made007; check out Alex's electronics, it may get out of the pickle of having to rely on Donnie.
Thomas + Guy Kits + Upgrades / AlexPLusLEDS
My Discovery build took it's first big step today:
TK9336's Guy-Man Discovery Jacket by
TK9336, on Flickr
TK9336's Guy-Man Discovery Jacket by
TK9336, on Flickr
TK9336's Guy-Man Discovery Jacket by
TK9336, on Flickr
I am so extremely excited to be finally doing this. I have avoided doing Discovery until I felt competent I could do it right. I actually have the entire soft costume for Discovery Guy-Man, done, in hand...and it's exactly the head start I need to get this done before Dragon*Con in 78 days. The ever awesome Agent Raybans got me even more hyped up with a sneak of what it will look with some lights.
TK9336's Guy-Man Discovery Jacket by
TK9336, on Flickr
So here's what I am looking at doing:
The most important part: the lights. I am going to attempt a full canon display. I already have the side bars done (need to build a new chassis to fit inside a Mogaui V2). I have the materials needed to do the chin equalizers and cannot thank Slinkytips enough for holding my hand through it. I'm not done yet, but his awesome diagrams make this much more approachable for a electronic illiterate like me! I am getting Alex's Guy EKG's PCB's and putting diffused 3mm green LED's in it. I built my prototype EKG plastic overlays and green film on my HAA Guy-Man and going to do the same again. I really want to do the center array, the success, intergrity and see up wow factor of the costume centers literally on the middle matrix. That is the part of the build I am most concerned about because I don't have a freakin' clue how to approach it. If all fails, I will use the green LED's for the eyes and run with that.
That said, I am getting a V2 Mogaui Guy. While the pucks will be enlarged and the back choped off. I will also add that massive back bar you see worn with the Discovery gear. Hopefully that will get here soon.
I am making the backpacks out of foam, that will then be vac formed. I haven't decided to take the foam master buck and make it out of MDF board so vac pulls are extremely sharp. I think I might get away with just doing it in foam. We'll cross that bridge in less than a month from now.
I am not going to sculpt the rubber gloves. I am instead going to make the Discovery plates, and just wear them on top of fabric gloves. I just don't have the budget to sculpt, mold, and cast them. Maybe one day, but sure as hell not in the next 78.
On that note, I am pushing the gauntlets back for after Dragon*Con too. Just too expensive to make and chrome.
In regards to Thomas, I am going to use Volpins V2 Thomas. It has all the right shapes, and fits some one 6'1" to 6'3" well. My Thomas at D*C is barely 6'3". I will be doing all the work on that as well.
For his LED's I am going to make the side bars, and equalizers. Again, I have all the LED's I need, just lacking expertise to put it together. For his center matrix I am going to leave that to my buddy Cam (who was my Thomas at D*C last year.) He almost finished one in time but we just couldn't cram 48 hours of work into a all nighter. I hope Volpin has some of his array holders left, and I then plan on it being drilled out for 3mm red diffused LED's instead of the 5mm everyone else uses. 3mm diffused is canon, and is responsible for the soft glow of his animations as opposed to the much brighter, and slightly harsher white straw hat 5mm LED's.
With regards to his soft costume parts, a suit will probably have to be made considering how wonky it is. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a good look alike if it's cheap. Otherwise yay, more custom commissions!
His backpack and gloves will be off my sculpt, and I will just vac form extras to accomplish this, simple. I haven't yet decided if I will do a run of backpacks and Discovery plates. If I do, it will only be one run people have to pay half to reserve a spot...I'm broke!
Other than that...GAME ON! Good luck with your Dragon*Con costume builds, and never tell us the odds!
