Thread: I've started my stalkabout

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hey inspctor gadget, that is going to be a cool costume, can't wait to see the finished project

I think I'm going to build a stand for it. I might place it out in the yard the week of Halloween so people will think it is just a static prop. Then on Halloween night I will be able to stand still until they walk up to me and surprise them.

i love it, the element of surprise.

Originally Posted by matthewthemanparker

i think i'm going to build a stand for it. I might place it out in the yard the week of halloween so people will think it is just a static prop. Then on halloween night i will be able to stand still until they walk up to me and surprise them.

thats what i did.....

Originally Posted by skullboy

thats what i did.....

Same here. Scared more adults than kids. Never thought of a hard hat. I used a bike helmet, and it sucks. I'm modding my shoulders right now with chicken wire and light padding to rid that box look. arms are simple. I just tied them on at the shoulder joint with wire. Good loose easy moving joint. Be careful of the length of the top part of the arm (humerus). When you are going to pick up yur arms, this will be your limiting factor in elbow height. I had a T at the elbow that I used as my handles. Same easy wire joint there too. Also used the little tripod for the head movement. Be sure that hat will do the job on the movement. After you add the drapes and mask, you gotta move alot of weight with your head.





Hope this helps.

Hi everybody..
I am sure that all of us are already thinking about the costume we are going to wear next Halloween..But with this economy, is kind of difficult to buy new costumes...So ..
why not barter our old costumes and get new ones ..for free, just exchanging..what do you think?

Sikntwizted, I've already found out mine is going to be too heavy with the arms I had built. I was feeling really uncomfortable after only about 10 minutes of testing. I am trying to get moving fingers using flexible tubing and string and tried too big of pvc for the arms. This weekend I'm going to try some plastic gutter downspouts that I have laying around and see if I can get that to work. How long did you make your humerus as I am still trying to decide.

I can't find any of my 6 tape measures. What kind of crap is that? Anyway, I can add actual length when I find one. They are roughly long enough so that when the upper arm is parallel to the ground, my hands are out as far as I can reach. I wanted to be able to raise the arms over everybody. Being I'm 6'3", that's not hard to do. If you don't always want to show off your wingspan, you can use a longer upper. I think moving fingers would be sweet. Just haven't seen many with them. BTW, did I mention that I LOVE this type of costume. Oh, and a side note, If you ever plan on using it inside you should check the height. Mine's 1/2" from the ceiling when I have my shoes on. Just FYI.

Looks like a great start!
A couple of things I found out from mine: Use a couple of eyebolts linked together for your arm linkages. I used braided wire for mine and halfway through the night they broke (especially at the shoulder joint). I switched to linked 3/8" eyebolts at the shoulder and elbow joints and havn't had a problem since.
Also, I had to use a helmet with a strap to get the most movement out of mine (both turning and nodding). I had tried the bike helmet route and had to go with an open face helmet.
Lastly, get a good belt on your back pack. Mine weighs around 15-20 pounds, which doesn't sound like much until you wear it continually all night. The belt can take all the weight off your shoulders and head and distribute it over your hips.

Can't wait to see how you're coming along with this project. Be sure to post more pics!!!

One of my problems is I'm only 5'4" to start with so I'm having to make the costume pretty tall so I can actually look down on everybody. Adding only a foot would make me about an average tall person so I have to go for at least 2 feet. I don't plan on wearing it inside so I think I should be ok.