Wip :: Budget Predator/snowleopard Mutant Costume

[kanji]

Hello hunters. First I thought I build this suit on my own without thread about constructing, but I wanted to share some pictures of progress and how I tackle obstacles on the way to a final costume.

I want to keep this as budget suit and try to make as much as possible myself and use some ready parts that are going to look decent with some modifications.

First I thought I'm going to do a P1 suit but I wanted it to be bit different than whats already outhere. So I decided to do a P1 suit that has some hints of leopard/feline breed.

I'm slow builder and I'm one of those people who have frenzy of build and then it fades away for a while. I've not you decided on the bio, I have couple raw bios that I bought after I constructed my pepakura bio you can see here :

http://www.thehunter...d-pepakura-bio/

So to get things rolling I decided to start with bodysuit and chose to use rambo shirt as top part because it was really cheap and had suitable base colour. So body suit is going to be 2 piece, I'm thinking getting one of those cheap bodybuilder costumes and cut lower part to use for the predator. I just liked rambosuits muscles more than what you can find on cheap bodybuilder halloween costume.

I don't want to buy a airbrush and I've done dry brushing with foam before so I decided to go that route. I had quite a good selection of browns and earthcolours as acrylic paints from model making so I used those. First I shaded muscles with lighter shade of brown and then highlighted darker areas and added some spots here and there. Right after that I laid first layer of latex when acrylics were still bit moist so latex makes it "bleed" and blend more.

After first layer of latex was cured I drew on black spots and leopard camo with permant markers and laid another layer of latex on top of those to seal.

Arms and chest area are now done and now I'm going to do sides with similar method. I didnt want to do whole suit as same time because I feared that latex will stick to itself while I work.

So here are photos where I'm now. There are quite a bit stuffing inside the suit to prevent shrinking so it looks bit bulky to say the least

[edit : dang.. didnt get photoupload to work.. well I upload those as soon as possbile]

 

[kanji]

Couple of pics from the first steps on my costume project. First ones are from the rambo top that I try to turn to more beast like

Here is the top with first shadings, just to test colours

More shades and white areas painted for leopard camo

Chest area after first layers of latex

Shoulders with latex on

Quick test with pepakura bio to check if bios size is ok for the suit

 

[kanji]

Here is shots from the neckring. I wanted high neckring and one that is attached to suit.

I made ring from round 6mm thick insulate foam stripes that I glued together with CA and reinforced with fabric and CA from the inside.

I glued fabric strip to lower section of the ring so I can attach the ring securely to suit

Ring being glued to the suit

From the front/side view

From the back

 

[Double H]

Thats pretty awesome work, well done. I'm using a rambo suit for pred skin but couldn't think of a way to waterproof the paints and also couldn't figure out a way to make a material suit look 'wet' like a pred skin, but fella you nailed it.

I love the idea you have come up with for the neckring, also another hurdle I have yet to go over lol

How much latex did you use to cover your suit?

Awesome work my friend, keep it up

 

[kanji]

And here couple quick shots from my gauntlet plug. I didn't find persil bottle or anything that would be close enough for gauntlet plug, so I cut smaller bottle to segments and rearranged those to my liking. Then I covered whole plug with clear packing tape, waxed the plug and fiberglassed couple layers right over the plug.

After the glassing was cured I cut fiberglass gauntled from the plug with scissors, peel it off and glued it back together using fiberglass tape and CA.

Plug before taping it

First fiberglass gauntlet base

Fiberglass gauntlet waiting for detailing.

First foams and details added

Primed, blade part is going to be its own piece and its going to be secured with screws to fiberglass core of the gauntlet

I think I add more details, but I don't it to look to busy looking. I like clean simple lines

 

[kanji]

Thats pretty awesome work, well done. I'm using a rambo suit for pred skin but couldn't think of a way to waterproof the paints and also couldn't figure out a way to make a material suit look 'wet' like a pred skin, but fella you nailed it.

I love the idea you have come up with for the neckring, also another hurdle I have yet to go over lol

How much latex did you use to cover your suit?

Awesome work my friend, keep it up

Thanks for the kind words

Now I have 4 thin layers of latex on both arms (totally covered), on chest, stomach and back. Sides are still without latex and now I think i test how suit looks with armour and fishnet/netting before covering those. If it looks decent I leave those without latex so that thin strech part works for ventilation.

I dont want to build suit too thick, I'm quite happy with 4 layers because I can add more shine just applying silicone oil to shine the latex in use, for example for events etc.

 

[Double H]

That another great idea, I just made my gauntlets out of foamies on top of foamies. What you gonna make the details out of? Awesome start my friend

 

[Double H]

Thanks for the kind words

Now I have 4 thin layers of latex on both arms (totally covered), on chest, stomach and back. Sides are still without latex and now I think i test how suit looks with armour and fishnet/netting before covering those. If it looks decent I leave those without latex so that thin strech part works for ventilation.

I dont want to build suit too thick, I'm quite happy with 4 layers because I can add more shine just applying silicone oil to shine the latex in use, for example for events etc.

Thanks for the advice, will defiantly be re-updating my suit with this. Thats a smashing idea, thanks for posting. Answered a million and 1 questions for me lol I thought that going down the Mr I route was the only way of making a 'wet' look suit.

Are you gonna make the legs the same way?

Thanks again my friend

 

[kanji]

That another great idea, I just made my gauntlets out of foamies on top of foamies. What you gonna make the details out of? Awesome start my friend

I'm going to use craft foam a lot, but I wanted to have rigid structure underneath and because I've build many RC airplanes from fiberglass I have bunch of glass and epoxy resin left overs so I will use those as well. Glassing is really fast, I laid first gautlet over the plug in 30minutes, let it cure over nigth and its ready for sanding/painting or what ever you want to do with it

edit : havent decided on lower part yet. I think I use bodybuilder halloween costume, I use just lower part, I didnt want to build around bodybuildersuit because rambo had better muscles. But I think I use bodybuildersuits lower part and paint and apply it with latex as top part. On there I may leave crotch are and upper inner thights without latex for ventilation and to prevent friction while walking.

 

[Double H]

Yeah, brilliant idea. Didn't think when I first made mine to reinforce the base to start. My gauntlet are strong structurally even though they are made of foamies probably due to the sheer amount of layers of them to construct and add details. They have little flexibility but fit brilliantly.

What pred are you basing your armour on?

 

[xdmray]

that gaunt looks really good. nice work on the scratch build.

 

[Cathat]

Your neckring solution is brilliant !

I'm so going to have to try that technique sometime too

Thanks for sharing!

 

[TokyoRose]

Love the way this is going, and you have some great ideas in there. The way you did the Gauntlet core and the neckring are both a really great approach. And I like the snow leopard concept. It's coming along great and I can't wait to see more. Keep it up!

 

[Double H]

Yeah man those gauntlets are looking sweet. They kick the snot outta mine any day, will defiantly be keeping this in mind for my rebuild after halloween - towards next year. Thanks for posting my friend

 

[cityhunter96]

I'm going to use craft foam a lot, but I wanted to have rigid structure underneath and because I've build many RC airplanes from fiberglass I have bunch of glass and epoxy resin left overs so I will use those as well. Glassing is really fast, I laid first gautlet over the plug in 30minutes, let it cure over nigth and its ready for sanding/painting or what ever you want to do with it

edit : havent decided on lower part yet. I think I use bodybuilder halloween costume, I use just lower part, I didnt want to build around bodybuildersuit because rambo had better muscles. But I think I use bodybuildersuits lower part and paint and apply it with latex as top part. On there I may leave crotch are and upper inner thights without latex for ventilation and to prevent friction while walking.

goddamn dude you nailed it. im gonna use your rambo suit idea for next year if yur ok with that

 

[kanji]

Thank you guys for all the kind words. Today I laid up second fiberglass core for countdown/bomb gauntlet and started to cut first pieces of armor. I also gave first gauntlet first layers of pearlsheen metal paint and did some weathering to give an idea how I will paint and weather rest of the stuff.

I would love to go Vinmans AVP armor route and use his templates as basis of my own stuff, but those are unfortunately unavailable at the moment

I'm rushing a bit with this because I would love to have somekinda even remotely predator looking creature by halloween, but now when other pieces are getting done I realised that I need "real" P1 bio to get this look together. Pepakura looks kinda predatorish but it only goes so far, and looking all the other costumes here the standards are pretty high

 

[Double H]

Pep files are good for a base style and structural skeleton. You can make them more 'predatorish' using a car body filler like bondo to add extra shape and definition. But I do have to admit, a real bio can't be beaten. My P1 bio was made using cardboard technique (not pep), covered in masking tape and then PVA'd. I then added more definition and reinforced it using bondo, sanded that down and then primer'd and painted etc - turn out brilliantly for me and quite accurate.

I used vinmans AVP templates and tweeked them to my own style. Try not to rush to much as this can create more problems, you don't wanna make a big mistake and have to scrap the whole lot - I've been down that road and believe me its like being kicked in the marble sack.

You work so far is awesome my friend

 

[kala]

Looks really cool so far, I like the unique color and theme to it too. Can't wait for updates!

 

[pdisc]

Thats some damn creative shtick you got going there.....keep up the good work.

 

[jayart05]

That gauntlet blew my mind....excellent!!!!! Keep it up....innovative thinking brotha...innovative thinking.