As it is most years, I procrastinated and didn't put a "real" costume together for Dragon*Con this year. But I did have this crazy idea for a hat, so....BEHOLD!!! The power to DESTROY A PLANET! ON MY HEAD!
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Signing UpStep 1: Materials and Tools
Materials
- Large plastic mixing bowl. Mine is about 13 inches at the rim and is just barely big enough. Cruise the cheap dishes aisle at Wal-Mart to find a good one for a buck or two.
- Hard hat. These can be found at Home Depot / Lowe's / etc. in the same area as the safety goggles.
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Small Xwing and TIE fighter toys. Mine came as kid's meal toys at Burger King a few years ago. Other possibilities:
- As of this writing, I think the Star Wars Titanium toy line has a set with both of these in it (It's pricey, though, about $30, and is probably heavy)
- There was a Micro Machines Star Wars line several years back. They're probably cheap on eBay.
- If you have a 3D printer, I've seen models on Thingiverse that would work
- Look for papercraft ("print, cut, and fold") models on the web
- Gray spray paint. Look for the kind that works well on plastic (e.g., Krylon Fusion).
- 18-gauge wire
- Small 6V gear motor. I think I used one of these (I don't know for certain because it came as part of a larger kit). The offset-gearbox turned out to be a big plus.
- Some clear acrylic ("Plexiglass"). I used a piece about 16" long by 2" wide by about 1/4" thick.
- Battery holder, single "C" cell.
- toggle switch
- a Dean's plug (optional, but adds some convenience)
- wire, 20-gauge stranded
- some wood scraps
- (4x) small eye hooks (I think these were the smallest available at Home Depot)
- small wood or sheet metal screws
- A black Sharpie.
- Utility knife
- drill
- bandsaw
- hot glue gun
- soldering iron
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My only suggestion would be to somehow install the batteries within the hat (there looks to be enough space), thus saving that dangling wire.
(I've spammed it to everybody at HQ!)
It has enough space inside to stuff the battery in there. The wire is nice in that I can turn it on and off without removing the hat.
Took kiteman and Jayefuu's advice and consolidated the switch and battery pack into the helmet. The switch is now located in the back of the helmet near the bottom rim and the battery pack is mounted on the underside of the top of the helmet.
Also discovered that the motor I used can accept a screw into the center of the output shaft, similar to how arms are mounted on servo shafts and held in place with a small screw. Used that and a oddball screw with a wide flat head to reinforce the helicopter blades and keep them from popping off the shaft.
Oh and I like the pun in the title, stellar work ;)
I wish I could go to Dragon*Con, Brandon Sanderson's meant to be reading another excerpt from A Memory of Light. (due January)
I'm kicking myself now because I used to have a large snack-bowl with an R2D2 design that would have been perfect -- especially since my artistic skills are...less than stellar. Sadly, a couple of moves later and it's long-gone...