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Hi everyone. I'm going to Games Day UK and once again I'm doing a costume - my best yet. Yes, my Inquisitor and then my House Delaque-inspired ganger were cool, but this should be better.

I'll be going as an Imperial Guardsman, and I've made the majority of the costume already. I have shin and thigh plates and torso armour all made from EVA foam (this still needs some work), a vox-headset (old Xbox 360 headset resprayed metal), a copy of the Uplifting Primer (of course!) and a repainted Nerf Stampede for a lasgun. Seriously, it looks like a lasgun!

My only problems are the shoulder pads (I have half an EVA foam tile for these) and straps/elastic for the legs and shoulder guards. Any suggestions for how to get these done? The rest of the foam will be exposed to a heat gun or hair dryer and formed in the next few days, then I need to figure out how to seal the foam (any suggestions on decent spray stuff? I'll be putting down at least two coats before actual colour and maybe matt varnish). I'm on track to be finished on time, but my money's very tight right now

I live in the UK, so please keep suggestions viable. Cheers!

Based on experience of building terrain, I would paint the shoulder pads with watered PVA glue first. Once set, you can spray with anything as long as there is a good overall finish with no gaps.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Based on experience of building terrain, I would paint the shoulder pads with watered PVA glue first. Once set, you can spray with anything as long as there is a good overall finish with no gaps.

This. It's the act of spraying and the necessary pressurisation that causes foam problems, rather than the actual product you're putting on, so unless someone's been a genius lately you're very unlikely to find anything you'll be able to spray onto it straight. Get to covering it with an old fashioned brush THEN spray.

As for the straps - you should be able to find the straps and clips themselves online, I would suggest military surplus sites as they're more likely to look the part. Unfortunately I'm not sure how you'd get this done without putting some money down though. Getting the bits to turn up in an under a month could be a pain too, as will getting them attached to the pads. Double sided velcro pads might help there but the join will be a bit weak.

 Super Ready wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Based on experience of building terrain, I would paint the shoulder pads with watered PVA glue first. Once set, you can spray with anything as long as there is a good overall finish with no gaps.

This. It's the act of spraying and the necessary pressurisation that causes foam problems, rather than the actual product you're putting on, so unless someone's been a genius lately you're very unlikely to find anything you'll be able to spray onto it straight. Get to covering it with an old fashioned brush THEN spray.

As for the straps - you should be able to find the straps and clips themselves online, I would suggest military surplus sites as they're more likely to look the part. Unfortunately I'm not sure how you'd get this done without putting some money down though. Getting the bits to turn up in an under a month could be a pain too, as will getting them attached to the pads. Double sided velcro pads might help there but the join will be a bit weak.

Sounds like I'll go with PVA then. I thought I'd read somewhere that you could get a spray which left a sort of rubbery coat which sealed the foam nicely. Must've misread, in which case my bad.

I was thinking of gluing the straps on with hot glue, another popular technique with foam costuming. I need to use it to stick a few bits of the chest armour together anyway.

I know spray on latex is a thing that I can get in colors at the local hardware store. It is pink insulation foam safe but it tends to be glossy. However a single coat of traditional spray paint should be enough to get the color you want.

PVA glue is very cheap at graphics and DIY shops -- no need to buy a special rubber spray!

For straps, I recommend making sort of a "harness" type thing, where they go above and below your knees, and then another strap takes those straps and connects them to a belt. That should keep them from falling and at the same time hold fairly tight. Unlike a waistband, elastic around knees will probably slip as you start moving around, as you don't have hips on your knees (I hope).

Use that nylon webbing stuff that is in backpack straps if you can find it. It's strong and I gotta imagine fairly cheap.

Post a pic of what you're hoping to make, and I'll tell you how to make it.

This appears to be from a game mod, but gives a rough idea of what I want from the armour. The right-hand suit looks closest to my project

The only thing that still needs making is the shoulders. Everything else just needs sticking together (in the case of the torso), painting and having straps attached.

Pic isn't showing up for me; maybe post a link to the photo?

Strange, I can see it right now. Oh well, here you go:
http://media.moddb.com/images/mods/1/18/17446/MoTE_IG_armor2.png