Final test (Posted 17th March 2012)

Final test of the suit with all of the armour pieces, the best I could do without assistance. The wires at the back will need to be pushed under the chest pieces to hide them and the pauldrons put into place a little better. Also the goggles will need to be connected to the main piece with help.
The thigh pieces were quite snug in the first place but a velcro strip was still used in the inside to stop them moving down. They rest just above the knee cap. I painted the suit a darker grey around the knee area instead of using a separate knee support because it reduced flexibility around the joint.
Going to save switching on all of the LED's for the con :)

Gauntlets and gloves (Posted 15th March 2012)

Tested the gauntlets and gloves worn together, added a little more detail to the gloves around the thumb and sides.

Thigh armour (Posted 13th March 2012)

Added the detail and some armour weathering, these will fit above the knee. They are a whole piece and slip up my leg into place, leaving enough give for flexibility. As predicted the knee supports were too restricting over the already tight fitting suit and underneath the leg armour, so I'll be making my own from the same stretch grey fabric I used for the catsuit. These will fill in the area between the leg and these thigh pieces.

Gauntlets (Posted 13th March 2012)

Added detail and armour weathering, fixed the top piece with the tinted acetate to the main section and sealed with latex. There's a area underneath for the LED to fit snugly into and they fasten with velcro underneath. Top is for my right and bottom for my left arm. Will be testing them against the gloves next.

Hair tie and ponytail. (Posted 11th March 2012)

Hair tie made from thin foam and attached with velcro around the pipe cleaner that gives support to the ponytail base. I bought two long wigs, trimming the first pinning the ends into the nape of the nack and then attaching wefts from the second to create the high ponytail. It's supported by a black pipe cleaner around the base, light enough not to pull the wig back.

Make up and contact lense test (Posted 11th March 2012)

I used light grey contact lenses in the end, make up is basic so not to clash with the wig and eyebrows were tinted red slightly with make up. Headset needed adjusting slightly and still needs the connectors attached to the end of the white wires, which will then fix to the ones on the back of the chest piece.

Gauntlet Base (Posted 11th March 2012)

As I was waiting for some more spray paint to finish the thigh pieces, I started making the arm sections. I used a paper template to get the scale right then transferred it to foam. Thick foam was used as the base with thinner pieces on top in sections. The part with the blue section was made separate since the tinted acetate sheet is easier to attach after painting the foam. These pieces will be fixed on top of the main gauntlets which fasten with velcro.

Base for thigh guards (Posted 4th March 2012)

As with all the foam parts, a paper template was drafted first and transferred to foam. The thigh pieces are made from two layers of thin foam with some detail added and sealed with latex ready for painting. I'm planning to use knee supports to hide the bodysuit at the point between the leg and thigh armour. The thigh sections are snug enough for them to stay in place above the knee whilst being comfortable and still allow movement.

Main leg pieces - complete (Posted 26th February 2012)

Finally finished these, added some armour weathering here and there and sealed them with latex. Next will be the parts above the knee, extending up the thigh.

Leg armour - LED's (Posted 24th February 2012)

The detail and weathering still needs to be added, but here's one leg piece with the tinted acetate pieces in place, the ring detail on top and the LED's fixed inside.

Leg armour - base (Posted 19th February 2012)

Using foam, I made two pieces that wrapped around the base of the boot, a piece over the front of the boot that will eventually be fixed into place and a tube for the lower leg as a base. Vertical sections of foam for the outer layer details were fixed to the base, connecting the pieces around the boot and the tube. A gap was left between these pieces to allow some flexibility and room to fasten the boots zip. The foam was heat molded at the front to keep it raised and pointed with card fixed underneath to hold the shape.
Its attached with velcro in the inside leg with a strip helping to conceal the join. I added the knee section and some detail to the foam, then cut around the top of the tube to add the shape and to make sure it didn't restrict movement at my knee. I also cut out the sections for the lights and added a section of foam to the inside knee area at the top.
I still need to create the section of armour for above the knee and the boots need finishing with a little more colour here and there.

Boots (Posted 11th February 2012)

Finally got around to darkening the boots so they will blend better with the leg armour.

Suit detail (Posted 11th February 2012)

Finally added the small sections at the front beneath the chest piece.

Pauldrons complete (Posted 11th February 2012)

Pauldrons were fixed into place using strong velcro, they still need adjusting slightly and the wiring will be pushed behind the chest piece with some help. Next to start planning the templates for the leg armour.

Pauldrons preview (Posted 7th February 2012)

Made from foam heat molded over a dome shape and thinner foam fixed on top in sections with a layer of tinted acetate sheet sealed in between. Separating the detail on top into foam sections rather than one single piece kept the heat molded shape better and made it more flexible. Added some bolt detail, some armour weathering and the small skull seen on the one side.
Added the EL tape strips in each, they will connect to the power source in the back of the main piece and velcro will attach them both to the bodysuit. I plan to turn the wiring white to help hide it better if it does show.

Chest armour complete (Posted 28th January 2012)

Finally added the details and some weathering to the front mainly and finished it off by sealing the paint with latex.

Chest armour lights (Posted 22nd January 2012)

Armour has now been painted and is ready for detail and battle weathering to be added. Photo shows the internal lights in the back, EL disc and LED. The tiny piece was added near the circle base to complete the inner section and a circle of foam was added in the centre on top of the tinted acetate sheet that covers the EL disc.

Chest piece - complete (Posted 8th January 2012)

Added all the details, including joint details, collar, tubing detail around the sides and the spine. The first image shows the basic set up for the EL disc that is seen fixed in the centre on a raised section, so that it lays flat against the blue tinted sheet of acetate that will seal the area in the centre on top. A part near the top on the back section was removed to fit the inverter that will power the EL disc and strips in the pauldrons. The main piece on the back also contains an LED near the bottom that will light up a tiny strip, a detail that will be added after painting so that it completes the circle.

Collar (Posted 7th January 2012)

I added grey fabric to the collar and a section of grey and white to the front on top of the original suit to match the reference. I added small pieces of foam shapes around the collar, painted grey with some detail and finished it with blue fabric paint on the seams.

Pauldron and back lights (Posted 4th January 2012)

The two strips of EL tape that can be cut down to fit inside the bottom edge of the pauldrons and the EL disc that will be placed in the back, all connected to an inverter hidden in the main chest piece with a 3 way splitter.

Chest pieces - base (Posted 24th December 2011)

Added thin foam to the card on inside to keep it in place when worn and thick foam on outside. Made the base for the main back piece which will have a circle of tinted blue plastic in the centre and added the small connectors around the edge, the top ones will link to the wires that come off the headset.
Will be using an inverter with a 3 way splitter, one linked to an EL disc in the centre and the other two linked to the EL strips that are going in either shoulder pad.
Need to add the final thin layer of foam on the outside of the main chest pieces that will have the detail added to it and mould the foam around the plastic domes for the chest. It attaches together at the sides with velcro. For the tubing detail on the sides I'll be using one half of foam pipe insulation.

Chest piece template (Posted 18th December 2011)

The template was made from card, this will be the base on which the foam will be fixed to, giving it a little more strength.

Suit Seams (Posted 10th December 2011)

Added the final suit seams by carefully marking them out whilst wearing the suit and the armour pieces, topstitched then made bolder with a fabric pen and added the neon blue.

Side piece (Posted 3rd December 2011)

Made in the same way as the hip pieces, using foam and velcro to attach it. I made sure to make a small indention on the one hip piece which the tip of the thigh piece slips under so that it looks like it is attached. I didn't have great ref's for this on Kerrigan's design so I used the general shape from Nova's.

Hip Guards Complete (Posted 26th November 2011)

Finished the second piece and in the end used extra strong white velcro to attach them both. I carefully matched them up then glued the velcro pieces to the suit to stop them peeling off. Next I need to mark up the final lines between the two hip pieces.

Hip Guard LED test (Posted 19th November 2011)

I primed and finished spray painting the pieces for the hips, the top one has been given some shading detail and the piece beneath it has the acetate tinted blue attached to it, ready to be glued over the main section that will hold the light source. I tested the LED's inside it and now I have to decided either to fix the pieces permanently to the suit or heat form it a little more so that it doesn't pull the fabric if velcro is used instead.

Hip Guards progress (Posted 16th November 2011)

I made many paper templates and foam templates first, measuring them against the suit and carefully judging where they should sit. I used both the Nova statue and Kerrigan video clip as refs and the designs near the bottom are the finished pieces, sealed with latex ready to be painted.
The LED's will fit inside tiny pockets I have made between the layers of foam at either end of the the oval section in the centre. They will also be accessible for repairs via an opening I have left at the top of the oval piece of the main part, that closes up when the whole things bends around my hip. The two pieces near the bottom will have the blue tinted acetate attached after painting and before fixing them on top of the main pieces.

Bodysuit detail test (Posted 13th November 2011)

I tested making the lines bolder with a fabric pen and added the bright blue fabric paint alongside. This will take some time to dry, so the suit will be painted in sections. Its the alternate to using EL wire in the suit.

C-20A complete (Posted 3rd October 2011)

Decided to add some dry brush shading using a sponge and black latex colourant, then sealed it with a thin layer of latex. The whole thing comes up to the middle of my upper arm. Fixed the wire piece into place over the top of the stock and added a small clear resin gem to the front end of the sight and a piece of acetate at the other so there was something the light would reflect off to mimic the lense.

C-20A rifle progress (Posted 1st October 2011)

Leadmill gave me his old nerf rifle used for his Magneton (Gijinka) I took it apart, mainly removing the pieces along the barrel and the sight. This meant gluing the whole barrel section back into place afterwards. Using a small hand saw I sawed pieces away from the stock and used thick foam to recreate the right shape. I added a pvc pipe to the end of the barrel with holes drilled into it beforehand. The sight is made from foam and card and the detail on the sides is thin craft foam sealed with latex before spray painting it gun metal. I also added a piece of thick metal wire that fits over the stock on the top. Undecided if I will add a little shading detail before I give it a thin layer of latex to finish it. Detailed photos will follow after that.

Main suit complete (Posted 11th September 2011)

I attached the grey section to the other side of the suit. I've thickened the few seams I've added with a fabric pen and the next step will be to do the same on all of the seams, making them darker and more prominent. Then I'll be adding the blue to the seams with bright ultraviolet fabric paint, this is the closest I can get to imitating the lights within the suit. The brightness of the ultraviolet paint remains after drying unlike normal fabric paint that the fabric soaks up and leaves it looking faded.
As I mentioned before the small sections of white detail under the chest will be added once I know where the edge of the armour will come to. The same goes for the seams across the stomach and around the top of the legs, these won't be added until I know where the hip guards will rest.

Goggles/headset (Posted 10th September 2011)

I added some detail to the original arms of the safety goggles, trimmed the ends slightly and they're still tight enough on my head to stay in place, even though they don't hook behind my ears any longer. I added an extra arm on either side of the goggles which reach down to the ear pieces. The ear pieces were originally clip on headphones with sections of foam added, coated in latex, spray painted and coated in latex again to seal it with some detail added. The wig is the base, I will be styling it into the high ponytail at a later date.

Gauntlets (Posted 4th September 2011)

I used grey gloves with a polyurethane coating in the end with a better surface to fix the foam pieces to. I coated the foam pieces in latex to prevent the foam from absorbing the spray paint and added some shading and detail and finally sealing the paint with another layer of latex before fixing them onto the gloves. The main aim was to create something that was flexible and I can still move my wrists and fingers with ease.

Boots (Posted 14th August 2011)

Boots were originally cream so I sprayed them white with leather spray.

Suit progress (Posted 13th August 2011)

Attached the grey sections on top of the white, sections were added to the sleeve before I attached it to the main suit. Added some darker seam detail near the top on both sides, the rest of the seams will be added and joined up once the other side is complete. Also the little white detail section at the front will be added once I know where the edge of the armour front will come to later on. May darken all of the seams with a fabric pen. Have experimented with fabric paint also to represent the blue electronics that run through the suit. I'm planning to create the details around the neck with a separate collar. The lights and electronics have been sourced and bought for the armour. Leadmill is lending me his Nerf N-Strike to modify. Wig has been bought, waiting to be styled.

Suit Base (Posted 6th August 2011)

For the base of the suit I used the textured white stretch fabric, double layered with a 16inch concealed zip. I've decided to add the sleeves last after I've added the grey fabic now, so the one sleeve here will be removed and the suit will be taken in here and there. The grey sections will be added directly on top of the white suit and sewn into place.

Headset detail (Posted 8th June 2011)

Added the shading around the joints to give it some more detail. Will be testing the clip on earphones with the wig once it has arrived.

Head set progress 2 (Posted 8th June 2011)

Sealed the foam with liquid latex, masked off the top of the lenses and used grey primer spray paint as a base with a layer of white primer on top and a light coating of pewter before I start adding some shading around the joints.

Glove base (Posted 8th June 2011)

Off white, textured stretch gloves to be used as the base for the foam armour pieces.

Footwear (Posted 6th June 2011)

Decided on a mid calf wedge to give me some height and I'm hoping this will also prevent the leg and foot armour from scraping on the floor and limit damage to the bottom edges. I'm not too fussed with the detail of the footwear since it will mostly be hidden.

Head set progress (Posted 5th June 2011)

I traced the main shape of the safety glasses onto paper and started breaking down the design into sections. Using the sketch I transferred it to the glasses and marked out the eye hole positions even though the head set won't be functional when pulled down. I used various scrap pieces for the lenses. Here you can see the main shapes made from foam, the top arch still needs some work and fixing into place and the final details still need to be added.

Head set base (Posted 4th June 2011)

Safety glasses and clip on ear phones will be used as the base. The glasses are wrap around ones which will help me with the final design.

Main Cuirass Base (Posted 2nd June 2011)

I created a duct tape dummy of my upper body, taping a plastic orb that separates into two domes into place on me to form the smooth shape I wanted for the armoured chest. I then carefully removed the two plastic domes from the finished duct tape dummy and repositioned them behind the duct tape to create a less prominent shape. The duct tape dummy was reinforced in the photo with paper mache which will help to support the final outer layer of craft foam.
I'm using this process instead of reinforcing with other materials such as wonderflex or cardboard for various reasons. I wanted to keep costs down and using craft foam will keep it light, not too rigid to move in and less bulky looking on my small frame.

Bodysuit fabric (Posted 7th May 2011)

Stretch jersey textured fabric in silver/grey and white.