MMPR Pink Ranger build

[Sakura1618]

OK, so here I am starting a build log for my MMPR Pink Ranger costume
Bodysuit
Doing this a two-piece, but it’s currently on the back burner while I get my head around the… technique needed to cut spandex properly, and stop kicking myself for not checking the pattern was laid out flat before I started cutting. As it is all I have cut out is the crotch panel for the tights.

Undershirt
Slightly more successful, in that my only issue was not laying out the pattern effectively and thus not having enough material left to cut out the back panel. ^.^;

Underhood
Not tackling this for now.
Boots
Funtasma Captain 100s, since those seem to be the industry standard around here. Photographed here being stuffed in preparation for masking.

Gloves
Cacazan gloves – in transit. Will be making my own cuffs to go with them as well.
Helmet
Legacy Concepts kit – on order. I may need to go chase this one a bit.
Belt + Holster
On order from an etsy seller.
Morpher buckle
WibblyWobblyFX – On Order.
Other props
Legacy Morpher + Blade Blaster; don’t have these to hand to photograph.

So right now my to-do is getting hold of more fabric, and waiting for the cut I gave myself on the back of the thumb with that rotary to heal before I do more.

 

[Sakura1618]

Actually I guess I need some advice on what the best way to handle the diamond pattern on the boots is. Should I mask them up and paint it on, or use the spandex offcuts from making the tights and glue them on?

 

[Evaarla Who]

Painting and using spandex for the boots will each have their own pros and cons. If you use paint then you will likely get nicer and more even lines for the edges, however since the surface of the boots is flexible there is potential for the paint to crack over time, Colour matching also has to be taken into account with paint. Using the spandex scraps will prevent the cracking and will guarantee perfect colour matching, however it may be difficult to get the edges of the diamonds even. With spandex you will also want to make sure to fold the edges behind before putting them on the boots to prevent the fabric from fraying.

That being said, I would personally go for the spandex. But I would also hand stitch the edges down using a more obscure stitch to ensure that the edges don't peel over time.

One thing I also have to mention about sewing spandex (and you may already know this), just make sure that you a stretch stitch while sewing it so that when you wear it and move around a lot you won't be putting unneeded stress on the seams. This will also allow the spandex to move with you better.

Hopefully this helps some

 

[Sakura1618]

One thing I also have to mention about sewing spandex (and you may already know this), just make sure that you a stretch stitch while sewing it so that when you wear it and move around a lot you won't be putting unneeded stress on the seams. This will also allow the spandex to move with you better.

Hopefully this helps some

Yeah, having stretch stitch functionality was one of the key things I was looking for when I brought my sewing machine.

And this is how close the colour match is with the paint I brought for the helmet kit when it arrives.

Anyway, I definitely found your advice helpful and will take it into consideration when I decide what to do. Thanks.

 

[Sakura1618]

UPDATE

So we were able to salvage the rest of the tights by getting a little bit creative with the pattern layout. So once I can bend my thumb again I can get that stitched together.



Also got hold of a Starlight Studio communicator, but that's not really part of this build.

 

[Wheeljack]

Great Thread. You are subscribed

 

[Sakura1618]

Glove and boot diamond templates drafted:


Testing the boot template while I decide what method to use and wondering if it's a bit too small:

 

[joshspiderman23]

off to a great start on this build. with your helmet I know what you mean, Johns a great guy but lately has been dropping the ball, my white helmet which I ordered back in march of 2015 arrived in sept crushed by the usps, since then john has been sitting on the project getting me a replacement, I have faith he will start churning them out again, as I have had 2 other helmets by him no issues. with the route of using the legacy blast be careful on the weight, with a typical ranger belt Ive found them to be way way to thin holding that much weight, you end playing fix the belt all day long. I have since then went did my own white belt in 2.25 inch veg tan and have no issues holding either a legacy blaster or dagger. look forward to seeing your progress.

 

[Sakura1618]

off to a great start on this build. with your helmet I know what you mean, Johns a great guy but lately has been dropping the ball, my white helmet which I ordered back in march of 2015 arrived in sept crushed by the usps, since then john has been sitting on the project getting me a replacement, I have faith he will start churning them out again, as I have had 2 other helmets by him no issues. with the route of using the legacy blast be careful on the weight, with a typical ranger belt Ive found them to be way way to thin holding that much weight, you end playing fix the belt all day long. I have since then went did my own white belt in 2.25 inch veg tan and have no issues holding either a legacy blaster or dagger. look forward to seeing your progress.

Yeah, I'm hoping it all turns out OK on both fronts. The belt looks reasonably thick in the photos and the seller claims it'll support a Legacy Blaster / Dragon Dagger / Saba without issue, which the reviews seem to bear out.

In other news, I adjusted the boot diamond template to actually be 1/4 the cylinder circumference rather than just picking an arbitrary number that happened to be a few mm too large. So now I'm set on that front whether I go down the paint or scraps route.

 

[Sakura1618]

UPDATE

Tights are finished. Waistband is kind of shonky-looking but that's obviously not going to be visible under the skirt.


You can kind of see that just using my t-shirt.


Next step is getting hold of a suitable leotard pattern and doing the top half.

 

[Sakura1618]

So my gloves arrived today. Thankfully no issues with HMRC deciding to hold them to ransom.


I also got hold of the material for the glove cuffs, so once I get the pattern in order and some leather needles I'll get those cut out.

 

[rjsosongco]

Nice to see a fellow Ranger, I pieced together my own MMPR Green and Red builds using stuff I bought as well as stuff I had to mod/fabricate. A few tidbits:

- A lot of cosplayers, and the actual show in fact, use boot cuffs around the tops of the boots. A leather cuff with the diamonds sewn on was wrapped around the top of the boot. This allowed the show makers to keep the boots completely white to be reused later. For my own cosplays, I did the same thing: my Green boot cuffs were leather and came when I bought my belt, holster, and wrist cuffs, while I made my Red cuffs with some craft foam. If I had the skill/time, I would've made the Red boot cuffs in leather. Using boot cuffs allowed me to reuse my white boots for both cosplays.



- Speaking of wrist cuffs, I made my Red ones using vinyl marching band cuffs here: http://www.bandshoppe.com/Marching-Band-Uniform-Gauntlets-p/in605.htm
I don't know if the UK has an equivalent source online for band apparel, but it might be worth checking out. I just masked off and painted the diamonds to match the color of my helmet. Like the boots, I would've gotten red leather for the diamonds if I had the skill/time.

 

[Sakura1618]

From the looks of things the use of boot cuffs seems to vary from suit to suit; while the Zyuranger suits used during Gokaiger had them, shots like this one seem to show that not all of the original Zyu suits did.

It's another thing I'll try to keep in mind though. As for the method for doing the actual pattern I've got some spray-on leather dye on order that should work better than regular paint.

 

[Sakura1618]

OK, did the first test cut for my glove cuffs.


Took a large amount of painter's tape, but I don't have any zippers for them yet.

 

[Sakura1618]

So I made a mess of the colour match for the dye. But at least I know it works as a technique now.

 

[joshspiderman23]

So I made a mess of the colour match for the dye. But at least I know it works as a technique now.

http://i.imgur.com/eXcoAFhm.jpg

good first shot, A trick I learned to get cleaner lines is I use black electric tape, keep up the awesome work.


also for the use of boot cuffs versus full boots, almost always, stunt suits will have boot cuffs while the hero suits will be the real boot.
I have both for my green, but I like boot cuffs better if your looking to do multiple rangers.

 

[GUARD1AN]

I like where this is going, great work so far I can't wait to see it done !!!

 

[Sakura1618]

OK, so now I'm troubleshooting. It's been three weeks since I did the test shot with the aerosol dye, and the diamonds are still tacky to the touch, suggesting the dye hasn't cured properly.

I am putting the issue down to any combination of the following three factors:

1. Ambient temperature too low when I did the spray (apparently needs to be 21C / 70F minimum)

2. Spray coats were too thick

3. Forgot to clean the leather before spraying

 

[joshspiderman23]

OK, so now I'm troubleshooting. It's been three weeks since I did the test shot with the aerosol dye, and the diamonds are still tacky to the touch, suggesting the dye hasn't cured properly.

I am putting the issue down to any combination of the following three factors:

1. Ambient temperature too low when I did the spray (apparently needs to be 21C / 70F minimum)

2. Spray coats were too thick

3. Forgot to clean the leather before spraying

is the material actual leather or faux vinyl, if you are indeed using leather dye, since its not real, the dye wont permeate into the material as its synthetic. if your using aerosal paint those factors would come into play.
when working with real leather dye their are to my knowledge only 3 types oil, alcohol and water based dyes, ive never heard of aerosol based leather dye before and all need real leather in order to soak in or absorb the dye.

Ive had really good luck with using Angelus paints for anything synthetic leather or even on real leather, and the paint they have maintains its flexibility so no worries of it cracking.

 

[justanuthercap]

Here's another recommendation for Angelus paints. Used gold and silver to paint a pair of the Dudes leather bowling shoes a couple of years ago and it has held up amazingly well.