Tron Legacy Costume

As you can see the paint is splotchy and uneven. Whereas the tape gives off a very even and bright glow. (you can see the roller I used in the foreground)
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Another comparison picture, they weren't kidding when they described the tape as "super bright". You can read the text on the packaging easily with the glow from the tape.
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Here the paint has started to fade, while the tape is still going strong. I charged them both for the same amount of time (about 5 minutes under a UV bulb)
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As you can see the paint is splotchy and uneven.

WOW! that tape looks perfect! How long on that picture where your paint was fading out was the tape glowing for? I have never seen glow in the dark tape like that at JoAnn's. Must look into this now.

I still like lighting my suit with the glow in the dark paint or now Tape idea. I just want one that will glow at least a few hours. Even if I have to leave my suit hanging up all day long in the sun to charge it.

So forgetting the glow paint idea, yes, too many brush strokes show up even with 8 coats I put on my test strip. The only thing is that Glow Tape is green. Most of us on here want either White, Red, or a Blue. I wonder if this brand comes in any other colors than the basic glow green? If the Glow Tape won't stay charged for at least 4 hours strong, then I am going with the El Wire, Eddie's set up.



Thanks so much for sharing! :)
 
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Looking good! What did you make your vest out of again? The cut outs on the sides look very similar to what I did too. I like that you are building this on a duct tape form which I assume is from your body. I must get mine done too. Building a form fitting costume on a body form that is not to your exact measurements leads to alot of redesigning and not fitting properly so this looks like you are well on your way to a perfect fitting finished costume.

Good Luck with the rest and can't wait to see your glow. Maybe I should recharge my practice glow paint job I did with black light. I never tried it with black light but yes, the glow paint glows really bright, looks good, just wondering still how long the glow will last? Do we have to charge it for like one hour with a blacklight and will charging it longer make it glow longer? That is the question ;)
Dear Annisse,
I'm glad your glow paint worked better than mine did. The Glow paint will stay longer lit with the Blacklight. You only need a few hours. You may want to e-mail Risk reactor and ask them. I should have picked a more Basic Color. By the way are you going to combine the EL lights with the Glow paint. If you do let us know how it works out.
"I'm slipping away for a moment, boys; Change the scheme. alter the mode,entertain the boys & girls, would you be so kind?" Castor
 
Sorry I didn't really time it. I only charged the paint and the tape for about 5 minutes under the same UV light. According to the paint label it's supposed to glow for 2.5 hours under a full charge (whatever that means). The packaging on the tape says it glows for up to 24 hours.

According to this website, the tape that they sell is fully charged after 30 minutes, so I'd assume the UGlu tape I bought is the same. Glow Tape

The sun sets around 6pm these days (at least in NY) so I don't think a charge from the sun will last till the start of any party. I bought a CFL type blacklight from Home Depot that works with any desk lamp which I will use to get my costume to a full charge before heading out. I'm also planning on purchasing a mini/portable UV light so that I can recharge the glow in the bathroom when needed. Some options are below, note the difference between 395nM, and 375nM lights if you're buying the LED type. 395nm is closer to the visible end of the light spectrum and therefore not really UV. 375 is supposed to be way better, according to the reviews I read on amazon.

Amazon.com: Streamlight 51010 Twin-Task 3C 9-Inch UV Flashlight

Amazon.com: Chauvet Handheld Blacklight

You're right, the color is not ideal, but it's the best I can do under the circumstances. I will be traveling tomorrow and I don't have much time to work on the costume. I'm going the fast and cheap route in order to have it ready by Halloween, since I just started today. I'd prefer if it were white or blue too, but I haven't found any in those colors. Anyways I just wanted to let people know that there are other options if they're willing to sacrifice authenticity. Like I said, I'd love it if my costume looked as great as the ones that have already been posted, and I really wish I'd started sooner, but at this point I'd just be happy to have something that glows period.

P.S. Lack of technical skills is another reason for keeping it simple. Even if I had more time I'd be wary of having to run wires. I would however experiment with these, Amazon.com: 8" Lumistick Glowsticks Glow Stick Bracelets BLUE (Tube of 100)
 
Jacket DONE! I was going to add some reflective tape for flash photography (still might behind the arms) but sometimes less is more, so I just might keep it as is. Sorry the photos are blurry I'll get some good ones Friday night when I hope to be all said and DONE 100%..baton too!!
 
Jacket DONE! I was going to add some reflective tape for flash photography (still might behind the arms) but sometimes less is more, so I just might keep it as is. Sorry the photos are blurry I'll get some good ones Friday night when I hope to be all said and DONE 100%..baton too!!

I believe that would fall under the FREAKIN COOL category. ;)

Nicely done. I like my margaritas with a little Grand Mariner.
 
Digging your designs actordriver & Compass!

I have to say, I couldn't have done it without a lot of help. This forum really has been a lifeline on this project. The ideas that you, actordiver, eddy, and others have posted have helped tremendously with getting through the various roadblocks and failures along the way.

Really I failed more than succeeded on this project. I was just too stubborn to give up. ;)

But my thanks go out to all of you who, large and small, that had a hand in helping me bring this project to a successful conclusion.

The fun now begins in earnest as I get to flaunt my work to my admiring public, lol. My facebook page has been lighting up as a result of my posted work.

But to be honest.....I'm already thinking of ways to improve on this design. How about you, actordiver? Now that you have a working prototype, what kinds of things do you see that maybe you want to improve upon?
 
Jacket DONE! I was going to add some reflective tape for flash photography (still might behind the arms) but sometimes less is more, so I just might keep it as is. Sorry the photos are blurry I'll get some good ones Friday night when I hope to be all said and DONE 100%..baton too!!
The outfit looks great! You can tell that you put a lot of time & effort.
There's a character in a green TRON outfit. He''l be racing on Sam's team against Clu & his light cycle team.(Yes also a green light cycle)
"You can't be to careful. You've caused quite a stir with your arrival. Whispers of revolution are gaining volume. The grid is alight." Castor
 
Hey, is anyone going to the sneak peek at Tron Night tonight? In costume?

Anyone in the SF Bay Area? Dublin or San Francisco maybe?
 
I have to say, I couldn't have done it without a lot of help. This forum really has been a lifeline on this project. The ideas that you, actordiver, eddy, and others have posted have helped tremendously with getting through the various roadblocks and failures along the way.

Really I failed more than succeeded on this project. I was just too stubborn to give up. ;)

But my thanks go out to all of you who, large and small, that had a hand in helping me bring this project to a successful conclusion.



But to be honest.....I'm already thinking of ways to improve on this design. How about you, actordiver? Now that you have a working prototype, what kinds of things do you see that maybe you want to improve upon?


I second that! This forum has been not only informative but also inspirational. Everytime I log in, seeing new posts just helps motivate me to make my ideas a reality. OMG with all the "hickups" (as I call them) and the stress after it's all put together I must have hooked up the power source 100 times just to make sure it didnt suddenly short out and stop lighting up. I have to admit one night I got so frustrated that I chucked one of the smaller light tape pieces that I had to cut and cold solder with the silver epoxy across my kitchen cause it shorted out. But I too am ridiculously stubborn and was not about to give up. I've spent way more money than I had intended, but I've learned sooooooo much during the process and now I can add working with LED's to the list as of Tues night. Thank you all for adding to this forum. It's kinda weird but in a way I feel like we've all made friends through this process and if any of you are here in LA or plan on coming I'd love to meet you in person. Message me and I'll give you my info and facebook page.

Compass, yes after working on this costume and seeing everyone's work there certainly are changes I'd make. I also happen to have another (different style) motorcycle jacket that I got at the outlet store that one day I may make a different color Tron costume. I really dig the idea that eddie came up with the neoprene armor and El wire (especially on the affordability scale. ;) )

Nannar, I dont know if anyone has asked you before, but how do you know about all the TL stuff. You've obviously seen the movie but what do you do that got you all the inside info? Also YEAH for the green guy! I knew there had to be one in the movie, and he's a "good guy" just like me..SAAWEEET!!!

Keep up the great work everyone, and for those who are still in the process or wanting to start a suit I say DO IT!!!! You will learn a ton!!!!
 
Hey guys, all the lighting is just about finished for Halloween on my end. I'm just a wee bit concerned still about the disc mounting option. I did buy rare earth magnets, and as mentioned by everyone so far, these suckers are strong. However I'd still like to reinforce the magnets with foam mounting in the center.

I have two questions. One, where is the best place to get the foam and Two, how are you applying the cut foam to the back of your costume? I have hard plastic motorcycle armor for an application surface. It's not very flat so I'd have to contend with that. Hopefully I can make it work by Sat night.. oh man it comes up on you fast!

Great images.. I'm very inspired!
 
Jacket DONE! I was going to add some reflective tape for flash photography (still might behind the arms) but sometimes less is more, so I just might keep it as is. Sorry the photos are blurry I'll get some good ones Friday night when I hope to be all said and DONE 100%..baton too!!


actordiver...dude that's awesome!! all of you guys, your costumes are awe-inspiring!!! I hope to have pics soon.
 
actordiver...dude that's awesome!! all of you guys, your costumes are awe-inspiring!!! I hope to have pics soon.

compass72, actordiver: awesome job guys!

tenebrae looking forward to your costume.

thanks everybody for your information and paving the way for others to see what is possible with what materials are available. lots to consider for such a challenging costume. :thumbsup

i got caught up on the disc mod but will be going to tron night with mod in hand.

happy tron night all. :)
 
Just wondering if anyone here has seen the costumes over at Disney's California Adventure at their nightly ElecTRONica thingy? For those on a more modest budget they might want to check out their costumes, I can't say how accurate they might be but they look pretty decent in the dark and under club lighting. Also, having watched the ~10 minute preview they show there there are a lot more options that would be simpler and cheaper than Sam, there seem to be a lot 'civilian' programs that wear clothes fairly similar to normal street clothes just with light strips on them. This would be a good option for someone who wants to do a Tron costume but doesn't necessarily want to duplicate Sam's. Personally, if I had the resources I'd like to do the guard costumes, I think they look pretty cool.
 
Jacket DONE! I was going to add some reflective tape for flash photography (still might behind the arms) but sometimes less is more, so I just might keep it as is. Sorry the photos are blurry I'll get some good ones Friday night when I hope to be all said and DONE 100%..baton too!!


Nice job!

But I have to say that you "program" looks more like a Tron:Evolution type of guy. But It still looks great.
 
I second that! This forum has been not only informative but also inspirational. Everytime I log in, seeing new posts just helps motivate me to make my ideas a reality. OMG with all the "hickups" (as I call them) and the stress after it's all put together I must have hooked up the power source 100 times just to make sure it didnt suddenly short out and stop lighting up. I have to admit one night I got so frustrated that I chucked one of the smaller light tape pieces that I had to cut and cold solder with the silver epoxy across my kitchen cause it shorted out. But I too am ridiculously stubborn and was not about to give up. I've spent way more money than I had intended, but I've learned sooooooo much during the process and now I can add working with LED's to the list as of Tues night. Thank you all for adding to this forum. It's kinda weird but in a way I feel like we've all made friends through this process and if any of you are here in LA or plan on coming I'd love to meet you in person. Message me and I'll give you my info and facebook page.

Compass, yes after working on this costume and seeing everyone's work there certainly are changes I'd make. I also happen to have another (different style) motorcycle jacket that I got at the outlet store that one day I may make a different color Tron costume. I really dig the idea that eddie came up with the neoprene armor and El wire (especially on the affordability scale. ;) )

Nannar, I dont know if anyone has asked you before, but how do you know about all the TL stuff. You've obviously seen the movie but what do you do that got you all the inside info? Also YEAH for the green guy! I knew there had to be one in the movie, and he's a "good guy" just like me..SAAWEEET!!!

Keep up the great work everyone, and for those who are still in the process or wanting to start a suit I say DO IT!!!! You will learn a ton!!!!
Dear Actordiver,
Yeah I do have some inside secrets. But I hate keeping them from others. I hope you guys have enjoyed putting your outfits together. Once you see TRON Legacy movie it will be all worth it. For those that enjoyed the video By DAFT PUNK-DEREZZED There's another video part of what was screened at tonights IMAX Tron Legacy preview. Spoilers ahead-
I'm going to give you the dialogue since it's hard to hear. Go to www.tron-sector.com. Here it is!
"Made it! I'm Quorra."
"They're giving up," Sam said.
"Not by choice. There vehicles aren't designed to go off the grid. They'll malfunction on this terrain." Quorra
"What about ours? Sam
"Obviously not" Quorra
"Where are you taking me?" Sam
"Patience ,Sam Flynn" All of your questions will be answered soon. Quorra
(You guys enjoy the clip.)
P.S. By the way you'll see the Green light cycle briefly getting derezzed in the DAFT PUNKs video. Clu gets him pretty bad! Look Closely! Sorry!
 
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Dear Members,
For those who still want to make helmets like the movie. I found a website that makes a carbon fiber look. It's sold in sheets. CarbonFiberVinyl.com - Carbon Fiber Vinyl with Real 3-D Texture You can probably make a good Rinzler helmet and or use it for body armour. Since his has some Carbon fiber look on it. Does anybody know where you can find Clear plastic sheets to shape?
Any input will be helpful.
"The Grid is the digital frontier. Add quantum paring, biodigital teleportation, enfoldment, and they have the power to change everything..." Kevin Flynn
"Hold up , Dad. I'm only seven!" Sam Flynn
 
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for those of you who are thinking of improving or are still working on their costume past Halloween I wanted to let you know about this awesome hexagonal patterned dough stamp.

You can easily put fabric paint on it and use it as a fabric stamp on the Fabric that goes under the armors of the costumes. GOOD LUCK!!! :)

http://www.overstock.com/Obiz/Paderno-World-Cuisine-Small-Hexagons-Dough-Stamp/5096397/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&mr:trackingCode=DF6FC83D-52C1-DF11-98FF-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA
 
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