Portal 2 Atlas cosplay help

M

millislim

New Member
First I'd like to say hi...long time lurker first time poster!

I'll get right to the jist of my dilema. I'm making a Portal 2 costume, specifically Atlas.

portal2atlas1.jpg


He's the blue one. I didn't think the giant orb was going to be the complicated part of this build but as I found all the pieces I needed to replicate the legs/arms/etc the orb seems impossible. I'm trying to make one that is 20-22" in diameter. I had planned to paper mache over a large balloon, resin the paper for strength then bondo, then cast the model with Smoothcast 300. Even with a power sander it seems like this was a bad idea and to get it perfectly round is not happening. The balloon itself is smooth so my second attempt was to:

paper mache
resin
THEN fiberglass
and use bondo sparingly for spot fill
no casting...just smooth with sandpaper, prime and paint

Am I heading towards a second disaster? I want the smoothest and most accurate results my budget can afford

THANKS!
 
what if you papermache the round balloon, pop and remove the balloon and then pour some smoothcast on the inside and slush cast it since it will be really smooth.

Once it cures, just dissolve the papermache and remove it the best you can.
 
Be it that it's now summer, you can go to your local walmart, walgreens, etc and go to the large bouncy ball bin in the summer/kids section. They should have different sizes. Hope this helps :)
 
well...getting the large ball/balloon isn't the issue. I have a VERY large balloon already...

the problem with the slush casting the paper mache innards is that paper mache isn't very smooth...the paste bumps and folds in the paper (even from the inside of the orb) aren't gonna be smooth at all.

Bouncy balls aren't as big as I need usually. I'm 5'10"...if my proportions are correct his "head" is about 1/3 his total height putting the diameter of the ball (to suit my 70" of height would be 20-22")

This needs to be smooth like armor and shiny in the end. I don't mind a few pock marks or divets as robots do get bumped around.
 
my bro and i were planning on doing something close to this but including a pbody suit as well (which seems almost impossible to get that egg shape.) i would use a giant ball like the guy above said. i want to watch this to see how it comes out....
 
A few tips on paper mache:
- I'm not sure what kind of glue you're using, but I recommend wallpaper paste thinned down with a bit of water so it's more spreadable.

- Don't use newspaper. It's not strong enough and takes way too many layers to get any sort of hardness; use brown paper bags instead. Grocery sized would probably work best for you, but if those aren't readily available you can take a bunch of the smaller lunch bags and use them.

- RIP your bags. Ripping them leaves that fuzzy edge which will help them blend into the overlapping pieces better. Oddball shaped pieces tend to conform better to curved surfaces than strips. If you're getting wrinkles, the piece is too big. It may take you awhile, but it is possible to get it a smooth surface with paper mache. I made my CLU and Stig helmet this way (save for the visors) and only used joint compound to smooth what small imperfections I had.

I've never worked with bondo/fiberglass, but I see no reason why that method wouldn't work so long as you kept the balloon inflated till you were done resining the outside for added support.
 
what about some how injecting smooth cast into a yoga ball?

fyi i know nothing about the consistency of smooth cast or its viscosity (for the purpose of injection).
 
As for the egg shape you could probably do a ball for the widest part then build up a cardboard skeleton for the bottle neck...

The casting material gets REALLY hot so even if I could inject it into a ball the ball wouldn't last thru the curing process and would just pop
 
millislim said:
As for the egg shape you could probably do a ball for the widest part then build up a cardboard skeleton for the bottle neck...

The casting material gets REALLY hot so even if I could inject it into a ball the ball wouldn't last thru the curing process and would just pop
Click to expand...
true... i will have to pass that onto my bro... also, i was thinking and it might be a good idea for the legs and arms to be made on the exterior of an all black shirt and pants, therefore the inside of them (the stuff you can see through since their arms are so skinny) the could possibly be made of pvc and craft foam as well. pvc is a little heavy though...
 
RINZLERTRON said:
true... i will have to pass that onto my bro... also, i was thinking and it might be a good idea for the legs and arms to be made on the exterior of an all black shirt and pants, therefore the inside of them (the stuff you can see through since their arms are so skinny) the could possibly be made of pvc and craft foam as well. pvc is a little heavy though...
Click to expand...


Way ahead of you bro! I was gonna buy an all black zentai that covers me in black lycra from head to toe...my actually head would probably just barely stick out the top of the orb and be sort of hidden between the shoulder plates the the front eyebrow panel thing....I was also gonna do that "limbs on the outside of actual limbs" thing for the arms as well...have my forearm and Atlas' be the same so that I could also move the fingers
 
millislim said:
Way ahead of you bro! I was gonna buy an all black zentai that covers me in black lycra from head to toe...my actually head would probably just barely stick out the top of the orb and be sort of hidden between the shoulder plates the the front eyebrow panel thing....I was also gonna do that "limbs on the outside of actual limbs" thing for the arms as well...have my forearm and Atlas' be the same so that I could also move the fingers
Click to expand...
woah man woah.... you read my mind... now i might just HAVE to try to make a pbody...
 
yep! and also you can fiberglass the bouncy balls after they have been covered in paper mache or plaster! dude you should check out my bioshock delta suit im building right now! it shows what the fiberglass, wall filler, and bondo look like on a helmet. it should give you a good idea of what the texture will look like.
 
RINZLERTRON said:
yep! and also you can fiberglass the bouncy balls after they have been covered in paper mache or plaster! dude you should check out my bioshock delta suit im building right now! it shows what the fiberglass, wall filler, and bondo look like on a helmet. it should give you a good idea of what the texture will look like.
Click to expand...


sure! you gotta link to that costume? also, why paper mache first when this tutorial just put the fiberglass on directly?
 
millislim said:
sure! you gotta link to that costume? also, why paper mache first when this tutorial just put the fiberglass on directly?
Click to expand...
nevermind i was thinking about the skeleton for the pbody, that one would have to be paper mached first, but the atlas probaly would be just fine with the fiberglass! and actualy, the costumes on here! its called "bioshock delta replica wip" i believe... should be on the front page, because i just added more pics to it.
 
Hey Yoda! you can't just drop by and photo-bomb us with something awesome and then not talk about it!!!! JUST MEAN!!!
 
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