However, I'm working on a new project and I want to share it with you as it progresses.
Since I was a little kid, I've loved Halloween. I think more than the candy, it has a lot to do with the ability to dress up in costumes and walk around and be perceived as normal. My mom is really creative when it comes to this kind of thing, and it was a ton of fun for her to help my brother and I make really awesome costumes. Of course, by help, I mean do it for us. Since I've been an adult, I've tried on a couple of occasions to make cool costumes, but for the most part, it's been a hassle. There's always some kind of obstacle in the way that I haven't wanted to expend the effort on hurdling. For example, one year, I really wanted to make a sick Wolverine costume, but the claws were next to impossible to do the way I wanted to, and too expensive for me to justify buying a really good set. So, instead I defaulted to some dumb thing or another, and carried on. One year I did make a really awesome Harry Potter themed costume, but that's basically just finding appropriate clothes. No real creativity is involved. Then, a few years ago, I bought a Bunny Suit, and I was that guy for a while. That was awesome, and really rejuvenated my enthusiasm for the holiday, but the suit has seen better days, and if I'm going to be doing a new costume, I'm going to put some effort into it with more than just my wallet.
Last year, my good friend Curtis built this cardboard Robot costume for some competitions around our town. He went "overboard" with it, and learned a lot about small electronics in the process. He did really well in the competitions, and everyone had a great time with it. This year, he decided to go a step further, and construct a new and improved robot out of sturdier materials, with much more intricate electronics involved. The other day I was at his house and he showed me the costume, and I became inspired.
I don't want to make a robot - I don't think stealing his idea or his thunder is really what kind of person I am. But I do want to take it in a new direction, and make some modifications to the process - and see what kind of craziness I can come up with on my own terms. Curtis has graciously allowed me to utilize any of his resources, including space - since Jen and I have a rather small apartment right now - so the two of us will be brewing largely together on our respective costumes.
Yesterday was day 1 for my costume, although Curtis is much further along in his own development. I'm not entirely sure what my end result will look like, but my inspiration comes from a few sources. First, this site has inspired a lot of what I think is cool. This guy is really a champ when it comes to this style of costume, and I think using his experience in not only the mechwarrior costume, but the other two he has made will allow me to shortcut a lot of the technical inefficiencies he's had over the years of production. I think his style is all there, but I also think my costume will generally be more reminiscent of this one:
On the downside, this guy kinda looks like a choad, and his costume looks cheap and fake. The foam pieces he used to flesh out the suit look exactly like painted foam, which bums me out, and functionally, it doesn't do anything. He just kinda stands there or walks around and looks intimidating. Meanwhile, anything he fights will kill him immediately since his entire body is exposed. Nice abs, though. I think his concept is sound, but we can build it better. We have the technology.
My concept is more robust, and probably bigger. That doesn't make it better, but it will be anyway. Originally, I had planned to make inverted knee legs (like on the mech in the first link) but Curtis pointed out how it takes a large amount of focus away from the costume when you see these really obvious legs, and I agree - so I decided to make my knees bend the right way and will be constructing "stilts" to give me additional height, along with devices to mask my legs.
The upper portion of the costume will consist of three main parts.
First, I've procured a set of football (American, not 'rest of the world-ian') shoulderpads in order to be able to build forward, back, and up simultaneously. In order to give the structure the right weight distribution, I'm planning to attach a pack frame to the rear of the shoulder pads and expand from that.
Second, the arms will be constructed in a manner that allows them to be permanently attached to the body, but at the same time disconnected. This will give them freedom of movement, but can allow any electrical systems to be powered in the main body, with wires being free to travel out as necessary. This connection consist of, but not be limited to, electrical conduit which gives practicality to the attachment as well as aesthetics.
The third portion of the upper body is the head. My initial plan is to use a welding mask, with the blackout screen removed, for the helmet, and modifying it to fit the theme of the final product. This was the first thing Curtis and I delved into, and so far it is a major success. The tricky part to this will be the power supply to any lighting in the helmet, but even this can be accomplished with the conduit system I'd be using for the arms. Any wires encased in this type of tubing would look entirely appropriate for the costume, and should be secure enough to not be rattled by moving about.
This weekend should bring time for some more construction, and I'll be sure to keep updating as we progress!
