Foam Pepakura Star-Lord WIP - Pic Heavy

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 14, 2015

My friend, Kevin has decided that he would like to build a Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord cosplay. I am assisting him with this endeavor. So, I have decided to created a build thread to document our process.

Here goes:

First of all, gotta thank JFCustom for the pdo file! Great job. This is the version of the pepakura file we started with. Here's a link: http://www.therpf.com/f24/jfcustoms-foam-files-148889/

As with all foam peps we started by printing the file on card-stock paper, and cutting out the pieces.

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Once we had the paper parts, we traced them onto the back of an anti-fatigue mat. The mat comes on a 4'x8' roll at Ollie's Bargain Outlet for $17.99. We ended up using about 1/3 of a roll.

We knew that we would never be able to cut out the round pieces of the mask perfectly enough to make pefectly round shapes on the mask. We agreed that the round shapes define the mask. So, we decided to improvise those parts with things that are pre-manufactured and are already round. We had access to some "10 dram" prescription bottles, and we agreed that they would suffice.

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Here's a look at the foam parts laid out for assembly.

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Those other round tubes are free pens I got from a hotel, and the inside of a roll from the receipt tape in a cash register.

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Together, we liked the way they could be assembled into one another for the side tubing (and that they were free). As others have done with Star-Lord we also decided to use flexible drinking straws for tubing as well.

As far as tools go, we used some regular scissors, my curved lexan scissors, a hand dremel tool, some curved pliers, an x-acto knife, and a grinder.

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Since the different sized tubes didn't all fit into one another perfectly we used some scrap foam to make gaskets for the ends of the tubes. This would give us a way to attach them together while still keeping the angles flexible during the build process. To measure the size of the gaskets we just pressed the tubes into the foam like this.

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We concluded that the diameter of the receipt tube was approximately 5/8". So, we drilled a hole in the bottom of the 10 dram bottle.

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We also found a drill bit that was the same diameter of the pen.

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BobbyFromBUF · Feb 14, 2015

Before assembling the foam parts we knew that some of the parts would need to have curves added to them. We angled the front of the "mouth" section by cutting out little trenches in the back of the foam. This way, we could add hot glue to the trench, and then fold the foam over to retain the shape.

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Whenever I use hot glue with foam, I press the parts together for approximately 50 seconds to ensure that the glue is hardened enough that the parts won't pull apart on their own. More glue = more time pressing the parts in place with my hands.

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We then went about assembling the parts of the mask. We started with the eye mask area since we wanted this part especially to look symmetrical.

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Some foam parts need to have the edges trimmed to allow the parts to properly sit together. Therefore, you need to trim those edges accordingly. This is the part that fits around the eye piece, and bridges the gap to the side of the mask.

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Starting to come together.

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We actually made 2 sets of ear pieces and glued them on top of one another to add depth. From looking at screen captures we felt this was more screen accurate.

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BobbyFromBUF · Feb 14, 2015

Heading out for the night, I'll likely post some more when I get home. Have a nice evening!

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 14, 2015

Alright, I'm back...

Once we had the hole cut in the 10 dram bottle we were able to begin assembly.

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As you can see, we cut the top of the bottle cap off, and trimmed off any excess pieces that "stuck out".

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Next we attached the bottles to the mask.

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Drinking straws were added for the tubing on the front of the mask.

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Then we cut off the tops of the larger bottle caps for the eye sockets.

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We didn't like that this made the eyes kind of side facing. So, we thought about how to address that.

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The "half chaps" or "spats" were something else we didn't feel confident making. So, Kevin ordered them online. He settled on these ones: http://www.equinenow.com/store-item-89712

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With the helmet assembled and the tubing in place we still didn't feel that the faceplate looked smooth enough. So, we added some craft foam pieces to really give it a more finished look.

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We did make one screen accurate mistake here... The semi-circle at the top of the eye mask between the eyes should really be cut out of the mask. On our mask it is a semi-circle glued over the top. Not a big deal, but something you could correct if you try to build your own.

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On the sides of the mask are 3 small tube like structures. We settled on using some cheap Dollar Tree caribiners, and cutting them to meet our needs.

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Next we found a tutorial online where someone used a pair (one yellow and one pink) of cheap clip-boards from Walmart to make the red lenses. We tried this, but didn't love the reseults.

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Next we decided that we had to address the texture of the bottle caps. So, we wrapped the caps with some craft foam.

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Once we had everything sized up to our liking we started attaching the craft foam.

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For the mouth area, we thought it would be important to retain some ventilation. Since the design of the mask allows for some vents we decided to take the most advantage of this, and drill holes through the foam in this area.

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Once we had that attached it became apparent that the more intricate details might become easier to paint if we had a bit of separation. So, more craft foam was added for details.

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We then drilled a couple more holes to attach the drinking straws on the chin. When we searched through the screen captures we found that some of the photos showed these tubes missing while others had them. We liked the extra details - so we added them.

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Here's a look at how the caribiners will eventually be attached.

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As you can see in this shot, there are various small pieces of craft foam attached to correspond with helmet details that will be painted on at the very end of the build.

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BobbyFromBUF · Feb 14, 2015

As with all foam armor builds you eventually have to address the issue of getting the paint to adhere to the foam. Since I've done this before with my Iron Man MK VI, we used the same technique: 1 part Elmer's Glue and 1 part water mixed together, and painted on. We ended up with about 6 coats or so.

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Okay. So, not that we've got that drying, on to electronics...

We had several different ideas regarding the eyes. The toughest part of the Star-Lord mask is building a version that will allow the eyes to light up, but also not block the vision of the cosplayer.

After several failures we think we have figured out a way to allow for some vision while also protecting the cosplayer's eyes. As you may not know, LED lights can cause permanent blindness. This was of paramount concern to us.

While our build remains incomplete, we believe we have solved this issue. Here's our plan:

We were looking at this roll of wire from Radio Shack, and it occurred to us that if we could build a similar apparatus we could allow the wearer to look through the hole in the center and simultaneously protect the eye from the light.

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The lights we ultimately settled on are like this: http://www.save-on-crafts.com/fairylights9.html

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 14, 2015

To finish the eyes we are going to use two packets of "Tubular Washers" from home depot for $1.96 per pack.

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Of the 6 rings in the pack we are only going to use these 2.

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First the gray ring will go inside to hold the lens in place. Then the larger green ring will be added to the outside. These will eventually need to be painted.

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Obviously, still not installed, but this is the plan.

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From the inside looking out.

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In these photos you see the extra lights - this is because we are going to use 1 strand of 20 lights with 10 lights in each eye socket.

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 14, 2015

The strand of lights will be wrapped around a tiny piece of 3/4" pvc pipe.

Solefreak88 · Feb 15, 2015

Looks awesome bro

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 15, 2015

Solefreak88 said:
Looks awesome bro

Thanks! More progress soon!

Solefreak88 · Feb 15, 2015

What thickness eva foam are you using?

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 15, 2015

I'd say it's about 7mm or about 1/4".

MEOWorksCreative · Feb 15, 2015

Looking good, it's looking to be a nice build.

sdmicp · Feb 16, 2015

Very creative process. Nice job!

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 16, 2015

Okay, some more progress.

I threw a coat of dark blue on the mask since I noticed a hint of blue in some of the screen captures. I thought that maybe later we could sand it down, and expose some of that blue if we feel like it...

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Next, we started working on the rocket boosters. Kevin found a build thread that used binoculars as the primary shape of the boosters. Once again we thought we could make the most of those silly prescription viles.

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We found a small chunk of wood I had laying around and figured we could use that for the center piece of the boosters.

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Kevin also found a file online for the "Awesome Mix Vol.1" Walkman, and he had it printed out on adhesive paper. Since this is a costume he is planning to wear at charity events we figured we would make 2 versions of the Walkman. One, would be made of a piece of wood, and be super durable. The other would be made of foam, and would actually be able to house his iPhone 6 Plus.

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I have no idea where this piece of scrap wood came from but it seemed to be perfect for this project. It's sort of an unusual size. I guess it might be a 1"x5"???

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Next Kevin picked up the Sketchers shoes that everyone seems to be using for this cosplay. These set him back $60. We also found some faux leather in the clearance section of Jo-Ann Fabrics. It was $9 for 3 yards of it. The color isn't perfect, but we think we can make it work with some wood stain. We'll let you know how that goes...

In the meantime, we traced the shoe to make the spats that cover the laces.

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We also started working on the headphones. We found headphones for $1 at Dollar Tree, but obviously they're not orange. We threw a couple coats of glue on the foam part, and let it dry overnight. Today we threw a coat of orange paint on them. It's still drying, but we'll share the results later on this week.

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After several coats of paint in various colors we agreed that the Rustoleum Metallic Dark Grey was the best of our choices.

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This super bright lighting really shows all the flaws. It looks way better in person.

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When we built the helmet we added some craft foam pieces where-ever we thought the paint would be different to allow for more separation, except the back. We honestly just didn't realize that there should a few more details on the back of the mask. Since it's too late to add more foam, we just taped that area off. Maybe we'll do something later on to address these details. But, for now, at least you can learn from our oversight.

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And the taping continues...

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Maybe we'll paint his yoohoo gold! Haha...

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After removing the tape...

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Finally, with one coat of silver on the smaller details.

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Left to do:

- Add straps/buckles to the half chaps
- Attach spats to the half chaps
- Find the right pants
- Create belt buckle
- Finish Orb
- Finish Nap-sack
- Finish Blasters
- Finish Rocket Boosters
- Attach lenses and lights

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 16, 2015

Had to just add one last photo with the blasters...

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 19, 2015

So, after taking a hard look at our progress photos, we decided that our gold was too copper, and our grey was too dark grey.

To address the grey we punished it! Just kidding, a little topical humor for you. No, we just gave it a light sanding. The sanding really knocked it down a few shades, and we are pleased with the results.

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I mentioned that Kevin found a file for the "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" Walkman. He had it printed out on adhesive paper, and we just slapped the decal on a piece of scrap wood I had laying around. I drilled a hole in the wood to accommodate the headphone jack, and we glue some scrap pieces of foam to the side for tape player buttons.

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Next we attached those caribeners that we chopped in half for the 3 tubes on each side. Also, I used my soldering iron to leave tiny holes representing the screws in the helmet. We may add screws (like the ones from eye glasses) if we can find the right ones.

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Finally, on to the eyes.

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I mentioned earlier that we wanted to give the cosplayer the ability to have the eyes light up while still maintaining some vision. Here's our solution - small piece of PVC pipe attached to a small piece of craft foam.

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It took quite a bit of trial and error, but eventually we arrived at a solution.

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We ended up using a single string of micro led lights. The light string can be purchased as seen below from various vendors on the internet. The version we bought comes with the attached battery supply, and the lights are wired in parallel so that the string can be cut at any point without disrupting the function of the remaining lights attached to the power source. Our strand of lights began with 20 leds. We cut the strand leaving 11 leds. We wrapped 5 led lights on each end into loose coils. We left 1 light in the center, and covered that light with electrical tape. Each eye socket would then have 5 lights inside of it.

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These were test shots before anything was glued in place. A "dry fit" if you will...

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Obviously, we still need to address the small amount of light escaping around the sides of the eyes. But, we are pleased that Kevin can wear the mask with compromising his vision. His field of vision is a bit limited, but this is to be expected with any helmeted costume. More updates later on this weekend. Goodnight for now!

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 22, 2015

I just realized that I never added any photos of the inside of the mask.

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We just used a small piece of craft foam to make a sleeve for the battery pack to slide into.

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Next we wanted to add some more details to the front of the mask. So, we used a flexible plastic rule to draw some lines.

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Then we started working on the belt buckle. We searched through a bunch of screen captures of Chris Pratt, and then I just free handed the shape onto some foam.

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We cut out some craft foam pieces to add depth.

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I used my hot soldering iron to add some pitting to the buckle.

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We also started gluing together the pieces of foam for the Walkman. This Walkman will be able to house Kevin's iPhone 6 Plus with it's case attached.

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After a bit of trial and error, we settled on using an old faux leather garment bag from the Thrift Store as the source for some of the leather details on the half-chaps.

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With one of the spats cut out I just flipped it over and traced it onto the other spat to ensure the two pieces looked symmetrical.

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For the metal details we used part of some Dritz snaps. We used the hot soldering iron to poke holes through the spats, and then attached the snap bottoms using a snap tool.

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We didn't like that you could see the shoes through the holes. So, we attached a second layer of the faux leather.

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We weren't exactly sure how to attach these spats, so we came up with the idea of making a few more holes, and stringing the shoe laces right through the spats.

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We will likely add a second piece of faux leather to the knee pad section, but not tonight

BobbyFromBUF · Feb 22, 2015

As I said earlier, we we decided to add some faux leather to the back of the knee pads. Next we glued all the leather pieces together. Apparently, hot glue doesn't work very well with leather. I started adding some stitching as a back up. Some snaps were also added to help hold the spats in place.

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This nylon webbing was added so the shoe laces could be laced though it.

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Back to work tomorrow, hopefully more updates next weekend. Have a great week!