'Platform' boots and 'bulking up' info?

[ob1al]

I'm putting together on a Jason Voorhees costume and want to artifically gain some height and bulk for it, on a tight budget.

The best options I can think of are:

1) Height: Make some 'platform' type boots using thick soled workboots with internal lifts (maybe two or three canibalised flip-flop soles inside would do the trick?). I think I should be able to get an extra 4" using this method, and with a little extra added from the costume mask this would take my height up to around the target of 6'5".

2) Bulk: I'm not a skinny guy by any means, but Jason is pretty big so I thought I would make myself a padded undersuit using a longsleeved cotton T and foam padding, cut to shape and glued onto the shirt, to further broaden my shoulders and chest area.

Has anyone here tried either of these 'homemade' methods before? For a Vader costume, perhaps? How did it work out, if so?

Cheers

Al

 

[ZOMBIEREPELLENT]

Maybe instead of trying to be 4" taller, you should hang out with people 4" shorter :lol

 

[cerillo]

I'm guessing you're about 6' to 6' 3,and as for using Flip flops as internal lifts that is a good idea, However they can take up room fast so be sure to buy your boots a size bigger to compensate for loss room inside the boot. and I know you know this but be sure to anchor down the flip flops with Shoo Glue or some other adhesive so they don't slide around inside. C

 

[Raffles]

padding the suit means it'll move and bunch weird. Cut the different muscle sections out of foam and either glue them to a tight shirt under the costume or bandage them to yourself.

 

[motman241]

When I made the VS costume for Halloween last year, I added cardboard "inserts" to my workboots, and made a vest/shoulder pad out of newspaper, cardboard, and duct tape.

 

[ob1al]

Maybe instead of trying to be 4" taller, you should hang out with people 4" shorter :lol

LOL that can easily be arranged with some help from my Jason 'machete'.:love

Yeah, my plan was to add the foam padding to a long sleeved t-shirt under the costume (rather than adding the padding to the costume shirt etc.) - I think I'll give that ago and see how it pans out.

Good idea regarding gluing the inserts inside the boots, it'll be more stable that way. Nothing worse than a deranged phycopathic killer tripping over and spilling his pint on a fellow party guest, that would totally blow the vibe of the costume.:lol

I'll get to work on these parts and post the results here.

Cheers for all input so far,

Al

 

[darthgordon]

Sounds like you've already got the info you needed. But I thought I'd offer some tips. I'm not sure what your plans are for the lifts exactly but I'll tell you what I did on my Vader. I got a pair of boots that were one or two sizes bigger (can't recall for sure), cut a pair of cheap flip flops and put them in the bottom. I already had a pair of 3" lifts so I put those on top of the flip flop. The only thing I would suggest is when making the lift, take several parts of a flip flop and stack them together (glued). Then cut them at an angle which would basically be like the angle a woman wears a pair of spiked heals. Like this:

 

[ob1al]

Thanks darthgordon.

I've added the flip-flop bases inside my boots and together with the sole of the work boot it's given me an additional 2.5" or so.

Great idea about cutting the angled heel lift too, I'll give that a try. How difficult is it to walk properly with the extra heel lifts added?

 

[darthgordon]

That depends on the individual and how much you practice. I've known people who can't walk on them for more than 5 minutes. It took a few days for me to break 'em in and get used to it. After a full day, my feet and calves are not happy campers, but I deal with it. You probably wouldn't need that much anyway. So you wouldn't need such an extreme and uncomfortable angle.

 

[Stampedemag]

Notice that on some of the Friday films the boots that he uses are already lift-type boots. The secret to getting it to look right is to have a "meaty" looking sole. In other words if it looks like a lug sole it will work. If it looks like a moon-boot it will look like a moon-boot.

That inside lift idea will work. I have worn some that have a 3" outside and 2" inside lift in them. They are uncomfortable to wear for a long time.

How uncomfortable? After a Christmas parade in St. Pete Fl., my feet were bleeding.

(I am Batman)

 

[ob1al]

Bleeding feet - owch, I don't fancy that...! Your costume looks great though.

Thanks for the help guys, it's all good stuff. :thumbsup