LEGO Man Costume!

Playing with LEGO's is past time for many and I decided to make my very own life-size mini-figurine costume for Halloween. When I planned this costume, I was making two for myself and a buddy so I started working on this costume three months in advance to have ample time to create this. But lucky for you I will be describing the process so you could make it over a weekend.

Step 1: Materials!

Tools needed:
-Scissors
-Handsaw
-Pencil/Marker
-X-acto Knife
-Steak Knife
-Measuring Tape


Supplies:
-2" and 8" round containers/bowls (for eyes, mouth and hole for head)
-Large boxes
-12" Cement form tube (found near construction materials)
-3/4" Styrofoam Insulation (found near fiberglass insulation) *
-2-3 cans of Yellow spray paint * (Krylon's Sun Yellow is a very close match to LEGO yellow)
-2-3 cans of red/blue/green/other spray paint (color of body, your choice)
-Sandpaper (400ish grit)
-A sheet of copy paper
-High-density foam
-Spray glue (preferred over hot glue because of styrofoam)
-Packing tape
-Gorilla glue
-Speaker fabric or black panty hose (So you see out of but others cannot see in)
-A strip of Velcro (the hook side)
-Yellow Kitchen gloves
-Long sleeve shirt (matching to body color)
-Jeans

*Here's the deal about spray paint and styrofoam. Spray paint cans contain an aerosol that loves styrofoam and dissolves it on contact. I will explain how I overcame this and improve the durability of the head in a later step.

Comments

[pshotton]

Thankyou so much for this, I made a couple of similar heads, using your instructions as a guide. The end results were very well received. Luckily I sourced some thicker styrofoam, so didn't have as much glueing to do. I used PVA glue to cover the styrofoam before painting and also used undercoats of Plasti Kote spray paint, which seemed less styrofoam averse. :) I'll try and post some pictures of the end result later on.

[Geekaton]

And do you reckon i could do it (except the paint) in a day?

[Geekaton]

people!!! need help! so, two questions, i've got one day to buy, and build this costume. Firstly, whats a good replacement for styrofoam for the curves, because i can't seem to get hold of any in the UK. Also, is it possible to build in a day? I'll paint it the next day??
Please answer quick!

[Geekaton]

plz reply

[Kaged Kombat]

The painting will take the longest due to the dry time required between coats. If you have a heat lamp or enough sun light, you could speed it up. As for a replacement for the foam, I'm not sure if you have them there, but there are these foam noodles used while swimming that should work. Good luck!

[Geekaton]

Thanks! Also do you know of any other method instead of using the concrete form pipe?

[Kaged Kombat]

There is a plastic 5 gallon bucket that I know of that might do the job. You can find them at hardware stores. Looks like this: http://www.lemonscorner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/depot_bucket.jpg

[Geekaton]

Do you reckon I could do it in a day?

[Geekaton]

Also, how did you get ur paint so shinny?

[Geekaton]

Hi, thanks again so much for your help! I am going to use polystyrene for the neck and head bit, and then a thin layer of cardborad in-between, like this one: http://www.instructables.com/id/LEGO-MAN-2/?ALLSTEPS

Does that sound good?

[Kaged Kombat]

No problem. The paint dries naturally to a gloss finish. That looks good to me, best of luck getting it done in time.

[ocodinero]

buenos dias espero aprender mucho en esta pagina

[katsupe]

Thanks so much for your creativity... it allowed me to appear to be creative... I made 1 and then my other 2 kids wanted them too... The girl hair comes off just like a real lego... and I used yellow beer koosies for the hands... They were a big hit!!!! Again... Nice instructions!!!! Great Job!!!!

[Kaged Kombat]

They look fantastic! Thank you for the kind words, it makes me happy every time this instructable makes someones' night memorable!

[sueloveskevin]

Thanks for your instructions! I did not like working with the Styrofoam so for the girl, I did paper mache. I also used beer case boxes and the circles fit right it :)

[sueloveskevin]

we use yellow gloves

[eacooper]

Great instructions, thanks so much! Our whole "lego family" had a terrific halloween.

[Kaged Kombat]

Great idea with the bricks for the children! Such a good looking family!

[eacooper]

Yes, the kids loved the idea of being lego men, but I was worried about visibility and tippyness, esp. for my 3 year old I think this was a better and more functional option!

[sazzj]

Thank you! We made a couple of modifications here and there, but could not have made this without your awesome instructions! Our 5-year old LOVED this costume!

[Kaged Kombat]

That's one happy Lego kid!

[MatthewTaylor]

Great instructable - costume was fun to build together and was a big hit. Thanks!

[Kaged Kombat]

I imagine he thinks you're the coolest dad ever now!

[kwilcoxon]

My girlfriend and I went as Lego Bride and Grooms. Thanks for the instructions; everyone loved the costumes!!!

[Kaged Kombat]

You are now happily Lego and Lego, you may kiss the Lego. Great idea!

[tedaii]

Great instructions! My middle schooler loved his costume and he had lots of people commenting on it.! A few things I noticed as building this: hot glue works better to hold the speaker fabric in place. I used adhesive spray to get the high density foam to stay (the gorilla glue seemed to want to soak in.) My son did comment on the paint fumes but we have it next to a heater to "bake" it a bit and see if they dissipate. This did not keep him from wearing the costume. We very briefly thought about using yellow duct tape (it comes in all sorts of colors now) but decided painting would give it a more uniform appearance. It did take me more then a weekend to assemble. Paint takes a bit to dry here where its' cool and damp. A great bonus: all the paint makes the costume water resistant which is important in the PacNW

[Kaged Kombat]

I didn't consider hot glue, would be an alternative for the Velcro. The Gorilla glue does tend to soak in, but it expands and locks the foam together after a minute or two. Duct tape could be an alternative but you're right about having a negative impact on the uniformity. The paint fumes always seems to be an issue and I can't seem to find a better solution other than to use a brush on latex, which should have minimal odor. Sounds like he enjoyed it even with the stench. Always happy to hear of successful evenings!

[tedaii]

Paint fumes were completely gone by today....we had finished painting 4 or 5 days ago. No problem. Vent hole was nice, the costume does get hot. LOL. My boys says people gave him extra candy for the cool costume factor. :-) Great instructions, could not have made this without some guidance.

[testicleboy]

Thanks!

[Kaged Kombat]

That's a good looking couple! The hands are a good idea too!

[testicleboy]

Thanks! Our heads turned out great! We also made lego hands with 2 3'' PVC couplers!

[kLipze]

Hey Kaged Kombat,

Awesome costume. You've inspired me! I'm currently in the process of gathering supplies. I can't seem to locate this "high density foam" you used for the inside of the head. Where did you happen to get yours? I'm from Canada... do you have any suggestions on where I may find it?!

Thanks!

[Kaged Kombat]

You could potentially find some at furniture stores. That foam is used in seat cushions. Egg crate foam should work as well. You're looking to secure your head inside the Lego head. So when you turn your head, the Lego head follows. The foam works the best, but I imagine there are alternatives you can do this with. Only a week left! Best of luck finding the stuff.

[hsmith34]

All that carving of styrofoam to make it round seems pretty complicated. Why not just use pool noodles that you find at Dollartree? They are already rounded and pretreated with a water repellant coating so they shouldn't react to spray paint like regular styrofoam. Plus they are pretty cheap. One noodle should work for top and bottom.

[Kaged Kombat]

I never thought of using those. Give it a shot, should be easy to do. The hard part would be keeping it in place on the helmet. Tape should take care of that though.

[Pattycakebakersman]

where did you purchase the speaker fabric? I live in Canada and know if I order any online it will take too long to get it. Is there something else I can use in case I can't find it over here?
Thanks Patty

[Kaged Kombat]

Hi Patty,
There's a store here in the states called Jo-Ann Fabrics, as you might guess carry a bunch of different fabrics which included the speaker fabric I bought. You might want to check out a store that carries fabrics or crafting materials. Or you could go to a flea market, find an old stereo speaker cover and cut the fabric from there. That will work and most likely be a cheaper alternative.

[Pattycakebakersman]

Hi Kaged Kombat

Thanks a lot we were also thinking that screening might work too as it would be dark but I will check out Fabric land here in Canada otherwise we might just go with the screening, which is black as well. Thanks for your help. Oh one more thing you didn't mention how to do the body of the costume. Been thinking about it and have a few ideas but I hate to make mistakes and have to get more material. I notice the box is kind of on an angle with the top being narrower then the bottom and it also looks a bit thinner then the bottom, is it or does it just appear that way? Thanks so much for all your help.
Patty

[Kaged Kombat]

Ah, didn't think of screening, that should work just fine! The body is narrower on the top and wider on the bottom to represent the shape of the Lego minifig's body. Think of a square that has had the top portion pinched smaller. The depth doesn't change, it is just needs to be big enough for breathing room. Just double check you measurements before cutting and it should turn out great!

[Pattycakebakersman]

Thanks again Kaged,
I went to the next comment page and another person had put a link in there with them making their costumes and it made more sense seeing it in detail as they worked on their costumes. I feel more confident going into the project, so next week will be used to make my grandsons costume, sure hope it doesn't smell or melt as I'm painting it. I couldn't find the Krylon paint in our area so I had to settle for something else. I think I am going to try painting a piece of scrape with several different paints before ruining the costume. Thanks for the help and for all the links and tips and tricks everyone submitted. I'll have to submit mine when I finish it. Wish me luck