Nightwing EVA Foam build

[Luis Rodriguez]

Hi everyone ! i just started a new project, after i finished my Red hood helmet i decided that i wanted to make an armor or something .... so i chose Nightwing
i have made a bunch of " prototypes " so far, because it's the first time that i work with EVA foam, i bought the Foamsmith trilogy by Bill Doran ( it's really good ) and i hope it goes well !

I'm planning to wear this cosplay at SDCC 2015 so i think i have plenty of time, to do this the right way !

Besides the pieces that i put in here i already made a bicep and.. some kind of ... rectangle that it's supposed to be the joint between the bicep, tricep and shoulder,and will give continuity to the stripe ( i don't know if it's going to be red or blue at this point ) that would begin with the emblem

Still have to do a lot of modifications ( the shoulder for example, i'm still thinkingin the bicep design...) any suggestion is welcome

I will keep you informed.

 

[oswaldthegreat]

Looking forward to progress on this build! Nice!

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Thanks Oswaldthegreat ( i bet you are actually great ) ....

Update !!!

I have been working on the forearms as you can see in the pictures.... i take as a base a pepakura model of a dark knight forearm and made some modifications to it, because it fitted well but, wasn't that comfy , made some cuts and there you go ! a well fitted forearm.


Also i wanted to put different layers in the forearm to make it cooler, so i did those pieces to put on the top of it, i did separate pieces... but i think that i could achieve the same effect if i make a whole piece instead and just make some little depth cuts and heat them, maybe i tried that later

 

[oswaldthegreat]

Thanks Oswaldthegreat ( i bet you are actually great [emoji14] ) ....

Update !!!

I have been working on the forearms as you can see in the pictures.... i take as a base a pepakura model of a dark knight forearm and made some modifications to it, because it fitted well but, wasn't that comfy [emoji14], made some cuts and there you go ! a well fitted forearm.


Also i wanted to put different layers in the forearm to make it cooler, so i did those pieces to put on the top of it, i did separate pieces... but i think that i could achieve the same effect if i make a whole piece instead and just make some little depth cuts and heat them, maybe i tried that later [emoji14]

Hehe... I'm not that great in real life [emoji1] . The reason I have so much respect and awe for you foam batman/nightwing builders is because I tried essentially this project a while back, and it utterly failed. Also, the fact that I was ginger made cosplaying as nightwing a bit unrealistic

 

[oswaldthegreat]

Any updates?

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Yep !


i didn't had a lot of time to work on this lately because of work and school -_- ... anyways, i added to the forearm those things, i don't now if i like the way it looks, i'm gonna make the blades that goes on the side of the forearm and look how it works with 1 or 2 layer of black plastidip.

 

[DGKulprit6]

Looks good, Are you reinforcing your foam with anything? I am just starting the design of my Nightwing and this will be my first Armor build.

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Not yet, but i will ... i'll use black plastidip to seal it ( so i kill 2 birds with one stone ) and, in some of the pieces plastidip + mod podge to give another look to those pieces

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Sunday update !! ....

i made another forearm and add the "blades " the glove in the picture is not the one i'm going to use i ordered a pair of tactical gloves at amazon along with a compression shirt and pants...i will add some more details to the forearms but i think the basic stuff is done :3

 

[oswaldthegreat]

Sunday update !! ....

i made another forearm and add the "blades " the glove in the picture is not the one i'm going to use i ordered a pair of tactical gloves at amazon along with a compression shirt and pants...i will add some more details to the forearms but i think the basic stuff is done :3

Looks awesome!

 

[DGKulprit6]

How are you planning on painting yours? I am having a problem with the paint building up on the outside rim of my foam. I used 3 layers of plastidip to seal it then used
Krylon Paint+Primer spray paint.

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Thanks ! ....

About the painting job, i'm thinking about it, i will use plastidip and then primer, after that i don't know if i'm going to use a spray can or acrilic paint .... i will choose when i get to that stage

 

[NorthChatt]

Awesome start to your NightWing build ! Plastidip is good for foam but it can create a build up. I've had great luck with Mod Podge as a sealer. Once dry, Krylon Short cuts & Testors model spray paint (because they don't require multiple coats AND 40 % off coupons at Michael's & Hobby Lobby.

 

[SMP Designs]

This is awesome! I'm loving the armored NW rather than the usual spandex or head-to-toe leather ones I see all the time. Your shaping and edges are beautiful. Looking forward to seeing it all come together!

My two-cents on the foam/PD/paint conversation: once you get the pieces built, if you pre-seal the raw foam with a heat gun, it really helps. The heat gun will collapse the cells on the surface of the foam and give you a better surface to coat.

Mod Podge is good for smaller areas but it can crack under stress, especially as it ages. Plasti-Dip is more flexible. If you use a rattle can of PD, shake the crap out of it often and keep the nozzle clean. If you use the brush on PD, keep some Naphtha in a bowl nearby to dip your applicator to thin and smooth it as you apply it. In hot weather you can watch it cure literally before your eyes.

For painting, I like Duplicolor adhesion promoter as a primer and automotive paint rattle cans. This gives a great metallic finish, but under stress, you can get hairline cracks. For my Old Republic armor (in my avatar), I base-coated with Krylon Plastic spray and then did all the detail paint with metallic acrylics and top coated it all with DuraClear.

Cheers!

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Sorry for the lack of updates, this is the last month of college and i have been really busy with final projects and work

Anyway ! ... here is a little update, i recently got the " undersuit " wich actually is a compression shirt and pants and a pair of tactical gloves, i ordered both from amazon, also if you pay attention i added lines to the side of the gauntlets still need more work... i expect to finish the gauntlets this weekend.

And thank you for the tips you all ! i have been using the heat gun to seal and shape everything and i actually bought both, mod podge and plastidip, because i want to try different effects and looks on the armor, i have seen really good results from people that use both. Thank you guys

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Small update.... i think that i wont be able to work on this project for the next... 2 weeks at least ( i'm going to graduate from university at the end of this month and i have to focus on that -_- ) buuut i have been working on make a better version of the gauntlets, because i wasn't satisfied with the ones i made before, i almost finished the gauntled today but, you know is Mother's day and i had to celebrate with my mom ... so here you go, i think it's cleaner, and i add more of that extra armor that is on the gauntlet, i like it so far

i know i't looks like i'm just doing a lot of gauntlets but it's my first time doing an EVA foam armor and i want to make it right ! ...

Stay tuned !

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Well, i finally finished college ! ( yaaay #iamanengineerwuuu ) i havebeen working again in this project after work and i got this .... the main shoulders, im going to put more layers of thinner foam on it to create the red stripe that goes from the chest symbol to the hands. I used the videos from Evil Ted Smith channel as a reference to create this shoulder armor ( the firs try looks more like a breastplate jaja ) what do you think ?

Also i glued the forearm that i post before but didn't take any picture of it... i will take it when i get the " Official " pair done

thanks !

 

[oswaldthegreat]

Well, i finally finished college ! ( yaaay #iamanengineerwuuu ) i havebeen working again in this project after work [emoji14] and i got this .... the main shoulders, im going to put more layers of thinner foam on it to create the red stripe that goes from the chest symbol to the hands. I used the videos from Evil Ted Smith channel as a reference to create this shoulder armor ( the firs try looks more like a breastplate jaja ) what do you think ?

Also i glued the forearm that i post before but didn't take any picture of it... i will take it when i get the " Official " pair done [emoji14]

thanks !

Congrats on finishing college! Your build looks really clean and neat. Awesome!

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

well, i added 2 pieces of different thickness to the shoulder armor ( actually have a little accident -_- ...when i was starting to join the upper part i realized that the piece was upside down D: so i pulled it and a little bit of the edge fell of... i'll sand it or something ) and glued the forearm completely ( finally ) i think that their twin pieces ( shoulder and forearm) will come out faster, now that i have the right templates.

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

The progress from today !