James P Sullivan - Monsters Inc. **New video 10/21**

TJackFx

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
So I've started toying around with what may possibly end up as my next Halloween costume - Sulley from Monsters Inc and I seem to have come across a major stumbling block:

Just exactly how tall is he supposed to be? I've read everywhere from 72" to 96"

From my understanding, the display pieces from Toys R Us are in the 72" to 78" range.

If this happens to be the intended screen size, then I'm happy because I have access to one that I can use to take detailed measurements from.

However, when watching the movie, he is clearly at least 6" taller than the door frame and I know that standard doors are about 80" tall.

I've spent the better part of this evening trying to find a definitive answer and am hoping that maybe someone here might be able to provide info on how tall the theme park suits are?

Any and all info is greatly appreciated :)

***see more info on my costume here***
http://www.therpf.com/f24/tjacks-2012-halloween-costume-contest-entry-monsters-165267/
 
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Re: James P Sullivan

Not sure about accurate sizing, But I think somewhere around the 78'' range will be practically better than say 92'', if you've got access to the displays, then scaling will be far easier, without compromising the look if its a few inches off
 
Re: James P Sullivan

Well seeing as how I'm 73", I want to try and figure it out as it will determine if any type of lifts will be needed. Understandably, a bit of extra height will come just from the head as I was planning on looking out the mouth and I antiicapte that I will gain anywhere from 6-12" there alone.

I'm going to get some measurements this weekend of the display to see how my body would line up with respects to knees, shoulders, etc.

Scaling it isn't really a concen, it's how much the scale needs to be adjusted that has me scratching my head. Hence the request for info on his screen height.
 
Re: James P Sullivan

I'd agree with him being around 8 feet tall. Keep in mind if you go for movie scale over the display scale, you'll have the same problems getting through doorways that Sulley did.
I think the park costumes are between 7 and 8 feet. Visibility is out of the mouth.
 
Re: James P Sullivan

Been a long time since I started this thread, but I finally have an update! I spent a lot of time figuring out the logistics on this costume and finally got around to starting the physical build.

After a lot of frustration, I came to the conclusion that based on my own frame, there is no way that I can keep the suit to the movie proportions and still be able to move. Sulley has really short/stubby legs and my knees won't align with where they need to be to stay screen accurate (his knees or hips), so I've created my own scale for the suit. It should still end up being approx 7.5' tall.

I decided to put the frame (so far) on and walk around to ensure it would be mobile. Still have more to add to this part but I'm taking a break from it to begin work on the arms.

Also, I need to be able to transport the suit easily and therefore decided to make the torso, head, legs and arms all separate. I'll make sure to keep this thread updated on my progress. In the meantime, enjoy this video :) (and ignore the fact that my wife laughed when I flapped my arms)

sulley frame test.wmv - YouTube

And as always, the main goal is to keep this build on the cheap. My Tauntaun was under $250 and I'm sure I can do the same with this guy.

***I realized that I didn't really give a lot of detailed info on this thread originally, so I'll try and add a few more pics and explanations to my posts***

Obviously I was going to need a duct tape dummy to build on, so that was the first step. Next I picked up a back pack frame at a garage sale, then it was just a matter of building the base structure out of electrical conduit and PVC.

I used a heat gun to bend the plastic into the shapes I wanted and various bolts and screws to hold the framework together. I realize that rivets would have also worked, but since I had a lot of screws/bolts on hand in the garage, that fit my budget a lot better!
 
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Re: James P Sullivan

Cant wait to see more!
My wife was watching it with me and we noticed your wife's very enthusiastic "yea" before her slight giggle. lol

Keep it up and keep us posted.
 
Re: James P Sullivan - Monsters Inc.

Trust me, this hasn't died :) I have still been slowly working on it between other projects.

I have about 98% of the framework done and added poseable hands. I've started working on the head and by the end of this week the legs and feet will be complete. The goal is to have him done in the next 2 weeks so that I can make sure my wife's Boo costume gets finished up as well.

Best part? Still well under budget :)

I muted the audio to save you all the sounds of the kids yelling in the background. Enjoy

sulley test2 - YouTube
http://www.therpf.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=114800&stc=1&d=1348449441

***So at this stage the hands have been added to the frame. If you look close enough, you'll see that the duct tape dummy is now a double amputee - I found out quickly that I couldn't get the frame off him if he had arms, lol. My original plans were to be able to have full articulation at the elbow, allowing me to not only bend the arm, but rotate it as well. However, due to the size, it made it too hard to get that much movement so I had to settle for just the bend***
 
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Re: James P Sullivan - Monsters Inc.

I`m not sure if anyone is actually following my build this year, but I figured I`d toss up a little update. I have one of the arms in foam now and painted up some eyes. I`ve also started on the feet, head and his claws but no pics of them yet.



***The eyes were made from a tree ornament I picked up in the discount bin at Michael's. Threw a bit of acrylics on the backside and voila! I found all my foam at a local shop and the price was great for my budget***
 
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Re: James P Sullivan - Monsters Inc.

Looking awesome so far Tjack. Are you gonna try and beat your previous costumes height measurement every year? lol
 
Re: James P Sullivan - Monsters Inc.

Got some more time on the costume today so here is a little update - made the legs (pants) and feet, just need to make the lifts tomorrow to add an extra 6" or so and then I can attach these and finish up the fur.

I am thinking of padding out the legs a bit - I'll decide once I get the body fur done and try everything on.

I got the hand claws done tonight as well but realized I never took a pic and I don't feel like going back to the garage :p



Looking awesome so far Tjack. Are you gonna try and beat your previous costumes height measurement every year? lol

Actually, he will most likely be shorter than the taun was :)

Oh, and the wife wants to get involved now as well so I'll be making a version of this only no fake head:

Google Image Result for http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110719053622/pixar/images/thumb/c/c1/Boo-monsters-inc-disney-costume.jpg/419px-Boo-monsters-inc-disney-costume.jpg
 
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Re: James P Sullivan - Monsters Inc.

I promise to put up better pics (not from my phone) once I have him done. I'll actually get my wife to take some proper shots of it, seeing as how she is the photographer :)

I now have the entire body covered in foam and ready for fur. The legs and feet are also done as you can see in the pic. I added a 3" lift to the feet to help boost up my height a little to bring it close to the 7.5' I was originally aiming for.

The head will be done by the end of the week - I made the nose and lips out of model magic and am waiting for them to dry. And if you recall my taun taun build from last year, Sulley will also be able to blink/wink by the time I'm done.

I will also be adding 2 fans behind me in the suit to help keep things cool. The head is attached by 3 magnets which will allow me to easily remove it to take breaks and stay hydrated during the event(s) we plan on attending this year.

I will put up some more shots later this week :)
http://www.therpf.com/attachment.ph...nt.php?attachmentid=116308&stc=1&d=1349162194
 
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Re: James P Sullivan - Monsters Inc.

Another quick little update - with bad iphone pic at 1 am this morning :)
I got the fur done on his body last night. Tonight I will get his arms finished and then all that is left is the head.

And yes, I know it looks like he has nipples, lol that's part of the head mounting system :)

20zzgoh.jpg
 
Re: James P Sullivan - Monsters Inc.

Update time. Here is a shot of one arm attached and a close up of the hand.

If things go as planned then tomorrow night I should have an update on his head and possibly a shot of me in the suit (minus a finished head).

***I forgot to mention that I put some wire into his fingers so that they could be bent into any shape. And the claws were just made out of foam to avoid scratching anyone***
 
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