Marthony
Well-Known Member
Hello,
I recently rushed this to be ready for use on Halloween. Having rushed, there are already some obvious things that I feel need to be replaced/improved, but please point out anything you see that I don't mention below.
I'm interested in people's opinions because I plan to upgrade this costume for use at next April's Calgary Comic Expo. I am considering competing. While it seems quite far away, some of the upgrades I have in mind will be rather time consuming, so best to get planning now!
The costume could be considered modular. It is composed of the torso frame, legs, and then what I like to call 'detail panels'. The torso frame is 3/4" tubular aluminum bolted together, so even that can be edited if need be.
Here's a reference pic of the toy. I have the toy and am building to its details, though I went with some cartoon coloring (forearms, center of codpiece) to help the appearance of the rushed version of this:http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1tysoxul.jpg
Here are some pics & videos:
A grainy night shot, though my favorite: http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...psrsb5wlja.png
Closeup with pumpkin: http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...psc9r8nfzf.jpg
Nov 1: http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...psew6svtze.jpg
Video of 1st walk: http://vid1276.photobucket.com/album...psvfqu8stc.mp4
Video of walk to bar: http://vid1276.photobucket.com/album...psi3kf4lma.mp4
Pic of head before painting, minus visor: http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...psxvpxt8ej.jpg
Pre-painted stage showing the torso frame and lower leg guts: http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...pscw2zb89m.jpg
At this time, I feel the following changes are needed:
- Tear down leg detail to the base & re-build. These are challenged as the 1.5" foam blocks aren't machine-cut; I think I need to slim them even and cover them with detailed EVA foam, and build up to the calf support from there. The legs were very rushed!
- Add thighs. these would be EVA foam and hanging down from the frame in some fashion.
- Add black fabric in the elbows so they appear to be elbows. My arms are too obvious without.
- Add detail in general. There's a lot of fairly simple detail & kibble I can add to most parts, like a grill on Long Haul, colored windows on the upper arms, track details on the upper arms, etc.
Here's the biggest thing: If you look at the pics close-up, such as the head, you can see the surfaces are rough. I tried sanding some parts but had little time. Most of the surfaces are 3 coats of green paint, 2 coats of purple, or 1 coat of white primer then 1 coat of green (legs). I am against using Plasti-Dip due to the expense & need for ventilation. I suppose I'm looking at trying white glue or Weldbond processes? I admit I'm tempted to leave it rough, but that would hurt me in competition.
Desired changes:
- Black or colored mesh screening in forward part of torso to obscure me. Not a good option on the sides due to need for range of movement.
- Totally replace forearms & fists with other forearms & animatronic hands. Presently they are solid foam. A couple people said the fists were their favorite detail, but I must say animatronic hands would be awesome though weeks of work. Do you think it worth the work?
- More lights. As part of the increased detail, I'd look for any parts (like Long Haul's headlights) where I could add LED's powered by 9V's. This would be straight-forward for me as I've done these before.
- Sounds:
Torso- I have a unit that can play 5 different pre-loaded sounds, with 5 dedicated triggers. While I had wanted a speaker in the robot's head, there wasn't enough space. However, this means I can put a quality lightweight speaker in the upper torso ahead of the head, with 3 cartoon quotables, a backup beep and one other sound. I could rig the buttons into the forearms. This part would be pretty easy.
Hands- I have small battery-powered speakers that could also run off of a similar device, with both hidden within the hands. I'm thinking a smashing sound and a breaking glass sound. Could compromise and have the sound coming from the torso, but from the hands would be ideal.
Feet- This one would be tougher to do & sound good. While I could use the same setup as the hands, I want a good base sound 'ka-thoom' with each footfall. This means a 5" speaker with its own power supply, built into the foam of the lower leg. The button device that comes with the sound card should be able to be rigged for pressure.
As far as mobility issues are concerned, I can get where I need to go if desired; the head comes off easily and the legs are also simple to remove. I can then walk sideways (in socks) through any standard inner-apartment sized doorway. I'm about 9' when suited.
What do you think?
Thanks for your input!
I recently rushed this to be ready for use on Halloween. Having rushed, there are already some obvious things that I feel need to be replaced/improved, but please point out anything you see that I don't mention below.
I'm interested in people's opinions because I plan to upgrade this costume for use at next April's Calgary Comic Expo. I am considering competing. While it seems quite far away, some of the upgrades I have in mind will be rather time consuming, so best to get planning now!
The costume could be considered modular. It is composed of the torso frame, legs, and then what I like to call 'detail panels'. The torso frame is 3/4" tubular aluminum bolted together, so even that can be edited if need be.
Here's a reference pic of the toy. I have the toy and am building to its details, though I went with some cartoon coloring (forearms, center of codpiece) to help the appearance of the rushed version of this:http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1tysoxul.jpg
Here are some pics & videos:
A grainy night shot, though my favorite: http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...psrsb5wlja.png
Closeup with pumpkin: http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...psc9r8nfzf.jpg
Nov 1: http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...psew6svtze.jpg
Video of 1st walk: http://vid1276.photobucket.com/album...psvfqu8stc.mp4
Video of walk to bar: http://vid1276.photobucket.com/album...psi3kf4lma.mp4
Pic of head before painting, minus visor: http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...psxvpxt8ej.jpg
Pre-painted stage showing the torso frame and lower leg guts: http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/...pscw2zb89m.jpg
At this time, I feel the following changes are needed:
- Tear down leg detail to the base & re-build. These are challenged as the 1.5" foam blocks aren't machine-cut; I think I need to slim them even and cover them with detailed EVA foam, and build up to the calf support from there. The legs were very rushed!
- Add thighs. these would be EVA foam and hanging down from the frame in some fashion.
- Add black fabric in the elbows so they appear to be elbows. My arms are too obvious without.
- Add detail in general. There's a lot of fairly simple detail & kibble I can add to most parts, like a grill on Long Haul, colored windows on the upper arms, track details on the upper arms, etc.
Here's the biggest thing: If you look at the pics close-up, such as the head, you can see the surfaces are rough. I tried sanding some parts but had little time. Most of the surfaces are 3 coats of green paint, 2 coats of purple, or 1 coat of white primer then 1 coat of green (legs). I am against using Plasti-Dip due to the expense & need for ventilation. I suppose I'm looking at trying white glue or Weldbond processes? I admit I'm tempted to leave it rough, but that would hurt me in competition.
Desired changes:
- Black or colored mesh screening in forward part of torso to obscure me. Not a good option on the sides due to need for range of movement.
- Totally replace forearms & fists with other forearms & animatronic hands. Presently they are solid foam. A couple people said the fists were their favorite detail, but I must say animatronic hands would be awesome though weeks of work. Do you think it worth the work?
- More lights. As part of the increased detail, I'd look for any parts (like Long Haul's headlights) where I could add LED's powered by 9V's. This would be straight-forward for me as I've done these before.
- Sounds:
Torso- I have a unit that can play 5 different pre-loaded sounds, with 5 dedicated triggers. While I had wanted a speaker in the robot's head, there wasn't enough space. However, this means I can put a quality lightweight speaker in the upper torso ahead of the head, with 3 cartoon quotables, a backup beep and one other sound. I could rig the buttons into the forearms. This part would be pretty easy.
Hands- I have small battery-powered speakers that could also run off of a similar device, with both hidden within the hands. I'm thinking a smashing sound and a breaking glass sound. Could compromise and have the sound coming from the torso, but from the hands would be ideal.
Feet- This one would be tougher to do & sound good. While I could use the same setup as the hands, I want a good base sound 'ka-thoom' with each footfall. This means a 5" speaker with its own power supply, built into the foam of the lower leg. The button device that comes with the sound card should be able to be rigged for pressure.
As far as mobility issues are concerned, I can get where I need to go if desired; the head comes off easily and the legs are also simple to remove. I can then walk sideways (in socks) through any standard inner-apartment sized doorway. I'm about 9' when suited.
What do you think?
Thanks for your input!
