Bodysocks Inflatable Airplane Costume (Adult)

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With the patterns for all the structural components printed at full scale I set about assembling the plane's "bones." Both to keep the weight to a minimum and because its a very easy material to work with, I chose 1" rigid insulation foam for this step. It cuts very easily with just a box cutter and, because of the paper (or is it a foil?) covering both sides, The material resists bending and warping even when cut quite thin. Obviously, the engine and propeller are an important part for any airplane. Our version was no different. While I'm sure I could have built this piece using the same technique for the rest of the plane, I chose to go a different route because I knew I wanted the propeller to spin and was going to need a way to easily access the internal motor and battery compartment. Place the triangle-shaped Box 2 up against the end of Box 1, remove the end flap, bend the top end flap of Box 2 over and down into Box 1, and fasten the flap so that it is securely taped to the inside of Box 1. Of course I couldn't go straight to applying newspaper to the frame. There simply wasn't enough structure to properly support it. So first I applied strips of masking tape to the frame as you can see in the photo above. The tape was super easy to apply and perfectly fleshed out the shape of the plane. It also gave great support to the newspaper.

So she was thrilled to learn that the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum had one of Earhart's planes on display. She told us that she wanted to be Earhart for Halloween. That sounded great to us but a simple pilot's outfit would never do so we decided that our young Amelia would need to be "flying" her plane.

As you can see in the video, it's quite slow but it was just the right amount of movement for my needs. The propeller itself was again cut from rigid foam insulation (I just love that stuff!) and attached to the motor using another have slice of PVC pipe to form the axel. The great thing about creating Halloween costumes made out of cardboard is that you don’t need to spend a whole lot of money, develop any sewing or other crafting skills, or search too far for the perfect material. Fold down the top and bottom flaps of Box 2 and strongly secure them with tape. Turn the boxes over and repeat this step on the bottom as well. Cut slits in the sides of Box 1. Slide the hangers through the slits and bend down at a 90-degree angle. Then tape the wire hangers to the interior side of the plane. Your wings should now be in place. Bring the remaining sides of Box 2 together in a point so that the box forms a triangle. Use strong tape to fasten the point where the two sides come together.

Remove one end of Box 2, so that the box only has three sides. Make sure to save the end piece that you removed as you will use it later to form the tail fin. To attach the pieces together I used a simple craft glue. My go-to brand is Beacon 3-in-1, which I like because even when fully cured it maintains a little flexibility. Whichever glue you choose be sure to test it on a piece of scrap foam to ensure that it doesn't melt the foam. Hot glue definitely will not work in this instance for this very reason. Assemble Box 1 with the bottom flaps closed and the top flaps open. This will be the main body of your plane. I covered a small paper bowl with foil to create the propeller base. Then I inserted each propeller blade into small slits cut into the side of the bowl. I used a protractor to make sure the blades were evenly spaced (120 degrees). Look i’m fitting math into this fun Disney project! 🙂 To secure each blade, I taped the end to the inside of the bowl.Create round propeller housing as shown in the bottom right-hand corner below. Mine has a hole in the center because I added a motor (this is not necessary, but wows the kiddos). Tip! Whenever you tape something on the outside of the project, double the strength by taping the inside as well. Don’t worry about making it look pretty on the inside as no one will be able to see it. I found the perfect thing in the garden center of my local hardware store. The large, plastic flower pot pictured just happened to be the exact size I was looking for. All I had to do was cut the bottom water reservoir and the top ring off and I was good to go for the basic structure. Our oldest daughter went through a phase a couple of years ago where she was obsessed with Amelia Earhart. She'd devour any book or video she could find about her. She even declared that she'd be the person to finally figure out the location of Earhart's final resting place. If you’re looking for a fun DIY box Halloween costume project to help your kid stand out in the crowd this season, just go grab some cardboard, and voila! Your child will be flying high in no time.