Final Fantasy Lightning Shoulder Armor

So I was commissioned to make the shoulder armor for lightning from Final fantasy 13.  Here is a picture.

So I talked the person into having the two yellow strips light up.  Turns out that would be the biggest problem I had making this prop.  After receiving all the measurements I needed to make this I went ahead and started the basic shell out of cardboard.  I flattened it out and made sure it was bendable.  After doing the layout and the cutting I went ahead and glued it to it's approximate shape.

It's kind of hard to see but I went ahead and cut the two strip slots into the cardboard itself.  I was going to use some yellow stained clear hose back light by some yellow leds for the lighting.  That didn't work I couldn't get a uniform glow from it so i went ahead and diffused the light with some thin flexible Styrofoam packing and hoping that the yellow from the led's would spread out and the glow would like better.  Still no luck.  So I went ahead and thought maybe use white led's and that would hep.  nope no luck there as well. 
So I went ahead and got some el wire and that was that works like a charm.

Here is a pic of the underside of the armor.  I just wanted to show the goldfish sign from the cardboard.

next I had to make the little flap part that extends down the arm of the shoulder armor.  Here is a picture of the two pieces side by side.

Next step cover it in craft foam to hide the ridges.  I wrapped the edges under the armor since I will have to cover the inside once it's done.

next add the raised edges around the sides and then the raised part where the yellow strips go.

You can't see it but i did glue the seam on the top part of the shoulder armor it's just clear.  but I wasn't happy with how smooth it came out so i went ahead and threw some Spackle on it and three coats later and a lot of sanding and it looked good as can be.  I forgot to take a picture before I put a coat of primer on it.

 Next was the little design on the flap part of the armor.  i went ahead and googled lightning from final fantasy and got some good reference pictures and went ahead and drew it out.  I went ahead and drew it on a thing piece of card stock and then broke out Mr. xacto knife and this is what I got.

Next was a coat of primer on it and tomorrow after I get the correct color of paint i will have a finish paint on it. 

So next it's painting time.  I went ahead and spray painted the whole piece and then put a coat of a lighter color green on the raised parts.  After that I just added the el wire and fixed a battery holder to the inside of the shoulder pad.  



I think it came out pretty nice.  Fun little project even though my original idea of using leds to light it did not work.  Gotta love el wire.