How to make a bounty hunter's mask and bracers
Strike fear into the hearts of all with a mysterious visage and protect yourself from the elements with a few pieces of armor. As a genre raypunk often uses costume elements that hearken back to ancient civilizations and reincorporate them as functional or decorative pieces. While old-school metal armor is no longer practical, in films like Flash Gordon and Star Wars they reappear, justified as being made from superior materials or inherited from alien cultures. I repainted some dollar store Halloween plastic armor to give it new life in a raypunk adventure.
Inspirations
Materials
-Plastic Halloween armor mask and bracers
-Gold spray paint
-Clear coat sealer
-Leather bracers (see tutorial)
Tools
-Sandpaper
1. Gather the materials
The base mask and bracers are a child-size Halloween armor I found at Dollar Tree last Halloween, a lucky find as they already evoke a sci-fi warrior look. But the paint job was weird, so I used gold metallic spray paint and clear coat sealer. My leather bracers from my last high fantasy build.
2. Paint the mask and bracers
The original paint job on the plastic armor makes it painfully obvious it's plastic. To make it more consistent with armor, painting it a metallic color really helps. First, as with any cheap plastic, it's best to sand down any rough edges. Clean, then paint with gold spray paint. Use a couple layers to ensure complete coverage, then add a top coat of clear coat enamel/sealer.
3. Attach the bracers
The main problem with the bracers is that they were designed for child-size arms, so the original rinky-dink plastic straps were much too small. Instead I removed the old straps and mounted the armor onto the leather bracers I'd used for last years medieval faire archer costume. The black leather is originally sourced from an old purse, and you can find a tutorial on how to make them here. I wanted to be sure I could easily remove the armor pieces later, so I just added a few stitches using the convenient strap slots on the sides. Not terribly durable but it'll work in a pinch.
And there you have it, a few pieces of armor fit for a futuristic space warrior. Good luck and keep crafting!
Inspirations
Materials
-Plastic Halloween armor mask and bracers
-Gold spray paint
-Clear coat sealer
-Leather bracers (see tutorial)
Tools
-Sandpaper
1. Gather the materials
The base mask and bracers are a child-size Halloween armor I found at Dollar Tree last Halloween, a lucky find as they already evoke a sci-fi warrior look. But the paint job was weird, so I used gold metallic spray paint and clear coat sealer. My leather bracers from my last high fantasy build.
2. Paint the mask and bracers
The original paint job on the plastic armor makes it painfully obvious it's plastic. To make it more consistent with armor, painting it a metallic color really helps. First, as with any cheap plastic, it's best to sand down any rough edges. Clean, then paint with gold spray paint. Use a couple layers to ensure complete coverage, then add a top coat of clear coat enamel/sealer.
3. Attach the bracers
The main problem with the bracers is that they were designed for child-size arms, so the original rinky-dink plastic straps were much too small. Instead I removed the old straps and mounted the armor onto the leather bracers I'd used for last years medieval faire archer costume. The black leather is originally sourced from an old purse, and you can find a tutorial on how to make them here. I wanted to be sure I could easily remove the armor pieces later, so I just added a few stitches using the convenient strap slots on the sides. Not terribly durable but it'll work in a pinch.
And there you have it, a few pieces of armor fit for a futuristic space warrior. Good luck and keep crafting!
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