EVA Foam Fabrication
Functional lights, triggered by motion
full articulation
Halloween 2012
This is one of my better known projects, from my senior year of high school. In coordination with my friend @duflinsmcduff who built the war machine counterpart armor, I constructed this costume to be worn at school on Halloween. This suit was first seen in the film: Iron man 2.
The majority of this armor is constructed with EVA Foam, a high density foam very similar to a yoga mat. This foam is especially helpful in the creation of curves that form in two directions. By heating the foam and shaping it as it cools, it will settle into most any shape you require. This technique, in combination with patterns made on the computer or by hand, pull the foam into shape to resemble the famous red and gold armor.
There are many mechanical systems in this costume to assist with motion, electronics, and rigging. These systems are all made specific for the movement required of each section of the body. The shoulders are flexible in a rotational motion to match that of the wearers arms. The legs rotate on hinges just outside of the wearers hips and are supported by elastic suspension lines to the core of the body. The elbow and knee joints work with a rotation hinge that can accommodate multiple layers for aesthetic panels. If you would like to know more about the setup, rigging, and unique additions to this costume (and have an extra 45 minutes of your day), I recorded a very cringe worthy lecture style video just after making this costume to explain several of the things I did to achieve this final product. Please accept my deepest apology for the overall quality and length of this video (it was in high school and thank goodness i’ve changed since then). This video can be found by clicking here.
Hidden within the chest piece of this armor, are several strips of flexible LED’s wired to a battery and switch that are accessible to the wearer. Independently, each hand has its own battery, switch, and LED’s to create the iconic look of the repulsors on the Iron man armor. These lights are actuated by an articulated hand plate that rests just over the back of the wearers hand. When the hand is flexed away from the body, the hand plate also flexes and triggers the lights within the glove. Let me tell you, once this system is set up, you never want to take it off! It is incredibly fun and entertaining to have a light literally in the palm of your hand. All of these electronic systems work independently of one another, and can be disconnected between armor pieces for convenience to the wearer.
This project took about 10 months in total, a dozen different cans of spray rubber and paint, and too many hot glue sticks to count. After all the blood, sweat, and tears (literally), this is one of the best achievements of my life. Working on this suit opened me up to more advanced building techniques and started my brain on a path to more three dimensional/mechanical thinking. I did my best to document the process and have included many of the pictures in a gallery below. Enjoy
- Zach
Iron-man suit
mark 6
