Luigi's Mansion 3 Costume
Introduction: Luigi's Mansion 3 Costume
As an 80s kid, I played my fair share of video games - Atari, NES ... and of course many a time spent at arcades. The appeal faded as I got older and spent more time playing drums, high school, working, girlfriends ... then college straight into adulting.
I revisited the medium around 2007 with the acquisition of a PS2 ... Enjoyed playing Guitar Hero with friends and then Lego Star Wars and some Batman game solo. Screen time tapered off again as I got back into the cover band and then wedding band scene.
PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, NES Classic ... none of those sirens lured me towards the rocks. The Nintendo Switch however ... that was rather enchanting. Mostly because I could play it on the large TV (eyes are getting old) AND as a handheld, but also for the games. Not only could I revisit young BALES favorites like Double Dragon, Contra, Punchout, and Castlevania, but I could also try new games.
Hollow Knight was my first purchase and I enjoy it, but I am terrible. For a positive spin on the situation, I'm really good at dying. If I ever make it to the Trial of Fools, I'll probably never make it past. It's become painfully obvious that I need a slower and easier game, which is where my love affair with Luigi's Mansion 3 comes into play. While I don't get video game obsessed these days, it's an awesome game.
As Halloween 2020 approached, I wasn't in the mood and figured this would be a good year to skip - let the costuming batteries recharge. Then of course mid October rolls around and I start getting the itch ... dreaming of EVA foam and contact cement. Once the idea of a Poltergust G-00 entered my head and I started visualizing the fabrication, I knew the battle had been lost. 52
I started tinkering on the 18th and burned a week of vacation on the 26th ... still barely making it per usual.
Fabrication Video
Supplies
EVA foam mats
PVC pipe and fittings
1/8" craft foam
Plastic paint can
LED puck lights
Plastidip
Primer
Spray paint - black, red, green, silver
Barge contact cement, superglue, hot glue
Dickies overalls
Green T-Shirt
<PERSON> hat and glovoes
Step 1: Poltergust: Gooigi Cylinder
The Achilles' heel of this project, as least as far as I'm concerned, is the clear cylinder portion of the vacuum assembly. The dimensions of that part determines the scale for everything around it. I did find a 6" diameter x 8" high acrylic cylinder online, but it was $29 and that seemed excessive. Most trashcans were tapered, pretzel/cheese ball containers had raised details, and windshield washer fluid containers were too short. Acrylic sheeting was too brittle to be bent into a nice cylinder and I even searched around locally for a broken canister vacuum to cannibalize, but not luck.
I decided to try 3 liter bottles from the dollar store. The soda inside was terrible, so the drain enjoyed that sugary mess. My plan was to remove the two ends, make a vertical cut, and then wrap the plastic around a foam disc at either end. Unfortunately, once the bottle was cut, it just curled up on itself and proved to be too thin.
The next idea was to just make a foam cylinder and paint it green, so I looked around the basement for a cylinder I could use for scale and acquire dimensions. A paint can was pretty much perfect - too bad they don't make clear paint cans. Wait a minute ... do they make clear paint cans? A quick internet search said affirmative.
Does Michael's carry them online? Yep.
Does Michael's carry them in store? Yep.
Are there any at the store a block from the house? Yep ... 3.
Dimensions are 6 1/2" diameter x 8" high.
One quick trip to Micheal's, 5 minutes, and $6.39 later ... I had my Gooigi cylinder. Few minutes after that and the handle was removed with bolt cutters ... voiding any hope for a return.
Step 2: Poltergust: Cylinder Endcap
The bottom of the paint can is the top for the prop, so we need to make the foam end cap for the bottom. This started with a 6 1/2" diameter disc, which I pretty much hacked a rabbet into with a razor knife and Dremel [Fig. 2&3]. Definitely not my best work, but I wanted it to seat down into the lip of the can instead of just resting on the thin upper edge. 858