Dark Magician Costume - AKA i hate scaling

For Halloween (and for any potential cons in teh future) i am going to make a costume of the OG Duel Monster: The Dark Magician.

Thankfully there is a template right here

So I started making a paper prototype. Unscaled, the helmet is way to small, so I tried to measure my head and use some math to see if I could get my head into the hole.


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It mostly worked. It is made of paper so...well...

in any case, the costume is going to be made of foam, first time btw, and I have a little bit of a concern in using a clasp or other locking mechanism will make the seam look visible if I do in the front. Reason why I would do that is so I can put it on my self with no problem

So.

I hate scaling.

I really do. Th

is is my first time workign iwth foam, and I don't want to waste money trying to get the size just right. I could really use some help.

The big question right now is how much should I adjust my pep file scale by to account for the foam?

What is the thickness of the foam you are using?

You want to measure the outside horizontal edge of the pep 3d model, then add on the thickness of your foam to both sides (if 6mm foam, add 12 mm to model) This will give you the clearance for the thickness of the foam.

Unfortunately, when working with foam for the first time, mistakes can be made, so cut out your templates, put them to the side for now, and practice on the off cuts for making angled cuts and practice gluing edges together.

DMTDeadpool said:

What is the thickness of the foam you are using?

You want to measure the outside horizontal edge of the pep 3d model, then add on the thickness of your foam to both sides (if 6mm foam, add 12 mm to model) This will give you the clearance for the thickness of the foam.

Unfortunately, when working with foam for the first time, mistakes can be made, so cut out your templates, put them to the side for now, and practice on the off cuts for making angled cuts and practice gluing edges together.

Click to expand...

So...measuring the outside horizontal edge. How would one go about that, like say a tutorial or something?


Also, I have a heat gun to help bend the foam. Does that work too?

okay, quick measuring tutorial coming up....





When working with foam remember that you have to adjust for the foam's thickness. Although, this is already a foam file (no tabs, simplified shapes) so all you will have to worry about is the scaling, you don't have to do the whole joining of bits and removing tabs and all that fun stuff.

As for fitting your head in the hole, You can cut a slit up the back of the helmet, using magnets, velcro strips, or the like to keep it closed. since the pauldron section includes a cover for the back of the helmet, you can hide any seam.

As for the heat gun... yes works wonders. heat it, shape it and hold it for a few minutes till it cools, it may take a few attempts, depending on the severity of the curve, but eventually it will remain in the form you desire.

Sounds simple. My foam is about 1 c thick so 20mm is at least how much more I should add right?

How about measuring for shoes and vanbraces?

Yeah, add 20mm to your measurements, Always test fit first, that way you can trim if need be.

For vanbraces, being more or less just tubes, you can roll a strip of foam round your arm and get the right size, remember to wear some clothing similar to or what you will wear under it. Again some split, closed by magnets would be best, to give you a good fit. for your hand clearance at the wrist.

Shoes... Well, you are best to get a pair of cheap shoes close to the shape and build up from there. If you can't find the pointy toed shoes, or at least cheap ones, you can select key parts of the file to glue onto a cheap pair of shoes. Using real shoes as a base is always a more comfortable option.