My Iron Man FOAM build (Mark IV)
- Thread starter IronManiac
- Start date
FANTASTIC MY FRIEND! Everything looks great! Anymore foam projects on the horizon?
Dude Adrian. This turned out amazing!!! Love it dude. Great job.
IronManiac
Sr Member
Thanks everyone. I don't think i'll be making another suit like this for a while, it was all consuming and it took a long time. But i will be making improvements to it occasionally, a few items that need attention that i learned about after walking around in it a for a few hours. The arms and legs tend to slide down on my limbs, i need to fix that. the waist area needs to be better secured, that came undone during the night, and i'd really like to figure out the gloves and repulsors so they look more seamless.
Overall though, i was happy with how everything turned out.
Overall though, i was happy with how everything turned out.
IronManiac
Sr Member
Thanks, frost.
I don't think the girlfriend would appreciate a full sized Iron Man posed up in our house. She appreciates the work and how it looks as a costume, but she's not exactly an Iron Maniac like i am, LOL.
My plan is to start going to Cons with it on. I live in Alabama, so Dragon Con in ATL is just a 2 hour drive away, and i'm sure there are other meets i can go to in the future. And of course, there's always next halloween.
I'll likely fix the few knicks and scrapes from halloween, figure out how to better secure the arms and legs, then store it in a big tupperware bin in the garage.
I do think i'll keep the arc reactor and helmet out. I can put those up on a bookshelf and make a cool little display.
I don't think the girlfriend would appreciate a full sized Iron Man posed up in our house. She appreciates the work and how it looks as a costume, but she's not exactly an Iron Maniac like i am, LOL.
My plan is to start going to Cons with it on. I live in Alabama, so Dragon Con in ATL is just a 2 hour drive away, and i'm sure there are other meets i can go to in the future. And of course, there's always next halloween.
I'll likely fix the few knicks and scrapes from halloween, figure out how to better secure the arms and legs, then store it in a big tupperware bin in the garage.
I do think i'll keep the arc reactor and helmet out. I can put those up on a bookshelf and make a cool little display.
AsgardAssassin
Active Member
IronManiac
I am truly inspired by your work. I am looking to make some parts for a new years costume.
Please mind my stupidity, but did you create the armour through lots of pieces stuck together with hot glue? Or is each part one big piece of foam with the contours etched out?
Thanks for any advice you can give me
I am truly inspired by your work. I am looking to make some parts for a new years costume.
Please mind my stupidity, but did you create the armour through lots of pieces stuck together with hot glue? Or is each part one big piece of foam with the contours etched out?
Thanks for any advice you can give me
IronManiac -
That's fantastic work! It came together beautifully - yeah, in the closeups you can see that it's foam, but it really looks great! The time you took on this really paid off, even if you did get robbed at the costume contest (I can relate - I did a bar contest in Richmond back when I did Darth Maul, and got beaten by a GUY in a Britney Spears "Hit Me Baby One More Time" schoolgirl outfit:rolleyes).
That's fantastic work! It came together beautifully - yeah, in the closeups you can see that it's foam, but it really looks great! The time you took on this really paid off, even if you did get robbed at the costume contest (I can relate - I did a bar contest in Richmond back when I did Darth Maul, and got beaten by a GUY in a Britney Spears "Hit Me Baby One More Time" schoolgirl outfit:rolleyes).
IronManiac
Sr Member
Tom-
All of the pieces were made by gluing pieces together. But not all the dimensions you see are seperate pieces. alot of the stairstepping you see in the chest and the abs is just stuff that has been cut and reglued back together to create that stair-step depth.
Actually the most difficult parts to put together were the arms. those had a lot of facets to them to create a 3d look that closely resembled the real suit. And a tip: When you're putting together two pieces, make sure you hold the seam closed tightly for at least 20 seconds while the hot glue set, or the seam will start to come apart, then dry that way.
erictank-
Thanks! Yeah, among the finalists that beat me out was a HUGE dude, like linebacker sized, wearing a Dorothy from Wizard of Oz costume, with HUGE fake boobs and a wig. Funny, hell yes. Well made...not so much. What are ya gonna do?
All of the pieces were made by gluing pieces together. But not all the dimensions you see are seperate pieces. alot of the stairstepping you see in the chest and the abs is just stuff that has been cut and reglued back together to create that stair-step depth.
Actually the most difficult parts to put together were the arms. those had a lot of facets to them to create a 3d look that closely resembled the real suit. And a tip: When you're putting together two pieces, make sure you hold the seam closed tightly for at least 20 seconds while the hot glue set, or the seam will start to come apart, then dry that way.
erictank-
Thanks! Yeah, among the finalists that beat me out was a HUGE dude, like linebacker sized, wearing a Dorothy from Wizard of Oz costume, with HUGE fake boobs and a wig. Funny, hell yes. Well made...not so much. What are ya gonna do?
IronManiac
Sr Member
So here's an update:
I had some problems wearing the suit on halloween, namely, the arms and legs were sagging on my limbs, which meant i had to keep tugging them to stay up, and the hands were not very secure.
So to remedy this, it was back to amazon. I found some plastic buckles like you find on backpacks, as well as a roll of nylon strapping in a perfect shade of red. I figured I could secure the loose pieces better with buckles than will velcro, and doing so would make the suit that much easier to wear.
First up is the hands. here's what i was working with:
Strapping, buckles, gloves, foam gauntlets, and LED taplights from walmart painted red.
First i wanted to secure the gauntlet. i took a small strip of the nylon and hot glued it to the inside of the foam, essentially forming a belt loop. Then, i measured out a piece of nylon that would fit around my hand and attached buckles. Very easy, hot glue works great on the nylon strap, just run the strap through the buckle loops, then glue the strap onto itself to close it.
Next was figuring out how to secure the repulsors...aka taplights, to the strap. In this pic you can see that the back of the taplight is a simple twist and lock. Rather than try to secure the light to the strap with velcro or glue, i simply put the strap through between the taplight and it's plastic back, and forced it to close. Secure.
So this is how it all turned out:
MUCH more secure. The strap holds the gauntlet and the repulsor firmly in place, it's comfortable, it just slides down over the glove and stays snugly in place.
Next up is the arms...attached the the vest piece under the gold part of the shoulders.
I had some problems wearing the suit on halloween, namely, the arms and legs were sagging on my limbs, which meant i had to keep tugging them to stay up, and the hands were not very secure.
So to remedy this, it was back to amazon. I found some plastic buckles like you find on backpacks, as well as a roll of nylon strapping in a perfect shade of red. I figured I could secure the loose pieces better with buckles than will velcro, and doing so would make the suit that much easier to wear.
First up is the hands. here's what i was working with:
Strapping, buckles, gloves, foam gauntlets, and LED taplights from walmart painted red.
First i wanted to secure the gauntlet. i took a small strip of the nylon and hot glued it to the inside of the foam, essentially forming a belt loop. Then, i measured out a piece of nylon that would fit around my hand and attached buckles. Very easy, hot glue works great on the nylon strap, just run the strap through the buckle loops, then glue the strap onto itself to close it.
Next was figuring out how to secure the repulsors...aka taplights, to the strap. In this pic you can see that the back of the taplight is a simple twist and lock. Rather than try to secure the light to the strap with velcro or glue, i simply put the strap through between the taplight and it's plastic back, and forced it to close. Secure.
So this is how it all turned out:
MUCH more secure. The strap holds the gauntlet and the repulsor firmly in place, it's comfortable, it just slides down over the glove and stays snugly in place.
Next up is the arms...attached the the vest piece under the gold part of the shoulders.
AsgardAssassin
Active Member
IronManiac...
Thanks for the heads up. I thought I'd go about mine by making a vest out of foam and then create chest and back piece to glue to it to form some depth and definition.
I managed to get some foam roll for £3 and it's a really good smooth finish.
However my first attempt was slightly too small and the glue ripped apart. I will learn from my mistakes!
By the way - I have also ordered an arc reactor just like yours as I think it's the coolest looking available!
Thanks for the heads up. I thought I'd go about mine by making a vest out of foam and then create chest and back piece to glue to it to form some depth and definition.
I managed to get some foam roll for £3 and it's a really good smooth finish.
However my first attempt was slightly too small and the glue ripped apart. I will learn from my mistakes!
By the way - I have also ordered an arc reactor just like yours as I think it's the coolest looking available!
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IronManiac
Sr Member
It is a very nice prop. Sure it could be more detailed, or made of higher quality materials, but i needed something that was affordable and looked good. I'm not knocking the prop, it's a great piece, it worked great, ready to wear with just a 9V battery, and even came with a cool little display stand. Well worth the price. IMO.
Oh, and it's REALLY bright...in the dark it will light up a room easily, and it actually hurts your eyes to look directly at, so be aware! The costume party i went to was on a well-lit street, so that helped knock that back some, but i know it was bright...I could see the blue glow off of peoples faces all around me! :lol
Oh, and it's REALLY bright...in the dark it will light up a room easily, and it actually hurts your eyes to look directly at, so be aware! The costume party i went to was on a well-lit street, so that helped knock that back some, but i know it was bright...I could see the blue glow off of peoples faces all around me! :lol
AsgardAssassin
Active Member
Does the light last long on a full battery? I hope i don't blind anyone!
I'm going to get a few parts of the armour made and I shall post a pic to show you my progress. If mine could be half as good as yours I'd be happy!
IronManiac
Sr Member
I don't really know how long it will last on a single battery. I imagine it would go for a long time, considering that it's just powering a dozen LEDs. I wore it for about 2 hours and it never dimmed.
Make a thread when you have some stuff built, i'll be interested to see what you come up with. If you have any questions, just ask, or pm me.
Make a thread when you have some stuff built, i'll be interested to see what you come up with. If you have any questions, just ask, or pm me.
AsgardAssassin
Active Member
Thanks for the inspiration and pics you have put up. They have given me some awesome ideas!
I'm sure that if i come across any issues I'll be asking you for help!
I'm sure that if i come across any issues I'll be asking you for help!
HA. YES. After Halloween was said and done, I was in bed with all the lights off and I was not used to not having a giant blue light coming from my chest.
AsgardAssassin
Active Member
IronManiac
Do you know of any members from the UK who sell helmet casts?
As i'm new here i'm strugglin!
Do you know of any members from the UK who sell helmet casts?
As i'm new here i'm strugglin!
IronManiac
Sr Member
Sorry tom, no. I'm in the US...Birmingham ALABAMA. I bought my helmet from a guy in California.
AsgardAssassin
Active Member
Jeez, that's certainly a way from where I live. I was just curious as to whether you'd come across any members posting on here from the UK but thanks anyway dude.
My suit has now changed path, I'm now embarking on the Mark vi route. It's mind boggling!
My suit has now changed path, I'm now embarking on the Mark vi route. It's mind boggling!
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