fotoblitz



Minion Cosplay



Dimwitted creature of science



Code: we're the good guys now





The best type of minion there is, is Minion from Megamind. I decided that i wanted to do this cosplay, mental health be damned! This is probably the most complex cosplay I have done, mixing foam work, 3d modelling, sculpting, engineering, coding, animatronics, and good old fashooned sewing.





Unfortunately, this project took a very long time, and I grew to hate it, so there are very few progress shots and even fewer final shots, a mistake I intend to rectify. The video at the end shows how the suit is put on, but does not really show how it was built, so there will on;y be a general summary here.


Step 1 was to start with the skeleton. I built a backpack out of PVC pipes to hold a horizontal pipe by my head that would act as the shoulders. On either end of this I put a 3D printed shoulder joint piece, and extended this down with more pipe, to the elbow joints which were made of rose joints to support the heavy weight of the hands, and allow wires to pass through to the hand controls.

I then built up a cardboard and paper mache dome over the shoulders to support the shape. Everything below this would hang from this part, so it was important that it was strong, but as light as possible. I built up the rest of the body using wire rings, attached to fabric, this allows the body to collapse for storage, and also keeps it flexible.



Once I had the main part of the body created, I moved on to the head which technically, is Minion himself. To do this, I first 3D designed and printed the structure of the head, I designed this to have several articulated points that would be controlled by Arduino. That would be the eyes, looking left and right, the eye lids, blinking, the jaw, opening and closing, and the fins, slowly moving back and forth.

Once I had the electronics worked out, I wrapped up the skeleton, and sculpted over it with monster clay to get the oter skin. I covered this in silicone, and cast this in a 2 part rubber mix. In hindsight, I should have made a plaster mould so that I could use liquid latex for the skin. This is because the rubber mix was more difficult to paint, and had to be spooned onto the cast by hand, and also ended up too thick for the jaw to move correctly.

THe dome over his head was made from an extra large propogation jar found in a gardening centre, and the metal sections of the body were made from EVA foam.

I wired the electronics to the inside and included a few fans as there is no air flow in there, and covered the body with a black fur fabric. The trousers section was attached to the upper body with a large open ended zip.