First project-need help to make giant robot

[bigtrev503]

Hi, this is my first project like this, I decided to start making things. I wanna go big with this project. Electronics, speakers, ipod connection. It'll be awesome. Here's my ref pic for it:

http://www.supersentai.com/database/1997_megaranger/images/mega-mc-galaxymega.jpg


Going to put lights in the eyes and speakers in the shoulders (I think)

Only problem is; I'm a noob and I don't know where to start. I have started making measurments of myself and trying to scale it out from the above pic.

I have to say every single thing I have seen on this board has made my jaw drop. You guys are so cool, that's why I came here to ask because this board collectively has an appreciation for attention to the tiniest details which shows in every picture I look at.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[brimst0ne13]

take a full body head on pic of yourself, and of the suit, then make yourself opaque in a photo editor, placing yourself on top of the suit. that way you can safely keep it in proportion.

then just build with whatever you're comfortable with. i'd say start with insulation foam (pink or blue depending on where you get it). ive seen transformers generation 1 and voltron built with this.

also, try to get good quality pics of the suit close up for details. with the proportion picture, you can extrapolate the relative sizes of everything by scaling to your height.

 

[bigtrev503]

Do you not suggest cardboard? Keep in mind this is my first project like this ever. If I can do it for next to free first, I can do it again later with better materials after I get better or do more research.

The cosplay forum suggested a 4 way cross grain method with each section. It makes it sturdier, cardboard is free and I'm not working with a ton of money. I was thinking of buying the hot glue gun, glue , leds, ihome to butcher and put in the shoulders, and spray paint. All of which I could get for about 30 bucks.

How much is the foam? What do you think a project of this scope would cost approximately?

Is this something I could tackle in pepakura? I want the little details and I could do it in pep and use it as a life size guide to cut the cardboard peices out with. There is a lot of 3d details but they all seem to be relatively flat. Not too many round or curved details, so I think the cardboard could work nicely.

 

[bigtrev503]

Which photo editor should I use? I've never used one before, and how do I manually design things in pepakura?

 

[Hamsterstyle]

If it is your first project, or even your 1000th project. Starting with Cardboard is never a bad idea. it helps you rough out the shapes, get the scaling right, and ultimatly if you should decide to change materials, it shows you exactly how much you need to use ot make it.

My recommendation, get a ton of cardboard, and a large hot glue gun, and a TON of hot glue sticks and go crazy. Don't bother with pepakura for now, or LEDs, or paint yet. Just focus on building a large cardboard robot that you can fit inside of, then work on detailing.

 

[clonesix]

That robot looks like a bunch of boxes and cubes. No reason that you can't build in cardboard, poster board, foam core board, sheet styrene, or sheet sintra.

You can get a ton of cardboard for free. That sounds like a good way to start a first project.

 

[bigtrev503]

Yeah, that makes tons of sense, I will put the lights and sound aside for now. But I need some kind of tutorial for making the sections hang together, and making lifts for my feet. I have a nice kitty litter bucket and I'm gonna get another one to make the bases of my feet. I need at least a 6 to 8 maybe even 12 inch lift. The feet are huge and tall. My shoes will be strapped to the top of the lifts inside the robo-feet.

 

[bigtrev503]

That robot looks like a bunch of boxes and cubes. No reason that you can't build in cardboard, poster board, foam core board, sheet styrene, or sheet sintra.

You can get a ton of cardboard for free. That sounds like a good way to start a first project.

That's why I chose to do this one first: he's the boxiest of all megazords, which will make it easy for my first time.

I am going the cardboard route with a lot of inspirarion from this guy's method:

Megazord Costume Progress - RangerBoard


http://www.ffshrine.org/coratemp/dragonzord/digi8.jpg

http://www.ffshrine.org/coratemp/akon16/1.jpg


It's just that his look like crap in my opinion, the scale is all wrong and it sucks.

This is what it's supposed to look like:

http://www.supersentai.com/database/1992_zyuranger/images/zyu-sz-daizyujin.jpg

Funny thing is; other than gundams and TF's, I couldn't find any other attempts at any megazord at all. So, I wanna make a few.

The next one will look like this guy:

http://th02.deviantart.net/fs47/PRE/f/2009/211/9/8/Mighty_Morphin_Megazord_by_ShadowRangerBlue.jpg

The same as the guy above, but anime style.

 

[bigtrev503]

Ha ha this is my first thread from two years ago. After all the breakthroughs with foam and foam mats, this costume would be a breeze. It's even blue already!

 

[heiro5]

Check out Clivelee's jawdropping tutorial...

http://www.therpf.com/f24/general-gundam-mecha-cosplay-tutorial-160555/

I know, he's omega-level and you're trying your first outing (I'm working up to a first-try costume as well, so I can totally relate), but you will find a lot of insight and useful ideas about how to proceed in here. Plus, it's super-inspiring...

EDIT: Blaw! Then I saw that you re-visited your own ancient post... Nevermind...