My Purple Bounty Hunter for the Price Conscious (Budget Zam Thread)

Thanks Zam I Am- i wouldn't have thought of that! We have lots of Ace stores here.
I'm off to Savannah, GA for my birthday this weekend. But as always, i'll have an eye out for Zam parts. I'm going to look for the hose again over the weekend. I wish some of the websites we found had better pictures. I'd feel much better about getting up an order.
 
cressie,

what material did you use for the shins? and i gotta say...the fashion statment of the one zam shoe and the one white flat is smashing:lol:;)

I bet you could make a decent helmet starting with your basic hard hat with some easy mods with a dremel and some detailing
 
Thanks! :) I always try to make a statement in shin guards! hehe

and thanks for the birthday wish!

The shin guards are made from 1/4 inch kitchen linoleum (but the tag on the roll from Big Lots calls it Vinyl) then i covered them with brown pleather fabric from walmart after i stitched the top edge. They are pretty strong and very comfy. I also had no trouble putting the snaps through the pleather and vinyl. i'm prolly going to strengthen the back of them with fiberglass or goop so they won't lose their shape. But i'm really happy with them.

I just got my bodysuit. I don't know how the color is going to be till i hold it up to a picture in Dressing a Galaxy, but the shine is perfect. It will still need to be altered for the correct seem placement, but $20 ($10 bodysuit and $10 shipping) is a steal for pattern to go by and lots of thick lyrca!

One problem- i think this Zentai body suit is some sort of fetish wear or something?? It came with a complete face hood and a crotch zipper! LOL It will be modified! Just a heads up for anyone who might go this route!

here's part of the suit:
iAAFED7E9-AA47-4340-863F-964AE9314D8A.jpg

I'm using the built in camera on my macbook and it doesn't take good pics- sorry
 
***
I decided to go the budget route with my Zam, as well. I ended up fashioning pretty much my entire costume after the 12-inch doll, and I liked the fact that I could examine the details up close and rotate it in my hand. It's a bit more simplistic, and I used the vinyl and pvc also. I don't think I spent more than $200 on the entire costume.

So, it's not a "screen acurate" version of Zam, but I'm happy with it. I've really enjoyed making it...and especially wearing it to my group's events. =)

Also, I really get a kick out of this site. I've gathered a lot of useful information from this forum, and I like watching the progress of all of the different Zams. All of your costumes look spectacular! And good luck, Cressie, on your budget Zam. Can't wait to see the finished product.
***
 
I never really wandered into this Zam section of the forum before, but seeing as how it's a budget costuming thread, I clicked immediatly. :D I love seeing budget costumes come together, and seeing most or all of it gathered/scratchbuilt from other resources other than ready-made kits.

You're making great progress so far! Very nice to see everything coming together. (y) I obviously don't know much of anything about Zam, but that purple suit looks good to me, plus for $20, who can complain?

I'll definatly be watching this thread! (y)

-Chris
 
WOW. (y) You have some awesome ideas for a Zam newbie like me. Mind if I borrow a few? ;) I'm just starting the SERIOUS research, and every little thing helps. So far, I am SO happy that I joined this forum. I've been doing Star Trek stuff for me and my husband for years, and I'm finding the Star Wars people to be much more forth-coming on the how-to stuff. I'm getting excited to start my own! :)
 
Yes yes- Borrow and share any and all ideas- I think my costume is more of a community costume because I'm pretty new at this too. Plus, some of these materials are kinda "trial and error". I also don't know how this is going to hold up walking around Dragon-con. I might have a roll of duct tape hidden under the cape for emergencies.

The SW community rocks! Online and at events and conventions they are some of the sweetest people ever. Not to mention highly intelligent (it takes a lot of creativity to pull off these costumes). :)

Another idea i just remembered. A wonderful couple at Dragon-Con last year (i forgot your names -i'm sorry) did a panel on budget costumes and they made this great kid-version of Zam. These are the materials they used (if i can remember them all):
- Chest Armor- Plastic automobile floor mats
- Helmet: A child's firefighter helmet shaped with GOOP (they said they let it dry till it's soft and scuptable)
-Earcover pieces: a child's oval-shaped walkie-talkie mounted with GOOP glue.
-Armatures: old eye-glass frames

That's all that i can remember- but if the couple is on this forum I'd love to ask you some questions.
 
I've been doing Star Trek stuff for me and my husband for years

Ohhh.... :facepalm .....Star Trek eh?? :lol:lol:

Welcome ZamBamThankYouMaam to TDH! There's a LOT of information on these threads to read and digest! I'm still working to organize them and weed out the "bad" information (i.e. broken links, etc.). But, I think you'll find everything you could possibly want to know about Zam and then some! :lol: (There's also a search function for those elusive parts that aren't readily apparent ). And feel free to ask questions! We've all been newbies at this and all of us are still learning!

Oh... and don't tell anyone... but I like Star Trek too! :lol:lol:

Don't worry Cressie... You bring the duct tape, I'll bring the glue! ;)
 
I got home and placed the new suit to the DAG book and it's pretty far off, but that's to be expected from the price. It needs to be more red-gray and less purple. Has anyone dyed 100% lycra before? I believe you have to have an very hot acid-dye bath?

Here is the comparison:
iB8AA532B-4C80-42D9-BA92-F9F52CE292FE.jpg
 
i know jamie and i thought about dying the material we got from stretchhouse at one point...to get it a tad more purpleish-red...we tried everything and even let is sit in superhot water for like a day...it did nothing at all...strange...if you do find a way to get the dye to take let us know...we sould like to get a bit more redish hue to the suit
 
Thanks JD.... Looks like I might be ordering some. This budget Zam is starting to look not so budget :/

I found a 1in hose FREE! :) It was hidden in the closet from an old Shark vaccum. The ribs are alittle too close, but it'll do.

Today I finished punching holes in the vinyl with a soldering gun. I did alittle over 210 squares just to be safe. I also sculpted the hose connecters.

I found the parts for the blaster at Wal-mart tonight. A water gun and a kid's plastic flute! They will be bonded together and painted for a total of $5 :) The plastic flute is PERFECT for the end of the gun.

Will post pics tomorrow after skirt square painting- yee haw! :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I received the neoprene from Strechhouse and i can't wait to start my muslin model! :) Yippee! I also got a $2 discount per yard, just for asking if they had it on sale! I would highly recommend this company- Thanks JDFett for the find!

I'm lacing up the skirt right now, which is taking forever! I found a bodkin (a long needle with a large eye to insert elastic into casings-I'd never heard of one before) to help with the lacing. I was walking around my favorite quilt store and thought it would be perfect to help my poor tired fingers.

Here is a peak at my skirt during painting and all of the spray can colors used. Surprisingly, after extensive testing, it looks great and the paint doesn't crack. But I’m still going to seal them with a clear coat spray just in case.

i488F7942-918E-4EF2-962E-9E52B3D3E832.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hey... that looks pretty good! :D

Yeah... the lacing does take forever. I think it took me 5 days on-off to get the thing done! I still have to try it on with the boots and cummerbund to check for the right length though... as I added an extra row that I may or may not need.
 
looking great cressie!

heck...leave the muslin at the door and just go for it! LOL thats what i did...I figured...with my luck the muslin one would come out awesome and then i wouldve just wasted time..heheh
 
I can't sew without a muslin... I've never had a pattern come out the way I wanted and fit me the way I wanted the first time without a number of alterations.

Case in point: The pants pattern I was going to use for the Zam pants.. no way! And no way could I have fixed them if I had used the Zam fabric! I would've been up a creek without a paddle. :facepalm Off to find something for Plan B... *sighs*
 
This thread is more than 16 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top