Full body suits

By Vincent_Ruthven. 25/08/11, 12:16 am

being a bit of a DIY nut and knowledge of a very large variety of materials, I'm stuck on an important detail for a project I'd like to put together.
how would someone put together a lightweight costume similar to a suit of armour?
The project I have in mind is a Robocop costume, bound to be tricky, but how would I go about making moulded sectional pieces out of a solid material that wont chip or be easily worn out,
Unfortunately I'm living life under the shadow of a budget at the moment, so I cant go to the idea of trial and error to see what works.

Would anyone know any useful links I can follow to get better information?
or a method on how I can easily do this at home?

By Mischa. 25/08/11, 08:46 pm

I can't offer you a fool proof method (sadly trial and error is a huge part of making costumes...at least for me Very Happy

) but here are some examples of different armour techniques people use:

Vacuum forming Styrene:
http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/stormtrooper/index.html

Fiberglass
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Halo-Armor/#step1

Expanding Foam on a Wooden armature
http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.php?s=211803b790badb3b9c3a3c2738a8b23a&showtopic=113136&st=75

Craft Foam (a little fragile depending on how it's painted/sealed, but good if you don't have a good workspace for working with toxic things)
http://www.fullmetalsam.com/general-craft-foam-tutorial/

If you have a DYI background you're already half way there Very Happy

By Vincent_Ruthven. 25/08/11, 11:09 pm

Very useful, thankyou, I must have missed that Indy Mogul episode.
something to work from