Rubies Begins Belt Questions

[Phayze]

I thought something simliar might have come up in the past, but the search didn't come up with anything useful.

So, I was wondering . . . what's the deal with these cheap Begins belts? I'm thinking of (heavily) modifying one for a (non-Bat-related) costume , and I wondered what kind of horrors may lie in wait for me. I read that they tend to be too short for adult waists (mine's about 32"), so is it possible/difficult to add "links" from a second belt to get them all the way around? Also, what would be the best way to repaint one? Should I completely disassemble, paint the links and then reassemble, or would it work to just spray paint the modded belt?

As usual, any guidance, tips, hints and especially pictures would be greatly appreciated.

 

[KnightAsylum]

Although they are a little small overall I think they work well for this. I combined 2 of them to make it a complete belt (I use mine for display). They seperate easy (all the links can be seperated) so this is a "no work" adjustment, that not only allows you to make a full waist belt, but allows you to change up where the accessories are located.
I have seen a few other folks pick up another version (more of a child one) and throwing away the belt but keeping some of that belts accessories to add to this one.
Sorry I don't have pictures of mine as a demonstration of what I mean, it is a few thousand miles away in storage.

 

[Phayze]

Well, that's a relief. I haven't seen one up close before and I was worried that the links would be a pain to modify. Thanks for putting my mind at ease.

 

[KidL]

I've seen some great mods to the Rubies Begins belt. Combining more than one belt (as KnightAsylum suggested) seems to be the route to go... Plus, adding a fresh coat of paint helps to mask the 'plastic-sheen' of the belt. If you're looking for a clean-'display-worthy'-finish, I would suggest painting the pieces separately. The best finishes usually involve some wet-sanding and multiple coats of primer and paint.... maybe even a layer of clear-coat at the end...

What costume is it for?

 

[Jawafive]

I bought 2 rubies belts last year and combined them. IMO you're better off to save up and buy a decent kit. I got lucky and snagged mine for 52 dollars and had a friend make the back half for me. Take a look at what a custom one can look like:

It's not done yet, but I'm workin' on it.

-Matt

 

[Phayze]

KidL - Actually, I'm not quite sure what costume it's for at the moment, as weird as that sounds. I've got a couple of similar ideas in mind, but I haven't made up my mind which way to go. For now we'll just say that it's a superhero costume for Halloween. Either way, a repaint will definitely be in order.

The Batman - Thanks for the tip. The kit is definitely a lot nicer, but for my goals I think it's a bit much. Like I said, this isn't really for a Batman costume, so accuracy isn't all that important to me. Really, the less like a bat-belt it looks the better, I think. I'll probably even remove all of the accessories to give it a cleaner look.