Non Star Wars The Mummy Returns

Hey guys! I'm making the Anck-Su-Namun and Nefertiri battle costume for me and a friend to a masquerade. I have watched the scene over and over. I would still like to ask anyone if they have any help or advice they's like to give.

How should I make the masks? I was thinking those white plastic ones with posterboard extensions. Too flimsy?

And how should I make the armbands and braclets?

http://psp.yourpsp.com/media/disk/video/mummy_ret/mum_screen_03.jpg

Thanks!

 

For the masks, I'd use Sintra (or some other type of plastic) for the extensions; epoxy them to the masks, add primer, then spray paint.
For the bracelets, I'd recommend Sintra yet again. Heating the plastic in hot/boiling water makes it very flexible. Once you have the shape, dunk it in cold water. You could also heat it up with a hair dryer (either way, use gloves as hot plastic does not react well with bare skin). Cut strips pf plastic, shape it, and epoxy them to the bracelet accordingly.

There are better ways to do this, such as making molds and vacuuforimg, but unless you want to spend quite a bit of money, go with the Sintra.

 

Another 2 products you might look into are from Dazian ( www.dazian.com ). Wonderflex or Fosshape are products that are heated to mold in to many types of shapes. To quote their brochure, "Often referred to as the "Celastic replacement", WONDERFLEX tm is a heat activated formable composite that contains its own adhesive and can be readily shaped and molded without the use of messy or hazardous solvents. An industrial hot air gun is most often preferred to activate WONDERFLEX tm. With heat and pressure WONDERFLEX tm will easily bond to itself and to many other materials such as leather, wood and fabric. Ideal for repairs. Applications include: masks, long-lasting sturdy props, animatronics, modeling and prototypes, theatre and set design work, 3-D displays and one-of-a-kind creations for Special Events."

FOSSHAPE tm is soft and looks like felt, can be sewn but when heat activated with a steamer or heat gun it becomes rigid.

A costuming friend gave me samples (he got a box of samples from the company) and he swears by the stuff.

Good luck with your costumes.

 

I just checked out that company's product and I requested a sample from them......It look awesome .....how did your friend get a box of samples?

 

You might try contacting my friend Kristina; she made this for DragonCon a few years ago. http://www.kristinaleigh.com/index.htm I don't remember what she used for making the mask & jewelry, other than it was the same material for both. Clay or Sculpey, maybe?

 

Don't forget craft foam - very light, very easy to work with:

http://entropyhouse.com/penwiper/costumes/helmsdeep.html

 

Thanks for all your help guys. I'm gonna look into all of these ideas. I'll post my progress, but I'm probably not gonna really start working on them until after C4.

 

Look into leather shaping. I have a few masks made of shaped leather and they hare the most comfortable masks I've ever worn. My face doesn't really itch or sweat beneath them, they fit snugly and they look wonderful. After all, it was the Dread Pirate who said it best, "Oh no, it's just that [masks are] terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future."

 

Shaped leather? Where do I find that? And is it really expensive?

(Nice quote by the way!)

 

"Shaped" leather is a method of leather manipulation. Using tooling leather, you soak it until it is totally wet, then place it over a "mold" or form and weight the leather down until dry. The leather retains the shape of the mold (in case of a mask, the face shape it was molded on). The expense in this method is in the purchase of the leather. As for a mold, for the gaunlets, rolled up magazines would work as long as they are the same size as the wrist/forarm the finished product is meant to fit.

As for how my friend got a whole box of samples from Dazian, I am not quite sure of the full story but I think he talked to the right person and the fact that he is in St. Louis where Dazian has no presence.

 

I can get in contact with my base's leatherworker and we can start working on that after C4.

 

Wow! This sounds very promising, Lady_Skywalker. I'm just starting out with costuming myself and am very clueless. Please show us the results of all your hard work. I'm sure it will come out wonderfully!

 

I will, don't worry. Since they are only for DragonCon, though, I'm not gonna start on them until after C4, so it'll be a while before you see any pics.