The Tin Hero
25 min · $5-10 · Easy
Fit: One design, two builds: the kid build fits ages 3 to 10, and the teen and adult build fits everyone older. Start from clothes the wearer already owns in their size, and size every prop against them before attaching.
Red and gold plus a glowing chest circle: the suit does the talking.
Open this costume in Pick My Costume
DIY this week: ~$5-10, 25 min
- Dress in the red sweatsuit.
- Stripe the sweatsuit with the gold duct tape: strips across the chest, arms, and legs.
- Draw the reactor circle on the cardboard BEFORE cutting, and measure it against the chest first.
- Pin the glowing circle to the chest of the sweatsuit.
- Walk like the suit does the talking.
Tip: pin the reactor slightly off-center, like battle damage. Perfectly centered reads as costume; off-center reads as character.
You need
- Red sweatsuit, 1 (own)
- Gold duct tape, 1 roll (buy: dollar store or hardware store)
- Battery tea light, 1 (buy: dollar store)
- Cardboard, 1 piece (own)
- Tape, 1 roll (own)
- Safety pin, 1 (own)
Steps
- Dress in the red sweatsuit.
- Stripe the sweatsuit with the gold duct tape: strips across the chest, arms, and legs.
- Draw the reactor circle on the cardboard BEFORE cutting, and measure it against the chest first. Cover it in gold tape, then tape the tea light behind its center.
- Safety: pin from inside the sweatsuit, so the pin back faces the fabric and never the skin.
- Pin the glowing circle to the chest of the sweatsuit.
- Walk like the suit does the talking.
- Optional pro finish: pin the reactor slightly off-center, like battle damage. Perfectly centered reads as costume; off-center reads as character.
Common questions
- How does the chest reactor glow?
- A battery tea light taped behind a cardboard circle covered in gold tape. The tape diffuses the light so it glows instead of showing a bulb.
- Will the duct tape peel off the sweatsuit?
- Press each strip down hard and smooth out air bubbles. Fresh duct tape holds all night; old tape from the junk drawer peels by dinner.
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