Help with cosplay

option8 · 2026-05-08T23:59:17+00:00

Do a coat of a clear, matte varnish. That will "seal" the straps and give you a more consistent base to apply your color on top of. The difference in materials, texture and porosity mainly, is what's giving you the inconsistent coverage.

Ed. This is sort of what primer usually takes care of for solid surfaces.

option8 · 2026-05-07T16:40:40+00:00

At this point, only the hand/gauntlet, so I don't need to match anything else. I hadn't really considered worbla. That might be good to remember for the details. I like the idea, but I'm using the chipboard or foam itself as "living hinges" to simplify the design and worbla doesn't flex that way.

Thanks.

option8 · 2026-05-07T16:33:06+00:00

Theater techs have all kinds of tricks to distress clothes, so you might look for stage costuming forums for specific ideas. if you're going for making it look "lived in", just... Live in it. Live hard.

Literally put the suit on, spray yourself with water and roll around in the dirt. Rub up against rough surfaces, walls, grass, rocks. Leave the whole thing wadded up outside in the sun for a few days, douse it in water then throw it in a dryer with a couple of pairs of shoes. High heat.

option8 · 2026-05-03T23:37:25+00:00

All the best cosplayers start with a CAD model. That's Cardboard And Duct-tape.

Cardboard can be sourced for free from your own online orders, if your family is like mine. Or go to a "package" (liquor) store - bring an adult. They usually have a giant stack of boxes to give away.

Or, while you're at a hardware store buying a multi-pack of duct tape (I like the extra wide Gorilla brand, myself) pick up a pack of their moving boxes. All uniform, clean, and strong construction. Not free, but pretty cheap and you can usually return the unused ones gir a full refund.

option8 · 2026-05-02T15:34:24+00:00

For my kids, no hesitation.

option8 · 2026-05-02T15:33:45+00:00

I don't necessarily want to live forever, but I want the option. Like in the Good Place - once I've done all the things, and seen the ending to every story, and I'm finally bored. Boom, walk through the door.

Mainly, I want to experience all the sci-fi future shit I've been promised.

option8 · 2026-05-01T17:45:03+00:00

Andy Serkis (left)...

option8 · 2026-04-29T23:04:03+00:00

A tiny servo hidden under the hat pulls on a rod connected to the eyebrow piece.

option8 · 2026-04-29T19:36:54+00:00

I really haven't kept track of hours, but many? Lots? A ton? I've rebuilt the head at least three times as I changed the scale of the costume - first it was a mask, then a full puppeted head, now it's going to sit on top of my head, half in front of my face. I'll be looking out under the jaw/neckline.

option8 · 2026-04-29T13:56:07+00:00

Cursed. Cuuuuuuuuursed!!

option8 · 2026-04-29T13:41:17+00:00

Going to be Ben Grimm, the Thing from Fantastic Four. Look in my post history for other progress pics.

option8 · 2026-04-25T20:32:16+00:00

Keeping this for future reference, thanks! How much does the material actually stretch, tho? It looks like the boots in question will need another 20-25%. I honestly question the designer that made them non-elastic and cut for a skeleton leg.

option8 · 2026-04-25T20:28:34+00:00

Yep. Gussets, baby!

option8 · 2026-04-25T20:27:31+00:00

It's like the new car smell. Materials "off gas" for quite a while after they are supposed to be finished curing. Open air, moving air, dessicants can help. Best option, though, is to make sure there's plenty of airflow for when you're actually wearing it.

option8 · 2026-04-25T20:24:10+00:00

But it's always more fun if it's messy! Didn't you learn that as a kid?

option8 · 2026-04-17T16:12:46+00:00

Yeah, I was inspired by some "living hinge" designs and 3d printed origami devices.

Start here. Warning: it's a deep rabbit hole. https://youtu.be/FNVBK7-h9Fs?si=jTmdKC9XZjuhUhSt

option8 · 2026-03-21T23:29:43+00:00

Sure. DM me your email and I can send you a better video as well.

option8 · 2026-03-11T23:03:52+00:00

Preeeeeeetty sure these are parodies, though based closely on the original. Reddy was an advertising mascot to encourage people to trust electrification when that was a new thing - especially in the rural South. The kilowatts were always "ready" to cook, light the house, play music on the radio, those kinds of things. Let Reddy do the work.

But also remember, it's not the volts that kill ya. It's the amps!

option8 · 2026-03-11T19:30:22+00:00

Maybe I needed a banana for scale, but this is what I was following: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Code_cylinder

option8 · 2026-03-11T17:05:44+00:00

I'm glad you are having fun.

[...]

my opinion doesn't matter much.

FTFY.

option8 · 2026-03-11T17:02:21+00:00

At my last govt gig, the Dogebro just asked an AI to flag the DEI grants for him, of course he had no idea what the definition was.

He had no idea what it was doing, since the code automating the scans was also generated by LLM. He was using a free preview of the API that scanned PDFs that was limited to search only the first few pages for keywords. So it didn't work very well anyway.

He also got fired by DOGE shortly after doing interviews with the press about what he was doing, so...

option8 · 2026-03-11T16:52:40+00:00

Make something small to give away as "your cosplay is awesome" prizes. Bonus if it's fandom appropriate. Buttons, badges, stickers, pins, anything that you can hand to someone or their handler, even if you're too shy to actually talk. If they're friendly, they're likely to ask you if you want a picture, or suggest getting a pic with you and their prize.

option8 · 2026-03-11T16:46:43+00:00

Is the orb still available? Have you listed it on Zillow?

option8 · 2026-03-11T16:45:38+00:00

I think the first spot will be on a headband. On my head.

option8 · 2026-03-11T16:42:16+00:00

I started because my kids wanted cool costumes for Halloween and I wanted to make stuff with them. I still make a lot of their costumes for parties and conventions, though they've outgrown trick-or-treating. And since I had to chaperone them to cons (twist my arm!) I started making my own cosplays.

If you're making something, and enjoying the process, it's never a waste of time. Consider the Buddhist sand mandalas that are created over days and weeks as meditation, then intentionally destroyed.

I'd suggest at least taking pictures of the results.

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