Go go gadget COPTER!
This moving Halloween costume was made almost entirely from recycled and thrifted materials. It was a serious crowd-pleaser -- I walked into a bar and everyone started chanting "Go Go Gadget" until I switched on the helicopter and the entire bar started cheering. You too can be this awesome!
I started collecting materials for this costume the weekend before halloween. It probably took 8-12 hours to construct, over the course of a few days as the spray paint needs to dry overnight.
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Signing UpStep 1: Tools and Materials
To make this costume, you need:
Thrifted, found or borrowed:
- a gray or beige trench coat
- a blue necktie
- a white collared shirt
- blue pants (I wore jeans)
- mens' dress shoes (it looks properly cartoonish if they are a bit too big)
- brown gloves (I wore my work gloves)
Thrifted:
(These will get destroyed, so don't borrow them)
- a classic fedora (~$3-$8) (If you can't thrift it, get a cheap foam one from a costume shop.) Brown, gray or beige will look gadget-astic.
- a 1980s-era battery operated shoe polisher with detachable heads (~$3)
(check on ebay if you can't thrift it - get one like this)
- two old bike grips (see if a local bike shop has some they don't want)
From the hardware store:
- two 3' long, 1/2" diameter aluminum tubes (~$8 each)
- glossy orange spray paint (~$5-7)
- white universal primer spray paint (~$5-7)
- a tiny amount of gray or silver universal spray paint (optional)
- three wooden paint stir sticks
- a screw (I used a random drywall screw I had around)
- a small electrical flip switch ($3)
- 8 feet of relatively thin, flexible copper insulated electrical wire (~$2)
- a roll of electrical tape ($1)
From the recycling bin:
- a cardboard box about 16" long
- an empty cereal box
- two empty plastic 500-yard thread spools
- three empty jars or oatmeal tins with lids
- a wire twist tie
From a craft store or your stash:
- around a 20"x20" piece of black faux fur ($1)
- a small sheet of sticky-back felt ($.50)
- a bunch of hot glue sticks
- a tube of strong glue (like e6000)
- four AA batteries (for the shoe polisher)
Tools:
- needle-nose pliers/wire cutters
- a tiny phillips-head screwdriver (you can find it at a hobby shop)
- a regular-sized screwdriver
- a hot glue gun
- a dremel tool
- Structured Tooth Tungsten Carbide Cutter attachment for dremel (cone or taper)
- cutting attachment for dremel that will cut aluminum and plastic
- drill bit attachment the size for your screw for the dremel (or just a separate drill)
- a vise or vise grips
- a sturdy table or workbench
- a piece of scrap wood of some kind, at least a foot long (I used a mini ironing board...)
- an x-acto knife
- a utility knife
- a ruler
- sewing pins
- helpful: a smartphone and an angle-measuring app
Safety:
- a spray paint mask (this is under $20 and really important for your health)
- safety glasses
This took around 8-12 hours over the course of a week to fully construct. I'd set aside several evenings to work on this costume.
Thrifted, found or borrowed:
- a gray or beige trench coat
- a blue necktie
- a white collared shirt
- blue pants (I wore jeans)
- mens' dress shoes (it looks properly cartoonish if they are a bit too big)
- brown gloves (I wore my work gloves)
Thrifted:
(These will get destroyed, so don't borrow them)
- a classic fedora (~$3-$8) (If you can't thrift it, get a cheap foam one from a costume shop.) Brown, gray or beige will look gadget-astic.
- a 1980s-era battery operated shoe polisher with detachable heads (~$3)
(check on ebay if you can't thrift it - get one like this)
- two old bike grips (see if a local bike shop has some they don't want)
From the hardware store:
- two 3' long, 1/2" diameter aluminum tubes (~$8 each)
- glossy orange spray paint (~$5-7)
- white universal primer spray paint (~$5-7)
- a tiny amount of gray or silver universal spray paint (optional)
- three wooden paint stir sticks
- a screw (I used a random drywall screw I had around)
- a small electrical flip switch ($3)
- 8 feet of relatively thin, flexible copper insulated electrical wire (~$2)
- a roll of electrical tape ($1)
From the recycling bin:
- a cardboard box about 16" long
- an empty cereal box
- two empty plastic 500-yard thread spools
- three empty jars or oatmeal tins with lids
- a wire twist tie
From a craft store or your stash:
- around a 20"x20" piece of black faux fur ($1)
- a small sheet of sticky-back felt ($.50)
- a bunch of hot glue sticks
- a tube of strong glue (like e6000)
- four AA batteries (for the shoe polisher)
Tools:
- needle-nose pliers/wire cutters
- a tiny phillips-head screwdriver (you can find it at a hobby shop)
- a regular-sized screwdriver
- a hot glue gun
- a dremel tool
- Structured Tooth Tungsten Carbide Cutter attachment for dremel (cone or taper)
- cutting attachment for dremel that will cut aluminum and plastic
- drill bit attachment the size for your screw for the dremel (or just a separate drill)
- a vise or vise grips
- a sturdy table or workbench
- a piece of scrap wood of some kind, at least a foot long (I used a mini ironing board...)
- an x-acto knife
- a utility knife
- a ruler
- sewing pins
- helpful: a smartphone and an angle-measuring app
Safety:
- a spray paint mask (this is under $20 and really important for your health)
- safety glasses
This took around 8-12 hours over the course of a week to fully construct. I'd set aside several evenings to work on this costume.
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What's this years costuming genius? Halloween is the best! heehee
Get Smart reference aside, the copter project is very cool and looks easy to replicate. The model in the pictures seems like she's having a great time.
I want to see Mo Mo Gadgets!
There are only really two that come to mind: the original, cartoon one, which looks more like something found on a suit of armor, and the movie one, which in my mind is quite a bit cooler...a big pincer attached to a prosthetic.
I designed a *three*-taloned one a long time ago. Might be too complicated.
Here, I got one for you--you should do one with the "extra hand" next. My idea involves taking a cast of your own hand, putting a white (yellow?) glove on it, and sticking it onto a flexible gas line. I would advise you to BUY the gas line rather than borrow it from your oven...more expensive ($25 at Home Depot) but less risky. ;) If you're at a Halloween party at a bar, you could make the hand so that it looks like it's holding a glass.
This is an absolutely brilliant costume; I can't wait to see what you come up with for your next one. Maybe something that involves a shiny new Singer...
Well done!
lol i'll make it anyways...
I think telescoping poles might work for the extendable arms.
This would make a great costume for one of my boys- they really like Inspector Gadget.