Help

[NovaLinda058]

Help.
Hey, can anyone help me out? I’m making a Linda - 058 cosplay and I have the idea, but I’m not sure how to plan it out. I’m planning to make the sniper as well, and I’m thinking Cardboard and Eva foam? Can someone help me out and tell me what I’ll probably need? I’ve researched a lot but it didn’t really help much.

What I’ve seen I probably need so far:

EVA Foam, hot glue, hot glue gun, razor blade, a dremel (not sure what this does tbh), and a heat gun. For the paint I’m gonna use FX paint that I can probably find at hobby lobby. Plus masking tape, paint brushes, and some sharpies.

Paint brushes would help with the foam because foam is porous and spraying it would take forever.

Also, when measuring my legs and such for the armor sizes, should I make the plates prolly an inch or two bigger?
Idk. Help. Pls!!!

 

[PlanetAlexander]

Welcome to the 405th NovaLinda! You've got almost all of the bare essentials for making a from from EVA foam. A few things I would add to your shopping list are:

• A PVC pipe, wooden dowel, or other strong dowel to go through the middle of your prop, to give it rigidity and hold its shape (especially for something the length of a sniper)
• Something to seal the foam with, such as a spray on coating like Plasti-Dip or LeakSeal, or brush on like Mod Podge or Flexbond (these help stop the paints from soaking into the foam)
• A paint primer for the base layer of paint, to give the base colour and help additional layers of paint stick
• You may also want to consider a clear coat/varnish, to help protect the paint when finished

In regards to the Dremel (or any rotary tool), this is generally used to help smooth out rough surfaces that may have come from cutting foam, and also helps to round off sharp corners and possibly clean up some mistakes. With careful use, you can even use it to create battle damage, like scratches.

If you can afford it/have the ability to use it, I'd recommend using contact cement over hot glue, as it bonds better and generally leaves a cleaner result. Though, you will also have to make sure you wear a respirator, and work in a well ventilated space.