Xenoblade Rex Helmet and Harpoon Armband

thingiverse

My oldest son is obsessed with becoming Link from Zelda for Halloween. This obsession has led to an elaborate costume that's quickly taking shape. We've created the Master Sword hilt, and it's now a fully-fledged part of the overall costume. Print the hilt solid, tip pointed down, with about 75 to 100 layers of support material. Print the belt buckle using a spiral vase, and include at least one bottom layer for adhesion. If you're using Repetier/Slic3r, deselect all Quality settings under Layers & Perimeters. I printed this using a delta printer, but if you have a standard cartesian printer, consider adding a raft or brim to prevent it from coming loose. There are holes to bind the belt buckle to your waist with velcro straps. I updated the design to allow for some flexibility if you're having trouble inserting the hilt. This change also improves print quality by eliminating internal walls on the spiral design. The shield and tunic can be printed solid. I made the tunic using white glue & water paper mache over a balloon. Cut newspaper strips about 1.25 inches thick, apply wet paper for the first layer, allowing the balloon to separate from the paper when dried. I applied about six layers and left it to dry overnight. The shield can be attached with a glue gun, and you can cover the tunic body with paint or colored duct tape. I added Hyrule crest patches. Print these with two walls and two layers top and bottom. Infill is light 10% to 15%. These patches can be sewn directly onto the tunic through the holes. Just print two smaller copies for the lapel patches. I also created Link's cloak and shoulder straps for the tunic. My son pointed out that Link doesn't actually wear a cape in the games... It appears in cartoons, but would be impractical in real life. A cape would catch his backside or get tangled around him. So, I decided to attach the tunic to a backpack-style clip on his shoulder. I used some trellis material (found in the construction section at Home Depot for about $3.50), spread the wire rails to fit comfortably over the head, bent it into shape to clip onto the rim of the helmet, curve over the shoulders, and added rings to the front to loop a belt through and hold everything in place during trick-or-treating. I duct taped foam shoulder pads. This required some modeling sessions with my 12-year-old son to get the shape right. But he says it's comfortable with no wire poking him. I included a picture of the trellis material so you'd know what to look for. Man, I spend too much time on their Halloween costumes...