One month from Comic Con and I am planning on taking some live hand puppets.  So now it is time to build something to hide myself from the crowd.  This halloween costume made the rounds recently:



And it has inspired me to attempt something similiar, puppet piloted of course.  I am going to go less mech, and more transport taking cues from the Star Wars AT-PT and AT-ST.  The frame will be PVC attached to an alice backpack frame.  The skin will either be foam core or foam,  not sure which headache I want to deal with in painting. 

Received the backpack and picked up the PVC yesterday:



And I have started to piece things together.  Currently using zip ties, any tips on good adhesives for plastic and aluminium?  Current thought is to duct tape over the zip ties if I can't find something good. 



Hope to finish framing out the cockpit area later today.

Looks like a very interesting project you are under taking.  Look forward to see your progress as you go along.

For skinning, foam core or even the sheets of (normally pink) foam wall insulation make really nice light weight coverings. You can cover the outside in a layer of muslin or cotton fabric and it holds it all together, covering seams and is easy to paint. No real need to pattern and cut the fabric you just start gluing it to your foam core with PVA glue wrapping it much like you would a present. Draw back is that it is ridged and can bend or break.

Soft poly foam sheets are great and are flexible so don't tend to "break".  They can be covered in a layer of fabric also that is easy to paint or even choose a fabric that is the color you want. Create a pattern to cut your fabric from then sew together and stretch over foam form. The down side of this method is that it is often a bit heavier and the covering can be a bit tricky.

Thanks for the tips Shawn!  Two interesting downsides to consider.  If I could only spray paint soft poly :D

Well, I have the basis of the cockpit sorta done.  Still need to add some pieces for stability.



Turns out I made it a bit smaller then I intended, however, it is at a perfect size for transport and walking.  Going to make it a bit more difficult to conceal myself, but I am up for the challenge :D

I love this idea! A very clever take on a puppet stage.

This is a great idea, can't wait to see the final product.  Why not make a costume/mask and put yourself in the puppet show too instead of hiding?  That way you and puppet can converse, you can be the straight man. The baby looks so happy in your first picture, what a lucky kid.

Soft poly foam can be spray painted. You have to use the right paint though. Floral paint can be used on poly foam without damaging it.  One common name brand is Design Master. Micheals and JoAnns normally carries it. Did a Google search and it looks like WalMart even carries it now although I've never seen it there.  The drawback though are the fumes when spraying it. It must be used in a well ventilated area.

Hmm... just followed one of my Google search links. https://www.wholesalefloral.com/Floral_Spray_Paint_and_Dyes_s/44.htm   It looks like there are also Design Master floral dyes in liquid form.

We had trouble with paint flaking off of soft foam until someone told us to use spray adhesive on the foam first then the paint stuck and stayed on with movement too.  Don't know if you wanted to paint PVC also, for PVC a man at the hardware store pointed us to a base coat paint that stuck to the PVC it was white, but then we could paint any other color over the white base and it did not come off. Roughing up PVC lightly with fine sandpaper, (cleaning off the dust before painting)helps paint and hot glue to have a place to grab hold on the slick surface. I have not tried to glue to aluminum but I would try plumber's putty, it sticks metal to Wood. It might be worth a test on a scrap.

I think a more physical solution might take more stress than an adhesive on the zip ties.  So is the issue that zip ties slide sideways on the tube, or are not tight enough?  Could you use more zip ties perpendicular to hold them in position, or cinch them tighter, sort of like a belt loop? Where is pagestep he would know a genius way to do this?

Ooohh..thanks for the tips on painting!  For this con, I will probably stick to foam core, but I can change that out later if needed.  Was thinking of using a type of button on the seams to give it a bolted look.  Regarding the zip ties, they hold nicely, though they do act like belt loops allowing the pipe to move.  A bit of duct tape solved that problem. 

Why not make a costume/mask and put yourself in the puppet show too instead of hiding?

This particular one is for conventions, so I want all the focus on the puppet.  However, if this works, I have ideas for others which will have me more involved. 

The main frame is done, will start skinning tonight.

Looks good.  How front heavy is it? Just thinking down the line if it might help to counter weight the back to help keep it level. Looks like it is riding pretty level at the moment.