Spartan Warrior Turning to Stone Costume

How to make a Spartan helmet, shield and sword and add stone effects.

Step 1: Materials/tools

Old soccer ball (just the right size to fit my head)

Old plastic trash can lid

Old aluminum broomstick handle

Glue gun/sticks

white and bronze spray paint

acrylic paints and brushes

carpet cutter/X-acto knife

zip ties

Hammer

Thin cardboard

Foam sheets

"Sculpt it" molding clay (optional)

Step 2: Making the Helmet

Making the helmet from foam sheet and cardboard.

1. Download a picture of your preferred helmet.

Supplies:

Old soccer ball or smooth playground ball.

1 or 2 Foam sheets (sold everywhere crafts are sold)

stiff cardboard (the thin kind you get from cereal or gift boxes)

Tin cuttting shears or heavy duty scissors

Cut open the soccer ball and enlarge whole until it fits comfortable on your head (see pictures).

fold foam sheet and mark for frontal part of helmet. Try to fit to your face and mark where ears end. It's always a good idea to cut bigger than you measure as you can always cut back if too large.

Create the helmet crest adding the curvature of the ball/headpiece. You are drawing and cutting two side pieces and three middle pieces. Glue all the pieces together to make a hollow crest. Optional: You can add sculping clay and carve it to look more like hair or leave it smooth to represent a metal crest.

Once all glued (hot and super glue) together, you give it a metal paint job. I picked a bronze look.

Lastly, I cut, scratched, carved into helmet before adding ceramic, stone colored paint. I tried to make it look like the the helmet is turning into stone from right to left. Add a branching out effect to make it look like growth.

Step 3: Making the Shield

Supplies: Round, plastic garbage can lid, needle nose pliers, matt cutting knife, drill with thin drill bit, matalic spray, old nylon straps.

I sprayed the lid with the Bronze metalic color first to see how it looked (looked good).

Next I connected two nylon straps to the inside, drilling holes where the lid had plastic outcroppings used as fittings. Next I attached the straps with small, black zip ties. Whalla, instant shield!

Next, I painted the stone effect as on the helmet, right to left. I created the "vining" look by applying hot glue to the surface in random, plant like formations. See pictures

Step 4: Making the 300 Inspired Spartan Sword

Materials: old plastic broom handle with rubber grip (or any handle you think can work), foam sheet, hot glue gun, scissors, hammer (if you need to flatten your handle like my metalic and plastic handle).

First, I hammered the handle down into a flat, sword like shape.

Next, I downloaded a picture of the shape I perferred (the cool 300 design). I drew out the shapes of the blade (two sides) and the handles (two sides each). I hot glued them over the plastic handle and painted the "blade" silver. This looks great and is safe to use as it is soft to the touch and cannot cut or harm anyone.