Costume: Tracks

I've got an almost proper worklog for Tracks here, I was rather hurried so the worklog suffered while I was actually working on him. It is a little long for a blog post so I'll sum it up.

Tracks is a bit of a failure. You learn more when you admit you didn't quite hit the target right? For most people I'm sure it would be good enough but Tracks is my favorite character from the series so good enough isn't quite good enough for me. The main problem was the base of most everything which was a foam I didn't think to test before switching from craft foam to it. Volara is about as useless as if I'd used cardboard. The design was okay, I could move pretty well and only needed to be guided because I forgot my contacts. The second and last problem of note was the rigging wasn't sturdy enough to hold every thing perfectly in place. The volara and plastic sheeting were heavier than the materials I was used to so I didn't even think of weight issues. I looked okay standing still though, I was able to stretch my torso and put my hands on my hips under the bottom of the chest piece to keep that almost in place. The helmet and mask were absolutely perfect.

Of course I didn't realize when using the materials that I would need to be careful with temperatures. The last day of the convention I left the costume in my car so I could head straight home after everything finished but it must have been very hot further inland where I parked because a number of the seams popped and patches of the top coat of paint transferred off the chassis pieces and onto the bag they were stored in. Tracks got only one convention sadly, but since he's my favorite character I will work up to him after perfecting my technique on another mech or two as I should have from the start.

Series: Transformers

Construction Time: 2 months (160+ hours)

Cost: $212.50

Materials and Construction: See worklog.

Debut: San Diego Comic Con 2009

Final Appearance: San Diego Comic Con 2009

What I've kept after realizing I wouldn't repair him, I'd start over.