Here are some pictures of my Halloween costume. I spent three weeks building it. I wish I had more time - I would have liked to have added more detail such as a shoulder canon and gun, and made things a little more proportional.
The costume is made of heavy cardboard, foamboard, and papermache. It's very sturdy. Paint, electrical tape, and plastic folders were also used. After looking at other Soundwave costumes online I decided that I wanted to make mine as small as possible so that I could remain flexible and comfortable while wearing it. Doors were added to the shoulders and waist (front and back) to allow easy movement and permit sitting. The shoulders are velcroed onto the body and need to be removed in order to fit into the costume.
The helmet was the most complex piece because of the angles. I started with a straw hat (from the $1 store) and then used cardboard to form the skeleton, foamboard was used to form the frame, and lots of papermache to make things nice and smooth.
Papermache tip. When making papermache from flour - heat the papermache in pot. One or two tablespoons of flour goes a long way. By heating the mixture, the flour and water turn into glue like gravy. It then becomes very strong and hard when dry and easy to use.
The legs and feet have elastic and velcro straps inside them so they stay on perfectly. The feet are actually shoe coverings. The waist is held up by suspenders. The waist and chest move independently. The chest window is made from a A3 clear plastic folder. I painted it black on one side, which gave a nice appearance. The cassette door is actually open at the top, so if I have time I will make a cassette to insert.
I won first prize at two different costume contests in Japan. The nice thing about the costume was the flexibility. I was able to dance, sit down, eat, and relax in it. Now that Halloween is over, I'll probably sell it. (Cos Play is big in Japan).
(My friend made an Optimus Prime costume. He too ran out of time making it).
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k273/avidexplorer/Halloween/PA310922.jpg
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k273/avidexplorer/Halloween/PA310924.jpg
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k273/avidexplorer/Halloween/PA310917.jpg
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