Bioshock..Big Daddy, Little Sister and Splicer

So what do you do when you ask your 6yr old daughter what to be for Halloween, and her reply is.. for me to be Big Daddy, her the "Little Sister" and the mom a "splicer.

I guess you better get building

Step 1: Reference

This is only real picture I had to go off of for the suit. I did find a couple of websites of others that have built their suit, but not much for a DIY. I was pretty much flying by the seat of my pants

Step 2: Getting Started

All started with the pink foam panels from Home Depot, 4'x8' ¾" thick. I just put them down and cut to what I thought was a good size. Then I had pieces attached 90 degrees from the center one. Once that was in place, it took 27 cans of expanding foam in a can to get it to look like a big marshmallow. After the foam was hard, I sanded and trimmed till I got it to the shape I needed. The cardboard was in place for the head and my legs to stick through. Plus it helps keeping from using to much foam. You can see wants it sanded, I had the basic shape down

Step 3: Drill and Dome

Drill was poster board rolled up, covered in paper-mache, then coated in resin. With the resin wet, I threw some sand in to to give it a worn metal texture. As for the dome, I took a 24" exercise ball and covered half of it in paper-mache then resin. The ring is foam insulation board

Step 4: Trial Fit

Once the suit was sanded to shape, the hard part came to open it up to wear. I cut out a section in the bottom first, it goes on like a shirt. I then opened up the inside a little at a time in order to make it comfortable to wear. I attached a old backpack to the inside, and thats pretty much how you wear it. The whole suit also got coated in paper-mache and then in Fiberglass and resin

Step 5: Cage, Dome and Paint

Once I was happy with the fit. I started on the cage and ports for the dome. The cage was electrical conduit heated and bent to shape. The ports in the Dome are PVC plumbing parts. Thats how I see out to walk straight.
The paint is Hammered copper. Gives it that old diving suit look

Step 6: Leds

Big Daddy had red lights when he got mad. So I used battery powered LED strands that are for small Xmas decorations. They served 2 purposes.. 1 , it gave the effect that he was in protection/attack mode, and 2nd, people can't see me due to the lights shining in their face

Step 7: Jump Suit, Hand, Drill, and Rear Tank

Bought XXL disposable paint suits and sprayed painted them green, tried to make them look extra baggy. Has for the Drill, I bought a 12' cardboard concrete tube and cut it down to make the base for the drill. Flexible hosing is what goes around it to give it the cage look. the base of the drill has a opening to stick your arm in and hold it.
For the hand, I just made a big hand out of foam board and used conduit and foam for the fingers. A 2" PVC pipe goes into the base of the hand and that is what I hold to give the look of a bigger arm.
 The rear tank is the concrete cardboard tube. It attaches by hooks on the suit

Step 8: Little Sister

Made the syringe from a old gas pump handle off of ebay. Some plumbing parts, peanut butter jar, and a LED and you have it. Dress was purchased form Goodwill and torn up to look old and worn out. Little bit of fake blood doesn't hurt.

Daughter already worn to one event already.

Step 9: Different Views

You can see the paint job and my rivets around key locations. The rivets are glass beads/stones used in jars for decoration. I just hot glued them in place. The front lower shield is cardboard and the raised strips around the tank and shoulders is foam stripes overlaid w/ fiberglass. For the openings, I used foam pipe covers that is used over house A/C lines

Step 10: Finally Finished

Wife just bought a bunny mask and fake sickles from Walmart, added a little dried blood and done.

So here we are as a Bioshock family. Going to be busy doing Halloween custom contest and what not up till Halloween night.

I lost track of time and $$ on this project. I figure in the $400 range for the suit, most going to the cans of foam. Time...couple of months.
Right now, it sits…waiting.

As for getting it on. The cage comes off, its all friction fit into the couplers fiberglassed into the suit,. Once the cage is off, the dome unhooks and is removed, same with the tank on the back. Then the backpack straps are unhook and you lift it off, it weighs around 25-30lbs