Sorry I've been neglecting you guys! I have been workin NONE STOP!
If you'd like to hear (read) the story continue reading, if not feel free to scroll down and check out the pics!
Tips and Hints
+ Try to have the suit painted days in advance so as to reduce the paint fumes.
+ If using velcro in the helmet, make sure the soft cotton side is facing your head.
+ Try to limit forward arm movement eg arms out in front, as this wears the widest parts of your chest piece.
+ Using sun glass lens as helmet eyes is a good idea. Googly eyes behind a mask are scary.
+ A red morph suit was warm and helped 'fill in' the blanks.
+ Make sure to have any mods needed done to the suit to enable you to go to the toilet. PLUS you will have a group of guys cheering you on when you go.
+ Figure out how to have some ventilation in your helmet, you're going to be wearing it a lot.
+ Wear a respirator went painting. Unless you want cancer.
*Summary*
It was Wednesday and I had to have the suit done by saturday.... uh oh
I still needed to finish the thighs, shins, boots, helmet, gloves and arc reactor. :S
I started taking my pep files into work to cut out during lunch breaks and when I got home I would spend the rest of the night building.
Finished the thighs, shins and helmet by friday and accepted that I was going to have give up on the boots and gloves if I wanted the rest to look good.
The paint I wanted was held in scarce proportion at only 1 store! (Super cheap Auto, Powerplus Paint - Velocity Red)
Unfortunately these cans also only came in 150g bottles at $13 each!!! I had to drive from Werribee to Thomastown to Syndenham to Sunshine and back. For those of you who do not know those places, that's about a 3hr+ trip.
Here are the paints I used
- 7x Black Plasi-dip (eBay)
- 2x Gold - Fiddly Bits (Bunnings Warehouse)
- 1x Aluminium - Fiddly Bits (Bunnings Warehouse)
- 7x Velocity Red - Power Plus (Supercheap auto)
- 2x Clear gloss - White Knight (Bunnings Warehouse)
I spent all of Friday night and Saturday afternoon painting (I still had to work my full time job). I found that little sleep helped here....
Helmet paint job
As I was about the spray the gold on the helmet the tube connecting the nozzle and can snapped!!! It was Saturday night and no way of getting more paint so I did my best to 'spray' (more like super drench/ fire hose drench, the helme in gold and used a paint brush to even out build up.)
I was following this tutorial for the 'eyes'.
Lighting Up The Eyes
I never got time to add the LEDs though.
As for getting the helmet on and off, I opted for a very simple method. I just attache one side of the lower half of the (back of the) helmet and velcroed the other. One thing to take note of! Make sure the cotton side of the velcro is against your ear....
Other stuff
Thighs
Shins
I used the same method, for the hinges, as I did the elbows. About 3 layers of hard cardboard. This was fantastic as I spent about 8hrs walking around at Comic Con and NO sign of the joints giving way.
After everything was painted (Saturday night) I realised the paint fumes were pretty bad. "I won't survive walking around in a helmet with all these fumes!" I thought. So I jumped on the net and looked at how to get rid of paint fumes. The most supported thing I could find was to put an onion cut in half near the painted objects and it will 'absorb' the fumes. I figured I'd put one in the helmet.. let's just say the helmet smelt of onion AND fumes. haha
Saturday night, midnight, no arc reactor!! I just cut out a printed arc reactor stencil and stuck a led lamp in the middle. Cheap, I know, but it was better than nothing.
It was A LOT of time and effort put in but Sunday at Comic Con was amazing. NONE STOP photos and it made heaps of little kids (and big ones) really happy. I also won the Best Movie Costume Award.
Just want to say a BIG THANKS TO ALL OF YOU. You've helped encourage and support me all the way through. Thanks guys!
Ironman Vs. Zombies
Ironman and Hulk (my mate) with MINI ironman and hulk!
With my friends
Winning the Cosplay comp!
cool
