Update: The Finishing Touches
Hi folks! Thanks for all your support! So I finally have time to post about the last few things I did to finish my costume (which I pulled an all nighter for before the con)
Refining the Shell
1. So I drilled slits into the sides of the shell just above my ears and sewed on a 1" thick elastic band. It's just easier that balancing it on your head and fitting the mask over it
2. It is 100% worth buying foam tape (also called weatherstrip tape) from Home Depot.
- I just put it on and added tape where there was a lot of contact with my face.
- This also helps set the shell away from your face a little, which I learned helped with breathability.
- After wearing it for one day of the con, I learned that I needed to add a lot more foam on the bridge of the nose area, and a little to the top of the head
- I also ended up drilling more holes after the first con day and it was perfect for Sunday.
3. I also ended up laying the perforated vinyl on top of the holes because the mask is white and it's kind of easy to see through (see below). This pretty much solved it, but I had to cut it in small strips since the surface is curved.
Constructing the Mask and Cutting Eye Holes
1. Definitely do cut the scallops, they help show where you have to attach and sew (although this prob depends on your print)
2. I sewed the front of the mask first and then cut out the sides to line up.
3. I laid it out like this first to make sure I was sewing it right, starting with the top middle of the mask and laying it out from there.
4. Then I put my shell on and pulled the mask over it. The two seams on the face should be just over your eyes (they are further above my eyes for me because this print is too small so the mask is pretty tight; so glad it's detached)
5. I felt for the seams over the eyes and pulled it down, then used my Mark-B-Gone pen to draw a dot over my eyes.
6. Made small cuts the first time and put it back on to make sure they were in the right spot. Then I put my frames on and marked where else I wanted to cut
- I didn't like having the fabric in my vision, so I cut pretty big holes. But I know others are okay with the holes just being over their eye area.
- Be careful when you cut over the seam, because this will cut a lot of tension on the mask.
- Cut a little of the seam at a time and try it on again to make sure you don't end up with a hole that's too big.
7. The Lycra doesn't fray, so I didn't feel the need to sew the edges of the eyes (finally, no sewing!)
8. Once the mask was done, I attached my lenses to the eye frames.
- For me, hot glue didn't work with the mesh and the sealant I used for the eyes. I used the E6000 glue.
- It smells way strong so wait to try them on with the mask after a day at least.
Other Finishing Touches
1. Sewing the hood was a pain in the ass. The print I had has a "C" shaped hood, which leads to a sort of pointed Assassin's Creed type hood. I had to cut the hell out of it to make the shape convex. Totally going to change this part of the design.
2. Attaching the hood isn't bad. Attach it from the inside so that you can't see the seam from the white side and you'll be fine.
Future Suit
I am still going to do a reprint of the suit and do this whole process again, but probably not until after Fanime in May. The suit does look way better when stretched over the body, but I dont want it to be so tight so I'll still have to improve the print some. I'll post how that build goes here, but I'll probably do it in bigger chunks since i've got a detailed step-by-step going on already. If I learn of any other tips while making it for round 2, I'll definitely share! For now, I'm going to do a Cubone costume build while i fix the file and get it printed.
Thanks everyone for being so supportive for this build. The motivation was invaluable, and it was awesome meeting some of you at WonderCon who saw this thing in its infancy, lol. It feels awesome to wear something I made myself! If anyone has questions about the process, email me or quote me in this thread (I otherwise have no notification of when people post in here). Thanks again all!