Halloween contest entry 2015: kid TFA Stormtrooper armour (free stuff)

daz

Well-Known Member
Hi, long time CG artist but new to making actual stuff so looking to learn what I can from the pros.

In the interests of time (MUST have this for Halloween or ack, my poor kid!) I'm using a combo of using stuff that already exists, EVA foam and 3D printing the smaller, repeating parts. I have a WIP of the costume that I started months ago after the first trailer was released so I have the model for the printed parts and they're on their way. Some shots:

darren-pattenden-fo-trooper2.jpg darren-pattenden-fo-trooper3.jpg

I'm definitely NOT making the helm to be clear. Even if I were capable I just don't have the time before Halloween. I bought one that is somewhat meh (can't recall the brand but will dig it out later, Rubies possibly) but the shape isn't too bad and I think with paint and finish it could look good. It is large for an 8 yr old though, which is one of my fears with the costume. Maybe its oversizedness will contribute to the cute factor in scaling down an adult costume? (fingers crossed).

Duct tape dummy and also drew around him and roughed in some stuff:

duct_tape_dummy.jpg template.JPG

I started out using an old bin for the abdomen, but soon ditched that approach for a bunch of reasons:

first_effort.JPG

So then got busy with pattern work, which took way longer than I thought it would. This is most of them:

patterns.JPG

Have made a start with the EVA. Have quite a bit more progress than this so will post more pics later but yeah, time is tight to say the least:

armor_start.JPG
 
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Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

A little behind schedule here but an update. My wife had this idea to heat the foam and 'stamp' in the recessed shapes for the backplate rather than trying to cut them and it worked....kinda. Needs to be deeper really though so will revisit or bite the bullet and cut:

chest.jpg back.JPG

Thermal detonator:

TD.jpg

Butt armour:

butt.jpg

The shoulder bells are kids Army helms, $5 each:

helm1.JPG helm2.JPG

Also, my printed parts showed up and the quality is better than I could have hoped for:

shapeways_parts.JPG

Most are solid but the larger pieces that go around the abdomen I made hollow with tabs. It's amazingly satisfying editing the model to be hollower, re-uploading and seeing the price drop a bit each time:

closeup.JPG
 
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Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

What you've done so far is looking good, but since you said your deadline is Halloween I thought I would mention there is a giant 4 foot tall First Order stormtrooper action figure that you might be able to cannibalize for armor parts... I don't know how tall your kid is, but the figure is largely hollow so maybe the arm/legs at least could be trimmed out and used?

I've seen them at Toys R Us and Wal-mart: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Star-Wars-VII-Stormtrooper-Battle-Buddy-Figure/46444224
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

Thanks E Williams, that's a pretty sweet solution. I saw the video of the build from the toy and intended to run and check it out as a last resort. My kid is tall for 8 though so I'm not sure, will take a look. I have the forearms, shoulders and biceps in progress so my last big hurdle is really "just" the legs.
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

Well, here's where I am as of about 3 days ago! Since this pic I have most stuff painted and will add some more shots when I get home later. The shoulder bells are made from cheap kids green Army helmets but pretty much everything else is EVA.

I think my biggest disappointment has to be the overall 'finish' level, it just wasn't what I had in my head when I started this. As a noob, I would say that EVA might be great for old armour, but to make it feel very smooth and 'manufactured' is incredibly difficult. The foam was absolutely peppered with air bubble holes for a start and I'm not sure why kwik seal is recommended for filling holes in eva since it doesn't do a great job from my experience with it. It very much tends to 'sink' into a hole rather than truly cover it, no matter how much you use or how many times you do it. So If anyone has any better recommendations for a filler I'm all ears! I guess something like Bondo wouldn't be the best because it would crack if the foam bends a bit?

All that said, its Halloween in 2 days so I'm going to be really busy just making sure the thing all fits to him and attaches together well or he wont have a costume. I need to accept that the finish isn't near what i'd hoped for and remember that he is 8 ffs! Will possibly return to it post Halloween to better finish. Or make it again out of a more appropriate material ;-)

all_parts.JPG
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

SUPER rough paint job (aaargh, no time) on the Rubies helm, ripped out the cloth mesh eyes, dremmeled out the mouth area and swapped it for a laundry bag mesh segment glued on to card, left a space in the middle for visor demisting! Went with a green visor because well, kids like color and I dont need this thing to be screen accurate:

helm.jpg mouth.jpg

Also very quick paint job on the $20 Captain Phasma blaster (which is the same shape as the trooper blaster). This thing is tiny but perfect for a little kid. I will get to the metal If I have time, not sure I will. Also made a cavity for a red light (I cheated for effect and upscaled the size of the holes for the lights too).

blaster.jpg
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

I can't wait to see how this turns out! As a dad who always loves making the kids costumes I'm jealous of this awesome piece. Wish my dad had been that awesome!
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

Thanks for the encouragement Pedro. This thing is coming in super hot so its helps :)

Blaster and Thermal detonator done:

blaster_finish.JPG

Belt and pouches/accessories. The smaller pieces at either end are 3D prints, the black pouch a Sony headphones container, the rest is eva foam:

belt.JPG
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

I found these women's Wellington boots on ebay for $20, and bought the smallest pair they had. They're still a little on the large side for him but I put in a thick shoe pad and it helps quite a bit. Had to hack something together to tighten them though, hopefully the glue holds:

boots_original.JPG boots_mod.JPG
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

Well, here's everything laid out. Had to cut some serious corners here and there to get it done. The pic doesn't really show how disappointingly rough the finish is, but I need to get over it. Maybe I'll come back to it post Halloween:

costume_laid_out.jpg

Now the terrifying bit of making sure it all fits him. Will post some pics of that later, fingers crossed.
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

Made some changes to the boots to make them interfere less with the lower leg armour:

boots.jpg
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

So I think I was over fretting about the finish level a bit. Not one to toot my own horn, but by the time we got it all on him it really did start to look pretty badass If I may say so myself, and he was super happy with it. We got a lot of comments out trick or treating which was pretty cool. Here's a shot of how some of it fits together (and dang, this was one area that I really underestimated the time it would take to do well) :

parts.jpg

And here's a couple of shots of the complete costume:

shot1.JPG shot2.JPG

And a 360:

pano.jpg
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

That is absolutely rad! I would have exploded from pure joy to have a set of Stormtrooper armor when I was 8 years old. Very cool!!!
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

Wow! That turned out really well! The magnetic attachment is just fantastic too :D
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

That looks great! He must have had a great time trooping around. Thanks for sharing.
 
Re: First Order Stormtrooper costume for an 8 yr old.

He really did Tumbler thanks. I'm slightly bummed that I didn't get to wear my old Stormtrooper suit with him, but some other time. That's the great thing about SW costuming, doesn't have to be limited to Halloween :) Mebbe we'll wear them together on TFA opening day?!
 
Re: Halloween contest entry 2015: kid TFA Stormtrooper armour

Congrats on the win, great looking costume!

Where did you have your parts printed? I've been looking for a place to do a few things for me, and those turned out really good.
 
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