Movie-Version Mystique build **New completed pics added!**

FieryRed

New Member
***This costume is now finished! Scroll down for final pics on this page and page 2!***

So I'm a little nervous to post this because I'm new here and I'm not entirely sure the whole thing is going to work - unfortunately I can't do a full test run because the costume is going to take a while to put on and might not be completely re-usable, so I'm just going to have to hope it all works out!

But I am having too much fun making it not to share :) I decided to do the first movie version of Mystique, and I'm really trying to get as close as I can to matching the movie costume, meaning 100% prosthetics and body paint, no jumpsuits or anything. So far it's coming out well! I did small tests on my hand:

photo-4sm.jpg


And face (ignore the white powder, I am using PAX body paint and I had just finished powdering it when I took the photo):

photo-3sm.jpg


The above photo is better representative of the colors, the photo below shows it with less powder but it's not really that bright of a blue (and I had taken the yellow contacts out at that point. On Halloween my hair will be red and eyes will be yellow!):

photo-5sm.jpg


So basically it should be like that, but my whole body! I'm making all of the prosthetics from scratch using liquid latex, hot glue, and PAX paint. I have these big glossy boards I got at home depot for like 15 bucks and they are working very well as a base to paint all these prosthetics:

DSC_6297sm.jpg


Here's a close up of what will eventually be my spine scales so you can see the detailing a little:

DSC_6287sm.jpg


The basic process is to paint four coats of liquid latex in the approximate shape and size I need the prosthetic to be, then add the scale detailing using hot glue, then paint the whole thing with a couple coats of blue, then just add black on the raised scales. In the first trilogy you'll notice Rebecca Romijn has scales that are darker than her skin (they changed that in X-Men First Class, but I like the two-tone look better myself)

Once it's all painted I'll peel them off the board and trim them to the right size. Then I'll adhere them to my skin with liquid latex (adding a coat or two more latex on the edges to make them blend into my skin smoothly) and paint myself with PAX on any parts that aren't covered with prosthetics - which isn't much, there's 27 of them!

I also got red hair dye and yellow contacts - I think the only thing I don't have figured out is my feet - I will be barefoot, but I'll be walking around outside and I'm thinking I'll probably cut pieces of leather or similar material and just glue them to the bottoms of my feet so I don't get some sort of flesh eating disease from the sidewalk.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Hopefully I'm not forgetting anything substantial that will make the whole thing a big fail! I plan to give myself most of the day to get the costume on since I'm doing everything myself (my husband will help glue and paint on some places like my back, but he's not really crafty so I'll be doing 95% of the work myself)
 
Last edited:
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

Hi, I am also fairly new to the forum. You might be able to find those Toe shoes, your going to have to mod them. But they will give you a barefoot look, and offer some protection.
 
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

Bring a coat so you don't freeze! Looks good. Post pictures of the whole thing done afterwards?
 
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

Thanks! I did get a black hooded cloak in case it's freezing or rainy, I figure that will match the costume a little better than a regular jacket.

Do you guys think liquid latex will last all day as an adhesive? It felt super secure in my tests but does it wear off after a few hours? This costume definitely does not need a wardrobe malfunction! :)
 
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

I've usually used Prosaide as an adhesive with latex prosthetics, which will NOT come off.

And a material that has been suggested to me that I have not personally used is "Watermelon," which sticks with just alcohol (no adhesives needed) and blends into the skin/smooths with just water. I've seen it used and the end result was just awesome.

A link to the maker: Index Page of Michael Davy Film & TV Makeup
 
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

Did this costume on my wife a few years back, in my typical found-materials fashion (all the facial markings were variously-shaped bindis painted blue!), but the bulk of her skin we actually covered in blue liquid latex - it took 4 to 6 hours, and we did the whole thing twice, for two different events.

I say that to say this: powder or polish your latex every time you even think about it. Liquid latex will stick to itself and destroy itself when you try to separate it. I know it doesn't seem like you're going to have latexed surfaces touching, necessarily (unlike my ladyfriend completely coated in the stuff), but people do stuff with their bodies they don't even realize.
 
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

So it's all coming along well! I finished painting all the prosthetics and peeled them off the boards - I was a little nervous about that part in case any of them got messed up in the process but they all made it through ok, so yay! Question for anyone experienced with body paint/PAX - I did a test patch on my inner elbow and it went fine until I scrubbed it off a few hours later and had a ton of tiny red dots on my skin - not itchy or irritated, almost like a hickey or something. They are mostly faded two days later but I definitely don't want that all over my body! Any ideas why that might have happened? Abrasive scrubbing? Did the paint cut off circulation to my skin?
 
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

All laid out and ready to go! Now I just have to glue everything to myself and paint myself blue. And then try not to make too many jokes about how I just blue myself....

So psyched for tomorrow!

prosthetics.jpg
 
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

That's very cool! I showed your stuff and the Witchblade thread to my girlfriend and she might actually let me do something like this for our local comic book store's 20th anniversary party. Thanks for proving that mere mortals can do this kind of stuff.
 
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

Did this a few years ago-- Won first place. She only was wearing a g string-- everything else was the silicone prostetics and latex.
 
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

So it all worked out pretty well! I just did a costume contest post but wanted to update this thread with some more details for anyone interested. The whole thing took about 8 hours (!) to put on, mostly doing it myself but with some help from my husband on my back. As I planned, I used latex to adhere the prosthetics and pax body paint, and it all worked pretty smoothly, aside from taking a bit longer than I expected.

Contest2.jpg


We went to the West Hollywood Halloween carnival and it was pretty awesome. A little intimidating walking around in nothing but latex, but if you can't do it in WeHo where can you? I literally couldn't walk 5 feet without being stopped for my photo, which was pretty fun.

The costume held up reasonably well for the evening, a couple small tears in the paint around some of my joints, but I brought a little bottle of touch up paint and powder (oh man did I go through a lot of powder making this costume. Holy jeez. My garage is covered in white dust!) and if I'd felt like it it would have been easy to touch up, I just got lazy and it was dark out :)

Contest4.jpg


A few more photos:

Contest1.jpg


Contest5.jpg


Contest3.jpg


I wore a black hooded cloak in case it was cold or I wanted some covering, and honestly I'm really glad I did, I think it would have been overwhelming walking around without something covering me from behind - people in general were very awesome and respectful but I got a few overly friendly drunk guys trying to squeeze me and I think it would have been worse if I hadn't had the cloak. Plus it looked pretty sweet when it billowed behind me :)

Taking it all off was amazingly easy, I thought I might be in for a 4 hour shower involving a lot of pain but I was all clean in like 45 minutes! The trick is shaving gel to remove the PAX (just regular gel style shaving stuff, it's amazing, works better than the remover I bought) and super hot water really loosened up the latex.

It was a ton of work (and a pity that it gets destroyed taking it off, but that's what pictures are for. I don't think I'd want to go through all that effort of putting it on again anyway!)

Let me know what you guys think!
 
Last edited:
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

Phenomenal! Excellent execution and certainly more courageous that I could ever be. Gambit was a nice touch too. Thanks for posting the finished product.
 
Re: Movie-Version Mystique build

WOW!! Fantastic work and amazing attention to detail! GREAT job on this... congrats...you def pulled it off without a hitch! You guys look awesome together fully suited up!
 
This thread is more than 9 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top