Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
(Appear to) Survive a Gaping Chest
Wound
HACK 35
The Raspberry Pi isn't bulletproof. It won't actually save you from looking
like an extra on a crime show. But you can take your video-game armor
costume to the next level with a Pi, its camera, and a small screen.
Cosplay (short for
costume play
), has boomed in the last few years. Even if you haven't
considered costuming much since your mom dressed you as a pumpkin for the
second-grade Halloween play, you've probably seen some of these amazing works
online from events like the Comic Con and Dragon Con fan conventions or on shows
like SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay.
Build the Costume
One area in particular that has taken off is armor building. It sounds like something
you'd need welding skills for, but you might be surprised what the best way to pull of
a realistic, inexpensive armor costume is: foam. Simple sheets of foam.
This could mean a couple of different things, starting with the thin craft foam you find
at your local craft supply store, usually in 12” x 18” sheets alongside buckets of ad-
hesive foam cutout shapes for kids to make cheesy craft projects at summer camp.
This type of foam is great for areas that need to look or be thin, like finger pieces, or
for detail work.
At the other end of the spectrum, you can purchase pieces of EVA foam up to an inch
thick or more. The easiest way to obtain this is to go to a hardware supply store (we
find it at Harbor Freight Tools, which has locations all over the United States) and look
for interlocking foam floor mats. The ones Harbor Freight sells come in a pack of four
(and are often on sale!) with a smooth side and a textured side that looks great for
certain types of armor.
Other Materials for Armor Building
Foam isn't the only way to go. When you're ready to graduate to the next level, it's
time to learn how to build with fiberglass. Before fiberglass, there were thermo-
plastics. If you bought craft store plastic in the '80s, heated it up in a pot of water,
and molded it into strange shapes and earrings, that's what we're talking about
(products like Friendly Plastic and Wonderflex). The currently popular version is
called Worbla. It's easy to cut, takes paint well, and you can use all the scraps by
heating it up and balling it up like clay. Creative costumers have even used plastic
garbage cans. Or if you're just not ready for the investment, there's always the pile
of cardboard boxes in your garage. Don't scoff. The Dragon Con 2013 Masquerade
winner was a pretty great cardboard RoboCop.
