Groot - foam build - WIP - Pic Heavy

BobbyFromBUF · May 20, 2016

I have mentioned before (in other threads) that I do appearances with a group of cosplayers in the Western New York (Buffalo, NY) area for charity. Since I know that I will eventually be interacting with children, I wanted to add a bit of a wow factor. To achieve that I added a small pouch made of 2mm craft foam. Within this pouch I can store up to 50 mini flowers. This will allow me to hand them out as Groot did when he interacted with the little girl in the film.

20160517_125923 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_125046 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_140341 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_140344 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_140440 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_142439 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_144853 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_144909 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

BobbyFromBUF · May 20, 2016

Okay, back to paint. I'm sure that I used an overabundance of paint. However, I am happy with the final look. So, maybe it was all worth it. My advice is to be more efficient. I would recommend using darker colors first, and then finishing with a light tan color. Also, use paints with shiney finishes first, and use a Matte or Flat finish last. Groot is organic, and really shouldn't look shiny....

20160517_155303 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_155311 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_155314 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_155317 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_155321 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160517_165152 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

1463585885429 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

Still, pretty awesome from where it started...

1463594348690 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160518_113110 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160518_113120 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160518_132835 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160518_133503 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

BobbyFromBUF · May 20, 2016

After the paint was complete I wanted to add some moss. Dollar Tree sells small bags of "Reindeer Moss" for $1. I ended up using a total of 5 bags.

20160517_125042 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

The moss comes out of the package a little bit bigger than I would prefer, so I used a pair of scissors and just kept clipping through the bunch until the pieces were much smaller.

20160519_172527 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160519_172536 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

The bit on the left is straight out of the package. The bit on the right is after chopping it.

20160519_211856 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

Before I could begin applying the moss, I needed to just touch up the paint on the face and bark to bring out some of the depth even more. I just mixed up some acrylic paints I had laying around until I achieved a sort of brownish/rust color.

20160519_223405 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160519_223408 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

I then used a weathering technique I learned when building my Mandalorian. You paint on the the acrylic paint, and then immediately wipe off as much as possible with a rag. The part that gets left behind is the weathering.

20160519_223419 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160519_223504 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160519_223543 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

Before...

20160519_224052 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

After...

20160519_225130 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160519_225135 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160519_231814 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

Okay, back to the moss. I just used "Elmer's Glue All", and a cheap paint brush, and "painted" glue on the areas where I wanted the moss, and then just pressed little bits of moss in place. I used what I would consider and excessive amount of moss in this process, with a plan to "rub off" much of the loose moss the following day. I think this is a good strategy.

20160520_000714 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160520_113309 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160520_113419 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160520_114845 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160520_120523 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160520_120651 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160520_122342 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160520_125429 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160520_223359 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160520_224745 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

I hope that my build serves to further the knowledge of this community.

I AM GROOT!

Snow Builder · May 21, 2016

Came out absolutely awesome, nice work!

BobbyFromBUF · May 21, 2016

Snow Builder said:
Came out absolutely awesome, nice work!

Thank you!

Bogleo · May 21, 2016

One of the best Groots I've seen, amazing!

doppelganger · May 21, 2016

That looks excellent, but I think we need a video of you walking around.got any Cons coming up? Would love to see peoples reactions to it.

BobbyFromBUF · May 21, 2016

doppelganger said:
That looks excellent, but I think we need a video of you walking around.got any Cons coming up? Would love to see peoples reactions to it.

Niagara Falls Comic Con on June 3rd - 5th. Probably going to wear Groot on Sunday the 5th.

Here's one video of me testing out the stilts pretty early in the process. The foam actually adds some rigidity and sturdiness to the stilts.

https://youtu.be/-AFAYL66EY0

doppelganger said:
That looks excellent, but I think we need a video of you walking around.got any Cons coming up? Would love to see peoples reactions to it.

doppelganger · May 21, 2016

Wow, they look like propper ankle breakers....lol. strap up well and really looking forward to seeing it in full on the move.

Leylander · May 22, 2016

You sir, are an artist!

BobbyFromBUF · May 22, 2016

Alright, I am hearing the concerns about the stability loud and clear. I met up with some friends last night, and they too voiced the same concerns. With that in mind, I have decided to try and improve the grip on the bottom of the stilts. I started out by throwing on a coating of Plasti-dip. I am hoping that it's rubberized qualities will help with grip. I may also add additional layers with some sand mixed in for more traction. I also plan to do a bit of test walking outside prior to any con trooping. I'll update again when I have more to report on the testing.

20160522_215956 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160522_220448 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

I may actually consider adding a stabilizer plate to the bottom down the line...

BobbyFromBUF · May 22, 2016

Bogleo said:
One of the best Groots I've seen, amazing!

Thanks! I appreciate the kind words!

- - - Updated - - -

Leylander said:
You sir, are an artist!

Thank you! It was a lot of fun to build!

BobbyFromBUF · May 22, 2016

Sand added... Once it dries I'll add some more coats of Plasti-dip.

20160522_230902 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

20160522_231302 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr

BobbyFromBUF · May 23, 2016

As promised, here are some test videos....

https://youtu.be/KxgNHIzy0J8

BobbyFromBUF · May 23, 2016

Here is a video of me getting into the stilts. It's quite a challenge, but I think will become easier with a bit of practice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHFzxGV2UIs

BobbyFromBUF · May 23, 2016

BobbyFromBUF · Jun 6, 2016

Hi everyone! I just wanted to post an update. I attended Niagara Falls Comic Con on Friday - Sunday, and I had a blast! I went with a bunch of friends, and we spent the weekend having fun with our various Cosplays. I ended up wearing Groot on Saturday and Sunday each time for approximately 3 hours. I find 3 hours to be my personal limit for this costume. With each stilt weighing nearly 10.5lbs, and the entire costume coming in around 30lbs total, 3 hours is plenty of time to spend behind the mask.

Regarding the stilts, the biggest take-away I can express about my design is that it does not handle slopes very well. Flat level ground works great. Inside the con, I moved quite fluidly. Outside on the sidewalk was a bit more challenging. An incline or decline in any direction other than the direction of my path was a challenge. I did manage to walk probably a distance close to 1/2 mile in the costume each day without incident.

I will say however, that I am excellent at roller skating. I referee Women's Flat-track Roller Derby, and coached the sport for a few years. I would rate my balance as exceptional.

Here are some pics I was able to find online through searches... Hopefully, a video of me walking emerge. If it does, I'll post a link.