. but don't sand threw all your lairs of paint just enugh to even it out and get rid of your blemishes. When you wet sand be sure and move the paper in the direction / flow of the mask and be careful not to sand your finger shape into the paint (had to learn that one the hard way.) It is looking real good..... It is always the last 15% of a project that turns from fun to work....... I am right there with you on my own project, Just stick with it it will turn out just fine.

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

Thanks chazdragon. You are right. I didn't touch it at all yesterday and was able to come back to it today and see that it was far from ruined. I sanded the mask down some more, then got ready to paint again. Today, I decided to try the slightly darker Satin red to see if I liked that better. I figured, at the very least, it would require less sanding before the next coat was applied.

I had the drop cloth well secured this time, the piece was clean, everything was set up as it should be. It was rather windy today in Chicago (15-25 mph), and today my workspace was about 20 yards up wind of my building (in other words, the over-spray could very easily end up being carried to the building). I was not sure that I wanted to risk it, and the next day looks just as nice but with slower wind. On the other hand, I was already set up! I was about to throw caution to wind (pun intended), then my hand slipped on the spray can and it fell to ground, breaking both the applicator tip and the tube leading into the can. For a split second, I was pissed, and then I realized that if ever there was a sign, that was it. No matter if you believe in the man upstairs, fate, karma, ley lines, etc., something basically said, "You idiot, don't rush this and ruin it. Take your time and do it tomorrow." So be it.


The good news is: I found the pants!


They are slender, but not constricting (unlike the originals). Have some nifty removable hip and knee pads, and are an inch longer than I normally wear, so they will fit well over boots.

New coat of paint coming tomorrow!

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

As promised, a new coat of paint, and I like the finish on this one so much better than the first.



The paint in that pic is still wet, but as of now it is drying beautifully. The first one looked like latex, this one looks much better in my opinion. In a couple days, I'll gently wet sand it with 1000 grit paper, and then decide whether or not it needs one more coat. If not, I'll give it a layer of enamel or lacquer, then it is onto the eyes!

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

First off, my belt came in on Friday!



I ordered it from Strapworks(.com). I highly recommend them: very affordable, quick shipping, and customizable. They let me choose what width of nylon I wanted, what kind of buckle I wanted (metal, plastic, hybrid, etc.), and what color I wanted the buckle to be. I chose a "Gun-Metal Grey" which honestly looked a little lighter in the picture, but I still think it looks great.

I ordered 5 feet of extra nylon strapping, because I'll be removing some of the stuff attached to the holsters and sewing on diagonal straps, that will attach to the belt more like what you see in the source material.

Also, I put the my third and probably final coat of paint on yesterday!



If you'll note, there is almost no shine to this coat. I am not sure if that is because the gloss paint was still shining through on the previous coat, or if it is because there was a higher humidity yesterday. There is definitely a rougher texture to this coat, like fine sand paper (hence the light diffusion), but it doesn't come off on my fingers when I run them over the surface. You can kind of see what I mean here:



So, question for anyone following this thread: Will the texture be a problem with the future coats (i.e. should I give it one more good sanding then repaint on a less humid day)? Or, am I good to proceed with a clear enamel and then the black for the eyes, followed by a final clear enamel?

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

I didn't hear from anyone one way or the other, so I decided not to risk. I wet-sanded the whole thing down again with 2000 grit (thank you Auto Zone) and applied one more coat of paint. Though something went wrong with my can half-way through the coat, and the damn thing would only spray paint while upside down. For the record, it is very difficult to get an even coat while holding a can inverted! Nevertheless, I succeeded:



There is the slightest texture here and there across the helmet when compared to other parts of the helmet, but at 7 coats of paint total, I think this is as good as it is going to get. This weekend, I will spray a Clear Coat Enamel across the entire thing to make sure any accidental bumping does not ruin the paint, then I will paint the eyes. Hopefully I only need 2 coats maximum for those.

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

After an hour of meticulously taping out the eyes, then making sure every other inch of the helmet was covered:



I am going to give it a full 48 hours before removing everything. Sunday night will be the moment of truth. If everything held up and there were no holes in the seal (PLEASE let there have been no holes in the seal!), then I'll be ready for a layer of Crystal Clear Enamel and it will be nearly finished.

Then there's the rest of the costume, of course! In the coming weeks, I'll have more info on how that will shape up.

 

[gledar]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

attachment didnt work! i really want to see how you masked the eyes off, I have to do the same kind of thing on my new red hood helmet, im hoping to pick up some techniques from this part of the build

 

[Vox]

Re: First Build - Red Hood (New 52)

attachment didnt work! i really want to see how you masked the eyes off, I have to do the same kind of thing on my new red hood helmet, im hoping to pick up some techniques from this part of the build

I fixed the pic! As for how I masked the eyes:

First, I cut the edges off strips of blue painters tape that I had. I only had a roll that was about 1.25 inches wide, and rather than spend more money, I would stretch out a strip of tape, then use a hobby knife to cut 1/4 inch strips off of both sides. Using the factory cut edges, I lined the eyes with those small strips first, allowing me to get around every corner and crease without the tape folding in on itself (since each strip was so thin).

Next, I took the rest of the strips (which I had set aside) and used them to line the edge strips, effectively extending their coverage.



Finally, I taped scrap paper across the rest of the mask to protect it from over-spray mist.

I was following Sorenzo's build thread because the cast is his design, and his came out beautifully. You can see his pictured step-by-step toward the bottom of the first page.