Transformers Optimus Prime Costume

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away........ well in the cybertron universe lol, there was Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots!!! This is my costume for 2014 that I worked very, very,hard on all year long. Special thanks to dannyeurena,Incrxtc, and Spicy Panda Creations for your great ideas, tips, and inspiration. It all started with the helmet I found at the local Goodwill that i said "Hey I should make a costume to go along with it!" well at least try to lol. I looked online at different pictures, toys, movie clips, and my random objects for ideas. It was a long process and there are still some things I did not get to finish but overall I am happy with the results and got to wear it for Halloween.

Step 1: ​Things You'll Need:

- Hot Glue Gun

- Glue gun sticks

- Duct Tape

- Masking Tape

- Ruler

- Exacto Blade knife

- Scissors

- Spray Paints (Red, Blue,and Mettalic)

- Primer paint (white or gray)

- Mini Flashlights (4 of them)

- Velcro (Found at Walmart,Target, Kmart etc.)

- Lots of cardboard

- Foam board

- paint brushes and roller

- 2 tin cans (emptied and clean)

- screws, nuts, bolts, washers

- an old RC car or toy car ( for the wheels)

- a place to work with plenty space

- time, patience, a good imagination, and lots of cardboard if you didn't know lol

Step 2: Part 1

I started off by creating the chest piece and then added the shoulder pieces. You have to make the costume sized to fit you or whoever is going to be wearing it. Some of the instructables on here did not have any sizes or exact measurements to make which I understand because we all are different shapes and sizes. Some people made this costume for adults and some for kids. I went off my height and body type and went off the size of the helmet to try to keep everything in proportion. The shoulder parts were attached to the chest piece with Velcro and the chest piece opened and closed in the back with a Velcro strap. the torso part slid over my legs and was one piece. After some trial and error I noticed the costume was very bulky and my movements were limited. I had to walk sideways to get down the stairs and I couldn't see past my chest with the helmet on because the chest piece stuck out so far. So I figured it wasn't going to work and had to start again, which sucked because i had did a lot of work so far......aw well on to part 2 "The Remix" lol

Step 3: Part 2 "The Remix"

So I went back to the drawing board and realized I couldn't reuse anything from the original I did. I had to start from scratch. One night while I was watching T.V with my girlfriend (The cute little red riding hood on the first page) I said "you know what I'm gonna do this my way and put my own stank on it" lol. and thats just what i did. I came up with a whole new chest and torso piece that fit me way better and I could see more with the helmet on. I used 2 picture frames with some bright blue wrap inside. I also used some contact lens holders, car air fresheners, and some screws. I came up with the idea to have a chest piece that opens to reveal the Matrix of Leadership which i would have sitting inside, maybe with some lights, wires, and old computer circuit boards. At this point in time I brought a bigger, better glue gun because the one i had was about the size of your hand and was not that powerful. The new one was twice the size and had a lot of attachments and used bigger glue sticks. It was very powerful, maybe a little too powerful because I did get a nasty burn on my hand that immediately bubbled up.

Step 4: The Legs

This was one of the hardest parts for me because I didn't know how to make the side part of the legs for the wheel to attach to. I ended up drawing some ideas and came up with a way to do it. Then the little slits in the front were cut out and glued in place. The Feet are made up of shoes on the inside glued and held in place by Velcro to foam pads, which gave me extra height and then that piece slid on and attached to the leg pieces.

Step 5: Arm Pieces

the arm pieces were made and slid on my hands. I couldn't find a good pair of blue hockey gloves so I just used some regular blue gloves from Harbor Freight. The attachment on the side of one of the arms is a child's toy telescope, and on the other arm is part of a child's toy transformer water gun. The water gun toy was taken apart and I used the tank for the back of my costume. The water gun toy has a knob that you pull and a shield comes out and when you push it the shield goes back inside.

Step 6: Time to Prime, Optimus Primer, I Mean Prime

I used a white brush on paint primer on everything so When it was time to paint it the spray paint would stay on and the colors would be bolder. I did about 3 coats of the base primer with a roll on paint brush. Be sure to mask off the areas your not painting so your not wasting paint.

Step 7: Time to Spay Paint

Here is where the costume starts to come together. The same technique applies here. Use even spray coats and wear a mask to avoid breathing in paint fumes. It is better to paint outside too if the weather permits. Build up the paint with multiple thin layers so the paint is not caked on and dripping.

Step 8: Keep on Painting

once the base colors were painted I masked off the costume to do the metallic silver accents. I used paper, tape, and garbage bags to do the masking and to control over spray.

Step 9: Final Touches

Once everything was painted and dried I added the yellow accent pieces which were made from craft foam, and added the wheels and cans. You could just glue the wheels on or zip tie them on but I wanted mine to still spin so I used screws, washers, and nuts. I sized and printed the Autobots logo and glued them on. Be sure to reinforce everything on the inside with lots of duct tape so nothing rips and it has a little more stability.

Step 10: Time to Rock and Roll!

I wore a long sleeved black shirt, white pants and a black mask. I would put on the shoes and legs first, then the torso piece which I held up with suspenders, then the chest piece which i put on like a bullet proof vest (it fit over my head then the sides were closed with Velcro) then the shoulder pieces were attached with Velcro also. Then the gloves, arm pieces and helmet was put on last. Overall the costume had a lot of movement and was not too hot. I did end up winning the costume contest at my job, and another contest at a sports bar that night. I still have a few things to add to it but overall I love it and think I did a great job. Optimus would be proud!!! lol, I hope to attend a Comic Con in the future and wear this and I might appear at some children's birthday parties.Well thanks for checking it out and let me know what y'all think!!!! be sure to follow me @lilnavi