Budget Build: Gambit and Rogue in Four Weeks.

MORE updates:

<$200 for entire group



UPDATE: Completed costumes!





Total cost:
We ended up returning the shoes, but adding in a white hair piece ($2?), nylon paracord ($5), white "satin" costume gloves that we painted ($7), one EVA foam floor tile ($5), and a telescoping camera tripod from Craigslist ($10). (The tripod worked perfectly for the Gambit's bo staff; I broke off two legs and jammed it inside of a small length of pvc pipe, using a heat gun). So that should bring the total cost to $99 for the pair! Cut that closer that I thought.

Progress below:
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In the midst of building my own take on a warrior version of Wonder Woman (http://www.therpf.com/f77/multi-use-armor-warrior-hawkgirl-wonder-woman-220624/), my brother finally committed to a costume. He (G) and his girlfriend (J) are dressing up as Gambit and Rogue for the Nashville Comic Con - four weeks out! Fingers crossed everything gets done.

The Deadline: September 25th
The Budget: ~100 bucks
The Plan: Lots of thrifting, painting, and EVA foaming




A sketch of the original design we were going for with Gambit. Waxed jeans and a waxed London Fog rain coat, with EVA chest, bracers, the classic Gambit boot:



If I can find some EVA mats locally, my hope is to mix them with craft foam and elastic/velcro for the bracers and boots.



In the end, I think we'll go for a different take on the the legs and boots. We were unable to find a dark tan trench coat, so I'll be painting a grey one to look like leather. If I'm not buying the wax, may as well paint the legs as well! The plan: paint the jeans with black and gunmetal acrylic to resemble leather, and attach craft foam bars for detail. I also liked the New 52 Superman boots, so I incorporated those into the design - which honestly make the boot design more functional.



The idea for the chest (which may or may not work?) is to "sculpt" craft foam with a heat gun and my fingers/spoon/shaping tools/etc. I don't have a lot of experience with craft foam + heat, but there's a first for everything.




As for Rogue, I plan to sew a jumpsuit/bodysuit from a separate top and bottom. Both are 97-ish% natural fibers, so they'll go into a pot of dark green Rit dye. The yellow detail will be spray-painted on. J wanted to wear her tall, brown riding boots to look more utilitarian, so I'm thinking about making thigh-high inserts to keep with the Rogue-boot look. For the jacket, I'll paint a little Goodwill number with acrylic.






We've already gathered up most of the supplies, so I'll keep a running tally on costs - it'll keep me accountable.

GAMBIT:
Trench coat: $10
Black jeans: $4
Low-profile shoes: $8 (?)
Current paint total: $7

Gambit Total: $29

ROGUE:
"Bomber" jacket: $4
Top: $4
Pants: $3
Rit dye: $2
Brown wig: ~$10

Rogue Total: $23

Duo Total: $52



Future Purchases:

Craft foam
Foam mats
Yellow spray paint
Black acrylic + gel gloss



So, let it begin.

So it begins:



The trench was about 3 sizes too big, so I've tailored it down a bit. Then, I sewed channels into the lapel and collar, and slipped in small strips of craft foam to give it more definition and weight. I'll paint the whole thing with watered-down, brown acrylic; I'll use thicker, darker paint for contrast around the collar, pockets, belting, etc.

I'm really loving the designs you're going with, especially the one for Rogue.

Thanks, Sporkey! A lot of comics look so flat when brought straight to life, so I'm shooting for a bit of texture and definition.

Progress!

Gambit's coat from the back:




Coat with the jeans, painted black and gunmetal. There will be some maroon, foam bars going down the side of the leg later.



Another shot of the legs:



Rogue progress! Unfortunately, the dye took to the fabric differently, and the colors did not come out quite the same between the top and bottom pieces of the bodysuit.




New additions to the price list:

Gambit:

Two rolls craft foam: ~$10
Silver acrylic paint: $2
Black acrylic paint and soft gel gloss: $10
Reflective tape for playing cards: $4

Rogue:

No new costs.


Duo total: $78

Three weeks to go!

This is looking great. Very impressed. Creative thriftiness is definitely a skill

looks great!

love it, I love that they don't look like costumes people dress up in, but as actual people who dress like this if you get what I mean. Some costumes you see and go nice costumes, others you could see translate into real life. Love these!

Thanks everyone! And "real-life" is what we were going for, so it's good to know we might be pulling it off As well, I'm always having some trouble with attachments, so I've uploaded some Rogue progress. I'm not sure if these worked earlier.

The belt buckle will be painted silver, with a similar, red X patch on the shoulder. Then the small, black, "negative" X on the chest. I might add some detailing on the forearms and thighs to add a little dimension (sort of like the bars/banding on Gambit's costume).



As well, we didn't use the shoes to make boots, so the cost total is closer to $68-70.

Where on earth did you get a bomber jacket for $4?

Well, I call it a "bomber" jacket. It's really just a cotton jacket from Forever 21, or something - just painted with acrylic!

Painted a bit more on Rogue's bodysuit last night. Added the black X and some green panels to bring the top and bottom together.

Man where'd you find that body suit for rogue? That thing looks great and the paint jobs are incredible too!
Now are you using regular acrylic paints or soft fabric acrylic? I read that you watered it down for your jacket so I'm guessing regular paints. How well does that hold up? I'd imagine it'd be really stiff when you put on the jacket and the pants for Gambit.

The bodysuit is actually a cotton running jacket sewn to a pair of cotton slacks! My brother is a pilot, so he really wanted Rogue to be wearing a flight suit, rather than spandex. I dyed them both with dark green RIT - unfortunately the colors came out differently due to the original clothing colors. I was too hasty and should have bleached the bottoms. Fortunately, however, the three shades of green actually tie it all together nice enough!


As for paint, yes - everything is standard acrylic (BASIC, Artist's Loft, some cheaper brands, and whatever else I had lying around). However, for some sections I added in some soft gel gloss (Golden brand, I believe?) to achieve a shinier, leather-like look. The yellow on Rogue's jumpsuit, the black pants, and the dark brown on Gambit's coat, for instance. Otherwise, it's plain acrylic.


Regarding the stiffness, the Gambit pants are STIFF. We used a pair of black jeans, which were already a heavier material, and the paint really hardened those suckers up. The more he wore them, though, the more pliable they became, and honestly, the stiff look actually works for the pants. Rogue's suit is quite soft, almost like a large screen-print design on a t-shirt. I think the difference in fabric weight is the largest contributing factor. The coats turned out pretty well also. For the light brown areas on Gambit's coat, and all of Rogue's jacket, I watered the paint down so it would go farther and be more flexible. They're not as soft as they used to be, of course, but the hardness actually makes them look thicker and more defined - less like a flimsy costume.


I'm a tad worried about Rogue's yellow on the pants. It still seems a bit tacky and likes to stick to itself, so if anything is going to flake, it'll be the yellow. I think the fabric type just doesn't agree with that particular paint. The green on the pants, and yellow on the top, seem to be fine!

Wow. I can't believe you guys are doing so well with such a small budget. My wife and I just finished a Gambit and Rogue costume for Dragoncon and spent way more money. I think I'm going to have to take a few of these tips and apply them to our suits for next year.

Keep us updated as you progress!

Thank you! A budget makes the trial-and-error approach difficult, but it really is a lot of fun!

And as for progress updates, my foam-sculpting plans fell through. I wasn't able to mold it as well as I'd anticipated, so I formed the craft foam over some floor-mat ab shapes. I used a heatgun to warm the foam, then tucked it into the nooks and crannies and glued it into place. Not entirely pleased with the abdominal shapes; somehow they ended up very symmetrical, rather than organic.

springsteel said:

Thank you! A budget makes the trial-and-error approach difficult, but it really is a lot of fun!

And as for progress updates, my foam-sculpting plans fell through. I wasn't able to mold it as well as I'd anticipated, so I formed the craft foam over some floor-mat ab shapes. I used a heatgun to warm the foam, then tucked it into the nooks and crannies and glued it into place. Not entirely pleased with the abdominal shapes; somehow they ended up very symmetrical, rather than organic.

Click to expand...

Also, can everyone see those chest attachments? My brother follows this thread as a non-member and cannot see the photos when they are "attached," rather than embedded in the text. Thanks!

Wow those look fantastic and functional. Can't wait to see more progress.

I can see them.

More slow progress! So, I finally finished up the base of the chest and used a heat gun to round it out. The pectorals were looking really flat and sad, so I stuffed some polyester pillow filling in between the layers to fill them. I'm hoping that a good paint job will clean up the ab shapes, so we'll see on that. Nearly there!

- - - Updated - - -

Round pecs:




Flat pecs: