Extreme Lego Makeover

Extreme Minifig Makeover
Lego Minifig costume head before modification
Information
Owner	critter42
Version	1.0
Status	In Progress
Started On	April 2011

Overview

This Lego Minifig costume was first built for Halloween 2008. I thought I would convert it this year to a Zombie minifig for the annual Memphis Zombie Walk that will be held on May 27th downtown. I am also taking this opportunity to refine and fix several defects that became apparent after the costume was put together.

Background

• Design and style
  • Constructed from 7 layers of 1.5" thick Expanded Polystyrene(EPS) sheets
  • Imperfections filled by joint compound and sanded smooth
  • Painted Insignia Yellow to match standard Minifig head color as close as possible
  • Lined with black felt to help prevent people from seeing inside the mask and prevent inhaling loose EPS pellets

• Defects
  • Combination of EPS sheets, felt and low clearance between face and mask makes inside temperatures climb quickly
  • Above conditions also promote breathing difficulties due to low oxygen
  • Small eyehole have very low visibility and field of view
  • Uneven application of joint compound resulted in a patchy appearance and not the smooth, plasticy appearance desired

Planned Fixes

• High interior temperatures
  • Install a set of computer drive bay-mounted fans in the rear
  • Install a large muffin fan in the top peg

• Breathing difficulties
  • Increase gap between head an inside of mask

• Low Field of view
  • Cut out large rectangle where eyes will be located, cover with drywall tape or sanding screen to allow viewing out, but help hide face

• Patchy appearance
  • Sand glue joints as smooth as possible
  • Coat entire mask in thin layers of joint compound, sanding between layers
  • Paint with a matte pain and cover with a gloss sealant