The Mighty Thor Costume

Step 6 The Helmet and Hair

My version of Thor's helmet began life as a cheap, black, plastic knight's helmet from the thrift store. I used a power drill to remove the metal rivet holding on the helmet's visor. Then I spray painted the helmet silver.

Next, I drew and printed out some wing shapes on my computer. I cut out the wing patterns and traced their outlines onto a piece of corrugated plastic board. I gave them a once-over with some white spray paint to make them a cleaner-looking tint of white.

Now for the disgusting part - Thor's hair. I thoroughly washed the long-haired doll I'd bought at the thrift store. It was one of those 1/2 sized, hair styling practice dolls, girls get from family members who hate them. I was seriously repulsed thinking about the germs that might be breeding in that lifeless mop. I washed it again for good measure.

Then, I got out my miter saw and scalped the doll. Next, I set about slicing away clumps of hair with a razor bade and setting the ends on strips of tape I'd laid out (sticky side up). After i had enough, I threw away that wretched half-scalped doll head, then went and sat in a closet to compose my nerves. Eck.

After the helmet paint had dried, I layered hot glue on the inside of the helmet and set the clumps of hair into the glue. Then, I epoxied the wings on to either side. I was so glad to finish this step.