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Jan. 9th, 2009 01:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flybystardancerI know I hardly ever use this thing anymore. Bad me. However, I want to get my thoughts down before I forget them, and hopefully get some tips/pointers from friends who know more about this than I do.
This year's BotCon is in Pasadena, CA. I'm hoping the parents will let me go. (Yes, it's sad for a 22-year-old to still need parent's permission, but it's justified by the fact that I have no regular job nd am still in school. If I go, it will be on their money.) It happens to be a couple weekends after I get out of school (literally).
I have no idea if the parents will be able to get the time off after driving me home from WA earlier in the month. Even then I'm not entirely sure I want to go with them (seeing as Mom can't stay on her feet all day, and neither of them are into Transformers), however if that's how it gets planned, that's what I'll do. Another option would be driving with friends. I do know some people who already have plans to go, but they're all going together and it seems like they've maxed out their space already. Plus, I don't think their travel route comes near me. And I have no idea how![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
niteflite and nonblasphemer feel about it (despite asking. You two never gave a clear answer. ;P).
Anyways, whether I go or not, I want to make a TF costume. If I don't go, I can always wear it for this year's Halloween. I've been agonizing over how, exactly, to make one. You see, despite the multiple (not very good) how-to's I've found out there, I still don't exactly know how to make one. So, breaking down my thoughts here.
Who do I make a costume of?
a) Airazor. Pros. I've wanted to make a costume of her for a long time. Plus, I think she's cool. ...And I have green eyes, so I'd just go with that instead of making fake optics. lol In addition, due to BW being made in CGI, pictures of her are consistent in features and proportions. Cons. Like other Beast Wars characters, she's got lots of curves. And she's skinny (which I'm not), so there'd have to be a lot of close-fitting pieces. In addition, she's very detailed. If I did her, I'd want to copy as many of those details as I could (I can get anal that way). These also make it a nightmare trying to plan how to do them all.
b) Bulkhead. Pros.While I love most of the Autobot cast in TF:Ani, I'd probably have the best luck pulling him off. He's got a fairly simple design. And even though I consider myself on the heftier side, a costume of him could get a bit bulky (no pun intended) and still not get out-of-proportion for him. If anything, the limbs would still be too long, because Bulkhead seems to have the same proportion as little people (despite being one of the larger Autobots). Cons. I'm way waaaaaaay too short. A 5' Bulkhead? I'd have to be constantly telling people I got hit with a shrink ray.
Materials.
a) Cardboard. Pros. Cheap. Cons. Too cheap and too fragile. Plus the same cons as foamcore.
b} Foamcore + insulation foam. Pros. Fairly cheap, easy to find and handle. Looks decent after painting. Cons. Heavy, doesn't breathe well. Also hard to make curved pieces (and I tend to go for curvy characters). It also is bulky to store/transport and according toslackeremeritus it tends to need repairs after travel or wearing it all day. I have no idea how to make it so I can put on or take off torso pieces, or how to get arm/leg pieces to stay on.
c) Craft foam and styrene (a la this site). Pros. Professional looking. While stiff, can manage curves better than foamcore. Cons. The styrene can be expensive and hard to obtain. Plus has most of the same cons as foamcore (I don't know about the durability, though).
d) Fabric and upholstery foam. Pros.Has far less durability, breathability, weight, and travel issues than the first three options. It can be made in shirt and pants for easy-on, easy-off. I know how to sew, and I have sewn from patterns. I have also found a lot on eBay for not too much money that seems to have most of the foam I would need (and in different thicknesses!) Cons. The last time I sewed an outfit was in high school (for reference: I'm in my fifth year of college), and then I was working off of a store-bought pattern. I have never made a pattern and have only a very vague and unclear idea of how to make one. I have no idea how to compensate (or how much to compensate) for the thickness of the foam. I have no idea how to make the small bits of outlines or other bits of color on solid backgrounds.
Helmet.
I have no idea how to even begin making a full-head helmet out of anything.
Overall leanings.
Character: I'm leaning towards Bulkhead right now. He'd be a lot easier to make for a first-time cosplayer like me.
Materials: At first I was leaning towards the craft foam and styrene. Then the logistics started overwhelming me (as far as money, travel ability, etc). So currently I'm leaning towards fabric and upholstery foam. As I said above, I found a lot with a decent amount and variety on eBay and am watching it while I'm deciding whether to get it or not. I hope I would be able to convince Mom to let me take her sewing machine to school with me so I wouldn't have to hand-sew it. If I tried hand-sewing a costume, it would likely take me YEARS to finish.
Also, I'm not sure what to do about feet. Do I have it be open-bottomed to let an actual shoe do the walking, or do I have the fabric cover the bottom? How do I make those tread-like things along the side of Bulkhead's foot (in either open or closed feet)? I'm so lost. @_@
Whoo. Long post.
This year's BotCon is in Pasadena, CA. I'm hoping the parents will let me go. (Yes, it's sad for a 22-year-old to still need parent's permission, but it's justified by the fact that I have no regular job nd am still in school. If I go, it will be on their money.) It happens to be a couple weekends after I get out of school (literally).
I have no idea if the parents will be able to get the time off after driving me home from WA earlier in the month. Even then I'm not entirely sure I want to go with them (seeing as Mom can't stay on her feet all day, and neither of them are into Transformers), however if that's how it gets planned, that's what I'll do. Another option would be driving with friends. I do know some people who already have plans to go, but they're all going together and it seems like they've maxed out their space already. Plus, I don't think their travel route comes near me. And I have no idea how
niteflite and nonblasphemer feel about it (despite asking. You two never gave a clear answer. ;P).Anyways, whether I go or not, I want to make a TF costume. If I don't go, I can always wear it for this year's Halloween. I've been agonizing over how, exactly, to make one. You see, despite the multiple (not very good) how-to's I've found out there, I still don't exactly know how to make one. So, breaking down my thoughts here.
Who do I make a costume of?
a) Airazor. Pros. I've wanted to make a costume of her for a long time. Plus, I think she's cool. ...And I have green eyes, so I'd just go with that instead of making fake optics. lol In addition, due to BW being made in CGI, pictures of her are consistent in features and proportions. Cons. Like other Beast Wars characters, she's got lots of curves. And she's skinny (which I'm not), so there'd have to be a lot of close-fitting pieces. In addition, she's very detailed. If I did her, I'd want to copy as many of those details as I could (I can get anal that way). These also make it a nightmare trying to plan how to do them all.
b) Bulkhead. Pros.While I love most of the Autobot cast in TF:Ani, I'd probably have the best luck pulling him off. He's got a fairly simple design. And even though I consider myself on the heftier side, a costume of him could get a bit bulky (no pun intended) and still not get out-of-proportion for him. If anything, the limbs would still be too long, because Bulkhead seems to have the same proportion as little people (despite being one of the larger Autobots). Cons. I'm way waaaaaaay too short. A 5' Bulkhead? I'd have to be constantly telling people I got hit with a shrink ray.
Materials.
a) Cardboard. Pros. Cheap. Cons. Too cheap and too fragile. Plus the same cons as foamcore.
b} Foamcore + insulation foam. Pros. Fairly cheap, easy to find and handle. Looks decent after painting. Cons. Heavy, doesn't breathe well. Also hard to make curved pieces (and I tend to go for curvy characters). It also is bulky to store/transport and according to
slackeremeritus it tends to need repairs after travel or wearing it all day. I have no idea how to make it so I can put on or take off torso pieces, or how to get arm/leg pieces to stay on.c) Craft foam and styrene (a la this site). Pros. Professional looking. While stiff, can manage curves better than foamcore. Cons. The styrene can be expensive and hard to obtain. Plus has most of the same cons as foamcore (I don't know about the durability, though).
d) Fabric and upholstery foam. Pros.Has far less durability, breathability, weight, and travel issues than the first three options. It can be made in shirt and pants for easy-on, easy-off. I know how to sew, and I have sewn from patterns. I have also found a lot on eBay for not too much money that seems to have most of the foam I would need (and in different thicknesses!) Cons. The last time I sewed an outfit was in high school (for reference: I'm in my fifth year of college), and then I was working off of a store-bought pattern. I have never made a pattern and have only a very vague and unclear idea of how to make one. I have no idea how to compensate (or how much to compensate) for the thickness of the foam. I have no idea how to make the small bits of outlines or other bits of color on solid backgrounds.
Helmet.
I have no idea how to even begin making a full-head helmet out of anything.
Overall leanings.
Character: I'm leaning towards Bulkhead right now. He'd be a lot easier to make for a first-time cosplayer like me.
Materials: At first I was leaning towards the craft foam and styrene. Then the logistics started overwhelming me (as far as money, travel ability, etc). So currently I'm leaning towards fabric and upholstery foam. As I said above, I found a lot with a decent amount and variety on eBay and am watching it while I'm deciding whether to get it or not. I hope I would be able to convince Mom to let me take her sewing machine to school with me so I wouldn't have to hand-sew it. If I tried hand-sewing a costume, it would likely take me YEARS to finish.
Also, I'm not sure what to do about feet. Do I have it be open-bottomed to let an actual shoe do the walking, or do I have the fabric cover the bottom? How do I make those tread-like things along the side of Bulkhead's foot (in either open or closed feet)? I'm so lost. @_@
Whoo. Long post.
