Since no costume is complete without some props, here is how
i made a Diagnostic Repair Droid (DRD) for my farscape costume.
Started out with a Halloween
outdoor light cover
Heres what it looks like on the inside.
Using modeling clay found at my local hobby shop I created the first DRD, but turns out it was too thin and when it dried it shrank and, well, exploded into various pieces.
So back to square one, using a mixture of pottery clay and modeling clay I tried again. I started off coating the cover with a 1/2" layer of the clay. I then carved my lines and details. I wrapped it in a damp cloth and let it dry for a few days. When it was slightly soft but not quite dry i removed the light cover mold. Since its just a thin piece of plastic it was simply a matter of slicing it with a knife and removing the pieces. The whole drd was then coated with a sealant, i actually used the stuff they put on puzzles. The idea was to bond it together in case it cracked while drying. After it dried another day I sealed the interior too. 1 2 3 4 5
Painting: The interior was painted black and exterior was painted with a bright yellow. The edges/seam were done black with a brush. Then using an airbrush with a really tight tip I went around the drd spray a very faint black dusting along edges and seams. In a fit of desperation that payed off fairly well I grabbed a handful of mud, got my hands nice and coated and ran my hands all over the drd. Not a heavy coat but a light coating. When it dried I took a rag and wiped off the larger open areas. What I ended up with was a dirt coating in the nooks and crannies of the drd. It got that look like an old used chair, the parts that were in constant contact are smooth and clean. The non-used parts, the joints, the nooks, are full of dust. I think the gamble paid off. 1 2 3 4
Lights: I scavanged some lights from an old Enterprise model i had. The 2 large constant lights were taped to some rope and heavy gauge wire for the eyes. I cut some small cardboard tubes and put masking tape on the inside to hide the bulbs but give the eyes that glow. The other bulbs were flashing LEDs, so i ran them into the back of the drd. The whole battery pack and control card was attached to a piece of plywood cut to the size of drd and painted white. This is the base of the unit, lightly glued to the main unit. Finally i cut a small plier shape from some hobby wood and attached it to another piece of rope with wire inside. Wrap it up with black tape and you have the drd tool attachment. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Thats it.
Source Pictures: d1,
d2, d3,
d4, d5,
d6
If you have a question or comment, drop me a line
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