Mr. Incredible Suit

[MeanGene]

One of the oldest tricks in the Predator hobby.

A lot of us started out this way or did a version of it.
Simply put, you get a generic halloween costume muscle suit. Stuff it. Then coat it with latex. Add texture. Paint it and you've got yourself some body skins.

Scott, Mannowar posted a thread which exists on another forum. Thought I would copy paste it here.

Mr Incredible suit is chosen to use because it has a decent muscle structure. Relatively inexpensive.
It is an entry level Predator - "just add armor" kind of deal.

Below is some of the Thread created back on the original hunter's lair CIRCA 2007.

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I posted this as a response to someones question in another forum... Figured I might as well post it here too, since it is a tutorial with some photos.

My recommendation for an inexpensive suit is what I did 2 or 3 years ago, before finding the Lair. First, buy a Mr. Incredibles suit (about $75.00 on Ebay) Then buy a set of white UnderArmor top and bottoms (probably about $50.00)... remember, they stretch, so find a pair that will just fit you, and they will stretch very nicely over the muscle suit... you don't want them baggy). They will go over the Mr. I suit. You can either put it on yourself and have someone else do the painting or put it on someone close to your size and do the painting yourself (there is also the option of using a duct tape mannaquin of yourself, but that takes your budget up a little and this is all about budget mindedness... Plus, duct tape mannaquins are a forum topic unto themselves...lol). You could use a fabric paint, but I used regular spray paint from the hardware store. As long as you don't wash the thing, you'll be fine that way. Depending on what color scheme you want for your suit, you'll need black, brown, a couple shades of green and yellows and red (about $25.00 in paint). Get some photo references and start painting. MAKE SURE THE UNDERARMOR IS ON THE MUCSLE SUIT, so you can highlight the muscles, etc... I started with all the yellow areas, worked my way in with greens, browns, then blacks, fading each into the next. Then comes the dots...

Get a piece of cardboard (thin, not corrugated... the single layer stuff you get at the art suppy store... all this coffee hasn't helped me remember what it's called) and hole punch a bunch of random holes into it. The cardboard needs to be about 15" long X 10" wide and the holes, though random should form the general shape of a triangle, about 6" long X 4" wide. Look at some photos of the dot patterns and you understand the triangle and where to paint the dots. Put the cardboard over the areas of the suit where you want dots and spray the cardboard, the paint will go through where the holes are and onto the suit. Do one set of dots over all the places that you want them in black... then go over all those areas with the browns, then maybe a few hits with the dark greens and reds. You want them to be random and all the different colors will layer them nicely. Paint is going to build up on the cardboard so wipe it off frequently so you won't get drips that you don't want on the suit... You're looking at around $150.00 in materials. Here are some photos of the suit I did 2 or 3 years ago with this exact same method. The colors were a little stronger then, as they've faded a bit with time, but you get the idea... Here are some photos of the production process and ultimately the finished product... Special thanks to my good friend, Cletus. He made quite the studly pred model. I'm the one doing the painting... Hope this helps.
Scott

 

 

[MeanGene]

Another member. The Big Gunns responded with:

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A suit with latex on it looks 100% better than without. Without the latex it looks like spandex- not skin. Thats one part of the suit I would not skimp on.Paint alone will not disguise it. Permawet will not make the skin look shiny unless it has the latex.

I would forget about the spandex suit and use that money to buy a gallon of latex.

This Mr. Incredible suit was painted by Dan Bravo. No spandex suit and latexed.

[MeanGene]

Questions were then asked:

How much latex do you need to coat the costume?
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Scott, Mannowar replied:

The past couple I've done, I brushed on the first 2 coats to get it all soaked into the fabric and seams. Then I spray on a coat, brush on one more coat, then spray 2 more coats to even everything out. That's 3 brushed on coats and 3 sprayed on. The sprayed on coats are a bit thinner than the brush on coats, so it probably works out to be equal to 4 or 5 brushed on coats. I'd guess maybe about 1/2 gallon... maybe a tad bit more. You'll definitely be safe with a gallon. I'd also mix in some titanium white tint into the latex. Run a thin strip of masking tape over the zipper so that you don't latex it shut.

[MeanGene]

An example of a finished suit.

[MeanGene]

Here is a good tutorial on making a duct tape dummy.

The duct tape dummy is critical to this process. The duct tape dummy serves as a stand in for your body as your paint the skins.
The latex likes to shrink and when it does the skins won't fit properly.
 

 

 

Below are some pictures of sculptures I worked on in the past that were over duct tape dummies
Another way they can be useful.