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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 3:56 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
So I sketched the jaw design onto the new block and realized it may be a layer short so I glued another layer on and will have to wait till it dries.

In the meantime, here's the simple method I use to sandwich the foam boards together.

Poke holes in the foam where you're spraying the foam on. Remember to poke holes in both surfaces to be glued.

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Then a thin strip of expanding foam. You don't have to use much, it expands! Also since it expands, it pushes up and out so more than likely you'll have a small gap between layers. Unless you want to spray foam all over the whole surface. Which would be massively messy. The foam is not very forgiving of anything. Especially clothes.

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Then ... splat.

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Here's the sketching that helped me realize I should and another layer.

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Try again tomorrow ...

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 4:27 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Jaw carving time!

Erased the previous sketch by sanding the surface.

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Sketched again.

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First cuts were the back and bottom angles of the jaw, and rounding the corners up front.
I left some room outside the guidelines to give myself some leeway. I can always sand to shape and smooth that way.

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Forgot to draw the bottom outline so did that and then made those cuts. I'm flaring up from the lower jaw to the head, so made sure to angle the blade out.

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Then I started rounding out more corners. Even at this point I was still a little hesitant. But after smoothing the corners out and then working on the angles at the sides, it started to look like I was going in the right direction.

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Giving it a look over (i do this a ton between slicing away material) i noticed I forgot to angle the front of that stack of foam. Now depending on what sculpt or actual alien warrior suit you're looking at it can look like the front of the jaw goes straight down from the forehead, or has a bit of an angle outwards that is similar to most other xenos. This goes straight down currently.

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I want just a little more to play with here so I slapped on a scrap piece to the front and filled it out with foam.
I could also wait till I chopped the jaw in half at separation, then scoot the lower jaw forward, but I figured this is the safer route giving me a couple options. I want to be able to get that chin to jut out a bit.

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Whew. Looks alright so far.

Anyone got any links or tutorials on actuating the jaws and lips? There's that one Youtube video where the lips actuate first then the jaw with the opening of the wearer's mouth. How do you do that? :)

This: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6FRi2aC840

Though he does have a remote in his hand. Maybe it's not dual-action and he's got servos for the lips.

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 3:05 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Well, chin extension didn't work.

The foam I squirted into the seams after laying the scrap foam on, pushed the scrap foam up, and it also slid upwards. Whoops.

Note to self: Wait the hour for foam to set, THEN fill in around the seams.

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I chopped it off carefully then left the santa goatee on there. I whittled away more material, then started sanding it smooth. Shaped it as a I went along. Going slowly so I don't over step.

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The jaw itself is pretty thin/skeletal, and the jaw tendons fill out the sides to where you get that flat side look. I'm wanting to put tendons in so I'll try to carve the shapes as best I can then experiment with stretchy latex, i.e. jimmy hats. :P

For reference:

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 11:53 am 
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Oh man, Jimmy Hats always makes me think of the song "I left my wallet in El Segundo"!

Your build is really making me want to try to sculpt a Xeno skull trophy.

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 2:00 pm 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
"I gotta get it, I gotta gotta get it!"

The thread just leveled up due to Tribe reference! Thanks retro!

Build it!! Best part is foam is relatively cheap.

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 4:49 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
More jaw carving tonight!

Cleaned up the spray foam around the seam separating head and jaw.

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Channeled out some guidelines then cut a starter hole. Made sure that this was small so I could expand it as I sculpt.

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Started creating the depth and separation of the lower jaw from the top. I could've used a Dremel hear to sculpt a little cleaner but ... a) There's plenty of room for that once I'm closer to size and shape b) Foam is effin' everywhere as it is c) Too hot in the garage to wear a ventilator. :)

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More subtle shaping and sizing down. Sliced in some teeth to demo the effect.

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Started the other side, all the same method.

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Not too bad? Here you can see the sides of the jaw significantly cut down. Still a little wonkyness to be evened out. I tried carving out the gums here.

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Final pic of the session. I'm gonna cut away some of the back of the jaw and the chin. That should get me to the right proportions.

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Stopped at Home Depot today to look at tubing. Didn't buy any seriously corrugated hose, but I like the look of the 1 3/4" pool tubing/hose for the head side tubes. Super defined ridges. Just hoping to find a scrap version of it somewhere. I did pick up some 1 1/4" pipe insulation which should work for the shoulder fins and possibly the tail.

Off to bed.

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:20 pm 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
After assessing these pics today, it definitely looks like the jaw is still a bit big, so I'll continue to whittle it down a bit tonight.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 3:56 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Whittled the jaw down a bit more. Obviously still need to address the teeth. Originally I was gonna carve them out of EVA and glue them on. I may be able to shape them out of the pink foam. We'll see. Right now more concerned with the jaw shape and how to actuate it. Now that I'm closer to that I can also start focusing on filling out the sides of the head. With tubes!

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And then AHHH! :) Time to start the actuation process. Also going to try and make it so that the jaw slides open in a way you won't see that Pac-Man gap. It's like a Terence and Philip alien mouth.

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"Whatchoo talking aboot?!"

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BEFORE:

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AFTER: I'm gonna angle the bottom jaw a bit more to get that same dynamic in the before pic.

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Got a used wetsuit ordered and am gonna make a duct tape mannequin to stuff the wetsuit with so I can build around it. Guess I'll support it with a wood and PVC stand of some sort.

I'm into this so far:

foam board - $20
knife - $8
used wetsuit - $31
white glue - $5
tubes/pipe insulation - $9
brake cable and housing - $10
I've got about $10 of EVA craft foam sheets that I'm assuming will make up most of the texture on the suit.

Goal was to keep it under $100. We'll see ...

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 5:28 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Adjustment to help clear that Pac Man gap. Hopefully the tendons will help mask all this also.

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Speaking of tendons, has anyone glued a condom to foam before?

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Thu Aug 17, 2017 5:31 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Started building a test rig for the jaw actuation. :) This was fun.

I asked my wife if we had condoms left around the house. That was hilarious.

Also, there is not a single rubber band in my whole existence. Used thin black elastic from my sewing tool box. Rest of the rig is wood and foam, held together with crazy glue and wood glue.

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Video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISNSWTpcsBI

Again my goal is to have the jaw cable actuated with a spring return. Preferably controlled by my kid's jaw movement. He'd love that.

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 3:51 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Wetsuit arrived. eBay purchase.

I used the duct tape method to make some forms to slip inside the wet suit. Easy peasy.

Tape him up.

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Cut it off. Carefully.

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Then close the cut seams and stiff with newspaper.

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Stuffed.

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Mock up. I still think the jaw is too big. But I still have room to whittle it down.

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I also made one of these DIY cooler A/C things. It works great for about 40 minutes. If that. But it's definitely worth $3 and 20 minutes. Texas. Insulated garage. August. You get it.

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Also made some progress on that jaw test rig. Man, crazy glue and balsa wood work really well together, surprisingly. This crazy contraption is trying to replicate the cable routing which would be mounted to the inside of the head. Proof of concept as far as push/pull and cable direction.

https://youtu.be/JO9ZydQWjw0

If anyone knows of any easier way to do this, please let me know! Not trying to reinvent a wheel I don't know about. :P

That's all for now. Gonna watch Covenant now, haven't seen yet.

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:04 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Trimmed down the jaw a bit more, and narrowed the distance between the bottom and top. May be hard to tell but looks better to me.

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Cut the teeth out for now and will try and make some from the EVA. Need to trim down the top lip also.

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:16 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Tooth test!

Sat down to see if carving out teeth from the EVA would work. Looks like it will. This set is a tad small. I also burnt them to a bubbly texture with the heat gun. Whoops. :)

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 4:15 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Teeth again!

Tried sizing up the front top teeth based on the test set I made last night.

First I approximated the size by comparing with the smaller first set. Also referenced one of the original screen used heads.

Cut out a block of foam slightly larger than I needed, then drew the gum line. Also drew the guide for the bottom of teeth.

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I then use an Xacto to cut an outline of the teeth and gumline.

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I continue to channel out that oultine till I get the separation between the gums and teeth. It's basically like making a valley the whole time. I shape the teeth while I do this. Here it is after the first deep cuts and a pass with the heat gun to get rid of tiny cut flakes.

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A little shaping of the gums. Here they are compared to the smaller set.

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Another pass with the heat gun to set the curve. The back of the teeth are just cut at an angle.

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Painted and pushed in place temporarily.

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Skinny tube test! Wanted to see what still needs to be done to the lip edge directly underneath that tube.

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Now the bottom teeth! Another piece of scrap floormat EVA. Drew the gum line then matched the teeth line with the upper set.

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Same method. Channel out the shape and separate from the gum line. This set went much faster as I got the hang of it. Already passed over it with the heat gun.

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Test fit! Cheese.

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Painted silver and drying. Matches the upper set really well!

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The chin needs some heavy shaping to narrow it out a bit. Then I'll start the fangs.

The jaw so far to me is the hardest thing to wrap my head around. Especially the actuation, so I'm wanting to knock it out and get it out of the way then the rest is back to plain ole' sculpting and cutting and gluing shapes. :)

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 11:19 am 

Service Number: A05/TQ2.0.32141E1
Country: United States
On my first public trial run on my predator costume I had ducted three 3/4" radiator hoses into my mask and had a 12 volt 4" fan forcing air into the hood. It made things very bearable. then it died (wire broke off but that wire just got fixed.)

I went with a spandex skin suit on my build and I can say that it makes the setup wearable all day long.

If I were to do a xenomorph costume myself I would incorporate one of these into the setup:
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/produ ... FSEALw_wcB

In the BattleTech series they were specific cooling rigs to deal with the heat. The above is the modern day equivalent and I think in its infancy as a technology.

I have been debating doing a desert punk cosplay costume as that genre actually includes cooling tech built into the suit due to the hot desert.

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PostPosted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 1:40 pm 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Funny you should mention this Knoxville, cause the more I stare at that wet suit the more I think it may be too hot.
I'm thinking of switching the forms to the morph suit and then using a tight vest, or cutting up the wet suit for the upper ribs and shoulders.

That water-cooled shirt is definitely sweet. Wonder if you could hide the waist pack somewhere. Would be awesome for my TK.

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 4:23 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
More teeth!

Just two actually. But I started shaping the gums a bit also.

How to make a fang. :)

Scrap foam with tooth shape drawn in.

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I added a gum line to make room for some depth at the top of the tooth.

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Trimmed away until I got the basic shape. I would test fit it in the gums to get the sizing right.

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Here's a test fit after a pass with the heat gun. When heated it smooths it out a bit and is also the time you bend to shape.
You can see how adding that gum line originally makes room for the hollow between the tooth and the gumline.

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Another smaller fang to go behind the other one.

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Temporarily glued in.

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A little silver paint added.

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Only getting 30 - 40 minute sessions in lately. But hopefully once this mouth is done things will move along faster. Picked up some more vacuum tubes tonight from the Goodwill. It was a Goodwill Outlet Center. It was both fascinating and gross.

I will bring gloves next time.

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 4:32 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Started shaping the bottom gums and made a couple bottom fangs. I'm gonna cut down the bottom jaw a bit to close the gap a little. Then I'll reposition those bottom ones.

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I also made blueberry muffins.

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 9:48 am 
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Muffins...

Great progress!

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 Post subject: Re:
PostPosted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 9:34 pm 

Service Number: A05/TQ2.0.32141E1
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Red_2 wrote:
Funny you should mention this Knoxville, cause the more I stare at that wet suit the more I think it may be too hot.
I'm thinking of switching the forms to the morph suit and then using a tight vest, or cutting up the wet suit for the upper ribs and shoulders.

That water-cooled shirt is definitely sweet. Wonder if you could hide the waist pack somewhere. Would be awesome for my TK.


Actually just make the tail base bigger and hide it there.

Alternately just use some 12 volt fans and duct some air flow into the helmet area.

On my second run for my predator costume with new pieces I painted my feet and that actually kept me a lot cooler and will be painting my hands on my third run in October. The gloves were a little warm and too bulky to move effectively.

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 6:24 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Since the costume is for my little one, and he'll only wear it in the fall or in the house, I'll forego the watercooled system this go round. But it does sound more and more like I'll ditch the wetsuit and focus on the lycra suit.

Made some bottom fangs!

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I may go a tad longer on the fangs eventually.

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Also found this stuff that I'm trying to coat the teeth with to get that glassy look. We'll see how it works. It's pretty runny. Maybe it can be put on in multiple coats. You can kinda see the reflection of the bench light in this pic.

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Hurricane Harvey coming tomorrow. Gonna be stuck inside most of the weekend.

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 2:51 pm 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Sweet. Seems to work pretty well. I just put another thin coat on.

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 3:45 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Reinforced the sides of the bottom jaw with sign ABS and added some to the inside of the head to make a hinge. Screwed down with chicago style bolts and nylon washers.

ABS was hot glued in.

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ABS sheet on the inside there.

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Bolted down.

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Aaaahhhhh ...

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Also fashioned some fin spikes out of EVA and spray foamed them in.

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I've finally learned my lesson as far as the expanding foam slightly raising whatever you're trying to glue down. So secure it as desired, then the foam expands outward which is easily trimmed away.

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I know there's seasoned builders on here, so if I'm explaining something obvious just know I'm aiming towards anyone like me who is new to this sort of thing. It also helps when I type it out to reinforce methods as I build other portions coming up.

With the jaw hinged up, I'm gonna start focusing on how I'm gonna fab up the support for my kid's head. I'm thinking I may find a kids bicycle helmet and chop it up.

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 Post subject: Re: Mini alien warrior build
PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:59 am 

Location: ATX
Country: United States
Bought a used kids bike helmet at Goodwill.

Ripped the skin off and chopped the sides off. The neat thing about this helmet is it has that adjustable cradle.
I would cut the sides a bit (at that red guideline) to set the helmet higher. the tubes on the side would hide it well, I'm assuming.

I'll test fit it on his head tomorrow.

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I accidentally cut the tether for the cradle. Of course. Repaired it with some ABS and 2 part epoxy.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 1:21 pm 
THAT guy
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Location: Virginia
Service Number: A03/TQ2.0.02146E1
Country: United States
Looking pretty dang sweet, man.


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