My version of an armored Wolverine

[spartacus1]

I wanted to make my own version of Wolverine, going a more realistic route. I decided to go with an armored look mixing in some of the DoFP look with a more comic book style. I found an image of armor from Metal Boss, like such: My idea was to simply change the color scheme to yellow and black to make it go with Wolverine. Also, I wanted the straps to mimic the classic "tiger stripes."

A member of this forum, Sauer33, modeled the first take of this armor for me! From that I did a quick foam pep, just to get an idea of what it would look like. Here are the results:




Again, this was a quick take. The biggest issue is the collar/under suit. My head wouldn't fit through, so I couldn't even assemble it all together. Other than that there were some small problems I wanted touched up. I wanted the back pieces to be all one piece (you can see the gap in the middle in the third picture) and I wanted obliques on the ab plate.

I was unable to get ahold of Sauer33, but another member, Watsonstudios, jumped to the rescue. Here is an image of his modifications to the back pieces:

Anyhow, what are your opinions on this build? Is the concept solid? Does the look fit "Wolverine" style? Any other suggestions for improvements on the next version?

 

[Captain Rogers]

Hey Spartacus1. This is looking really good so far. I love custom cosplays for existing characters. I think adding some blue would be cool, maybe somewhere on the shoulders. Great build totally subscribing.

 

[Judge Spartan]

Does watsonstudios have these files for download? I like the Idea of an Iron Wolverine, keep the build going. Very inspiring. Subscribed!

 

[spartacus1]

I'm sorry, the designs were commissioned, but they are only for private use as was the original designer's wishes.


For the pants, I got some tactical pants. The plan is to take them apart, attach yellow cordura, and sew them back together. I'll have some help with the sewing. Any advice on how to go about tearing the seams out of pants to take them apart?

 

[JLeezy23]

Nice stuff! I always like seeing the alternative Wolverine concepts. Looks rad so far, would look cool if the yellow had a carbon fiber pattern or somethin :thumbsup Sorry i cant help with the pants, i only add fabric over existing pants lol

 

[Yrien]

For the pants, I got some tactical pants. The plan is to take them apart, attach yellow cordura, and sew them back together. I'll have some help with the sewing. Any advice on how to go about tearing the seams out of pants to take them apart?
View attachment 414960

Get a seam ripper/stitch ripper if you don't already have one, and go slowly. Make sure you have really good lighting so that you can be sure you're only taking out the stitching you want to take out. Before you start, figure out where all the seams are - do you want to take them completely apart? You might have to take (at least part of) the waistband and hems at the bottom out. If you just want to open a "hole", so to speak, and add some yellow, you might be able to leave the waistband, etc. intact. Check with whoever is helping with the sewing to see how much of the pants they want/need taken apart.

 

[spartacus1]

Hi All!

I haven't updated in a while. I've been tinkering with a bunch of different pieces but nothing has turned out like I wanted. However, practice makes perfect. I've learned a lot. I'm working with a modeler for the armor and someone who was kind enough to 3d print the pieces for me.

I've been working on some small pieces like the X-Men logo belt buckle. Learned to wash plastic with Acetone and use a particular paint designed for plastic. Waiting for some things to arrive in mail to continue.

For the armor, I'm working on a way to rivet the shoulder pieces to the straps on the armor. Again, waiting for some things in the mail for this part too.

So now, I'm on the pants. I remember seeing a Captain America build thread from SMPDesigns. I was amazed at the work on the jacket. I sort of disregarded the pants with the though "Meh, they are just pants. How difficult could that be?" Well, I've found out that they are quite difficult indeed. I've used a seam ripper to tear apart a pair of tactical pants. I'm going to cut the templates from the Cordura and use the original pants as lining. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, but I'm going to try it anyway.

Any helpful tips with cutting fabric and sewing pants would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SMP Designs]

I really like it overall. IMHO, the only thing that kind of jumps out at me is the paint scheme on the chest armor. Cutting the chest armor down the 'middle' with the yellow/black narrows the chest and makes it look a bit slumped - especially when being photographed. Compromising the solid lines down the front and painting the entire pec piece yellow would give you a much larger, more impressive chest. If you want to keep that paint scheme, maybe add some weathering paint to make sure the whole outline of the armor pieces shows up and doesn't get black-holed in photos/film.

This is an awesome concept and I'm looking forward to seeing more as it progresses.

Cheers!

 

[spartacus1]

Thanks for the response! I'm going for this color scheme. Maybe I could do the whole chest piece in yellow and still do the lower sides and shoulders in black to emphasize the tiger stripes. Would that be better?

 

[SMP Designs]

View attachment 423289

Thanks for the response! I'm going for this color scheme. Maybe I could do the whole chest piece in yellow and still do the lower sides and shoulders in black to emphasize the tiger stripes. Would that be better?

Maybe just pull the tiger stripes on the shoulders down onto the chest more to make the sides show up. My point was that the black on the sides of the chest (specifically the pecs) make them kind of disappear and make the chest look narrow. If you can draw attention out to the edges of the chest you'll get a more imposing effect. Otherwise, I think it looks awesome and you're on a really great track for an amazing costume.

 

[spartacus1]

Alright, I ran into another roadblock. Coming to the hive mind here for a solution. I'm trying to use pop rivets to rivet my shoulder armor to fabric straps, so I can attach all the pieces together. When I use the rivet gun, the mandrel (had to look that up, I call it the stick part) breaks off instead of coming clean out, leaving a small sharp spike. Also, on the underside, it doesn't seem to hold anything. The fabric falls right off. It seems to be fine for simple decorative parts in the armor where I'm not trying to hold parts together, but for actual functional uses, its not working.

What do I do?

On a side note, I spent all day sewing a big pocket. It was my first attempt at sewing, but it actually turned out really well. Working with Cordura is interesting, but I got some pointers from SMPDesigns. Thanks! Hopefully, I'll have the pants done in a couple of weeks.

 

[Peek73]

Trial and error is a big part of this whole thing. I'm currently working on my second cosplay project and found that sewing takes a lot of practice. I am also using rivets for leather straps, but I don't have a rivet gun. I am using a small piece of metal that is concaved and then using a center punch and a small hammer to sink the rivets. It seems to be working well for me. Good luck, sorry can't be of more help but I can post a pic of what I am using if you want and how it's working on my thread when I get it completed in a few days.

 

[SMP Designs]

I'm going to go with Peek on the rivets and say maybe look at using leather rivets. They are 2-part rivets and come in different lengths. You could also look into using Chicago screws - which are somewhat cheaper and easier to come by than leather rivets. They will have a larger head, but you can prime and paint them without too much difficulty.

Glad to hear the sewing went well and happy I could help!

 

[spartacus1]

I'm definitely looking into leather rivets!

So I used the seam ripper and completely tore the pants apart. I recreated all the extra pieces (cargo pockets, belt loops, small pockets, etc.) using only the cordura fabric. They all look good. My plan for the actual pants was to use the tactical pants that I cut up as a liner to the cordura when I sew it back together.

However……The color looks different when it is layered on top of black. All the pockets, etc. look to be the vibrant yellow of the cordura fabric. When I put those on top of the cordura/black lined pieces…..it looks off.

I'm not sure if I should go buy another material for a liner or just go with it looking a little off. What do you all think?

 

[Captain Rogers]

I would buy another fabric, if you are going to put this much effort into the suit you might as well go all out.

 

[spartacus1]

Some updates, followed with another question:

I received several items in the mail that I will be using for the project: boots, gloves, and belt. I am trying to modify each of them. I will be adding some of the yellow cordura fabric into the gloves and boot (just an accent, similar to the comic costume).

I am still working with two individuals to get the armor done. As soon as the modeler is finished, it will be 3D printed!



Another question! Sorry for so many, but this is trial and error and I'm trying to have as few errors as possible because in this hobby they are kind of costly!

I bought a 3D printed X-Men logo. The goal was to paint it and attach it to the costume. In the attempt to do this, I have ruined four of the logos. I'm using acetone to clean the object, then sanding with 330 grit sandpaper. I bought Krylon spray paint designed for plastic. BUT THE PAINT WILL NOT STICK!!

I thought about ordering this product from Smooth-On:

XTC-3D 24oz UnitProtective coating for smoothing and finishing 3D printed parts. Mixed 2A:1B by volume.

Are there any other options?

 

[spartacus1]

A little update: For the gloves, I bought the Easton VRS Icon gloves which Hugh Jackman's Wolverine wore in DoFP. I didn't go with them just due to that factor, as I looked at a variety of other gloves. But I just liked the look and feel of them. Unlike the DoFP gloves, I won't be blacking out the Logo and Brand Name. Instead, I will be covering them up with the yellow Cordura fabric for two reasons. One, It adds some color to the gloves and blends it in with the rest of the outfit. 2) It is reminiscent of the comic gloves that have the yellow straps on the black/blue glove. First image is before, second is after.


Any thoughts?