Man of Steel

xEVANSx

xEVANSx

Active Member
For months... I've been following several threads on The RPF about people trying to make screen accurate replicas of the Man of Steel suit. I've read about topics such as which fabrics and colors to use, how to make the raised chain mail, where to buy shields and details, and how to make a metallic-looking body suit. I consider myself very fortunate to have read these posts by the very talented, dedicated, and creative members of this board.

I've also watched as people road the emotional roller coaster of trying to obtain something that seems to be just out of reach... Only to end up totally disappointed or willing to settle for a half-baked version of what they were hoping to create.

I'm definitely not a professional suit/costume maker... Nor am I close to the level of talent that's been shown by some of the RPF members. But I am very creative, and I have a few equally creative friends that are going to help me build upon the ideas gained from this site.

I won't be selling the suit that I'm making, but I'll post updates/pictures here on exactly what I bought, where I bought it from, how I modified the items, and how to pull it all together. Please feel free to offer feedback, suggestions, and maybe even some constructive criticism :)
 
MUSCLE SUIT

Originally... I was going to buy a muscle suit from Flex Design Costumes and cover it with a chrome full bodysuit in order to achieve the metallic looking muscle under the costume. But I didn't feel like spending $900 on something that may or may not work (spandex tends to spread muscle instead of highlighting it). I still bought the chrome full body suit, but I decided to take a different approach.

($30 from Dick's) Under Armour, long sleeve, heat gear, compression shirt
image.jpg


($25 from Dick's) Reebok compression pants
image.jpg


($30 from Target) Black foam workout mat
($15 from Target) Blue foam workout mat
image.jpg


The plan is to cut the foam to match my muscular structure. I'm going to use the black foam (which is approx. 1/2 inch thick) for the muscles that don't need much flexibility (thighs, shoulders, and pecs), and the blue mat (which is approx 1/4 inch thick) for the muscles that I'll need more flexibility with (biceps, triceps, abdominals).

After the muscles are cut and shaped (using an Exacto knife and a heat gun)... Chrome fabric from the full body suit will be cut to size and sewed to each muscle.

Stay tuned...
 
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I was was cutting out the muscle shapes last night, and decided to test out a scrap piece with some chrome duct tape. I used a golf shirt that is tight (but not full compression)... Just to see if the chrome would penetrate.

This was shot in indirect light.
noshine.png

This was shot in direct light.
shine.png

I recently ordered a sample of Glissenette, and I'll test it as soon as it arrives, but I'm also going to look for the fabric combo that's in this shirt and fully test that one as well. Pretty happy with this test though.

Stay tuned...
 
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Looking forward to your progress, I know from previous suit builds on the RPF just how difficult can be. In my opinion, too many aim for 100% screen accuracy and, honestly, never reach it. I came to this sit to join a community of makers, seeing a less experienced but enthusiastic builder is what I like to see :D

Subscribed, hope to see how far this goes.
 
woodyROM said:
Anxious to see your progress. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Syde Fx said:
Looking forward to your progress, I know from previous suit builds on the RPF just how difficult can be. In my opinion, too many aim for 100% screen accuracy and, honestly, never reach it. I came to this sit to join a community of makers, seeing a less experienced but enthusiastic builder is what I like to see :D

Subscribed, hope to see how far this goes.
Click to expand...

I'm going to try my best, and we'll see what happens. Thanks for your support!
 
I love seeing more of these MOS threads. It's such a complex suit to replicate with the fabric, pattern and under-suit, I just hope someone can get it down.
Good luck man.
 
Today I worked on the abdominals and obliques. I measured, sized, and shaped foam pieces based on my own abs and obliques. They didn't turn out perfect, but it'll definitely deliver the effect.

image.jpg

Next... I covered each abdominal and oblique with chrome duct tape. I trimmed off any excess tape to make sure that the foam kept it's shape.

image.jpg

Then I marked off the shirt where my uppermost abdominal and belly button are. I shaped the pieces well enough that I could get everything else in place as long as I placed the top abdominals first and knew where the belly button was. I slid cardboard between the front and back of the shirt in case the adhesive bled through. I used the adhesive above (E6000) instead of tacky glue because it held much better during my initial tests. (FYI... Make sure you use the E6000 in a well ventilated area).

image.jpg

After gluing all of the pieces in place... I set a large CD case on top of it to keep pressure on the adhesive. After an hour... I removed the case, and will let it cure for 24-48 hours.

image.jpg

Here's another shot with better lighting. While the abs and obliques are curing... I'll start prepping the chest, shoulder, and thigh muscles.

Stay tuned...
 
I tried the shirt on this morning, and was disappointed with how the muscles lined up. My real abs bled into the fake obliques, and it felt weird to say the least. I'm going to pick up another UA shirt today, and remake the abs and obliques.

Here's a pic of what it looked like:
image.jpg

Not happy... But as Thomas Edison would say... "I found one way how not to make a light bulb."

Stay tuned...
 
Ok... So v1.0 was an epic failure. I went back to the drawing board, and made a much cleaner version. Abdominal and oblique v1.1 is done... And it'll work nicely with the chest section that I'll finish tomorrow night.

image.jpgimage.jpg

Stay tuned...
 
I measured my chest, and drew the approximate shape on a piece of foam. Then I used that one as a stencil for the other, taped them up, and trimmed the tape. I taped all of the pieces to the new UA shirt to ensure proper placement. Then I removed one piece, glued it, and replaced it back on the shirt. I did this for the other remaining pieces, and they're currently drying. If you're going to replicate this method... I highly recommend using the thinnest foam you can find. I learned that thicker foam generally looks more like bulk instead of defined muscles.

Here's what it looked like laid out prior to gluing.
image.jpg

Im going to let it cure for 24-48 hours... So I'm going to start measuring, cutting, and taping the thigh muscles.

Stay tuned...
 
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Here's today's update:

I reshaped some of the pieces, and added a lower abdominal with two more obliques (one per side). I also reduced the size of the pecs since the shield is going to cover them any way.

Here's what the final abs and obliques look like:
image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

The chest part is currently curing, but I'll take some pics tomorrow.

The thigh and calf muscles have been shaped and cut, and will be glued tomorrow. Gotta get more E6000 :)

Stay tuned...
 
Glued the chest piece, and tried it on. It fits much better now, and doesn't restrict my movement at all.

image.jpgimage.jpg

The thigh pieces are cut, glued, and currently drying. But I'll post picks of what they look like as soon as it's dry enough.

i also ordered 16 samples of different fabrics and colors for the main bodysuit... So hopefully one of them will be a near match.

Stay tuned...
 
Thighs are dry, although I might add additional pieces for increased effect. It appears that the MoS suit used on screen has some sort of "other than human" muscle structure, but I opted to take the easy road and use human anatomy for simplicity's sake.

image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

The shoulders are currently drying. Next will be the biceps, triceps, and forearms.

Stay tuned...
 
Here's today's update:

i reshaped some of the abs to look less oval, and added the shoulder and forearm muscles. The shoulders might need trimmed, but they looked pretty good with some of the tests I've been running. I'm going to trim the pecs on the bottom because they're not quite where they're supposed to be.

image.jpg

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to add biceps without limiting my range of motion... But I'll be tackling that and triceps later tonight.

Stay tuned...
 
Your doing great man. So looks like you opted for the thinest foam out there and thats yoga mats correct? I purchased the flexdesign suit but it has problems if you are trying to achieve the MOS design. This could be a great inexpensive way to go.
 
6ringsguerra said:
Your doing great man. So looks like you opted for the thinest foam out there and thats yoga mats correct? I purchased the flexdesign suit but it has problems if you are trying to achieve the MOS design. This could be a great inexpensive way to go.
Click to expand...

Not quite. The yoga mats were 1/2 inch thick, and it looked too bulky... Even when you shave it down on the ends.

The foam I used was purchased from Michael's craft store, but I'm sure you could get it at any craft store. It's very thin (like five sheets of printer paper thick)... And comes in sheets of 18in x 12in. There is a very small lip to wrap the duct tape, but this is the best way to do it if you want to make muscles and be able to move.

The foam is strong enough that it won't tear, but thin enough that it doesn't turn you into a giant Lego man. And you can shape (round) the muscle when you add the duct tape. It's difficult to explain, but you'll get the gist when you play around with it.
 
dude, slap a compression shirt over that silver stuff. Dying to see how the silver comes through and how the shapes look under a layer of fabric. Great work, very innovative!
 
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