How to Make a Batman: Red Hood Costume Version 3.0

As the second Robin, Jason Todd was killed by the Joker. After being brought back to life through means of a Lazarus pit, a slightly more deranged, unstable, and very pissed off Jason goes after the Joker and starts to kill villains. Eventually, Jason and Batman reconvene and make some amends. In the reboot, Jason is now the leader of the Outlaws and is still linked to the Batman family.

What can I say except that I really enjoy upgrading this cosplay! For this year's con, I wanted to create a Batman cosplay group. Well, you can't make a group without a Red hood!!! SO i added a few things to the suit just to give it a newer look: New Helmet with battle damage, gauntlets, grey pants, and shin guards. Check out my Red Hood: Version 2.0 for the rest the other aspects of the suit - helmet, chest armor, gun straps.

Materials:

-EVA Foam

-plastic clips

-Silver Thumb tacs

-Baseball Shin Guards (Thrift Store

-Grey pants

Step 1: Reference Pictures

Before any build, I search the internet for different renditions of the character i am trying to make. I look at video games, cartoons, comics, action figures, artist drawings to see what is currently out there. After all, there are always new versions of Red Hood coming out.However, don't be afraid to mix and match the different elements that you like. Make it your own.

I only had a few weeks to throw some upgrades in for the suit, so i decided some shin and arm guards would provide a great contrast. I really liked the subtle upgrades shown in the Red Hood injustice character. Additionally, I actually had to make a new helmet under 24 hours because my friend's head didn't fit in the original helmet!

Step 2: Helmet Options

Unless you have a 3D printer or a way of casting, I have two options to offer you for making a helmet:

1) One version is made out of Bondo and involves a lot of sanding. It gets messy and has a tendency to need continuous repairs over time. However, the plus side is that it is a hard helmet and looks legit. It uses a hinge and closes with a clasp. (pics 1 and 2). The tutorial for this option is in my Red Hood: Version 1 instructable.

2) Try making the helmet out of EVA foam. It is a significantly quicker process. The material is fairly forgiving, can stretch to a degree, is lightweight and is not fragile. However, It doesn't give as much of an actual "hard helmet" vibe as the first option. (pic 3 + 4). For that option, the tutorial is in my Red Hood; Version 2.0 instructable.

For this build, i only had a few hours to create a new helmet. I went with the Foam option and since i wanted to add a little flair, i added some mild battle damage. Basically, after painting the helmet its designated colors, spray some silver spray paint on some crumpled up paper and brush it on specific areas of the helmet to show scratch marks. You can also add some black airbrush for burns. If you really want to go with severe damage, you can make some slash marks or even a bullet hole.

* Regardless of which helmet you choose, I usually install metallic Aviator sunglass lenses into the helmets. I also use self-adhering window tint to add the black around the lenses prior to gluing them in. Also, I got some len's defogger that i spray on the lenses prior to wearing them. If you don't use this, then your lenses will fog up due to moisture from you breathing in the helmet.

Step 3: Neck Piece

To add onto the build, I created a neckpiece. It's somewhat uncomfortable until you get used to it. It feels like a neck brace because is somewhat difficult to turn your head or lower it. But, it does add a nice little detail to the suit.

1. Take a plastic bag and wrap it around your neck like a bib.

2. Take your tap and tape the entire thing (pic 1)

3. Using a sharpie, Mark where the center of the neck is. That will help you establish a middle point.

4. Cut a slit directly in the nape of the neck to take it off and then retape it back together (pic 2)

5. From there, You can start drawing in your designs on one half of the neck guard. After all, the neck guard will probably be symmetrical anyways.

6. I cut also cut the template into 3 parts (each side) and then transferred them to EVA foam(pic3)

7. Glue your 6 pieces together. (pic 4)

8. I added a zipper to the back of the neck guard to reattach it all together when wearing it. (pic 5)

9. From there, you can add all your details. I added a front piece and then two side panels. (pic 6)

10. Before you seal it, cover the zipper with masking tape (pic 7)

11. I suggest using plastic dip for to seal this piece as it will be moving a lot. (pic 8)

12. Now you can paint it however you want once the plastidip is dry. (pic 9 -11)

13. Now you can wear that underneath your chest piece (pic 12 + 13)

Step 4: Guantlets

My friend who was going to use the Red Hood costume is quite taller than me. This means that the jacket that i have was too short for him in the arms. Therefore, i needed to make some type of covering for his bare wrists. My solution was to create gauntlets.

1. I looked up a few references for the injustice Red Hood (pic 1 +2)

2. Get your scratch paper and cut out a rectangle that will be the length of inseam of your elbow to your wrist.. the width should be enough that it can overlap.

2) wrap the paper around your forearm. Adjust as needed for the length. You want a good ranger of motion here. 3) Since the paper is around your forearm, you can cut it to fit your arm pretty snug.

4)Transfer the template to EVA foam. I actually add about 1 inch space to the width of the foam in order to compensate for the thickness of the foam. (pic 3)

5. Heat the foam around the arm and once cooled, You have your "base" for the forearm.

6. I added a top layer with another piece of foam and then added some scratches and silver thumbtacks for detailing. (Pic 4)

Step 5: Legs: Pants and Shin Guards

1. I have used black pants in the past, but going with a lighter grey pants made a great contrast to the darker chest armor and darker shin guard. I have seen people use black slacks, black leather pants, and various other things. but these fitted grey ones did well.

2. For the shin guards, i was actually able to find a pair of used baseball shin guards at a store. i was just looking for something that had some type of generic shape.

3. I took some paint and went with a dark gun metal silver with a black base and red highlights. To get the dark metal silver, i originally spray painted the raised pieces with silver paint. Then i took some watered black paint and painted over the silver. Within a minute, i wiped away the wet black paint and repeated the process until i got the darker silver that i wanted.

Step 6: Finished!

1. As always, i used a clear coat on anything i paint just to give my paint job a little bit of protection.

2. If you are going to add layers of foam together, seal the adjoining edges with some kwik seal.

3. Prior to painting foam, you have to prep it or else your paint won't absorb properly. You can either use Modge Podge for a cheaper alternative, but the best route is to use the sprayable plastidip

4. After that, you should be good to go! i always suggest practicing a few poses. Also, don't be afraid to find some people in the Batman family.

If i had more time to build or look for materials, I would perhaps consider wearing a tactical weapon's holster for a knife. I would maybe try tactical gloves.. Maybe a different rendition of a helmet. But, for my purposes, the little changes I made were satisfactory. Maybe that will be version 4.0 =) * I built the collar piece and acquired a new jacket after i had written this instructable... So i guess there really was a version 4.0!! Pics 1-3)

*Special Thanks to an amazing picture by David Ngo. Please check out more of his fantastic work.