David Charles
New Member
Hi everyone,
When I first joined this site I knew next to nothing when it came to working with molds and such. I had a good amount of experience with sewing, but had never made a catsuit/morph suit before. While this isn't perhaps the most detailed guide, I will do everything I can to share as much information as I can, and answer any questions anybody has as I am able. I realize there are many ways to skin a cat, so-to-speak, I just did what I thought would work. If you would like to build your own, or something similar, my hope is that this post will help you get there. Or at the very least I hope you enjoy the hours and hours of work I put into these costumes. Thanks for reading!
The beginning...
View attachment 267000
So the first things I decided to tackle were the helmets. To begin with I needed an armature (i.e., mannequin head), which I ordered from here Amazon.com: 15" Tall Male Mannequin Head Durable Plastic Flesh (50013): Arts, Crafts & Sewing
I also needed some clay to create the model, which I ordered from here
Amazon.com: Monster Clay Premium Grade Modeling Clay (5lb): Arts, Crafts & Sewing
I'll tell ya, use the monster clay. It's a bit more resilient but it allows you to create a smoother finish. Also, don't mix it with other clays. It makes the consistency of the clay too variable and creates problems when sculpting. You'll also need sculpting tools, which I bought from Michael's. There are some pretty good videos on Youtube re: how to get the clay on the armature. Looking back I'd recommend calipers, too. It will allow you to make sure your helmet is going to fit your head, because trust me - you do not want to spend a lot of time making something that won't fit. I plan on purchasing these
Amazon.com: Art Advantage 8-Inch Stainless Caliper: Arts, Crafts & Sewing
The next few photos are just to show some of the process of creating the models for the helmets. What I didn't photo was the measuring process, but again search Youtube and there are some pretty good guides on how to sculpt. The other thing I would recommend for this process is having lots of reference photos. Also, the Pepakura viewer can really help you get a 3d sense of the helmet in your mind, if you can find the files.
View attachment 267024View attachment 267025View attachment 267026View attachment 267027
View attachment 267028 As you can see in this picture, sculpting involves a lot of "raking," hence all of the shavings you see in the bucket below my model. This is the White Ranger helmet close to when I cast the silicone mold of it.
View attachment 267029
The next steps are basically creating a "mother mold" of each of the models and then casting the helmets themselves. The company I ordered my materials from was Polytek Development
Polytek Development Corp.-Polyurethane & silicone mold materials and casting plastics for making rubber molds to cast concrete, plaster, wax, resins & foam from Polytek Corp.
I don't work for these guys or get paid to say this - but they are AWESOME. I was able to call them and explain to them what I was doing, and they told me everything I needed and how much of it I needed to order. Their materials aren't cheap but I guess it all comes down to "you pay for what you get." They have lots of videos online as well, and they even sell a DVD which was really, really helpful in coming up with the strategies for creating the helmets. Here are some photos of my attempt at this process. Also, please - always use proper PPE. These chemicals are no joke, so don't get it on your skin... and when casting the plastic, don't breathe that stuff in.
View attachment 267031View attachment 267032View attachment 267033View attachment 267034View attachment 267035
Here we're first applying silicone rubber to the back of the head. For these helmets we created two halves of the mold (where the helmet will hinge together). We also used a putty knife to make a line to know where our two halves were supposed to meet up, so when you create your casting you know where you need to cut/dremel the halves to (so the two halves meet up properly and the overall helmet is the right size). Next we show creating a make-shift box for our "mother mold." Silicone is really flexible and won't hold the right shape on it's own, so with the silicone still one the helmet (but dried) we place the back half of the mold in the box and poured plaster of paris in the box.
View attachment 267036View attachment 267037View attachment 267038View attachment 267039View attachment 267040View attachment 267041View attachment 267042
As you can see the silicone captures every little detail (and flaw) of your mold, so make sure you are really happy with your model before you cast... but if you put in the time, I think the result is quite worth it. We tried a different molding approach for the Green Ranger helmet because we were concerned about the front of the helmet (i.e. the chin) "hooking" onto the mold and not allowing us to pull it out of the plaster once it dried. This process wasn't easy, and this definitely is a two-man/woman job.
View attachment 267047View attachment 267048View attachment 267043View attachment 267044View attachment 267045View attachment 267046View attachment 267050
We tried to use the plastic to create half of the mold. Make sure you let that stuff dry before you move it! Also, I should mention we used cheap paint brushes to apply both the silicone and the polyurethane plastic. As much as you can, try not to make the eye area too thick, otherwise it gets tougher to dremel out. The first pic below is my brother wearing the front half of his helmet after he dremeled out the eye slot. After we smoothed out all of the edges we applied some tubing to both halves, as well as some hinges we picked up from a hardware store.
View attachment 267049View attachment 267051View attachment 267052View attachment 267053View attachment 267054
Then on to painting... or should I say, LOTS of taping, a little spraying, then more spraying... then brushing on of some details. I didn't like how the gold paint came out yellow so I ended up re-spraying with the same gold I used for my armor.
View attachment 267055View attachment 267056View attachment 267057View attachment 267060View attachment 267059View attachment 267061View attachment 267062View attachment 267064View attachment 267065View attachment 267066View attachment 267067
Now for the armor. I used EVA foam that I found at Meier's. I then designed the components just taking measurements, cut out the pieces, and hot-glued away! Tip for beginners when working with foam: hot glue WILL stay, you just have to let the glue set. So when you're putting your pieces together, hold them there for a couple of minutes. I purchased the thinner/black pieces of foam from Joann Fabrics. I also found that cutting the foam with a box cutter was quite easy... just make sure you use a cutting mat! Oh, AND - the tubing that I used to line the white ranger's armor is called backer rod. I posted a link to what I used below:
MD Building Products 5/8 in. x 20 ft. Gray Caulk Backer Rod for Gaps and Joints-71506 at The Home Depot
View attachment 267073View attachment 267074View attachment 267075View attachment 267077View attachment 267078
I then coated the foam in PlastiDip, which I also purchased at Home Depot, and then more taping and spray-painting! Seems I've reached my file post limit, so this post will be continued in part 2!
When I first joined this site I knew next to nothing when it came to working with molds and such. I had a good amount of experience with sewing, but had never made a catsuit/morph suit before. While this isn't perhaps the most detailed guide, I will do everything I can to share as much information as I can, and answer any questions anybody has as I am able. I realize there are many ways to skin a cat, so-to-speak, I just did what I thought would work. If you would like to build your own, or something similar, my hope is that this post will help you get there. Or at the very least I hope you enjoy the hours and hours of work I put into these costumes. Thanks for reading!
The beginning...
View attachment 267000
So the first things I decided to tackle were the helmets. To begin with I needed an armature (i.e., mannequin head), which I ordered from here Amazon.com: 15" Tall Male Mannequin Head Durable Plastic Flesh (50013): Arts, Crafts & Sewing
I also needed some clay to create the model, which I ordered from here
Amazon.com: Monster Clay Premium Grade Modeling Clay (5lb): Arts, Crafts & Sewing
I'll tell ya, use the monster clay. It's a bit more resilient but it allows you to create a smoother finish. Also, don't mix it with other clays. It makes the consistency of the clay too variable and creates problems when sculpting. You'll also need sculpting tools, which I bought from Michael's. There are some pretty good videos on Youtube re: how to get the clay on the armature. Looking back I'd recommend calipers, too. It will allow you to make sure your helmet is going to fit your head, because trust me - you do not want to spend a lot of time making something that won't fit. I plan on purchasing these
Amazon.com: Art Advantage 8-Inch Stainless Caliper: Arts, Crafts & Sewing
The next few photos are just to show some of the process of creating the models for the helmets. What I didn't photo was the measuring process, but again search Youtube and there are some pretty good guides on how to sculpt. The other thing I would recommend for this process is having lots of reference photos. Also, the Pepakura viewer can really help you get a 3d sense of the helmet in your mind, if you can find the files.
View attachment 267024View attachment 267025View attachment 267026View attachment 267027
View attachment 267028 As you can see in this picture, sculpting involves a lot of "raking," hence all of the shavings you see in the bucket below my model. This is the White Ranger helmet close to when I cast the silicone mold of it.
View attachment 267029
The next steps are basically creating a "mother mold" of each of the models and then casting the helmets themselves. The company I ordered my materials from was Polytek Development
Polytek Development Corp.-Polyurethane & silicone mold materials and casting plastics for making rubber molds to cast concrete, plaster, wax, resins & foam from Polytek Corp.
I don't work for these guys or get paid to say this - but they are AWESOME. I was able to call them and explain to them what I was doing, and they told me everything I needed and how much of it I needed to order. Their materials aren't cheap but I guess it all comes down to "you pay for what you get." They have lots of videos online as well, and they even sell a DVD which was really, really helpful in coming up with the strategies for creating the helmets. Here are some photos of my attempt at this process. Also, please - always use proper PPE. These chemicals are no joke, so don't get it on your skin... and when casting the plastic, don't breathe that stuff in.
View attachment 267031View attachment 267032View attachment 267033View attachment 267034View attachment 267035
Here we're first applying silicone rubber to the back of the head. For these helmets we created two halves of the mold (where the helmet will hinge together). We also used a putty knife to make a line to know where our two halves were supposed to meet up, so when you create your casting you know where you need to cut/dremel the halves to (so the two halves meet up properly and the overall helmet is the right size). Next we show creating a make-shift box for our "mother mold." Silicone is really flexible and won't hold the right shape on it's own, so with the silicone still one the helmet (but dried) we place the back half of the mold in the box and poured plaster of paris in the box.
View attachment 267036View attachment 267037View attachment 267038View attachment 267039View attachment 267040View attachment 267041View attachment 267042
As you can see the silicone captures every little detail (and flaw) of your mold, so make sure you are really happy with your model before you cast... but if you put in the time, I think the result is quite worth it. We tried a different molding approach for the Green Ranger helmet because we were concerned about the front of the helmet (i.e. the chin) "hooking" onto the mold and not allowing us to pull it out of the plaster once it dried. This process wasn't easy, and this definitely is a two-man/woman job.
View attachment 267047View attachment 267048View attachment 267043View attachment 267044View attachment 267045View attachment 267046View attachment 267050
We tried to use the plastic to create half of the mold. Make sure you let that stuff dry before you move it! Also, I should mention we used cheap paint brushes to apply both the silicone and the polyurethane plastic. As much as you can, try not to make the eye area too thick, otherwise it gets tougher to dremel out. The first pic below is my brother wearing the front half of his helmet after he dremeled out the eye slot. After we smoothed out all of the edges we applied some tubing to both halves, as well as some hinges we picked up from a hardware store.
View attachment 267049View attachment 267051View attachment 267052View attachment 267053View attachment 267054
Then on to painting... or should I say, LOTS of taping, a little spraying, then more spraying... then brushing on of some details. I didn't like how the gold paint came out yellow so I ended up re-spraying with the same gold I used for my armor.
View attachment 267055View attachment 267056View attachment 267057View attachment 267060View attachment 267059View attachment 267061View attachment 267062View attachment 267064View attachment 267065View attachment 267066View attachment 267067
Now for the armor. I used EVA foam that I found at Meier's. I then designed the components just taking measurements, cut out the pieces, and hot-glued away! Tip for beginners when working with foam: hot glue WILL stay, you just have to let the glue set. So when you're putting your pieces together, hold them there for a couple of minutes. I purchased the thinner/black pieces of foam from Joann Fabrics. I also found that cutting the foam with a box cutter was quite easy... just make sure you use a cutting mat! Oh, AND - the tubing that I used to line the white ranger's armor is called backer rod. I posted a link to what I used below:
MD Building Products 5/8 in. x 20 ft. Gray Caulk Backer Rod for Gaps and Joints-71506 at The Home Depot
View attachment 267073View attachment 267074View attachment 267075View attachment 267077View attachment 267078
I then coated the foam in PlastiDip, which I also purchased at Home Depot, and then more taping and spray-painting! Seems I've reached my file post limit, so this post will be continued in part 2!
