Twenty-three years ago my father made me a one of a kind tin man costume out of spare parts in his shop. I won 1st place as a kid at a mall contest with this costume. We packed the costume away good for 23 years and used the costume again for my daughter. Just had to repaint it for a fresh look and re-glue a few things that fell apart and purchase face paint. My daughter also won 1st place with this costume at her gyms annual Halloween costume contest party. Around 75 kids entered.
To start off, way back then, my father used the following materials:
- Round tubes 3 different sizes. ( to go over arms and legs)
- flexible pieces of white sheet plastic ( to make the center of the body)
- wood from shop ( to make ax )
- used 1 nylon ( to tuck hair into under funnel )
- silver spray paint
- Bought silver face paint
- small metal clip links ( to attach the tubes together and create bendable joints at shoulders elbows hips and knees)
- bought a metal oil funnel ( for the tin mans hat )
- bought plain white gloves
- used old sweat pants, sweatshirt and sneakers.
- fasteners (for seam down front of body)
- velcro
I Started by using the silver spray to spray the clothes, sneakers and gloves.
Then went to work building the costume starting with the body. using the bendable plastic sheet form a tube that could in case a body. Then drill holes down each end of the plastic where it will overlap in the front and be held together using the fasteners in the holes also creating the effect of buttons down the front. Then cut and remove 2 even holes in each side for arms to go thru.
using more of the plastic and a pencil create 2 1/2 pieces that will cover the shoulders and encase around the neck. you will also use this plastic to make 2 shoulder and neck cuffs as well as the bow tie. The bow tie is hot glued to the front. The cuffs are also hot clued the openings above the shoulders and around the 2 1/2 pieces surrounding th neck hole.
Next, make the arm and leg pieces using the tubes. use the smallest size to make the forearn piece, the middle size for the upper arm and calf and the biggest for the thighs. Once cut to correct length holes were drilled near the end of the tube to use the metal clips to hold them together.
I used a piece of wood to carve an ax.
Once complete led used silver spray paint to paint all of the costume and prop the same silver as the clothes and shoes.
Once costume was put on hair was put into the nylon, silver face paint was applied , red lipstick lightly applied and used black eye liner to create lines around mouth like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz.
Thanks for checking it out!
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