Cooper Howard - AKA The Ghoul full cosplay outfit build

[DalekNim]

Regarding the hat, which I too have been searching for. Check out the GHOLSON 4X by Bullhide Hats in the khaki color. It’s the closest I’ve come across for the price point- about $65. Would need a little additional aging/distressing but not a lot. Oh, and a different hat band but that’s much easier to remedy. Hope this helps!

Thx! I've seen Cattlemen hats around that price as well (~ $70) but I'm trying not to spend that much .. lol. At Amazon the Fluffy Sense store has a Cattlemen hat that is felt in a good color for only $35. Still need to swap out the band but that will be required with anyone you get ... no decision yet but I'm leaning toward the cheap version ...

 

[AngiKoz]

Thx! I've seen Cattlemen hats around that price as well (~ $70) but I'm trying not to spend that much .. lol. At Amazon the Fluffy Sense store has a Cattlemen hat that is felt in a good color for only $35. Still need to swap out the band but that will be required with anyone you get ... no decision yet but I'm leaning toward the cheap version ...

We’ll stand by! Because go figure we must think alike. I know exactly which hat you’re talking about because I JUST ordered it yesterday! I’ll let you know when it gets here and see if I can post some pictures. I did notice after ordering it that it’s actually made of ‘vegan suede’ which is a fancy way of saying polyester, so not sure how well it would distress.

 

[DalekNim]

hmmmm ..... that could be a problem. definitely post some pics when you get it.

Rifle mods have been completed and the holster is complete as well. In the process of moding the rifle sling as it's currently a bit too big and the rifle sits too low and does not stick out as much as it does in the show so I'm shortening it a bit, also working on the gun belt and knife sheath.
I saw where that company that had posted it was creating a Ghoul overcoat had finished it but unfortunately they want $350. I know there are also several other ones on the market as well but I haven;'t compared them yet for accuracy, materials & cost. Since I actually already own a real western leather duster that I haven't worn in 20 years I'm thinking to just drag that out and modify it. Its not like I need it here in Florida ... it was expensive too but not $350 ... lol

 

[joberg]

hmmmm ..... that could be a problem. definitely post some pics when you get it.

Rifle mods have been completed and the holster is complete as well. In the process of moding the rifle sling as it's currently a bit too big and the rifle sits too low and does not stick out as much as it does in the show so I'm shortening it a bit, also working on the gun belt and knife sheath.
I saw where that company that had posted it was creating a Ghoul overcoat had finished it but unfortunately they want $350. I know there are also several other ones on the market as well but I haven;'t compared them yet for accuracy, materials & cost. Since I actually already own a real western leather duster that I haven't worn in 20 years I'm thinking to just drag that out and modify it. Its not like I need it here in Florida ... it was expensive too but not $350 ... lol

Yep, $350 seems a little too much...holster + rifle are A+

 

[DalekNim]

Thx. Yeah $350 is a bit much particularly when I own one which is about 90% accurate and unless I meet someone from The RPF on the Convention floor no one will ever know ... lol

 

[Odor66]

Interested in how you're going about the 219 years of wasteland treatment on the ghouls clothing? I too am working up a ghoul costume for myself and a Lucy McClain "Vaultie" for my wife. What type of paints are you going to use on the ghoul mask? Thanks for your post, I'll be referencing back as I progress.

 

[DalekNim]

Interested in how you're going about the 219 years of wasteland treatment on the ghouls clothing? I too am working up a ghoul costume for myself and a Lucy McClain "Vaultie" for my wife. What type of paints are you going to use on the ghoul mask? Thanks for your post, I'll be referencing back as I progress.

So I haven't gotten too far on that yet. I've done full zombie outfits and one technique that works well is to drag them through dirt and mud and put a pair of boots on and stomp 9n them and even run them over with your car ... let them dry and wash them and repeat and you'll usually get some good staining on them. They also make clothing paints which can work well thinned out and applied with an airbrush. That's how I did the weathering on my Mandalorian cape and the browns and blacks air brushed on the grey cape came out really nice. To get the ragged look you'll want to rip the coat and not cut it so you get jagged edges. As for painting the silicon mask I'll just be going with what Smooth-on recommends. Since it's skin tone it should only need some highlighting to bring out certain details but I haven't figured out how I'm going to do the 'missing nose' yet. On the show they added some silicon prosthetic around the nose bridge but then they actually used VFX computer graphics special effects to "remove" the nose. That worries me a little bit as they didn't just make the silicon mask with the missing nose which could mean it's going to be really challenging to get right ...

 

[Odor66]

Thanks for the note. I had read that just normal wear and tear (as you mention above) is the most realistic. I'll have to be careful as the coat is of the costuming variety and not built to last even a single summer in real weather. I thought maybe weathering powders from HO model railroading can be ground in to the jacket. Well Sir, I appreciate your response. I just recently completed watching the Who series from Hartnell on. What a gift it is! If you come up with any other ideas, I'm all ears. Best to you.

 

[DalekNim]

Once I start actually doing it I'll have a much better idea of what is working. Where did you get your over coat from?

 

[green1]

We’ll stand by! Because go figure we must think alike. I know exactly which hat you’re talking about because I JUST ordered it yesterday! I’ll let you know when it gets here and see if I can post some pictures. I did notice after ordering it that it’s actually made of ‘vegan suede’ which is a fancy way of saying polyester, so not sure how well it would distress.

Any update on the hat? I'm starting to work on a Ghoul costume for my partner for halloween

 

[DalekNim]

All leather work, except for final weathering is now complete ...

 

[joberg]

Pro-Job on those

 

[DalekNim]

Thx! Can't take all the credit - had a lot of help but i do like how they turned out. Now the fun really begins as i turn my attention to one of the main reasons i wanted to do this ... making the full face latex foam mask, which is something I've never done. First up and completing a life cast of my head

 

[DalekNim]

So while I continue to have this endless debate with myself on the " perfect" screen accurate cowboy hat to get I thought I'd dive into some 219 years worth of wasteland weathering and make some actual progress. Finished the bandolier and when I was about 2/3 done with the gun belt I noticed I had made a critical error in its fabrication ... can you all spot what I did wrong?
One good thing I did realize with all my 'paralysis by analysis' on the cowboy hat is that my cunning plan to get one using my current hat size would be a 'bad idea' since I'll be wearing a full face silicon mask which will increase the circumference of my head and ensure it won't fit ...

 

[DalekNim]

I'm working on some of the more detailed props that go with this costume and was wondering if anyone who is intimately familiar with Fallout knows if the time box used by Cooper Howard in teh TV series comes from the game so I can get a detailed reference to recreate it. The attached image is the best I could with a screen capture using my cell phone while freezing the image ...

 

[joberg]

So while I continue to have this endless debate with myself on the " perfect" screen accurate cowboy hat to get I thought I'd dive into some 219 years worth of wasteland weathering and make some actual progress. Finished the bandolier and when I was about 2/3 done with the gun belt I noticed I had made a critical error in its fabrication ... can you all spot what I did wrong?
One good thing I did realize with all my 'paralysis by analysis' on the cowboy hat is that my cunning plan to get one using my current hat size would be a 'bad idea' since I'll be wearing a full face silicon mask which will increase the circumference of my head and ensure it won't fit ...

The belt attachment on the rig should be on the other side. That is you're pulling from the left to the right (securing it) instead from right to left as you've built it.

 

[DalekNim]

yes, that is the error I made ...

 

[DalekNim]

And I just sourced the exact Egyptian cigarette box ... so all I need to do now is recreate the liner .. you gotta just love Etsy!

 

[DalekNim]

After being able to find the exact tin used in the show for housing his 3 viles of anti ghoul serum I thought I'd capitaliz3 on my success and jump in to the initial distressing of his overcoat. After about an hour with a pair of scissors, exacta knife and small toothed saw this is the current result

I'm happy with the initial result but there are still several more steps to go.
1. I'm not 100% sure yet the length of the shredded parts is long enough yet
2. I need to add some beeswax to the shredded ends to make the crumple and curl like in the show costume
3. The entire coats still needs the weathering pass to add that 'dragged through the sand" look the outfit has

However, overall its a good start

 

[joberg]

You can also use sandpaper on the sleeves, collar, etc...faster than dragging it through sand