I decided to go all out this Halloween. I'm throwing a lot of resources and time (Essentially as much as shelter life will allow me to) into my costume this year.

So what exactly am I going as?

... A meat puppet.

Before you ask me what exactly that is, I have an insightful (!) article for you.

"The Movement uses brainwashed humans as their nameless, numberless minions. Mind controlled and unquestioning, these "super soldiers" overcome their enemies by shear number, force and terror. They can be programmed to be immune to pain, to lay down their lives without question, or to kill with no remorse."

Pretty cool.

So to be particular, I'm going as an MP2, the medium class. (That's this jolly fellow, getting his mind sucked the ♥♥♥♥ out of his head, for your information.)

This thread will chronicle the MP2 project, as I attempt to get my costume ready in time for Halloween. Thrills, chills, and, I expect, possibly spills may be in store before I'm through.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, some sketches.







I've caught myself at a bad moment to be continuing this post, but rest assured I will be back some time tomorrow to fill in the rest of it. I await your comments with BATED BREATH.

By which I mean discuss this.

Helmet should be pretty easy, just get one of those modern bicycle helmets and tape some ♥♥♥♥ to it.

That looks like it could turn out sweet, I hope the finished costume turns out well ^.^

P3l: I know I already filled you in on IRC, but for sake of the thread, I'll mention it here.

This is the helmet I am going to use. Malabar's is a local theatrical shop, and I've seen this particular helmet there myself.

The goggles are going to be a pair of 2 dollar LED flashlights I found for sale at a random junk shop. They're very simply designed, so with a bit of solder and some patient hands, I should be able to take out the LEDs, slap on some red cellophane (Much harder to find then you'd think.) I found, and run the power from some batteries under the helmet. The helmet flashlight is going to be one of the flashlights just taped and painted on.

I already bought decent pants for the costume (Only 10 bucks!), and the kevlar vest is going to be made of furniture foam, the same stuff in your couch armrest. I'll carve out the shape and put it on, apply the tubing to the 'backpack' (Also made of foam), and paint it all and apply some detailing.

I've got plans to make a grenade (Already have the blinking red LED and pull switch.), by using a nerf football impaled on the end of a plastic tube, hallowed out with ports cut in for the light. I'll get some pictures of my idea, or at least sketch it out next update.

I *have* a plan to build a Psi Ops shotgun around a cap rifle, but I have to buy it first, and even then I'm a little lost as to exactly how I'll do it. It's low priority, but if I can get it done, I'll be really pleased.

I think that's all for now, I'll fill you in more next update, hopefully with pictures.

EDIT:



The red part is the LED section of the light. It hooks directly to the battery, and any piece of wire could extend that reach. The purple is the on/off switch. If I can move the battery to the side of the helmet, with a wire to connect it to the LEDs, I can glue the red section to a pair of goggles.

Until next time ladies and gents, dinner time at the shelter.

So, as a checklist you will need:

1. foam football
2. Olive Drab/gunmetal paint
3. Caps for the capgun
4. Capgun that we will build around (foam or wood surrounding?)
5. Utility belt
6. Helmet
7. Piping
8. The shirt from ThinkGeek or my cell phone
9. Gloves
10. The LED flashlights from that junk store
11. Wires to hook the LED flashlights up
12. Tape for the flashlights (I have good tape plus I'm using velcro a lot for my costume if you want that)
13. Something that goes "Beep. Beep. BeepbeepbeepBEE-"

Also, if I get stuff on ThinkGeek I have enough geekpoints for a free shirt.

Haha. No. $45 for a fake helmet? You've gotta be kidding me. Once I bought a real WW2 helmet for $50 at an antique shop. I'd rather search some more, see if any better bargains can be obtained, than just spend such an amount of money right on. Unless the helmet is some kind of absolutely perfect replica I am unaware of.

It's nearly identical to the one in game. An actual WW2 helmet would not be suitable.

I see. The WW2 helmet was just an example anyway, to show the variety of things you can find in antique shops/vendor stands/etc. Heck, I once saw people selling assault rifles on the street.

While we are all fully aware of your obsession with vintage things of any kind, Areku, perhaps Dauss just wants to make the costume look good.

True. Very true.




Then Dauss should consider using something less ugly than tape to attach the flashlight to the $50 helmet.

The other option was to carve a hole in the helmet. Not going to happen. I could try carving the flashlight down to fit exactly into the front grove of the helmet, but that seems excessive. If I have time, I'll probably do it.

Progress!

I made the grenade, and the silenced pistol from Psi Ops. They both need paint, (The pistol is translucent, my old airgun.) but now that I have the structure down, should be simple.

The grenade has a blinking LED tied to it. You can't see it in the shot, but there's a nail on the other side of the shaft that I can pull the string around. When I do, the LED is pulled in to the shaft, pressing down a piece of metal on the back of it, completing the circuit, and making it blink. I'll try to get a video some time soon.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll go out and get the helmet.

Until then, enjoy progress thus far.

I dont know about the laws in Canamerica, but make sure you put an orange tip on that gun, even if it is just a mock.

Actually the orange tip law is for the USA only, so I'm good.

So I went out and poured 120 bucks into the costume.

Got the helmet I needed, as you can see. Also scored a balaclava for 10 bucks, and, unpictured, nearly perfect elbow pads for the MP2, and a sidearm holster for the pistol. I already had the glasses, and they'll be useful when I attach the red LEDs.

It's coming together.