# Dragon Skeleton Costume



## Arch-Psyduck (Jan 20, 2009)

Here is my project for 2011, a Very Large undead dragon! 

So far I have the PVC frame of the torso, head, and wings built. The head is on a pivot so it will be able to look side to side as well as making large sweeping neck motions. The upper portion of the skull will lift up and back to allow for biting motions. Due to stability issues the wings are fixed in place.

Several pieces of the frame are going to be "blacked out" to make them less noticeable; I will also be wearing all black with a face covering hood. I've had pretty good luck with that approach before; if the costume is neat enough most people will overlook the guy inside.

I'd appreciate some feedback on the design and recommendations on making it look suitably creepy.


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## Saruman of Many Colours (Sep 8, 2010)

As an old-school AD&D geek, this gets my "+1 to Costume-Building" seal of approval.  Gotta love the Dracolich.

I look forward to following your progress on this project. As for seeing the person inside who is operating the costume, maybe you could wear a black Morphsuit?


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## Arch-Psyduck (Jan 20, 2009)

Dracoliches are a classic, if I'm lucky I won't get slain by a group of adventurers for my candy hoard  

















This is the other Dragon of the pair. The neck can go up/down and left/right, the head can move up and down to adjust where its looking when the neck changes elevation. The wings can open as well!


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## Greikate (Sep 5, 2011)

Wow. I still have an entire deck of undead dragons in my obsolete Spellfire collection. I think I have a pic of the dragon skeleton hanging in Hogwarts in Orlando. 

Great costume!!


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## The Real Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Looking good so far....are you gonna have the eyes light up w/ LED's?
Just an idea.


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## Sadler Vampire (Nov 2, 2007)

please continue to post updates and pictures... I'm looking forward to your progress reports. That's quite impressive.


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## Arch-Psyduck (Jan 20, 2009)

The idea is to have the head lit up, I'd like to have indirect lighting in the eyes so the sockets glow but avoids having the pin points of light from the bulbs. I'd also like to have the rib cage have a pulsing light like a heart, just not sure how to pull that one off yet.


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## icyuod2 (Oct 27, 2009)

Thats awesome! True be told, when I saw the pic's, that old slap stick ladder gag popped into my head. (guy with ladder turns and keeps taking out his friends)  Have you thought about sectioning the tail? With a couple cords, you could control when and where it bends.
Can't wait to see it finished.


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## Arch-Psyduck (Jan 20, 2009)

The 3 Stooges ladder gag is a classic, but then I'd need a 3rd dragon and I think a dracolich would look silly with a Moe wig  These costumes are definitely not for enclosed venues. I have considered hinging the tail so it can either wag or at least curl up. The biggest issue I have doing that is both heads already require two hands to operate.


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## Arch-Psyduck (Jan 20, 2009)

Its Alive! Well, sort of. I managed to overcome my biggest obstacles in the head movements. 

The head moves side to side with two pull cords on either side. The neck joint is a torsion spring made out of rubber bands which returns the head to center position when the cords are released and greatly reduces the head's "wobble." 









Here is the head's operation. The controls are still need a bit of work to make the motions smoother, but all the motions are there! 






I'd still love to figure out how to get it to have some sort of "breath weapon," the wife has already vetoed my water squirting idea and actual fire breathing, I've thought that the confetti poppers in the mouth might make for an unexpected affect. 

Unfortunately, there is no way it will be ready for Halloween this year, I'll keep posting updates as it progresses.


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## Saruman of Many Colours (Sep 8, 2010)

Very nicely done! The head and neck movements look great.


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## Arch-Psyduck (Jan 20, 2009)

The gross features are just about finished! I've added vertebrae, scapulae, and a lower mandible. 









The black cloth is draped over the structure that will be blacked out to better define the dragon's body. I will likely be adding a sternum since the front of the ribcage looks a bit empty. 

I'd still appreciate feedback and recommendations for improvement.


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## Arch-Psyduck (Jan 20, 2009)

Here is the dragon with the first layer of detailing.


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## FearingtonHouse (Oct 10, 2011)

Super cool dragons! I love how much movement there is with everything.


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## Arch-Psyduck (Jan 20, 2009)

Dragon, now with a base coat of paint.









A coat of white was added to accent the 'bone' texture. It really lightens the overall look of the creature and draws the attention away from the black support structures.
















An updated video of the dragon's head and neck motions






Its nearly done! The only major structure left is building the legs. I also have to figure out what to do with a tail. I'd hate not to have one, but in order to be proportional, it makes the creature nearly 12' long; which, while awesome, is a bit to large considering it's hard to keep track of a 5' length of tail directly behind me. The last thing I need is to turn around and whack some kid in the face. If you've got suggestions to solver the tail issue, I'd love to hear them.


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## Saruman of Many Colours (Sep 8, 2010)

Arch-Psyduck said:


> Its nearly done! The only major structure left is building the legs. I also have to figure out what to do with a tail. I'd hate not to have one, but in order to be proportional, it makes the creature nearly 12' long; which, while awesome, is a bit to large considering it's hard to keep track of a 5' length of tail directly behind me. The last thing I need is to turn around and whack some kid in the face. If you've got suggestions to solver the tail issue, I'd love to hear them.


Incredible work! As for the length of the tail being a problem, why not keep it more-or-less coiled around your legs (with the coils suspended by fishing line or thin-gauge wire, etc. so that it won't trip you.) That way, assuming that you'll be dressed entirely in black, it would also serve to further conceal your legs.


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## Dragonryder (Nov 10, 2010)

As you can tell by my username, I am nuts about dragons. These are awesome. Please post more as you move along. I'm looking forward to follow along. Good luck.


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## Crematory (Oct 6, 2011)

I'm impressed. I never would have thought about anything like this. I think the water squirting idea would be really cool--do it!


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## Haunted Dogs (Jun 15, 2007)

Awesome idea, it's really taking shape! I like the idea of curling the tail around your legs..you could even have a bit of it hanging out behind you, suspended by wire, allowing it to have some motion without you having to control it. Glad to see this thread bumped up, I missed it the first time around.


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## Mr_Chicken (Nov 30, 2008)

This is awesome. Great movement


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## Arch-Psyduck (Jan 20, 2009)

The Dragon Lich is largely complete at this point. I've added a tail and a sternum which really help to fill out the creature; the only major addition left is teeth. The cloth is supposed to look like the rotten torn remains of robes, I'm still working on getting the look right, I've been told it looks like an ascot. The chain is for the eventual phylactery, no good lich would be without one.

A video of the Dragon in operation. The head moves back and forth on the neck in addition to the neck panning left and right; it makes for a much more expressive puppet.





I tried using my standard black sweatsuit approach to making me less noticeable as the operator. The dragon is a bit too thin for that and I end up looking like a guy in a sweatsuit wearing a dragon skeleton. Since I'm going to be noticeable in any case, I figured I'd go with a wizard robe, that way I'm at least themed appropriately, I have a burgundy corded belt that will match nicely with the dragon's rotten clothes. I got the idea from "Finding Nemo the musical" at Animal Kingdom, the puppeteers are clearly visible, but are dressed so they match the puppet's style and personality and its very easy to end up seeing the puppet and puppeteer as two parts of the same character.
















As always, if you have any feed back I'd love to hear it.


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## kprimm (Apr 3, 2009)

This looks super cool so far. This is a great idea and very ambitious. I wish you the best of luck on this. This will be one Helluva costume.


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## beautifulnightmare (Oct 31, 2010)

Looks great! I can't wait to see the teeth! And I agree that LED eyes would be cool!


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## VexFX (Oct 19, 2010)

Nice work, the costume looks great! I bet it would be fun in a dark environment lit with blacklight.


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## JustJimAZ (Jul 26, 2010)

Glad I looked at this one. Great idea!


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## Arch-Psyduck (Jan 20, 2009)

ITS FINISHED!!!









I've put in the final needed details, teeth and clothing. It was windy to the rotten robes don't cover quite right in the picture. The teeth are wood, I cut them out on the scroll saw, they are pretty sharp, so I probably shouldn't be trying to bite people.


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## Saruman of Many Colours (Sep 8, 2010)

Looks great! Hope that you have fun with it.


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## Dragonryder (Nov 10, 2010)

This is so awesome. You did a great job on the frame work. I love the movement. I like the robe with the skeleton, nice touch. Hope you post more pictures when you use it. Would love to see peoples reaction. I just bought a set of LED lights that operate via a small battery pack. That would be a good idea especially in the dark. Squirting water might be a real surprise for people. Thank you for sharing. Hope to post updated shots of my dragon riders costume soon. I am going in several different directions right now. My grandaughter is in a theater class and I have been helping her off and on. I love this stuff. I guess it's my creative outlet. LOL. 

Awesome job.


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