Overwatch
Blackhardt
Overwatch
Blackhardt
Blackhardt was an ambitious project that may or may not have been influenced by some liquid courage.
Making a larger than life build has been on our wish list for awhile. We had very limited experience with EVA foam and this gave us an opportunity to dive right in. After researching Space Marine builds for reference, we ended up finding a great walk through from Gary Sterley on the RPF Forums.
We started with the boots and built up from there. Once we had the stilts assembled, we sculpted around them with EVA foam. Using the boots as reference, we scaled the rest of the armor and continued up to the waist and then the chest.
One of the most challenging aspects of Blackhardt was transforming a 5’4″ woman into a 7′ robot. Using PVC and PEX tubing, we built a custom frame and harness to attach the armor to. To keep Courtney cool, we incorporated a fan into the “booster” in the back.
Blackhardt was debuted at our very first DragonCon in 2016. We had to rent a minivan to get him there.
One of our fondest memories was being able to meet Darin DePaul at Blizzcon in 2016.
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AWARDS/PUBLICATIONS
- 2017 First Place in “Larger Than Life” category- C2E2 -Chicago, IL
- Featured on Kotaku.com
- Published in Cosplay Culture Magazine
- Published in Blizzard Cosplay: Tips, Tricks And Hints
- Seen on AdaFruit.com
- 2017 Worn at Cosplacon -Jefferon City, MO
- 2016 Worn at Blizzcon -Anaheim, CA
- 2016 Debuted at DragonCon -Atlanta, GA
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MATERIALS
*Please help support our work by purchasing items from our Amazon Store or through our affiliate link with TNT Cosplay Supply!*
STILTS
(Based on Gary Sterley’s Space Marine Walkthrough)
PVC Pipe Cutter
PVC piping
PVC “T” Connectors
PVC 90 degree Connectors
Conduit Clamps
Plywood
Gym Shoes
TNT Cosplay Supply EVA Foam
VelcroBODY FRAME
PEX Tubing
PEX Elbow Connectors
PEX Straight Couplings
PEX “T” Couplings
PVC Pipe
PVC 90 degree Connectors
PVC Straight Connectors
1″ Nylon Webbing
1″ Plastic Buckles
2″ Nylon Webbing
2″ Plastic Buckle
D Rings
Snag Free VelcroARMOR/BODY
TNT Cosplay Supply EVA Foam
Barge Cement
Fishing Line
Key Rings
ElasticLIGHTING/ELECTRONICS
Lithium Battery Pack
10″ Battery Operated Box Fan
Single Red LEDs
RGB LED Strips
AdaFruit Trinket Pro
Silicone Adhesive
Sugru Moldable GluePAINT/FINISHING
Carbon Fiber Vinyl
Acrylic Sheeting
Jacquard Idye Poly Synthetic Dye
Hand Painted Satin Fabric
Embroidery Mesh
Plasti Dip-Anthracite Grey
Plasti Dip- Black
Plasti Dip- Silver Metalizer
Rub n’ Buff
Metallic Silver Paint Pen
Hot Glue
Super Glue
E6000
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TECHNIQUES/HIGHLIGHTS
- Scaling a “Larger Than Life” Build
- Designing a Custom PVC Frame and Harness
- Custom Stilts Built with PVC and Wood
- Hand Drafting Paper Patterns
- Programing LED Flame Pattern With Adafruit Trinket
- Rewiring A Battery Operated Fan
- Creating a Pulley System for Moving Fingers
- Dying Plastic with Synthetic Dye
- Using Illustrator to Create Basic Vector Patterns