Question: Movie Suits Made Of?

Khajaa

New Member
I haven't seen this posted anywhere (tried the search). Does anyone know what the original movie suits were made from?

I am guessing foam latex for the bodysuit and mask head - that much seems to be obvious, but what about the other parts like the bio, armor, weapons? Also, since most of the armor was sculpted onto the suit, do you think there is anything that was done to make those parts harder so that they did not flex as easily as the flesh when the suit was in action?

Sorry for the deluge of questions, but I really want to make an all-out expense costume eventually and I would like to use as close to the original materials as possible.

Extra question for all of you mask/bodysuit makers - I know most of you cast in slush/slip latex. Do you have a suggested level of overall latex thickness for a good compromise of strength and flexibility? Or do you leave certain areas thinner by not putting as many layers there?

Thank you for any help you can offer. I am about to start trying my hand at making some prosthetics/props/masks this summer (including things for my huntress costume) and am looking for a little guidance from your collective experience to use as a springboard!
 
Depends which movie. The P1 main body suit was all foam latex, with all the armor sculpted right into it, except the gauntlet tops, which would have been a hard material like resin or fiberglass. The P2 main body also had most of the armor sculpted into the foam latex body suit (with chest armor, codpiece, gauntlets separate). The AVP movies is when they started making the armor all separate from the body, with it being fiberglass.
 
Extra question for all of you mask/bodysuit makers - I know most of you cast in slush/slip latex. Do you have a suggested level of overall latex thickness for a good compromise of strength and flexibility? Or do you leave certain areas thinner by not putting as many layers there?

I haven't done the bodysuit yet, but I've done several masks. When I'm doing the slush casting in RD-407 latex, I usually leave it in the mold for a dwell time of 30-40 minutes. That builds up a layer somewhere between 1/16 and 1/8 inch thick. (Maybe 3/32? I haven't measured it out exactly.) I like to make my masks thick enough to hold their shape, but not so thick that they take forever to dry.

I don't think it's really possible to make some areas thinner on a mask if you're slush-casting it, unless you just slush around less in those areas or something.

Actually, I'm kind of interested in hearing if other people slush-cast their bodysuits in latex. I wouldn't want to try making an entire plaster mold of a bodysuit and slush-casting that, but I'm pondering the idea of slush-casting the scale pattern for certain areas and then laminating those onto the main skin.
 
Thank you both for your input. I really appreciate it!

Can anyone else help with the slush latex bodysuit question?
 
This thread is more than 13 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top