Final update on construction! So, from where I left off last time...
The mold was made with
Mold Max 30. Once cured, it was removed from the box, trimmed and the pieces were cast using
VytaFlex and colored black with
So Strong tint.
While all of those pieces were curing, I moved on to finishing the shirt. The next step on that was to add the collar. The collar is black in the front and red in the back and connects at the same point that the red and black intersects on the shoulder. Once the collar was attached, the entire upper edge of the shirt was bound off to finish it.
Finishing construction on the vest was next.
I set the zippers into the sides and added the black strap to the back. These straps were accented with the same grommet detail as the front. The male ends of the buckles were attached to these straps, the top edges were bound off to match the shirt and the hem was trimmed and finished to complete the vest.
They are not pictured here, but there are also snaps on the upper corners of the vest that attach them to the shirt just below the collar. These keep the two pieces aligned and prevent the corners from curling forward under the chin.
The next major piece to be constructed was the pants. I began with my muslin pattern and then drew on the seam lines for all the details.
The muslin was cut and transferred to paper and the process of construction began on the actual piece.I haven't found a large amount of good reference on the pants specifically, so some of the details are inferred rather than documented. I also wanted to make sure I got all of the details in and tried to give them all a good scale for the size of the garment as well as allow for ease of wear and movement.
The red is, of course, the same cordura as the rest of the suit. The black is a 2-way stretch textured knit. The pants are cut to be as fitted as possible without being too snug and the stretch elements will add movement and flexibility but the 2-way (rather than 4-way) will also maintain the structure.
Here are images of the pants completed front and back.
At this point, all of the rubber bits were cast and cured and it was time to apply them to the suit. I started with the shoulder straps on the vest.
With the vest complete (and all the edges bound), I used Gorilla Glue to adhere the rubber to the vest straps and LockTite to glue the hex bolts into the holes. The straps were then sewn down to the front of the vest.
Similarly, the shoulder pieces were attached to the black sections of the shirt.
With the main costume complete, I needed to move on to the accessories. I began with the gauntlets and gaiters. I made templates for the pieces in posterboard and then constructed them from craft foam and PlastiDip.
I started with the gauntlets. These pieces are made of layered foam. The images below show the individual layer templates and how they will stack on top of each other to create the design.
When working on layered pieces like these, I typically work from top to bottom. I only cut the edges that are going to move from layer to layer and then leave some 'flange' on the outer edges.
Then, once all the layers are contact cemented down, the inner edges are all finished and the outer edges have some extra foam all around.
Then, the entire piece can be cut out through all the layers and the outer edges are completely smooth and even and, since they were contact cemented past the edge and then cut, there's no worry about the layers separating.
Once these pieces were done, heat sealed and slightly shaped, I moved on to the gaiters. For the gaiters, I made the front as a separate piece and then built the side/back sections.
The side/back sections had to be made a little differently than the gauntlets as they have to have a curve. The base pieces were cut in foam and then fused to headliner to give them some support and padding. Here's the base flat with the accent templates laid on top.
The back seam was glued first and the accents and stripes were cut in solid pieces to cut the seams to a minimum. All of the pieces were cut at a bevel and contact cemented down to the base. I used a silver sharpie to mark all the lines and center back on each piece so I could align them properly while gluing.
Next, PlastiDip! 4 coats on each piece and here are the finished parts ready for straps and assembly.
I didn't take photos of the straps on the gauntlets, but here are the assembled gaiters on another pair of boots I had at the shop to show how they fit.
Next, I built the holster.
This was made of two strips of 1.5" elastic with details made of found sliders and nylon strapping. The holster tubes were made of craft foam covered with cordura and trimmed in nylon strapping. I used the wide elastic as the base for the leg straps to ensure a snug fit without having to mess with a lot of fiddly adjusting and there is a piece of wide velcro under the tubes that attaches to the pant legs to give support and keep the whole thing up.
The belt was constructed from the red and black cordura used in the vest and 4 snaps hold it in place to the vest hem. The buckles were cast in resin as part of the same mold that was used for the rubber components and the center front was finished with a cordura strap and grommets.
The last piece to complete was the cowl. This was made from black jumbo spandex and is a half shirt (just down to the chest and under the arms) to reduce bulk and heat. The hood zips down the back to allow for getting it on and off but still being fitted to the neck and chin. Here are images of the cowl alone and with the helmet.
Here's a little teaser I made from the pics of the test fit. Final images coming soon - stay tuned!