Starscream Missile Mounts How-To

More cosplay stuff! Whoo!

I've been discussing missile mounts. You have interesting conversations when you cosplay.... especially when you cosplay robutts.

I made them with three things in mind:

• visual accuracy
• strength (they stick out and will likely get hit at cons)
• removability (in case repairs are needed)

Materials needed:

• PVC pipe and paper clay, or whatever you are making 
• drill and drill bits - a small one and a big half inch-ish one (pictured below)
• whatever armor plating you have constructed. Mine is craft foam, ironed into shape and reinforced with plastic mesh)
• Hardware - bolts, nuts, washers, in appropriate sizes for your armor.

I made the missiles themselves out of PVC pipe, and the arm plating and missile mounts out craft foam (the thickest kind, ironed and glue sealed, as usual). The pointy tips were paper clay (world's best art supply) and the fins were craft foam. But! Before I assembled and painted the missiles, I drilled some holes in the PVC.

To get the position of the holes right, I first made the mounting brackets out of foam. Then I marked the position on the forearm plating with a sharpie, and drilled two holes. I had to be careful drilling the foam armor, because it will crease. Basically, I just let the drill do the work and didn't push on it, and I drilled from the inside. Once I drilled those holes, I cut out sections from a strong poster shipping tube, a little bigger than the mounting brackets. They serve as a big washer to keep the holes from tearing, and they strengthen the armor. I positioned them inside the holes and poked a sharpie through the holes to mark the cardboard, then drilled the cardboard.

I used the same holes to mark the missiles with a sharpie, and drilled the two holes. I also drilled a big hole in between, big enough for the head of a screw to go through. Then I assembled and painted the missiles.

assembled, but not painted. the paperclay was still wet

To attach them, I put the heads of the screws through the big holes, so the screw part was sticking out, then put the brackets, then the armor, then the cardboard, then the hex nuts. I put a couple washes in there somewhere so the screw ends would be flush with the nut and not poke me. I also bought a couple different lengths of screws because I wasn't sure how thick all the armor and stuff would be once it was put together.

Here is a diagram (where I forgot to draw the mounting bracket.... it goes between the PVC and the foam armor).

I can attest to the sturdiness of this design - my cat knocked a bunch of my armor off the table, and it all survived very nicely. And if the missiles had needed repairs, which they did not, they could just be unscrewed and then put back on later.

Here are some views:

Inside:

Outside

With the claw gloves!